Royal High School sends graduates into the world
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 months, 3 weeks AGO
Two newly minted Royal High School graduates beam to the cheering crowd after Royal’s graduation ceremonies Friday.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Armando Rojas-Rivera hugs his history teacher Parker Griffin at the Royal High School graduation Friday.
Guadalupe Ortiz-Rodriguez walks away with her diploma at Royal High School graduation Friday.
Caps fill the sky above the Royal High School football field as the Class of 2026 bids farewell to its high school years.
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 10, 2026 3:50 AM
ROYAL CITY — Royal High School’s graduation Friday was a little bittersweet, said Principal Courtney McCoy.
“I will miss you more than you know,” McCoy said, opening the 2026 commencement ceremony. “You have left a lasting impression, not only in the halls of Royal High School, but in the hearts of teachers, staff, families, and friends who have had the privilege of watching you grow. Many of you have spent 13 years walking, running, learning, playing across these four campuses.
“Nearly all of you have spent the last four years in the halls of Royal High School, learning and struggling together, breaking bread together, winning and losing together, laughing together and sometimes crying together. And through it all you have grown. You have become stronger, wiser and more capable than you realize.”
The graduating class numbered 110 students, many of whom were first-generation high school graduates. Royal’s graduation recognized parents as well as students, bringing the families to stand beside the seniors who were graduating with highest honors and calling the names of the parents as well as the student with each diploma conferred.
Class President Emily Carbajal-Ventura also recognized the parents of the graduates, alternating between English and Spanish.
“I want to dedicate this part of my speech to all the immigrant parents here tonight,” Carbajal-Ventura said. “Our parents left behind their families, their homes, and everything they knew in Mexico for the chance to give their children a better life. They worked tirelessly and made countless sacrifices so that we could have better opportunities. Our parents put our dreams before their own. And because of their love, hard work and determination, we are able to stand here today.”
The guest speaker, RHS history teacher Parker Griffin, spoke about the importance of perspective in the students’ future endeavors.
“Soon you will realize that there will always be a ‘What's next?’ or a ‘Then what?’” Griffin said. “You might be discovering that already. ‘I'll fill out a (financial aid form) so I can go to college. So, I can get a degree. So, I can get a job. I can make money. I can buy a house, So I can get married, maybe buy a car, have a few kids, worry about the next promotion,’ and then you're at retirement wondering where all the time went.”
Time is worth more than just its monetary value, Griffin told the students, paraphrasing the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes.
“The wealthiest, most successful man of his time wrote about his understanding of life as he reflected on his deathbed,” Griffin said. “He reflected how every aspiration and goal of his life was meaningless; every pursuit under the sun was meaningless. Generations have come and generations will go. But the earth remains forever.
“We need to treasure the intangibles in our lives, the moments, the good deeds, the opportunities to serve and love one another before those opportunities become a distant memory. We need to set our heart on not the next thing, but this current moment.”
Griffin reminded the students of moments they had shared with him over the course of their high school years. One asked Griffin to babysit his video game so he could cram for a quiz. Another kept a running argument with Griffin about their favorite football teams. In more serious moments, he said, students came to him with difficult situations he was able to support them through.
“These moments are what I'll look back on as my time as your teacher at Royal and be proud of,” he said. “There will always be something next to distract or warrant your attention … Set goals, have dreams, but please don't waste this one life that you are given to chase after the wind. You'll never be satisfied in chasing the wind.”
Armando Rojas-Rivera hugs his history teacher Parker Griffin at the Royal High School graduation Friday.
Guadalupe Ortiz-Rodriguez walks away with her diploma at Royal High School graduation Friday.
Caps fill the sky above the Royal High School football field as the Class of 2026 bids farewell to its high school years.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.