Futurus High School, an alternative school within the Centralia School District for 11th and 12th grade students, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
The school started out of the Centralia Alternative Program, which began in 1995 and operated out of the 4-H building at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds. The 1996 flood forced the school to move to an upstairs room at the Yard Birds Mall in Chehalis.
“Although now high and dry, this building (had) many leaks in the ceiling and the distractions downstairs. We were made aware that it would only be a temporary stop until a new building was found with the persistence of administrator James Bowers,” Futurus staff member Audrey Lindgren said.
When the Centralia Alternative Program was finally set to move to a new building in Centralia in 2014, staff and students came up with a new name to honor the transition from a program to an official school.
“I worked with a group of students that were excited to move to a building they could call their own,” said Centralia High School Registrar Tina Christensen. “The process of moving involved creating a name for the new school and two particular students worked on finding one with meaning.”
Those two students, Marisela Orellana and Nicole Ingles, came up with the name “futurus,” a Latin adjective meaning “about to be,” while they were researching various Latin terms.
“They had hope for their future school, academics and life. With that, a vision of hope was born for students that needed a unique way to learn to fit their unique life situation,” Christensen said.
As it exists today, Futurus High School is a small high school with alternative learning stylings that Centralia High School students can opt into for their junior and senior years.
“Students from Centralia High School elect to attend Futurus High School for the following reasons: small school environment and smaller classes, more personalized relationships with staff, opportunity to earn more than three credits per semester, increasing the chance to be an on-time graduate, (and) more time with teachers when needing additional academic support,” Futurus states on its website.
“I believe that Futurus holds the key for students who like a small school feeling with a staff that makes them feel like family,” Lindgren said.
Futurus students are required to meet the same district and state requirements as those attending Centralia High School, and students’ diplomas and transcripts don’t reference that Futurus is an alternative school.
The school partners with Thorbeckes to provide students with gym memberships for physical education credits, and a partnership with Centralia College allows Futurus students to participate in the Running Start program and take math and nursing assistant program classes through the college.
The Lewis County Realtor Association made a donation to the school in 2019 that continues to provide students with leadership opportunities at Cispus Learning Center, clothing for everyday activities and employment, payment for industry training and certifications, and covering for many other costs and needs, according to Futurus Principal James Bowers.
“Our students came from all walks of life and unique situations,” said former staff member Amy Andrews. “Many had the odds stacked against them and saw nothing but struggles. Being able to come alongside each student individually, supporting and encouraging them in their journey was such a blessing.”
Futurus started with 11 graduates in 2015 and has had graduating classes of between 15 and 28 students since, according to numbers provided by Bowers.
The graduating class of 2024 is made up of 21 students.
“As with most high schools, graduation is a much-anticipated event, but at Futurus High School it always seemed to be extra special,” said former staff member Faye Olason. “Students’ circumstances sometimes had slowed progress toward graduation and many students worked through incredibly difficult barriers to make their walk across the stage so meaningful … This small school has (a) big heart and it shines bright especially during graduation.”
Futurus High School’s graduation this year is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11, at Centralia Community Church of God in Centralia.
For more information about Futurus High School, visit https://fhs.centraliaschooldistrict.org/.
