Extracurricular

Great turnout at 1st/2nd grade HIP Packing Party! Kindergarten/5th grade is next on Tuesday 4/7 

Lily Chan

THANK YOU to the 1st and 2nd grade families who contributed to their grade level food drive and came to help put together food packs for the Hunger Intervention Program! We had an enthusiastic bunch of Bryant Hawks and parents making quick work, packing an estimated total of 208 food packs. 

Let’s keep the momentum going with the Bryant Student Hunger Service Project for Kindergarten and 5th grade in April!  Mark your calendar and keep an eye out for the food drive and volunteer signups.  The whole family is invited to participate!  
 
2026 HIP Packing Parties, 6:30-7:30pm

  • February 9, 1st and 2nd Grade – 208 packs!
  • April 7, Kindergarten and 5th Grade- Goal 250 packs.
  • May 28, 3rd and 4th Grade- Goal 250 packs.

Thank you,
Kate Sortun & Nicole Loving
PTSA Student Hunger Service Project Co-Chairs

Student Hunger Service Project 2026

Lily Chan

The Bryant Student Hunger Service Project aims to provide a hands-on opportunity for our community to learn about and help students facing food insecurity every day in Seattle.
Nearly one-third of Seattle Public School students receive Free-and-Reduced Price Meals while they’re at school. But on the weekends and school breaks, students need extra assistance to assure that hunger isn’t an obstacle to learning during the week. Continuing Bryant’s partnership with the Hunger Intervention Program non-profit, we need your help to collect food for Healthy HIP Packs and then attend a grade level packing party where the whole family is invited to help assemble meal packs.
Contact Kate Sortun for information or to help.

Bryant After School Enrichment Program Fall Registration Open Now

Lily Chan

Registration for Fall After School Enrichment classes opened on Sunday September 6th at noon. Class descriptions can be viewed at our web site www.seattlease.org. 

Registration and payments are taken online through the site.
Registration will close September 20th.
Fall classes start September 29th.

Contact the ASE Coordinator clive@seattlease.org for further information.

Bryant Chess Club Continues

Lily Chan

We’re excited to announce that Bryant Chess Club will continue! After many dedicated years of Christine, Daniel and coach David keeping the love of chess alive at Bryant, they are now passing the torch to a new leader: Cary “Coach Ray” Easterday of Orangutan Chess Academy.

Coach Ray brings over 40 years of chess experience, along with a Master’s Degree in Geology and more than 30 years as a lead science educator in colleges, museums, public events, and classrooms. Since 2018, he has taught chess professionally to students across dozens of Seattle-area schools. His passion for chess education and engaging teaching style are sure to inspire a new generation of Bryant players!

The Chess Club will continue to be offered through ASE and will meet on Thursdays after school. If there is strong interest, we are hopeful to expand to two days per week.

Let’s give a huge thank you to Christine, Oliver and David for their years of leadership—and a warm welcome to Coach Ray and the Orangutan Chess Academy team!

Let’s keep the Bryant chess tradition strong!

Huge Thanks for a Fantastic Final HIP Packing Party!

Lily Chan

Thank you, Bryant community, for stepping up to support the Hunger Intervention Program! Thanks to your generosity, we packed over 300 weekend food packs—well beyond our goal of 250—and donated extra food as well. HIP was incredibly grateful for the support.

Special thanks to our amazing 3rd and 4th grade families for contributing to the food drive and showing up in force to pack! It was heartwarming to see so many Bryant Hawks and parents in action.

We look forward to continuing this important work next school year. If you’re interested in joining as a HIP Co-Chair for 2025–26, please reach out to: kate.sortun@gmail.com or ninamettler@yahoo.com. 

HIP needs our support more than ever!

Lily Chan

Following the termination/unpaid leave of all six AmeriCorps staff by DOGE and the Trump administration, the Hunger Intervention Program (HIP) reports severe disruptions to their meal delivery for homebound seniors and Healthy HIP Packs/afterschool meals for students. HIP is heartbroken and urgently needs community support. Read their full statement and find ways to help here: Urgent Update: Cuts to the AmeriCorps Program and the Harms to Our Community – Hunger Intervention Program.

An immediate need is food donations for Bryant’s final packing party on 5/20. Due to increased demand (400-450 packs/week) and the HIP news, all families are urged to contribute by volunteering and with food donation sign-ups , not just 3rd and 4th grade.

How to Help with the Food Drive:

About HIP: A local non-profit increasing food security in North King County through meals, education, and advocacy.

About Healthy HIP Packs: Weekend food program providing six meals and two snacks for food-insecure children.

About Packing Parties: Watch this fun video with your kids!