Lind-Ritzville graduates net over $200,000 in scholarships

As the second class to conclude all four years of high school at Lind-Ritzville, the Class of 2017 received recognition for their achievements and diplomas during the graduation ceremony on June 3 in Gilson Gymnasium.

The ceremony honored the 27 Lind-Ritzville High School graduates who collectively accumulated $235,803 in scholarships and awards.

The processional brought the students to the front of the crowd, and final class members to gather on stage were Valedictorian Erica Leffel and Salutatorian Tessa Jantz.

After an opening speech by Felicia Ziemer, Leffel and Jantz both addressed the audience and presented their speeches.

Leffel welcomed everyone to the ceremony, and more importantly, she stated to the last graduation of high school students who were born in the 20th Century.

“I really struggled with what to say during my speech so my dad got out his valedictorian speech so that I could look at it in hopes of getting some inspiration. In his speech, he had a quote that I really liked.

“He said, ‘Today we leave the life of school and tomorrow we enter the school of life.’

Leffel took the opportunity to recognize classmates for their achievements in extracurricular activities in high school, and honor the recent successes of teams and organizations at the school.

“The many accomplishments I just spoke of would not have been achievable without the help, support, and guidance of our parents, teachers, administration, coaches, and the entire Lind-Ritzville community.

“Last weekend at the alumni banquet, Dena Roberts, a Ritzville High School alumnus, said to me ‘Take what comes in life and make the best of it.’

“I love this phrase because life is not always perfect, as everyone knows, but if you take the good with the bad and make the best of every situation you encounter, you will persevere. In the next few years we will face many challenges.

“You need to do your best in whatever you encounter and keep a positive attitude because that is what will help you make it through any situation. If you are not positive and let the bad experiences get you down, you are letting those circumstances defeat you. Challenges are always a part of the School of Life.”

“Respect is one of the most difficult things to achieve during your lifetime, but also one of the easiest things to lose.

“You need to be happy with the choices you make and if you end up making a mistake, you need to learn from it and make better choices the next time. In the School of Life, you will learn from all of your life experiences, good or bad.

“As I stated earlier, and my dad even said in his valedictorian speech like 70 years ago. Well, actually, it was only about 30 years ago, ‘Today we leave the life of school and tomorrow we enter the school of life.’

Leffel introduced Jantz to the podium and she thanked those in attendance for their support over the years. She encouraged her classmates to accept challenges in life and welcome all opportunities that come their way.

“This year is full of adventures; aside from all of the procrastination, senioritis, and just praying to get through another week. As seniors we get to experience the journey of looking into our future.

“This whole experience is stressful and scary, everyone knows that, but it is a wonderful time for us to figure ourselves out. One thing that senior year is also full of, is goodbyes. We have to say goodbye to our favorite sports season, our favorite high school traditions, and everything we’ve grown up around for the past 18 years. Although senior year is a roller coaster full of emotions, we get to say hello to something wonderful; opportunities.

“Opportunities are the biggest gift that life can give us, it opens doors for us around every corner. The biggest test of it is though, are we brave enough to take these opportunities?

“Opportunity has been a popular topic for this class over the past year and our class motto defines our experiences, ‘You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.’ – Dr. Seuss

“Our future lies ahead of us and although we all realize none of it will go according to plan, we still stress and plan for it anyways. Everyday will be different and everyday we will learn something new.

“As a class we are full of artists, mechanics, technology specialists, athletes, agriculturalists, aspiring medical professionals, and that’s not even all of us. We are a class full of leaders, which doesn’t always bode well during class meetings, but we made it this far. Tomorrow we start our future and this is where we find out who we really are. So trust yourselves, take advantage of opportunities, and remember where you came from.

“This moment will just be another story someday, so take it all in, memorize this picture, and remember what this felt like because without ever really noticing, someday is today and that one day was yesterday and this is your life.”

After the speeches, Jantz and Kallie Harder welcomed the guest speaker, Congressman Dan Newhouse, to the podium. The duo had the opportunity to meet the Congressman during a recent trip to Washington, D.C., and had asked for him to speak at graduation.

Newhouse thanked the Class of 2017 for the invitation, and announced this was his first public event since the passing of his wife. He believed the ceremony served as a great return to the public platform, as it served as a celebration and positive event for him to attend.

