Helen Taylor Bush held her first preschool and kindergarten class in the living room of her home on Dorffel Drive. There were six students from the immediate neighborhood. Helen was..

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..

Mrs. Bush needed more space as the school expanded, so she rented property on 36th avenue from Lakeside–where our campus currently resides. Per the rental agreement, all new grades would..

The Helen Bush-Parkside School grew to incorporate a boarding house. In the 1930s, Upper School boarders lived in the lovely Ostrander home on Lake Washington, which had been loaned to..

Financial aid has been central to the Bush mission and values since its founding. According to a financial statement from February 1933, out of eighty-one enrolled students, fourteen paid half..

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..

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

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..

Truth, Beauty, Purpose, also known as the Three Graces, represents the goals of the Helen Bush School when Mrs. Bush was the Headmistress. Students from the class of 1938 completed..

The Board of Trustees considered moving outside of Seattle for more space but decided to buy additional properties on 36th avenue instead. 

Mrs. Bush partners to establish the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS), now called NWAIS.

As The Helen Bush-Parkside school grew, more buildings were needed for classroom and dormitory space. In 1944, the Gracemont house, the carriage house, and its grounds were purchased. The property..

Reed Hall gym was completed in 1947.

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..

Marjorie Livengood becomes the second head of school. Listen to Meta O’Crotty talk about Mrs. Livengood.

On April 18, 1949 there was a fire on campus which destroyed administrative offices, the gym, the chemistry lab, the library, and other classrooms. The new Lower School was spared…

Meta O’Crotty started Flight, the annual student publication of literary and artistic work.

Present day Taylor Hall was purchased as a smaller boarding house. It was then converted into the head of school lodging. Once the head of school moved off campus, the..

The Board of Trustees approved construction of a new building in 1966 for music and art. The building later became the Marjorie C. Livengood Learning Center in 1973 and then..

John Grant became the third head of school.

The Phelps Fisher house was purchased. Originally a dance studio, it was renovated in 1982 by an AMP led by Bill Baber and became the Arnold Art building. Listen to..

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

In 1970 The Helen Bush-Parkside School became The Bush School, as the Upper School became coed. The change made Bush Seattle’s only K-12 coed independent school, a distinction Bush still..

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

The first fully coed Sixth Grade class advances to Seventh Grade.

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 moving to Lake Sammamish, citing..

The Board of Trustees approved the Middle School becoming it’s own division. Mike Douglas was the first Middle School director and strongly encouraged wilderness programming.

Les Larsen became the fourth head of school. He established convocation, which started the same year.

The Mothers’ Club becomes the Parent Faculty Student Association.

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

The Bush Bicycle Club set off on a bicycle trip around the world. Of the original nine, four members of the group completed the trek, returning in 1976 having covered..

In 1975 Bill Baber was hired as an art teacher. He is currently an Upper School art teacher, making him one of the longest employed teachers at Bush.

The Carriage house was formally renamed Cunningham House after Jeri Lee Cunningham ‘71, an alumna who lost her life in climbing accident. It became the music and drama center, and..

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..

The George Taylor Dinner was established, and honored faculty and recognized recipients of the George W. Taylor Faculty Endowment fund. The fund, still in existence, honors George, whose name has..

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. ..

In 1983 Theo Coxe was hired. During his tenure, he helped shape both the Physical Education and Athletic departments by teaching in all three divisions, and coached various sports at..

Schuchart Gym was part of the 1979 Master Plan. With a growing student population there was a clear need for more athletic facilities. Schuchart Gym alleviated demands on Phelps gym,..

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..

Fred Dust became the head of school.

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…

Elsa ‘Midge’ Bowman ’51 became the interim head of school.

Tim Burns became the seventh head of school.

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

Frank Magusin became the eighth head of school.

Construction on the new Lower School campus is completed. This was one of the largest construction projects on campus and consists of classroom spaces, a gym, a new library, a..

The Big Rock was established as a wayfinding marker for the campus. The Big Rock marks the main entrance on East Harrisons street and sits just across from the Big..

Percy L. Abram, Ph.D. became the ninth head of school.

The Bush School purchased the Methow Campus, a twenty-acre educational facility in Mazma, WA. With this acquisition, the Bush campus now extends beyond the urban landscape of Seattle across the..

The Bush School faced the challenges of a global pandemic, centering health and safety, educational programming, adaptability, and on-campus learning. Head of School Percy L. Abram made the New York..

The new Upper School South building was completed. Designed with an environmentally focused lens and serving as a dynamic learning environment for Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade students, the three-story..

The 2023-2024 school year marks the one hundredth year of The Bush School. Bush remains the only coed K-12 private continuous school in the Seattle area.