Mercer Island School District's New "MI Phone-Free Schools"

Engaged intellectually. Connected socially. Distracted minimally. <br />Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, Mercer Island School District's high school and middle school will implement a new policy on cell phone usage during the school day. Superintendent Rundle joins the podcast to talk through the process and reasoning of going phone-free, an effort known as MI-Phone Free Schools. Rooting the decision in data from the Healthy Youth Survey, this decision aims to promote healthy social and emotional development with the assistance of Yondr phone pouches. </p>

00:18:57

The City of Mercer Island's Healthy Youth Initiative

Michelle Ritter, Prevention Programs Coordinator of the City of Mercer Island's Youth and Family Services, joins Emerald City Echoes to discuss the recent events, programs, and campaigns promoting healthy living on the island. With the main focus on students, the Healthy Youth Initiative provides numerous programs tailored by district-specific student survey data to support youth physical and mental well-being. </p>

00:22:58

I-90 and Mercer Island's Roads

Einer Handleland worked as a design civil engineer at Tudor Engineering Company, a firm that was involved in many major</p>transportation projects in the Seattle area. Specializing in project and traffic design, he was involved with many roads, bridges, and hospitals throughout the region. On Mercer Island, he assisted in the conceptual designs of I-90 dating back to 1970, and collaborated on design of Island Crest Way from SE 40th to 68th Ave, 40th to West Mercer Way, and Gallagher Hill Road from I-90 to SE 40th. </p><br /></p>

00:24:32

Bill Radke of KUOW's "Week in Review"

Divided. With many divisions prevalent in society today--war, politics, healthcare, and more--Bill Radke from KUOW joins Emerald City Echoes' Chloe Yang to discuss the direction society is quickly heading towards. Radke's original play, "Live from Liberty," discusses exactly that: can society get along despite global conflict, or would it be more convenient to disengage and distance from those with differing opinions? </p>

00:43:41

World's Toughest Row: A Race Across the Pacific

4 women rowing the Pacific Ocean, completely unassisted, will be taking on the World’s Toughest Row, navigating 2800 miles from Monterey, California to Kauai, Hawaii. Hannah Byrd, one of the rowers, and her teammates will take off this summer on June 12th and expect to reach their destination in Hawaii in mid July. Fierce competition, dangerous situations, and a harsh sleep schedule lie ahead for Byrd as she and her team hope to defeat the current world record. </p>You can learn more about the challenge by following this link: https://www.rowingoceans4women.com/ </p>

00:16:52

Gardening with Ciscoe Morris

Oh, la la! Ciscoe Morris, host of King5's segment Gardening with Ciscoe, is a well known Master Gardener in the Pacific Northwest. He gives gardening tips on how to best maintain outdoor plants, and travels the globe to give gardening presentations. Tune in to this episode of Emerald City Echoes to hear Ciscoe talk about bees, trees, and apple disease.</p>

00:52:17

Pete Nelson of Treehouse Masters

Treehouse enthusiast Pete Nelson was host of the Animal Planet hit show Treehouse Masters for 11 seasons. Pete's love for treehouses came about as a child building backyard tree forts with his father in New Jersey, and in 2006, he opened Treehouse Point in Fall City, WA: an overnight oasis consisting of 7 treehouses. Nelson Treehouse and Supply has built 350+ treehouses across the globe, allowing nature lovers like himself to experience life up in the trees. </p>

00:26:54

The Seattle Chinese School

From 889 The Bridge, this is a story about Mercer Island’s Betty Tonglao who served as principal of the Seattle Chinese School from 1981-1985 when it was located on the island. The school's new direction under Betty’s leadership focuses on oral language, immersing individuals through cultural activities, and engaging students to further their Chinese language skills.</p>

00:13:22

East to West: How 120 Boys Revolutionized Modern Day China

This is the untold story of how 120 young scholars were sent to the United States to help modernize the Qing Dynasty (now modern day China). One of these boys, Tang Shaoyi, was sent to New England and assimilated to daily American life to fulfill the government's educational mission, ultimately helping with the transformation from dynasty to republic. For historical context, the group of 120 boys sent to America to study, called the "Chinese Educational Mission" (CEM), was completely funded by the Qing Government and dated from 1872 to 1881. Author Dori Jones Yang was fascinated by the lives of these well-adjusted boys while living with their host families and attending school in New England, so out came the novel, "The Forbidden Temptation of Baseball." </p>Names mentioned:</p>Zhan Tianyou (a CEM student) - went on to study civil engineering at Yale, wildly known as "the father of Chinese railroad"<br />Tang Shaoyi (a CEM student) - the chief negotiator for the Qing Emperor and later served as the first Prime Minister of the Republic of China 1911 </p>Dr. Sun Yet-Sen - led the revolution to overthrown Qing Emperor, and the founder of the Republic of China</p>Peter Tonglao - (related to Tang Shaoyi) was a Mercer Island resident from 1972 to 2012. After retiring as a Boeing EE engineer, he was an active volunteer and bus driver for the Senior Program at the community center, and the first recipient of Flash Family Inspirational Award in 2009.</p>

00:08:46

The Legacy of Mercer Island Parks

Joined by Mercer Island Historical Society's Lola Deane, the history and significance of the island's parks is unpacked throughout this interview. The foresight and dedication of Deane has impacted generations of Islanders, as many of the parks available today continue to provide a connection of space for the community.</p>

00:21:36