See the special section on the Marysville Strawberry Festival – Inside
THE NEWSPAPER AT THE HEART & SOUL OF OUR COMMUNITY
WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 8, 2014 WWW.ARLINGTONTIMES.COM 75¢
Local graduates ready to take on the world BY KIRK BOXLEITNER kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com
SPORTS: Lakewood
stands out at state. Page 12
SPORTS: Arlington vaults to state. Page 12
INDEX CLASSIFIED ADS 18-21 LEGAL NOTICES
11
OPINION
4-5
SPORTS
12-13
WORSHIP
Vol. 124, No. 46
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ARLINGTON — After a dozen or more years of primary and secondary education, the high school seniors of Arlington graduated over the course of three consecutive days, starting with Weston High School’s 20-member Class of 2014 on June 4. Just as Principal Annie Verellen-Grubbs called upon the graduates to “think different,” so did class speaker Jacob Allen express his gratitude to the staff and faculty for allowing him and his classmates to succeed through different avenues. “Thank you, Arlington, for giving kids like me a place to go to school when, for whatever reason, we don’t fit in at the regular high school,” said Allen, who also thanked his parents for standing by him. “I was not the easiest child to raise.” Although their graduation marks the official end of their childhoods, Allen observed that the Weston seniors are already adults in many ways. “I have a job and a family of my own to grow and be responsible for,” Allen said. “I have plans for the future.” Allen closed his remarks with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever,” before fellow class speaker Hannah Maris touted the resilience of her classmates. “It takes courage to stand
Courtesy Photo
Chief Travis Hots
Kirk Boxleitner/Staff Photo
Graduates at Weston smile, clap and yell out for joy after graduating from school this week.
Kirk Boxleitner/Staff Photo
Sierra Soltero gets a hug from dad Sal after her graduation. alone and not follow the easy path so many others follow,” Maris said. “For the most part, Weston students have
not walked an easy path. All around me are students who have fought health issues or living conditions, or simply
just wanted to be the unique person he or she aspires to be.” Maris was already sure that she would fail high school when she was still in middle school, but her sister Megan encouraged her to join her at Weston. Jennifer Marsh, one of Hannah’s teachers, suggested that she might even be able to graduate early. “I did not want to walk into high school knowing I was already a failure,” Maris said. “I stand here tonight, at the age of sixteen, graduating from high school one year early.” Maris echoed VerellenGrubbs by asserting that “most great ideas came from those who chose the unusual path.” SEE GRADS, PAGE 2
Some Oso heroes to be in M’ville parade MARYSVILLE – The Marysville Strawberry Festival hopes to have three heroes of the Oso landslide disaster as special guests for its parade Saturday, June 21. Parade co-director Carol Kapua said she has invited fire chiefs Travis Hots, Willie Harper and Dennis Fenstermaker to ride in cars near the front of the parade. Hots, formerly of Marsyville, is the chief in Arlington HeightsGetchel, Harper in Oso and Fenstermaker, who has not yet confirmed, in Darrington. Kapua was choked up talking about the three. “We just want to recognize them for a job welldone,” she said. “It’s a little overwhelming for me.” The parade starts at 7:30 p.m. on State Avenue.