Dear students, parents, friends, and visitors to our website:
I’d like to welcome you to Robert Frost Elementary School! Frost is a K-6 school located in the heart of the Kingsgate neighborhood in Kirkland, Washington. We are a friendly community with great pride in being a safe, nurturing place in which we all work together to develop high-achieving, confident, life-long learners. Currently, Frost serves about 420 students. We have a dedicated staff and an active parent volunteer network that support student learning in many ways. A very strong sense of community exists at Robert Frost Elementary School!
The 2009-2010 school year will be my seventh year as principal of Robert Frost Elementary School. I was born in Syracuse, New York, and grew up in Oak Park, Illinois and Rockford, Illinois. I attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana where I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Education. I taught in Florida and Illinois before moving to the Seattle area about 17 years ago. For 11 years I served as a Special Education coordinator in the Snohomish School District and in 2003 I became principal of Robert Frost Elementary School. I have two daughters: one is a recent University of Washington graduate and lives in Seattle, and the other is now in her Junior year at the UW. Besides being a school principal, I like to spend any extra time I may have reading, writing, drawing, cooking, hiking, camping and snowshoeing.
As Frost students know, I have a particular passion for poetry, which began when I was very young. I remember sitting on my Grandpa Sullivan's lap as he read "Birches" by the great American poet Robert Frost. When I was in third grade my favorite teacher, Miss Wylie, recognized my interest in poetry and encouraged me to spend time reading and writing poems. I will always remain in Miss Wylie's debt not for only for inspiring me to become a teacher but also for challenging me to explore and grow in an area of passionate interest.
2009-2010 is our first year in the newly constructed Robert Frost Elementary School! Our lovely school was designed for flexible and effective instruction thanks to studio Meng Strazzara architects, who created the building plans with a great deal of input from Frost staff, parents and community members. Cornerstone General Contractors, Inc. worked hard to construct a building of superior quality. Our new school building pays tribute to our namesake Robert Frost with many structural elements. In our lobby is a Robert Frost-inspired art installation entitled "Calling All Butterflies", which was designed and created by Seattle artists Judith and Daniel Caldwell. We are lucky to have such a beautiful environment in which to learn and grow.
Again, I extend to you a very warm welcome to the Robert Frost Elementary School community. If you’re a visitor, take a look around our website and get to know us a bit. If you’re a parent or neighbor, I’ll see you the next time you’re in the building! And if you’re a student, always remember how very proud I am to be your principal.
Sincerely,