SPOKANE, Wash. — An educator, civil rights activist, a community leader: That is how a family friend describes the former president of the Spokane Coalition for Human Rights, Denny Yasuhara.
He is one of the namesakes of three new SPS middle schools. SPS held a groundbreaking ceremony for Denny Yasuhara Middle School on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The construction will cause some delays at the intersection of East Foothills Drive and Hamilton Street. The entrance to the construction site is on Perry Street just off North Foothills Drive.
Any member of the public who wishes to attend can stand outside the fenced construction area and listen to the ceremony over the public address system. A family friend of the Yasuhara family, Joanne Ferris said Denny spent his life serving his community.
"He's probably the best description of a servant leader," Ferris said. "We've watched Denny for many years fight the fight and it hasn't always been easy."
Yasuhara was a teacher at both Logan Elementary and Garry Middle School. As an educator it is reported Yasuhara advocated greatly for his students. He supplied them with anything needed from shoes, clothes and school supplies for his students in need.
At Wednesday's ground breaking, Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward will be in attendance as well as the school's first principal and other SPS leaders.
"He can go in and really want to make a difference," Ferris said. "Some people can do that and they end up with everybody not agreeing or nobody's happy and Denny could go in and with that passion make sure everyone had a seat at the table."
The Denny Yasuhara middle school isn't the only school that will be built. The ground breaking for the second of three new middle schools within SPS is scheduled for Thursday.