Waitsburg Graduates Recall Fond Memories

WAITSBURG - As the first strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" were trumpeted from the mezzanine of Waitsburg High School's Kison Court, a hush fell over the near-capacity crowd.

All present rose to their feet as the state and national flags were borne down the middle of the room to pedestals flanking a cluster of seventeen chairs. Two at a time, arms linked, boys in black robes and girls in red ones strode to the end of the room and took their seats.

Thus began the one hundred and eighteenth annual Commencement of Waitsburg High School, and thus ended the high-school careers of its Class of 2014.

Waitsburg Valedictorian Nicholas Pearson (4.0 GPA), the first speaker of the evening, thanked the staff and teachers of WHS profusely for their support. "The future is pretty terrifying," he said, "and something that a lot of us don't want to think about."

His fears were assuaged, however, when he sat in on a chemistry class at Whitworth University of Spokane, which he will attend this fall. "Throughout the class," he said, "I was finding that I had a great understanding of what the professor was talking about," so much that he found himself raising his hand to answer some of the more difficult questions posed.

"This is all because of Waitsburg and the great education it has given me," he said. "I don't have to worry about the future because I had the foundation that I needed to succeed at the next level."

Salutatorian Heidi Miller (3.962 GPA) addressed the crowd next with a speech describing the fallacy of constantly trying to be perfect. "Everyone in this graduating class has imperfections," said Miller. "When we realize each other's imperfections, we draw closer together as a whole and we draw strength from each other."

She went on to say that her class has made "so much progress" during their time in grades 9 through 12. "Even though we didn't strive for perfection, we achieved what we wanted to and are happy with where we are."

Honor Speaker Meara Baker delivered an emotional spoken tribute to the memories they had shared growing up together. "'Remember yesterday, dream for tomorrow, live for today'", she said. "This is the motto for the Class of 2014."

Describing her class as "a family", Baker recounted several amusing incidents from the graduates' school years - the time a boy got his head stuck in a chair during music class and the fire department nearly had to be called; the time one girl got creamed with a pillow by their fifth-grade teacher while talking in her sleep during a field trip; and several incidents involving upperclassmen and trash cans.

She also took a moment to remember former classmate Rodrigo Espana, who passed away during his fifth-grade year - and, on a lighter note, the catapult he built that dented the school ceiling.

The focus of Honor Speaker Kyle Dozier's address was challenges. "I remember walking through those doors of Waitsburg High School thinking, 'This is the coolest thing ever! We're pretty big stuff now!' Wrong. We were on the bottom of the pole now. Challenge? Yes. But defeat? No."

He quoted from the popular song "Hall of Fame" in encouraging his classmates to reach for the stars. "Be students," said Dozier. "Be teachers. Be politicians. Be preachers. Be believers. Be leaders. Be astronauts. Be champions. Be truth seekers!"

Following the speeches, the graduates filed to the back of the gym. The lights dimmed and a slideshow of the Class of 2014's childhood photos was shown. Following the presentation, the graduates resumed their seats, and Nicholas and Chad Pearson treated the crowd to their rendition of "When Love Sees You".

The Class of 2014 received over $80,000 in scholarship money. Nicholas Pearson garnered the top award of $23,500, with Heidi Miller next in line at $13,250.

All four speakers - Nicholas Pearson, Miller, Baker, and Dozier - along with their classmate, Nathan Bartlow, were recognized as members of the National Honor Society.

Chad Pearson, Rebekah Adams, Kendra Roberts, Kimberly Hamann, and Chelsey Brannock also wore honor cords.

FFA Medallions (for those who had participated actively in Waitsburg's FFA chapter for all four years of high school) were worn by Kendra Roberts, Rebekah Adams, Heidi Miller, Kimberly Hamann, and Trenton Kitselman.

After the presentation of diplomas, Class President Kimberly Hamann somberly led the class in shifting their tassels to the other side of their mortarboards, which were then exultantly tossed into the air.

The electric strains of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" reverberated through the gymnasium as the crowd rose to its feet once more. Then - diplomas tucked under arms, smiles wide, heads held high - Waitsburg High School's newest batch of graduates paraded out of the gym and into the next chapter of their lives.