Around the Schools
Local hip hop artist encourages Rainier Beach students to ‘Be Here, Get There’
Local hip hop artist Macklemore was a guest at a Rainier Beach High School assembly this month – to help raise awareness of the importance of attending school regularly in order to achieve academically.
Macklemore, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, and Rainier Beach principals – with help from the Youth Ambassadors – promoted the Be Here Get There campaign, launched last month which makes attendance a priority for the 2011-12 school year.
The Be Here Get There campaign is a joint initiative of the City of Seattle, Seattle Public Schools, the Alliance for Education, and Get Schooled. The campaign raises awareness of the importance of going to school and uses communitywide education and incentives to accomplish that goal.
At the assembly, a group of students with perfect attendance were recognized and received various gifts.
Research has shown that students with more than 20 absences per year have less than a one in five chance of graduating from high school. Seattle Public Schools has set a goal of having at least 80 percent of students with fewer than 10 absences by 2013. In the 2009-10 school year, 62 percent of students were meeting that goal.
Ben Haggerty, known by his stage name, Macklemore, attended TOPS K-8, and Garfield and Nathan Hale high schools. He spoke to the assembly of students about how his lack of motivation and substance abuse led to a problem of absences and truancies while he was attending school.
“Then at Nathan Hale, I met a drug and alcohol counselor that got me on the right path,” he said.
He eventually graduated from high school with a 3.5 Grade Point Average and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at Evergreen State College.
Many of Macklemore’s songs address issues surrounding consumerism, race and drug addiction. In December 2010, he released a tribute song, "My Oh My," for then recently deceased Seattle Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus, Macklemore performed the song at the 2011 Mariner's Opening Day in April.
Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis are on an Fall 2011 international tour which started in October and include performances in UK, Washington state, Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, Canada, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado and Utah.
Photo above: Macklemore performs before an assembly of Rainier Beach High students.
Story and photos by Robert Teodosio
Seattle Public Schools