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The countdown is on for La Conner High School seniors. Having wrapped up four years of classes, some of which were held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Class of 2024 will participate in the school's 130th annual commencement exercises at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 6, at Whittaker Field. Nine graduates received National Honor Society recognition for their scholarship, character, leadership and service: Class President Josi Straathof (school board student representative), valedictorian...
An early lesson taught in La Conner schools is that it's far better to give than receive. It's a value that Dean Swanson not only learned but has lived for much of his life. June 1, Swanson, a 1975 La Conner High School graduate, found himself on the receiving end for a change when presented with the school's Outstanding Alumnus award in recognition of his remarkably generous spirit. Swanson's giving nature was highlighted by his grandson, Kenai Zimmerman, Class of 2024, who formally introduced...
A La Conner High School alum has been a key factor in unlocking doors leading to the successful rebuild and recent state championship run by the Anacortes football program. Tyler Dubuque, a 2004 La Conner graduate, is the offensive coordinator and primary play caller for the 2A Seahawks, who set a state-title-round scoring mark with their 60-30 championship game victory over Tumwater last December. Dubuque's peers noticed. The Washington State Football Coaches Association has named Dubuque the D...
Thursday afternoon some 36 La Conner High School seniors will graduate in a ceremony at the football stadium. The weather forecast predicted sun and 71 degrees Sunday afternoon. In every way the ceremony, the parties afterward and through the weekend, the summer and the year and decades ahead ought to be a time of good weather, smooth sailing, enthusiasm and optimism as these students, like graduates from high schools and colleges all over the United States, move forward into adulthood, jobs, schooling, independence, relationships and the zilli...
Busy lives paused Monday as local residents took time to reflect on the past during annual Memorial Day services at two area cemeteries. Somber holiday programs drew large turnouts to the Pleasant Ridge and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community cemeteries despite cloudy and chilly conditions. Rev. Don Robinson and Anne Basye keynoted the one-hour gathering at Pleasant Ridge, site of the oldest cemetery in Skagit County and where the accomplishments and sacrifices of veterans, pioneers and Native Ame...
The state's top educators want to learn why some Native American students struggle with literacy more than their peers, so they're traveling the state to hear from families. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community gym was the second stop for Henry Strom, executive director of the Office of Native Education for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and his staff. They came from an information-gathering session in Yakima. Next, they'll talk to Native educators in Suquamish. About 50...
Gerald Robbins Gerald Robbins passed away peacefully at his home on April 2, 2024. A fifth-generation Skagitonian, he was raised in La Conner and graduated from La Conner High School, where he achieved state championships in multiple sports. He was the drummer for the Esquires, Skagit Valley's pioneering rock and roll band and played throughout his life. In addition to his musical pursuits, Gerry worked for Dunlap Towing and attended Skagit Valley College. He was a car and motorcycle enthusiast,...
La Conner High School senior Tommy Murdock continued to set the gold standard for the state’s Class 2B boys’ hurdlers on Saturday. For the second year in a row, Murdock swept the 110- and 300-meter hurdles events at the Washington State 2B Track and Field Championships in Yakima. Murdock capped his amazing Braves career – one in which he collected five state gold medals dating to the 2022 campaign – by leading the La Conner boys to an eighth-place finish out of 31 schools competing in the 2024 2B trials at Zaepfel Stadium. Murdock account...
Strange as it may sound today, there was a time when having a parking problem in La Conner meant more cars were wanted on First Street to spur retail shopping – and when retail meant purchases for home use. It was also a period when home builders were being actively recruited to develop vacant lots to grow a town census that barely rose above 625 residents. The year was 1957. Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House. The space race was launched with Sputnik 1 orbiting the earth. The Fortran c...
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Through more than a century, as La Conner has evolved to its present state as a major tourist destination, its schools have remained a cornerstone. That is perhaps best symbolized by the La Conner High School Alumni Association, the oldest active organization of its kind in Washington state and which holds its 110th annual banquet and program at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at the middle school gym. La Conner alumni from across the years will gather then to honor the graduating class of 2024 and...
He was raised and again resides on a diversified century-old farm north of town, but more than any single crop it's been goodwill that Dean Swanson has spent a lifetime cultivating. "I've been lucky to have grown up in a community that really cares," Swanson, 67, told the Weekly News. "I had all the support I ever needed. That's why I've always chosen to give back and (my wife) Becky, who's the rock of our family, is in on that with me." Because he mastered the concept of "paying it forward"...
In preparation for becoming interim superintendent of the La Conner School District, Dave Cram took the oath of office during the district’s board of directors meeting Monday and he did not stop there. The school board methodically and unanimously passed seven resolutions authorizing Cram to sign documents, invest funds, pay bills and designating him as agent and auditing officer and more. Board President Susie Deyo told Cram, “You are official. On July first, you have all the authority of the school district. Have fun.” Deyo had first recogn...
Ferry #3 under construction by Mavrik Marine had a little sunshine on Thursday, May 16, when its superstructure was rolled from one Mavrik building to another. The hull has been under construction in the taller building while the superstructure has been built in the smaller one. During Thursday's move, the two parts of the vessel were placed side by side and "mated" when the superstructure was lifted onto the hull. Two high-speed, passenger-only, Mavrik-made ferries are already in service on th...
