Students, families, and staff celebrated a series of meaningful graduation milestones last week across Northwest Educational Service District 189 programs.

For staff who work closely with students in these smaller, individualized programs, the ceremonies offered a chance to honor each graduate’s persistence, growth, and next step forward.

Four students graduated from the Northwest Regional Learning Center (NRLC) in Snohomish County, one graduated from the Whatcom Discovery Center, and another 55 earned their high school diplomas through the NWESD Open Doors program.

A huge congratulations to all the graduates!

NRLC

Paraeducator Lisa Headrick talks about the graduates during the ceremony.

Graduation ceremonies at NRLC are a little different than a typical high school. Instead of a stream of students receiving diplomas, fewer students mean the staff can take the time to  celebrate each student and their individual achievements,  hobbies, and personalities.

“Today feels especially meaningful, because in our small high school, graduation isn’t just a ceremony. It’s a personal celebration of our graduates,” NRLC Program Administrator Shonta Paul said at the ceremony on June 12. “We truly know each of you. We know your stories, your strengths, your setbacks, your humor, and your ability to keep going. And that makes this moment incredibly special. Earning your diploma is not just about completing credits. It represents early mornings when it would have been easier to stay home, and you showed up anyway. It represents hard conversations, second chances, growth, and the decision over and over again to keep going. In a traditional high school, it’s easy to blend into the crowd. Here, that was never an option. You were seen, you were known, you were challenged, and you were supported, and you rose to the occasion.”

The NRLC serves high school students who have experienced barriers to full participation, belonging, and success in school. The program offers students small class sizes, a high teacher-to-student ratio, individualized attention and programming, and an alternate environment to the traditional high school campus.

Gabriel Hoffman, Jaxten Canady, Jerremiah Moxley, and Evan Wagster are the 2026 NRLC graduates.

Throughout the ceremony, guests found out which graduate loves country music (Jaxsten), who loves Harry Potter (Jerremiah), who brought smiles every day (Evan), and who wanted to institute daily pancakes and VHS tapes (Gabriel), along with what the staff will miss about each of them most.

Each student also had the chance to speak, as well as share roses with those teachers, paraeducators, and family members who made their journey to graduation happen.

Jaxsten talked about the anger issues he faced when he enrolled at NRLC. The teachers and other staffhelped him balance his emotions.

“It helped me learn that not everything has to be upset or angry,” he said.

Jerremiah said he has a lot of great memories at NRLC, including the friends he’s made and making a batch of wonton soup together in class.

He also talked about his anger issues and said with the love and support of his mom and loved ones, he has developed strategies to overcome them.

“I have learned from my mistakes and I’m better because of them,” he said. “To all the younger students, I wish them to have more friends, stay in school and never drop out. I hope all students continue their goals, and they plan to reach them.”

Gabriel, who goes by “Hoff,” said he is more prepared for what’s next because of NRLC. He plans to attend Skagit Valley College to study auto technology, where he hopes to use his strengths in hands-on work and  mechanical skills.

He had a few pieces of advice for younger students.

“Wear comfortable shoes and save any money you can,” he said.

Evan talked about how surreal and unbelievable it is to be at the end of his high school journey.

“I can’t believe I made it to this point,” he said. “When I was growing up, tons of stones appeared in my journey, and I had tripped on almost every single one of them. My anger was the biggest one I had to climb over. I couldn’t ignore the issue, and I couldn’t push it away. I’m a better person because of every person that has reached out to me and helped me out. Teachers who believed in me, my friends, the therapy, the counseling, but without my parents, without their endless support and guidance, I would have never made it this far.”

He said he’s a little scared for the future, but so excited to have made it this far and to see what’s next.

Their families and friends filled several rows of seats at the event.

“Thank you so much for being here to celebrate and support our graduates,” Paul said. “Your presence means more than you realize. Taking time to show up, to cheer them on, and to share in this milestone speaks volumes about the love, encouragement, and belief you have poured into them along the way.”

The NRLC graduation is sponsored by Luma Northwest, a nonprofit organization that contributes snacks and other support to NRLC and the Whatcom Discovery Center, among other recipients, throughout the year.

The organization presented a gift to each graduate at the event. This nonprofit, previously known as the Assistance League of Everett, has supported the NRLC and its graduation ceremony for years.

The graduates at NRLC have seen so many challenges and setbacks along the way, but they chose to keep going, Paul said. They got back up and didn’t let a challenge stop them.

She said she wanted to leave them with wishes as they headed out into their next chapter.

“May you have the courage to take the risks that stretch you beyond what feels comfortable. May you always remember that the setbacks are not endings, they are invitations to grow stronger. May you never stop learning, growing, and believing in the possibilities that lie ahead,” she said. “Always remember that we believe in you. We are proud of you, and your journey is just beginning.”

Whatcom Discovery

Tyler Slaten

A large group of family, friends, and students came together to celebrate Tyler Slaten, who graduated on Tuesday, June 9.

“On behalf of Whatcom Discovery, we are proud of you. We are proud of the work you’ve done, and we are proud of the progress you have made. We are proud of the person that you have become,” Program Administrator Donny Fraser said. “Congratulations on this incredible achievement. May you carry the lessons of your journey with you, embrace the opportunities ahead, and continue to show the same courage and determination that brought you here today. The future is yours.”

