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History And The Bush Archive

The Bush School: 100 Years and Beyond

The Bush School was established in 1924 by Helen Taylor Bush and was committed to many of the values the school holds central today. Explore alumni and student publications, photos, letters, audio and video content, and an historical timeline below to learn about the first 100 years of Bush history.

The Bush Archive

The Bush Archive was formalized in celebration of the Centennial year celebration in the 2023-24 school year. An archivist was hired in 2022 for a two-year contract to build an online archive, and to organize, digitize, and grow the archives. Both the physical and online archives are managed by the Bush Alumni Relations Office.

ADD TO THE ARCHIVE
If you have items that belong in the Bush Archive, reach out to us at archives@bush.edu. Items can be donated or loaned to the school. Although many items are welcomed additions to the collection, yearbooks published from 1970-today are no longer needed. For more information about policies and donations, please visit the Archive website's About page.

Visit The Bush Online Archive

Accounts must be approved before access is granted. Though this process often takes only minutes, it may take up to 24 hours.

Log In Today!

Bush History Publications

The history of Bush has been well preserved in publications by the school and penned by alums, including the Centennial edition of the school's annual magazine, Experience.

EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE
The school's official 100-year history publication, Experience Magazine 2023-2024 shares a comprehensive history of The Bush School as told by more than 100 Bush community members. The collection features stories shared in letters, oral histories, reflection pieces, and various digital sources including social media, email, and interviews.

Click here to read Experience Magazine 2023-2024.

Fifty Years - The Bush School
Susan T. Egnor

The First 75 Years
Anne M. Will '68

In Action Faithful And In Honor Clear
Elsa "Midge" Bowman '51

Mnemonic Wanderings Through The Hallways Of Helen Bush-Parkside School
Virginia Wyman '67

History Through Storytelling

Collected during the 2023-2024 Centennial year, the videos below contain the stories and experiences of Bush alums, students, faculty, and staff spanning generations.

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Personal Remembrances

Sheri Stephens '75

Karim Lessard '89

Michelle Purnell Hepburn '75

Jack Lessard '22

Roxanne Dunaway '82

Susan McKinnis '73

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Student Thoughts

Alice, Astrid and Parker

Anusha and Cameron

Sarah and Avery

Kate, Sophie, and Charlotte

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Alum Group Stories

Sarah Potter '92 and Rohit Butail '92

Chris Chickadel '93 and Chick Chickadel

Chris Dederer '81, Yvette Eisenberg '83, Steve Rosen '84

Class of 2015

Steve Banks '94 and Muslima Shabazz '94

Grace Farwell '18 and Charlotte Rogerson '18

Kevin Martinez '16, Isabel Lennon '14, Cole Kippes '19, Libbie Blume '15, Max Melendez '16

Nicholas Marchi '13, Alex King '13, and Melody D'Amelio '13

Sandy Boyd '54 and Fred Tucker '41

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Faculty and Staff Reflections

Camille Lamore

Ethan Delavan

Gayle Gingold, John Ganz, Leah Brown, Maria Mathiesen

Sarah Cohen

Tammy Hutchison

The Bush Centennial Video

Narrated by the Helen Bush Sittler and Thea Sittler, granddaughter and great granddaughter of the school's founder, Helen Taylor Bush.

Click here to watch the Centennial Video.

Historic Timeline

1924

The Bush School is founded by Helen Taylor Bush as a preschool and Kindergarten located in her home on Dorfell Drive. Six students enroll. Mrs. Bush was a proponent of progressive education and the educational philosophy of John Dewey.
1925

Mrs. Bush added a first-grade class to the school. She continued adding new grades over the subsequent ten years, until the school became a K-12 school called the Helen Bush-Parkside School.
1930

The Helen Bush School for Girls formally begins. The coeducational Lower School was given its own name - Parkside. The newly added grades of Seventh and Eighth Grade were girls only per the facility rental agreement conditions. The combined school was called the Helen Bush-Parkside School.
1930s

Financial aid has been a central component of the Bush mission and values since its inception. According to a financial statement from February 1933, out of eighty-one enrolled students, fourteen paid half tuition, and eleven paid nothing.
1933

Mrs. Bush bought property at Snoqualmie Pass to support experiential learning. She commissioned a ski lodge to be designed by Carl Gould, a renowned architect and then parent at Bush. Classes would go to the ski lodge for weekend trips. The cabin and property were sold during World War Two.
1935

