Cascadia College rock-solid about its boulder

Another huge rock story gets some big attention.

Herald Writer Eric Stevick wrote Feb. 2 about a big rock at Jefferson Elementary School in Everett “Boulder as big as a VW complicates Everett school’s construction.”

Crews unearthed a huge boulder where they planned to place a grease trap for a new school kitchen.

“We think it’s about the size of a VW Bug,” said Jennifer Collins of the Everett School District’s facilities and planning department.

That rock was going to be demolished.

Here’s a boulder story with a more happy ending—for the rock.

Students at Cascadia Community College saved a large boulder on their Bothell campus says Dan Rinder, assistant director of communications and marketing.

They noticed the rock was being jack hammered into pieces. It was thought to be a glacial erratic, a large rock picked up and left behind by the movement of glaciers.

Professor John Van Leer says “It likely originated in northern Washington or British Columbia, and was deposited here about 12,000 years ago. Ever since the college opened 10 years ago, it’s been a teaching tool for a variety of classes and has become a place for reflection and contemplation by students and faculty alike.”

The rock was in an area being cleared for a new activity field.

Students of Van Leer and Dr. Nader Nazemi sat on the boulder to quiet the jack hammer.

“Saving the erratic wasn’t just about learning the science of something, or the ethics of something, or the politics of something,” Van Leer says. “It was all of those things together.”

The “sit on” worked.

Big wigs met with protestors and determined the boulder will have a new home, near campus wetlands, and will never be destroyed for future development.

Yeah, rock.

  • Joe Trieu with Evergreen Beauty and Barber College in Everett pats two backs.

    Evergreen students won awards as two top business students of the year for cosmetology and aesthetics, so named by a training company called Nuts and Bolts.

    Rachel Chambers was third for cosmetology students and Julie Fulcher was second for aesthetics.

    Trieu says contestants were scored on such things as attendance, grade point average, service and a presentation.

    “There’s no doubt these students will be successful in their careers,” he said. “There were 74 campuses that competed in this national competition.”

    It’s never too late to go back to school, he said.

    Both women are retraining for new careers.

    Chambers, a mother of three, worked with her husband in construction in Idaho.

    “The construction business went sour and she moved over here to start a new career,” Trieu says. “She has 100 percent attendance and is at the top of her cosmetology class.”

    Fulcher was laid off after 12 years in the hotel industry.

    “She took the risk of jumping back into school while working and raising her kids.”

    Trieu says the biggest take away from this event was competing against the largest and top cosmetology colleges in the United States.

    “And here we were,” he says, “Sending two of our top students from a small family-owned beauty school to compete at a national level and somehow winners came from our college.”

  • Leslie Young, spokeswoman for the Central Puget Sound Council for Square Dancers, says a special dance is planned for Sunday.

    “One of our dancers, Joe Bahr, lost his brother to early-onset Alzheimer’s,” Young says. “When his brother developed this disease, Joe, along with his club, Sky Valley Whirlwinds, hosted the first Alzheimer’s Dance.”

    Last year they raised more than $7,000 for the Alzheimer’s research.

    Another dance is planned for noon to 6 p.m. at Edmonds Masonic Lodge, 515 Dayton St.

    Young says drop in anytime. There is no admission charged, but a donation is appreciated.

  • Students at Northshore Christian Academy in Bothell have emptied piggy banks, sold pancakes and worked hard to raise $11,000 for Haitian relief efforts.

    They aim to pack up 40,000 meals Wednesday for Haitian orphans.

    Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.

    Talk to us

    > Give us your news tips.

    > Send us a letter to the editor.

    > More Herald contact information.

  • More in Local News

    Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

    Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

    Julia Zavgorodniy waves at her family after scanning the crowd to find them during Mariner High School’s 2025 commencement on Friday, June 13, 2025, at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    ‘Dream without limit’: Thousands of Snohomish County seniors graduate

    Graduations at the arena conclude this weekend with three Everett high schools on Saturday and Monroe High School on Sunday.

    Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

    The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

    Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

    To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

    Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
    The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

    The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

    Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

    The city’s biennial budget assumed a $6 million levy lid lift. The final levy amount is up to the City Council.

    A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
    How Snohomish County property owners can prepare for wildfire season

    Clean your roofs, gutters and flammable material while completing a 5-foot-buffer around your house.

    (City of Everett)
    Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

    City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

    Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    ‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

    Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

    ‘No Kings’ rallies draw thousands to Everett and throughout Snohomish County

    Demonstrations were held nationwide to protest what organizers say is overreach by President Donald Trump and his administration.

    Marysville is planning a new indoor sports facility, 350 apartments and a sizable hotel east of Ebey Waterfront Park. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    New report shifts outlook of $25M Marysville sports complex

    A report found a conceptual 100,000-square-foot sports complex may require public investment to pencil out.

    Logo for news use featuring Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
    Snohomish County Board of Health looking to fill vacancy

    The county is accepting applications until the board seat is filled.

    Support local journalism

    If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.