The Bush School

"Just as there has never been one way to be or to thrive as a Bush student, so too is there no one way to make your impact, your mark, your contribution to the world. More than ever, your community and your world need your talents, your gifts, and the skills you have developed at Bush, but more than anything, the world needs your passionate commitment and care for contributing to the communities of which you are a part." - Head of School Sarah Smith

It is hard to believe it has already been nearly one week since Commencement 2026. On Sunday, June 7, the Bush Class of 2026 graduated seventy-two students in front of an enthusiastic crowd of family, friends, faculty, staff, and peers at the Seattle Convention Center | Summit. Photos from end-of-year events will be sent to Class of 2026 families later this month, so be sure to keep an eye out!

To view the full recording of Commencement, click https://vimeo.com/1184922428/73abedbdff?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci.
📸 Grey Sky Productions

After traveling and learning near and far, the entire Middle School community gathered together for one final time before summer for E-week Expo. Students completed E-week bingo cards featuring fun facts from each program. Students shared stories, reflected on what they learned, and prepared presentations.

Lower School Blazers wouldn't let a few sprinkles rain on their Field Day parade! On the final full day of the Lower School 2025-2026 academic year, students, faculty, staff, and family volunteers enjoyed a morning full of games, friendly competition, chalk drawing, and delicious snacks. Field Day provides an unforgettable ending to an outstanding school year and gives the Lower School community a final chance to come together before the summer.

“Again and again, I was struck by your wisdom, thoughtfulness, humor, and willingness to engage deeply with the world around you and speak up for the issues and causes you care about … which I hope you will carry with you forever, for as writer and civil rights activist Audre Lorde reminded us: ‘there is only one thing more frightening than speaking your truth– and that is not speaking.'”- Head of School Sarah Smith

On Sunday, June 7, The Bush School Class of 2026 celebrated the most important milestone of a young student’s journey—graduation. Proud family, friends, and faculty gathered at the Seattle Convention Center | Summit to witness seventy-two courageous seniors receive their hard-earned diplomas from Head of School Sarah Smith and Board President Karim Lessard ’89.

Congratulations to the Bush Class of 2026. We are so excited to see the trails you will blaze. Click
https://www.bush.edu/page/news-detail?pk=1681123 to read more about Commencement 2026.

Middle School students are wrapping up E-week courses as they return to campus from near and far. Students have soared to new heights in the Cirque Du Bush: Circus Arts course, learned new skills including sewing, suturing, and beekeeping, bonded with peers during music jams, immersed themselves in new cultures, and so much more. Middle School Blazers have spent the last-two weeks learning, growing, and inviting new perspectives and are excited to share stories about their unforgettable experiences with their classmates, families, and friends.

Last Friday, May 29, marked an exciting and sentimental day in Bush's Fifth Grade classroom. As students prepare to wrap up their Lower School experience, they also wrapped up their 'Salmon in Schools' curriculum, releasing 151 salmon fry into Lake Washington.

The salmon have been growing alongside students in the Fifth Grade classrooms since this winter, where they began as eggs, hatching before the Blazers' eyes. Students have been studying the salmon lifecycle and the importance of salmon in our ecosystem. Students counted each salmon before gently releasing them into the lake.

Recently, the Bush Second Grade classrooms were transformed into a poetry cafe filled with the creations of young writers. Second Grade poets shared several works of poetry with peers, parents, guardians, faculty, and staff. Haikus, acrostics, and visual poems were read one by one at tables and with the entire cafe. Students proudly read their writing and displayed artwork to participants and encouraged their peers as they read their work.

As the Class of 2026 prepares for Commencement this Sunday, June 7, they gathered together to celebrate their many next steps, including attending fifty-six schools across twenty-five states and Washington D.C., and internationally in Canada and Ireland. Four students will be participating in gap years or post-graduate programs. Congratulations, Blazers!

Last Saturday, May 30, 160 members of the Bush community came together for the Homestretch 5K at Magnuson Park, including families from every division, alums, and faculty and staff.

The event included many moments of celebration, connection, and family fun, as participants in both the 5K and 400-meter dash crossed the finish line and were adorned with medals. Onlookers cheered on runners, and many race finishers circled back to run with their friends and families, ensuring they completed the course hand in hand.

We look forward to seeing everyone at next year’s 5K!