In the first 45 days since Edna Travis’ son, Devontae Keith, attended Renton’s Secondary Learning Center, she has noticed a change in him. He gets up in the morning and goes to school, he brings home homework and has even started completing his homework on the computer.
“I’ve seen a big change in my son and it made me come out tonight because usually I don’t go to school things,” said Travis. “But, if he’s trying, I’m going to try and get involved too.”
Travis and her son were among many families who came out to celebrate the opening of the district’s Secondary Learning Center on West Hill, in unincorporated King County. The celebration also brought out the center’s faculty and Superintendent Mary Alice Heuschel, Renton Mayor Denis Law, state Rep. Marcie Maxwell, state Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, Renton School Board members and Deputy King County Executive Fred Jarrett.
Steve Gerkey, a science teacher at the center, greeted former colleagues amongst the large crowd that had gathered outside the school preparing for the ribbon-cutting and opening of the doors.
“It’s a lot of reunions,” Gerkey said. “People have been coming here for a lot of years.”
Gerkey named 30 years worth of former administrators who were in attendance at the open house Thursday night.
The Secondary Learning Center, the district’s non-traditional high school program, was built on the site of Black River High School, which had housed the program since 1980. Two years ago, Black River was demolished and some of the students dispersed to Sartori Education Center and other high schools.
The center is unique in not only the programs it offers the students, but also because of its design that features energy conservation measures. The school offers basic education programs in innovative classes with web-based programs. It has, for example, seven Career Tech Education teachers on site, with an IT Academy. Students are able to take tests on site to get industry certification on skills in networking and software.There is a full-time instructor for the culinary arts program and a production art program, focused on the workplace application of art. The latter program has a graphic design component, but also ceramics.
In addition, the school has solar panels, rain gardens to collect water runoff, geo-thermal heating features, and an eco-friendly roof that reuses rainwater to flush toilets. The building communicates its energy efficiency with light meters and other tools for monitoring.
“I’m very excited,” said Gerkey. “The kids that are in most need often get kind of the broken-down buildings. And to have the district and the community create something this special for the kids who are the neediest, it is really great.”
Luis Martinez is a junior at the center and gave tours with other fellow students at Thursday’s open house. Gerkey is his favorite teacher and he considers the teachers at the Secondary Learning Center like family.
“It’s amazing, it’s beautiful,” Martinez said of the school. “It’s a whole new look from Sartori, because Sartori was like an old structure. This is amazing; I’m speechless.”
From southern California, Martinez loves Renton because he calls it calm. He has been taking advantage of the culinary program at the center and hopes to maybe one day become a chef.
The kudos on the design of the building and the program’s efforts came not only from staff, students and dignitaries, but community members as well.
“It’s a very amazing school,” said Miranda Tramble. She attended the event as an ambassador for the Renton Chamber of Commerce. Tramble works with Costco, but used to be a para-educator at Lakeridge Elementary School.”It’s going to lift up their spirits and their confidence in themselves,” she said. “And they will be able to achieve what they’re here for.”
