I have now been on the Federal Way Public Schools board for eight months and it has been a tremendously educational experience.

It has turned even more extraordinary with the opportunity to select the next superintendent, a sudden change in board president as Director Carol Gregory heeds the call of political duty in Olympia and four of the five board director positions coming up for election. I am extremely grateful to the current board members for having faith in my qualifications and appointing me to the vacant board position during this period.

I whole-heartedly believed that this board could leverage the momentum of community involvement we have seen through the superintendent selection process to bring continuing improvement in our schools and benefit our students’ life outcomes.

What I have learned over the past eight months is that the district offers a quality education for life. I would sum up our “brand” as delivering a quality education for life through diversity, support, and choice. Federal Way is not an insular community. Federal Way is diverse, and that diversity is a strength to be leveraged by all students. It gives them the opportunity to live in a real world of people from many backgrounds and personal qualities. Community members and our schools provide support to families and students for the challenges they face in life and academics.

Whether it is nutrition services, language support, summer reading, pre-kindergarten classes, mentoring, or scholarship support, Federal Way provides a strong supportive environment for family and student success. There are also great choices for our students so that school will stay relevant to them. Choices allow our students to leverage their talents to their fullest.

Federal Way offers many programs for community members to take advantage of and the school district continues their effort to ensure all community members and students have access to the valuable resources available through our schools and from partners across Federal Way.

The recent hiring of a Communication Director makes it clear that the school district sees the importance of getting the word out on what our Federal Way Public Schools have to offer. I have greatly enjoyed reading the recent articles in The Federal Way Mirror celebrating the successes of students in our schools.

I hope the continuing coverage will allow members of the community to learn about the great opportunities available for their children in our schools and the opportunities for community members to participate in the success of children in our schools. The more engaged our community becomes, the more Federal Way steps up to handle the challenges.

That is the “brand” of our community and our schools benefit greatly because of what Federal Way community members do to support one another and our school children so they can succeed in life. The more our community becomes aware and engaged on what we can collectively deliver, the stronger our community, our schools and the future of our students will become.

Thank you for keeping our community informed about the great things happening across Federal Way Public Schools.

Hiroshi Eto, board member