Local Seniors Graduate With Honors (Waitsburg)

WAITSBURG – Twenty-two members of the Class of 2015 made the traditional march down Kison Court to receive their diplomas at Waitsburg High School's 119th commencement ceremony on Friday. Surrounded by friends and family, the exiting seniors spoke to relationships, dreams and excellence as they bid their fellow schoolmates farewell and proudly joined the ranks of WHS alumni.

Honor Speaker Luke Alexenko reflected back on the many memories shared by the class.

"We've grown not only as individuals, but as classmates and friends," he said as he laughingly recalled Owen Lanning's surprise at getting a bean stuck in his ear when attempting a magic trick in third grade and Nikki Fisher stapling her finger in sophomore Spanish. "The time spent here in this glorious school may be coming to an end, but the memories will last forever," he concluded.

Alexenko's address was followed by a speech from Salutatorian Talen Larsen. Larsen graduates with a 3.944 GPA and was a three-sport athlete all four years of high school.

Larsen is active in National Honor Society and Leo's Club, and was class president his freshman and sophomore years. In addition to a slew of athletic awards that include first team All State in football, Larsen received the Junior Masonic Achievement Award and WSU Achievement Award.

Larsen spoke to the excellence in education students receive through the Waitsburg School District, both educationally and through sports participation. He credited WHS for the success of his grandfather, Ed Larsen – who began teaching at Waitsburg, became principal, and ended his career as superintendent – as well as his father, uncles and older sisters who all graduated from Waitsburg.

"When I look at their successes in life, I realize that Waitsburg Schools was the foundation they all built the personal and professional skill off of," he said. "WHS has been recognized as the number three school in the state of Washington for education at any classification . . . Waitsburg has created not only great students, but also great individuals."

Larsen left his classmates with this advice he learned from a former football coach: "Perfection is a rare and uncommon accomplishment, but as you strive for perfection and you come up short, you land on excellence. And I would bet that you would all agree that excellence is not a bad place to be."

Co-Valedictorian Hannah Grant was next to take the stage. Grant graduates with a perfect 4.0 GPA and is active in National Honor Society, where she served as treasurer and Leo's Club, where she was president. She is active in FFA and student government, and is a four-year scholar-athlete. Grant has received many sports awards including first-team All League selection and repeated most inspirational team member awards.

Grant spoke to the importance of relationships and the power of taking chances. "I realized that homework and grades really aren't the most important things, though they are important. Really, it is the experiences and the people you get to share them with, like family and friends," she said.

"Our mistakes are guaranteed, but that is why we have friends and families to love us in spite of everything. In a quote by Neil Gaiman, he reminds us that, 'If you are making mistakes, just remember it means you are out there doing something.'

"In the long run, most people don't regret the things that we messed up on, but the things were too afraid to take a chance to do. I leave you with this thought: Remember, Class of 2015, one day our life will flash before our eyes. It is our responsibility to make sure it is something worth watching."

The final speaker of the evening was Co-Valedictorian Emma Philbrook, who also holds a perfect 4.0 GPA. Philbrook is a four-year Knowledge Bowl veteran who has participated in three state tournaments. She has been vice-president and president of Leo's Club and was junior class vice-president, ASB treasurer and National Honor Society secretary.

Philbrook has been active in Youth and Government and attended Evergreen Girls State. She is a National Merit semifinalist and Samsung American Legion Scholarship National finalist, Quest Bridge College Prep scholar, Touchet Valley Masonic Junior Achievement Award recipient and served as Columbia County Fair hostess and Waitsburg City Council student representative. 

"I got rejected from Harvard two months ago," said Philbrook as she opened her speech. She went on to explain the value in striving for a lofty goal, even if you fail to attain it. "When Harvard was my goal, I had to make everything the best it could be. My SAT score had to improve on my PSAT score. My column had to be funny, since I'd posted the link to it in my application. My grades had to be good and my Knowledge Bowl skills had to be even better... I had to stretch myself and I found out that stretching felt good," she said.

Philbrook went on to explain that everyone has a "Harvard" of some type, whether a dream job or seeing a book published. "A dream is a beautiful thing, even if you have to wake up at the end," she said, in conclusion.

In addition to dreaming big, the Class of 2015 put forth a good deal of effort as evidenced by the nearly $140,000 in scholarships funds the students received. Recipients of this year's PEO Citizenship Awards were Sofia Mercado and Talen Larsen and the Air Force Recruiting Service Awards for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Math and Science went to Hannah Grant and Tyler Shafer.

In place of the traditional recessional to a favorite song, the newly graduated class sang this chant and tossed their caps to close the ceremony:

We are the class of 2015,

We wouldn't have it any other way,

We're not even halfway there,

But we're going all the way,

Going all the way