Photos from the past five decades decorated the walls and tables inside the Fircrest gymnasium on May 7 for the school’s 50th anniversary celebration.
“It is an occasion to be proud of the past, celebrate the present and think about the future,” superintendant Dr. Asha Singh said.
Twelve of the original residents who came to live at Fircrest School in 1959 continue to live at Fircrest, according to Singh. Approximately 200 clients are currently served at Fircrest, she added. Their ages range from 12 to 89-years-old.
The school has faced challenges in its 50-year history and Singh said she does not expect them to stop during the next 50 years.
“I know there are some real serious budget issues we’ll be facing over the next few years,” she said. “…We will face the challenges and come out stronger.”
While some spoke about the challenges of the future, others like Delayne LaVallie reflected on the past.
LaVallie began working at Fircrest School in 1961. The early days at Fircrest School were difficult too, she said. The staff worked long hours for sometimes eight days straight.
“We didn’t have enough staff, we didn’t have enough anything,” LaVallie said. Still, she recalled a Valentine’s Day dance where “all the ladies were dressed in formals” and the men were dressed in tuxedos. Or the many different art lessons involving whatever she could find.
“There’s a lot of old timers here and this place has meant the world to us for years,” she said.
The organization of Fircrest was different when former resident life supervisor Bill Beasley began work at Fircrest School. He recalled how large numbers of residents were housed in dormitory-style buildings and how the school began to move away from an institutionalized concept.
“We worked as a family all those years,” he said. ” We became a model … We had many people throughout the world visit our facility.”
The celebration was attended by those who shared a personal or work connection with the school and by Friends of Fircrest members, state representatives Maralyn Chase and Ruth Kagi, Shoreline Mayor Cindy Ryu, and councilwoman Janet Way.
“Fircrest is the facility in this state that sets the standard of care and you can be very proud,” Chase told those in attendance.
“Right now the fight is down in Olympia to make sure everyone knows how wonderful this place is…when people say it costs too much to keep this facility open you tell them it’s a five star facility, it sets the standard of care and it is the most cost effective way to care for our citizens who have a right to the care because they are citizens.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
