Camas-Washougal celebrates 2023 high school graduates

Camas-Washougal seniors said goodbye to their K-12 school days this week.

Families, friends, teachers, high school staff and school district administrators gathered at five commencement ceremonies June 7-10, to celebrate more than 800 local high school graduates from the class of 2023.

“The amount of skills and knowledge you’ve acquired and will continue to acquire is one of the biggest assets you have,” Camas High School Principal Kelly O’Rourke told the 440 Camas High class of 2023 graduates gathered at Doc Harris Stadium on Friday, June 9. “Nobody can take that from you … it’s yours for keeps.”

The majority of Camas High School graduates — 87% — will continue on to some level of higher education after high school, O’Rourke said. An additional 10 students have enrolled in the armed forces or will attend military training schools and 31 graduates not only earned their high school diploma but also their associate’s degree from Clark College. The Camas High class of 2023 also earned $4.5 million in scholarships.

O’Rourke urged her graduates to continue soaking up knowledge after leaving high school.

“You need to continue to strive to learn, strive to continue to strengthen your brain,” O’Rourke said. “Read as much as possible. Network with people around the globe. … Never be content with the status quo.”

The principal encouraged the new graduates to remember they have their whole lives ahead of them.

“Do not feel you are tied to a course of study or a career path you’re currently interested in or working toward,” O’Rourke said. “You have a whole life ahead of you.”

The principal added that there are three things she believes helped her find her way in life: working hard, being kind and continuing to learn.

“It doesn’t matter what you choose to do in life, you’re going to be very successful,” the Camas High principal said. “And I can’t wait to hear all the amazing things you do.”

Student leaders from Camas High’s class of 2023 spoke during the commencement ceremony and honored Amee Ward, a Camas special education teacher who died Jan. 7, 2023.

The students also chose Camas High history teacher Mark Tomasetti as the school’s 2023 “Teacher of the Year.”

Tomasetti delivered a commencement speech that recalled the hardships Camas High’s class of 2023 have weathered during their four years of high school.

“Your principal resigned mid-year, there were threats against the school, COVID shut the whole school down — and that was just your freshman year,” Tomasetti said.

“You had three principals in four years and teachers like me and my colleagues have, at times, pushed you to your breaking point. But you adapted, improvised and some of you mastered the art of procrastination,” Tomsetti said to laughter. “And now, as a final act of revenge, you’re making me talk in front of a very large audience.”

The history teacher also spoke about the state of the world these graduates are about to enter as independent young adults and urged them to remember the lessons he tried to instill in his history classes.

“While some parts of the country want to sanitize or censor history, I simply refuse to do so,” Tomasetti said to applause from the graduates and their families. “History can and should be uncomfortable at times. That’s how we learn. As I tell stories from history, I try not to show just his-story, but her-story, their-story. History is about trying to understand different perspectives.”

Tomasetti encouraged the graduates to explore the world and enjoy their time with family and friends.

“One thing history tells us is that life is short,” Tomasetti said. “We all have the same destination, so enjoy the journey. Enjoy it. Enjoy your friends. Enjoy your family … Experience different cultures, try new foods … explore your passions and your interests.”

Washougal High

Washougal High School held a Senior Parade through downtown Washougal on Friday, June 9, and a commencement ceremony celebrating the school’s 247 class of 2023 graduates at Fishback Stadium on Saturday, June 10.

Senior Benjamin Stephenson, one of Washougal High’s five 2023 valedictorians, and Washougal High Principal Mark Castle delivered the school’s commencement speeches.

Stephenson urged his classmates to enjoy the little things life has to offer.

“Just because something isn’t groundbreaking doesn’t mean that it is insignificant. Having appreciation for the small things in life builds up really fast, and that’s what keeps me happy,” Stephenson said in his commencement speech. “Making the decision to be happy today instead of constantly waiting for the larger things in life has helped me tremendously. While having a long-term plan in mind is still important, it is just as important to live in the moment, and make the most out of every living, breathing day that we are on this fine planet.”

Castle said he knew the past four years had not been easy for members of the class of 2023 — who had not finished their freshman year of high school when precautions against the SARS-CoV-2 virus shuttered schools across the state in March 2020.

“I know that the past four years have not been easy and you could have chosen to let that keep you down, but you didn’t. You chose to make the most of your years and leave Washougal better than you when you arrived,” Castle told the class of 2023 graduates.

