New Hockinson Middle School building dedicated in ceremony

Brush Prairie — The new Hockinson Middle School was formally dedicated at a May 9 ceremony in the school’s gym. The ceremony included performances by the middle school’s jazz band and a keynote address by retired District 3 Fire Chief Steve Wrightson. The 85,000-square-foot school, which was funded thanks to a $39.9 million bond voters passed in February 2015, opened at the start of the 2017-2018 school year, a few months earlier than originally expected. It replaces an older building. The school was originally planned to open part-way through the school year. Robinson Construction officials asked if they could access the entire northern part of campus when they started, so they didn’t have to split work over two summers, and were able to complete the project a few months early.