Listen to the Story

About Listen to the Story

Listen to the Story brings you the latest stories from across the Bethel School District, including school news, feature stories, bond updates, and more.

Publisher

Bethel School District

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Jul 2025

Latest episode

11 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

106 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   11 Sept 2026

   Students promise to never forget 9/11

   Students, staff, veterans, first responders, and community members gathered to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. This year’s ceremony held special significance as the first event hosted at Casey Crate Memorial Plaza at the new Bethel High School. The plaza honors Air Force Staff Sergeant Casey Crate, a Bethel High graduate killed in Iraq in 2005, along with all Bethel alumni who have served in the armed forces. A joint JROTC color guard from Bethel, Graham-Kapowsin and Spanaway Lake high schools presented the colors and brought dignity and honor to the ceremony. “As a generation that had not seen the day itself, we make the promise to never forget and to keep the memory alive for those lost on that fateful day,” Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Sandoval said. “Remembering September 11 is not simply about looking backward. It is about understanding our responsibility moving forward.” The ceremony honored the victims whose lives were taken, the families who were forever changed, and the countless individuals who answered the call to help. “For many of us who served after September 11, the events of that day didn't last for one day. They became years of deployments, missed family events, missed birthdays, holidays, and watching children grow up through photos and videos and phone calls,” Keynote Speaker Major General Tim McGuire, U.S. Army (ret.) said. “Some of us came home changed, and some of us didn't come home at all. But we did this with pride and a fierce sense of purpose to protect our country, our family, and friends, and our fellow Americans.” McGuire told the assembled students that sense of purpose and duty wasn’t restricted to those in uniform. “You don't have to be a soldier or airman to serve. You don't have to be a firefighter or a police officer,” he said. “Do the right thing when nobody is watching. Be the person who runs towards a problem rather than away from it. Those choices may seem small, but that's how character is built. And character is what carries people and countries through difficult times.”

2. 

   11 Sept 2026

   Seniors pave paths from crime scenes to ERs

   Forget tuning into The Pitt for high stakes medical drama. Right here in our district, four Bethel High School seniors are getting a front row seat to the healthcare world. And they’re taking the state by storm! HOSA is basically the Olympics for future healthcare professionals. And these students recently swept top three spots in Washington state in their respective events. Seniors Madelynn and Joon competed in “Health Career Display” with a focus on forensic pathology. When it came to research, they went right to the source. During an after-school study session, Joon cold-called the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, who routed her to the Medical Examiner’s Office. Days later, they were collaborating directly with Sierra Plush, Pierce County's Medicolegal Death Investigations Supervisor. "I feel like forensics usually gets a bad reputation due to it being so taboo, but me and Joon, honestly, we're really interested in forensics and death investigation as a whole to give clarification to grieving families and allow them to mourn in a positive way," Madelynn said. "Even if it's such a morbid thing, I would say it's a really beautiful thing because we're able to bring our community together." Joon credits HOSA with helping her step out of her shell. "I was always interested in forensics and being a part of the medical field and just helping people out," she said. "When I saw something that gave me an outlet and gave me connections and opportunities to network with people in my local area and compete and show off what I know and what I'm capable of, I thought, 'I really, really want to do this.'" For Kaydence, HOSA provided a hands-on spark that completely shifted her career goals toward respiratory therapy. "I was really kind of bored with studying books,” she said. “Getting to do the procedures in person and hands-on was definitely so fun for me." Meanwhile, Marcella took her experience managing the boys basketball team and translated it into a top state finish in life support skills. "Part of the life skill support was stuff similar to what I did in basketball,” she said. “The CPR and the taping. So I had an idea of what I was doing.” None of these real-world experiences would be possible without the voters of Bethel, who passed the Educational Programs & Operations Levy in February. That community support directly funds district after-school programs like HOSA, alongside athletics, music, and the arts. Thanks to our community, students have the tools and opportunities to chase their biggest dreams.

3. 

   8 Sept 2026

   How Bethel educators are rewriting discipline

   Across our district, classrooms are moving away from traditional, reactive punishments. Instead, teachers and administrators are working side-by-side to help every student thrive by building real-life skills, teaching them how to navigate conflicts, and creating a sense of belonging in our schools. The results of this shift speak for themselves: an impressive 70 percent reduction in elementary suspensions districtwide. A huge part of that success comes down to educators supporting educators. "At the Behavior Task Force level last year, we started going out to schools to see how it was going in buildings," said teacher and BEA Vice President Traci Overstreet. "So it was teachers checking in on teachers, and we plan on growing that this year.” That spirit of collaboration has created a momentum that is hard to miss. "Wow. I'm so inspired," said Jessica Hannigan, a national expert in student behavior systems. "I was getting actually a little emotional just seeing the growth from year one.” This is the third year Hannigan has been directly involved with our district’s behavior teams. “They're passionate about it, and they have created amazing systems on their campuses with huge outcomes for students and staff,” she said. The ultimate goal is to make sure that every student gets exactly what they need, when they need it. That means clearer expectations in hallways, targeted small-group coaching, and specialized lifelines for individual needs.

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