The fourth annual Andy MacDonald Scholarship Benefit Boys vs. Girls Soccer Game will be held Sunday, Nov. 27th at Noon at Highline Memorial Stadium.

All proceeds will go to the Andy MacDonald Fire Services Scholarship for the Puget Sound Skills Center Firefighting Program.

Admission is by donation, accepted at the stadium and after the game, where the gathering will continue at The Cove in Normandy Park.

Gates open at the stadium at 11:30 a.m.

Andy MacDonald www.andymacislove.org

To donate prizes for the raffle, or for more info, click here, or contact Becky MacDonald at 206-948-1859 or via email at beckym@lynden.com.

Here’s more info on Andy and this cause:

Andy was a friend, son, brother, and volunteer firefighter who at age 19 tragically lost his life in the November 6, 2006 flooding of the Cowlitz River. Andy was on a hunting trip with his family when the river bank at their campsite was washed away. Andy was in his truck at the time which was parked on the bank and he died before he could be rescued.

Out of tragedy something good can be born. In 2008, Andy’s family and close friends set up a scholarship in his name – the Andy MacDonald Fire Services Scholarship. Each November, in honor of Andy’s birthday and untimely passing, we hold a soccer game known affectionately as the ‘Boys vs. Girls’ game.  Fellow teammates and friends of Andy come out to play a charity game. Afterwards the teams hold a dinner auction/raffle which consists of items donated from local businesses and personal items that Andy’s family and friends contribute.  Last year over 200 people attended and we raised over $7,500.

The scholarship is set up at the Puget Sound Skills Center (PSSC) that Andy attended to begin his firefighting training.  The scholarship assists cadets in the PSSC Fire Services program by offering scholarships to colleges or trade schools the cadets wish to attend to continue their Fire service education.

(An interesting back-story is the commitment and effort Andy’s high school friends continue to put into this event.  They are now in their mid-20’s, entering into adult life.  As a middle aged ‘mom’ working on this benefit, it has been much fun to take direction from them.  I’m proud to know this next generation of Burien.)

To contribute to the Andy MacDonald Third Annual Boys vs. Girls Soccer Game please contact: Becky MacDonald 206-948-1859 or via email: beckym@lynden.com.

For more information on Andy MacDonald, here’s a link to a Facebook tribute page, chock full of great photos that will soon make those who didn’t know him feel like they actually did.

If you can’t make it to the game, you can also donate directly to:

Andy MacDonald Fire Services Scholarship Fund
c/o Puget Sound Skills Center
18010 8th Ave South
Burien, WA 98148

For more information, please visit www.andymacislove.org.

The Port of Seattle's retired fire truck was donated to Puget Sound Skills Center's Fire Services program Tuesday morning (Sept. 6). Photo courtesy Highline School District.

Tuesday morning (Sept. 6), the Port of Seattle donated retired fire truck #713 to the Puget Sound Skills Center (PSSC) at a ceremony at the school’s campus in Burien.

Students from the Fire Services program looked on as Port Battalion Chief Rick Kruckenberg delivered the engine to PSSC Principal Dr. Sue Shields and City of SeaTac Battallion Chief John Madson, Fire Services program administrator at PSCC.

“Donated equipment like this engine provide our students the opportunity to learn and practice skills on fire equipment they will use in their career choice,” said Dr. Shields. “We are grateful for the continuing support and partnership of the Port of Seattle.”

For more information on the Puget Sound Skills Center, visit their website here.

Six students from Burien’s Puget Sound Skills Center will compete in an international Construction Challenge this Saturday (Jan. 15th) in Everett.

The competition occurs every three years and the Everett event is the only one happening west of Oklahoma. Over 35 teams are coming from all over the Pacific Northwest, California and Montana.

The Burien Puget Sound Skills Center is one of ten skills centers for high school students in the state of Washington.

“We are the oldest and first of the skills centers,” said Ken Pierson, Construction Technology Instructor. The Puget Sound Skills Center was founded in 1966.

“We are sending six students to the competition this Saturday, five seniors and one junior, two young ladies and four guys,” Pierson told The B-Town Blog.

“There is much more to the competition than the idea of hammers and nails,” said Sue Z. Hart, Seattle area Rally Leader and media contact for the Construction Challenge. “Team members use collaboration, critical thinking, and creative problem solving to solve real life infrastructure problems and industry-related challenges.”

