(SSC photo: A Bachelor of Applied Science graduate poses with Seattle Colleges Interim Chancellor (former SSC President) Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap as Board of Trustees Vice Chair Rosa Peralta looks on)

Graduation time! The newest grads from South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) celebrated their achievements during a three-college ceremony last night – here’s the story from SSC:

South Seattle College celebrated the Class of 2023 on the evening of June 22 with a commencement ceremony at T-Mobile Park. The ceremony brought together graduates from South Seattle College, Seattle Central College, and North Seattle College – all part of the Seattle Colleges District.

720 graduates from SSC were recognized for their achievement of earning a degree or certificate.

“Graduates, tonight we celebrate your story,” SSC Interim President Dr. Jean Hernandez said at the event. “It’s one you will share with family and friends for decades to come. It is a story of pushing through in life, work and education during a time that still brings economic and social challenges. The burden of the past three years has been massive and yet here you stand strong: a college graduate more than ready to write your next chapter and make your mark.”

Ana Chamale was SSC’s 2023 graduation speaker. She served as student government president, graduated with an associate transfer degree, and will be attending New York University in the fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science.

“I am a proud Guatemalan-Mexican-American,” Chamale said. “Many of us here today are not only representing ourselves, but our parents, our children, our siblings and our family back home. We are here, and we have made it.”

Speaking directly to her family members in Guatemala who were able to watch on livestream, Chamale said, “Estoy hoy aquí representándote, no te he olvidado ni a ti ni a tus palabras de aliento. Cuando mis estudios se pusieron difíciles o parecían abrumadores, siempre pensé en ti y en cómo algún día estaré en un taburete con pedales como este para darte las gracias y lo hicimos.” (English translation: “I am here today representing you. I have not forgotten you or your words of encouragement. When my studies got difficult or seemed overwhelming, I always thought of you and how one day I’ll be on a pedestal like this to say thank you and we did it”).

Of the awards South Seattle College conferred this year:

-374 graduates earned associate transfer degrees that enable them to transfer to four-year colleges and universities in Washington and beyond to complete their bachelor’s degrees.

-228 graduates earned career training associate of science degrees and certificates that prepare them to enter the workforce immediately.

-93 graduates earned high school diplomas or equivalents, allowing them to take a significant step toward future education and employment opportunities.

-25 graduates earned Bachelor of Applied Science degrees, taking their careers to the next level and increasing their earning potential.

SSC is headquartered on West Seattle’s Puget Ridge, with a satellite campus in Georgetown. Registration is open now for summer-quarter classes, which start June 26, and fall-quarter classes, which start September 26.

(WSB photos)

Thanks to Nicole Sipila of the Chief Sealth International High School PTSA for telling us about last night’s Senior Honors & Awards presentations for the school’s Class of 2023. We attended the event in the CSIHS auditorium. Above are students who received the Seal of Biliteracy, in which we’re told Chief Sealth had the district’s largest number of participants! Next, valedictorian Kayla Buechler:

Salutatorian Merichle Nguyen:

Cords were presented for other academic achievements – single cords for 3.2-3.49 GPA (57 recipients), double for 3.5 or higher GPA (130 recipients):

And the Robert Jackson Block Award was presented for distinguished students in art (Shelby Dow), theater (Shanti Rose Birch), and music (Riley Pomeroy Tobin):

Scholarship recipients were honored too, including 64 recipients of the Promise Scholarship, The ceremony featured a performance by senior members of the CSIHS Jazz Band:

The Chief Sealth Class of 2023’s commencement ceremony is next Tuesday (June 27th), 8 pm at Memorial Stadium downtown.

Reminder (for next year if your school’s already out for summer) – if something’s happening at YOUR school that the community should know about, tell us! Email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/call 206-293-6302 – thank you!

(WSB photo, CSIHS graduation 2022)

In case you wondered too: Both public high schools in West Seattle are sharing a graduation date again this year. This time, both ceremonies are at Memorial Stadium downtown (401 5th Ave. N.), on Tuesday, June 27th. The West Seattle High School Class of 2023 will take the walk at 5 pm, followed by the Chief Sealth International High School Class of 2023 at 8 pm.

Summer vacation has begun for at least one local school, and for many others, it’s just days away. In case you’ve wondered, we looked up the last-day-of-school dates – here’s what we found via online calendars:

TODAY (June 9): Summit Atlas
TUESDAY (June 13): Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor)
WEDNESDAY (June 14): Our Lady of Guadalupe
THURSDAY (June 15): Westside School (WSB sponsor)
NEXT FRIDAY (June 16): Highline Public Schools, Holy Family, Holy Rosary, Tilden School (WSB sponsor), Vashon Island School District
JUNE 30: Seattle Public Schools

Note that for most schools, the last day is a shortened day, so you’ll see activity outside the usual scheduled hours.

