Tahoma Senior High School - History

History

The first large public school building in the Maple Valley area to serve secondary students was the Maple Valley Grade School, which opened in 1920 and housed grades one through twelve (now home to the Tahoma Transportation Center and the Maple Valley Historical Society). In 1926, not long after the building opened, the Taylor, Hobart, and Maple Valley school districts merged to create a cooperative high school district and purchased a parcel of property for the construction of a dedicated local secondary school. This school, known as TaHoMa High School, opened in 1927 and held both junior and senior high students of the area for many years. After several remodels, this first TaHoMa High School building still exists today as TaHoMa Middle School.

The present day high school building opened in 1974 as an open concept school, while the previous building remained as the district's junior high. The open concept design proved unsatisfactory to the faculty at the time, and temporary walls were constructed early in the school building's life.

The next major change came in 1999 when an intensive remodel of the Tahoma Senior High School building commenced. Despite gutting most parts of the building for modernization, the project was done in phases so that the facility could remain open as the district high school. Notable changes made to the campus during this remodel included construction of the present-day 100 wing, installation of an all-weather athletic track, expansion of the administrative offices, brightening of the commons area, application of an exterior brick facade, and complete renovation of the interior of the school, making it aesthetically appealing and technologically up-to-date.

Following voter approval of a $10 million, four-year Instructional Technology Levy in 2006, the Tahoma School District has started to outfit the campus with wireless internet service, Activboard digital whiteboards, and upgraded computer labs.

An interesting side note to this building's history is that it has resided in three different cities without ever changing its physical location. At one time or another, the school building's address has included the cities of Kent, Maple Valley, and now Covington.