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Cordata Elementary School fifth grader teacher Ruwani Brohier has been honored as the 2026 Northwest Educational Service District 189 (NWESD) Teacher of the Year, announced in late May.

Squalicum High School teacher Riley Liddle was one of two recipients to receive an Education of the Year Award from the Brown & Brown Excellence in Education Award Program.

�鶹ԭ�� Public �鶹ԭ�� welcomed schools from across Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties in hosting the annual Unified Soccer Jamboree on Wednesday, May 21 at �鶹ԭ�� High School.

All together, 14 teams played concurrently across seven fields with each team scheduled for three games during the jamboree.

Wednesday’s jamboree had One Schoolhouse spirit from a BPS perspective, with �鶹ԭ��, Sehome, Squalicum, Fairhaven, Kulshan and Shuksan all participating.

A pair of �鶹ԭ�� High School students competed in the 2025 International Bridge Building Contest in Chicago on April 26 with senior Katie Knies taking second place overall in the competition.

Junior Rylan Beal placed eighth place overall, another great showing for western Washington state participants and for �鶹ԭ�� High specifically.

The competition “…is more than five months of preparation, testing and iterative improvements, culminating in about 30 seconds of testing, with the top bridges separated by tenths of a gram of mass,” BHS career and technical education teacher Paul Clement said. “It’s really quite something!”

On Wednesday, May 14, APIDA Festival 2025: A Legacy of Resistance: Justice, and Joy was hosted at the Syre Student Center on the campus of Whatcom Community College for an evening including a community meal, panel presentation, keynote speaker, performances, vendor tables, activities and more.

May is Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month which uplifts and honors the identities, experiences, histories and cultures of Asian Pacific Islander and Desi-identified individuals. APIDA encompasses a vibrant community of over 50 ethnic groups, representing people of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi ancestry who trace their origins to diverse geographic regions.

The APIDA Festival is organized by the  �鶹ԭ�� Public �鶹ԭ�� is a consortium member along with several other local education, healthcare and government organizations.

Approximately 500 students per school participate in high school activities and athletics at �鶹ԭ��, Sehome and Squalicum high schools during an academic year. Behind every exciting contest and performance is the work of activities and athletics coordinators working tirelessly to help students excel and enrich their education experiences.

Sehome activities and athletics coordinator Colin Cushman and Squalicum activities and athletics coordinator Patrick Brown each earned well-deserved accolades for their leadership and efforts in April, as Cushman’s career of service was recognized with a hall of fame induction and Brown’s efforts were appreciated with a District 1 athletic director of the year award.