By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Last weekend, the community came together to celebrate the dedication of the new Betty Patu Library, Michael S. Bethea Athletic Complex, and Jamal Crawford Basketball Court at the new Rainier Beach High School, honoring all three for their impactful contributions to the community.
The event marked a major milestone, the completion of Phase 3 of the new Rainier Beach school. The new four-story building features updated facilities, including a culinary arts kitchen, engineering lab, digital arts studio, BioMed classroom, and several shared spaces that reflect the Rainier Beach community. It also includes a Community Health Center for student and family care and will be home to the Construction Trades Regional Skills Center, offering hands-on training for future careers.
While the building includes many new features, what mattered most to everyone involved, students, staff, and the community, was creating a space that reflects their shared vision and supports learning and connection.
“When we were drawing up the plan, we said [the building must reflect our] community,” said Rainier Beach High School Principal Annie Patu. “As you walk through the building, you will see communal spaces all over. Rainier Beach is our beacon of hope, and my assignment is to build an instructional powerhouse, and I mean that with every fiber. Rainier Beach will produce the leaders of tomorrow. We are raising CEOs and leaders here.”
Notable Seattle figures gathered to honor former Seattle School Board member and community activist Betty Patu, Rainier Beach Boys Basketball Coach Mike Bethea, and former NBA star and Rainier Beach alum Jamal Crawford for their contributions to the community, beginning with Keith Wheeler, a community member and education leader.
Wheeler has known Crawford since they were eight years old and has always admired his generous and giving spirit. While many people leave Seattle behind after finding fame, Wheeler says that Crawford stands out for his commitment to giving back to the community that shaped him, which is something many appreciate.
“He is in this elevated space that he rightfully earned, but he never changed,” said Wheeler. “All I ask is that he continues to write his legacy in this city and expose that heart of giving because we will never see another one like him that comes from us. Every accolade and everything that he has been recognized for is only the beginning.”
“What he is doing is innovative and transformative, and I am glad that they are rededicating this court to him. He has already laid the foundation in the footsteps for the next Jamal to come, not Jamal the athlete, but Jamal the giver,” Wheeler continued.
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones echoed the sentiment.
“A lot of cats leave Seattle and don’t really come back with this open-armed embrace of community, and he has embodied that,” says Jones. “I really appreciate his spirit of service, and it is so appropriate for us to name the court after him.”
Former King County Councilmember Larry Gossett also expressed admiration for Crawford’s active presence in the community and said that Crawford paid for the court himself and praised him for being a positive role model in the community.
Wheeler also reflected on the lasting impact of Coach Bethea, describing him as a father figure since childhood and a stabilizing force in the neighborhood. Reflecting on the naming of the facilities, Wheeler noted that honoring Bethea is more about the man and the values that he represents than the success that he has had on the court.
“Mike was my first basketball coach. He lived five houses away from me, and within a one-mile radius, there were tons of Black families, but only four active fathers. He was one of them, and my father was the other. I didn’t grow up in a home with an absent father, but I was blessed to have another one in Mike,” said Wheeler. “He is far more than a winning percentage and a state championship. There are things that he has done that will outlast any championship, and I am literally here because of him.”
According to Jones, Betty Patu has been instrumental in the positive shift that has taken place at Rainier Beach High School. A school that was once near the bottom of the list of schools prioritized for renovation, quickly moved to the top of the list behind the efforts of Patu and the Rainier Beach community.
“During her time on the Seattle School Board, [Patu] was able to leverage her knowledge and use the tools of power to work all the angles, so that Rainier Beach could continue to be the crown jewel of Southeast Seattle,” said Jones. “As an advocate for the Rainier Beach area, unapologetically, for many years, it is very appropriate that we named the library after Betty.”
Designed with sustainability in mind, the Rainier Beach is on track to earn LEED Platinum certification thanks to its use of geothermal energy, rooftop solar panels, and a sustainable design. Security has also been upgraded, with a security office on each floor and monitored entry to keep students and staff safe.
Construction on the remaining phases will continue through Fall 2026, working on the completion of the new Performing Arts Center and athletic fields, and a final ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned to mark the project’s full completion. In the meantime, faculty, students, and the Rainier Beach community can take pride in their brand-new school, as Jones said, “This is your Rainier Beach.”
“Everyone involved with this project took the time to listen to the community. When they say, ‘For Us By Us,’ they mean it,” said Jones. “This is the student’s school, they deserve it. The excellence and quality of it should be a reflection of them.”
“Community, this is your Rainier Beach. Take care of it and protect it. Don’t let anybody take anything away from the essence of what this institution is, because it is fantastic. It is the crown jewel of Seattle,” concluded Jones.
