11 Wilson Creek grads prepare for the future
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months, 2 weeks AGO
The 11 graduates of the Wilson Creek Class of 2026 fling their caps into the audience at graduation Saturday.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Wilson Creek High School senior Reece Kane recognizes business teacher Jackie Floetke, who retires this year after 42 years teaching at Wilson Creek.
Wilson Creek High School graduating senior Braxton Long shares a hug with his mom, Aaron Weatherly, at graduation Saturday.
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 1, 2026 12:30 AM
WILSON CREEK — The 11 young men who graduated from Wilson Creek High School Saturday will be well prepared for their next steps.
“Today is the beginning of a new chapter for all of us,” said graduating senior Travis Shearer, as he welcomed his classmates and their families to Wilson Creek High School’s graduation Saturday. “We have worked very hard to get here through many ups and downs. High school taught us a valuable lesson, and that's how to be responsible for ourselves. Some of us already know the path we're going to take, and some of us are still figuring it out. But I know, regardless of the path chosen, that we are better prepared for the future.”
Some of that preparation came in the form of scholarships. Those 11 graduates earned a total of almost $67,000 in scholarships between them, Principal and Superintendent Kandice Hansen said.
One student, Aiden Galindo, was awarded more than $36,000 in scholarships. Galindo plans to study welding and eventually establish his own welding business, Hansen said.
“We have people going to college to obtain degrees, people that are going to go intthe trades to learn valuable skills, and people going into the workforce to get first-hand experience in their industry,” Valedictorian Conner Willis said. “Looking toward the future, I want everyone to go out and try new things. Take the leap and jump into a new hobby or learn a new skill. Even if you fail, then learn from your mistakes and try again.”
The students took a moment during the ceremony to honor business teacher Jackie Floetke, who retires this year after 42 years at Wilson Creek schools, including some of the graduating seniors’ parents.
“I have a third-generation student in my classroom right now,” Floetke said. “It’s been a wild ride.”
The students also paused to give their parents roses in honor of the work and support they had received. One mom, Aaron Weatherly, had two sons graduating. Braxton Long, who’s a year older than his brother Wyatt, never really took to formal education, Weatherly said, but he made up his mind to graduate and studied online this year while working full-time.
“I don’t know how many times I told him, ‘I don’t need you to have a diploma; a GED works fine for me,’” Weatherly said. “But he was determined and stuck it out. I’m super proud of both of them. They’ve both done well and I’m really looking forward to what’s next.”
Wilson Creek is a tight-knit community that the graduates can be proud of coming from, said Head Coach Caleb McMillan, one of the guest speakers for the event and a 2016 Wilson Creek graduate.
“Remember where you came from,” McMillan said. “This is your home. Take a good look out there. These are all the people that love and support you. They've had your back since the beginning. Some of them are your biggest fans … Be proud of where you came from. I know you all can't wait to get out of here and try new things, but in 10 years, you'll love this place. This is what's made you.”
“Be proud of yourselves,” Class Speaker Wiley Kimble said. “We made it through every challenge that came our way. Maybe we didn't know it at the time, but these were the good old days.”
The Wilson Creek High School Class of 2026:
Isaias Alvarez
Aiden Galindo
Mykah Grajeda
Reece Kane
Wiley Kimble
Braxton Long
Wyatt Long
Alexander Meyer
Travis Shearer
Aiden Valline
Conner Willis
Wilson Creek High School senior Reece Kane recognizes business teacher Jackie Floetke, who retires this year after 42 years teaching at Wilson Creek.
Wilson Creek High School graduating senior Braxton Long shares a hug with his mom, Aaron Weatherly, at graduation Saturday.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
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