As 2024 comes to a close, we would like to express gratitude for everyone who has joined the Chehalis School District in preparing students for the journey ahead. From our amazing staff and generous community partners and donors to our families and volunteers, if you have played a part in helping the Chehalis School District thrive - thank you! Here's a look at a few memorable stops in the journey of 2024.

In 2023, we celebrated 10 years of the Student Achievement Initiative. In that time we have made significant growth in a number of key metrics and are currently projected, not only to reach, but to exceed our goal of having 60% of our graduates go on to reach some sort of postsecondary certification after graduation. We did this by creating a culture of K-12 career and college readiness that has become so much a part of what we do that we no longer have a Student Achievement Initiative (SAI). An initiative is a short-term activity. Instead, we now have a student achievement goal that is an ingrained part of the culture of the Chehalis School District.

In 2024, we moved forward with a plan to build on the success of SAI. After considerable work by a committee of CSD staff, it was decided that our next student achievement goal will be 75 by 35: by the class of 2035, we want 75% of Chehalis students to go on to earn some sort of postsecondary training or certification. Within this goal, we also want 100% of our seniors to graduate feeling equipped for and supported in the pathways they choose for their next journey.

In June, we celebrated the 199 members of the W.F. West Class of 2024 who received diplomas during our 132nd annual commencement. In addition, 9 students took part in the Turning Point/Lewis County Alternative School graduation ceremonies and the VISIONS program saw 3 students graduate.

Here is a look at the Class of 2024 by the numbers:

In October, our CTE Kickoff Night included a Centralia-Chehalis Chamber After-Hours Event, allowing us to invite our community to see first-hand some of the pathways our students can choose. Dozens of industry leaders were able to hear an inspiring speech from Maximillian Macdonald, owner of Maximilian Motorsports and a community partner with W.F. West CTE. They also got the chance to visit our CTE wing and see our students demonstrating the postsecondary pathways being created by our CTE department and the industry partners who assist our district.

Our experience over the 10 years of the Student Achievement Initiative, as well as research, has shown that achieving postsecondary student success takes a K-12 culture of career and college readiness. Some of our most recent efforts towards our student achievement goals have focused on our youngest students. Our Cornerstone program has helped numerous families remove barriers to supporting their students' education, including assisting parents of Pre-K students in finding and paying for spots in preschool. In 2024, Cornerstone set its sights on Kindergarten readiness, offering a Kindergarten Carnival for families of both incoming and outgoing kindergarteners, as well as a free motor skills camp for the members of the Class of 2037. Our W.F. West Bearcats even joined in the effort to get this year's kindergarteners off to a great start with a special welcome on our Kindergarteners' first day of school.