Students at Central Kitsap all work diligently to get work done on time. For those who want to go that one small step further, there are other programs during school hours. Running start is for kids who want to go to college fast, and get a few extra college credits. West Sound Technical skills center is for kids who want to learn a skill that will help them later on in a career in any one of their numerous programs. Kaitlin Flowers, a student in WST, is planning on going to college with her 3D Game design skills in hand. Malia Hughes is a full time running start student, and says that she “loves the schedule,” because she has hours to volunteer at the high school. She is taking History 137, Geology 101, and planning on moving out of the country after graduation.

Running start and WST are great opportunities for students, as the credits from their courses can be used to push students forward in the military, in college, or in the workforce. Kaitlin and Jeremy Platt are both second years in WST, and Jeremy has started his first year of running start. Jeremy is also taking 3D game design, and Kaitlin is planning to go to college after graduation, programming games and designing complex models.

Transportation to and from WST is provided by the school, and many people in Running start, like Malia, drive their own cars. Transportation is always an issue for people in both programs, the busses that transport them often show up late, or traffic gets in the way of routes for students that drive. Kaitlin confirmed that she has been late for events on multiple occasions, and Jeremy uses the school website to plan for events, but he says that the website is never updated.

WST logo

West Sound and Running start both care about their students needs and goals for the future. Kaitlin plans on going to college, and WST is giving her the skills and resources to get there. Other student programs and other WST and Running start classes will help prepare anyone for anything after high school.