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The program was started in the Fall of 2001 at IMS with principals Ron Thiele and Corrine DeRosa.

Written by:  Ron Thiele, Executive Director of Elementary and Middle School Education, ISD

Written in December 2005

 As the former principal of Issaquah Middle School and the principal during the first three years of the Walk About program I would like share some of my experiences with the program. I must admit when I came to the school as the new principal and was informed that the Walk About program was coming I had a lot of questions and a few concerns. Once I learned what the program was and how it came to IMS my first concern was how the program would mesh with my administrative approach and that of my new assistant principal. My second concern was how the parent volunteers would be trained to appropriately interact with the students.

 After meeting with the original parent coordinators and attending the first parent training session put on by Mr. Ken Wong I was quite relieved that the goals and approach of the program were in perfect alignment with my own supervision philosophy. Our parents were trained to be a friendly positive adult presence in our halls before school, during lunch, after school and during special events such as end of the year school carnivals. The parents helped our new sixth grade students and students new to our school find there way around, helped with lockers and provided friendly reminders to students about rules so that they would not receive office referrals. The Walk About volunteers provide additional sets of eyes and ears and work closely with the staff and administrators to help keep our large middle school campus feeling safe and secure for everyone. 

An unanticipated benefit that we realized was the opportunity to bring large numbers of parent volunteers onto a middle school campus and help them see that the school was a welcome place and that middle school students were not the stereo typical adolescence hostile towards adults. Right away the good news about our school started to spread through the parent community and I realized this program was a great public relations tool as well as a helpful supervision aid. Finally, I was also pleased with the fact that Walk About provided fathers who have historically not been as active as middle level volunteers with an opportunity that many took advantage of. In short the program has been a tremendous success at Issaquah Middle School and expanded to a second middle school in our district. In my new role as Executive Director of Elementary and Middle Schools for the Issaquah School District I continue to see and hear about the benefits of this wonderful program. 

Written by:  Corrine DeRosa, Principal of Issaquah Middle School

Written in January 2006

The Walkabout Program at Issaquah Middle School has been a wonderful help in making our school safe and comfortable for our students.  This program has added a dimension not found in many middle schools.  Although we don’t tolerate bullying and harassment at Issaquah Middle, adolescents will test the environment.   

In 2001 when I became the assistant principal of Issaquah Middle School, I was concerned when I heard there was going to be a new program starting that year called Walkabout.  I was concerned that we would find ourselves with parents trying to discipline students and who might overact to situations or take inappropriate steps to intervene in student problems.  I was pleasantly surprised when I attended the training presented by Ken Wong.  We have found the training the parents receive in the program to have equipped them well to know how to handle situations effectively.  As soon as the program started it was immediately clear what a wonderful asset this program would be to our school.

 Having the watchful eye and presence of more adults on campus has aided us in teaching our students acceptable behavior and holding them accountable. Walkabout parents have been able to curtail activities that could easily have slipped by. We believe that many of the little misbehaviors that might have gone unnoticed without their help could easily have ended up being big misbehaviors.  

Our students are used to a parent presence on campus and seem to enjoy them here.  The program offers a wonderful opportunity for parents to be on site and really see what goes around campus.  They seem to enjoy the opportunity to interact with the kids.  Our staff is happy to have the parent help around campus. I view the program as a tremendous success and quite frankly can’t imagine trying to manage such a large school without this extra help.   I cannot thank our Walkabout parents enough for all the dedication and time they’ve invested in our school. 

Written by:  Jason Morse, Assistant Principal of Issaquah Middle School

Written in June 2006

I was first introduced to the WalkAbout Program at Issaquah Middle School when I became the Assistant Principal at IMS in the fall of 2004. When the program was explained to me, I was excited to hear that IMS had a dedicated group of parent volunteers who would help supervise students, while at the same time curious as to what the program looked like in action. I was reassured by our principal, Corrine DeRosa, that the program was very successful and a tremendous asset to IMS.  

As the first day of school started and hundreds of students returned to school, I witnessed the effectiveness of the WalkAbout Program first hand. As returning seventh and eighth grade students reunited with friends after a summer away from school, sixth grade students began to explore their new school. It was reassuring to see WalkAbout parents helping to monitor hallway behavior and helping students locate classrooms. Perhaps the most impressive image that I have from this initial experience revolves around our sixth graders. As I helped a new sixth grade student become familiar with his locker, I noticed there were at least six WalkAbout parents doing the same. Our new sixth graders seemed so comforted by the presence of additional adults who were willing to help keep our hallways safe and offering a helping hand. I now possessed an immediate understanding of why this program was so successful!  

The WalkAbout program at IMS provides a valuable opportunity to bring more than a hundred parents onto our campus. This adult presence helps keep our school safe and promotes an open and friendly environment. It is wonderful to see moms and dads walking the halls and helping students maintain appropriate behavior at school. It is impossible to calculate the number of incidences that have been prevented by this adult presence on our campus. I view the WalkAbout program at IMS as a complete success.

Written by:  Seth Adams Assistant Principal of Issaquah Middle School

Written in June 2010