“This district is so important to our family,” said Pritchard patriarch, Daniel Pritchard. “This is where we put roots down in the United Sates, so in many ways, it represents a beginning for us. Now, it is a legacy that just keeps growing.”
What does legacy mean to you?
We all move through life making decisions, pursuing passions or creating a family with the hope that one day we will leave something of significance behind for the next generation. It’s a gift to be able to see the impact of your love for a community in real time.
For the Pritchard family, legacy is everything. They have cemented their commitment to CPSD through multiple generations of students, staff, educators and coaches at the district from 1967 to today, as one of the youngest family members attends the Early Learning Program.
More than 30 members of the Pritchard family have learned, taught or worked at a CPSD school. Currently, Jason Nikolao and David Pritchard are Clover Park High School
(CPHS) football coaches, Debrah Keahey is a CPHS tennis coach, and Sausau Pritchard works as a college and career specialist and student engagement advocate for CPHS. Bo Nikolao, Amaya Nikolao, Saulago Vaielua, Kamila Salanoa, Sitofa Vaielua, Lua Salanoa and Nyhemah Salanoa all attend CPSD schools.
David and Jason both attended CPHS and played on the football team when they were students. Similarly, coach Debra learned how to play tennis on the same CPHS courts she uses to teach her students. When they talk about CPHS being a big family, they are speaking literally as David has seen 11 of his own children become CPHS alumni. “We gained so much as students and players in our past and now we see kids in our family continuing to play different sports. We all just want to give back and support our younger generation,” Jason said.
Getting through your high school years can be difficult, but the support David, Debra and Jason exude has always been felt by their young family members. Seniors Sitofa and Kamila never felt out of place because they knew they had family walking the halls, attending their games and supporting them every step of the way.
“It feels like a welcoming and safe place because everyone knows everyone here and a lot of my own teachers went to school with my parents or knows someone in my family, especially him,” Sitofa said as she pointed to Daniel who was smiling ear to ear. Front Row: Jason Nikolao, Alyse Nikolao, Daniel Pritchard, Debra Keahey, David Pritchard, Justus Nikolao, Sausau Pritchard Back Row: Bo Nikolao, Amaya Nikolao, Saulago Vaielua, Kamila Salanoa, Sitofa Vaielua, Lua Salanoa, Nyhemah Salanoa, Jordan Pritchard Kamila, who plays volleyball and basketball, added another trophy to the Pritchard family case last year when she won the 2023 2A State Track and Field Meet for shot put and joined her grandpa Daniel as the highest scoring throwers in CPHS history.
The ripple effects a family like the Pritchards has on a community is wide reaching. The benefits don’t end with immediate connections but expand to those who relate to them because they know they’ve walked miles in one another’s shoes. “It’s a true blessing and feels full circle,” Sausau Pritchard said. “It means something to the students when their staff can relate to them by growing up in the same neighborhoods, walking the same hallways, sharing some of the same teachers or coaches, and having the same background as them.”
Sausau, Debra, David, Jason and Daniel watch as more and more members of their family become recognized in the Lakewood community for their kind hearts and dedicated spirits. With every student, staff member and coach, their family’s legacy grows stronger as their smiles fill more rows of the CPHS stands.
