Mohiuddin requested a motion to approve the new Land Acknowledgement as the official WIHS Land Acknowledgement. Before this, Rose requested that Board Members take turns reading.
Discussion:
- Mohiuddin liked that there are calls to action included. Pyscher agreed.

Oliver motioned to approve the new Land Acknowledgement. Psycher seconded the motion. Motion Approved.

Jeremy Ferrera - Taught English to children in Japan. Was frustrated with the traditional classroom and felt moved by Paulo Freire pedagogy (Pedagogy of the Oppressed). Wanted to find how to incorporate this into public schools. Has come to support WIHS.
Halma Abubakar - Founding Director of Operations at Why Not You Academy. Passions in starting up a school and supporting their own community.
Christine Espina - At WWU as faculty, background in community health nursing. Because nursing at WWU is in the College of Education, they view educational policy through a health lens.

Introductions followed by Board Member introductions.

Updates: Pertaining to goal #1 - recruiting new board and committee members. Mohiuddin reports we are on track.

Updates: Pertaining to Profits and Loss document - Oliver reports WIHS spent on curriculum and development, basic monthly management and staffing costs. Reuther reported we received a $10,000 grant. Oliver also reviewed with the board where we are as a month, compared to annual expenditure. Reuther reported on WA Charters grant: approved WIHS for $400k and another $150k. We are going to raise $20k as a board/school - potentially with the student showcases and the gala at the end of the year. Charter school funding won't kick into effect until next Fall. We will be getting a bridge loan from WA Charters, which will be reimbursed by the CSP funds. Used for furniture and technology - setting up the classrooms, etc.

Pertaining to the Role of the Academic Excellence Committee (found on BoardOnTrack) - Pyscher reported about the agenda for the Academic Excellence Committee Mtg Agenda (10/19/20). Pyscher talked about the discussion that occurred around the shared definition of academic excellence. Asked Geis-Poage and Reuther to share progress on forming the definition. Next step was forming a road map. Geis-Poage and Reuther confirmed a drafted road map. This committee is to measure the results of the organization in meeting goals. Geis-Poage to be checking in with this committee as the school curriculum is implemented.

Geis-Poage shared the draft of the WIHS road map. It focused on not just academic skills to be successful in college, career, and life, but also skills around creativity and citizenship. Taking goals into consideration: there is a performance framework. Indicators are Proficiency, Growth, Regular attendance, 9th Grade On-Track, and PhBL Growth. The details to these areas can be found on the Academic Excellence Roadmap, however this document is still being built and reviewed. Goals have been proposed that address indicators. Certain tools of measurement can be events that showcase student work, as well as assessments between Fall and Spring. This gives instructors tools for assessing and adjusting curriculum. Tool to survey students between the Fall and the Spring: "Flourishing Life Survey." Geis-Poage to be meeting with the author tomorrow.

Mohiuddin asked: can WIHS choose the growth targets for that?
Geis-Poage: WIHS will be given reports on proficiency standards for ELA and Math, but there is also an interim cumulative test, which can be broken down into specific learning standards that are still aligned with Common Core learning standards framework.

Abubakar asked: How do you make sure you keep a DEI lens in the committee?

Pyscher mentioned asking the state about their standards of measurement for student growth. "Is there an assessment to see if the children like the curriculum? How do they feel? How are they flourishing? How are they actually experiencing this curriculum?"
Geis-Poage mentioned the need for data to also collect demographic data. Culturally sustaining pedagogies will keep the Board on track with academic goals.
Pyscher mentioned the diversity of the Board as representation of the prioritization of diversity.
Mohiuddin reminded committees to remember that it's okay for guests to come to meetings to help with the work, who may not have the capacity that it would take to be an official Board Member. We should reach out to our resources. There are also three more meetings with an expert – a commitment of the Board to define their own DEI lens.
Psycher mentioned the need to serve LGBTQ+ youth, homeless youth, and youth in poverty. WIHS needs to be intersectional with the way that it addresses diversity and provides serves to students. We shouldn't use intersections to decentralize the impacts of race in these conversations of equity.
Halma noted: "Making sure to serve all under-served family."
Psycher re-iterated the point that Mohiuddin made that guests are important to committee growth.
Geis-Poage introduced Ali Beemsterboer as guest speaker, who has also been planning our virtual studios and will be a part of the WIHS faculty team next Fall.

