February 11, 1998 - When Secretary of Education Richard Riley comes to Seattle to deliver his annual State of American Education speech on February 17, several local students, parents and teachers will attend as guests of Ninth District Congressman Adam Smith.

"Education is one of my top priorities," said Smith. "I wanted to give people who really know education — parents, kids, and teachers — the chance to hear what the Secretary of Education has to say and give me their input."

Participants include three Bow Lake Elementary School students and their parents, a volunteer educator, two Franklin Pierce High School teachers, the Principal of Franklin Pierce High School, and five Tacoma high school students.

The speech will be held at Nathan Eckstein Middle School, located at 3003 NE 75th Street in Seattle at 11:00 a.m. on February 17th.

Before the speech, Smith and his guests will meet in the Nathan Eckstein School Library at 9:15 a.m. to discuss their education experiences, upcoming federal legislation, and how to improve American education.

The group will then watch the speech together and attend a reception in the Auditorium.

Participants:
Frank Hewins - Director K-12 Education, Franklin Pierce School District
Tim Stensager - Director Tech programs, Franklin Pierce School District
Gary Moed - Principal of Franklin Pierce High School
Burce Moeller - teacher, Franklin Pierce High School
Jeff Beni - teacher, Franklin Pierce High School
Henry Wolff - Student, Franklin Pierce High School
Karen Vasenius - Student, Franklin Pierce High School
Heidi Farras - Student, Franklin Pierce High School
Stefanie Johnson - Student, Washington High School
Josh Avalo - Student, Washington High School
Kathy Hand - volunteer with the Highline School District
Larry Holm & Tami Holm, Bow Lake Elementary
Christina Glover & Briana Glover, Bow Lake Elementary
Walter English - grandparent & Charlie Fredrickson, Bow Lake Elementary