Students of Distinction: Here’s how four outstanding seniors made their marks
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 is the fourth in a series that will continue weekly through June. This feature is made possible by a generous grant from the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation.
Peninsula High senior has great academic record, excels at golf
Kailey Bass ranks at the top of Peninsula’s 2021 senior class with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Yet with all her academic achievements, she has still made time to play sports and do volunteer work.
“I’m blessed with parents who taught me about the importance of education,” Bass said in a recent phone interview.
This fall, she’ll head to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona to study biology then pursue a career as a physician’s assistant, specializing in dermatology. She’s always had an interest in medicine, she said, because her mother is a nurse.
Bass will also play Division 1 golf at the university. During summer breaks, she wants to play more golf and get a pilot’s license, taking after her father who’s a pilot, she said.
She feels that polishing her golfing skills is one of the most important things she’s done in high school, in addition to being involved in leadership activities and balancing academics and sports.
Compared to last year’s senior class, Bass feels that her class has been fortunate. “Last year’s seniors didn’t get anything, not even a real graduation, because everything was canceled,” she said. “This year, even though the on-line courses were challenging sometimes, I’ve had great friends who all take academics seriously, and we’ve kept in close contact with each other and just tried to make the best of things.”
She’s also been active in volunteer work at school and in her church and has gone on mission trips to Mexico and traveled to Spain and Italy. Kailey’s fellow students look to her for guidance and value her opinion, PHS Assistant Principal Danielle O’Leary said.
Bass’s advice to new students is to stay involved and participate in the clubs and sports that PHS offers, “and take advantage of the gift of education.”
Category: Academic Achievement
Education: Senior, Peninsula High School
GPA: 4.0
Parents: Shari and Hunter Bass
Activities/ Achievements: National Honor Society; Scholar Athlete Awards; PHS Leadership; ASB Senator; Girls golf and basketball; Washington Junior Golf Association; Rocky Mountain Junior Golf Tour; school ministry leadership
Favorite teacher: Ms. Hutcheson, “because I learned above and beyond what the curriculum expected. With her positive and determined attitude, Ms. Hutcheson made the classroom environment open for student growth both academically and personally. Her passion for the subject is inspiring. Not only is she an excellent teacher, she is also a kind woman who knows when her students need help.”
Best thing about high school: “At Peninsula there is a community that is supportive, loving and inclusive. Whether it is sports, plays or band concerts, everyone shows up. The teachers are constantly looking for ways for their students to learn and grow and the coaches are supportive and encouraging to their athletes, helping them grow and improve in their sports.”
PHS senior is outstanding athlete with sense of compassion
Landon Sims in on his way to the University of Hawaii to play football and study business, thanks to a partial football scholarship.
He was a multi-sport athlete all through high school, excelling in football, lacrosse and track.
In his senior year, he was captain of the Peninsula HS football team and helped them win their fifth consecutive Fish Bowl, scoring three touchdowns in the game. He was the team’s leading rusher this year.
Not being able to play sports was the hardest thing about COVID, Sims said. Football season was delayed until February, and then no fans were allowed at the games. Still, he feels that his football prowess was his biggest contribution to PHS, even though he was sidelined by multiple injuries during his high school career.
Sims also thrived academically, maintaining a 3.87 GPA and taking six AP classes and two CWU courses. “Landon distinguished himself as soon as he came to PHS,” Ross Filkins, PHS director of athletics said. “He has earned the true definition of student-athlete.”
Sims also made time to do volunteer work, coaching youth lacrosse, working with Young Life, doing SAT peer tutoring and working as an assistant teacher for special needs students. His daily time in the Special Ed department was often a welcome change of pace, he said. “It was a nice slowing-down from the boisterous activity of the locker room to the very slow pace of the special ed classes.”
“Watching Landon work with students of all abilities, you see respect, loyalty and genuine care for people,” said special education teacher Wendy Christiansen. “He has strong leadership skills and an authentic personality that causes others to emulate him and join him in his cause to make his community better.”
When he’s not in the classroom or on the field, Sims enjoys outdoor activities, dabbling in the stock market and studying crypto-currency. He plans to earn an MBA and pursue a career in business or finance, possibly in investment banking.
Category: Athletics
Education: Senior, Peninsula High School
GPA: 3.87
Parents: Travis and Melissa Sims
Activities/achievements: Varsity football captain, scholar athlete, 2019 South Sound Conference champions; Lacrosse – scholar athlete; track and field; National Honor Society; Gig Harbor Young Life; St. Charles Conformation; Operation Solid Lives; student teacher – special education department
Favorite teacher: Mr. Prantz, “After countless hours in his AP class, as well as on the football field, Prantz has become a major role model in my life, and I know all of his students/athletes share a mutual respect for this outstanding teacher.”
Best thing about high school: “The overwhelming support from the staff. Never in my life have I had more adults offering their support on my journey to success on the football field and in the classroom. What Peninsula has is truly special.”
