Last week kicked off with Blasko's 11th Annual Boat Launch. While we had to postpone the event by a day due to uncooperating winds, the weather pulled through the following day and it turned into a fantastic event. It was exciting to watch the boats take the water and see our students showcase their skills, craftsmanship, and hard work. Thank you to everyone who helped make this annual tradition another success.
We also held our Move-Up Assembly, where we welcomed our incoming freshmen, celebrated the Class of 2026, and heard about our seniors' plans for next year as they prepare for their next chapter. Our students who had Outstanding Attendance were also applauded for their accomplishments. During the assembly, we recognized our 2026 GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Award winners, selected by both students and staff.
Congratulations and thank you to:
Anna Taft – Volunteer of the Year
Todd Pierce – Substitute of the Year (Ms. Hofer accepted the award on his behalf since he's currently in Alaska)
Kristen Inskeep – IHS Support Staff of the Year
Kelly Jacobsen – Teacher of the Year
The fun continued with our annual Field Day, organized by our Leadership students and led by Jayden Patana, who will also be serving as our 2026-27 ASB President. Students enjoyed a day filled with activities, competition, laughter, and school spirit. Thank you to our Leadership team for creating such a memorable experience for our students. Joining Jayden in the ASB cabinet next year will be, Elsa Linquist as Vice President, Ashton Cherry as Secretary, Luca Jimenez as Treasurer and Jemma Fiskvik at Vice Treasurer.
As the school year came to a close, we also had the opportunity to celebrate and say goodbye to Mrs. Schmidt as she sailed off into retirement. We wish her nothing but happiness and adventure in this next chapter.
The week wrapped up with our Graduate Parade on Friday and Graduation on Saturday.
As we close out another school year, we are grateful for the students, staff, families, and community members who make Ilwaco High School such a special place. Congratulations to all of our students on a successful year, and thank you to everyone who helped make this year one to remember!
We've been busy living it up and enjoying all of the excitement of the end of the year so we haven't had time to post much. Now...you can prepare yourself for lots of catch-up posts. We'll start with a Congratulations to all of our 2026 Graduates that crossed the finish line today at 3pm. We are so proud of you all!
On Thursday at Scholarship Awards Night, 22 of them were also blessed by our fabulous community in the total amount of $137,307 ! Thank you to our community for investing in our graduates and loving them just as much as we do.
Graduates,
You are asked to arrive at 5:15. You are encouraged to wear your cap and gown. There is a bbq dinner included in the time together so you definitely want something underneath that is more casual so that you don't get dinner on your gown and have to wash it before graduation. Please use the attached flyer to RSVP.
We would also like to extend a huge thank you to Chico’s Pizza for generously donating this month’s celebration meal. We truly appreciate the support and partnership in helping us recognize and celebrate our amazing students.
Baseball Game Update Due to Weather 🌧️⚾
Due to the weather, the game has been moved from Adna to South Bend (Cheney Field).
🕕 New Game Time: 6:00 PM
📍 New Location: Cheney Field – South Bend
🚌 Team Departure Time: 2:45 PM
Good luck, Fishermen! 💙💛
Last week was a big one for Ilwaco High School, and our students showed up in a big way across multiple events. We kicked things off with a schoolwide sendoff assembly to cheer on our SkillsUSA competitors as they headed to state—and they represented IHS incredibly well.
At the SkillsUSA State Competition, we had an outstanding showing. Juniper Huntley Stern was selected as the Southwest Region Representative for the 2026/27 school year, which is a huge accomplishment. In the events, Seth Robertson earned silver in Roofing, Keith Clarson took gold in Electrical, and the Entrepreneurship team of Andrew Walls, Blayden Estrada-Best, Keith Clarson, and Sylus Hardister brought home silver. In Sublimation, Halle Manning earned bronze, Liz Knox earned silver, and Beth Naicavacava took gold. Addison Cox earned silver and Jenna Karnofski took gold in Nail Care, Liam Taft earned gold in Plumbing, Andrew Walls earned silver in Engineering, and in screen printing Ana Petry earned silver and Blake Eisbrenner took gold. We are so proud of the skill, effort, and dedication these students demonstrated.