This year, teams will solve three challenges based on infrastructure issues. Teams will develop a transportation infrastructure, solve a water infrastructure problem to improve water quality, and present research on a critical local infrastructure issue.

The top 24 teams that advance from the regional rallies currently being held across the United States and Canada will compete at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition this March in Las Vegas.

Saturday’s competition is a closed competition and is generally not open to the public. Students are not even allowed to consult with their teachers/advisors during the event.

“Although the construction industry is expected to create more than one million new jobs by 2012, the industry still faces a severe shortage of qualified workers to meet future needs,” Hart said.

The Construction Challenge is sponsored by Volvo Construction Equipment and Caterpillar and is a joint effort of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and Destination ImagiNation. More information is available at www.www.constructionchallenge.org.

Here are some videos of previous years’ competitions:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

On Saturday, Nov. 27th, the third annual Andy MacDonald Scholarship Benefit “Boys vs Girls” Soccer Match was held, with the Girls winning for the first time with a score of 6-5.

Over 200 people attended both the game and the following party, which was held in memory of the late Andy MacDonald, a Highline High School student who was killed in a tragic accident during a storm in November, 2006.

Estimates are that around $6,000 was raised, all of which will go to the Andy MacDonald Fire Services Scholarship at the Puget Sound Skills Center.

Saturday was also Andy’s birthday, so the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to him at halftime (he would’ve been 24).

For more information on Andy, here’s a link to a Facebook tribute page.

For anyone wanting to donate, you can still do so directly by sending a check to:

Andy MacDonald Fire Services Scholarship Fund
c/o Puget Sound Skills Center
18010 8th Ave South
Burien, WA 98148

For more information, please visit www.andymacislove.org.

Here’s more info from an email from Becky MacDonald, Andy’s sister”

The girls won this year 6 – 5 and it was a really good game.  The boys have won the past 2 years so it was a sweet victory!  There were probably 200 people at the game and party at the Cove.

It was also Andy’s birthday that day so everyone sang Happy Birthday to him at halftime.

We don’t have a final dollar amount, but estimate raising about $6000.00 this year, all of which goes to the scholarship fund.

We had many auction and raffle items at the party – all donated by friends, family and local businesses.  The food was prepared by several of the soccer players dads and it was fun watching them in the kitchen!

Everyone had a great time at the game and Cove and we look forward to next year.

I would like to thank everyone who contributed and came to the event for their support.  It’s so heartwarming to our family to see how many people love Andy and help to keep his memory alive.  He truly will never be forgotten!

Andymacislove.org is the website and we will be posting pictures there from the event.

Here are some photos from the game, courtesy Brittani Jenkins:

A new, lighthouse-themed metal water sculpture was installed at the Burien Community Center Tuesday (June 22) by welding instructor Dale Copeland and his students from the Puget Sound Skills Center.

According to a statement:

In 2009, PSSC welding instructor Dale Copeland took on an amazing project. A temporary sculpture park (B/ IAS) was being installed on a vacant lot in Downtown Burien and he was asked to add something to the park. To the delight of the community, he and his students came up with a beautiful metal sculpture of an eagle and salmon titled “Learn and Survive.” The project so inspired and motivated the students that Dale wanted to do it again, so this year the project is “Lighthouse”, a water sculpture that was installed in the Burien Community Center atrium in June.

The students took great pride knowing that they built something that others will enjoy and that they can come back to and say “ I helped build that!”

The sculpture was created by:

• Artist and Welding Instructor Dale Copeland and his students from the Puget Sound Skills Center & Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 32 Welding Career Program:
  • Landon Abel
  • Bryan Asplund
  • Jonathon Garrison
  • Robert Griffith
  • Adam Hilmer
  • Nicholas Holme
  • Zackary Larson
  • Talus Moloney
  • Ezequiel Morales
  • Kevin Narverud
  • Ryan Northern
  • Alexander Nitchke
  • Robert Rose
  • Caleb Silver
  • Deven Smotherman
  • Salamina Tauanuu
  • Penn Wright

Materials were donated by McKinstry Company of Seattle with special thanks to Steve Frazier.

Closeup of the detail in "Lighthouse."

Puget Sound Skills Center students show off their new creation.

