REVIEW BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
ONLY A TEST: Emergency team faces big test in fake quake drill. A19
FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 2012 | Vol. 112, No. 23 | WWW.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.COM | 75¢
Ostlings awarded $1 million in police shooting
seven spectacular
SPARTANS Hard work pays off for BHS valedictorians BY RICHARD D. OXLEY Bainbridge Island Review
There were many ways to the mountaintop. And Bainbridge’s best and brightest found many paths to get there. Bainbridge Island High School is boasting 14 valedictorians in the Class of 2012, yet all took their own routes to the top. Some say it was their study habits, while others say it was the love of learning that brought them so far. Bainbridge High School will hold its graduation ceremony at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 9 at the school’s stadium. “This is a very, very bright class,” said Bainbridge High
School counselor Ruby Howing. Howing can back up that statement. The class-wide grade point average for the 340 graduating seniors is an impressive 3.262. But they’re not just good in the classroom. “We’ve got a lot of athletes,” Howing said. “So it’s not just being book smart, they get well-rounded.” This week, the Review profiles the first seven standout Spartans in the group of 14 valedictorians.
varsity cheerleading team, Kendall Beckett didn’t let her extra-curricular activities get in the way of her studies. She earned the honor of valedictorian and plans to continue her hard work when she attends Stanford University in the fall. Beckett plans to major in international relations, and minor in math. “I like subjects
on a global level,” Beckett said. She credits Bainbridge High School as part of her success as a student. She said the school’s teachers and environment are key in helping students like her achieve. “There’s definitely a very motivating environment in terms of academics,” SEE SPARTANS, A20
Isabel Gueble
Bainbridge Island Review
Hana Newman
Kendall Beckett A member of the
Ali Holmes
BY BRIAN KELLY
Owen Richfield
Joli Holmes
Kendall Beckett
Haley Brandt-Erichsen
TACOMA — The Ostling family said they were satisfied with a jury’s verdict Friday that awarded the family $1 million in damages in their civil rights lawsuit against the city of Bainbridge Island. William and Joyce Ostling filed a lawsuit against Bainbridge Island, Police Officer Jeff Benkert and Police Chief John Fehlman last year, claiming that their constitutional rights had been violated after Benkert and another officer came to their home after police received a 911 call from their son, Douglas Ostling. Ostling, who had a long history of mental illness, was shot and killed by Benkert after he met police at his apartment door above the family’s garage while holding a double-bladed ax. After two days of deliberations, the jury rendered a split decision. The jury decided that Benkert was justified in the shooting, but that the Bainbridge Police Department had not adequately trained its officers and the family’s civil rights had been violated because the killing had severed the relationship between Ostling and his parents. “We wanted to make change to SEE SHOOTING, A5
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