By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews
WALDPORT — Waldport High School’s class of 2023 sets sail for the future Friday with a senior class that weathered a global pandemic while still managing to keep their collective compasses on course to graduate.
Thirty-three graduates will leave Waldport High in their wake with more than 20 mapping out plans for college while the remainder jump headlong into jobs and careers.
Some of the college majors mentioned by seniors include theater, psychology, history, computer science and entomology, while career plans tack toward healthcare, business, engineering, blue-collar trades, teaching and law enforcement.
A senior scholarship awards ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday and graduation is at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Both take place in the high school gymnasium and are open to the public.
Waldport’s graduation is the second of five for the Lincoln County School District. Eddyville held its graduation June 2; Taft, Toledo and Newport high schools hold their ceremonies Saturday.
Waldport High principal Amy Skirvin touted the graduates for their involvement in extracurricular activities, leadership and their steadfast spirits as Covid forced them to learn online for a good portion of their sophomore year.
“They’re just a generally good, solid class,” Skirvin said. “Usually by the time you hit mid senior year you’re ready for them to graduate because they’re ready, but I’m not ready for this class to leave. They’re very respectful and studious and want to do well.”
School counselor Denise Krouse seconded the sentiment.
“They are very easy to get along with,” she said. “They are just a good group and good role models.”
Three of those role models are Iris Donovan of Yachats, the class valedictorian, Elise Greene of Waldport, a soon-to-be wildland firefighter, and Lia Babb of Seal Rock, the first in her family bound for college.
Donovan continues to keep her nose to the grindstone as she takes college classes at the high school in preparation for attending Oregon State University’s honors college where she will study forestry.
Donovan, who was on the track and cross-country teams, said the hardest part of high school is this final push while the best part was playing sports during her freshman year.
“It was before Covid happened,” she said. “I feel like after Covid a lot of the people that I looked up to as leaders in sports had graduated. After that I felt kind of separated from people in sports, but my freshman year we had a great cross-country team and that’ll definitely be my favorite memory.”
Donovan excelled studying at home during the pandemic and has been a straight-A student since junior high and gave kudos to a favorite teacher when asked to give a shoutout to someone.
“Mrs. Greel has the best grading structure of any teacher and is just the best teacher overall,” she said. “She’s just a great teacher.”
Elise Greene found her passion during high school, which she will be following when she attends wildland firefighter training with the Oregon Department of Forestry in Sweet Home 10 days after graduation.
“I just like being outside and doing hands-on work,” she said. “I’ve always been around it. My dad has always been an outdoorsy person and I grew up in the woods.”
As tough and dangerous as firefighting is there’s no doubt it will be a bit of a respite for Greene, who managed a 3.7 GPA while playing soccer her freshman year and basketball all four years, and working at Luna Sea Fish House in Yachats four days a week. She shrugged off her hard work and academic success.
“It’s just important to me to have good grades and I do everything in my power to make that happen,” she said. “I want to be successful. There’s been people in my family that didn’t graduate and I just want to make them proud.”
Lia Babb enjoyed leadership and spirit-oriented activities along with choir and forestry and is excited to be the first in her family to attend college. She received a Portland State University tuition free scholarship and an Oregon Opportunity Grant.
“It’s pretty cool,” she said. “My dad went into the Navy and my mom just went into the workforce. I feel lucky and my parents feel lucky I have the opportunity.”
Babb will study business administration management and leadership, with a plan to someday open a business catering to women that combines a salon, spa and bar.
The toughest part of high school for Babb was staying home during Covid, where at age 15, she said she was more motivated to sleep all day than study.
“I just feel like I’m better when the teachers are pushing me,” she said. “But now I’m super excited for college. I can’t wait to move.”
The graduation rate for 2023 is hard to predict because it is based on a group of students starting in the students’ freshman year, school officials said. But the graduation rate last year was 93 percent, while the state average last year was 81.3 percent. There are currently 183 students attending Waldport.
Waldport High School Class of 2023 graduates
- Abbey Anderson, Honors diploma
- Shish Shee-Ne Aspria
- Lia Marie Babb
- Lasha L. Banta, Honors diploma
- Josiah Burton-McGee, Honors diploma
- Iris Marie Donovan, Honors diploma, Valedictorian
- Sophia Marie Elizondo, Honors diploma
- Rae’Lynn Florez
- Claudio Galante
- Gabrielle Nichole Glenn, exchange student
- Andrew Gordon, Honors diploma
- Elise Tatum Greene
- Tristen D. Holt
- Justice Wilson Jackson
- Santa Jeronimo-Matias
- Valour Samuel Jones, Honors diploma, Salutatorian
- Oscar Benjamin Juarez
- Alexavier King
- Triston E. Lupardes
- Adam Lee MacFarlane, Jr.
- Liam J. Morgan
- Kathryn M. Pankey
- Kaden R. Parker
- Hunter A. Postma
- Jory Marcus Reed
- Cayden R. Ritchey
- Remy R. Ritchey
- Dulton J. Rodgers
- Eli J. Spangrud
- William S.Thaler
- Eli W. Thomas
- Jake E. Turkaly
- Levi A. Von Dallwitz
To see a slide show of the Waldport High School graduating class of 2023 go here
- Garret Jaros is YachatsNews’ full-time reporter and can be reached at GJaros@YachatsNews.com