All About Henderson Bay High School
JUMP TO
Support For Life Beyond High School
Henderson Bay School Stats
Besides being a neighborhood expert when it comes to buying and selling in Gig Harbor, I’m also a mom of three, and I know for most parents an important factor when moving to a new area is what the schools are like. We’re currently in the middle of a series where we are visiting all 17 schools in the Peninsula School District in order to give you a feel for the community and culture at each location. Keep reading to learn all about today’s feature, Henderson Bay High School, located in the heart of Gig Harbor.
Individualized Education
Brian Tovey, Principal
I’m the principal here at Henderson Bay High School. We are a school of choice in the Peninsula School District; that means that students choose to come here. We serve students who would normally go to Peninsula or Gig Harbor High Schools and for a variety of reasons, they see Henderson Bay as a place that fits their needs better. So because our classes are small, typically about 15 to 18 students versus 25 to 30 in the large schools, the attention that kids are able to get from teachers is very different. Kids are able to work at a different pace than the other schools. They’re able to interact in different ways with their teachers and their classmates than they can in the large high schools.
Francesco Ortenzo, Teacher
I teach math here at Henderson Bay. It’s my eighth year here and it’s my 18th year in teaching. Henderson Bay is a unique school. We’re a school of choice and one of the things we are able to do is meet students where they actually are, not where they’re supposed to be or where we expect them to be, but just where they are and we can work with them individually to make a plan with them so that they can be successful and not just successful but the best version of themselves. We’re in a unique position to do that better than I think anywhere.
Danielle Flores, Teacher
I think it’s really the individualized education that you get here at Henderson that’s the most important thing that draws students to our campus. We have super small class sizes. All of our teachers know you by name. Even if you don’t have the teacher, we will work one-on-one with you—you can go to any teacher for anything. Wednesday mornings we have an all-school meeting and then we break out for activities and that’s a really great time for us to build social-emotional connection, not only as individuals but as a community as a whole.
Crystal P., Student
I’m a senior and I’ve been at Henderson since about April of last year. We all relate to each other on a certain level—we all need our own space and less people to learn and we all have our own personal things going on. I was put through classes for college—I went through CCFE and I’ve never done a class like that when I was at Gig Harbor or any other school.
Robert M., Student
I’ve been here for one and a half years. I got here last year—I started out as a sophomore and now I’m a junior this year. Coming here has really given me bigger support systems like with Robin and Communities in Schools, and I don’t know what I would do without them.
Teachers here are just amazing and it’s just a great school all in general, and I’m really happy to be here.
Robin Malich, Communities in Schools Site Coordinator
I’m with Communities in Schools Peninsula and I’m the site coordinator here at Henderson Bay High School. I truly believe we’re a gem in the community. We give kids chances to start fresh and really feel taken care of in a way that the larger high schools, probably because they have so many kids, can’t do. I just think we provide so many opportunities for our kids and our families—we really get to know them and the relationship’s the cornerstone of how we serve kids here at this building.
Support For Life Beyond High School
Crystal P., Student
Our counselors actually meet with every senior and get them going on their college if they want to go to college, if they want to do community college they have resources for you or they recommend you to people. For me, they actually got me the job that I have right now at Starbucks. They had them come in, they volunteered to come in and interview me, and then here I am working at Starbucks. So, it was great.
Francesco Ortenzo, Teacher
I can’t think of a more necessary thing to have in a district is a place where students can redefine themselves.
Danielle Flores, Teacher
We’re one big family here and we get to see students thrive. They get to cross the finish line and go on and move forward with their life and that’s a huge accomplishment and I love getting to be a part of the team that allows them to take that next step.
Brian Tovey, Principal
Our staff at Henderson Bay is incredible. They all come here because they have a heart to serve kids and it’s pretty neat to see that every kid has an attachment to different staff members. It doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher or the principal, custodian or the lunch lady, our kids are connected, and to see adults take a personal interest in the lives of these kids is pretty incredible. If you ask the staff and the students, they’ll say, “We love it here.”
Henderson Bay High School Stats
Peninsula School District Profile
Feeder Schools:
Elementary:
Middle:
School Boundaries:
None (school of choice)
If you want to learn more about our wonderful community here be sure to check out my blog, or for more information on buying and selling in Gig Harbor and the surrounding area go to askpaigeschulte.com.