Washington County Extension celebrates 10 years of learning

WASHINGTON — Washington County residents joined Kirkwood Community College higher-ups at a celebration last week, marking the 10-year anniversary of the school’s extension building in Washington.

The event featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, repeating a photo op that many of the same community members excitedly attended a decade ago when the building opened. In the years since, Kirkwood’s small campus in Washington has served as a classroom for thousands of high school students in every surrounding school district, and a source of continuing education and hobby pursuits for adults in the area.

Former Washington High School Principal and current Chamber Ambassador Erik Buchholz was among the first advocates for a dedicated, modernized Kirkwood building on Washington’s northwest side. At Thursday night’s event, he said the extension had made a tremendous positive impact in the intervening years.

“With over 3,000 students that they’ve put through this place, and over 40,000 hours that they have been able to offer to our students, that’s a massive amount of money savings that our kids right in Washington, Iowa have been able to receive a college education with,” he said. “My hat’s off to Kirkwood and everything you guys have done over the years, thank you so much.”

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Washington County Kirkwood Regional Center Director Tera Pickens said she was immensely proud of the milestone.

While she said she didn’t know what to expect when the center first opened, she was excited to watch it succeed with time.

“I just love the impact that we have on Washington County, and the ability to serve these students,” she said. “It absolutely levels the playing field for our high school students. It doesn’t matter if they’re first-generation, if the parents have the finances to pay for their college or not, they can come here, explore for careers, take classes, jump-start their college degree and find their passion.”

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Kirkwood Community College President Kristie Fisher made the trip from Cedar Rapids to attend the event as well.

In her own remarks to the crowd after the ribbon-cutting, she said the school had saved local families over $9 million in college expenses, thanks to free dual-enrollment courses coordinated with high schools.

“This isn’t just a celebration about a building, it’s a celebration of what happens here,” Fisher said, adding that the school was proud of its role in high school students’ career trajectories. “Some of them find something they love, some of them find something that they know they don’t want to do for the rest of their lives. Either way, it’s a big win, because we know kids need to have those experiences.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com