(WSB photo, 2019)

Our photo above is from 2019, the last year West Seattle High School alumni gathered for the traditional all-school reunion. It was on pandemic hiatus 2020-2022, and this year it’s back. Grads from all years are welcome. Organizers say it’ll include the usual features such as class breakouts and a classic-car show. It’s set for 4-7 pm Saturday (June 3); you can RSVP here, but reservations aren’t necessary, and there’s no admission fee. Whether or not you go, there’s also an after-party at Whisky West (6451 California SW), 7 pm to midnight, featuring live music by alumni members of The Nitemates.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

By Monday afternoon’s deadline for appealing the city decision to grant nine zoning exceptions for the Alki Elementary School rebuild, six appeals had been filed with the city Hearing Examiner, which today ordered them consolidated into one case.

Two hours after the appeal deadline, Seattle Public Schools discussed the project at an in-person community meeting, which turned contentious as frustrated neighbors at times shouted their concerns about some of those zoning exceptions, particularly those related to transportation, including the removal of all on-site parking.

We reported last month on the city’s recommendation that the zoning exceptions – formally called “departures” – be approved. The district first mentioned in an online public meeting last June that it would seek departures, and a request for public comment went out last fall. However, the usual public process was truncated because of pandemic-related policies, and that’s part of what neighbors are upset about, saying they didn’t have a chance to participate in the design process or, later, to have their concerns heard.

So last night, after listening for an hour to district director of capital projects Richard Best, architect Becky Hutchinson of Mahlum, and transportation consultant Marni Heffron, they did what they could to be heard, at times shouting their disagreement with the project team’s contentions.

Read More

Story, photos, video by Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers

The automotive industry needs skilled workers, and a new West Seattle facility is dedicated to educating them.

It’s the Steve and Sharon Huling Automotive Technology Center on the main campus of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) on Puget Ridge, and a ceremony this afternoon celebrated its long road to reality – the plan has been traveling that road for more than a decade (we covered a “future home of …” sign-placement event at the site in 2011).

Now it’s built and open, and carries the names of the couple who have been major SSC benefactors for decades, with a special link to automotive-tech education because of their longtime family business. In honor of the occasion, Mayor Bruce Harrell proclaimed today to be “Steve and Sharon Huling Day,” according to a proclamation read at the event by SSD’s interim president Dr. Jean Hernandez:

Tours of the new 50,000-square-foot facility, which has actually been in service for months, followed speeches by college leaders and supporters, the Hulings, and even a graduate. We recorded it all on video:

Among the speakers, faculty member Doug Clapper emphasized how badly needed the facility is. “We’ve got more jobs than students right now.”

He recalled the facility plan being “first scratched out” as “a dream” that finally came true. It’s a program where the dream of a better life became reality through education and employment for graduate JoAnna Edwards. Her words of gratitude were full of emotion as she told those gathered, “You gave me the opportunity – I snatched it and ran with it.”

She went back to school at 36, a mom of three, a person who had struggled with rough times. “I was always waiting for somebody to rescue me; this school taught me how to rescue myself.” Now she has a new career and a job at an Eastside dealership.

A college supporter/adviser and local industry entrepreneur, Todd Ainsworth of Swedish Automotive (WSB sponsor), was another of those who noted the industry had a shortage of new workers. He was also a former student, mentioning a connection with SSC going back to when he took apprenticeship classes there.

And, addressing the Hulings, Ainsworth offered a comment that many a longtime West Seattleite could echo – “My family bought cars from your family!”

Seattle Colleges‘ interim chancellor Dr. Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap, who previously led SSC as president, talked about how having a new, modernized facility can inspire students as well as enhancing their education. “You bring people in who may not have a sense of what they want to do, then they walk into a place like this and say, ‘THIS could be my classroom?’.”

She also noted the Hulings’ support for the college’s 13th Year Promise scholarships, dating back long before that became a city-backed program. The Hulings themselves (whose children were there for the occasion) offered words of gratitude as well as praise for the program.

Steve Huling pointed out that the industry is continuing to innovate – “an industry that’s just starting to reinvent itself, with electric cars.” To underscore that point, several EVs from Lucid Motors were on display at the event.

(It was noted that’s what the Hulings drive.) In addition to high-tech equipment, the new building also has art:

“Oil Bloom” by Will Schlough, made from recycled oil drums painted into a flower, is over the staircase in the building’s foyer; the artist was there (lower-left corner of the photo above) to answer visitors’ questions.

Overall, dean of hospitality and service occupations Brian Scheehser, who emceed this afternoon’s event, declared the new center “an incredible learning space for our students.”

You can find out more about the Automotive Technology program at SSC by going here.

Meet four of the 16 high-school juniors honored this year for academic achievement by West Seattle’s Alki Masonic Lodge #152. They are all from West Seattle High School – from left, Joaquin Huerta, Ruby Athan, Kamil Ignacio, and Linda Alvarracin. Also honored but not present at the ceremony were eight juniors from Chief Sealth International High School – Jurry Flores, Ocean Freeman, Amirah Helms, Tyler Jones, Jayson Nguyen, Joy Ohta, Samantha Scaia, and Stoli Sylwester – and four more from WSHS – Gaia Corvino, Quinn Dumont, Nathan Kellison-Miller, and Leah Morgan. The presentations were made during the Masons’ 42nd annual “School Awards Night in Support of Our Public School System.” The honorees are nominated by their schools’ faculty, and the awards include monetary gifts.