The Class of 2018 for Aberdeen and Hoquiam high schools will graduate on Friday night. The Aberdeen ceremony is at 6 p.m. at Stewart Field, while Hoquiam commencement is at 8 p.m. at Olympic Stadium. The National Weather Service is forecasting that rain is likely Friday night with temperatures in the 50s. Here is a look at the Top Scholars who will be honored by Aberdeen High School. Hoquiam High School’s Top Scholars will appear in Thursday’s edition of The Daily World.
Hannah Erwin
The daughter of Michael and Carrie Erwin of Aberdeen will graduate with a 4.0 grade-point average and as valedictorian of her class. Hannah will attend St. Martin’s University in Olympia to study psychology with a minor in criminal justice. She hopes to become a clinical or forensic psychologist. Hannah has been an alto saxophone player in the Aberdeen High School band program for all four years of high school. She played in symphonic band her freshman year and in wind ensemble during her sophomore, junior and senior years. She was a member of the jazz band from sophomore through senior year and was in the marching and pep bands all four years. She served as drum major as a junior and senior and has earned four varsity letters in band for her participation.
Hannah has been on the girls tennis team for four years and earned three varsity letters as a singles player. She has been a top scholar athlete all four years and won the Coaches Award during her sophomore year. She has been a member of the Amazing Grace Lutheran Church youth group for three years and has participated in summer mission trips and regular service projects. Hannah was a student leader at Outdoor School during her sophomore and junior years and is a member of the National Honor Society. She is a three-year member of the Renaissance Action Team (RAT) and has worked during her senior year at the Robert Gray after-school program helping elementary school students. She is also a Running Start student this year and has made the President’s Honor Roll each quarter.
Brendan King
The son of Darrin and Helen King of Cosmopolis will graduate with a 3.994 GPA. Brendan will attend Gonzaga University in Spokane to study political science. He plans a career in law enforcement as a special agent with the FBI. Brendan has been a member of the leadership class for the past three years and was in ASB for all four years of high school. He was a senator as a sophomore and vice president for both his junior and senior years. He was a Food Ball chair during his sophomore and junior years and is a World Class Scholar. In 2017, Brendan received a People’s Choice Award and won the Jud Graham Award as the school’s outstanding junior boy. Also in 2017, he was named a top scholar athlete in boys golf and had the highest GPA on the team. He has been the Aberdeen School Board student representative for the past three years and is a Silver and Gold Award winner. Brendan was selected as the Aberdeen Rotary Student of the Month for January.
Brendan has been active in the Aberdeen Police Explorer Post since 2014 and currently holds the rank of lieutenant, the Post’s highest rank. He is in charge of all explorers, schedules meetings, teaches police tactics and schedules volunteer security for community events. He also started the annual Aberdeen Police Explorer Golf Tournament that has raised thousands of dollars for the Post. Brendan was one of only 30 students nationwide selected to attend the National Law Enforcement Exploring Academy in New Mexico, a 10-day program of advanced training similar to what federal agents receive.
MacKayla Waltee
The daughter of Aaron and Kristi Waltee of Central Park will graduate with 3.988 GPA. After graduation, Mackayla plans to attend Boise State University. She has not yet decided on an area of study, but is considering biology. Her goal is to live her best life and travel the world. Mackayla is a member of ASB and was the freshman class vice president, a sophomore and junior class senator and executive treasurer as a senior. She is a four-time varsity letter winner in swimming, wrestling and golf, and was captain of the swimming and golf teams. She was a 2018 WIAA Academic State Champion in wrestling and an All-American Academic swimmer in 2018, one of only seven in the state of Washington. Mackayla is a member of the National Honor Society and is a World Class Scholar. She is an advocate for protecting our environment and has created an environmental awareness campaign and participated in several beach clean-ups. She travelled to Costa Rica last summer with the World Traveler’s Club.
Brittany Howell
The daughter of Shawn Howell of Aberdeen and Marjiore Knotts of Hoquiam will graduate with a 3.970 GPA. She plans to attend Grays Harbor College for two years before transferring to The Evergreen State College to complete her degree. She will study art with an emphasis on drawing and painting and plans to have a career as a freelance artist. She has taken a wide variety of art classes, including classes in drawing and painting, 3-D art and wood art to develop her skills and learn new techniques.
Aaron Dyer
The son of William and Melinda Dyer of Aberdeen will graduate with a 3.961 GPA. He will attend the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Engineering at the University of Washington to earn a degree in computer engineering. He is planning a career in engineering and entrepreneurship. Aaron has been a member of the Aberdeen High School orchestra for four years, where he has served as Concertmaster and President and won awards for community performance, leadership and musicianship. He is also a four-year varsity letter winner for marching band and served as field marshall and low-brass section leader. He was a participant in the WMEA Junior All-State Orchestra; the Dallas Brass Honors Band and was a winner of the Grays Harbor Concerto Competition. He will be performing a violin solo with the Grays Harbor Symphony this month.
