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Thursday, June 14, 2012
Week 24 -- The Voice of Mason County since 1886 u Published for Mason County and Frank Simon of Belfair -- $1
: ~ : %! !i/i!~: ii:/~
Father Mikel asks,,,,,,,, city officals to aid less fortunate
By KEVIN SPRADLIN proached the city commissioners at their May
kevin@masoncount~.com 29 public meeting and said that a consortium
...................... of 10 area churches and an army of volunteers
are working hard to help the city's homeless
Father Joe Mikel has asked the city to share population.
the burden of addressing Shelton's homeless.
problem.
Mikel, the pastor at St. David of Wales, ap- See Homeless on page A-7 Mikel
Journal photo by Kewn Spraolln
CHOICE Alternative School senior Jesus Lopez celebrates as his name is called to come forward and receive his diploma during the school's
graduation ceremony on June 7 at The Pavillion at Sentry Park.
Journa pno]:o oy Kevln SDradlin
More than 250 Shelton High School students
turned their tassles on June 9.
'So much opportunity
awaits' SHS grads
By KEVIN SPRADLIN
kevin@,,nas(mcoun(y,com
The journey, said Wan-
da Berndtson, is only be-
ginning.
"Today's not the end."
said Berndtson. the Shel-
ton High School principal.
"You are not done. There
is still more to come."
With that message,
256 graduating seniors
participated in the 103rd
commencement of Shelton
High School.
The hour-long cer-
emony on Saturday was
staged inside Marcus Pa-
vilion at St. Martin's Uni-
versity in Lacey.
Colton Twiddy, senior
class speaker, echoed Ber-
ndtson's sentiments.
~'It's a beginning,"
Twiddy said. "It's time for
us to take the next step in
our journey."
SHS co-valedictorians
David Gorman and Taylor
Muenchow each addressed
their fellow graduates.
Each included bits of hu-
mor in their separate, but
serious, messages.
Muenchow centered
her speech around Poke-
mort, a Japanese amme
and game series. Human
trainers used Pokemon. or
pocket monsters. 1;o battle
a human opponenent in a
gladiator-style contest.
In high school, though,
Muenchow said students
prepared for battles
against the foes of English
and chemistry. Badges,
she said. were earned by
receiving good marks on
exams.
After Saturday, Muen-
chow said, graduates en-
ter a new arena. And then.
just as before, Pokemon
can continue the analogy
of life.
The real world, she
IIIIU!UI!!I!!IJ!I!IIII said Pokemon
8 2 See Shelton on page A-7
CHOICE grads plan
for things yet to come
By KEVIN SPRADLIN
kevin@masoncounty,corn
There was a broad
sense of accomplish-
men~ on June 7 during
the graduation ceremony
for CHOICE Alternative
School seniors.
And yet. there was
plenty of talk of things yet
to come.
Amid the smiles and
celebratory hugs between
graduating seniors, fam-
ily members and CHOICE
staff members, there was
a sense that greater things
are on the horizon.
"We did it," said day
program graduate Jesus
Lopez. "Four years of hard
work finally paid off."
Lopez, though, said
that after a night of cel-
ebration, "change will
come. Embrace it. Do not
fear it. The future is ours
for the taking.""
Forty-two graduates
were recognized during
the 90-minute event in-
side a packed room at
The Pavilion at Sentry
Park. Graduates were
decked out in purple and
black caps and gowns.
The room was decorated
with matching balloons
and family members and
friends crowded the Grand
Ballroom.
Principal Stacey Ander-
son empathized with the
graduating class, mem-
bers of which, she said,
had to deal with a host
of personal and family is-
sues to make it to gradu-
ation night. Anderson
said those issues included
abuse, homelessness and
addictions.
"All of those experi-
ences were necessary to
get you te this moment,"
Anderson said. "Whatever
your challenges, you over-
came them. Hopefully,
you had some fun along
the way. Tonight is your
night."
Anderson also paid trib-
ute to the faculty and staff
at CHOICE. With their
help, she said, the gradu-
ates' journey "would have
been much more difficult."
Donnalyn Roberts --
affectionately referred to
as "Diva" by students and
staff alike -- is a 2008
CHOICE graduate and
now works as a GEAR UP
tutor at the school.
Roberts, a Native
American, told a story of
Grandmother Cedar Tree
and a young girl nick-
named "Aye Aye Ish."
The name. Roberts said,
meant "dumb and stupid"
to everyone in the village.
Aye Aye Ish, as Rob-
erts recounted the tale,
was not permitted to learn
any skills for fear that she
would simply mess it up.
After all, she was "dumb
and stupid," Roberts said.
But Grandmother Ce-
dar Tree taught the girl
the skill of basket weaving
for her and her fellow vil-
lagers to carry water from
the river to their homes.
After much trial and er-
ror, the girl mastered the
skill -- something the girl
would have no matter who
called her any names in
See CHOICE on page A-7
2012 Mason County Graduations:
Read the She#on-Mason County
Journal's graduation guide in this
week's paper. Find interviews of
closs volidictorions and all of your
gruduutes' senior photos.
MMK grads ready to
'affect the world'
By KEVIN SPRADLIN
kevin@m a so ncou~#y.com
Growing up in a com-
munity such as Matlock
helps students forge a spe-
cial bond.
That was evident on
Saturday during the 80th
annual commencement ex-
ercise at Mary M. Knight
High School.
It was a graduation
with a personal touch.
Having a Class of 2012
with 13 members can per-
mit things like that.
MMK staff, friends and
family bid a fond farewell
to the outgoing seniors
on Saturday inside the
school's gymasium.
The 90-minute program
allowed each graduate
a turn at the podium to
thank parents or key sup-
porters for their support
over the years.
Each senior created
a slideshow that was
shown to the audience.
And behind the bleach-
Journ~ photo by Kewn Spraolln
Mary M. Knight
High School
valedictorian Emily
Johnson smiles
during graduation on
June 9 in Matlock.
ers, 13 tables -- one
designated for each se-
nior featured photos,
mementos, trinkets and
trophies, of high school
memories from each
student's four-year jour-
ney.
See Knight on page A-7