On Thursday, July 16, 2020, Ironworkers Local 86 held an untypical ‘topping-off ceremony’ of the final beam – complete with tree and flag – at the construction site for the new Highline High School in Burien.

The beam swirled across the sky and dropped into place at the new campus.

“Usually the builders and project team gather on site to watch the steelworkers place the beam, then eat a contractor-catered lunch together,” the district said. “But normal hasn’t existed since February, so limited representatives of the construction crews, Bassetti Architects, Vanir Construction Management, Inc. and the district, sat at marked spots in Memorial Stadium to eat boxed lunches.”

Highline Chief Operations Officer Scott Logan and Skanska USA Vice President Rob Robinson thanked the site crews for their hard work and attention to safety.

“THANK YOU, for continuing to build our new high school in the middle of a pandemic!”

The new school is on track for opening in September 2021.