Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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The 2026 Cardinal Homecoming began Friday, September 25, with a student competition to decorate parts of campus, including the cage. The junior class won "Best Decorations". The school selected daily themes for the following week. Monday was Pajama Day, and at the daily assembly, the sophomores won the cup game. Tuesday was Jersey Day, and the sophomores again won at Musical Chairs at the assembly. Wednesday was Dress Your Age Day, where freshmen were babies, sophomores were toddlers, juniors...
WALLA WALLA — Washington State University Walla Walla County Extension invites the community to its annual Open House on October 10, 2026, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the WSU Extension Office, at 328 W Poplar, Walla Walla, Wash. This family-friendly event showcases Extension programs, including hands-on activities about 4-H, agriculture, STEM, gardening, and more. Attendees can see live poultry, rabbits, goats, and pigs, explore sewing, cooking, and robotics projects, and gain gardening tips from Master Gardeners. Free seeds and expert advice w...
Waitsburg Elementary held its first Students of the Month assembly for the school year on Friday, October 2. Each grade recognizes a student for excelling at one of the PRIDE traits: Preparedness, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Excellence....
Waitsburg lost its homecoming football game against Pomeroy. 74-12. Cardinal coach Gabe Kiefel said it was rough, with his team starting strong but ultimately unable to string plays together. In the first quarter, Pomeroy started off with the ball and ran for a 70-yard touchdown on their first offensive play. Kiefel was happy with how the Cardinals responded as JJ Gleason met Uriah York on a couple of big passes to score a touchdown. Dylan Gutierrez recovered an onside kick, and the coaches...
Waitsburg Middle School volleyball team lost both matches against Rogers Adventist School on Monday, September 28, and Desales Catholic School on Wednesday, September 30. In the junior varsity game against Rogers, Dakota Creeley and Avery Springs led the team in serving in the 25-13, 25-17, 25-17 loss. Springs also had two aces. Vaida Langford and Grace Eastman played well in passing, and Eastman was named Player of the Game. The varsity team committed too many serving errors against Rogers,...
On Friday, September 25, the Waitsburg varsity football team beat Touchet 54-14 in a non-conference game. Coach Gabe Kiefel said the game was a mix of outstanding performances and sophomoric mistakes. The wind also played a significant role, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour that hampered the passing game and what the team could do. Penalties affected the outcome of the game, as the Cardinals had at least three touchdowns called back for various reasons Waitsburg started slowly, and before they knew it, the game was tied 8-8. JJ Gleason put...
Waitsburg Middle School’s volleyball team lost a close match to Dayton on Monday, September 21. The Cardinals were victorious in their first set, winning 25–20. Olivia Long served four aces in the set. Waitsburg dropped the last two sets 25–21 and 25–23. Jaylynn Gleason served 11/11 in set three. Adalin Acevedo ended the match with two kills. Shylo Hedges, Emma Langford and Gleason had good passes in the match. “This was the team’s first game of the season; first game ever for a few players and they were a little nervous,” said coach Karen H...
The Waitsburg Cardinals’ volleyball team lost to Lacrosse in five sets on Kison Court on Thursday, September 22. The Cardinals won the first set 25-19 before dropping the second set 25-22. They then won the third set, with a chance to win the best-of-five-sets match. The Cardinals lost the fourth set 25-20 and the fifth set 15-9. Highlights in the match include Shaunna Hilton, who served six aces; Cheri Mathews, seven aces; Joslin Nodine, 12 digs; Ellie Teal, five blocks; Katy Allen, four aces and two blocks; and Olivia Kiefel, three aces a...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Historical Society enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day as it held its annual Fall Festival on Sunday, September 20. The grass at the Bruce Museum was green, and the windless sky was bright blue. The event included a morning church service, a presentation of the Pioneer Family of the Year, museum tours, live music, antique cars, vendors, a style show, a pie contest, and grilled burgers enjoyed by community members and visitors. Ron and Marilyn Groom were honored as the 2026...
Waitsburg suffered a defeat against Liberty Christian on Friday, September 18; 52-0. "This was a very tough match against a team that finished 2nd in the state last year. Liberty Christian is a big school playing 8-man football. If the count were done right now, they would be a 2B school. They have 17 seniors and 50 players on the team. It is hard to compete with that. Nonetheless, our boys showed up and didn't quit. They fought for every inch and every down," said coach Gabe Kiefel....
Waitsburg’s youth football team had three scrimmages at a jamboree in Athena on Saturday, September 19. The team won one and lost two. In the first game, two players sustained injuries, leaving only eight boys for the remaining two scrimmages. Waitsburg’s Julian Gillentine, Gavin Watkins, and Isaac Knudson scored touchdowns. “The team played with a lot of pride,” said coach Daniel Watkins. “A couple of players had to change to unfamiliar positions, but they performed well. Our defense struggled in some areas, but overall, the tackling...
Waitsburg High School's volleyball team played four matches in four straight days last week. The first match was varsity only at Oakesdale on Monday, September 14. The Cardinals lost 25-8, 25-5, 25-7. Teammates Cheri Mathews, Ellie Teal, Kenzie Castillo, and Katy Allen served with no errors during the first match. However, the team did not get any blocks or kills. At Dayton on September 15, the ladies dropped the match in three sets: 25-10, 25-15, 25-14. "The team served 28/39, had some great...
