You are invited to the official dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Bethel High School on August 21,2026, at 1 p.m. Speakers will include former Superintendent Tom Seigel, BHS students, and more! The ceremony will be held in the main gym. Self-guided tours will be available after the ceremony. Everyone is welcome to join us at 7718 224th St. E., Graham, WA 98338.
This massive project has been 19 years in the making. The search for a proper school site began all the way back in 2007. Finding land large enough for a modern high school that also met strict state growth boundaries proved to be an incredibly complex puzzle. When we finally found the right property, the state changed the rules, which put regulatory roadblocks in front of the project. Complaints filed with a state hearing board delayed the project for years, forcing district leaders to take the fight all the way to the Governor’s desk. A bill was finally signed into law in 2017 to let our district build on the property. But money was then needed to build the school our students deserved.
Updates to county stormwater regulations required our teams to spend a year and a half developing a highly complex underground water model and purchasing additional land just to manage runoff. Throughout it all, our School Board and planning teams remained relentless, refusing to give up on the future of our students. We were finally able to break ground on the new Bethel High School in 2024.
Because of their stewardship, and the partnership of our community, the stunning new 300,000-square-foot Bethel High School will soon be added to the completed bond project list. The school boasts a dedicated welding classroom, a top-tier culinary space, a 500-seat theater, and – in keeping with the wishes of the Crate family who some of the land was purchased from – a memorial plaza in honor of Casey Crate.
As we prepare for the official dedication on August 21, the historic Bethel High School building will serve another vital purpose. This fall, the old building will become a temporary home to the staff and students of Cedarcrest Middle School. This transition allows the Cedarcrest crew to stay together in a safe, functional learning space while their old school is demolished to make way for a brand-new facility, again, thanks to that 2019 bond. Thank you, voters!
