We co-create just and humanizing educational communities where every student thrives and succeeds, benefiting future generations. 

  • Cultural Calendar
  • Event
Marking the Importance of Juneteenth
Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas received notice from President Lincoln that slavery had been abolished — two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

The official holiday of Juneteenth marks this date, and it has since become something larger — a moment when we remember our responsibility to teach and overcome our country’s shameful legacy of slavery, to reconfirm our commitment to ending racism, and to reinforce our commitment to a world of justice and equity for people of color. It’s an opportunity for us to celebrate and uplift the achievements of those past who fought so bravely to seek freedom and better lives for future generations — even as we share the vital beauty and culture of Black history and culture in America today, as an essential and authentic reflection of our nation.

This Juneteenth, join the effort to inspire others to support diversity and inclusivity while also recognizing the tragedy and painful nature of this date’s history, even while committing to a better future, united in action against injustice and continued opposition to racism and hate.

To learn more about the history of Juneteenth, click here. Meanwhile, to take part in one of the many wonderful Juneteenth celebrations across Puget Sound, check out our helpful list of 2025 Juneteenth events!

 

PSESD News Banner

Archive

A photo of Ron Banner with the 2026 President's Award.

Earlier this summer, Clover Park School District Superintendent Ron Banner received the 2026 President's Award from the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP). The award recognizes an educational leader who is a relentless advocate for principals, assistant principals and the principalship in support of student success.

Read More about Clover Park SD Superintendent Banner Receives 2026 AWSP President's Award
Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students at the Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) Annual Track Meet.

Six Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students recently demonstrated determination, resilience, and athletic achievement at the Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) Annual Track Meet in Vancouver, Washington. The event brings together students ages 5-21 who are blind or have low vision from across Washington state for a day of competition, connection, and celebration of athletic accomplishment.

Read More about Lake Washington School District Students Shine at State Track Meet for Students with Vision Impairments
A graphic depicting a statue's chained hands and the words, Slavery Remembrance Day, August 23 2026. International Day for the remembrance of the victims of the slave trade and the transatlantic slave trade.

Created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Slavery Remembrance Day, also known as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, is observed on August 23 worldwide. The day honors the millions who died under enslavement while also promoting education and awareness of the slave trade’s global violation of human rights across human history.

Read More about It's Slavery Remembrance Day
A graphic image with the words Celebrating Civil Rights - Civil Rights Act and an image of Black marchers.

July 2 marks the anniversary of our Civil Rights Act—a landmark moment in U.S. history of the Act signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964. It prohibited racial discrimination in public places, as well as providing for the integration of schools and other public facilities. It also made employment discrimination illegal and was considered the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.
 

Read More about Honoring Civil Rights for All on the Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act
A picture of young students examining a container of river water for science.

Across PSESD, today’s students are doing more than studying the environment—they’re working to save it.

In Snoqualmie Valley School District, Meadowbrook School’s (MBS) secondary students recently took their commitment to environmental stewardship to the banks of the Snoqualmie River. Students partnered with Nature Vision and the Changing Seasons Farm, as part of their Blue Team program, to continue a vital, multi-year study of the local salmon spawning watershed near Carnation.

Read More about Students Work to Restore Local Watershed