e-Newsletter: January 2008

IN THIS ISSUE
Just What is a Luther Mayonnaise?
PSCS Comedy Night
Food as Curriculum
January - What's Happening

JUST WHAT IS A LUTHER MAYONNAISE?
The time is 2:45pm on a quiet Monday afternoon at PSCS. Upstairs in the second floor music venue Luther takes to the drum set, marshalling the rest of the Whips to their horns, guitars, and voices for a last minute run-through before their debut public performance. By 3:05 the house is packed, and the beguiling horn lines and crashing drum rhythms of "Hang On St. Christopher" by Tom Waits introduce Luther Mayonnaise and the Miracle Whips to the rest of the world. This grindingly powerful tribute to the wild life and road travel fills the room with whammy bar guitar solos and parched-throat lyrics. With a deft personnel change, the group then launches itself into the age of soul with "Mustang Sally" before wrapping up the set with the Sonics’ punk classic "The Witch". Though brief, it is a rousing show, providing a tantalizing taste of the rich future surely in store for these ambitious performers.

As you may have figured out, Luther Mayonnaise and the Miracle Whips is the band name given to the PSCS Music Ensemble class facilitated by staff members Liana and Scobie. The class has met twice each week throughout the fall, merging students and staff members with a variety of musical experiences. It is a tribute to the talents of Liana and Scobie, and part of the unique nature of PSCS, that the band worked so well. Versions of the songs that the band performed for the school community can be found online by clicking here.

PSCS COMEDY NIGHT
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 29th and point your GPS to the Comedy Underground in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood. Why? Because we're putting the fun back in fundraising, that’s why! No really, we are! Get ready for an evening of roaring laughter at the 2nd annual PSCS Comedy Night. This benefit performance hosts a stellar line-up of the who's who in Seattle comedy, a live auction with Auctioneer Nic Warmenhoven, and a Rockin' Raffle.   

In other exciting news, PSCS will be rallying funds at the event to support not just one school but two! All of the money raised at Comedy Night will go toward supporting PSCS' programs. And in addition, we've partnered with Comic Relief, an organization that will match up to $1200 of our income as a donation to the First Place School, a school in Seattle for homeless children. So the more PSCS brings in, the more support that will go to another great program.  

Tickets for the show are $6 for students, and $10 in advance / $12 at the door for adults.  To purchase tickets, visit the PSCS office or this link on the school website (note, there's a $1 service charge per ticket for online sales).

FOOD AS CURRICULUM
Staff member Nic has a passion for the politics of food, and he shares it with PSCS students.  He's led a field trip to a chicken processing plant, a class on Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, and has ongoing service projects with Oxbow Farm and the University District Food Bank.  He's working on developing a quarter-credit botany class about edibles and agriculture.

In the coming legislative session, a coalition of local groups will be pushing a bill to make it easier for school districts to buy food from local farms. Nic is coaching a group of students to develop and practice their lobbying skills, culminating in a trip to Olympia in January where students will meet directly with their legislators. Two students are already getting their opinions out there, with a letter to the editor published in the Seattle P-I a week ago (scroll down to the third letter).

JANUARY – WHAT'S HAPPENING

NO SCHOOL – WINTER BREAK
Tuesday, 1/1, New Year’s Day, and Wednesday - Friday, 1/2-4, for Staff In-Service days.

BOARD MEETING
Tuesday, 1/8, 7pm.

VISITATION DAY
Our next two visitation days are Wednesday, 1/16 and 1/30. It is difficult to understand PSCS without coming to school and observing our activities and student life. Seeing the school in action can make the difference between having a basic appreciation of our philosophy and the aha! of really "getting" how it works. For more information visit PSCS Admissions.

NO SCHOOL
Monday, 1/21, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

OPEN HOUSE
PSCS is holding an admissions open house for prospective students on Sunday, 1/27, 1-3pm. Come find out more about the school. See the wonderful opportunities PSCS has to offer. Meet staff, students, and other community members. Tour the school. Pick up an application for 2008-09. For more information visit http://www.pscs.org/admission/openhouse.htm.

PSCS COMEDY NIGHT
Tuesday, 1/29, 8:30-10pm. Doors open at 7:30pm, recommended arrival time 8pm to get a good seat and avoid waiting in line. The show is at the Comedy Underground, 222 S Main St (under Swannies Sports Bar in Pioneer Square; map). Tickets for the show are $6 for students, and $10 in advance / $12 at the door for adults.  To purchase tickets, visit the PSCS office or this link on the school website (note, there's a $1 service charge per ticket for online sales).

PARENT MEETING
Thursday, 1/31, 7-9pm in Room 211.

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