Lind grads earn nearly $70K in awards/scholarships

The Lind High School gymnasium filled for the last time to witness the final graduating class to graduate from LHS, as next year the academic cooperative for the Lind and Ritzville school districts will occur.

Class advisor, Kerry Murphy, offered an emotional commencement address and school board members lined up to present this years awards.

Alexandria Whitaker presented the Salutatorian address and was followed by the group of five Valedictorians: Andrea Bennett, Mackenzie Ellis, Brandon Knodel, Bryson O’Neill and Kaytlin Phillips.

“Welcome family, friends, and faculty. We are all pleased to have you here with us to celebrate this milestone in our lives. As you can see, there are five of us standing up here today. Now we all know what you’re thinking… ‘Oh goodness, are we really going to have to sit here and listen to FIVE Valedictorian speeches!?’

“Relax. Even we know the pain of having to sit through ONE Valedictorian speech. So, for the benefit of you all, instead of writing five 4.0 speeches, we have collaborated to create one 20.0 speech. We also didn’t want to do the typical ‘spread your wings and fly’ speech. There are 17 of us up on stage today, not just five. We felt it was more important to recognize and honor our entire class since this is a celebration for all. Every single person sitting behind us has their own unique attributes that add to the dynamic of this class. We thought we’d share these qualities and a few memories as well.

“When it comes to deciding who to talk about first, we decided to resort back to our third grade lineup – alphabetical order.

“This starts us with Jose Alvarez. When Jose actually decided to show up for school, he took on the role of the class clown. However, most people don’t realize that Jose is probably smarter than the five of us combined. He provided us with a lot of laughs and always kept the teachers on their toes.

“Andrea Bennett, the girl who can still remember what you wore on your first day of kindergarten. If you did something embarrassing, Andrea will be there to remind you – over, and over, and over again. With the coordination of a newborn foal, she, too, has given us plenty of memories. She considers herself a ‘square’ due to her ability to arrive an hour early before any event; however, we see it as an opportunity to exude her bubbly personality. If you ever need someone to listen, Andrea is your girl.

“Next is Alicia Bolin, who may be better known as Peach. We like to think of Peach as the protector of the class who has never been afraid to keep the boys in line. She is extremely loyal to anyone close to her and won’t hesitate to defend them, especially her twin sister Lyndsey. Derrick learned this the hard way in sixth grade.

“Andy Derrick, our knight in shining armor. Andy is one of the only boys to prove chivalry isn’t dead. Every day you can count on three things with Andy; a big smile on his face, a door held open and a compliment to every girl in the school. Although Andy may blend in with the background sometimes, you can’t help but notice him when he bursts out into random song.

“Micheala Doyle, our tiny little red headed classmate. Micheala proudly takes on the role of being the only girl in the class to continuously look decent every day at school. For the rest of us girls, this quickly ended a week into freshmen year. You stay classy, Micheala Doyle.

“Mackenzie Ellis. When we meet up for our 10-year reunion, Mackenzie will most likely be the one who will still be living ‘young, wild, and free.’ Her independence, drive and competitive nature has led her to many successes, while causing many headaches for the rest of us. Entering a small, tight-knit class such as ours isn’t always easy, but Mack has the ability to fit right into any group so this came as no challenge.

“Aaron Hayes. Although he’d like to consider himself ‘The Boss,’ we see right past his cool exterior and wild hair that resembles that of a bird habitat. Aaron has always been one of the most responsible, hard working kids in our class. He manages to balance, school, sports, and work, which explain why he has such little time for maintenance of his up-do.

“Cathrine Hentges. This girl has graciously volunteered herself to test out a new schooling method called ‘No School Mondays’…or Tuesdays…Wednesdays…. Thursdays…and sometimes-even Fridays. Catty’s personality is about as LOUD and bold as the shoes she’s wearing today. If you ever need the most blunt and honest opinion, just ask Catty.

“Salvador Huitron. Ever since he was little, those big brown ojos have hit the soft spots of many. Salvador is a man who knows how to seize the day, whether or not he’s actually being productive. One of Sal’s main motivations was football, which is why he believes he has the ‘best hands in the state.’

“Brandon Knodel. Brandon has struggled to find his identity numerous times. Depending on the day, he may be playing in the NBA, running the farm, or preaching to the congregation. The Knodel family has always been known for being ‘fashionably late’ to the party, and Brandon is no exception. Although he may never be on time, he never fails to put his whole heart into whatever he does.

“Derrick Laird. (shakes head), moving on… just kidding big guy, we couldn’t forget you even if we wanted to. Now, what to say about D.L. He knows exactly how to push the wrong buttons of every single person in this class. Tell Derrick to do one thing, and he will do the exact opposite. Although this can be quite frustrating at times, D.L. has provided more laughs and memories than we can even count. The only thing that has ever held Derrick back was that locked bathroom door in kindergarten. Ever since then, he hasn’t been stopped.

“Grayson Morris. Losing is NOT an option for this kid, especially in freshmen PE badminton. Grayson is pretty gung ho about everything, so it’s a good thing he’s going into the Marines. He is a hard worker who never takes anything for granted. Although he has multiple personalities, we have learned to prepare ourselves for each and every one of them.

“Bryson O’Neill. He used to be known as the quiet, shy kid in the corner. Now that he’s able to grow facial hair, he has all the confidence in the world. It’s surprising this guy doesn’t weigh 1,000 pounds because he’s ALWAYS pulling out a snack from his front pocket. It must be all those dance battles keeping him in shape. Bryson’s sense of humor and outgoing personality makes him the life of every party.