Tyler started at Whatcom Discovery when he was in third grade.

NWESD Discovery programs serve elementary, middle, and high school students experiencing significant social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. The goal is to have students develop sufficient internal discipline so that little external reinforcement is required. In addition to the behavior management system, social and emotional goals are taught daily. Specific instruction enables students to learn problem-solving, decision-making, and social skills. In addition, there is a strong emphasis upon the academic instruction that is individually determined.

“When people look at a graduate, they often see the cap, the gown, the tassel, the smile, the diploma. What they don’t see are the challenges, the setbacks, the struggles, and the obstacles that that person had to overcome to get through,” Fraser said. “They don’t see the difficult days when giving up seemed easier than continuing. They don’t see the courage it takes to get back up after being knocked down. Today, I get to celebrate Tyler, whose story is not defined by the challenges he faced, but by the strength he showed in overcoming them.”

In his time at Whatcom Discovery, Tyler learned lessons that can’t be measured by grades or test scores, Fraser said. Things like accountability, how to face challenges head on, and that growth isn’t always comfortable.

“Every step forward, every positive choice mattered. Every time you chose to try again, it mattered,” Fraser said.

Difficult experiences can help develop a person, and they helped Tyler develop into a person who is even stronger, wiser, and more determined, Fraser said.

“As you leave this program and begin the next chapter of your life, remember something important: the strength that you’ve developed here will continue to serve you wherever you go,” Fraser said. “Life will continue to present challenges. There will be obstacles ahead. There will be moments when things don’t go according to plan. But now you know something that not everyone learns by your age. You know that you can overcome hard things. You know that setbacks do not determine your future. You know that mistakes do not define you. And you know that growth is possible. But most importantly, you know that your past does not dictate your future. Your story, the story of your life, is still being written. This graduation is not the end of the journey. It’s the beginning of a new chapter.”

A group of elementary students  celebrated Tyler with a poem, with one word for each of the letters of his name (Trustworthy, You can do anything, Liked here, Everything, Respectful). The poem ended with “Exclamation point is for Congratulations!”

Teacher Tamara Visser shared about Tyler, who she has known since he was in third grade. She said she noticed a shift in him when he  started talking more about who he wanted to become and where he wanted to go in life.

“You said ‘I know who I want to be and I’m going to start making decisions that help me get there,” she said. “I’m super proud of you.”

Tyler, who  wants to go into the trades now that he’s done with high school, said he has one big thing to be thankful for from his family, friends, and staff at Whatcom Discovery.

“The endless support,” he said.

Open Doors

It’s also been a big year at the NWESD Open Doors Re-Engagement Program, which offers students an alternative pathway towards earning their GED or high school diploma, along with the opportunity to enhance personal skills in a variety of academic areas.

This year at Skagit Open Doors, 20 students earned a high school diploma, with three more on track to earn theirs before the end of the summer. That’s a 14-student increase from last year, Principal Ken Axelson said.

At Marysville Open Doors, 35 students earned their diplomas this year.

“Open Doors was a major contributor for my gateway into so many more new opportunities that are presented for me,” student N. Del Pilar said. “The staff are simply incredible, and I can’t thank them enough for guiding me throughout my stay at Open Doors.”

At Skagit, five students passed all four GED subject area tests to earn their GEDs.  Two more students will be taking their final subject area tests this year. Another 12 earned their GEDs from the Marysville location.

“A couple of these students have overcome some amazing barriers to earn their GED diplomas,” Axelson said.

At Open Doors, there isn’t one big graduation ceremony. Instead, students can graduate throughout the year. For those that graduate, there is a small celebration and their picture is placed on the graduate wall, a permanent fixture. Some students also choose to take part in their district’s graduation ceremonies.

“Open Doors has helped me immensely in finishing high school,” student D. Zwick said. “When I needed direction, there was plenty to be given and when I just needed space to grind away at my work there was plenty of that too. The staff was friendly, funny, and committed to helping the student in any way they needed.”

Open Doors serves between 15 and 35 students each day, ranging in age from 16 to 21.

“I cannot say enough about the staff here at both Skagit and Marysville Open Doors, who have done some equally amazing work with the students enrolled through the program,” Axelson said. “These students have accomplished a goal through their hard work and the prodding, pushing, and support of our staff members that a year or two ago was beyond the student expectations.”

That support is exactly what students say made the difference.

“Admittedly, there were many times I thought about dropping out of school altogether,” student R. Moore said. “What helped me keep going was not just members of my family, but the staff at Open Doors. They’d always greet me and bid me farewell kindly. Now graduated, I see that I didn’t do it just for myself or to make my family proud, but to make the staff at Open Doors proud that they did another wonderful job and helped another student be successful. Despite hardships of all sorts. … If it weren’t for this educational program or staff, I don’t think I would have graduated by now. This program was not just the most helpful to me but the most understanding about each student’s personal situations, in my opinion.”

Across each program, the celebrations reflected not only the diplomas earned, but the determination, support, and belief that helped each graduate reach this milestone.

Congratulations!