2011 Baccalaureate

I suspect that it is not a huge surprise to those of you who follow my blog with any level of consistency that any activity or accomplishment that “my” students are a part of is something that brings me great pride and excitement. Reaching the end of the school year and all of the graduation related festivities are among some of the most special moments for high school students and their families.

In my opinion, graduation weekend truly kicks off each year with the Baccalaureate service. Held annually at a local church, this activity is sponsored by the Activity Club and celebrates the accomplishments of the WKHS seniors, honors the impact they have left on the school and community, and wishes the seniors good luck as they move on in life toward the exciting activities and adventures ahead.

There are so many talented students and individuals who are a part of the senior class and several of them shared their gifts as a part of the service, including many of "my" students.





CW Boyles served as the emcee for the evening and offered the invocation and introduced the Keynote Speaker, Dr. Rink who was a member of the 1st graduating class at WKHS.








Chad Ellwood introduced the parent speaker, Vince Trombetti and he also shared one of his favorite quotes as a part of the evening.







Holly Klepek sang “The Chain” as a part of a trio and she was also awarded one of the Activity Club Scholarships in recognition for her vast array of community service and leadership activities over the last 4 years.












Christina Carrizales performed “Time to Say Goodbye.”

Gina Badillo and Carmen Casillas (seniors) along with Arthur Ding and Hunter Atha (juniors) were a part of the Encore and Acafellas performance of “Seasons of Love.”

The benediction included Ethan Dixius sharing one of his favorite inspirational quotes.

“Come to the Water” is the signature song for the WKHS choir groups and it is a beautiful and moving song. The choir members along with Encore and Acafellas sang it while all of the senior students stood together, with candles, in front of their family members and friends. And the evening also included a wide range of pictures from baby pictures to senior pictures and many in between.

Hopefully it was a special service for the senior students and I know that it required a great deal of planning and effort on behalf of the planning committee. Several of “my” students were involved with making this event a success including committee members CW Boyles, Ethan Dixius and Chad Ellwood. Two of the parents of my students, Anita Doran (mom to Cole) and Rosemary Pfeifer (mom to Lou) chaired the Baccalaureate planning committee for the Activity Club and Kelly Baumgardner (mom to Sean) and Amy Cameron (mom to Carly) also served on the committee.

Throughout the service I am confident in saying that I was not alone in thinking of special moments and memories with the seniors and offering up prayers of gratitude for the people you are today and the impact you will make on this world in the future! I wish all of you the best and hope that this was just the start of a wonderful and memorable weekend.