Seven Pierce County schools honored

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• Local schools honored for higher test scores

  Local schools honored for higher test scores

  A total of 99 schools in Washington state have been honored as Schools of Distinction. The schools are recognized for five-year improvements in reading and math test scores.

• Nine Whatcom County schools are recognized by state

  Nine Whatcom County schools are recognized by state

  Nine Whatcom County schools are among the 275 statewide that educators have selected for the 2011 Washington Achievement Awards.

  The schools will be honored April 25 at Mariner High School in Mukilteo, itself an award winner in the language arts category.

  Nooksack Valley School District garnered the most awards among Whatcom County's school districts. Its schools and their awards are:

• Healthy Schools grants are available for second year

  Healthy Schools grants are available for second year

  Mitigating obesity rates and tobacco use among youth is focus of grant

• South Hill Historical Society column, Dec. 21

  South Hill Historical Society column, Dec. 21

  Ballou Junior High name honors education leader

  The Ballou family is well-known on South Hill. At some time, most residents have noticed that name on the junior high school located just down the street from the South Hill Post Office. The school is so named to honor Frank Ballou, who, for many years, was very active in civic affairs on the Hill. Frank and Helen Ballou moved to South Hill in the early 1940s. They settled on a 10-acre ranch just across Meridian Avenue from the Firgrove Elementary School. Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, they came to the Puget South to be near Helen’s family, who lived in Puyallup. When it was acquired, the Ballou property was considered a “stump farm.” It was not usable for agriculture and had to be cleared to be of practical use. Frank used dynamite to blast out the stumps to create areas that could be cultivated. Initially, five acres were devoted to raising strawberries. Over time, the remaining acreage was developed and used for a variety of things, including the

• School enrollment surge eases in Pierce County

  School enrollment surge eases in Pierce County

  School enrollment numbers are leveling out in Pierce County’s largest suburban districts, slowing a trend that saw these districts explode with new housing and kids in the 1990s and early 2000s while urban Tacoma’s student population steadily declined.