“Kaytlin Phillips. The perfectionist of the class. Ever tried to give her a high five? It might take a few times to get it just right. Kaytlin has had the plan of becoming a preschool teacher ever since she was in preschool, which is why it’s no surprise to us that this is the plan she’s chosen to follow. We hope that her future career is close to her house because she often extends her lunch period in order to finish an episode of the bachelor before returning to school.

“Tommy Schuler. Watch out for this guy, because he will probably be your boss someday. Whether he’s fixing a computer for a teacher or putting our amateur posters to shame with his self made, interactive computer games, his technological brilliance is always put to use. Recently, he’s become quite the ladies man, so watch out for that too.

“Josh Van Slyke, aka J.V.S. Josh is willing to do anything to help out a fellow classmate, whether or not he has the time for it. He’s a man of few words, but when he does speak up it’s worth listening to. The girls would like to thank you for being a good example for the rest of the boys in our class with your willingness to jump up and open a door for anyone walking by. We should have taken better notes.

“Lexie ‘The Whit’ Whitaker. When we all think of the stereotypical blonde, Lexie Whitaker takes the cake. She may be our Salutatorian, but she still had to ask if Jewish people still existed. She’s very sociable and likes to be involved in many activities. Whether we were laughing at her, or with her, she always gave us a reason to smile.

“Coming from such a small school has given us the opportunity to know each other as friends instead of just classmates. Although now we are all going our separate ways, these are the little memories that we will remember forever. There have been 103 classes before us. As the 104th, we are honored to be the last class graduating from Lind High School.

“Thank you to our classmates, parents, staff, coaches, and community members. You have always supported us in becoming the successful individuals that we are today. We now have the confidence to pursue the path that is right for each of us. Whether we decide to join the military, attend college, or go straight into the work force, each of us has the opportunity to make the most of our own lives. No matter how many times we say we can’t wait to get out of here, deep down we know this school will always hold a special place in our hearts.

“So even though we promised you all that it wouldn’t come down to this, and it kills us to admit it, we really do have the skills to spread our little wings and fly.”

The members of the class earned the following awards and scholarships during Saturday’s commencement ceremony:

Micheala Doyle – Lind Lions Club scholarship in the amount of $750 and the Washington Association of Education office professional’s scholarship for $750.

Kaytlin Phillips – Valedictorian award, the Consolidated Grange Supply scholarship of $600, the Union Elevator Employees’ J.D. Urquhart memorial scholarship in the amount $545, a Washington Association of Secondary School Principals Award for Excellence, the Phillips Memorial scholarship for $1,000, the Virgina Mormon Moore Scholarship for $1,000, the Krebiel Scholarship combined with the North Central Washington Chapter of the International Code Council for $383, Bronc Boosters award for $500, the Dassault scholarship for $9,000, the David L. and Francis G. Ray scholarship for $1,000, Eastern Washington University Presidential scholarship in the amount of $2,500, the Society of Women Engineers certificate of Merit, and Ritzville Warehouse scholarship for $1,000.

Bryson O’Neill – Valedictorian award, Urquhart Memorial Scholarship for $500, a Washington Association of Secondary School Principals Award for Excellence, United States Air Force award for math and science, the Phillips Memorial award for $1,000, Lind Alumni scholarship for $1,000, WSU Department of Crop and Soil Sciences award for $1,000, Bronc Boosters award for $500, David L. and Francis G. Ray scholarship for $1,000, Eastern Washington University Presidential scholarship in the amount of $2,500 and the Army Reserve National Athlete Award.

Brandon Knodel –

Valedictorian award, Union Elevator Warehouse scholarship for $1,000, a Washington Association of Secondary School Principals Award for Excellence, Harry P. Hays service award, Lind Alumni scholarship for $1,000, WSU Department of Crop and Soil Sciences award for $2,000, National Agronomy award for $500, Pacific Lutheran University Presidential scholarship for $1,700 and the Whitworth Presidential scholarship for $1,700.

Mackenzie Ellis – Valedictorian award, Lind Chamber of Commerce award for $500, a Washington Association of Secondary School Principals Award for Excellence, the Phillips Memorial scholarship for $1,000, WSU Department of Crop and Soil Sciences award for $1,000, National FFA scholarship for $1,000, Northwest Farm Credit Services award for $250, Montana State Freshman Distinction scholarship for $1,000, MSU Freshman Achievement scholarship for $1,000, Society of Women Engineers certificate of Merit, Discover Idaho Access waiver for $2,500 yearly and Discover Idaho Merit waiver for $6,500.

Andrea Bennett – Valedictorian award, a Washington Association of Secondary School Principals Award for Excellence, the Honor Cup, United States Air Force award for math and science, the Virgina Morman Moore scholarship for $1,000, the Society of Women Engineers certificate of Merit, Army Reserve National Athlete award, University of Idaho Alumni Association scholarship for $1,000, Discover Idaho Merit Waiver of $6,500 yearly and Mary Hail Niccolls scholarship for $750.

Alexandria Whitaker –

Salutatorian award, WSU Department of Crop and Soil Sciences award for $1,000, Warden Fire Department award of $1,000 and acceptance to the United States Air Force.

Derrick Laird – Lind Alumni Scholarship for $1,000.

Andy Derrick – Mary C. Pierce award for $300.

Alicia Bolin – Acceptance to the United States Air Force.

Grayson Morris – Acceptance to the United States Marine Corps.

Aaron Hayes – College assistance Migrant Program Stipend scholarship and Discover Idaho Merit Waiver for a combined total of $6,500.