Crest Learning Center
Welcome to Crest!
Welcome to Crest Learning Center
Crest is a public MIHS program housed at Crest Learning Center specifically and carefully designed to offer a successful alternative pathway to graduation. All Crest graduates earn a diploma from Mercer Island High School. Most coursework is completed in class to support the individualized, project-based learning and supportive structure of the Crest Community students.
Here at Crest we have a dedication to our "Essentials" which include: Healthy Relationships, Community, Fun, and Work Ethic. Our values are reflected in all parts of the educational process of academics, social support, having fun while learning, and understanding the importance of a personal dedication to school. Crest is a program with high expectations and a strong sense of community, with all staff serving as positive adults in the lives of students.
Crest Learning Center
4150 86th Ave SE
Mercer Island, WA 98040
Phone: 206-236-3390
Crest Students
Crest Essentials
Crest Learning Center
Crest PRIDE! Four Core Essentials!
Healthy Relationships
Healthy connections are taught by building trust through acceptance and keeping an open mind. Respect is highly valued through sharing, listening, remaining honest, and being candid about thoughts and feelings in a safe community, where communication is encouraged and incorporated into the curriculum. Healthy relationships span friends, family, peers, adults in all capacities, and community members.
Fun
Fun is an experience — often unexpected, informal, generally not cerebral but purposeful. Crest incorporates fun in all curriculum. Experiential fun learning occurs from group projects to field trips. Through learning new enjoyable activities, fun includes diverting the mind and body to contribute an extra dimension. Students are encouraged to share and explore all aspects of how fun can be added to each day.
Work Ethic/Grit
This is a distinct combination of passion, resilience, determination, and focus that allows a person to maintain the discipline and optimism to persevere in their goals, even in the face of discomfort, rejection, and a lack of visible progress. Students are supported while learning how to ethically work hard, remain committed to their goals, and persevere through struggles and failure. Habits and traits that comprise work ethic are emphasized and reinforced positively.
Community
Crest's Community embodies the soul of our program. It is a feeling of fellowship with others. Making efforts to be an active community member at Crest is vital to student success. Our strong curriculum results in sharing common attitudes, finding new interests, and learning how to be a productive member of any community. Crest students soon learn that supporting our community and being a part of it comes with embracing differences, feeling accepted, and finding a role here.
Applying to Crest
Step by Step Process for Applying to Crest
Crest Application Procedure
Interest in attending Crest can be initiated by a Student, Parent, Teacher, IEP Provider, Case Manager, HS Guidance Counselor or outside agency. Call or email the assigned counselor at Mercer Island High School or call the counseling department secretary at 206-236-3354.
Guidance Counselors
(A-D) Susie Brown 206-236-3362 susie.brown@mercerislandschools.org
(E-J) Anam Schlueter 206-230-6013 anam.schlueter@mercerislandschools.org
(K-M) James Tanksley 206-236-3364 james.tanksley@mercerislandschools.org
(N-Si) Molly Smith 206-236-3365 molly.smith@mercerislandschools.org
(Sj-Z) Katy Johnson 206-236-3355 katy.johnson@mercerislandschools.org
Incoming freshmen's contact is their Middle School Counselor.
Process of Admission
Once a student has been referred and identified by committee, a visit to Crest is scheduled through the MIHS Counselor and the Crest Administrative Assistant.
After the visit, the student is interviewed by Crest staff and if accepted, a Crest Application will be completed as well as a required letter written by the student explaining why they want to attend.
Crest applications are available at Crest Learning Center as well as in the Mercer Island High School Counseling Department.
Once the student is prepared for admission, they begin their classes as soon as possible. Student Guidance Counselors will update the student schedule to reflect changes.
The MIHS and Crest Staff collaborate to align academic, social and personal growth for each individual student. Crest Teachers and Counselors keep in regular contact to measure success and provide support.
If you have further questions please contact Beverly vanHartesvelt, Crest Administrative Assistant 206-236-3390
Staff Information
2022-2023 Crest Learning Center Staff
|
Position |
CLC Staff Member (Email Address Link) |
Phone Number |
|---|---|---|
| Head Secretary | 206-236-3390 | |
| Administrator | Nick.Wold@mercerislandschools.org | 206-236-3386 |
| Teacher - Social Studies, WEB Registrar | Patrick.Rigby@mercerislandschools.org | 206-236-3320 |
| Teacher - Math & WEB | Emily.King@mercerislandschools.org | 206-230-3348 |
| Teacher - English/Writing/Career | Carrie.Thompson@mercerislandschools.org | 206-236-3332 |
| Teacher - Resource | Jeniffer.Blaser@mercerislandschools.org | 206-230-6166 |
| Teacher - Horticulture | Elysse.Forester@mercerislandschools.org | 206-236-3344 |
| Paraprofessional | Sarah.Shannon@mercerislandschools.org | 206-236-3383 |
| Paraprofessional | Carlos.Marques@mercerislandschools.org | 206-236-3390 |
| Paraprofessional | Courtney.Taylor@mercerislandschools.org | 206-230-6166 |
| Paraprofessional | Janelle.Honeycutt@mercerislandschools.org | 206-230-3390 |
| Paraprofessional | Tracy.Woxland@mercerislandschools.org | 206-236-3390 |
History of Crest
History of Crest Learning Center
The East Seattle Years - 1971 through 1981
February 1971
Pictured L to R: Bill Pattie (counselor), Karen Ruskan, Michael Hagen, Dottie Roberts, Ken Seng (administrator)
Crest Learning Center began as the brain child of high school counselor Bill Pattie in February, 1971 with two half-time teachers and 13 students. It was called Contract High School. Karen Hagen and Dottie Roberts each ran the program for one half of the school day, often communicating by note as they arrived from or went to other teaching jobs. Michael Hagen, Bob Maier, and Patty North all joined the staff within the next two years as Contract High School grew to about 80 students.
