North Kitsap Options Program

In the spring of 1988, a group of North Kitsap parents got together to talk and plan. They were looking for a way to introduce some changes in the education of their children. Some wanted their children to assume more responsibility for their own education by providing choices in the classroom and throughout the school day. Other parents were concerned about the mismatch of learning and teaching styles in the traditional classroom. Most agreed that competition is not an appropriate motivator when measuring progress in school.

By September these parents had visited numerous alternative programs throughout the state, had read volumes of research, and had conducted a study into the methods and techniques of optional education. Together with school district personnel, they formed a task force assigned to the job of incorporating their research and desires for change into a workable proposal. The proposal would be presented to the Board of Education and the Administrators of the North Kitsap School District.

The final proposal called for cooperation between interested families and the school district in creating a pilot program. It would offer a broad range of options to curriculum, teaching methods and classroom management.

From September of 1990 until June of 1994, two classrooms, grades one through six, were housed at Suquamish Elementary. Beginning September of 1994, the Options Program moved to the newly built Gordon Elementary school and expanded to three classrooms. In 1998, the program added the middle school program, grades 6-8. The Options K-8 program moved to Wolfle Elementary in 2019. 

Perhaps the most unique factor in the Options Program is the formal level of parent involvement. This factor highlights the importance of coordination between home and school. The high level of parent involvement injects a great deal of positive energy into the NK Options Program and the entire school.