2025 was a banner year for the Log Cabin. Enormous thanks to all of the King County Teams and Community Partners* that helped make the WC Teen Program possible!

Twenty-five of the top highlights (plus a few bonus accomplishments) as selected by Teen Program staff and participants:

1. RETURN to WEST HILL COMMUNITY CENTER The WCTP was thrilled to bring Summer Programs back to the West Hill CC in Skyway. Built in 1998 in partnership with Renton School District and an advisory board of Skyway Community Members, The West Hill CC is located on the Dimmitt Middle School Campus. Enormous thanks to the entire neighborhood for a variety of fantastic 2025 summer programs including Teen Program, Summer Sack Lunch, Rec Aide Youth Employment Program, Family and Community Programs, and support of the YCC Intern Program.

2. COMMUNITY DROP IN HOUR Our dedicated Facility Coordinators Vincent, Daniel, Bradley, Romeo, Craig, Mick, and Sarah assisted with 364 days of Community Drop in Hr on the multi-purpose field at Steve Cox Memorial Park. Community members are welcome to join family time drop in every night of the week from 7-8pm!

3. SKYWAY REC AIDES Team Skyway knocked it out in 2025 with 50+ Rec programs, Distribution events, Community mtgs, and Library appearances. Highlights included Summer Sack Lunch programs, Art Pop ups at Skyway Park, the Annual Skyway Safety Fair, STEM programs at the Skyway Library, Juneteenth Celebration at Campbell Hill, Alajawan’s Family Community Picnic, Skyway Community Center Survey Outreach in the W Hill neighborhood, Arts and Crafts at Skyway Park, and Distribution events at Dimmitt MS.

4. AT THE LOG CABIN PRODUCTIONS Still going strong, the WCTP youtube studio not only created new videos in 2025 but also assisted with projects produced by Parks, DNRP, and King County at large. Be the first to catch all the new Teen Program vids by liking and subscribing over on the WCTP Youtube channel. Also not to miss, be sure to check out the King County TV Story on Vana and Sokha Danh (Directed by Eric Keto) featuring several of the Log Cabin teens and staff with Production Assistant support from Big AL!

5. THANK YOU JEFF MARSTEN There is one Sensei in particular that has embodied the true spirit of Kendo. With over 50 years of experience in Kendo, Jeff Marsten is a 7th degree Dan that established the oldest college Kendo club in the United States at the University of Washington along with 4 other students. Jeff started learning about Kendo when he was a student at the University on the GI Bill after completing his naval submarine service. He has taken 14 trips to Japan to train and be taught by some of the best Kendo instructors and practitioners in the world. He then founded Highline Kendo Kai in 1976 housed at the White Center Fieldhouse. You can read more about Sensai Marsten and Kendo at the Cabin HERE

6. WCTP SPRING CLEAN Enormous thanks to all the Teen Volunteers for another beloved neighborhood event! Over the course of two spring clean projects, the teen volunteers successfully prepped 14 garden beds for planting and painted the base coat for the second Mural in the upcoming WCTP Arts Space! Additional shoutouts to WCTP Master Gardener Jody, the entire Sunset Crew, the Parks Greenhouse Crew, Parks Crafts Crew, and KC Parks Patrol for ongoing support with the garden and the new art space!

7. CULTURAL CONNECTION NIGHT 

CCN at the Log Cabin premiered on April 18, 2025 and featured the talents of Destiny, Nicole, Neo, Khmer Amarak Performing Arts, The PAK, Highline Kendo Club, and EHS East African Club. Special thanks to Emcees Coach Abe and Kameron! In addition to highlighting Cultural Performances, CCN also hosted a Visual Art Gallery featuring the artwork of local artists ages 12-19. Enormous thanks to all of the performers and artists that shared their talents and congrats to the Visual art Award Winners including Annie (1st), Freddie (2nd) and Benedicte (3rd.) 

8. SKYWAY & WC LIBRARY PARTNERSHIP Sending extreme gratitude to our Librarian Friends! KCLS hosted two Family Fun Foam Parties and distributed over 500 free books at WCTP programs and events. And our Skyway Librarians welcomed the WCTP to dozens of West Hill reading events and STEM programs. We were honored to meet so many families out at both the park and the LIBRARY! More details HERE for 2026 Skyway Library Dates!

9. HVAC The Log Cabin at Steve Cox Memorial Park underwent mechanical upgrades in 2025 to improve air quality and increase climate resilience.  New upgrades were achieved thanks to an intentional approach by King County Parks, ambitious targets in the County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan, and fast work to quickly deploy a grant the King County Executive Climate Office (ECO) received from the Department of Ecology, supported by Washington state Climate Commitment Act (CCA) funding. Crews began and finished the work in less than three months. The hope is that the project will reduce energy and fossil fuel use while bringing 1,880 cubic feet per minute of fresh air into the gym, 200 cubic feet per minute of fresh air into the staff office, and additional outside air into the downstairs kitchen space. But what that truly means for the community is a better, healthier experience while enjoying recreation.  

