Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG - Waitsburg High School's one hundred and thirtieth annual commencement took place on Friday, June 5, in the WHS gymnasium. The Class of 2026 chose "The only impossible journey is the one you never begin," by Tony Robbins, as their motto. Class marshals Cody Coulston and Ellie Teal opened the ceremony by presenting flags. Music Director Elizabeth Jagelski led band members Rozalynn Harvey, Ellie Teal, Andrew Gillum, Cheri Mathews, Olivia Duncan, and Yaneli Flores in the processional...
The Waitsburg School's preschool class graduated at 2 p.m. on June 5 in the Waitsburg Elementary multi-purpose room. Fifteen boys and girls are now kindergarteners, starting in the fall of 2026. The lively students sang "It's a Happy Day," "We Are Graduating," "Follow the Rainbow," and closed with "Moving up to Kindergarten." Their teacher, Eleanora Montgomery, asked the students to introduce themselves and share what they wanted to be when they grew up. It seems we may have a lot of policemen...
Twenty-two Waitsburg Middle School eighth graders were promoted to high school freshmen in a ceremony on Monday, June 8, in the high school auditorium. Class President Kaitlyn Paul led the guests in the Pledge of Allegiance. Waitsburg Principal Joe Wirtzberger welcomed the friends, family, and teachers gathered to celebrate the students' promotion. Middle School Teacher Jessica Griffith gave an inspiring speech, followed by speeches from students Laila Long, Ollivyr Dahlby, and Kaitlynn Paul....
Tyler Coulston's 2026 Valedictorian Speech When I think about how far we've come, it's honestly hard to believe. It feels like just yesterday we were little kids playing with toy cars, and now we're driving real cars into the high school parking lot every morning. Somewhere between those little kid days and today, we grew up. The person I was at four years old, walking into preschool for the first time, is completely different from the person standing here now. And a huge part of that change cam...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg Elementary's K-6 Spring Program, "A Blast From The Past," opened with the "National Anthem-Star Spangled Banner," sung by Kestrel DeFord, Kaidence Wilcox, Alyssa Cole, Olivia Long, Brooklyn Board, Azaliah Flores, and Foster Richardson, with Lencio Flores and Mitchell Hays on guitar. Music director Elizabeth Arebalos-Jagelski directed the program, held on June 3, 2026, at 1 pm in the Secondary School Gym. This event marks her last production as she begins a new chapter in...
Fifteen Years Ago June 9, 2011 Seventy-one Seniors Graduate from Waitsburg and Dayton. Prescott High Graduation Friday, June 10. 7 p.m. Lifeguards Cheyenne, Josh Baumgarner, Maya Rapp, and pool manager Sara Tomalinson prepare the apron at the Prescott swimming pool for the upcoming season starting this weekend. Festival founder Tim Christie, flutist Sarah Brady and harpist Amy Ley performed an open rehearsal at Sky Book & Brew in Dayton. They will perform several times in Waitsburg and Dayton th...
COEUR D' ALENE - On May 30, a combined band from the Waitsburg and Dayton school bands participated at a regional "Music in the Park" event at Lake City High School in Coeur d' Alene on May 30. After the performance, the band directors, Jagelski and Gillick, took the students to the Silverwood Theme Park for fun and an awards ceremony. Music in the Parks is a nationwide festival program where school bands and choirs perform, and are critiqued, before visiting local amusement parks, where they...
WAITSBURG — On May 18, Waitsburg Secondary School’s band and guitar classes teamed up with the Dayton High School band for the annual Spring Concert at the WHS Auditorium. Waitsburg’s music teacher, Elizabeth Arebalos-Jagelski, and Dayton’s music teacher, Amy Gillick, directed the event. Waitsburg guitar class members, Lencio Flores and Mitchell Hays, were accompanied by Kate Hockersmith, Carrie Hendrix, and Dan Nechodom. The quartet performed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Angeline,” “Ode to Joy,” “Rocky Top,” “Wagon Wheel,” “Battle of New Or...
"Alright, God, how about a little help?" I muttered through clenched teeth. Sweat soaked my brow and stung my eyes. Grass poked at the back of my neck as I lay on my back, reaching up through hoses, belts, and 49 years of grease and grime. For 15 minutes, I'd struggled to hold a new mechanical fuel pump in place while the bolts refused to thread. The words had barely left my mouth when the bolt caught and threaded in with ease. "Thank you!" I said, my left arm burning from the strain against...
Fifteen Years Ago June 2, 2011 Mandy Kiefel places flowers by the grave of Raymond Leroue, a Vietnam War Veteran who passed away this past year. Leroue was a first cousin of Kiefel's mother, Linda Zavala, here with her nieces, Marisa and Mikele Zavala and Kiefel's daughter Olivia in the stroller. Scholarship recipient David Brock, a Prescott High School senior, helps out at the Christian Aid Center in Walla Wala with fellow Cardinals Joe Purdin and T. J. Hofer. Vietnam Veteran Doug Kennedy from...
