The leadership class at Two Rivers School will use a new $500 grant to build school spirit and community awareness of the school by creating a yearbook and logo gear.

Two Rivers provides flexible and personalized education options to about 150 students from seventh grade up to age 21. For more than two decades, it has successfully graduated hundreds of students, but current students said they have to confront community misperceptions about the school.

“We want to be known as another good school, but not just the ‘bad kids’ school.’ We’re all good students, and we all want to get an education,” said leadership class member Jane Raymond.

Hauglie Insurance Agency of Fall City awarded Two Rivers’ leadership class the Farmers Insurance Education Grant, which they plan to spend on equipment to make T-shirts, sweats and other gear with a new school logo that the class will design.

“I think it will help establish a sense of school pride,” said student James Solberg.

The class also plans to purchase a camera to take pictures for the yearbook. The school has had an annual in past years, but this is the first time the leadership class will be in charge of it.

The leadership class, taught by Laurie Weinkauf, was formed last school year to help build respect and positivity around the school, said Principal Tom Athanases.

Teachers appointed students to the group, which has already improved campus spirit.

“They walk in the door everyday and they care about school. And it spreads. These folks are real positive, and they affect all the students around them in their classes,” Athanases said.

Last year, the class sponsored a lunch to help students get acquainted.

“At our lunchtime, of 100 kids, 25 usually stay for lunch. But 50 to 60 kids hung around that day and they all ate lunch together. It was that simple step in the right direction,” he said.

Athanases expressed gratitude for the agency’s investment in Two Rivers students.

“We work really, really hard to say that we are not a less-than school, just different-than,” he said. “And this is the community stepping up, and they said, Two Rivers is a part of this community; it’s a good school; we’ve got good students here.”

“This will be a good confidence-builder” for students, said Angela Donaldson, an agent at Hauglie’s who helped write the leadership class grant, as well as another $500 grant that was awarded to school staff.

Farmers Insurance also provides a variety of teaching materials to the school.

Comment on this story.