A18 THE BACK PAGE Wallowa County Chieftain Wednesday, June 8, 2022 Wallowa graduates class of 15 By ANN BLOOM For the Wallowa County Chieftain WALLOWA — Despite the rain and the rumble of thunder, 15 seniors from Wallowa High School, diplomas clasped fi rmly in hand, stepped into their futures, as approximately 200 family members and friends looked on. Some are headed to various col- leges while others look to enter the workforce, work with their family’s business or attend a trade school. The Wallowa High School Class of 2022 members are Haley Brock- amp, Kolby Mandal, Levi Pringle, Lane Tanzey, Josey Johnson, Abby Tippet, Hailey Davidson, Chance Young, Ryder Goller, Ian Foster, Ruben Hunt, Jesse Duncan, Wil- lie Gibbs, Adalyn Deal and Jessica Duby. The graduates were awarded over $320,000 in scholarship and grant money to help them reach their academic goals. The ceremony was held on the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland Grounds. Salutatorian, Jesse Dun- can told his fellow classmates that it was up to them to take what they had learned and go to into the world and make the world a better place. Wil- lie Gibbs, the valedictorian, thanked his parents, teachers and everyone for “making Wallowa what it is,” he said. “Growing up here made me feel so special,” he said. The commencement address was delivered by Cody Sheehy, Class of 1997, a documentary fi lmmaker. He told the graduates they didn’t need to feel guilty if they didn’t know what they wanted to do with their lives right now. He told them friends and family are for life and they should be open to new ideas to start a new career because they wanted to, not because they had to start one. “The best part is still ahead. You get to be yourself and make the rules,” he said. Superintendent Tammy Jones’ fi rst word to express the signifi cance of the day and of the specialness of the class of 2022, was “Wow!” “It’s a really exciting, special day. These students are some of the hard- est working, most fearless kids I’ve ever met,” she said. “They are the fi rst to step forward to help with anything. They’ve had to go through high school with COVID, gallons of hand sani- tizer and masks. Today is their day. One-hundred percent rain or shine, they wanted to be here,” she said. Local student named to Sheridan honor roll Chieftain staff Ann Bloom/Contributed Photo Wallowa High School Class of 2022 walks to the seating area at the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland Grounds in Wallowa as the community band plays “Pomp and Circumstance.” Ann Bloom/Contributed Photo The Wallowa Elementary Select Choir and Company sings the national anthem, led by teacher Wendy Stauff er. SHERIDAN, Wyo. — Michael Diggins of Wal- lowa was named to the Pres- ident’s Honor Roll for the spring semester at Sheri- dan College in Sheridan, Wy o m i n g , according to a press release. Diggins, a 2019 grad- Diggins uate of Wal- lowa High School, is one of 83 students who earned a place on the President’s Honor Roll and earned a perfect 4.0 GPA for the semester with 12 or more credit hours. At the time of his high school graduation, Diggins said he planned to study range and agribusiness at Sheridan College. He has worked for several ranches and wants to go into ranch management. The college holds three honor rolls: President’s Honor Roll, Vice President’s Honor Roll and the Part- Time Honor Roll. The Vice President’s Honor Roll includes 84 stu- dents who earned at least a 3.5 GPA or above for the semester with 12 or more credit hours. Finally, the 59 students named to the Part-Time Honor Roll earned a 3.5 GPA or above for the semester with at least six credit hours. The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. eomediagroup.com BARGAINS OF THE MONTH ® While supplies last. 9.99 SALE PRICE -3.00 MAIL-IN REBATE* FINAL PRICE 6.99 YOUR CHOICE Ortho® BugClear™ Lawn Insect Killer Choose 10 lb. granules, 32 oz.ready-to-spray or 32 oz. concentrate formulas. L 272 644, 648, 645 *Limit 2 per offer. Consumer responsible for taxes. M-F 8AM-5:30PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM Hurricane Creek Road Enterprise, Oregon 541-426-3116 “A father’s calling is eternal and its importance transcends time.” ~ Ezra Taft Benson June 19th DINE IN OR TAKE OUT • CALL 541-569-2285 SUMMER HOURS 10 am - 8 pm Wed, Thur, Sun • 10 am - 9 pm Fri and Sat JAC’s Innovative Sales and Marketing Solutions Contact Jennifer Cooney TODAY! jacs.isms@gmail.com • 541-805-9630 Sale Good Thru June 30th