Blake Benevides Blake Benevides is the son of Valerie and Shawn and has siblings Quinn and Claudia, both WHS alumni. Benevides came to Waitsburg School as an eighth grader and attends WHS full-time. He has been a member of FFA for four years and was on the homecoming court his freshman year. As a basketball standout in his junior and senior years, Benevides received the Most Improved Award and All-League Honorable Mention his junior year and made the All-League First Team and was voted Most...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg students enjoyed a presentation by Tomas Barraz, a Vive18 co-founder and national speaker, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The day began with an assembly for students in grades 9-12, followed by a second presentation for students in grades 6-8. Barraz spent his lunch break empowering students in the Natural Helpers club to continue efforts, create sober social spaces, and shift school culture from the inside out. Growing up in a small rural community, Tomas saw the d...
Fifteen Years Ago May 26, 2011 Riding shotgun in a World War II jeep, Veteran Jim Hansen greets other Veterans before the start of the parade, which honored them and coincided with Armed Forces Day. DHS junior Caitlin Riley takes on her padded principal, Andy Maheras, in a session designed to teach girls the basics of self-defense. Sophomore Chandra Richardson, WYCA's Ann Passmore and Deputy Columbia County Prosecutor June Riley look on. April Students of the Month for Waitsburg Elementary are...
One of the things I most look forward to in late spring is the first bite of a plump sun ripened strawberry. This week, I noticed the first few bright red fruits ready for picking in our backyard patch. For the next couple of weeks, we will be plucking them by the bowlful. When fruit, such as strawberries, are perfectly ripe, and in-season, the general rule is the simpler the preparation the better. Which is perhaps why the combination of ripe strawberries with shortcake biscuits and whipped cre...
Tyler Coulston Tyler Coulston's parents are Deanna and Cullen. His sister, Grace, is a Waitsurg High School alumna, and his younger brother, Cody, is a freshman. Coulston has attended Waitsburg Schools since preschool. An honor student, he is Vice-President of his senior class and was named the Walla Walla Exchange Club Student of the Month in December of his senior year. He has been an FFA member since his sophomore year and participated on the FFA Ag Mechanics team in his junior and senior...
The Waitsburg Alumni Association welcomed alumni from across the country to its annual banquet held on Saturday, May 16th, at the Waitsburg Town Hall. The evening was a celebration of scholarship, strengthened connections across graduating classes, and support for the association's future. More than 90 guests attended the event. Highlights included scholarship announcements for eight graduates from the Class of 2026, an update on the Prescott School District's economic situation by Prescott Alum...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg High School Class of 1976 gathered to mark its 50th year since graduation, with roughly half of its class returning to reconnect and catch up, one from as far away as Iowa. Thirty-three graduates walked May 28, 1976, and in the intervening five decades, only three have been lost: Elaine Aronson, Leisa Goodwin DeShane and Lonnie Mesick. The group visited, laughed and fondly remembered during a no-host meal at the Whiskey C, hung out that evening at a classmate's...
Fifteen Years Ago May 19, 2011 Valley Farmers Race Against Rust. Once was not enough: Growers face second, even third applications. Waitsburg High School music teacher Brad Green leads members of the school band in a practice for Saturday's parade. Davy Phillips and fellow senior Molly Payne won this year's PEO Citizenship Award. Cake was on hand to help mark the awards ceremony at the Delaney Building in Dayton. Former San Francisco Giant Marvin Benard speaks at WWVYBSA Event Saturday, May...
WAITSBURG – In 2023, the USDA moved Waitsburg into a new growing zone from 7a to 7b, indicating a longer growing season. Given a little luck, I can now push my garden into early October. Our family moved to Waitsburg over thirty years ago, and the first thing we did was put in a garden. I didn't know much about gardening, let alone heirloom varietals. After my husband mentioned the garden to his folks, we received a letter in the mail that contained tomato seeds. Unknown to me, his family in P...
Logan Seal Logan Seal is the son of Maisee and Anthony. His sisters, Kailyn and Kenzie, are WHS alumni, and he has a younger sister, Hannah. Seal has attended Waitsburg Schools since kindergarten. An honor student, he has four classes at the high school this year, participated in FFA his junior year, and has been a member of the basketball teams since he was in the eighth grade. A team captain on the basketball team his junior and senior years, Seal was named MVP and was voted All league 2nd...
Fifteen Years Ago May 12, 2011 A member of the Atomic Bombshells Burlesque dance group from Seattle entertains wine enthusiasts during Charles Smith's Spring Release party on Saturday. A boater leaves the docks at Lyons Ferry Marina on the Snake River. Despite the poor weather, recreational boating is underway. Val Woodworth and fellow Lions Club members prepare ribs for the annual Rib Feed at the Don Thomas Pavillion on the edge of the Fairgrounds Saturday. The event drew a crowd of 700 this...
The days are finally warming up, waking up our vegetable patch with a fresh batch of delicate sprouts and young shoots. A lovely sight as we anticipate the delicious harvests to come. My kitchen herb garden, planted close to the house for quick plucking, has been looking particularly vibrant and lush these past few days. This silky quiche, full of fresh herbs and tender chard, comes alive with verdant spring flavor. Ingredients: 1 flakey crust, unbaked (recipe below) 2 spring Walla Walla...
(l-r) Joshua Huh, Mike Easton, Brian Richards, and Trevor Corben are the Low Plains Drifters. They played their first live show on Cinco de Mayo at Walla Walla's Beer Parlor. The full house enjoyed cowboy crooning, with plenty of reverb. "It was fantastic, I have the best group of people in my band and the best fans and neighbors," said Easton....
