Starting down the path of Do what you say you will do, I decided it made sense to step back and remember the dreamer, Superintendent (General) John Henry Stanford, who was the inspiration for Seattle’s first International School. There is a web page now in Arlington Cemetery that describes his life and shares a number of remembrances. The Seattle Times continues to host His Life and Legacy (quite a few broken links, but photos and timeline are still there).
Encyclopedia.com also has a comprehensive biography, including this reference to his dream of establishing an international school:
In April of 1998 the school board also approved Stanford’s proposal to establish an international school in the fall of 1999. The student body would include a mix of native English speakers and those for whom English is a second language. Stanford’s idea is that the two groups would reinforce each other’s language development skills as well as provide direct cross-cultural exposure. Ultimately, the interactive curriculum is designed to expose students to Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, French, Japanese, and German.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/stanford-john-1938 (accessed 5/25/2020)
As noted above, the approval for the international school came in April of 1998, but John was gone by December of that year. The future of Seattle’s first international school was anything but certain. At the time, I was working for the Washington State PTA as Parent Involvement Director. I was also on a member of the International School Committee.
In February of 1999, I sent a letter (an email, actually) to the Seattle School Board to garner support for moving ahead with their commitment to Seattle’s first international school. (To be honest, I had forgotten about this letter until I ran across it in my computer file archives.) I’ll share it here.
Remembering the Dream: John Stanford’s Vision for the International School in Seattle
From: Michele Anciaux [anciaux@wastatepta.org]
Sent: Monday, February 01, 1999 8:47 AM
To: Joseph Olchefske (E-mail); Brian Benzel (E-mail); Barbara Schaad-Lamphere (E-mail); Don Nielsen (E-mail); Ellen Roe (E-mail); Jan Kumasaka (E-mail); Michael Preston (E-mail); Nancy Waldman (E-mail); Scott Barnhart (E-mail)
Cc: Karen Kodama (E-mail); Dick Lilly (E-mail)
Subject: Remembering the Dream: International School in Seattle
To: Seattle School Board, Joseph Olchefske, Brian Benzel, Seattle School District
cc: Dick Lilly, The Seattle Times, Karen Kodama, Principal of the International School
From: Michele Anciaux, parent in the Seattle Public Schools
Remembering the Dream: John Stanford’s Vision for the International School in Seattle
On numerous occasions John Stanford spoke personally to community members about his dream for “the International School.” What he had in mind was very different from the usual models for international schools where the international component is intended to attract the top 10-15% of students with a rigorous, college-prep curriculum.
Mr. Stanford envisioned a school where all children would have a chance to learn more than one language and to learn everything else in the context of the broader world that we all live in today. He wanted it to be a school that would attract immigrant children, who would be encouraged to maintain and develop the language they spoke at home, even while they learned to master English and perhaps began tackling a third language. He wanted it to be a school where English-speaking children came to understand other languages as something real spoken by real people, not just another subject to memorize from a book. All children leaving the school would be well-equipped with the 21st century skill of knowing how to learn second languages. In that climate, he believed, students who normally struggle with the basics of reading, writing, and mathematics would excel in those areas, as well.
Mr. Stanford knew that such a school had never existed in Seattle or Washington state before, but that did not stop him from dreaming or taking action to realize his dream. The effort to launch the International School is already gathering momentum:
* Current funding for the International School is provided by a 3-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
* Mr. Stanford himself selected the principal for the K-8 school, Karen Kodama. Mrs. Kodama, who was a recipient of the 1997 A+ Award for Excellence from the Alliance for Education, is working full-time on planning this year.
* There is growing parent and community involvement in the school, including support from the Alliance for Education through its International Compact. Mrs. Kodama has assembled a diverse group of educators, parents, and community members to serve on the International School Committee.
* The International School has the support of the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, which offers the Summer Language Immersion Camp in Seattle. Larry Strickland, Director of Social Studies and International Education at OSPI, is a member of the International School Committee.
* The University of Washington has proposed to use the International School as a model training ground for teaching languages in elementary school and developing an international curriculum in other subject areas. The UW would also help the International School students learn from others around the world through new high-speed Internet2 connections that the UW is piloting.
Mr. Stanford had many dreams, but perhaps none were unique to him in the way that the International School was. Everyone at every level of government, educational agency, and community speaks of the importance of reading. But, part of Mr. Stanford’s great skill in leadership was the ability to see beyond the immediate problems and solutions for today. He understood that a community needs to challenge itself, to attempt that which it does not yet know how to do. Creating the International School in his vision is just such a challenge for our community.
The Stanford family has reminded us repeatedly: “As you remember the dreamer, remember the dream.” Mr. Stanford’s own motto was “Do What You Say You Will Do.” Seattle School District must do what it said it would do and continue supporting the dream and reality of “The John Stanford International School of Seattle.”