Alumni connect the past, present and future of the Edmonds School District and have been an important part of the Foundation’s success. Please share news, achievements and milestones so that we may celebrate our ESD community, near or far. Submissions may be emailed to Jennifer Amend.

Linebacker Devante Downs (MTHS 2013) felt the thrill of scoring a touchdown in his first freshman start as a Mountlake Terrace Hawk. “I got the ball, and after that I knew I loved football,” he said.

Downs’ stand-out high school and college football careers culminated in the 2018 National Football League draft. He was picked in the 7th round by the Minnesota Vikings, joining an elite two percent of college players who turn pro. “Hearing my name called and being drafted – it’s been a really cool experience,” he said.

Downs saw a career in the NFL within reach when he got his first college offer. “The work I was putting in was being noticed,” he said. “I thought that if I could take it that far, to college, then I could take it to the next level in the NFL.”

He played at University of California, Berkeley and graduated in 2017 with a degree in legal studies. At Cal, Downs was a leader on the field, voted team captain and twice named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. He earned Cal’s Bear Backers Defensive MVP and honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors despite missing games due to an injury.

As a Hawk, Downs was All-American and named “Best Big Back in the West” by scouting website Rivals. In his sophomore and junior years, he led the team to post-season play for just the second and third times in the school’s history. “I had a lot of good high school experiences. Everyone does,” Downs said. “The coaches, they all really helped me. Coach Mike Yalowicki and Coach Tony Umayam taught me a lot about football that I’m still grateful for today.”

Alumna Blair (Benshoof) Sprunk (MTHS ’84) and her husband Eric, Chief Operating Officer at Nike, have donated $26,000 to the “Hawks Helping Hawks” athletic scholarship fund at Mountlake Terrace High School. The gift of Nike stock will increase the fund first established by the couple in 2014.

Five years ago, the Sprunks donated $50,000 to start a scholarship fund that distributes $5,000 annual awards to Mountlake Terrace High School seniors going on to vocational, 2-year or 4-year degrees. The “Hawks Helping Hawks” Scholarship is in honor of Blair Sprunk’s mothers, Carol Benshoof and Franque Remington.

Blair was a class salutatorian and member of the MTHS Cheer Squad in the early 1980s. “Eric and I wanted to add to the balance in our scholarship fund because we recognize the value of higher education and we know how expensive it can be,” she said. “We also remember our roots and want to invest in the people and places that shaped our own lives.”

Edmonds School District Athletic Director Julie Stroncek (MTHS ’84) was named 2019 State Athletic Director of the Year by the Washington Secondary School Athletic Administrators Association. She has overseen the district athletic programs for seven years and was formerly athletic director at Edmonds-Woodway High School.

Rich Lindsay (MHS ’69) was recently honored with the R.C. Davis Unsung Hero Award by the Washington Recreation and Parks Association. Rich has been with the City of Edmonds Parks and Recreation Department for 48 years, and mentors a new generation of park stewards as a Student Conservation Association volunteer.

Nicole McIntosh (LHS ’88) was recently named Chief of Staff for Washington State Ferries (WSF). Nicole has worked with WSF for nearly 26 years and was previously Director of Terminal Engineering.

Alumnus Melvin Banuelos (MTHS 2012) recently came back to his alma mater to cook up a 5-course feast for students and judge the Iron Hawk chef contest. Banuelos won the coveted Iron Hawk Award as a student and now works with new restaurants as a start-up chef.

3rd graders from Seaview and Brier Elementary Schools competed in the Sno-Isle Library Third Grade Reading Challenge this spring. Brier’s Reading Racers and Seaview’s Reading Lighting Pups were among the “spectacular seven” finalists out of 193 teams that entered the contest. Great job!

Edmonds Heights K-12 got first-hand experience with urban agriculture in April. Students, staff and families spent a beautiful day outside planting an edible garden and native plants in partnership with Farmer Frog and School Garden Advocates. Thanks to The Hazel Miller Foundation for funding support.

Edmonds-Woodway’s Mello-Aires and Meadowdale’s Impressions jazz ensembles were recently recognized by Downbeat Magazine’s 42nd Annual Student Music Awards for large vocal jazz ensemble and high school outstanding performances, respectively. Student soloists Rodney Ocfemia (EWHS) and Katie Dressen (MHS) were also honored.

Meadowdale High School’s Jeff Horenstein was one of 30 music teachers honored at last month’s Music Teachers of Excellence Awards hosted by the Country Music Association Foundation. Honorees were selected for commitment to program excellence and their impact on the community through music.

As many as 450 students in grades 4-12 took part in the annual District STEM Expo on April 29th. Exhibits ranging from interactive demonstrations to competition-level projects showcased some of the many applications of science, technology, engineering and math. Corporate sponsors donated $13,000.

There are a variety of ways to include the Foundation in your financial planning. Donating appreciated stocks, bonds or mutual funds held for more than one year is one way to make a major gift and at the same time realize immediate tax benefits. To learn more, contact Deborah Anderson via email or (425) 431-7260.

Classes are holding reunions this summer and fall. Find dates and details on our Reunion Calendar.

Howard Lagerstrom, EHS ‘62
Helen McDaniels, Teacher, EHS/MTHS
Byron Rice, EHS ‘61
William Ross, EHS ‘61
Ron Thompson, EHS ‘52
David Thomson, EHS ‘50
Greg Toler, LHS ‘77