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Port Townsend High School seniors Hunter Alley and Max Allworth-Miles (Cal Poly sweatshirt) collect their attire for the upcoming graduation ceremony at the McCurdy Pavilion in Fort Worden. Leader photo by James Sloan
Posted Wednesday, June 8, 2022 9:16 am Leader News StaffThe day that many high school seniors have eagerly awaited — some likely much more than others — is almost here.
East Jefferson 12th-graders will gather for commencement ceremonies in Port Townsend and Quilcene Friday and Saturday.
Port Townsend High
Port Townsend High School’s seniors are ready to turn the tassel and earn their high school diplomas as they continue a week of pre-graduation activities leading to the final ceremony.
A total of 82 students will graduate in this year’s class.
On Wednesday, the students will take part in the End of Year Awards Assembly at the school’s auditorium at 9 a.m, then join up for a senior group photo at 11 a.m. on the front lawn of the campus in their caps and gowns.
Next up is the Senior Walk in caps and gowns at Salish Coast Elementary and Blue Heron Middle at 11:30 a.m.
From 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, the Port Townsend seniors will be busy with graduation practice at the McCurdy Pavilion, and attendance is mandatory for the students.
Finally, the teens will have their graduation ceremony on Saturday.
This year has three valedictorians (Lochlan Krupa, Elio Wentzel, Maya Dow) and two salutatorians (Hailey Gallagher, Lia Poore).
The event is set to start at 7 p.m. at the McCurdy Pavilion, and seniors will be required to show up early at 6:15 p.m.
The graduation ceremony will only be open to graduates and their guests for free. Tickets will not be sold to the general public.
Following the ceremony, the new graduates will head to Grad Night, a drug- and alcohol-free event from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. with prizes, cash drawings, games, food, and memories to be made. Students can be picked up from the Safeway Parking lot on Sims Way around 1:30 a.m. after Grad Night.
To cap off graduation festivities, the seniors are invited to the Annual Alumni Dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the Elks Lodge on Otto Street, which they can sign up for at the high school’s front office.
Quilcene High
Graduation for Quilcene High is planned for 2 p.m. Saturday, June 11 in the high school gym.
Principal Sean Moss said 24 students will be awarded diplomas during the first indoor graduation at the school since the start of the pandemic. In 2021 and 2020, commencement was held on Quilcene’s athletic fields.
“We’ll have a packed house,” Moss said.
The ceremony will start with the school staff dressed in their gowns and hoods marching into the gym, followed by the graduating seniors, entering two by two.
The event itself will feature a slide show, and speeches by both valedictorians of the Class of 2022, the salutatorian, and then commencement speaker, English teacher Cailey Takamori.
The valedictorians are Eryn Munn and Bishop Budnek; salutatorian is Savanna Smith.
Budnek’s brother, Zachary Budnek, was the school’s valedictorian in 2021, while Smith’s sister, McKenzie, was salutatorian last year.
Graduation for the Class of 2022 caps off a week of end-of-the-school-year events in Quilcene.
Baccalaureate was at Quilcene Assembly of God on June 5, with the high school awards ceremony the next day at the school, followed by Scholarship Night, where more than $125,000 in scholarships were announced for roughly 13 graduating seniors who will be attending post-secondary schooling.
The “Walk of Fame” at the school is planned for 8:45 a.m. Thursday at the school, with kindergarten graduation following at 5 p.m. Friday, and eighth-grade promotions at 6 p.m.
The last day for other Quilcene students is June 17, with the beach party following the start of summer vacation at noon.
Chimacum High
The motto for this year’s graduating class is “We are still standing.”
Chimacum High students will gather to collect their diplomas Saturday, June 11 at Fort Worden’s McCurdy Pavilion. (Actually, the real ones won’t be given out during commencement, but seniors will pick up their diplomas after the ceremony in the USO Building.)
The graduation ceremony is set to start at 1 p.m.
Doors at McCurdy Pavilion will open at noon, and the school is encouraging family and friends of the graduating seniors to arrive early.
The school will have 58 graduating students this year.
Two students will share the title of valedictorian: Eugenia Phillips Frank and Micajah Shiflett.
Chimacum’s salutatorian for the Class of 2022 is Ava Vaughan-Misfud.
Graduation activities got underway in earnest earlier this week, with Senior Recognition Night on Tuesday, June 7 in the auditorium at Chimacum Junior-Senior High School. Senior check-out day is Thursday, June 9. On Friday morning, before their last day of class, a breakfast is planned for seniors.
Friday caps off with Grad Night festivities.
Following commencement at 3 p.m. Saturday, a community parade organized by parents of the graduates will be held in Chimacum. Cars will line up in the school’s parking lot.
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