BBCC enrollment for fall down from 2024
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months, 3 weeks AGO
BBCC held a regularly scheduled board meeting on Thursday where it was shown that overall enrollment had decreased from last year. Despite this decrease, BBCC President Sara Thompson-Tweedy said the school is still on the right track and has put in a lot of work to be proud of.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
MOSES LAKE – During Big Bend Community College’s regular Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, it was shown that overall enrollment for the school was down 13.2% from the 2024/2025 school year.
“We can speculate that some members of our community are not pursuing education at this time,” said BBCC President Sara Thompson-Tweedy.
The most significant area the school was down in was the Basic Education for Adults program, which had decreased 51.4% from last year, said Thompson-Tweedy in the president’s report. The BEdA program is where the school provides English language learning assistance, GEDs and high school diplomas.
Thompson-Tweedy said this decline would follow one of their largest graduating classes in school history
The report did show some increases in enrollment for programs such as Arts and Science and Workforce Education.
Despite the decrease in enrollment for 2025, Thompson-Tweedy said there is still a lot that BBCC has accomplished that they can be proud of. This Fall they launched their Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Health in partnership with Wenatchee Valley Community College and expanded Workforce programs such as Agriculture.
BBCC also held their Beyond Boundaries college and career showcase that day, which highlighted how the college is partnering with different organizations in the area. She said this helped provide current students with an opportunity to preview the opportunities that are available to them following their time at BBCC.
Thompson-Tweedy said it was also announced that the NCW Tag Alliance is honoring BBCC alumni and current Washington State University student Cooper Cox for the work he did to build a peer-to-peer mentor support group for STEM students. Chemistry instructor Lindsey Gross has been nominated for the award for STEM educator of the year.
“When we consider what are the metrics that community colleges go by to determine their health, Big Bend is a very healthy, stable, strong college,” she said.
ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Sushik comes full circle ahead of first season at BBCC
MOSES LAKE — The next step in Liana Sushik’s athletic journey has led her to play for the Big Bend Community College Vikings volleyball team this fall after a successful career with the Soap Lake Eagles. Joining the Vikings is something she feels has deepened her love for the sport, she said. “I fell in love with the fact that there’s more than just high school volleyball; there’s another level,” said Sushik. “It’s like a whole new chapter and I’m so excited to see what I have next because there’s a lot that I’ve been through to get here.” Despite her success on the court, Sushik said she didn’t initially start out as an athlete.
Building a community at Desert City Fitness
EPHRATA — The city of Ephrata welcomed its newest athletic club earlier this summer with Desert City Fitness setting up along Basin Street. Since their grand opening June 6, the club has worked to become a strong contributor to the community in Ephrata. “We just opened our doors and whoever comes in, that’s how we do it,” said Bryan Boney, owner of Desert City Fitness. Boney, who owns the club alongside his wife Tracy Fillion, decided to open Desert City Fitness to keep himself active after retiring six years ago. Boney said he has invested all his money from retirement into purchasing the property, remodeling and getting the equipment necessary to open his fitness center.
Grid Kids expands opportunities this season
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Grid Kids football program is gearing up for the start of its 26th football season this fall. This year, alongside their tackle football program, the Grid Kids have expanded their flag football options. “It’s one of those things that you just don’t really know how well it’s going to go, but right now we’re looking pretty strong,” said Brian Gwinn, the Gird Kids administrator and communications contact. The tackle opportunities remain the same for third through sixth grade with third and fourth graders playing together and fifth and sixth graders separately from the younger players. The format for third and fourth grade will remain at a regular 11-man game, but for fifth and sixth grade there is consideration for moving down to an eight-on-eight format.