Northwood Elementary First Grade Class Tours MIHS and Records Radio Commercial

Mercer Island, WA, June 16, 2023 – Students in Northwood Elementary school first grade teacher Beth Christofferson’s class toured Mercer Island High School (MIHS) yesterday.

Northwood Room 117 students elected to visit MIHS to learn more about classes offered and to encourage regular attendance at school. 

On the tour they visited MIHS science, robotics, and culinary classrooms. Students had a chance to play the steel drums and walk across the stage of the Performing Arts Center.

The highlight of the tour though was when MIHS Broadcasting Teacher Joe Bryant took the entire class into a recording booth and the kids recorded a "commercial” for MIHS's radio station, 88.9 KMIH The Bridge.

Listen to Northwood students commercial for KMIH 88.9 The Bridge

Bryant added the sound of a hooting owl to the commercial to create a second KMIH commercial which is a legal station ID that can be broadcast at the top of each hour.

Listen to Northwood students Legal Station ID for KMIH 88.9 The Bridge

MIHS Administrative Assistant Kristin Brintnall, a 2023 MISD Classified Employee of the Year, facilitated the tour for Christofferson’s class.

“It is super important to me to improve the relationships between schools within the district,” said Brintnall. “What an amazing gift we have as educators to inspire young students at an early age by exposing them to educational options that are happening in their own district. I am happy to make this an annual event and to invite other classes from elementary schools to visit.”

Christofferson’s students were enthralled with the tour. Comments from students heard by Christofferson included:

“I want to skip to high school now!”

“No one told me school was so cool!”

“I can cook at school? WHAT?”

“I can do all of these things at SCHOOL?”

“Drums! Wow!”

“Can we live here?”

“What is drama class?” Teacher responded. Student said “Oh I can learn to be an actor.”

“The kids were ecstatic,” said Christofferson. “My hope is to make this an annual event if Kristin is willing.”