Eastside Preparatory School in Kirkland graduated its first group of seniors at the school June 12.

The graduates include: Alexandra Winters of Kirkland; Sarah Champernowne, Seattle; Rebecca Fine, Medina; Hanmiao Li, Beijing; Rohit Nadkarni, Sammamish; Thomas Parker, Redmond; William Poole, Bellevue; David Rawas, Bellevue; Paul Strong, Issaquah (National Merit Scholar); Katie Wecker, Bellevue; and Robert Brandenburg of Woodinville

This is a landmark event for the independent school. In six years, Eastside Prep has grown from an initial group of 16 students to its current student body of 172. In the same time period the campus, which originally consisted of one floor of a single building, will be expanding to its eighth building in August of 2009. The eleven graduating seniors come from the communities of Beijing, Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Medina, Sammamish, Redmond, Seattle and Woodinville.

Eastside Prep is a co-ed middle and upper school located in Kirkland. It offers a challenging academic programs for students in grades 5-12. The school was founded in 2003 by a group of parents who wanted to create a new and innovative educational option on the Eastside. Eastside Prep stresses critical thinking, integration of ideas and disciplines, and an ethic of citizenship. The inquiry-based and interdisciplinary curriculum is organized around a central theme for each grade level. The school can be contacted at 425-822-5668, or via their Web site at www.eastsideprep.org.