Latest news with #MosesLakeHighSchool
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
MLSD celebrates inaugural graduation of Digital Learning Center
Jun. 12—MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District marked a historic milestone May 4, as the Digital Learning Center proudly held its inaugural graduation ceremony at Lions Field. The school has had two other graduating classes, but they have been previously combined with Moses Lake High School. The event celebrated the academic achievements of the first graduating class, comprising a diverse group of students who had successfully completed their high school education through innovative digital learning methods. Attended by family, friends, educators and community members, the ceremony featured heartfelt speeches, reflections on personal growth, and acknowledgments of the challenges faced throughout the academic year. "Your accomplishment marks not only a personal achievement but also the promise of a new beginning," said Superintendent Carol Lewis during her opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of community support and perseverance throughout the students' educational journeys. The evening was a tribute to the faculty and staff who guided the graduates over the years, particularly during a challenging final year. Lewis acknowledged the steadfast dedication of counselors and faculty members. "Without their belief in your potential and their unwavering support, this graduation would not have been possible," she said. Keynote speaker Veronica "Ronnie" Roylance, a staff member known for her caring approach to students, shared insights about personal growth and resilience. In a candid address, she addressed the common uncertainties faced by graduates regarding their future paths. "It's perfectly normal to feel unsure about your next steps. Remember that life is not a race; it's a journey filled with valuable lessons," she said, encouraging students to embrace their unique paths with confidence. The ceremony also highlighted the achievements of students who participated in various programs, including the Seal of Biliteracy, Running Start and vocational training initiatives. As graduates were called to the stage to receive their diplomas, applause erupted from the audience, reflecting pride and encouragement. In closing, Lewis commended the graduates for their resilience and echoed the sentiments of unity within the community. "Together, we celebrate not just your graduation, but the bonds formed and memories created here at the Digital Learning Center," she said. After the ceremony, graduates exited the field in celebration, ready to embark on their next adventures as proud representatives of their school and community.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
MLHS Class of 2025 steps out into the world
Jun. 12—MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake High School Class of 2025 celebrated a milestone Tuesday evening as 386 graduates participated in the commencement ceremony held at the school's stadium. The air was filled with excitement and pride as families and friends gathered to honor the achievements of the graduating class, marking the completion of their high school journey. Principal Sheila Kries opened the ceremony, reflecting on the unique challenges faced by students over the past few years, particularly during the pandemic. "When you arrived at Moses Lake High School as ninth graders, I was your assistant principal," she said. "I fondly recall interacting with you and the memorable chaos that ensued as the school reopened post-COVID." Her remarks served as a reminder of the resilience and adaptability the students demonstrated throughout their high school years. The commencement featured two student speakers, Julia Heaps and Hayden Meek, who shared their reflections and experiences. Heaps, an accomplished student set to attend Columbia University, emphasized the importance of seeing beyond stereotypes. "Don't settle for a single story, not about people, not about places and not about yourself," she urged her classmates. "Be curious, not judgmental." Hayden Meek, acknowledging the challenges the class faced in their senior year, paid tribute to the support systems that helped the students persevere. "I also want to thank my closest friends who helped me with this speech," he said. "Reach out, whether you're grieving a loss or just not feeling like yourself. You're not alone. Everyone goes through hard times." Superintendent Carol Lewis reinforced the significance of graduation. "This accomplishment is the beginning of an opportunity for you to go out into communities near and far to share your amazing talents," Lewis said. She expressed gratitude for the staff and community members who supported the students, especially during the school's financial challenges last year. As the 79th graduating class of Moses Lake High School, the Class of 2025 now steps into a world filled with possibilities, leaving behind cherished memories and embracing new opportunities to thrive in their future endeavors.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former Moses Lake pianist receives Finnish knighthood
Apr. 25—MOSES LAKE — A former Moses Lake man was recently honored with a knighthood in Finland. Collin Hansen, a 1975 graduate of Moses Lake High School, was awarded the Order of the Lion of Finland at a ceremony March 18. "It's an honor that every year ... the president (of Finland) awards certain members of society," Hansen said. "(It) was for my contribution to Finnish musical life and also, in my work at the university, helping a younger generation of musicians in Finland." Hansen, a highly-accomplished pianist specializing in chamber and vocal music, studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., and then took a master's degree at the prestigious Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, according to the committee that awarded him the honor. He has taught at the Sibelius Academy since 1987. "His inspiring student- and composition-oriented teaching has inspired entire generations of Finnish pianists, both at the Sibelius Academy and in numerous summer courses, to become enthusiastic about music," the committee wrote. Hansen's talent became obvious at an early age, according to his mother, Vonnie Hansen, who lives in Moses Lake. "From the time he could walk, he got up to the piano and touched the keys," Vonnie Hansen said. "By the time he was 4 years old, he was playing his Sunday school songs by ear. He started taking piano lessons in the first grade." The Order of the Lion of Finland was created in 1942 to recognize outstanding civilian or military conduct, according to the Finnish government's website. In addition to his teaching, Hansen is also the creative director of the LuomuLaulu, or Time of Music, Festival in Viitasaari, Finland. "We do concerts in granaries and barns, chamber music and lots of vocal music," he said. "We have massive classes and students come and live in people's guest houses. Central Finland is absolutely wonderful; it's a pristine part of the country on a lake. We've had famous opera singers and chamber musicians come. It's absolutely wonderful."