10. WCTP LEARNING GARDEN Enormous thanks to all of the King County crews and teams that supported the Learning Garden for another fantastic harvest! We see you Sunset Crew, Greenhouse Program, S Utility Crew, and Crafts crew! Staff and teens are already plotting (see what we did there?) the 2026 crops. And if by chance you’re curious about the history of the garden, have we got a blog post for you!

11. CAMPING at TOLT Teens and staff were thrilled to wrap up the Summer season with the annual camping trip to King County Parks own Tolt McDonald Park! The camping tradition began with a Washington State Parks NCLI grant and continues to this day with support from the KCP Regional Scheduling Office, KCP Tolt Crew, and the Highly Hated Foundation.

12. BURNT TOAST stayed on top as one of the most popular structured programs in the Cabin! Chef Mark (pictured with Luc) and Chef Frank brought us all the traditional favorite lessons along with a few specialty dinners that received rave reviews!

13. PEACE N THE HOOD JOB FAIR and BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Over thirty employers and resource providers came out to support the 2025 job fair and basketball tournament.  Shoutout to co-sponsors Workforce Development Council, Southwest Youth and Family Services, and the YWCA of Greenbridge. Highlights included 75+ teens finding jobs as well as another thrilling Basketball tournament! Stay tuned for 2026 event dates! 

14. VOLLEYBALL was big in 2025! From wctp staff vs teen games to a Glow in the Dark Volleyball event, and from Volleyball offered in the gym at 3pm every Friday to outdoor Volleyball on the SCMP sport courts daily . . . the Log Cabin was all about the volleyball. Look for Indoor volleyball on the gym schedule on both Thursdays and Fridays in Winter 2026.

15. TWENTY-FIVE REC AIDES HIRED It was another grand year for the Recreation Aide Program with thirty-five+ Aides employed before end of year, and twenty-five teens hired into their first time jobs! Enormous thanks to the KCP HR Team for all the support! Recruitments for the 2026 season are scheduled in the spring.

16. SCMP SOCCER PROGRAM And the number one structured program attendance across all four quarters in 2025 was SOCCER. Congrats to all of the coaches, players and WCTP staff for hosting successful friendlies every quarter.

17. FAMILY NIGHT OUT In 2025, the Superheroes vs Villains Family Night Out featured action packed carnival games, crafts, pinatas, and a RAINBOW foam party courtesy of the King County Library System.  Hotdogs and ice cream treats were also on hand. Additional Shoutouts to North Highline Fire Department, King County Parks Patrol, the WC KCSO Storefront, White Center Librarians, and a super league full of White Center Teen Program Recreation Aides.  And yes, there were super suits. Brought to you by the WCTP Rec Aides, Night Out is always the first Tuesday in August. (Pro Tip – save the date for Tuesday, Aug 4th!)

18. PARTNERSHIP and OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES The WCTP was thrilled to partner with numerous internal and external partners including Highline School District, Renton School District, King County Public Health, The WC Foodbank, the White Center CDA, the YES Foundation of WC, West Hill Community Association, Skyway Coalition, King County Library System, WLRD Stormwater, Eazy Duz It Car Club, and Somali Health Board.

19. THREE SUMMER SACK LUNCH SITES SSL returned to all THREE King County Park sites in 2025. Enormous thanks to the City of Seattle for supplying lunches at the WC sites! Additional thanks to all the families that came out to support the program at Dick Thurnau Memorial Park, Steve Cox Memorial Park, and West Hill Community Center. 

20. NEW WCTP STRUCTURES Brought to you by the Teen Leaders . . . the Crochet class, D&D, Middle School Basketball, and Flag Football quickly became the hottest trending structures at the Cabin. NEW structures coming to the Cabin in 2026. Come check out a class for yourself starting January 6th

21. WCTP ART SPACE MURAL PROJECT The Teen Leaders were thrilled in 2025 to partner with the Teen Volunteers on two colorful murals in the new art space. Stay tuned for the grand unveiling of both murals in 2026.

22. MOVIE NIGHT at SCMP King County Parks and the White Center Teen Program were pleased to host an outdoor Movie in Mel Olsen Stadium at Steve Cox Memorial Park on Friday, August 15^th.  The WCTP Rec Aides surveyed community members at 20 different community events to gauge interest in eight films including Beetle Juice 2, Captain America: Brave New World, Despicable Me 4, Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Mufasa the Lion King , Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Wicked. After 1071 votes counted, the top film with 24% of the votes was (insert drumroll here) … MOANA 2!  The Rec Aides tabled at Movie Night offering Moana themed crafts to accompany the film.

23. TEEN VOLUNTEERS Over 100 teens volunteered 600+ hrs to help bring recreational programs to their communities. Popular teen volunteer events included helping in the Learning Garden, running games at community events, and crafting decorations for Teen Program celebrations. Stay tuned for the 2026 schedule of Teen Volunteer Events!

