Desert Oasis High School seniors persevere
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 9 months AGO
Desert Oasis High School Principal Josh Tovar fist-bumps with a graduate leaving the stage after the DOHS ceremony June 5.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
A Desert Oasis High School graduate accepts his diploma from Othello School Board member Sharon Schutte.
A senior accepts his diploma with a smile during Desert Oasis High School graduation June 5.
A graduate gets a hug from a family member during Desert Oasis High School graduation.
Jose Barragan, center, recipient of a scholarship in memory of Benny Medina, hugs a member of Medina’s family at Desert Oasis High School graduation June 5.
Guest speaker Jesse Campos addresses the Desert Oasis High School class of 2023.
Brand new Desert Oasis High School graduates leave Huskie Stadium after graduation.
A Desert Oasis High School graduate receives her diploma with a solemn smile.
Othello School Board members Sharon Schutte, left, and Thalia Lemus, center, present a diploma to a Desert Oasis High School graduate.
A Desert Oasis High School graduate gets a handshake from Othello School Board members.
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 14, 2023 1:00 AM
OTHELLO — Valedictorian Michelle Torres summed it up after the Desert Oasis High School class of 2023 had received their diplomas.
“Start of a new day, you know?” she said.
The 29 seniors officially finished school, five of them through a SkillSource program, in a ceremony June 5. In her valedictory speech, Torres said she knew it hadn’t been easy for her classmates. But they had done it nonetheless.
“As for those who have cut us down, made us feel less of ourselves, and told us we weren’t getting far, look at us now. We are graduating, and this is just the beginning,” she said.
Osvaldo Silva said that the diploma was a milestone.
“Honestly, it means a lot,” he said.
His mom supported him all the way, he said, and he wanted to give her something for that support.
“I did it for my mom,” he said.
Edgar Rosete said it was the necessary prerequisite to what’s next.
“It means a step forward, to life and to things to come,” he said.
Torres said she found her place at DOHS and she wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else.
“While others may think that I graduated from the last option school, I would say to them that it was the best school I could’ve gone to. I was where I was respected, cared for, happy and loved,” she said.
She credited the staff.
“The staff creates this unique, family-like environment for us. They put in 110% to see us succeed,” Torres said.
Guest speaker Jesse Campos, the district’s behavioral specialist, told the graduates they had reason to be proud of the effort they’d put in,
“The times that you struggled - it was hard, right? I want you to look at yourself now,” he said.
The class of 2023 persevered, and they should remember those lessons when they move on, Campos said.
“You can’t forget where you came from,” he said.
A special scholarship was awarded during the ceremony in memory of Benny Medina, an Adams County Juvenile Court probation officer who died in September 2022.
Edgar Vega of ACJC said the court, Medina’s family and friends wanted to provide a scholarship for a student interested in helping others.
“Just like Benny did,” Vega said.
Jose Barragan was the recipient.
Torres expressed her gratitude to her classmates and said graduation was an end, but also the start of something new.
“I will remember each and every one of you,” she said. “I am beyond proud of who you have become. I would not want to walk across the finish line with any other people or school.
“Here goes the first big step into a new chapter. I can’t wait to see what life has in store for you guys,” she said. “Congratulations, class of 2023. We made it.”
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.