Western Washington University is offering a week-long course in Costa Rica this spring called “Tropical Eco-Farming and Sustainability in Costa Rica.”

The trip will be from March 20 through 29 and it’s open to the public. Participants will learn about reducing environmental impacts while producing enough food to keep up with demand.

Anyone interested in more information should attend one of the following information sessions:

Tuesday, Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m. in Communications Facility room 225.

Thursday, Dec. 3, 6:30 p.m. at 405 32nd St. room 360.

Saturday, Dec. 5, 6:30 p.m. in Communications Facility room 225.

For more information, email eesp@wwu.edu or call 650-3308. Course details can be found here.

Parents wanting to know more about the state’s Guaranteed Education Tuition Program are invited to an information night on Monday, Nov. 16.

The GET program is a prepaid tuition plan. Parents purchase “units” to save and use in the future at almost any college in the country. One hundred units represents one year of tuition and state-mandated fees, no matter if the units are purchased now or in the future. The cost of a “unit” fluctuates as tuition changes.

The information meeting will be at the Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave., from 7 to 8 p.m. To RSVP, or for more information, email GETOutreach@hecb.wa.gov or call 1-800-955-2318.

Whatcom Middle School student Roy Evans has organized a bake sale at his mom’s store, Apple Yarns, for Saturday, Nov. 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All money raised will go to the Whatcom Middle School PTSA to help teachers replace classroom books that were lost in the Nov. 5 fire.

Andrea Evans, the owner of Apple Yarns in Barkley Village, said she will also donate 10 percent of all sales Saturday to the PTSA.

Wednesday, Nov. 11 is Veteran’s Day and all public schools and colleges are closed for the day. Many government offices are closed as well.

But not us! So, if you’re bored, feel free to stop by School Days to catch up on some reading.

Whatcom Middle School students and staff will be relocating to Bellingham High, Fairhaven Middle and Geneva Elementary schools.

The change starts Thursday, Nov. 12. The relocation is due to a fire that roared through the school Thursday morning, Nov. 5. The fire investigation is on hold until the structure can be stabilized enough to enter.

An information meeting for Whatcom families will be on Monday, Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in Bellingham High School’s auditorium. An emergency school board meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m.

Students and staff will attend school based on the following plan:

• 8th graders and their teachers will attend Bellingham High. BHS staff are shuffling rooms to allow the middle school students to have their own wing.

• 7th graders and their teachers will attend Fairhaven Middle School.

• 6th graders and their teachers will attend Geneva Elementary School, which has seen an enrollment drop of nearly 150 students since the opening of Wade King Elementary.

Information about electives, transportation, sports, insurance claims, how to help and more will be avialable at the Monday meeting.

The schools were chosen partly for the quickness with which Whatcom students and staff will be able to return to class.

For more information, check out the Bellingham School District news release here. When I return to work on Monday, I’ll start gathering more information about insurance, what the plan for the building is, why Lowell Elementary wasn’t used, what the financial impact to the district will be and what will happen to Whatcom students and staff in the long-term.

Parkview Elementary School might be going a little “clucky.”

Principal Jane Tromburg and intervention specialist JoAnn Johnson teach students in Miss Jiminez's first-grade class the Chicken Dance

And while Tromburg enjoys “making a fool” of herself, there is a reason behind the madness: the students raised at least $16,500 during the school’s annual jog-a-thon earlier this month.

Tromburg makes a deal with the students each year to do something crazy if they meet their goal. This year’s goal was $15,500, beaten by at least $1,000 with more receipts still coming in.

The past two years, Tromburg has spent a day working from the roof of the school as a reward for the students, but she decided to switch it up this year.

And the students loved the surprise, exclaiming “that was funny!” and “oh my gosh, that was fun,” after doing the short dance. The chicken and her farmer, school prevention specialist JoAnn Johnson, also passed out Chicklettes for students to enjoy after school.

“I’m just so proud of the kids and all the money goes toward our curriculum enrichment program,” Tromburg said. “It’s worth celebrating all their efforts.”

Even though most students aren’t old enough to vote for real, they can participate in the annual state mock elections starting today.

The program, organized by the Washington Secretary of State, gives students in grades K-12 the opportunity to voice their opinions and to learn the principles of voting.

While there isn’t much on the ballot for state-wide measures this year, older students can vote on Initiative 1033 and Referendum 71. Younger students will vote on “age-appropriate” measures.

Teachers can find lesson plans and other information at www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/mock.

All student votes must be cast by Friday, Oct. 30 at noon. To vote, click here.

Destination ImagiNation Inc. has launched this year’s Creative Spark Challenge, which challenges young entrepreneurs to create the next “great” interactive game that teaches creativity, teamwork and problem solving.

Destination ImagiNation, which is better known for its annual mind-bending challenge competitions, will develop and sell the winning game.

Participants in the Creative Spark Challenge will design a prototype game, assign a price point, solicit sponsors and create a 30-second commercial to be posted on YouTube. There will be a public voting forum online from December 1-7 to determine the winner. A spokesperson from the winning team will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to the Global Finals in Tennessee in the spring to present the game to participants.

For more information about the game competition, click here. Deadline for submissions is Nov. 22. The winner will be announced Dec. 9.

Do you have children you believe will attend college some day? Want to start saving for that major expense today? Then an upcoming information session may be for you.

Washington offers the Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) program as a way to easily save money for college. GET is a 529 pre-paid tuition plan, essentially allowing parents to pay for college in advance. Parents purchase “units,” with 100 units equalling the cost of one year of tuition and state expenses at the most expensive state university (usually either UW or WSU).

The beauty of the program is that the state guarantees savings will keep pace with rising tuition. 100 units purchased now would still equal a full-year of tuition in 2020, even if tuition has doubled at that time.

The information workshop will be on Wednesday, Oct. 21 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Burlington-Edison High School, 301 N. Burlington Blvd.

The Meridian School District is looking for input from parents, students, staff and community members on the direction the district should take over the next several years.

District officials and the school board will be creating a new strategic plan this school year. The last one was created in 2001.

The public can provide input at two upcoming meetings: Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Irene Reither Primary School and Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Meridian High School. Both meetings start at 6 p.m. Information gathered at the meetings will be compiled by a committee and used to create a draft plan that will go to the school board in November.

For more information, go to www.meridian.wednet.edu.