With a unanimous 5-0 vote on April 21, the Mercer Island School Board authorized Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano to sign a contract with American Traffic Solutions (ATS) to allow cameras to be installed on school bus stop arms.

Cameras may be installed once the Mercer Island City Council passes an ordinance authorizing the system’s implementation.

“Everybody feels this would greatly improve the safety of students as they both board and disembark the bus,” school district CFO Dean Mack commented to board members, noting the initiative has been before the school board twice as well as the City Council.

The superintendent said at the board’s previous meeting that he plans to implement the camera system before the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.

New elementary associate principals introduced

The superintendent introduced the district’s new elementary associate principals Lisa Dean and Jill Ravenscraft. The two will begin with the district for the 2016-17 school year.

Dean previously worked as a teacher and administrator in Port Townsend, the Lake Washington School District and the Bainbridge Island School District. She holds a bachelor’s in biochemistry from Western Washington University, a master’s in education from Old Dominion and administrative credentials from Gonzaga University.

Ravenscraft previously worked as a teacher and dean of students in the Issaquah School District. She holds a bachelor’s in science from the University of Washington and will graduate in June from the UW’s Danforth Program.

MIHS drill team, journalism students recognized

The school board recognized Mercer Island High School’s drill team and journalism program for awards won this past year.

Last winter, the Mercer Island drill team was named 3A academic state champions for their classification, registering a cumulative GPA of 3.631.

In March, students in the Mercer Island journalism program took home several awards and honors at the Washington Journalism Education Conference in Auburn. The program is led by teacher Chris Twombley.

Ricky Chess won first place for news writing, Jane Gormley received honorable mention for newspaper feature writing and Aina Swartz received honorable mention for editorial writing.

The online edition of the MIHS school newspaper The Islander, available at www.mihsislander.org, received a “superior” rating in the category of website/emerging technologies. Gormley is the online editor.