The Richland School District's summer ceramics class draws kids of all ages as instructor Robert McMinn explains in this Tri-City Herald video story (2:43).

As you browse the internet or work on your computer, we invite you to listen to these quality performances by Richland School District music groups. Enjoy!

From the Bellevue Jazz Festival, May 2, 2008

From the 2008 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.

Enterprise Middle School students use a magnifying glass to carefully observe a bean, comparing the characteristics of a monocot versus a dicot seed. The students in Trevor Macduff's class also spend time observing leaves, stems and flowers to develop a complete understanding of the differences in the design of monocots and dicots. The lab was part of a larger unit study of plants, plant reproduction and plant processes.

July 2008

West Side Church in Richland has stepped up in a big way to help Marcus Whitman Elementary School. For the past two years, 40 members of the congregation have tutored students in reading and provided them with breakfast.

"It's a meaningful partnership," says Paul Dann, Marcus Whitman principal. "The church members care about these students and are showing it in a tangible way."

The 25 students arrive at the church on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 7:30. The Tuesday sessions are one-on-one with students reading to their mentors. Small group learning (photo above) takes place on Thursdays.

At 8:10, the church provides breakfast along with an adult volunteer who reads a story out loud. The students are then escorted the two blocks to Marcus Whitman for the start of the school day.

"The tutors are overseen by state certified teachers from the West Side congregation," explain Ken and Karen Gasper, co-directors of the West Side Tutoring Program. "The church purchased curriculum materials from the same company which provides the school materials. Students are receiving consistent instruction throughout the day."

And what are the results? Is the before school program making a difference in the students' reading abilities?

"A majority of the students achieved grade level by the end of the school year," adds Dann. "Some even made it by midyear and were able to exit out of the program."