The 2nd Annual Scholarship Benefit Soccer Game for the Andy MacDonald EMT Scholarship Fund at Puget Sound Skills Center will be held Sunday, Nov. 29th beginning at 11am at Highline Memorial Stadium.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Benefit Soccer Game for the Andy MacDonald EMT Scholarship Fund – Boys vs. Girls! There will also be a Raffle drawing for great prizes afterwards at Mick Kelly’s.

WHEN: Sunday, November 29, 2009; Gates open at 10:30am; Game begins at 11:00am.

WHERE: Highline Memorial Stadium

COST: Admission by donation accepted at the stadium and after the game where the gathering will continue at Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub (435 SW 152nd, Burien)

INFO: Here’s info on Andy MacDonald:

Andy MacDonald

Just over three years ago, a torrential storm hit, causing the Cowlitz River near Mt. Rainier to overflow and sweep Highline High ’05 graduate Andy MacDonald away to a tragic death at age 19.

Andy was hunting elk with his family, and the truck he was in fell into the raging river after the bank gave way underneath it.

He was a popular high-school athlete with a great sense of humor, as well as an aspiring firefighter and a friend with “the best hug in the world.” He played soccer, wrestled, was president of his junior class as well as homecoming king. He was known at Highline as a kid who was kind to all, friends said.

Out of tragedy something good can be born; Andy’s family and close friends set up a scholarship in his name. Each November, in honor of Andy’s birthday and untimely passing a soccer game is held known as the “Boys vs. Girls” game. All of his old teammates and friends come out to play a friendly game, and the public is invited to attend.  Afterwards the team holds a raffle at a local restaurant. This consists of items donated from local business and personal items contributed by Andy’s family.

Last year over 200 people attended the game, which was held at Highline Stadium, and we raised more than $4,500.  All of the money is donated to the scholarship. The Andy MacDonald EMT Scholarship is set up at the Puget Sound Skills center where Andy received his firefighting training. This scholarship will assist future Cadets in the Puget Sound Skills Center Fire Services class to help send them to an Emergency Medical Technician class. This year we anticipate sending four to six Cadets to the EMT class and this will aid in covering lab fees, required equipment, travel expenses, etc. Andy’s passion in life was to help those in need and this is our way of assisting others with the same life goal.

For more information on Andy MacDonald, here’s a link to a Facebook tribute page, chock full of great photos that will soon make those who didn’t know him feel like they actually did.

If you can’t make it to the game, you can also donate directly to:

Puget Sound Skills Center
“Explorer Post-24” in care of Andy MacDonald
18010 8th Avenue South
Burien, WA 98148

To donate prizes for raffle or for more info please contact Becky MacDonald at 206-439-0745.

Burien’s Puget Sound Skills Center announced Monday (Oct. 26th) that it is offering a pilot program for high school students for building and construction trades.

Along with Wenatchee’s Skills Center, the school will offer the pilot programs for core skills for pre-apprenticeship in the building and construction trades.

It’s one of only two pilot programs on the West Coast.

Here’s more from a press release:

“Graduates are going to have fine marketable skills, very marketable that our industry needs for tomorrow’s technology,” said Eric Peterson, Sheet Metal Workers JATC. “They are going to be able to live well and provide for their families.”

Sean McGarvey, Secretary Treasurer of the national Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO said, “The Building Trades Multi-Craft Core Curriculum is an innovative training program that provides a gateway from high school or community college to joint labor-management registered apprenticeships throughout the United States.”

The Core Curriculum is also designed to provide an on ramp to careers in the construction trades for adults exploring a career transition. The Building Trades “Core” was developed as a national industry credential by the National Apprenticeship and Training Directors in the construction industry to establish, for the first time, a standardized pre apprenticeship for entry into any of the crafts in the Building Trades.

The Puget Sound Skills Center in King County’s Highline School District and the Wenatchee Skills Center in Eastern Washington are among the first in the nation to pilot the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum. The Training Centers are creating new opportunities for many in the communities they serve to earn a family sustaining wage while earning the credentials for a career in the construction industry.

‘We in the Building Trades are pledged to building these partnerships with the Puget Sound and Wenatchee Skills Centers,” McGarvey said. “They share our commitment to preparing young people and adults for careers in the construction industry. And like us, they have shown they are determined to help students and workers reach informed career choices by providing knowledge about the training path required.”

“Washington State’s skills centers offer students the proper instructional attention, space and industry interaction to achieve pre apprenticeship basic skills,” said Dave Johnson, Executive Secretary of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO.

