Moving on up, high school graduation
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 4 months AGO
Moses Lake High School class of 2015 graduates show a little swagger during ceremonies last June. Most local high schools, including Moses Lake, graduate this weekend.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | June 2, 2016 6:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — Seniors from local high schools start the next chapter with graduation ceremonies beginning this weekend and continuing June 10 and 11.
Graduation ceremonies kick off Friday night in Warden, Ephrata and Othello.
Graduation for the Warden class of 2016 begins at 7 p.m. in the Warden High School gym, 101 Beck Way. The class includes 78 graduates. Valedictorian Trace Cole and salutatorian Shania Kisler are the class speakers.
Graduation also starts at 7 p.m. at Ephrata High School, at Kiwanis Field on Frey Road Northwest. (The field is right behind the high school.) About 170 seniors will graduate; at most high schools, the actual number of graduates remains in flux until the last tests are completed. In Ephrata traditionally the class speakers are chosen by the seniors, and that information wasn’t available at press time.
Othello High School graduation begins at 8 p.m. at Huskie Stadium, behind the high school on East Hemlock Street. (The later hour alleviates a problem with geography; the stands at Huskie Stadium face west, and students were receiving their diplomas right about the time the setting sun made it difficult to see what was going on.) About 220 seniors will graduate. Traditionally Othello graduation features three speakers, the valedictorian, salutatorian and one chosen by the class. For 2016 they are valedictorian Ricardo Maria, salutatorian Aubrie Stevens and class speaker Luis Aceves.
The approximately 450 seniors at Moses Lake High School graduate at 10 a.m. Saturday at Lions Field, behind Frontier Middle School with the main entrance on Fourth Avenue.
Traditionally the seniors choose their speakers, and for 2016 they are Sarah Kersey as the honor speaker and Hudson Mauseth as the class speaker. The class will be introduced by Addison Sair and Victoria Webb.
Graduation ceremonies for the Wilson Creek High School class of 2016 are at 11 a.m. at the high school gym, 400 Navar St. Eight seniors will graduate. Valedictorian Colten Crane and salutatorian Caleb McMillan are the speakers.
Lind-Ritzville High School seniors will graduate at 2 p.m. Saturday at Gilsen Gym, across the street from the high school, 209 East Wellsandt Ave. No other information was available at press time.
Graduation for Quincy and Soap Lake seniors will be the following weekend.
The Quincy High School class of 2016 graduates at 7 p.m. June 10 at Jaycee Stadium across the street from the high school, 16 Southeast Sixth Ave. No other information was available at press time.
Soap Lake High School seniors finish their careers at 2 p.m. June 11 in the high school gym, 527 Southwest Second Ave. About 26 seniors will graduate. Valedictorian Anuta Agoskova and salutatorian Alic Stoyan will be the speakers.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Warden man injured in tractor-trailer collision with train
BRUCE — A Warden man was transported to an out-of-area hospital after the tractor-trailer he was driving was hit by a train near Bruce at about noon Tuesday. "The extent of the driver's injuries is not known at this time," wrote Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner in a media release. "Preliminary information indicates the semi-truck was traveling above the speed limit and failed to obey posted requiring traffic to yield at the railroad crossing. The train was traveling at a slow speed," Wagner said. "He was moving. He wasn't stuck on the tracks," he said in an earlier interview.
Othello man arrested for Moses Lake attempted burglary
MOSES LAKE — An Othello man jumped into Moses Lake in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid Moses Lake Police Department officers last Friday. An MLPD media release issued Wednesday said Fernando Lira, 36, was booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of second-degree burglary in connection with the incident. Lira allegedly attempted to burglarize a business in the 600 block of East Broadway Friday morning. The business owner discovered him and chased him off the property, the release said.
Higher revenues, expenses projected in preliminary Moses Lake city budget
MOSES LAKE — While Moses Lake city officials have reduced expenses and revenues are projected to increase by about 7.9% in the city's preliminary budget, proposed expenditures are projected to go up by about 9.5%. Assistant City Manager James Richmond emphasized the preliminary budget presented earlier this month is not cast in stone. "The projected figures are not finalized. They are requests from departments based on projected 2027 operational costs. Largely, the figures are based on guidance from the city council during the financial sustainability plan analysis," Richmond wrote in answer to questions from the Columbia Basin Herald.