Happy 50th Birthday to PACE Program!
Half a century ago fifteen Northshore families, in conjunction with the Northshore School District, created an alternative option to the district’s established elementary educational system.
1973 Northshore Alternative Program (NAP) at Lockwood Elementary started with one classroom as a K–3 program.
1974 NAP gained a second classroom at NAP at Lockwood.
1975 NAP gained a third classroom at NAP at Lockwood.
1976 NAP gained a fourth classroom at NAP at Lockwood and became a K–4 program.
1980 NAP opened a K–4 site at Woodin Elementary with 2 ½ classrooms.
1985 NAP at Woodin (aka, NAP Eastside) moved to the Woodinville Annex where it grew to 5 ½ classroom and became a K–6 program.
1990 NAP Eastside became Recognizing Educational Alternatives for Children (REACH).
1992 REACH moved to Woodmoor Elementary with its 5 ½ classrooms.
1993 PACE started a K–6 program with 4 ½ classrooms as PACE at Kokanee Elementary.
1994 REACH at Woodmoor and NAP at Lockwood were renamed to Parents Active in Cooperative Education (PACE) matching the Kokanee name.
1994 PACE at Woodmoor’s site was reduced from 5 ½ classrooms to 4 ½.
1995 PACE at Kokanee was reduced from 4 ½ classrooms to 3 ½ classrooms.
1996 PACE at Wellington Elementary started as a 1–6 grade program with two classrooms.
1997 PACE at Wellington gained a third classroom.
1999 PACE at Woodmoor was again reduced, becoming a 3 ½ classroom site.
2001 All PACE programs eliminated Kindergarten beginning with school year 2001–2002.
2008 PACE at Lockwood celebrated 35 years. NSD cut bus service to all PACE programs.
2009 All PACE programs restructured to be cost neutral to the district. The Kokanee site merged with Woodmoor. Class sizes in the program were allowed to increase. Blended classes migrated to straight grades. The PACE at Lockwood logo was updated from the tree with parents and teachers, to a simple leaf design—which the other PACE sites also adopted.
~2011 Lockwood PACE introduced Spanish class once a week to all 1-5 grades as a part of our enrichment. This new class replaced a weekly Cooking Class; however, our 4th and 5th grade classes still have every other month cooking classes as part of their enrichment.
2017 NSD realigned school boundaries and reconfigured grade levels to a K–5 elementary, 6–8 middle school and 9–12 high school. All PACE programs are now grades 1-5.
2018 Northshore Family Partnerships launched at Bear Creek Elementary School and served 95 students grades K-5 in its first year.
2020 March. Entire NSD district and statewide goes into lock-down, shelter in place due to Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. All PACE programs pivoted and switched to full online teaching. Our PACE teachers in cooperation with each school teachers came together to provide the best online teaching possible, given the challenges. NSD step up and made sure each student was provided with computer, and/or tablet and internet access to continue schooling.
2022 Students were able to return to school building for their education. PACE program pivoted again and continued to support our teachers, students and school to the best of program ability, while following government health guidelines.
2023 PACE program celebrates 50th Birthday!