Students of Distinction: Four more seniors who excelled in 2021
Each year at graduation time, the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation and The Gateway present “Students of Distinction,” profiling 36 graduating seniors who have excelled in scholarship, athletics, the arts or public service. Here are the second four in a series that will continue weekly through June. This feature is made possible by a generous grant from the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation.
Henderson Bay senior overcomes fears and discovers her life path
For many years, school for Abigail (Abby) Richards was a fearsome struggle.
“Adults around me just never seemed to understand the fear I felt when told to read five pages in a textbook,” she said. “I avoided the thought of even trying because I was so afraid of every possible thing that could go wrong and my brain didn’t have room for assignments I was given.”
Her attendance became so sporadic that in her freshman year she missed more than four months of classes.
In her sophomore year, she transferred to Henderson Bay — just minutes before classes began.
“As I walked into Henderson I felt an overwhelming relief,” Richards recalled. “It was small, the teachers were personable and kind and the staff was on a first-name basis. I felt safe… and that was powerful for me. I promised myself I wouldn’t miss a thing and I attended school every day.”
Halfway through the year, Richards won an award for perfect attendance. That, she said, was a turning point for her and a highlight of her high school career. “It might sound like a cliché, but I was able to change my mindset. I suddenly realized that what I really valued was my happiness, and that helped me face my fears and understand that if I try it, I’m going to make it because it will hurt me more by not trying.”
Her experiences of struggling, and then overcoming challenges, have given her a unique sense of empathy for others. She can sense how others feel and tries to help them understand that there’s a big difference between being sad and feeling regret.
As with her fellow students, the restrictions of COVID-19 were another challenge to overcome. Instead of sitting at home to attend her on-line classes, she went to a local Safeway and used a table there as her classroom. “It really taught me to roll with the punches,” she said. “So in a strange way, the restrictions were almost like a gift.”
Richards is quick to credit her favorite teacher, Jessica Olenger, with helping her find success. She also gave a shout out to A.E. Huppert, a life coach and author of a book on PTSD recovery. “She taught me that I probably don’t belong in an office-type job, that I’ll be happier in a setting that’s more free-form.”
Richards plans to attend TCC in the fall to earn her Life Coaching Certification. Then it’s on to a larger school to earn a degree in psychology. She’ll spend the summer working with Huppert to start a psychology club for Henderson Bay. “We’ll start by doing focus groups with the students to find out what they want to learn,” she said. “I understand just how far our minds can hold us hostage and I want to show people how capable they are at coming out of their darkness.”
Category: Overcoming Adversity
Education: Senior, Henderson Bay High School
Parents: Barb and Mark Richards
Favorite teacher: Jessica Olinger – “The first time I met her, I could see how secure she was in herself and how strong her confidence was compared to most teachers. It felt like she knew how to see through every student’s walls so easily and did it without judgment. To me she represents the patience Henderson makes sure to bring for each student.”
Best thing about Henderson Bay: “No kid is helpless in their eyes, and I love how much priority they take to tell kids this. Instead of just giving them deadlines and then then being upset when they don’t seem to fit into a model, they give kids light and a floor beneath them to grow.”
Gig Harbor senior excels at sports, academics, enjoys helping others
Ella Heckman’s love of sports has earned her accolades in volleyball and track and resulted in honors and varsity letters in both sports. In fact, her volleyball skills earned her a scholarship to Carroll College in Montana, where she plans to study business administration and architecture, with the hope of owning her own architecture and interior design firm someday.
In track, she qualified for high jump and javelin on the district level, and was designated Best Offensive Player and captain of her volleyball teams.
Even as she excelled at sports, she also maintained a 3.978 GPA with honors and AP classes.
“I think the things I’m most proud of are that I’ve been able to get good grades, and how good the sports teams I’ve played on have been,” Heckman said.
“It takes extra effort to finish strong, whether it’s in sports or with your grades. I’m pretty proud of my progress in getting good grades, especially since I took harder classes.”
She’s also known for her commitment to community service, volunteering at FISH food bank and participating in the GHHS Make a Difference Club.
Heckman is a natural leader, according to teachers and coaches who’ve known her since her middle-school days. Kristin Finnigan, her history teacher at Lighthouse Christian School, recalled her strong people skills. “Ella recognizes the worth of individuals and treats others with respect. Both in the classroom and on the volleyball court, she has shown that she’s a team player,” Finnegan said.
Another former teacher, Dawn Jimenez, added that Heckman “is also a deep thinker who displays devotion to sound reason and logic. Her commitment to excellence and notable leadership qualities attest to Ella being an extraordinary young adult,” Jimenez said.
Heckman said that her favorite memory of high school is creating a community from sports activities and classroom experiences, even though COVID restrictions definitely changed students’ expectations about their senior year. “We’ve gone through all this together and the seniors are a pretty tight group.
“We’ll have some of the best stories to tell our grandkids. At first all the changes and restrictions kind of sucked, but it brought a lot of good things too.”
Heckman’s advice to younger students — including her little brother who’s a freshman— is simple: “Don’t take opportunities for granted. A lot of people are putting forth a lot of effort to help you succeed. Don’t just expect to have things happen. Help make them happen. And look for things to be grateful for.”
Category: Athletic Achievement
Education: Senior, Gig. Harbor High School
GPA: 3.978 — 14th in class of 378
Parents: Melissa and Rob Heckman
Activities / Achievements: JV and Varsity basketball — team captain, Best Offensive Player, first team – All League; Track team – district qualifier for high jump and javelin; Student Athletic Award; National Honor Society; GHHS MAD Club; Volunteer — FISH Food Bank
Favorite teacher: Mrs. Lindal “because she makes an honest commitment to connect with each student. Her classroom is a place where I feel safe and cared for. Her passion for teaching shines through in the way she caters her teaching style to each and every student. I will never forget all the teaching and support I received from this wonderful teacher.”
