LRHS students to make history

Forty-five students will walk across the stage at Gilson Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon as the first official class of Lind-Ritzville High School. The graduates are led by valedictorians Brittany Dew-Blaske and Amalia Perez, and salutatorians Ashley Ambers, Satchel Henneman and Diana Longoria.

The June 2 graduation sets history in the local area as the Lind and Ritzville Schools Cooperative successfully completes its first school year. While the students are combined into one school, Lind-Ritzville High School, each valedictorian and salutatorian was selected to represent their hometown school.

Perez attended Ritzville High School last year while Dew-Blaske attended Lind High School. Longoria is also a Lind native, while Henneman and Ambers are both from the Ritzville School District.

The students are looking forward to graduating together, not as separate schools, but as a united class: the Lind-Ritzville High School Class of 2013.

During the 2 p.m. graduation ceremony, all of the top honored students have the opportunity to address the audience and gain recognition for their outstanding academic success.

The graduation ceremony marks the conclusion of one academic career and the beginning of a new one. Each of the five graduates plans to continue their academic career in the fall at the college or university of their choice.

Dew-Blaske intends to attend Whitworth University or the University of Washington, while Perez plans to attend college in Seattle to pursue a career as a child psychologist.

Ambers has plans to attend Eastern Washington University to participate in the honors program, and Longoria intends to attend the college of her choice. Henneman, who auditioned at Julliard earlier this year, plans to attend college in order to obtain a doctorate in performance and pursue a career as a professor of music.

The five students have not only excelled in the classroom, but also in extracurricular activities throughout their high school career. All of the students are members of the National Honor Society and have participated in clubs such as Red R and WE Lind-Ritzville.

The quintet leads the first class of Lind-Ritzville High School across the stage at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 2.