Oak Harbor’s top 10 students recognized

They’ve laughed and cried, studied and played, strengthened friendships and overcome challenges.

And this weekend, the Oak Harbor High School class of 2023 will turn their tassels and close a chapter of their lives.

Oak Harbor’s graduation will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 10 at the Oak Harbor High School stadium.

The school’s top 10 graduating seniors shared some of their accomplishments, future plans, favorite memories and advice for upcoming classes with the Whidbey News-Times.

Lea Bahner

Despite not spending much time at the high school itself, Lea Bahner said she will always remember the time she spent with friends during her secondary education.

“Cherish the friends that you make,” she shared as words of advice to underclassmen. “Friends are what make this whole thing possible — and bearable.”

Between the COVID-19 pandemic, which made most of her freshman and sophomore years online, and the Running Start program, which put her in college classrooms for her junior and senior years, Bahner had an unusual high school experience.

“But it’s been a good journey,” she said. “Lots of ups and downs, but overall, I’ve made it this far, and it’s been fun.”

A violinist in the Fidalgo Youth Symphony, Bahner founded an orchestra club and served as its president for a year and a half. She was also active in her church community, serving as a worship leader and a small group leader and co-founding a girls’ Bible study.

Bahner, who earned an associate’s degree from Skagit Valley College as well as a 4.0 GPA at Oak Harbor High School, will take a gap year and complete a teaching internship in Papua New Guinea through a missions organization beginning in January.

Lorelei Havel

For Lorelei Havel, an impressive academic record is the achievement she’s most proud of from her time in high school.

“Being able to juggle multiple advanced courses and maintain a 4.0 at the same time has been challenging but also rewarding in its own right,” she said.

She encouraged underclassmen to find a method of studying that works for them and to reach out to teachers for help when needed.

But her high school career wasn’t only defined by her accomplishments in the classroom; she also participated in Students Against Destructive Decisions, Peer 2 Peer/Community Awareness Peer Education and the young authors club.

This fall, Havel will attend Western Washington University to study psychology.

Jillian Knoll

Playing tennis was a defining aspect of Jillian Knoll’s high school career.

The graduate said some of her funniest memories from the last four years were of van and bus rides to games with the rest of the team, during which they would all be laughing and having fun.

Knoll, who earned a 4.0 GPA, played tennis all four years of high school, including two years as a varsity singles player.

“I love my team so much and I will miss them all, including Coach Turner,” she said. “The tennis season was my favorite part of the year.”

Her advice to underclassmen is to participate in as many athletics and extracurricular activities as possible to enrich the high school experience. In addition to playing tennis, Knoll was also a member of the National Honor Society and the Key Club.

Knoll was a Running Start student and earned an associate’s degree concurrently with her high school diploma. She will study education at the University of Washington beginning this fall.

Adrienne Root

Adrienne Root spent high school putting one foot in front of the other — literally. The graduate was a varsity cross country and varsity track runner for all four years, and a four-time state qualifier in cross country.

Root signed to run cross country and track at Eastern Washington University, where she will pursue a biology pre-medicine degree. She was also accepted into the university’s honors program.

“It felt like all my hard work paid off,” she said.

Root, who earned a 4.0 GPA, was also involved in student government and the National Honor Society. Though her high school experience was complicated by COVID, she said the time spent in remote learning was a blessing in disguise because it facilitated her developing a close friendship with her younger sister.

“I feel as though my greatest accomplishment in high school was stepping outside of my comfort zone,” she said. “Stepping outside of my comfort zone led to so many opportunities I wouldn’t have been able to experience otherwise.”

Antonia Prosser

Antonia Prosser’s favorite memories from high school center around participating in choir. Prosser sang soprano in choir for all four years and participated in the auditioned choir, Harbor Singers.

Prosser said the friends they made through choir will be what they remember most from the last four years.

“My funniest memory is being annoying with my classmates on the bus to choir field trips,” Prosser said.

Prosser said their greatest high school accomplishment was passing all their classes despite struggling with them.

Prosser finished with a 4.0 GPA and is planning to attend community college in the fall.

Brynn Schmid

Performing arts were a central part of Brynn Schmid’s high school years. She sang alto in the treble choir and the Harbor Singers and performed in the drama club’s production of “Mamma Mia.”

Schmid also participated in the social justice club and was president of the Knowledge Bowl her senior year.

Even among all these extracurricular activities, Schmid said the friendships forged her senior year are what she will remember most. She recalled many fun times with them, including an impromptu pajama party in matching onesies.

“These friends (who practically became family) helped me realize my self worth and made the challenging parts of high school survivable,” she said.

The personal growth she experienced during high school was also meaningful to her; she said during her secondary education, she gained a comprehensive understanding of the world around her, and the COVID-19 pandemic made her more adaptable and resilient.

Schmid finished high school with a 3.995 GPA and will begin studying environmental science at Western Washington University this fall.

Avishai Salinger

One graduating athlete said he discovered that “senioritis is a real thing” during his final year of high school.

“I didn’t think it was when I was an underclassman,” Avishai Salinger said. “The important thing to remember is to just keep on working to the end, and make the best of every moment.”

Despite the “senioritis,” Salinger concluded his high school years by earning a 3.986 GPA and finishing out a successful athletic career. Salinger played on the varsity soccer and football teams for four years and the varsity basketball team for two years. Senior year, he captained all of these teams.

Even with all these accolades, Salinger cited the friendships and relationships he developed in high school as his proudest accomplishment.

Salinger will attend the United States Air Force Academy this fall.

Katie Swanson

Graduate Katie Swanson encouraged younger students to never be afraid to ask questions or seek out assistance when struggling.

“It’s okay to step back sometimes and not understand something or recognize you need help, because there are so many people who are there to work you through it,” she said.

Swanson was a member of the Guild art club and volunteered for the National Parks Service. She cited discovering her passion for computer programming and developing her artistic expression as her great achievements from her high school career.

She said that while the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t hinder her learning, it did make her feel disconnected from friends for a time. Still, she was able to strengthen her friendships during senior year and said that is what she will remember most about how she closed out her high school career.

Swanson earned a 3.984 GPA and will attend Skagit Valley College for two years beginning in the fall.

Justis Garcia

Justis Garcia’s favorite memories from high school center around his friends, whom he said changed him for the better.

“Every lunch, the conversations with my friends make me laugh more than probably anything else,” he said, recalling the fun times.

Garcia, who finished high school with a 3.98 GPA, said he experienced a lot of personal growth over the last four years, including during the COVID period, which taught him “to be hopeful in the face of so much unknown.”

He advised underclassmen to make an effort to understand where others are coming from and be as kind and happy as possible.

Garcia participated in Skills USA, the National Honor Society and link crew and played four years of varsity soccer. He was accepted into several good colleges and ultimately decided to attend the University of Washington to study architecture.

Abigail Paul

Graduate Abigail Paul encouraged underclassmen to try lots of new things throughout high school, including different classes, clubs and sports.

It was advice she followed during her own high school career; she participated in a variety of extracurriculars, including the band club, the show band, Knowledge Bowl and the golf team.

She also created a reading program for elementary school students during COVID-era online school.

Like many of her fellow graduates, she said the people are what she will remember most from her final year of high school.

“I had the best group of friends this year,” she said.

Paul finished out the year with a 3.978 GPA and will study marine biology at the University of Washington this fall.