Aaron earned four varsity letters in both tennis and swimming. In tennis, he received a Coaches Award and the Most Inspirational Award. In swimming, he was a two-year captain and was given the Bus Fairbairn Memorial Award and the Duncan Memorial Award. In track, Aaron earned two varsity letters and a junior varsity letter.
Aaron is a two-year member of the Grays Harbor College chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and a member of the Aberdeen High School chapter of the National Honor Society. He is a two-year Running Start student and will graduate from Grays Harbor College with an associate’s degree this month.
Madison Hover
The daughter of Terry and Ray Warwick of Aberdeen will graduate with a 3.907 GPA. She plans to attend Grays Harbor College before transferring to Central Washington University in Ellensburg to complete her degree. She will study biology on a pre-med track and hopes to become a pain medicine physician. Madison received a People’s Choice Award and was named Aberdeen Rotary Student of the Month for April. She is a member of FFA and the nursery landscape class and she is a World Class Scholar and a member of the National Honor Society. She contributes her time to area beach clean-ups and Food Ball. Madison works two jobs, as a waitress at Happy Teriyaki and a shift manager at Dairy Queen.
Benjamin Cherry
The son of Peggy Leavenworth and Dennis Cherry, both of Aberdeen, will graduate with a 3.901 cumulative GPA. He will attend the University of Washington to study mechanical engineering. He plans to work in the field of robotics. Ben was in SkillsUSA as a sophomore and won a gold medal at the state competition in Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue. He is a Running Start student who enjoys weightlifting with his father, playing video games requiring strategy on his computer and working on his computer’s hard drive.
Karli Heikkila
The daughter of April and Saul Heikkila of Cosmopolis will graduate with a 3.867 GPA. After graduation, she will attend Washington State University and plans to major in computer science and theater arts. She is not sure about a career choice at this point, but plans to travel extensively. Karli is a 12-time varsity letter winner. She was a captain of the girl’s swim team, a four-time state participant and placer and received the Most Inspirational, the Randy MacDougall Most Outstanding Swimmer and the Bus Fairbairn awards. She was also named an All-American Academic swimmer her senior year, one of only seven in the state. In wrestling, she was a two-time state participant, a two-time winner of the Bagguba Award and received the State Academic Honors Award for her weight class. Karli has been involved in theater for the past two years and has done volunteer work in Cosmopolis, for Aberdeen High School and for the YMCA. She also contributes her time to clean up local beaches.
Patric P. Haerle
The son of David Haerle of Aberdeen will graduate with a 3.867 cumulative GPA. He will attend the University of Washington to earn a bachelor’s degree in communications before going on to law school. He hopes to work as a political law attorney in the office of the Washington State Attorney General. Patric was a four-year member of the boys tennis and track and field teams. He has participated in Leadership and school government throughout high school and is currently the ASB president and the winner of a Silver and Gold Award. He performed a lead role in the AHS production of “Legally Blond” and has been a three-year student leader at the Outdoor School, where he helped younger students learn about science. Patric also contributes his time to Food Ball to help supply area food banks. Patric was also selected as an Aberdeen Rotary Student of the Month.
Rachel Tageant
The daughter of Crystal and Michael Tageant of Aberdeen will graduate with a 3.849 cumulative GPA. She plans to attend Grays Harbor College and study abroad before earning a master’s degree at Washington State University. She will major in agriculture and her career goals include working as a staff member for Portland’s Outdoor School, working for the Department of Ecology and possibly becoming an educator. Rachel is a four-year varsity letter winner in band and served as field marshall. She also played with the jazz band and with a jazz combo that performed for the public. She was selected for the PLU and Dallas Brass Honor Bands.
Rachel is a World Class Scholar, a six-time counselor at Outdoor School and volunteers at her church. She is a scholar athlete and a two-time varsity letter winner and captain of the girls tennis team. She has taken AP classes and has been a member of the Renaissance Action team for the past three years. She was a CEO for Business Week and the winner of a Silver and Gold Award. She was a state competitor for prepared public speaking, has raised and shown a lamb and was FFA vice president. Rachel was named the CTE Student of the Year for 2017-18.
Sierra Bunnell
The daughter of Lee and Shannon Bunnell of Aberdeen will graduate with a 3.841 GPA. She plans to attend Grays Harbor College and study elementary education to prepare for a career as an elementary school teacher. Her goal is to help her students enjoy school and to help make the next generation the best they can be. She hopes to have a long career as an educator and then open a small antique store in retirement. Sierra was a four-year varsity letter winner in swimming and marching band as well as a top scholar in both. She won the Coaches Award in swimming and was the field marshall for the flute section during her senior year in band. Sierra is a member of the National Honor Society and a World Class Scholar. She is a two-year participant in the Running Start program and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Grays Harbor College.
Sierra has been a lifeguard at the YMCA for the past three years and participates in the Grays Harbor Relay for Life. She was a student leader in the S.A.I.L. Program at Stevens Elementary School and has played the flute for eight years. Sierra travelled to Europe with the People-to-People Student Ambassador Program and visited England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland and Germany. She encourages parents to let their children travel to have experiences that will last a lifetime.
Rachel Tageant
