Chuck Chinn back in charge of campus he helped reopen

By Sanjay Bhatt
Seattle Times staff reporter

	HARLEY SOLTES / THE SEATTLE TIMES Chuck Chinn, who returned yesterday as Ballard High School's principal, walks the hall at the end of his first day back since retiring in 2000. He asked several students not to run in the halls.
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Chuck Chinn can't seem to get enough of Ballard High School.

Before retiring in June 2000, Chinn spent most of his decade there in an old, deteriorating structure and presided over the opening of a new school in the fall of 1999. It was a historic moment: Seattle's first public high school built from the ground up in 36 years.

"He really created the Ballard High School that you see today when you walk in," said Michael DeBell, president of the school's PTSA. "He really raised the standards of academic achievement at Ballard, which was not a popular place to go 10 years ago, and it became the most popular high school in the city."

The $48.2 million structure, built on the site of the old school, did not come easy. Demolishing the old school sparked debate, as did changes to locations of temporary classrooms. Students, teachers and parents also endured years of construction delays due to a bond issue that failed to pass in 1994, and a backlog of other district projects.

Because the building was substantially larger, Chinn oversaw the hiring of 30 to 40 new teachers at the school, DeBell said.

In his final year as principal, the Alliance for Education, the largest philanthropic supporter of Seattle public schools, called Ballard High its "poster child" for attracting large donations from alumni and the community.

The high school now boasts biotech and maritime academies, and officials hope to add an environmental science academy. DeBell credits Chinn's vision. When Chinn became the school's principal in 1990, he had talked about making Ballard a magnet school for science, technology and engineering.

Sanjay Bhatt: 206-464-3103 or sbhatt@seattletimes.com

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