On May 21, students all over the district came to Issaquah High School with posters and PowerPoints in hand to show off all the hard work they had accomplished over the school year in their CTE classes.
“I was both shocked and honored to be awarded the glory of being the DECA student of the year,” junior Vincent Ung said. “I definitely did not see it coming, but it was a welcomed surprise.”
Liberty had the most students to be awarded at the spring showcase with eleven students. Junior Emma Colton received the award for Culinary Arts, Ung received the award for Sales and Marketing, junior Hallie Chen received the award for Computer Science, freshman Kealy Coulon received the award for Introduction to Culinary Arts, sophomore Khanh Dao received the award for Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC), senior Elise Ferencz received the award for Video Production, senior Emma Ream received the award for Technical Theatre, sophomore Jasmin Sanchez-Mancilla received the award for Child Development, sophomore Makenna Thomas received the award for Family Health, freshman Sofia VanHuss received the award for NJROTC, and junior Alexa Whitehead-Fisher received the award for Graphic Design.
“I didn’t know about the event before Dr. Butterworth told me he chose me for the award, but once there I was really happy to see adults in the community seeing that high school work does not have to be bad, that our work can be more than just beginner or cringy,” Ferencz said.
The showcase was not only a way for students to be recognized but also to push students to follow their interests so that their classes can be more than just classes. Colton was offered to spend a day at Renton Technical College by the Dean. Many students there had the same experience.
But students were not the only ones to be recognized: Kathy Jones, a paraprofessional who had been working at Liberty for 30 years, was awarded the classified staff of the year.
“From going on cross country DECA trips to teaching students how to make food essential to living on their own, Kathy Jones has been essential to Liberty and the Issaquah School District,” director of STEM and CTE for the Issaquah School District Lesha Engels said.
The showcase was an opportunity to put a spotlight on classes, peers, and teachers that students might not think much of. Engels hopes this not only encourages schools to have more STEM and CTE classes but also for students to be inspired for their after high school plans.