The Lopez Island School District has a lot to be proud of. In this year’s senior class, 10 of the 26 graduates (about 40 percent) rank among the top 10 percent of 2008 graduates from Washington high schools.

Commencement ceremonies were held in the Lopez High School gym on Saturday, June 7 in front of a standing-room only crowd. The class was introduced by Principal Roland MacNichol followed by the traditional roll-call of the Class History by seniors Mikhael Burt and Randi Ritchie.

Seven students received Presidential Excellence Awards by maintaining a 3.5 GPA throughout high school and scoring above the 85th percentile on the SAT or ACT exams: Samuel Barr, Isaac Berg, Terrell Carter, Lars Henriksen, Willem Post van der Burg, Benjamin Strom and Arielle Wilson.

Co-valedictorians Carter and Wilson delivered their address to the class as a theatrical-style dialogue and guest speaker Lopez teacher Richard Tetu reminded the students to “make lots of mistakes in life.”

After a video slide show of the students from infancy to adulthood was shown, 70 scholarships provided by Lopez business and service organizations totaling over $35,000 were distributed to the graduates and former graduates. “This is an indication of the generosity of the community,” said School Academic Counselor Jeanna Carter. “Quite a number of the students have also received generous scholarships and full-rides from the colleges and universities they plan to attend.”

Earlier in the week, the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) announced that the Lopez girls’ golf team was named the State 1B League Academic State Champion for the spring athletic season. The 11-member team, coached by Tetu, has a combined average GPA of 3.590 and was awarded the Dairy Farmers of Washington/Les Schwab Tires highest award for their collective academic excellence.