Three of six La Conner High School golfers advanced from Northwest Tri-District 2B competition to state brackets this week in Tumwater. Seniors Abigail Udlock and Sammy Williams and junior Corran Eisen represented La Conner in state 2B/1B play, a two-day contest that began yesterday (Tuesday) morning at the Tumwater Valley Golf Club south of Olympia. Udlock teed off on the girls' side of the state tournament at noon on Tuesday. She was grouped with Chloe Anderson-Cleveland of Orcas Island a...
Kendall Lee has brought her A-game – as in Anacortes – to area tennis courts this spring. The La Conner High School junior has competed in 2024 for Anacortes head coach Jeff Leer and the 2A Seahawks since tennis is no longer offered at La Conner. The arrangement has paid dividends for Lee, who qualified last week for the Washington State Girls' 2B/1B Tennis Championships May 24-25 in Yakima. Playing for Anacortes during the regular campaign kept Lee sharp for 2B/1B post-season action May 17 at...
The La Conner High School baseball and softball teams fell short in their respective league title races this spring, but they were winners nonetheless. Both programs were recipients of 2024 Team Sportsmanship Awards in recent balloting by their NW2B/1B rivals. The softball team, coached by Loran James and Taysha James-Sherman, also garnered two individual honors. Infielder Taylor-Rae Cayou, who enjoyed a monster day at the plate during La Conner’s late season conference doubleheader sweep of Concrete, was a first unit All-League selection. P...
Tommy Murdock, Yandel Rosales-Rojas, Kiana Jenkins and Morgan Huizenga each won multiple events and four eighth graders teamed to win the girls’ mile relay to lead the La Conner High School track teams to second-place finishes at the Northwest District 2B Track Meet in Coupeville on Saturday. Murdock, the reigning Washington State 2B boys’ hurdles champion, claimed titles in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the 110- and 300-meter hurdles. The senior hit the tape in the 100 in 11.5 He ran 23.14 in the 200, 15.21 in the 110 hurdles, and 39....
La Conner High School senior Tommy Murdock, the defending state 2B champion in the 110-meter hurdles and two-time state title winner in the 300-meter hurdles, is reaching new heights this spring. Murdock, who set a new school mark in the 110s at the recent NW2B/1B Championship Meet, was named the Skagit Valley Herald Boys' Athlete of the Week following his stellar performance at the recent league trials in Mount Vernon. Not only did Murdock establish a new La Conner High School standard in the...
Six La Conner High School students will be doing their course work outdoors today. They will do so while exchanging textbooks for scorecards, having qualified for the May 15 Northwest 2B/1B Tri-District Golf Tournament at Tulalip’s Battle Creek Golf Course. Seniors Abigail Udlock, Ella Simpson and Hallie Walls will represent La Conner on the girls’ side of the Tri-District tourney. Senior Sammy Williams, junior Corran Eisen and sophomore Brooks Bushey are the boys Tri-District entries. All six La Conner golfers qualified for Tulalip tee times b...
The Kiwanis Club of La Conner announced its Students of the Month for April. High School Student of the Month is Samuel Williams. His parents are Carl and Naomi Williams. Samuel is a senior and his favorite class is wind ensemble. He plays trumpet in class and with the pep band. He also plays golf on the school team. Outside of school, he plays golf and does rock climbing. After graduation he would like to attend college but has not decided what he will study. Middle School Student of the Month...
The La Conner School District should enjoy a smooth leadership transition as the school board on Monday appointed finance chief David Cram to succeed Will Nelson as superintendent for one year, starting July 1. Nelson, who is completing his third year leading La Conner schools, announced in April that he will leave the district June 30 for a teaching post at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Rather than conducting a potentially costly external search for Nelson's successor, the board...
Some 13 people shared their views on the Town of La Conner's half-acre Jenson field property with Mayor Marna Hanneman Saturday at the La Conner Swinomish Library. Most had started the discussion nine days earlier at a town-organized community mingle April 25. This time Channel Drive residents Dave Buchan and Susan Macek and Pull and Be Damned resident Dana Heald came and added their perspectives. Buchan shared his concern over the dramatically declining enrollment in the local school district,...
The La Conner High School track teams show they have a finishing kick. The Braves and Lady Braves posted strong performances at the NW2B/1B League Championship Meet in Mount Vernon on May 1, a prelude to Bi-District trials in Coupeville on Saturday, May 11. La Conner teams placed second on each side of the five-school league title showdown. The Braves were runners-up to Coupeville on the boys’ team leaderboard. The Lady Braves were silver medalists behind Mount Vernon Christian. “I was super proud of how everybody competed,” La Conner head trac...
The La Conner High baseball and softball teams lost their regular season finales at home last week, but each program still had cause to celebrate. For the Braves and Lady Braves, all wasn't lost last Thursday despite suffering tough setbacks to NW2B/1B archrival Coupeville. That's because La Conner coaches and fans had occasion to honor senior players who in four years have overcome hurdles imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic to resume their spring pastime. "This senior class lost time to COVID...
"The Force" was with the Skagit River Poetry Foundation on Saturday May 4th, Star Wars Day, as 125 community members gathered to support our nonprofit at our fourth annual auction at historic Hillcrest Park Lodge in Mount Vernon. We want to thank everyone who celebrated with us and our donors who could not attend as we hosted our Star Wars-themed fundraiser – even Darth Vader made an appearance. We are happy to announce that in only three hours the love and support of our guests raised over $...
