MLCA marks graduation with memories, farewells
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Paul Price gives his mom a hug during Moses Lake Christian Academy graduation ceremonies Saturday. It’s a school tradition for graduates to give their parents a rose.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Annie Roemer was among the Moses Lake Christian Academy seniors receiving diplomas in graduation ceremonies Saturday.
MOSES LAKE — A few tears, lots of memories, some advice and a moonwalk across the stage were part of graduation ceremonies for the Moses Lake Christian Academy class of 2018 Saturday afternoon.
Annie Roemer admitted to some nervousness before the graduates made the walk. Guest speaker Kameron Firouzi, MLCA class of 2008, said he remembered that nervousness. And he still had it in his job as guest speaker, he said.
Graduation featured a tearful blessing from Galina Shaporda, representing the school staff, a slide show of the class and some of their activities during school, as well as speeches from valedictorian Camryn Hawes and salutatorian Caedmon Waldrop.
Graduation also picks up traditions over time, and in some schools it’s become a thing for some graduates to decorate their caps. Noah Torres chose the Spiderman symbol. “I’ve always loved Spiderman,” he said. “It’s kind of been my inspiration, growing up.” Torres celebrated the last walk of high school by moonwalking backward across the stage.
Paul Price used a quote from “Jurassic Park,” a reflection of his goal to become a paleontologist, he said.
Camryn Hawes said she transferred to MLCA at the beginning of her junior year, and her classmates were very welcoming and supportive. She wouldn’t have chosen any other group to navigate the last two years of high school, she said.
Caedmon Waldrop said he is proud to be a part of the class of 2018, and thanked his classmates. What comes after high school is a journey the class has never taken before, scary but exciting, he said. To get the most out of that journey, he urged his classmates to stay focused on the important things.
Firouzi paid tribute to school administrator Jeni Chandler, who will retire at the end of the school year. It was “surreal,” he said, to be the guest speaker. But “it’s quite the honor to be part of your guys’s special day.”
Firouzi is in his third year of medical residency, working at a hospital in Phoenix. Some people were, he said, skeptical that he would succeed, and he used that as a motivational tool. Along the way the class will face failure, he said, but failure too can be a motivational tool.
Academy head of school Stephanie Voigt announced the class had qualified for about $284,000 in scholarships.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald,com.