TONASKET – The Tonasket High School Class of 2011 was urged to create well-balanced lives during their graduation ceremony in the THS gym on Saturday, June 11.

“Recently, I have been fortunate enough to learn about a prominent psychologist named Erik Erikson. Erikson has spent much of his career studying the ways in which people develop emotionally and psychologically, and seeing how that development affects their overall quality of life,” Shawn Rader, THS teacher, said during his farewell address to the class. “What he has found is not necessarily surprising, nor is it earth-shattering, but few people have probably ever contemplated what Erikson makes special to note. Listen closely: he says that ‘the richest and fullest lives attempt to achieve an inner balance between three realms: work, love and play.’ Most of us have had at least some experience with all of these, but you young people have not had full exposure to them. So let’s spend a little time taking a closer look at these three parts to a happy life.”

Rader first spoke of the area of their lives which most of the Class of 2011 is most familiar with: play.

“Your life will be full of responsibilities whether they come from your job or your family, but if there is one thing that I can press upon you as an adult it is to not forget how to play,” he said before next address the big, bad, four-letter word: work.

“Some of you might actually know what work is, but many of you don’t. I’m talking about going somewhere to do the same thing, for at least eight hours a day. Yes, a real honest to goodness job,” Rader said. “Obviously, the most important thing is to find something to do that you are passionate about; something that motivates you and makes you want to go to work in the morning. But within that lies some important things to consider. A study was done to find out what characteristics were present in a job that made people happy in their profession, and three common attributes arose. First, people that were happy in their jobs found them to be challenging and complex. Secondly, people that were content wanted to do something to effect people in a positive way over the course of their entire career. And lastly, happy workers wanted to be able to use creativity and innovation to solve the problems their jobs placed before them.”

Finally, Rader spoke to the students about finding the most elusive leg of the happiness triangle: love.

“Love is a very complex emotion, with many facets,” he said. “But they all differ from another type of love that most of you have yet to experience. This love deals with a romantic and passionate love where desire and longing for another person is usually present. The reason most of you have not yet felt this type of love is not a flaw in your character, or a missing part of your lives, but that you simply have not developed emotionally to a point to be able to truly feel it…True love is about genuinely wanting to make the other person happy, and to create a nurturing relationship that is selfless and free of judgment.”

While awaiting their diplomas, the students also heard speeches from their valedictorian, Tyler Thornton, and their salutatorian, Jessica Rhoads.

Thornton’s speech focused on competition in life and how it’s the key to success and how the concept has evolved throughout the graduates’ lives.

“Competition with one-self to achieve their potential drives this country and this generation will be no different. As we look to the past, we notice that some of our greatest generations, leaders, and producers have risen from turmoil and uncertainty by competing and striving to be the best that they could be,” Thornton said. “Looking at our community here in Tonasket, responsibility, hard work and respectful competition has shaped each of us from a young age…We’ve experienced a ton together in a way that only a smaller school like ours can provide. We don’t exactly know what challenges face us around the corner, but if we DARE to be great and stay true to ourselves, WE will be that generation that poor valedictorians of the future will get to talk about!”

Rhoads spoke about the friendships she made in school and how those will be memories to cherish and she and her classmates move on to life after high school.

“Together we entered high school strong and connected, with the will and determination to make it to this point today. The friendships I developed made high school seem like bliss and I never wanted to face my future away from them. Now, we have reached the day of our graduation, our final time truly together, that future is brutally imminent, but I now know the time that we had, which goes by much too quickly to waste, was well spent, productive, and worthwhile,” Rhoads said. “We can now go on with our lives, put all the bad behind us, and just remember all the good times and the smiles and the life-long friendships we’ve made. While we reminisce on the past and the memories we’ve made, we also look forward to a brighter future. Each student of the THS class of 2011 has great potential to inspire, influence, and impact whoever is brought into their lives.”

While awards and scholarships were being given out to the students who’d earned them, Athletic Director Kevin Terris announced that the Class of 2011 had received more Caribou Trail League Scholar awards than any class before it. There were 13 CTL Scholars Athletes graduating.

The complete list of graduates with their awards, scholarships and achievements is as follows:

Ramshah Akhlaq: Pacific Intercultural Exchange Outstanding Student Award.

Jerian Ashley: Fraternal Order of the Eagles Tonasket Aerie #3002 $1,000.00, Loomis Similkameen Community Club $500.00, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement Community Foundation of NCW-Grace Motteler Ekman Whitley Scholarship $3,170.00 and Community Foundation of NCW-Okanogan Masonic Lodge #16–Herbert and Elizabeth Davis Scholarship $300.00.

Colton Ayers: Wenatchee Central Lion’s Club Player of the All-Star Game $200.00, Tonasket Athletic Booster Club $200.00, US Bank $500.00, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Advanced Placement Student.

Taylor Ayers: Tonasket Commancheros Rodeo Club $500.00 and Mt. Olive Grange #986 $500.00.

