Walk of pride
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 months, 4 weeks AGO
Moses Lake High School seniors Dallie Cobb (left) and Brian Sario exchange high fives with cheering students at the Peninsula Elementary School Graduation Parade Thursday.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Peninsula Elementary students held posters honoring the returning seniors at the Graduation Parade Thursday. It’s important for the children to see graduation as a positive experience, said Principal Amy Wright.
The 33 Moses Lake High School and Vanguard Academy students took a group photo on the grass at Peninsula Elementary after the Graduation Parade Thursday.
Adolfo Romero grills burgers for the seniors and their families at the Peninsula Graduate Parade Thursday.
A Vanguard Academy senior responds to cheers at the Graduate Parade at Peninsula Elementary School Thursday.
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 9, 2026 3:50 AM
MOSES LAKE — Some seniors getting ready to graduate from Moses Lake returned to their elementary school one last time before heading out into the world.
“Graduation is so important,” said Principal Amy Wright at the Peninsula Elementary Graduation Parade Thursday. “It’s something to be proud of and excited for, and it’s awesome for our kids to see students who used to be here graduating and moving on to what’s next in their life, (thinking), ‘I could be them. I could come back and do this in a few years.’”
Thirty-three capped-and-gowned Moses Lake High School and Vanguard Academy seniors walked through the breezeway at Peninsula, exchanging high fives with cheering Peninsula students. Some of the kids held posters with a senior’s photo, welcoming them back.
“The little kids, they just love cheering (the seniors) on,” said Peninsula teacher Dolly Ruffin. “They wanted to know (the seniors’) names before they go to them so they could scream and high-five.”
Ruffin, Heidi Ragan and Stephanie Martinez-Adame approached Wright with the idea three years ago, Ruffin said, and Wright gave the idea wholehearted support.
“We had 20-some (seniors),” Ruffin said. “Last year we had a few more, and this is our largest group.”
After the parade Thursday, the seniors and their families gathered on the lawn for burgers, grilled by Dolly Ruffin’s husband Dave Ruffin and Adolfo Romero, and cookies made by the CBTECH culinary students. There was also a slideshow in Ruffin’s classroom showing the seniors as they had been back in the day.
Ruffin has taught at Peninsula for 17 years and watched them grow as students from when they were in elementary school to graduating seniors.
“We never forget our kiddos; we carry them always in our hearts,” Ruffin said. “I tell my kids, ‘You are one of my students; you will always be one of mine.’ I know other teachers here say and feel the same way. So many happy tears today.”
“My daughter went through all six grades here, and it was an experience,” said Arika Loeffler, whose daughter Brygette Loeffler was among the seniors honored. “I teach first grade (at North Elementary), and I never imagined my littles being up to graduation level.”
The seniors were also moved, seeing places and people that had been so much a part of their childhood.
“There was so much nostalgia when I walked back into the cafeteria,” said Dallie Cobb. “My little sister goes here, so I was really excited to come and do this walk.”
“It was a time of a lot of memories with a lot of friends,” said Brian Sario. “The teachers are great. Mrs. Wilson, I will always remember her. I always say that she’s the reason why I want to be an elementary teacher.”
The parade didn’t happen in a vacuum, Ruffin said. The Parent-Teacher Organization funded supplies for the posters, gift cards for the seniors and a balloon arch for them to parade under. Restore City Church and Crumbl Cookies also contributed gift cards.
“If kids see (graduation) as something we celebrate and are excited for, even if their family or other people don’t talk to them about it, they still have kindergarten through sixth grade with us celebrating and (hearing), ‘We’re proud of you, and this is an accomplishment. Keep going,’” Wright said.
Peninsula Elementary students held posters honoring the returning seniors at the Graduation Parade Thursday. It’s important for the children to see graduation as a positive experience, said Principal Amy Wright.
The 33 Moses Lake High School and Vanguard Academy students took a group photo on the grass at Peninsula Elementary after the Graduation Parade Thursday.
Adolfo Romero grills burgers for the seniors and their families at the Peninsula Graduate Parade Thursday.
A Vanguard Academy senior responds to cheers at the Graduate Parade at Peninsula Elementary School Thursday.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.