Grad tally drops below 300 for highschools

A total of 297 seniors will receive diplomas at the county’s nine high schools in the coming week. Again, the count of graduates has declined. This year’s class compares with 319 for last year and 323 for 2011.

The county’s diploma rite will begin Saturday at five schools, Colfax, Colton, Garfield-Palouse, Pullman and Tekoa. Commencement has been slated Sunday for St. John/Endicott and Oakesdale.

LaCrosse and Rosalia have set commencement for next Saturday, June 8.

Class sizes for Pullman and Colfax, the two largest high schools in the county, dropped by a total of 41 students. Graduate counts also dropped at Garfield-Palouse, Oakesdale and Tekoa.

Pullman’s graduate count dropped by 26, from 176 last year to 150 this year. Colfax dropped by 15, from 56 graduates in 2012 to 41 this year.

Tekoa’s grad count dropped to eight from 14 last year. Graduate counts at Garfield-Palouse and Oakesdale each dropped by just one. Colton stayed the same with 15 gradutes this year.

School districts which saw an increase in the number of grads are Rosalia, from 14 to 18, St. John-Endicott which more than doubled its senior class from last year, from 12 to 25, and LaCrosse which also more than doubled its senior class from five last year to 12 this year.

Colfax High School graduation will be Saturday, June 1, at 1 p.m. in the CHS gym. Ten of the seniors will receive the Washington State Honors Award which is the top 10 percent of senior graduates in the state overall, according to school counselor Krista Boyd. This senior class has five valedictorians.

“This speaks highly of them,” she said. Boyd also said this senior class earned more than $700,000 in scholarships. Senior Rachel Napier is preparing the slide show for the ceremony. Retiring at the end of the school year are social studies and driver’s education teacher Tony Carter; social studies teacher Phil Hergert; Jennings Elementary School teachers Connie McBride, Peggy Kehne and Judy Moore; head cook Kathy Kammerzell, and school bus driver Donna Morgan.

Fifteen Colton High School seniors will graduate on Saturday, June 1, at 11 a.m. in the gym. Three valedictorians and one salutatorian will be the speakers. The class motto is “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”

Co-Senior Class Advisor Susan Lopez said 20 Garfield-Palouse seniors will graduate on Saturday, June 1, at 1 p.m. in the Palouse High School gym. The class created a slide show that will be shown during the ceremony.

LaCrosse High School graduation will be Saturday, June 8, at 11 a.m. in Plowman Gym for the 12 seniors. Dr. Don Cox will present a student with the Washington Scholarship Award. Tim Stamper will sing during the ceremony and the Community Award also will be presented.

Eight Oakesdale graduates will be honored on Sunday, June 2, at 1 p.m. in the gym. Class motto is “It matters not what you are thought to be, but what you are.” Class advisor Hal Whitman said there will be a slide show during the ceremony. Speaker will be Patty Mills who teaches art, sociology, psychology, senior projects and directs the annual staff. A high school brass quintet will perform.

Pullman High School graduation for 150 seniors will be Saturday, June 1, at 5 p.m., in Beasley Coliseum. The senior choir will sing a compilation of songs the senior class selected. A video of all seniors will be shown during the ceremony.

Eighteen seniors at Rosalia High School will graduate Saturday, June 8, at 2 p.m. in the high school gym. Guest speaker will be school secretary Leslie Gunnels who will talk about memories. A senior slide show will be shown during the ceremony. Dr. Bill Thurston is retiring after three years as superintendent. The class motto is, “The moment may be temporary, but the memory is forever.”

St. John-Endicott Senior Class Advisor Roger Beck said 25 graduates will be honored on Sunday, June 2, at 2 p.m. in the gym. High school math teacher Kyle Schultheis and English teacher Teresa O’Connell are the guest speakers. Scholarships also will be awarded during the ceremony.

Tekoa High School Principal Dan Hutton said eight seniors will graduate Saturday, June 1, at 1 p.m. in the gym. Debbie Dean, second grade teacher, is retiring this year.