Haley Bayless: Columbia River Carbonates and Sawyer & Sawyer, Inc., Society of Women Engineers Science and Mathematics Award, Walla Walla Community College Foundation–Sandra Blackaby Scholarship $1,500.00, Okanogan County Cattlewomen $1,000.00, Wayne Asmussen $1,000.00, Community Foundation of NCW-Marlene & Henry Bauer Scholarship $4,000.00, Community Foundation of NCW-Okanogan Masonic Lodge #16–Herbert and Elizabeth Davis Scholarship $500.00, George Washington Foundation $1,050.00, Hamilton Youth Foundation $800.00, WA State Honors Award, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord and Advanced Placement Student.

Yeimy Bejar

Aaron Bharucha: Arnold Casey Memorial $500.00, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Advanced Placement Student.

Benjamin Biernacki: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Advanced Placement Student.
Charity Blaney: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Advanced Placement Student.

Riley Buzzard: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Advanced Placement Student.

Tyler Cain: Mt. Olive Grange #986 $500.00 and Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement.

Michelle Carlson: EWU Presidential Scholarship ($2500/yr X4) $10,000.00, Fraternal Order of the Eagles Tonasket Aerie #3002 $1,000.00, Tonasket Education Association $500.00, Tonasket Athletic Booster Club $500.00, Jo Biggs Memorial $525.00, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord, Advanced Placement Student and CTL Scholar Athlete.

Austin Casey: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement.

Stephanie Chua: Advanced Placement Student.

Brandon Clark: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Advanced Placement Student.

Adeena Cleman: Okanogan County Junior Rodeo Association Scholarship, Mt. Olive Grange #986 $500.00, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord and Running Start.

Elizabeth Cleman: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord and Advanced Placement Student.

Anjelica Cosino: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement.

Justin Dellinger: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement.

Lindsie Field: Wenatchee Valley Medical Center $500.00, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Advanced Placement Student.

Benjamin Franklin

James Fry: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Running Start.

Lucero Gonzales: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement.

David Goyette: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Advanced Placement Student.

Haley Grillo: George Washington Foundation $2,000.00, Joan Inlow Hylton Scholarship $300.00, LFW Dance $250.00, The Junction $700.00, Ken and Joan Smith Honorary Scholarship $500.00, North Valley Hospital Guild $200.00, Washington Apple Education Foundation-Don Morse Memorial/Chelan Fruit Scholarship $2,000.00, WSU Access & Opportuntiy Award $12,000.00, WSU Camp Scholarship $1,500.00, WSU Future Cougars of Color ($1000/YRx4) $4,000.00, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord and Advanced Placement Student.

Matthew Gschiel: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord, Advanced Placement Student and CTL Scholar Athlete.

Jayden Hawkins: North Valley Hospital Guild $300.00, WSU Access & Opportuntiy Award (3000 x 3) $9,000.00, WSU University Acheivement Award (1000 x 2) $2,000.00, Army Recruiting Scholar Athletes, Ole Drew Athletic Award, Aurora Masonic Lodge #201 $500.00, T-Club Award, Tonasket Athletic Booster Club $500.00, North Valley Hospital & Nursing Home $500.00, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord, Advanced Placement Student and CTL Scholar Athlete.

Rosa Heavenrich

Ciara Housman: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement.

Kaitlyn Howerton: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Running Start.

Brandon Hudson: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement.

Stephen Hulse

Trevor Jensen

Clayton Jones

Thaddeus Kautzky

Karen Keeton: Mt. Olive Grange #986 $750.00, Okanogan County Cattlewomen $1,000.00, Smith & Nelson -H L Smith Memorial $500.00, Tunk Valley Grange #1019 $1,000.00 and Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement.

Shane Lange: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Advanced Placement Student.

Ali Langehaug: Pacific Intercultural Exchange Outstanding Student Award.

Tyler Laurie: Tonasket Athletic Booster Club $500.00 and Tonasket Alumni Association $500.00.

Lee Leavell: T-Club Award, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement and Advanced Placement Student.

Flor Maldonado: Tom Mathison Memorial Scholarship $5,000.00, WSU Academic Diversity Scholarship $8,000.00, WSU Camp Scholarship $1,500.00, WSU Future Cougars of Color ($1000/YRx4) $4,000.00, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord and Advanced Placement Student.

Keegan McCormick: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord and Advanced Placement Student.

Cory McLaughlin: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement.

Corbin Mirick: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord Advanced Placement Student and CTL Scholar Athlete.

Terry Morgan: Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement.

Corbin Moser: WSU Future Cougars of Color ($1000/YRx4) $4,000.00, Army Recruiting Scholar Athletes, Okanogan County Cattlewomen $1,000.00, Tonasket Athletic Booster Club $700.00, Roy’s Pharmacy $1,000.00, Avery Berg Foundational Trust $500.00, Hamilton Youth Foundation $800.00, PEMCO/Washington State School Retirees’ Assoc.-Robert J Handy Memorial Scholarship ($900/YRx4) $3,600.00, Pete Manring Agricultural Scholarship $500.00, Washington Apple Education Foundation-Valent USA Scholarship $1,000.00, Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual Achievement, Gold Honor Cord, Advanced Placement Student and CTL Scholar Athlete.