The first graduates earned their degrees in 1935. The class consisted of six people. 1935 was also the first year that Tykoe was published.
1937

Mrs. Bush purchased a home on 37th Avenue East in 1937. It was named Taylor Hall and became the residence hall for Upper School girls. It was later sold as a private residence, and a new building was acquired; it is the Taylor Hall we see today.
1938

Truth, Beauty, and Purpose, also known as the Three Graces, represent the goals of the Helen Bush School when Mrs. Bush was the Headmistress. Students from the class of 1938 completed this work out of cement. In the 1980s, a group of students, along with Bill Baber, rebuilt the sculpture for an AMP. They cleaned the layers of paint and built a new base. The mortar patches are the result of the piece’s original firing; a piece broke and was repaired by the students.
1941

Mrs. Bush helps to organize the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools, now called NWAIS.
1944

Gracemont, a historic mansion owned by Grace Hefferman Arnold, becomes part of The Bush School. The house itself, plus the carriage house and grounds, were offered to Mrs. Bush at a bargain price as it was Mrs. Arnold’s wish that the school have the property upon her death.
1947

Reed Hall gym was completed in 1947.
1948

On September 22, 1948, Helen Bush died. Her vision of experiential education long surpassed her tenure as head of school.

“We lost some of the joy of this momentous year with the sudden death last Fall of our director and dear friend, Helen Taylor Bush. It places upon us old-timers, grads, and faculty who knew her, the responsibility and the privilege of interpreting her vision, the Helen Bush-Parkside School, to the public. I say her vision, instead of institution or enterprise, because that is what it was. I become more convinced of this as I see schools all over the country emulating the educational practices and philosophies so basic in her thinking.” – Mrs. Livengood, 1949 Rambler
1948

Marjorie Livengood becomes the second head of school.
1949

On April 18, 1949, there was a fire on campus that destroyed administrative offices, the gym, the chemistry lab, the library, and other classrooms. The new Lower School was spared. Over the Summer of 1949, construction began on the new buildings for the Upper School. It was completed in December 1949 in great part because the Board of Trustees had increased The Helen Bush School’s fire insurance in 1948.
1961

The present-day Taylor Hall was purchased as a smaller boarding house. It was then converted into the head of school's lodging. Once the head of school moved off campus, the house was converted into office spaces. It is currently home to the Admissions and Development offices.
1966

The Board of Trustees approved the construction of a new building for music and art in 1966. The building later became the Marjorie C. Livengood Learning Center in 1973 and then the Marjorie C. Livengood Library in 1977, when it contained a library for all three divisions. It was torn down in the early 2000s to make way for the construction of the new Lower School.
1967

John Grant became the third head of school.
1969

The Board of Trustees purchased three plots of land on East Republican. This became the site of Schuchart Gym.
1970

The school is formally renamed The Bush School and begins enrolling boys in the Upper School, making it Seattle’s only K-12 co-educational independent school.
1971

Once again, the school had to decide whether or not to remain in Seattle. The Board of Trustees chose to remain in Seattle instead of relocating to Lake Sammamish, citing its ties to the neighborhood and the broader cultural resources available in the city. A letter from Seattle’s Mayor Wes Uhlman was sent to Head of School John Grant commending the decision.
1971

Uniforms are no longer the school policy. Students petitioned the Mothers’ Club in 1970, and the motion was passed in 1971.
1972

Les Larsen is appointed by the Board of Trustees as the fifth head of school and institutes Convocation, a tradition that marks the start of the school year.
1973

The first official wilderness program was established at Grand Lake. Although experiential trips had been going off campus and into nature since Helen Bush, this was the first program integrated into the curriculum.
1975

The Bush Bicycle Club sets off on a bicycle trip around the world. The group returned in 1976 having covered 15,000 miles and 22 countries in 15 months.
1977

The Carriage House was formally renamed Cunningham House after Jeri Lee Cunningham ‘71, an alumna who lost her life in a climbing accident. It became the music and drama center, and Gracemont became only Upper School classrooms. The Commons was renovated as a cafeteria space, and the Marjorie C. Livengood Library was established.
1979

In 1979 Sheffield Phelps and his wife Patricia donated their house to the school as a performing arts center. It is currently the Middle School Music Building.