1975 - 1979
After five years in an old adjacent building, the program moved into the north end of the East Seattle building during the '75-'76 school year. The original building, on the site of the ball field at the former Boys & Girls Club, was demolished shortly after Contract HS moved out.
From 1976 to 1979 Contract HS shared the East Seattle building with S.W.I.S. (School Within a School), the junior high alternative program.
1975
By 1975, Lynn Watts had joined the staff of Contract High School. Bob Maier left to teach Language Arts at MIHS.
1981
Pictured L to R: Dottie Roberts, Michael Hagen, Bob Maier, Karen Hagen, Patty North
Wanda Kulman began as secretary in 1980. Bob Maier returned from the High School in 1978. Brian Scheussler and Tom Tivnan added their expertise part-time during the 1981-82 school year.
At this point, Contract was sharing the East Seattle building with the Boys and Girls Club.
The North Campus Years - 1982 through 1987
Pictured L to R: Karen Hagen, Michael Hagen, Dottie Roberts, Patty North, Wanda Kulman
In 1982, Contract High School moved to the North Campus. This building had previously been North Mercer Junior High but presently was being used as additional classroom space for the high school. We shared the building with the Math department, Special Education, some district administration, and a day care center.
Contract High School purchased its first two computers during the 82-83 school year.
Bob Maier left MI for a job in Olympia as a legislative assistant with WEA .
1985
|
Staff in 1985: Patricia Malatesta, Patty North, Karen & Michael Hagen, Wanda Kulman. Patricia Malatesta joined Contract in 1983 as an aide, then was hired as a teacher in 86-87. After several years of serving about 125 students, enrollment was trimmed back to 80. By 1985, the greenhouse program was established and growing. During the summer of 1986, the staff took Feuerstein training and began to focus on cognitive development. The program evolved from serving students almost exclusively through independent contracts to offering two morning classes each day and the rest independent contracts. |
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1988
Annual camping trips, mostly to Ozette, continued until 1988.
Michael Hagen, Michael Soltman (school psychologist), and Patty North at Ozette in 1986.
The Mercer Crest Years - 1987 through 1997
| In 1987, Contract High School moved to the site of the former Mercer Crest Elementary library and assumed the name Crest Learning Center. In 1988, Crest received its first Mercer Island Schools Foundation grants. During the next few years, the Foundation generously supported Crest by funding visiting artists, habitat development, library books, and computer equipment. Crest began to offer a formal summer program. |
 The first of two Crest buildings at the Mercer Crest site. This building was a remodel of the previous Mercer Crest Elementary School library. |
1990
|
 Patricia Malatesta, teacher |
 Wanda Kulman, secretary. |
 Jackie Hallett, administrator. |
1995-1997
The program expanded.
Nancy Kidder replaced Wanda Kulman, who went on sick leave in 1993, then stayed as a parapro when Wanda returned in 94-95. Brian Berghout and Carol Heltzel joined the staff in 93-94, followed by secretary Linda Holt and parapro Karrey Rigby in 95-96.
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1995 Staff of Crest Learning Center L to R: Carol Heltzel, Patricia Malatesta, Brian Berghout, Michael Hagen, Nancy Kidder, Linda Holt, Chris Allen, Patty North, Karen Hagen. |
|
Jason Porter |
In the spring of '96, Jason Porter finished his student teaching and joined the staff in 96-97, splitting his time between MIHS and Crest. Enrollment remained steady at about 115 students, but more students were taking classes all day at Crest. Michael Hagen's district technology duties expanded enough so that substitute Joyce Hedlund was a regular in the building for several years. |
 Joyce Hedlund with |
1990's Activities
Crest continued to offer hands-on experiences throughout the 90's.
|
 Art projects with visiting artist Jodi Waltier. |
 Coldframes in the early horticulture program. |
 1997 Ropes course |
 Hikes to Snoqualmie Falls. |
1997 Expansion
In the mid-90's, Crest began to outgrow its "Great Room" as more students enrolled in the morning English/History Block. |
Two portables were added until an enlarged building was ready in the fall of 97. |
 Construction began on the building expansion in March, 1997. |
|
 The greenhouses were moved to make way for construction. |
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In the fall of 1997 Crest moved into its newly remodeled and expanded home.
