Royal Knights prepared to face the future
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
The Royal High School Class of 2025, windswept but confident, processes onto the football field for graduation Friday.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Caps and confetti fly in the air after Royal High School’s graduation ceremony Friday.
A senior waved from the window of a car draped in Royal High School colors and wearing a graduation cap in the parade preceding graduation Friday.
Seniors Jade Flores Ayala, left, and Aaliyah Guerrero prepare to address the Royal High School Class of 2025 Friday.
New graduate Fatima Madrigal Villa crosses the stage with her diploma to shake hands with Royal School District Superintendent Roger Trail at Friday’s graduation ceremony.
Student speaker David De La Rosa, Jr. addresses his classmates for the last time Friday at Royal High School’s graduation.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | June 12, 2025 1:00 AM
ROYAL CITY — The Royal High School Class of 2025 can face anything together, Class President Aaliyah Guerrero told them at graduation Friday.
“It seems like just yesterday we were all playing during recess,” she said. “Some of us were on the monkey bars, others played on the big tires, and then we had the ankle-biters who spent their recess on the red dots. I might have been one of those ankle-biters. But during it all … we learned to be more than just friends. We learned how to be present when it matters. Each of us faced battles that no one else fought. But here we are, not because we conquered classes, but because we showed up.”
The graduation ceremonies at Royal High School began with a senior parade. Students, friends and family gathered in the high school parking lot and, accompanied by fire and police sirens, took one last loop through town in vehicles festooned with banners, flags and streamers. Then the students assembled on the football field as their families watched from the stands.
Many of the 112 students who graduated Friday were the first in their families to finish school, and more are the first to pursue post-secondary education. Principal Courtney McCoy began the commencement ceremony by asking those students to stand and be recognized.
Besides Guerrero, class Treasurer Jade Flores Ayala addressed her peers.
“We won't always know what's coming next,” she said. “But if high school has taught us anything, it’s that we can overcome any challenges and accomplish great things. So, let's carry this spirit with us. Follow your dreams, keep learning, because the world needs our voice, our creativity and our courage.”
Student speaker David De La Rosa Jr. thanked the teachers and parents who had guided the class along.
“You cheered us on, kept us going and believed in us when we didn’t always believe in ourselves,” he said. “Your love, patience and support gave us the foundation we needed to grow.”
The guest speaker, chosen by the students, was English and Language Arts teacher Ausencio Delgado.
“Look at this crowd of caps and gowns, grinning like you just pulled off the ultimate senior prank,” Delgado said. “Four years ago, you walked in nervous, maybe a little scared, but definitely excited. Now here you are, terrified, anxious and ready for a new adventure … Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s wrestling fear to the ground. It’s launching yourself into the air, trusting you’ll land on your feet. It’s showing up even when you might stumble.
Go forth and make your mark, Royal Knights,” Delgado concluded. “We believe in you. I believe in you.”
Caps and confetti fly in the air after Royal High School’s graduation ceremony Friday.
A senior waved from the window of a car draped in Royal High School colors and wearing a graduation cap in the parade preceding graduation Friday.
Seniors Jade Flores Ayala, left, and Aaliyah Guerrero prepare to address the Royal High School Class of 2025 Friday.
New graduate Fatima Madrigal Villa crosses the stage with her diploma to shake hands with Royal School District Superintendent Roger Trail at Friday’s graduation ceremony.
Student speaker David De La Rosa, Jr. addresses his classmates for the last time Friday at Royal High School’s graduation.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.