The first time I went to Bailey Gatzert Elementary School was a sunny and wonderful day. It was a perfect day to start my volunteer work at an elementary school. The school is located at 1301 E. Yesler Way, 6 blocks in the south of Seattle University campus. One of the most impressive things that I could observe was that this area looks definitely different with the fancy downtown Seattle just 10 minutes driving away.Yesler Terrace, the neighborhood that the school belongs to, mainly includes low-income families with the total population of 4,549. According to 2009 data, the median household income in the area was $26,290, pretty low comparing to $60,843 of Seattle. The racial makeup of the neighborhood is 43% White, 25% Black, 23% Asian and others are American Indian, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. The neighborhood is usually reported on the news about its criminal problems and housing for low-income households.
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| The School's overview |
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| The library at Bailey Gatzert Elementary School |
At Bailey Gatzert Elementary School, there are about 341 kids now enrolling. 94 percent of the students here are qualified for free/reduced lunch. The racial makeup of the institution is 2,6% American Indian/ Alaska Native, 22% Asian, 47,8% Black, 21,1% Hispanic and 6,8% White. The classroom ratio is about thirteen students per teacher. According to Seattle University website, Bailey Gatzert provides children with academic programs such as Readers Workshops, Writers Workshops, Write from the Beginning, Inquiry Based Science, Everyday Math and 90 Minute Reading. The school also has other activities for students including sports, music, environment awareness, etc. However, students' performances are far below the level of state and district standardization especially in Reading, Maths and Sciences. Seattle University provides opportunities for volunteer and service learning students to help those children improve their study quality and family involvement.
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| SU student with kids at Bailey Gatzert in an Afterschool Program |
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