Kelso schools celebrate class bonds, future goals at graduation

Kelso High School, Kelso Virtual Academy and Loowit High School held a joint graduation ceremony at Schroeder Field Saturday.

Graduates gathered to celebrate in the midst of a 90-degree heatwave that required water bottles and handheld fans for many watchers.

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Student and staff speakers praised the class' commitment to kindness and community building. Like last week's ceremonies for R.A. Long and Mark Morris high schools, the event included a moment of silence for victims of the Nippon Dynawave chemical spill.

Graduate Leo Drumal-Tokarz said it was hard to believe he was done after spending his entire school career in Kelso School District.

"It feels unreal that the work I've put in the last 13 years has finally paid off," he said.

Class bonds

Senior class president Rain de Leon gave a speech during the ceremony that emphasized the close bonds the students have developed during their time in Kelso.

"There will always be barriers, boundaries or distinctions that keep us separated from other human beings in the world," she said. "But just know that no matter how far you go or where you end up in your life, you will always have a home within this community."

Rain de Leon

Rain de Leon, senior class president at Kelso High School, plans to study industrial psychology at the University of Central Florida. Her parents met while studying there, she said.

Along with being class president, de Leon played tennis and acted in Kelso High School's theater program. She plans to attend the University of Central Florida to study industrial psychology with a potential double major in communications or business.

Industrial psychology focuses on issues related to work and well-being within an organization. De Leon said in an interview that it's a useful major for roles in human resources or management, which is something she's interested in.

"I feel like I work really well in a team, especially in more of a controlling position where I'm managing everybody and helping them get their tasks done," she said.

She said she has long been interested in psychology, but did not think she would enjoy the more traditional option of working as a therapist, so she was excited to find a branch that meshed with her skills and interest in business.

She chose the University of Central Florida because both her parents attended school there and it's near where she was born in Orlando. It is also one of the few schools in the country that offers a specific track in industrial psychology, she said.

The weather was also a draw, she added.

"When you're young, it's nice to be somewhere warm," she said.

PHOTOS: Kelso graduation ceremony

Check out photos from Saturday's event.

Alternate options

Students from Kelso Virtual Academy, the district's online school, and Loowit High School, its alternative high school, also graduated during the same ceremony.

They included Kelso Virtual Academy salutatorian Miah Higgins, who switched to online learning after becoming pregnant her sophomore year. The more flexible schedule allowed her to work ahead so she could take a break after her daughter was born, and made it easier to balance Running Start classes at Lower Columbia College, she said.

Miah Higgins

Kelso Virtual Academy salutatorian Miah Higgins began online school after becoming pregnant her sophomore year. She said the flexible schedule helped her balance parenting, high school and Running Start classes.

"After having my daughter, I could just be and not have to worry about a bunch of school work," she said.

Higgins is set to earn a transfer associate's degree through the Running Start program along with her high school diploma. She plans to continue attending LCC in fall 2027 to earn a bachelor's degree in education.

Her eventual goal is to become an elementary school teacher in Kelso School District, preferably for third grade.

"They're a group of kids that know enough about the world that they see the ugly sides of it, and so being able to be that bright spot in their day, I think it's really special and imporant," Higgins said.

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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 12:40 PM.