Another project included in the 1979 Master Plan was the conversion of the house beside the performing arts center into office spaces. The building became known as the Presidents’ House to recognize the contributions of past presidents of the Board of Trustees. Communications, Business, and Facilities now have offices in this building.
1982

The urban courtyard was completed through a gift from the Patty, Price, and Kitchell families. From Fall Festival to Senior Sneak, the space is used for all types of activities.

The urban courtyard helped solidify the Bush campus. It closed off the continuation of 36th Avenue and joined the Middle School with the Art building, Development offices, and Upper campus into one uninterrupted space.
1982

The George Taylor Dinner was established to honor faculty and recognized recipients of the George W. Taylor Faculty Endowment fund. The fund, still in existence, honors George, whose name has become synonymous with excellence in teaching in the Bush community. It also acknowledges the invaluable contributions of Bush teachers today by providing support for faculty sabbaticals.
1986

In a much-needed effort to expand drama practice and performance space, Benaroya Hall was constructed in 1986. Larry Benaroya, a trustee with two children at Bush, dedicated the building to his parents, Jack and Becky Benaroya. The space allows for flexible sets and ample seating for Middle and Upper School plays.
1987

Fred Dust became the head of school.
1989

The first Fall Festival was held in 1989. Campus was transformed into a carnival with students from all grades playing games, eating food, making art, and drinking hand-pressed cider. Fall Festival continues to bring the entire K-12 community together.
1991

Sis Pease ’41 retires after a career as a Bush teacher, college counselor, administrator, parent, and alumna. Pease worked with every head of school from Helen Taylor Bush to Percy Abram. Sis remained involved as a life trustee until her death in 2021.
1997

Tim Burns became the seventh head of school.
1999

Wissner Hall, the STEM-focused building, was completed in 1999, thanks to the support of more than 200 donors from the Bush community.
2000

Frank Magusin became the eighth head of school.
2006

Construction of the Lower Campus including the Lower School classrooms, Community Room, library, Mag Gym, turf field, play structure, and the parking structure is completed.
2008

The Big Rock was established as a wayfinding marker for the campus. The Big Rock marks the main entrance on East Harrison Street and sits just across from the Big Tree, which is well over one hundred years old.
2014

Percy L. Abram, Ph.D., is appointed by the Board of Trustees as the ninth head of The Bush School.
2016

The Bush School acquires Methow Campus, twenty-acre educational facility in Mazma, WA.
2020

The Bush School faces the challenges of a global pandemic, centering health and safety, educational programming, adaptability, and on-campus learning.
2022

Construction of the New Upper School Building is completed. Over 20,000 square feet, it is the first K-12 Salmon Safe school, the first Passive House school in the West, and one of the first net-zero-energy schools in the nation.
2024

The Bush School Centennial, celebrating 100 years of progressive education in Seattle.
2025

Sarah Smith is appointed by the Board of Trustees and the Bush community as the tenth head of The Bush School.

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Centennial Year Events

Fall Festival and Alum Luncheon

100 Years of Leadership Dinner

Blazers of Color | Mentorship

Celebrate Bush: Eras

Blazers of Color | Leadership

Centennial Seminar

The Bush Alum Improv Comedy Show!

The Bush Block Party

The Bush School is an independent day school located in Seattle, WA enrolling 745 students in grades K–12. The mission of The Bush School is to spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities

3400 East Harrison Street, Seattle WA 98112 (206) 322-7978

The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment, recruitment, admissions, or administration of any of its programs on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. In addition, The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment on the basis of age or marital status

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History And The Bush Archive

The Bush School: 100 Years and Beyond

The Bush Archive

Visit The Bush Online Archive

Bush History Publications

History Through Storytelling

List of 1 items.

Personal Remembrances

List of 1 items.

Student Thoughts

List of 1 items.

Alum Group Stories

List of 1 items.

Faculty and Staff Reflections

The Bush Centennial Video

Historic Timeline

1924

1925

1930

1930s

1933

1935

1937

1938

1941

1944

1947

1948

1948

1949

1961

1966

1967

1969

1970

1971

1971

1972

1973

1975

1977

1979

1982

1982

1986

1987

1989

1991

1997

1999

2000

2006

2008

2014

2016

2020

2022

2024

2025

Centennial Year Events

Fall Festival and Alum Luncheon

100 Years of Leadership Dinner

Blazers of Color | Mentorship

Celebrate Bush: Eras

Blazers of Color | Leadership

Centennial Seminar

The Bush Alum Improv Comedy Show!

The Bush Block Party