Gig Harbor senior excelled in studies; headed for nursing career
Lauren McLarnon is an outstanding student who maintained a 3.9 GPA and was in the top three in her nursing class at West Sound Technical Skills Center.
This fall she’ll attend Grand Canyon University in Arizona to continue her nursing studies and become a nurse anesthetist. She chose Grand Canyon because of its highly rated four-year nursing program and also “because my sister lives in Arizona and I just fell in love with it when I visited her,” she said.
The most important thing McLarnon did in high school was deciding to go to West Sound Tech, she said. “It really helped me decide what I want to do as a career.” The West Sound teachers are very committed and focused on helping students succeed, and the hands-on learning opportunities were important she added.
COVID did create some challenges, but it also provided lessons in adapting to changes such as on-line classes. The biggest difficulties were figuring out how to do the lab work required in the nursing program, McLarnon said.
“We all had to do our labs at home, to practice things like dressing a client or helping them brush their teeth. I used my mom as my client. She was really great about playing that role.”
McLarnon willingly took the role as a class leader, said David Young, the medical careers instructor at West Sound Tech. “Lauren consistently mentored and tutored other students that were having a difficult time grasping the material. She was one of my go-to students to assist those who were having a difficult time.”
McLarnon’s advice to new students coming to GHHS is to explore all the options. “Put yourself out there. Talk to the counselors; they have so much information about what’s available. I’d never have found out about West Sound if I hadn’t talked to them.”
Category: Career and Technical Excellence
Education: Senior, Gig Harbor High School
GPA: 3.9
Parents: Patrick and Judy McLarnon
Best thing about career and technical courses: “The two years at West Sound Tech gave me the opportunity to do hands-on activities that are done in the real world. I have truly enjoyed learning more about the daily activities of nursing and it has strengthened my desire to continue this as my life passion.”
Best thing about GHHS: “Gig Harbor has a great community feel with very active teacher/parent involvement. I’ve spoken to friends who go to different schools and, during COVID, they didn’t feel that they had a strong connection to school. The Gig High staff did a very good job keeping the students engaged and on task.”
Gig Harbor HS senior overcomes challenges to thrive
Madison Shaw was certain that 2020 would be her chance to make the USA Water Polo Team and compete in Junior Olympics. Two years earlier, she had fallen short of making the team. That was a huge disappointment and a reality check. And a valuable lesson.
“I began sacrificing social events to be at practices and saving weekends for competitions,” Shaw said. She had to make some difficult choices in order to meet her goal of making the state team and then going on to make the Junior Olympics team.
Her hard work began to pay off; she made it to the Regional Championship and made the National Zone Team that would compete in California.
Then COVID hit and her dream of making the national water polo team – the thing to which she had devoted her life — was shattered.
At first she spent time reflecting on all the hard work she had done and her disappointment and realized that there was no “why” to the circumstances. Her teammates were very supportive and encouraged her to keep a positive attitude. “We realized that we were all in it together, and that made it a much more positive time,” she said. “Everything has purpose and we were all rising to the occasion.”
With all the pools closed for a year, Shaw found other ways to keep in shape, like running and other physical activities. “I’m just so grateful that the pools are finally back open now,” she said with a smile.
The COVID quarantine provided other lessons, also. “I learned that small acts of kindness go a long way,” she said. She has volunteered at a special education preschool and been active in Young Life, and this year, with the pools open again, she was captain of the GHHS girls varsity water polo team.
That has been one of the most important things about this year, she said. “It’s a very young team and it’s great to watch them grow and develop a love for the sport. It’s not all about winning — it’s about working together as a team.”
In September Shaw will attend Washington State University to study viticulture and enology and business. There won’t be any more water polo; she’ll focus on school — with a new dream of working at a vineyard. “I’ve always had a passion for science and when I took a marketing class I really fell in love with business and science and art,” she said.
Her advice to younger students is to become involved with a team or a club or similar activity. “It helps you find a community and connect with others,” she said. As for academic achievement, she recommends always getting a jumpstart on assignments. “Don’t procrastinate. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be finished — and you’ll have time to revise your work if you need to.”
Category: Overcoming adversity
Education: Senior, Gig Harbor High School
GPA: 3.958
Parents: Amy and Michael Shaw
Activities/Achievements: Outstanding Scholastic Award; Academic All-American USA Water Polo Association, Honor Society; DECA officer; GHHS Water Polo team captain; Varsity swim team, water polo team; USA Water polo junior Olympics — Orange County, California; Northwest regional tournament, Salt Lake City, Utah; swim instructor; gym attendant; caretaker for children, pets and homes
Favorite teacher: Kevin Davis, “because he sparked my passion for business and shaped my character by always working to help me become a better student and a more well-rounded person.”
Best thing about high school: “The sense of community. Teachers and peers push the importance of education and encourage you to give everything your best effort and strive for more.”