Across Washington, public schools are preparing students not just to graduate, but to thrive. By building skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and civic engagement, students gain the tools they need to succeed in college, careers, and community life.
At HHS, students like junior Lars Sarkinen are turning that demand into opportunity. Through the Career & Technical Education (CTE) and Running Start programs, he is already gaining skills and experiences that will grant him a competitive edge in the workforce. Sarkinen won first place in Plumbing at the 2025 SkillsUSA Washington State Leadership and Skills Conference.
Students in AP Biology at Hockinson High School recently turned their classroom into a working lab to study the process of photosynthesis. Using baking soda, spinach leaves, CO2 and water, they measured how quickly oxygen bubbles caused spinach disks to rise to the surface of a cup.