Throughout his speech, Newhouse encouraged the class members to welcome challenges and work to overcome hardship. Newhouse stated he grew up in a small town, and he is proof that there are not limitations predetermined for rural area students, they just have to be willing to apply themselves and persevere through hardship.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of diplomas by Lind School Board Chairperson Rena Wahl, Ritzville School Board Chairman Marci Miller, Lind-Ritzville High School Principal Ronanda Liberty, Superintendent Matt Ellis and Congressman Newhouse.

Before exiting the gym, the class and audience watched a slideshow about the seniors.

A large group of students received awards from Lind-Ritzville High School. The students were acknowledged for their talent, character and academic achievement.

The awards and recipients are as follows: Athletic Awards to Tessa Jantz and Pake Taylor, Social Studies Award to Gilberto Garcia, English Award to Leffel, Music Contributions Award to Trinity Wyma, Math Award to Leffel, Inspirational Awards to Jantz and Taylor, Creative Arts Award to Kennea Teal, Agricultural Achievement Award to TyAnn Tellefson, Science Award to Hawk Busayok, Technology Award to Wesley Hoisington, Harry P. Hays School Service Award to Taylor, and the Lind-Ritzville Honor Cup Award to Leffel.

The list of scholarships and awards for Lind-Ritzville seniors is as follows:

Erica Chavez received the Mary C. Pierce Talent Award for $300.

Kennea Teal earned the Distinguished Young Woman (DYW) Finalist award for $500 and the DYW Interview award for $100.

Kiley Griffin received the DYW award for $100.

Kallie Harder earned the Grant County Cattlemen and Cattlewoman scholarship for $1,000, Paul Teske Memorial Scholarship, University of Idaho Western Undergraduate Exchange for $12,500, Urquhart Memorial Scholarship for $1,000, Northwest Farm Credit Services Scholarship for $2,000, Washington Cattle Feeders Scholarship for $1,000, LRHS Alumni Scholarship for $1,000, Emanuel Lutheran Scholarship for $500 and the Lind-Ritzville FFA Alumni Scholarship for $1,000.

Tessa Jantz received the Chapter AR, PEO Scholarship for $900, the Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete award, University of Washington Scholarship for $21,233, Washington Wheat Ambassador scholarship for $2,000, DYW award for $150, DYW of Ritzville award for $1,300, Northwest Farm Credit Services Scholarship for $2,000, RHS/LRHS Alumni Association Scholarship for $1,000 and the Carol Lee Krehbiel and Jennie Jantz Scholarship for $2,500.

Dustin Kulm earned the Phillips Family Foundation Scholarship for $1,000 and the Virginia Moorman Moore Scholarship for $1,000.

Erica Leffel received the Paul Teske Memorial Scholarship for $300, Bronc Booster Club Scholarship for $500, two-year David L. and Frances G. Ray Scholarship for $1,000, two-year DYW Finalist award for $500, DYW Scholastic Award for $100, WSU Distinguished University Achievement Award for $8,000, Grand Coulee Alumni Scholarship for $300, LRHS Alumni Scholarship for $1,000, REA Scholarship for $500 and Bankers Scholarship for $400.

Morgan Shields earned the Lind Lions Club Scholarship for $500, Phillips Family Foundation Scholarship for $1,000, DYW Spirit Award for $100 and Lind Alumni Scholarship for $1,000.

Pake Taylor received a full ride athletic scholarship to Idaho State University, totaling $130,000, and the Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete award.

TyAnn Tellefson earned the Bronc Booster Club Scholarship for $500, Northern International Livestock Exposition Scholarship for $1,000, Grant County Cattlemen and Cattlewomen scholarship for $1,000, Washington Junior Angus Scholarship for $500, Washington FFA Beef Proficiency Scholarship for $250, Pell Grant for $5,770, Supplemental Ed Opportunity Grant for $300, Lind-Ritzville FFA Alumni Scholarship for $1,000 and the Lind-Ritzville Vocational Agriculture Scholarship.

Chandler Widman received the Ritzville Alumni Scholarship for $1,000 and the College Bound Scholarship for $2,500.

Felicia Ziemer earned the Bronc Booster Club Scholarship fro $500, Paul Teske Memorial Scholarship for $400, Big Bend Electric Cooperative Scholarship for $2,000, Ritzville Alumni Association Scholarship for $1,000, American Legion Scholarship for $500, Chapter AR, PEO Scholarship for $900 and the Wilson Farm/Modovi Grange Scholarship for $900.