In June we will send the qualifiers off to compete at Nationals in Georgia including Juniper Huntley-Stern, Keith Clarson, Blayden Estrada-Best, Sylus Hardister, Andrew Walls, Luca Jimenez, Liam Taft, Blake Eisbrenner, Beth Naicavacava and Jenna Karnofski.
In addition, our WAHSET team had a great weekend as well. Bailey Womack and Alexis Ahlers both qualified for the WAHSET State competition that will be held in May. Together they qualified in the 2-man bi-wrangle and Bailey also qualified individually in Pole Bending, Keyhole, and Figure 8.
We are incredibly proud of all of these students for their hard work and for representing Ilwaco High School so well.
April’s honorees are Ana Hernandez, Helen Cassidy, Jayden Crawford, Jemma Fiskvik, Joy Bickle, Haddox Hazen, Corbin Johnson, and Sawyer Linquist.
A big thank you to B & D’s Food Hut for generously sponsoring this month’s celebration lunch and helping us recognize our students’ hard work. Each student was able to choose their favorite item from the menu and enjoyed a delicious meal provided in their honor. We truly appreciate your support—thank you, B & D’s!
If you know a local restaurant that would like to get in on this opportunity to recognize our students please let us know. We are looking for a sponsor for the month of May.
Congratulations to Mrs. Lake and the hardworking, talented musicians of IHS. We are proud of you!
On Wednesday, we celebrated 11 of our seniors, who, after graduation, will each travel to another state for an all-expenses-paid trip through the American Exchange Project. This year, our seniors will travel to New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, Tennessee, Georgia, and Wisconsin as part of the program.
American Exchange is a nonpartisan program designed to help students step outside their comfort zones and experience life in another part of the country. Participants stay with host families, explore their communities, and connect with students whose day-to-day life may look very different from their own.
As part of the program, we also host 11 students from all over the country. We are blessed to have 9 families who have stepped up to host. Their willingness to do this makes this experience possible for our students. If you are interested in hosting next year, please reach out to Kelly Jacobsen, the Exchange Manager for this project. The 11 traveling Seniors will organize Hometown Week, plan activities, and make connections with the visiting seniors.
This year, our seniors will travel to New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, Tennessee, Georgia, and Wisconsin as part of the program.
This is our first year participating in the American Exchange Project, and we are excited to make this program an annual experience. It gives our students the chance to go outside the Peninsula, step into someone else's version of America, and think more deeply about community and what civic engagement looks like. We are very excited to hear all about their adventures, to welcome the 11 visiting seniors from across the US, and to show off all that our Peninsula has to offer.
See more on the American Exchange Project with this video: https://youtu.be/LDAnlDl3aYA?si=Qfwl6Z_tLnJr2J-3
A special thank you to Dylan’s Cottage Bakery for sponsoring this month’s celebration lunch and giving our students the opportunity to order a delicious, special meal. We truly appreciate the community support in recognizing our students’ hard work!
Students pictured left to right: Freshman Kaleb Shaw, Junior Luca Jimenez, Sophomore Blake Eisbrenner, Senior Jacob Gordon, Junior Jenna Karnofski, Senior Ashlyn McKinney, Freshman Charis Bickle, and Sophomore Khloe Castillo.
Way to represent IHS!
Visitors are welcome to join us on Thursday for our State Send-Off beginning at 11:15 a.m. Please check in at the front office by 11:10 a.m. and help us cheer on our state qualifiers as they make their way through the halls. Good luck to **Christopher Arnett, Jayden Crawford, Colten Vandermeulen, Zec Taylor, Sisto Arena, Blake Eisbrenner, Dalilah Leibham, and Ophelia Wise** — IHS is proud of you!
Our wrestlers will take the mats at the Tacoma Dome on Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. Those advancing to day two will compete again Saturday at 9:00 a.m. You can follow the action live through the WIAA website.
Let’s go, Fishermen! 💙💛
Our school is participating in the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey during fall 2025. The survey will be given to students in Grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 in large districts and students in Grades 6 through 12 in small school districts. The Healthy Youth Survey includes questions related to physical activity, unintentional and intentional injury, substance use, interpersonal relationships, school experiences, risk and protective factors, and access to school-based services. Survey results are used by schools, communities, and State agencies to plan programs to support our youth and reduce their risks. Participation in the survey is voluntary and steps are taken to ensure student privacy. There are no names or codes used to link a survey back to a student.
