Chief Sealth portrait now gracing his namesake school

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

After days of installation work (you’ve seen it in progress if you’ve driven SW Thistle this past week), the front of Chief Sealth International High School‘s auditorium is now graced by a portrait of its namesake, in the school colors, in a two-sided louvered style – red if you’re looking west, blue if you’re looking east.

Before it was repainted during the two-year renovation project, that section of the auditorium’s facade simply bore the lettering “Chief Sealth High School” – here’s the previous look, and here’s an even older view. (The story of Chief Sealth/Seattle himself is told here, at HistoryLink.org.)

MB February 23, 2011 (2:42 pm)

Awesome :)

Blair February 23, 2011 (2:50 pm)

Waste of Tax Payer Money!

WSB February 23, 2011 (3:06 pm)

OK, Blair, we’ll bite. Why is putting a sign on a school a waste of taxpayer money? If you haven’t been there lately, the only other sign out front is the one in the foreground of our west-facing shot, a rather simple sign on the street.

GenHillOne February 23, 2011 (3:11 pm)

Love it!

Denny February 23, 2011 (3:34 pm)

As an alum & a neighbor I want to voice my approval and thanks to the district and Sealth folks for an amazing remodel. The new look / revamped school is a source of pride for students and our whole community. The project continues to deliver above what was promised for a good price (taking advantage of economy). That sign puts a great face forward for Sealth. No pun. I can’t wait to see it in person.

sw February 23, 2011 (3:59 pm)

Ignore the naysayers. The school has never looked better and this sort of enhancement instills pride in the community. Given all the issues with the SSD, this school is one instance where they got something right. Looking forward to my kids moving into Sealth and New Denny this Fall.

miws February 23, 2011 (4:04 pm)

Very cool! :cool:

Mike
Spirit of ’76!

redblack February 23, 2011 (8:33 pm)

that’s awesome! it’s a great, simple, and powerful design. may it inspire the students to think of their school’s namesake and what he meant to their city every time they enter.
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oh, and blair: you should know the value of the things that inspire your community; not just their costs.
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i’m childless by choice, and even i recognize that this sign has value far beyond its cost to taxpayers.

Pam February 23, 2011 (8:48 pm)

Wow – looks great. Sometimes the outside package improves the inner soul.

highland park resident February 24, 2011 (8:55 am)

I love it, and I don’t think it was a waste of money at all. I drive by it all the time.

wsparent February 25, 2011 (9:55 pm)

OK, I don’t think putting a sign up is a waste of money, but I honestly think it is kind of ugly.

Would anyone be able to figure out it was supposed to be a portrait of Chief Sealth if not for the words?

The school is great, though, but the sign looks mutilated.

citizen_one February 26, 2011 (6:53 pm)

Signage goes way beyond the bounds of stating a name in this application. In many ways it takes focus off of a very large volume of wall space that would have been under-utilized if there were to be nothing present. It is creative and well designed. I can’t understand how someone could say that it looks mutilated. Sure, if you stand straight ahead of the sign you can’t see the full effect. However, if you consider the perspective of the passersby in their cars, dropping off their kids and being able to recognize this new landmark in their community its sheer genius!

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