Best thing about GHHS: The people. “The teachers and staff have always been welcoming, caring and passionate about being there. There is a level of respect between students and adults that makes for a great athletic experience and learning environment.”
Peninsula senior launches YouTube fishing channel, plans career in biology
Three years ago, Erik Lofdahl and his friend and classmate Nick Wolanski thought it would be fun to make a video. Both liked fishing so they decided to “make some videos about fishing and just have fun doing it.”
Thus began their YouTube channel “SalmonSlayersTV” that currently has more than 900 subscribers and 120,000 views, and has led to appearances on a top-ranked Seattle radio station. Recently another friend, Carter Lea, was added to the Salmon Slayers team.
“We love to share our adventures with other people and try to get kids our age outside so they can see the beauty of the outdoors,” Lofdahl said.
He uses drones and video cameras and does his own editing and storytelling to record their real-world fishing experiences.
Some videos have been shot while trolling for salmon in Commencement Bay during the summer months. In the winter, the focus is usually on steelhead fishing from riverbanks.
“The videos are highly informative, fun and well-crafted,” PHS teacher Leland Smith said.
In the summer of 2020, during COVID restrictions, Lofdahl signed on as a deckhand on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska.
Lofdahl also ran track and played football for PHS. “On the athletic field, in the classroom or at home I know those around him would describe Erik as a great teammate,” Smith added. “They would all attest that you can place a lot of trust and confidence in him.”
While he loves playing sports, Lofdahl gets the most satisfaction from “real world” experiences. “I think reaching an audience with our Salmon Slayers videos is one of the coolest things I’ve done,” he said.
He hopes to continue making videos as he pursues a degree in fish and wildlife management and ecology at Montana State University. “Some of the best rivers anywhere are in Montana and Idaho,” he said. “One of my friends is even thinking of buying a plane, which would give us even more options.”
COVID-induced changes were a big challenge for Lofdahl. “It was pretty drastic. I could not do online school. I was never taught to learn that way,” he said. “I like hands-on experiences. Like in calculus class — I need to have the teacher write things on the board and explain them to us in person. When you take away the teacher and the classroom it’s really hard to connect, because you lose that student/teacher relationship.”
Lofdahl’s advice to younger students — who, hopefully won’t have COVID restrictions — is, “Be yourself and have fun. Peninsula is a great school with so many good groups of people. Hang on, try new things and work hard, because hard work can produce profit. It never produces a void.”
Category: Career and Technical Excellence Achievement
Education: Senior, Peninsula High School
Parents: Jeff and Heather Lofdahl
Activities/Achievements: “SalmonSlayers” YouTube channel has more than 120,000 total views and more than 900 subscribers; the most popular video has more than 11,000 views.
Best things about career and technical courses: “They helped me see what it’s like to work in the real world and how to prepare for it. No other classes teach you how to be prepared for real-world jobs.”
Best thing about high school: The PHS community. “No other school I’ve visited or been to matches its community. Everyone here cares for each other and we take pride in that. We will always have each other’s backs through thick and thin no matter who they are because that’s the Peninsula way.”
Peninsula High School senior excels at academics, sports
Haley Barnesson is an athlete and a scholar. She earned an AP Scholar Award, and varsity letters in tennis, community service and sports medicine, while maintaining a 3.938 GPA, earning a spot on the honor roll all four years of high school.
She was also active in the school’s Health Occupation Students of America club and was the first PHS student to win a HOSA event and qualify for nationals.
“Haley has been a consistent leading force for our HOSA club,” said biomedical science teacher Brad Collins. “She made it all the way to the International Leadership Conference in 2020. She’s very intelligent and can understand complex scientific principles easily.”
To complement her HOSA activities, Barnesson also has been a student trainer for several years and has used that experience to expand her HOSA work. She also did job shadows with doctors at St. Anthony and Mary Bridge hospitals, and with a nurse at Tacoma General Hospital.
Barnesson took five AP honors courses and earned a college board AP award and a certificate for passing numerous AP tests, according to Webb Sommer, PHS training instructor. He noted that she demonstrated an outstanding ability to work not only with individual student athletes but also with large groups. “Haley’s humor and professionalism make working in our tight training room confines a pleasure,” he said.
Working as a student trainer has been one of the highlights of her high school years, Barnesson said. That made COVID-19 restrictions all the more challenging. “It definitely has been hard,” she said. “We haven’t been able to do any athletic training; everything has been on Zoom and there haven’t been any competitions.” She looks forward to life returning to normal in the near future.
When she’s participating in doing school activities, Barnesson likes to spend time with her family, especially her 12-year old sister.
This fall, she’ll attend Grand Canyon University in Arizona, majoring in biology, pre-med. Her goal is to become a trauma surgeon.
Category: Science and Technology Achievement
Education: Senior, Peninsula High School
GPA: 3.938
Parents: Kelly and Dallas Barnesson
Activities/Achievements: AP Scholar Award; varsity letters in community service, sports medicine and tennis; Honor roll — four years; National Honor Society – two years; treasurer– HOSA; first PHS student to win a HOSA event
Favorite teacher: Mr. Collins – “Not only has he been my science teacher for two out of four years, he’s also leader of our HOSA chapter and a big part of my science studies.”
Best thing about PHS: “The variety of opportunities every student has, especially for me it was the opportunity to take six totally different science classes. There are so many good courses and activities to choose from.”
This story was originally published May 26, 2021 at 5:30 AM.