“Apprenticeship in the trades provides affordable, earn while you learn, collegiate pathways that can lead to engineering, project management and design service professions for the next generations of creative thinkers and problem solvers,” Johnson said. “These students will help shape and fuel the technological changes that green our industries like construction and manufacturing.”

The national Building and Construction Trades Department selected these two pilots based on Washington’s unique apprenticeship utilization laws for public works construction, strides made to build a seamless P-20 Career and Technical Education system, and for their recognition and political leadership to return pre apprenticeship in the 21st century model of education reform.

Burien’s own Puget Sound Skills Center announced Monday (Oct. 19th) that it is now offering online classes in the hopes of better serving students who want to gain skills for the growing information technology job market.

The IT market is consistently listed in the top three sectors for future job growth.

Students who enroll can earn college credits as well as qualify for nationally recognized industry certifications.

“This is an exciting step for our school,” said Skills Center Director Sue Shields. ‘The online option for information technology opens opportunities for students who have previously not been able to take advantage of all that PSSC has to offer.  Scheduling conflicts simply disappear when a student is able to participate in the program on their own time.”

Computer Network Systems (CNS) instructor Jim McMurchie added: “Distance-learning courses can be completed by students with a relatively current computer and internet access.  All software required is provided by the school.”  He went on to say, “The best part is that PSSC is part of the public school system so, these courses are offered to students at no charge.”

Examples of courses that will be offered online include:

• Computer-Aided Design
• Cisco Networking and Microsoft IT Academies
• Basic computer hardware and software
• Basic networks

A student can elect to complete the course entirely online or in a blended-learning format which involves doing the majority of the coursework online wtih a limited number of sessions at PSSC for hands-on labs and review.

This Computer Network Systems program is the latest addition to PSSC’s online offerings.  Other programs include:

• Digital Media Production
• Engineering Design
• Leadership and Management in Business

Interested students should contact the Skills Center at 206-631-7300 or at their webiste: www.pugetsoundsc.org.

Puget Sound Skills Center is located at 18010 8th Avenue South in Burien, and it serves students from Highline and Federal Way Public Schools, Fife, Tahoma, and Tukwila School Districts and is hosted by Highline Public Schools.

Students from the Puget Sound Skills Center’s Welding Careers Program, in association with Plumber and Pipefitters Local 32, installed “To Be Named Later,” an original sculpture of an eagle swooping down onto a salmon at the Burien Interim Art Space on Friday, June 5th.

“This is where Puget Sound Skills Center students came to Local 32’s Weld shop to learn Welding Skills and Trade Related Confidence,” said Dale Copeland of UA Local 32. “This piece is made primarily out of steel and other materials, and we plan on letting nature create the patina that we are looking for and the movement of the piece. We started with an initial design, but the students have come up with several ideas of there own. All the students worked on the piece, with the students doing most of the work.”

More information on the project, as well as B/ IAS, available at www.interim-art-space.com.

Photos courtesy Dane Johnson.

The PSSC team will compete against 900 teams from around the world. PSSC qualified for the international championship at the regional competition in February, when more than 300 teams competed in 15 simultaneous qualifying rallies to secure their spot in the global competition.

The Construction Challenge, a creative problem solving program in its second year, introduces students to the skills they need to be successful in construction-related fields. The competition is designed to engage teens through a hands-on, educational experience and to introduce them to careers as engineers, equipment technicians and manufacturing professionals.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) sponsors the Challenge in partnership with Destination ImagiNation.

Students on the Construction Challenge team are enrolled in the construction technology program at PSSC.

PSSC offers a half-day vocational training program for students in area high schools.

PSSC is one of Highline School District’s most unique and specialized secondary programs. Founded in 1966, it was the first of what now number ten regional Skills Centers funded by the Washington State Legislature. For forty years, PSSC has been a school of choice for students from Mount Rainer, Evergreen, Tyee, and Highline High Schools, as well as for students from adjacent school districts, home schoolers, and students enrolled in private schools.

Students do not withdraw from their enrolled high school in order to attend PSSC. The PSSC experience becomes a part of a student’s four year high school experience in a joint partnership agreement. Classes at PSSC are “half day” and the 10th, 11th and 12th grade student spends half of each day at PSSC in the chosen program and half of each day at the enrolled high school. Transportation is provided between the two schools.

View Larger Map