24. SPOOKY TOWN HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL Spooky Town 2025 brought back several crowd favorites including Carnival Games, Spooky Town themed arts and Crafts, the Haunted Crypt Tour, the Underground Spooky Town Tour, multiple photo ops, the annual Pumpkin Contest, and a Pumkin Patch courtesy of Sunset crew and the KCP Greenhouse Program. New this year was Trunk or Trating with Eazy Duz it Car Club Seattle. Enormous thanks to all of the partners that supported the event including the KCP Sunset Crew, KCP Crafts Crew, WC Foodbank, KCP Greenhouse Program, Dub Sea Fish Sticks, Eazy Duz It Car Club Seattle, White Center CDA, and the friends of Steve Cox Memorial Park. Negotiations are already underway for the 2026 Halloween Carnival.

23. DNRP REPAIR EVENT The WCTP welcomed Tom Watson, eco consumer and the DNRP “Fixers” back to Steve Cox Memorial Park for a 7^th Repair Event at the Log Cabin on Saturday, May 17.  At community repair events, skilled volunteer “fixers” try to repair and mend small household and personal items.  The 2025 Log Cabin event supported 80+ attendees with the fixers working on 76 items, and the team mending 65 of the items.   Enormous thanks to the entire DNRP Repair Event Team!

25. WINTERFEST Eazy Duz it Car Club returned for the 2nd Annual Winterfest at SCMP on Saturday, December 20th. The Car Club distributed over 1200 toys plus bags of free food . . . and the Rec Aides answered with 12 tables of crafts, games, gingerbread house making, and giveaways. Enormous thanks to Eazy Duz It, Friends of SCMP and all the families that turned out to celebrate Winter.

26. WCTP STAFF and TEENS And while the building at 1321 goes by many names (WC Fieldhouse, WC Community Center, and the Log Cabin) . . . at the heart of the program are the 50+ dedicated staff and 1400+ amazing teens. We can’t wait to see what they get up to in 2026!

Finally, enormous gratitude to the entire King County Parks Sunset Crew. The Sunset Team keeps the parks of Skyway and WC clean, safe, and open 365 days/year. Every program we run is made possible because of the support from Team Sunset.

* In addition, the WCTP sends thanks to the following King County Teams and Community Partners for ongoing support year-round:

• Highline School District
• Renton School District
• KCLS – Burien Branch
• KCLS – Greenbridge Branch
• KCLS – Skyway Branch
• KCLS – WC Branch
• KCSO – Skyway Storefront
• KCSO – WC Storefront
• N Highline Fire Dept
• Skyway Fire Dept
• 4culture
• Alajawan Brown Foundation
• ANEW
• Burien Parks
• Career Work$
• Choose 180
• City of Seattle
• City Year
• Communities of Opportunity
• Cultures United
• Dub Sea Fish Sticks
• Easy Duz it Car Club
• EHS East African Club
• Evergreen Goodwill
• Friends of the WCTP
• Highline Kendo Kai
• Highly Hated Foundation
• Khmer Amarak Performing Arts
• National Guard
• NIAfest
• NHUAC
• P.A.C.T at Seattle Central
• The PAK
• Reconnect to Opportunity
• Run to Win Sports Camps
• Seattle Kraken & One Roof Foundation
• Silent Task Force
• Skyway Coalition
• Skyway Resource Center
• Somali Health Board
• Southwest Youth and Family Services
• Starfire Sports
• Urban League
• West Hill Community Association
• White Center Blog
• White Center CDA
• White Center Foodbank
• White Center Now
• WC/N Highline Coalition for Drug Free Youth
• YES Foundation of WC
• YWCA at Greenbridge
• KCP Capital Improvement Program Team
• KCP Central Operations Team
• KCP Community Engagement Team
• KCP Crafts Crew
• KCP Cultural Resources Program
• KCP Director’s Office / Skyway CC Team
• KCP Equity and Social Justice Team
• KCP Finance, Budget and Planning Team
• KCP Human Resources Team
• KCP Greenhouse Program
• KCP Marymoor Business Unit
• KCP Parks Patrol
• KCP Park Ranger Program
• KCP Playground Program
• KCP Recreation, Partnership, and Property Management Section
• KCP Regional Scheduling
• KCP Safety Program
• KCP Small Capital Projects Team
• KCP South Utility Crew
• KCP Special Events Team
• KCP Sunset Crew
• KCP Tolt Crew
• KCP Volunteer Program and YCC
• King County TV
• King County Department of Local Services
• King County DNRP Comms Team
• King County DNRP Stormwater
• King County Executive Climate Office – JumpStart
• King County Housing Authority
• King County IT
• King County Participatory Budget Team
• King County Public Health
• King County Safety Office
• King County Superior Court
• King County Worksource & Youthsource
• Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center
• Workforce Development Council of Seattle King County