“… Success is not defined by what you learn in books and classrooms,” Castle added. “It’s about your determination, finding your passions and seizing your opportunities. It’s about doing the work that no one else wants to do and looking for things that others don’t see. It’s about adapting and growing to better yourself and those around you each and every day.”

The principal urged graduates to push beyond their comfort zones.

“Go for your dream job and rock the interview,” Castle said. “Dare to share your experiences and knowledge with those around you and, lastly, listen to others, as you might just be surprised who has something to teach you.”

CCA, Discovery, Hayes Freedom high schools

Nearly 120 Camas seniors graduated from one of the school district’s three choice high schools – Camas Connect Academy (CCA), Discovery High School and Hayes Freedom High School — this year.

CCA, the district’s online K-12 program that was founded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as a way to provide more stability for families who wanted their students to remain remote when their neighborhood schools moved to a hybrid of remote and in-person teaching, celebrated its class of 2023 graduates with an in-person commencement ceremony on Wednesday, June 7.

Discovery, the Camas School District’s project-based learning (PBL) high school that opened in 2019, celebrated its second-ever group of graduating seniors on Thursday, June 8, with an outdoor ceremony on the PBL campus.

Hayes Freedom held its traditional commencement ceremony — which typically highlights several student speakers — at the high school on Saturday, June 10.

CCA Principal Daniel Huld thanked his graduating seniors for choosing CCA and said some of the 45 seniors who graduated this week had been with the remote school since its inception.

The principal encouraged the graduates to turn their backs on the constant pressure from social media to be “perfect.”

“This world will tell you to be all kinds of things, but I think you just need to be peaceful and happy with who you truly are,” he said.

The CCA commencement ceremony turned the spotlight on every graduate, telling the crowd where the seniors were headed after high school, what they’d worked on for their senior projects and what they were passionate about. Though many of the CCA graduates planned to go to college after high school, several said they hoped to go straight into the workforce and some were working to finish their cosmetology licenses, taking a “gap year,” working on getting a pilot’s license, embarking on 18-month mission trips for the Church of Latter-day Saints or still trying to figure out their next steps.

Huld also urged the new graduates to remember the importance of taking a break every now and then.

“I encourage you to climb some mountains and do incredible things … but I also encourage you to rest and take it easy once in a while,” Huld said. “There is so much change coming your way. It’s really important to take a moment, look at the trees … sit at a lake … and just reflect. So, do awesome things, but also just rest.”

The Discovery High commencement featured several student speakers, a guest speaker — English teacher Mackenzie Streissguth — and the school’s founding principal, Aaron Smith, who said he hadn’t given an official graduation speech since he was named his high school’s Associated Student Body (ASB) president in 1989.

“I want to talk about something that came to me later in life … and that’s the importance of having core values you lean into during your life,” Smith told the graduating seniors.

After talking about how the students have helped him lean into his own core values of courage and creativity, Smith said he has done his best to show support to all students at Discovery over the past five years.

“I hope I have demonstrated that I am a supporter of all students — conservative, progressive, straight, gay, Democrat, Republican, religious, non-religious, you-name-it, white, brown, Black and all the beautiful colors in between,” Smith said. “I have done my best to support all students and show the world with our little microcosm here that a diverse group of people can have courageous conversations and come up with solutions together.”

Telling the students that it took him a very long time to feel comfortable sharing his own truth – that he is a gay man with a male partner – Smith encouraged the group of young adults to use their own stores of courage and creativity to make the world a better place.

“The LGBTQIA community is under attack, with over 40 (anti-LGBTQ) bills in state legislatures this year,” Smith said. “We have a climate crisis. Our country is torn apart. We can’t have basic conversations. (But) you can help us with your courage and creativity. I know you can.”

The theme of belonging and accepting others as they are was also one of the highlights of the Hayes Freedom High School commencement ceremony.

Hayes science teacher Molly Parente was one of several commencement speakers for this year’s graduation ceremony.

“Belonging is the driving force behind our actions,” Parente said. “And I hope every student at Hayes feels as though they belong. But I know that’s optimistic, that we still have work to do. Any school that cares can always improve.”

Hayes Freedom Principal Amy Holmes said she was caught between not wanting to let go of this group of seniors she’s grown so attached to – and of being so proud of their accomplishments.

“Do not look outward and depend on others to decide who you need to be,” Holmes told the graduating seniors. “When you wake up each day, choose to be kind. … It’s time for you to go take, create and make your place in this world.”

To watch the commencement ceremonies, visit the Camas School District’s YouTube channel at tinyurl.com/ydw4dwmt

Post-Record reporter Doug Flanagan contributed to this news story.