WASHINGTON – The 100 members of Washington High School’s senior class closed a chapter in their lives on Sunday when they graduated from high school.

WHS’s gymnasium was full of onlookers who had come to support the Class of 2023 as they bid farewell to the school and looked forward to what the future has in store. The students received words of encouragement from WHS Principal Teresa Beenblossom and Washington Superintendent Willie Stone, before hearing from three of their classmates.

Molly Klinzman delivered a graduation speech on “Group Projects.” Klinzman began her speech by talking about how much she and everyone else disliked group projects, and yet they were doing them seemingly every day in high school. However, after having a chance to reflect, Klinzman said group projects weren’t so bad after all.

“Getting here today was the biggest group project we’ve ever encountered, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d have rather done it with,” Klinzman said.

Bailey Rees delivered a speech on “Climbing the Mountain,” about how going through school was a lot like climbing a mountain. She said her classmates should be glad they have reached the top of the mountain.

“However, your journey isn’t over,” she said. “There are 1,187,049 mountains on planet earth, and you’ve just scaled one of them,” Rees said.

Natalie Twaddle gave a speech on “Believing We Can,” about how the challenges her class has shaped them into the individuals they are today.

“Each struggle we have encountered we always thought was the worst it would get,” she said. “Despite this, we kept persevering and forging. We always ended up another step forward, leaving us where we are today, sitting in our high school gymnasium as the Class of 2023.”

After the ceremony, members of the Class of 2023 reflected on their favorite moments in school, and what they will miss most about Washington. Levi Palacios wore a sash bearing his name that included both the American flag and Mexican flag, reflecting his Mexican-American identity since both of his parents are from Mexico.

Palacios said the classes he enjoyed most at WHS were math and science, and later computer science. He said he’s going to miss the teachers who try hard to engage with the students, like his favorite teachers Mr. Mathis and Mr. Ehret. This fall, Palacios will attend Kirkwood Community College to study software development.

Emilie Burciaga said her favorite subject in school was math, and that her favorite teachers were Mrs. Farmer and Mr. Peterson.

“They’ve always helped me no matter what,” Burciaga said, adding that those teachers were helpful to her even when she was in a bad mood.

Burciaga was on the track team from her freshman year through her junior year. She said the best part of being on the track team was having great teammates.

Burciaga plans to become a realtor, and would like to live in Washington for a few years before moving back to Texas, where she was born.

Duston Sorrells said his favorite subject was art because it allowed him to express his creativity.

“The teacher and the people were very welcoming, and I wish I could do it again,” he said. “That’s the one thing I’m going to miss.”

Sorrells said his favorite teacher is Mr. Roder, who teaches shop, 3-D printing and classes on animation.

“He managed to make every day fun,” Sorrells said. “He’s not just a teacher, but a friend, too.”

Sorrells said his future plans include helping run the family farm south of Riverside, Sass Family Farm. He’d like to incorporate art into his career, too, but for now he wants to focus on the farm, which is a tourist destination because of its pumpkins, animals and family-friendly activities.

“There are a lot of things I’d like to do, and I feel I can really improve it,” Sorrells said. “Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but there are some ideas I’d like to try.”