Another School Year

Yep, it's the last day of school for the Kennewick School District. That means my youngest child, the last child, is a senior. One more year.

Not that she's going to leave for college after that. We have a perfectly good community college right here in the Tri-Cities that all the other kids have graduated from - well - one is graduating from there this month and then it will be all - and Kirsten will attend classes there too. Still, we're approaching the end of an era, and it feels weird.

The end of this school year has been touched by tragedy too as one of our high school's students and her younger brother were found shot to death in their home on Monday. Speculation abounds, but for now there is no knowing what happened. Kate Austin was the pitcher of Kamiakin's 3-time state champion girls fast pitch softball team and by all reports a wonderful girl. My daughter Kirsten was a study partner with her in Spanish class. To say the school is shocked would be an understatement. My heart is pouring with sympathy for the parents as I imagine what they are experiencing.

Kate and Ethan's friends and acquaintances have had vigils this week, and yesterday they had a balloon release as the community banded together for comfort. Finals were also this week and the teachers, who were in as much shock as anyone, were gentle with their students and some admitting that in the wide sweep of life, this final would not really matter that much, but the people around you do.

One student made this wonderful memorial to Kate on an outside wall at Kamiakin.
May God grant comfort and peace to all who grieve.