Beemsterboer: Introduced Critical Literacy (idea that texts (including non-written media) are not neutral. There is someone who created the text for a specific audience and have a specific agenda, which determines what they leave out or keep in.) We are teaching students to question the kinds of narratives that are showing up in text. One main theme we're teaching kids to identify in text is power. Beemsterboer talked about the most recent studio, teaching kids to analyze films and clips from the horror movie genre (in-line with the studio theme). We start by asking questions on craft, content, and the critical. She also led the board in engaging with an exercise she leads the students through in the studio - asking the questions, "Who has power? How do you know?" The board was first shown a clip from the movie Split and then left their thoughts on a jam board with analytical prompts. Responses can be found here: https://jamboard.google.com/d/1XSxGWlyFJ-HOqNFLlglI_4Y3wyJ_IBFReULqDG6z5JE/viewer?f=3

Board engaged in discussing what answers were left for the prompts.

Beemsterboer then went over main goals of the studio: getting kids to notice craft aspects such as camera angles or background sounds that people may not usually notice; having students film their own clips by mimicking, but then changing the message they want to share. On Friday, Nov. 6 at 7pm, there will be a showcase of the movie clips the students made after the studio. Reuther to send out information with the zoom link. Mohiuddin invited all guests and board members to attend the showcase and to share it around to potential educators and board members.
Geis-Poage mentioned WIHS is hiring for Math, Social Studies, PE, Special Ed, and specialties teachers as co-teachers. E.g. - ELA being taught with Art. He will be making a short blurb so the board can share that information around.

Beemsterboer summarized that these studios do still meet common core standards, but we're teaching skills needed for that common core a different way – the WIHS way.

Mohiuddin noted we will create a curriculum folder on Board On Track so members can see it and so the Board can review.

Habitat for Humanity Space: Not interested in helping to finance any of the Tenant Improvements ($500k+). Talked with Raza development fund - they are interested in financing, but below $250k. Thus, Reuther recommends WIHS cancel interest.
Bellis Fair Mall: Their proposal was good - they are willing to give $500k for tenant improvement and would add that to the lease. Financially, this makes Bellis Fair Mall quite attractive. We need more than $500k for TI though, but then we may be able to ask Raza. Being in a mall is certainly a unique setting. Bellis Fair is looking to house a library, MakerSpace is already there (very interactive). Mall interested in being a community hub so there would be interested partnerships. It's in a target area serving Sterling Meadows, Villa Santa Fe, etc.
Next Steps: Kirk the carpenter will be assessing needs for improvements and WIHS will discuss contingencies with the mall.
Garcia: Likes the fact that there would be a lot of parking and that it meets the needs that parents have of feeling like students have a common, secure place. She believes we should move forward. Mentioned transportation - it's easier to get to Bellis Fair via bus from Ferndale, as opposed to closer to town. "That's a place where the teenagers go to already." It's family-oriented (food court). Garcia believed it's a great option. Michael Garcia seconded that belief. "The location itself will be a huge enrollment tool." All of Whatcom County can get to this mall, multigenerationally.
Pyscher mentioned charter schools are not supported in terms of securing space. Reuther noted that she would share floor plans with the Board, and that she would share times for the Board to visit the site.
Pyscher noted the closure of malls due to COVID and financial hardships. Malls want to go in different directions to become more community hubs.
Espina shared her agreement, that it's time for mall spaces to be innovative.
Mohiuddin: "If we build it, they will come."

Co-Chair Nominations:
- Rose Oliver (Nominated by Garcia and Pyscher)
    - Oliver accepted nomination, but just until the summer. Wants someone to serve         who is actually in Whatcom County and can better represent the face of WIHS.
Secretary Nominations:
- Tracey Pyscher (Nominated by Garcia and seconded by Garcia)
    - Pyscher accepted nomination

Erum officially resigning from the Board tonight, in order to begin as the WIHS Director of Operations.
Tabling for next meeting:
-Fundraising and Development Report
-Discussing the evaluation of our goals - material attached to the agenda.