MLHS notices students and staff
Charles H. Featherstone/Columbia Basin Herald Counselor Nicole Duarte honors Brett Jorgensen as one of Moses Lake High School’s ‘Students of the Quarter’ on Tuesday.
MOSES LAKE — “You have been noticed.”
Those might not be the best words to hear from a high school principal.
But it was a good thing on Tuesday as parents, staff, and students gathered in the theater at Moses Lake High School as Principal Mark Harris honored the students and staff members of the quarter.
“They way all of you have changed,” Harris told the gathered students, “it means a lot.”
Harris and the faculty of Moses Lake High School honored 50 students and four staff members on Tuesday, noting their grit, determination, overall improvement, and the ability to inspire those around them.
“This is about school culture, recognizing the amazing things that our students and staff are already doing,” said Nicole Duarte, a counselor at MLHS.
“What they do naturally,” added Teresa Harris, a substitute secretary at MLHS and wife of Principal Harris. “We know that there are so many great things that are happening in our school.”
Teachers and staff nominated students using a little form that began “I appreciate you because…”, with copies mailed home and given to the students, and certificates handed out to students during the ceremony.
“I appreciate you because you are always willing to participate in class, work your hardest, and are constantly setting a good example for the rest of the class,” wrote one teacher about student Lexie Gaither.
“You have a quiet demeanor but are always willing to give your thoughts and opinions,” wrote another teacher about student Sara Valdivia Arredondo.
But students weren’t the only ones being noticed. Several teachers were named as well.
“[Band Director] Dan Beich eats, sleeps, and breathes the arts,” Harris said. “If not for him, some of the things that have happened here wouldn’t have happened.”
And Harris thanks Spanish teacher Kristin Sands for always smiling and always keeping her cool, even when things around her get difficult.
“She never panics, never stresses out, at least on the outside,” Harris said.
Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.