Warden grads focus on kindness, hard work
Warden High School class of 2023 salutatorian Kaylee Erickson, left, and valedictorian Quinn Erdmann, at the Warden High School graduation on June 9.
Charles H. Featherstone/Columbia Basin Herald
Warden School District Superintendent Scott West, left front, and School Board Chair Bryce Box, right front, are followed by Warden High School Principal Katie Phipps as they walk onto the field prior to the start of Warden’s 2023 graduation ceremony June 9.
Members of the class of 2023 celebrate with confetti poppers and smoke canisters at the end of Warden High School’s graduation ceremony.
Warden High School class of 2023 member Tamar Rojas Lizagarra listens to a speech during the school’s 2023 graduation ceremony on June 9.
Warden High School graduating senior Tamar Rojas Lizagarra prays in Spanish as part of the district’s 2023 graduation ceremony. The English version of the prayer was said by fellow graduating senior Abrahan Barajas-Campos, left.
A member of the Warden High School class of 2023 views a slideshow of graduating seniors.
A Warden High School graduating senior holds up his class of 2023 stole as he walks across the stage to receive his diploma.
Warden high school students look out at a crowded stadium full of family members and friends at the start of the Warden High School class of 2023 graduation ceremony June 10.
WARDEN — Work hard and be kind. Those are what Warden High School class of 2023 valedictorian Quinn Erdmann said are the most important things she learned during her four years of high school.
“We learned to work hard, dream big, make mistakes and be kind,” Erdmann told her fellow graduates. “We persevered and worked together to get here today. With help from our teachers and staff members, this has prepared us for life outside of high school.”
While everyone is going to have to work hard to realize their dreams and achieve their goals, being kind is by far the most crucial thing Erdmann said she learned in high school.
“When I came here as a freshman, I was accepted with open arms. I carried this throughout high school. Knowing how much of a difference it makes to be kind is important,” Erdmann told her fellow graduates. “We must always be kind to each other and ourselves.”
Erdmann was one of 52 graduating seniors who gathered with friends, family, Warden School District faculty and staff for the school’s annual graduation ceremony on the high school’s football field Friday.
For salutatorian Kaylee Erickson, the friendships and experiences the class of 2023 had as they made their way through the Warden schools were as important as anything they learned in class.
“The time we spent here added up to over 5,000 hours of mostly torture, but also some fun,” she said. “We may not remember the quadratic formula or the details of the Industrial Revolution, but we’ll always remember the good memories we made together.”
It was also an emotional moment for Warden High School Principal Katie Phipps, who said many of those earning their diplomas on Friday walked through the doors of Warden Elementary School as kindergartners 13 years ago.
“As a parent myself, I know how emotional that day can be, watching those tiny feet walk away with cute, tiny backpacks is pretty emotional. Maybe you were even a little nervous, walking into what seems like a giant school. But you must have done fine because kindergarten ended and the next fall you entered first grade,” Phipps said.
Phipps said over the years, the shoes and backpacks got larger, and so — eventually — did the schools, until they got to WHS, she said. Graduating from high school in Warden means they’ve had a few more required classes — more math and vocational education — than the state of Washington mandates. She also emphasized something similar to Erdmann’s focus on kindness.
“As my final reminder, as I have told you in daily morning announcements that nobody listens to, be a good human. Because you are all good humans and I am so incredibly proud of each and every one of you,” Phipps said.
Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.