MI Online
MI online 2022-2023
-
MI ONLINE REGISTRATION LINK HERE
Applications for Spring 2022 will be open until February 17.
All Senior Classes will end June 9th. 9-11th Grade Classes will end June 23.
The following groups will be prioritized for registration
- Seniors needing specific credits for HS graduation
- Course not available at the school
- Course helps student make up failed credits needed to graduate
Students in these groups may benefit from online coursework, if there is space available
- Online course venue helps alleviate scheduling conflict
- Online learning environment perceived as better-meeting student's learning style
- Course offers student enrichment or subject matter of interest
- Course allows student to better prepare for college-level coursework
- Course allows student to prepare for the state assessments (MSP/HSPE)
Selection of Providers
MISD primarily uses FuelEd as our provider, but also has access to APEX Learning. These providers were selected from a vetted list provided by OSPI’s Alternative Learning Department Online Learning Division (formerly known as the Digital Learning Department). They have a signed contract for providing courses to the district, which is renewed annually. The contract varies by the type of provider. MISD does not vet the individual courses of the providers, except to determine if a course meets a graduation requirement (ie is there enough American History in a course for the course to count as the US History requirement). All courses are available for credit on a MIHS transcript.
Please know that some courses are NOT AVAILABLE to our school district. This is primarily the case for some "Premium" and "Career-Focused" elective courses, and based on the online provider's access to a properly credentialed Washington State teacher. If this is the case, please consult your School Counselor or the Online Course Registrar to help find an appropriate alternative.
Fuel Education is the primary provider for MIonline. If you are unable to find your choice course, please contact your School Counselor to explore options through other online providers (APEX Learning). Please note that these additional providers will only be considered for courses not offered through Fuel Education.
The Fuel Ed course list can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/fuelcourselist
Timeline
Students may register prior to a semester's start date and if the needs arise they may request a course within the following windows:
Stand-alone course: Up to end of third week into semester.
Credit Recovery: Up to end of third week into semester.
Special considerations: Will be considered via Mercer Island High School's Building Guidance Team.
The Process
Student completes the online enrollment form from the web site, prints and signs the finalized agreement and then gives this to his/her academic counselor. The Guidance Counselor reviews the application for enrollment. The student is notified of their status.
Typical reasons for enrolling in WEB classes are credit recovery, courses not offered by MIHS, specific courses that can not be accessed by the student (scheduling conflicts, etc), student need (school avoidance, etc), student desire to move faster or slower though courses, and student preference for online learning.
Students must be able to have periods 2, 3, 6, 7 free in case they need to be enrolled for daily attendance.
Period Course Teacher Location 2 MI Online Patrick Rigby Crest 3 MI Online Emily King Crest 6 MI Online Emily King Crest 7 MI Online Zhousu He 308 Contract Expectations
The student must make weekly contact with his/her Crest Teacher Mentor. If adequate progress, as determined by the Teacher Mentor, is not being met, in-person meetings will be required and could result in additional interventions. These could include: additional Teacher Mentor contact by phone or email; regular in-person meetings; or scheduled on-campus work time. All coursework must be completed within the course start and end dates determined at the time of registration.
Acceptable Progress
Regular login and acceptable weekly progress toward course completion is required. Acceptable progress is the successful completion of approximately 5% of each course every week. If acceptable progress is not met, Washington state law mandates that the Mentor Teacher add further interventions and requirements, which could include scheduled work time during off periods, parent meetings, after school work time, or additional weekly check ins.
Earning Credit
Grading is the responsibility of the online teacher for the course. All grades and credit for completed courses will be recorded on the MIHS transcript. Withdrawing from a course within 10 school days of initial login will result in no record on the transcript. Withdrawing later than 10 school days after initial login and prior to the last 10 days of the course will result in a “W” on the transcript. Not completing the course will result in an “F” on the transcript. If the online provider has different rules regarding grade posting, those rules will take precedence.
Course Eligibility and Tuition
MI Online Course eligibility is determined through an administrative review process. Mercer Island School District covers tuition for courses as long as a student does not exceed seven combined (on-site and online) courses for a semester. In other words, a student must have at least one unscheduled period to enroll in an online course. Additionally, students may not over-enroll (have more than seven courses). Special allowances are made for students in their senior year needing credits to graduate.
Additional Costs
Some courses (particularly AP, literature, and science courses) may require supplemental texts or materials. Additional non-tuition costs are the responsibility of the student.
NCAA Eligibility
Students and parents are responsible for ensuring that the online course meets NCAA requirements should NCAA eligibility be part of the student’s post-high-school planning. Fuel Education courses often do not meet NCAA eligibility. If you need to verify that a course is NCAA certified, please let your counselor know at the time of course request.