DAYTON - Three Waitsburg girls participated in the Columbia County Fair Horse Show on August 29 and 30 at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. Sydney Smith earned 1st place in the Western Pleasure junior class; 1st place in the English Pleasure junior class; and received red ribbons in Fitting and Showing, Halter Mare Class, and Trail class. Ashlyn Brooks was the Reserve Champion in Fitting and Showing intermediate class and received two blue ribbons in Halter Geldings and Western Pleasure...
Waitsburg Middle School’s football team lost their first game of the season, 62-25, at Pomeroy on Thursday, September 10. “It was a learning opportunity, as it was the first game ever for a lot of our kids. So, we came out a little timid, but we picked it up in the second half. Super proud of how the boys stayed resilient despite being put in positions they don’t normally play due to injuries throughout the game. We are excited about how we finished the game, and we are looking to carry that momentum towards Dayton next week,” said coach C...
Cardinal Football Waitsburg High School's football team won their first home game of the season, 36-26, against Sunnyside Christian on Friday, September 4. The Cardinals went into halftime down 20-18. Both teams scored a touchdown in the third quarter, and then the Cardinals shut down Sunnyside's offense in the fourth quarter while scoring 12 points to win the game. Senior JJ Gleason had a great overall game rushing for 262 yards and scoring four touchdowns. As quarterback, he threw for 174 yard...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg students will see three new faces when they start school on September 8. Abby Seney, Christopher Kinnaird and Haden Wegner are starting their careers with the Cardinal staff. Seney will be greeting students at the elementary school as the District/Elementary Administrative Assistant. Before joining the Cardinal staff, Seney worked as a certified medical assistant at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla. Seney was born and raised in Walla Walla with a love for...
WALLA WALLA - The 2026 Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days, held from September 2 through 6, offered five days of live music, a parade, racing, livestock competitions, and awards. The annual event also honored cancer survivors, veterans, and retirees. Students garnered awards and numerous blue ribbons competing in FFA, Grange and 4-H youth livestock competitions. The fair kicked off on September 2 with a concert by headliner Cheap Trick, on tour since 1974. Thursday was a sold-out demolition...
WAITSBURG - While the end of the school year offers him a chance to relax, Superintendent Monty Sabin recently reflected on how he begins to miss the students and staff as the summer drives on. He was excited to welcome new and returning staff to the school, as they prepare classrooms and programs for the new year. "It's a happy place for me. I look forward to the first day of school and seeing the students excited with their energy and smiles," said Sabin. Sabin is also excited about the new...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg High School's football team participated in a jamboree on Friday, Aug 28 in Pomeroy against Tekoa-Rosalia, Dayton, DeSales, Pomeroy and Liberty Christian. Coach Gabe Kiefel said the jamboree was a good first outing for Cardinal football. The team played a total of forty snaps. They played ten snaps on offense against both Liberty Christian and Dayton, and ten snaps on defense against both Tekoa-Rosalia and Pomeroy. Kiefel said it was a great chance to see where the team is...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg High School coaches are preparing their athletes for the upcoming season. Vickie Hamann is the cheerleading coach, Athletic Director Gabe Kiefel is the head football coach, and Jamie Smit is the head volleyball coach. This year's cheer team captains are Juniors Chloe McCaw and Audrey Walker. McCaw is in her third year of cheer, and Walker is in her second. Other teammates include juniors Victoria Whitmore, Bella Contreras, Yaneli Fores, sophomore Sasha Mercado, and...
WAITSBURG - Teachers Eleanora Montgomery and Allyson Filan held a preschool-kindergarten summer camp on August 10 through 13, from 9 to 11 a.m. The camp was open to students ages three to five who are registered to attend school in the Waitsburg School District. It was an opportunity for students to become familiar with the school facilities and their teachers, in preparation of the new school year. "It is a great camp to get students into a routine and familiar with the building, such as...
WAITSBURG - Retired Waitsburg School District teachers Jim Davison, Liv Leid, Roseann Groom, and retired Prescott teacher Susan DeRuwe attended the 2026 Washington State School Retirees' Association State Convention on June 8-10. At the convention, Davison was honored with the Ester Wilfong Award. He was nominated by the Walla Walla-Columbia School and the Benton Franklin School Retirees' Associations. The Ester Wilfong Legislative Advocacy Award is presented to a WSSRA member who has...
WAITSBURG - Fall is closing in, and the Cardinal sports program is getting ready for the new school year. On August 3, Waitsburg Middle School and High School coaches participated in an orientation led by the district's new athletic director, Gabe Kiefel. Kiefel joined the Waitsburg School District as a middle school math and science teacher in 2014. He is now the science teacher at the high school. As AD, he will bring his experience from coaching high school football, middle school...
Adventures await. Two Saturdays – two adventures. One to the west – one to the east. Luckily, the weather was ideal for both outings. The first Saturday destination was about four hours to the west, to Ainsworth State Park in Oregon. The park is the only overnight campground along the waterfall corridor on the Historic Columbia River Highway, where we planned to board the Waterfall Trolley. The Waterfall Trolley hop-on-hop-off tour includes up to six waterfalls and a stop at Vista House. We pur...