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
MLSD eighth graders begin preparing for high school
Feb. 20—MOSES LAKE — Vanguard Academy and Moses Lake High School students and staff spent time at Columbia Middle School on Wednesday sharing the programs and opportunities available for incoming freshmen. "The academic journey for our eighth grade students in the Moses Lake School District continued today with the first of three curriculum fairs that will take place at the middle schools here in the district today," MLSD Director of Public Relations Ryan Shannon said. "Staff from Vanguard Academy and Moses Lake High School spent some time at Columbia Middle School talking to eighth-graders and showcasing not only the academic programs but the athletics and activities and other opportunities that each building provides to its students and giving the eighth graders an opportunity to ask questions and learn about the various options that are available to them as they register for their upcoming ninth-grade year." On Thursday, staff and students will visit Frontier and Endeavor middle schools to offer a similar opportunity to students. Also on Thursday will be curriculum night, which is a chance for families and future students to tour the schools, meet teachers and ask questions. The event will be at Moses Lake High School from 6 to 7 p.m. and Vanguard Academy from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. "Curriculum night gives parents and eighth-graders an opportunity to tour the buildings, to actually get in and take a look at what the classrooms look like, take a look at the facilities, get a speak to staff and have a little bit more deeper conversation about what that freshman year looks like for them," Shannon said. Following these events there will be registration nights at MLSD where students will submit registration forms and meet with counselors and their preferred school. "Really, it's the first opportunity for some of these parents to have interactions with these buildings and the staff as well," Shannon said. "We all know that students have questions and so do parents, and this will give them an opportunity to interact with their respective staffs." MLHS will host its registration nights Feb. 24 for Columbia Middle School and Feb. 25 for Frontier and Endeavor Middle Schools at 4:30 p.m., 5.30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Vanguard Academy will host its registration nights Feb. 20 and Feb. 25 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. for all middle schools. Students who want to register for the Digital Learning Center will still have to register with either MLHS or Vanguard, according to Shannon. Students must attend at least one registration night. "Moses Lake School District offers three great high school options for our students: Moses Lake High School, your more traditional comprehensive high school; Vanguard Academy, which is a project-based innovative learning environment; and then our Digital Learning Center, our online self-paced program," Shannon said. More information about registering at MLHS is available at The page has course guides, information for Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center registration, Running Start information and new student enrollment details. For more information about registering at Vanguard Academy visit: The page features new student enrollment details, CBTECH registration and more information about Vanguard Academy. "It's important because we want students to see the options," Shannon said. "We want them to have a really deep understanding of all the different courses that are offered and to explore the programs because they're all unique. They're individual to their own buildings, and we want the parents and really the students to have that opportunity to take a look at everything that is available to them here in the Moses Lake School District."
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A century of service
Feb. 18—MOSES LAKE — One of the most active service organizations in America is turning 100 this year, and most of its members haven't even turned 18. "Key Club is all about service and helping the community," said Pedro Lopez, who's the Key Club district governor for Moses Lake High School's chapter. There are also chapters at Vanguard Academy and Ephrata High School, he said. Key Club was started in 1925 by two Sacramento businessmen as an outreach of Kiwanis International, according to its online history. The idea was to take the "key boys" — and girls, after 1977 — in a school and guide them in serving their greater community. There's been a Key Club at Moses Lake High School since 1981, Said Louis Logan, the Kiwanis advisor for the Moses Lake High School chapter. It was started by a now-defunct chapter of the Kiwanis Club in Moses Lake and subsequently taken over by the remaining club. Key Club is mostly student-run but has adult advisors from both Kiwanis and the schools. "We try to attend their meetings, and if they need any assistance, making contacts or maybe providing treats or something like that, we try to do that," said Susan Blackwell, the Kiwanis advisor for the Vanguard Academy chapter. "If there's assistance that Kiwanis International can provide, like grants or something like that, we try to make that connection." Due to the Moses Lake School District's recent financial woes, the teacher advisors at Moses Lake High School and Vanguard Academy, Heather Whittall and Stephanie Lopez respectively, are both serving as unpaid volunteers, Logan said. "Without them, we would not have had Key Club this year," he said. Lopez said that key Club volunteers choose some of their own projects. At last year's Moses Lake Spring Festival, Key Club students provided scoring services for the event's 3-on-3 basketball tournament — a substantial job with 121 teams competing. "I went to the beginning meetings of Spring Fest where they talked about how they would run the event (and) how many volunteers they would need," Lopez said. "From there, I made Google forms, and then I sent out all that information to the officers of all the Key Clubs, and then I asked them, 'Hey, can you start promoting this event to your members?' Once all the events were promoted, people signed up, and then we managed to get around 40 volunteers over two days." For its services, the Spring Festival Committee presented the Key Club with a donation of $1,000, half of which went to New Hope in Moses Lake and the other half to the Pacific Northwest Key Club District's project to end youth homelessness, Lopez said. The Kiwanis also guide students toward projects, Blackwell said. "At Vanguard last year I had five or six committees," she said. "One was tutoring kids at an elementary school after school. One was working with the elderly. (There was) community cleanup, food bank, collecting materials for the animal outreach." Key Club students also help out the Kiwanis Club with its events, Logan said, working the concession booth at the Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo, and providing childcare at school Parent Teacher Organization meetings. While Key Club tends to attract students who already have a high degree of involvement, Logan said, the club is also always interested in students looking to get more involved. The club does charge dues to its members, he said, but for students who can't pay them Kiwanis picks up the tab. "We want to make sure that anybody that's interested in becoming a better leader, or learning leadership skills, and wants to do things for others (has the opportunity)," he said. "It's also a fellowship, friendship organization. In their meeting, they always start with what's called an icebreaker, some kind of fun thing that everybody just giggles and laughs and enjoys themselves. We also try to build friendships." There's a great deal of help to be offered. "We've found a lot of need in the community, people that need assistance, and we're trying to fill up anywhere in the gap," Lopez said. "You know, we're doing our best to help people, people within the Moses Lake community, within the Ephrata community, within our towns."
