David Tracewell’s classroom has never looked so blank. Since he began teaching at Central Kitsap High School in 2020, students have become accustomed to Tracewell’s unique, maximalist approach to decorating Room 1204. The assortment of posters, student artwork, framed album covers, and music memorabilia that once covered the walls have since disappeared. With them have gone Tracewell’s retro gaming consoles, pop culture collectibles, and large comic collection.
Across the past few months, Tracewell has been gradually readying his classroom for his departure. However, unlike his fellow teachers, he isn’t simply gearing up for summer break. Instead, Tracewell has been elected as the Central Kitsap Education Association’s new president, marking the end of his five-year-long tenure at CKHS.
“[For my] new job I will do anything that the teachers want to make their lives better, which in turn makes the students lives better,” Tracewell said. “So even though I’ll be heavily focused on the teachers, the president of the union works in concert with the district leadership. We generally want the same outcomes, and we want students to have as great an experience and education as possible, so we try to keep each other as honest as possible so that outcome comes true.”
Aside from his eclectic classroom decor, Tracewell is best known for his Visual Communications class, in which students learn about design, marketing, and multimedia creation. Equipped with an industrial-grade vinyl cutter, a heat press, and stencil editing software, Tracewell and his students are often busy at work completing a variety of projects for clubs, teachers, businesses, and community members.
“Even though I’ve only been here five years, they show me a lot of love, and so it’s very easy to throw that right back at them,” Tracewell said. “They show me a lot of respect and love, and I am always going to be grateful for that, and always remember that. Even when I transferred here during the remote year, you have those doubts and everything, but they responded very positively to me even through the Chromebook, which was really special — even digitally, even like that, there was that respect. Once we came back in the building part-time they showed it, which was really great.”
During his time at CKHS, Tracewell has also taught American Literature and advised the KUGR Broadcast. Prior to coming to CKHS, Tracewell taught at Klahowya Secondary School for 22 years and Leilehua High School in Wahiawa, Hawaii, for 2 years, making this his 29th year teaching. Tracewell has additionally been active in the Central Kitsap Education Association’s bargaining team since 2016, where he often found himself working alongside CKHS Career Coordinator Tyler Hunt.
“Him and I have become friends,” Hunt said. “We got to know each other a little bit when I did my internship with Klahowya in 2009-10, but then in the bargaining world, we’d work together in the bargaining team. That was lots of hours spent, probably a good three, 400 hours a year spent doing bargaining work, but that transpired into us spending together outside of work, outside of the bargaining world. He’s just the type of person you want to be around. Positive, you know, inclusive, supportive.”
While the news of this being Tracewell’s final year at CKHS came as a surprise to many, Hunt admitted that it’s something he’s been aware of for a while, sharing that he encouraged him to pursue the new role. Hunt affirmed his confidence in Tracewell’s leadership, describing Tracewell as consistently kind, selfless, and giving.
“I think it’s easy for students to see the impact he’s had,” Hunt said. “It’s easy for staff to see the impact he’s had. Kids talk about him. People talk about him. When you just mention, ‘Hey, I’m working with Mr. Tracewell,’ [they respond] ‘He’s so nice, so helpful,’ right? He never complains about anything. Usually people, when they want something done, they go to people who have a lot going on because they’re the ones who make things happen. People keep going back to Mr. Tracewell. He makes things happen, right? He makes things happen for kids. He makes things happen for staff. He makes things happen for other schools; they’re doing projects for everywhere. He’s one that brings people into his space, in his world, and includes them, you know?”
Though Tracewell will be gone, he will not be forgotten. Tracewell’s legacy will live on at CKHS through the impact he’s had on students and the school community. In fact, Tracewell has even left a physical mark on the school building, livening the halls, walls, and stairwells with vinyl stickers of anything from popular movie characters to short motivational quotes.
“[Visual Communications] is a creative outlet,” Visual Communications student Lael Roth said. “He never makes me feel bad for being myself, and school-wise, he does so much when it comes to supporting the school with making shirts and decorations — making the school feel like a home, to be honest. So it’s a very safe space that he definitely contributed in making safe.”
Roth, a senior, has known Tracewell since her sophomore year. Since then, she has taken Visual Communications three times, as well as his English class. Due to Roth’s experience, she has taken on a mentorship role in the class this year, often helping other students and even proposing ideas to Tracewell to implement in the classroom or school.
“Here’s the comedic version: I went through all five stages of grief,” Roth said. “But, honestly, when I heard that he was leaving for a different job promoting still for the school district, I was really happy for him. I hope he does really good wherever he goes and I can definitely let him know that he has left an impression on the whole school in a positive way. He will be missed, for sure.”
Tracewell noted that making the choice to leave his current position was not an easy one. Though he has enjoyed the time he has spent at CKHS, he has an optimistic outlook on the positive impact he can have as president, advocating for teachers across the entire district. Tracewell’s goal of helping students has not changed; he affirmed that by helping teachers and advocating for a positive school environment, both faculty and students will benefit.
“That was the toughest thing, to let them know, because I’ve spent my whole adult life dedicated to young people, and now I’m going to try to help older people,” Tracewell said. “I could see the shock and the hurt and all those things, and it was very flattering, just that they’re going to miss me. I’m going to miss them as much as they’re going to miss me, and I know that probably like the first couple days in, there’s going to be a bit of second guessing myself, like, ‘What the heck did I just do?’ I just left the most wonderful position, you know what I mean? I get to work with young people and do creative stuff. But I know with the way the world is right now, [there are] great challenges, and so I want to try to do my best to help my colleagues out now, so that they have a greater time in the classroom as well.
