As the Knights Ferry School year concluded with yearbook signings and graduation, the nostalgia set in for many eighth graders and their families. This year the eighth graders dedicated the yearbook to Ryan Verkaik, a student in the graduating eighth grade class who passed away earlier in the year. It was incredibly touching to see a chair for him on the stage and a moment of silence to honor him. The yearbook is a reflection of the school year for the entire school and each student receives their own yearbook free of cost. The eighth graders vote for the “bests” in the class and some of the selections are Dakota Voortman as the Most Competitive, Maddox Link as the Best Writer, Emalee Watson as the Most Supportive, and Luke Dickens as the Most Talented. The back section is sprinkled with pages dedicated to various students and the best part is looking at baby pictures of the kids. Knights Ferry students are so blessed to receive these yearbooks each year free of cost because of the sponsors and personal pages in the back of the book. I have all nine yearbooks from Knights Ferry School and they are some of my most treasured moments!

The school’s graduation theme was “It’s not really over until you stop trying”. Maddox Link, Annabel Lee, and Ava Yates gave very inspiring speeches reflecting on personal struggles and accomplishments. Dakota Voortman and Emmy Watson sang an emotional song. There was a chair with Ryan Verkaik’s picture on the seat and the students released a bunch of white balloons for Ryan. Finally, Mr. Russell presented a gorgeous wood bench custom built by Jason Turner donated by the Sundberg and Cassaretto families. The bench will be placed down on the lower field under a shade tree.

The last day of school was a full-blown water morning complete with the firetruck visiting to hose down the kids! The Masons kept up their long-standing tradition of serving vanilla ice cream to the students down at the Mason’s Hall after school.

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Kyle Hauskens and Connor Medeiros tied the knot over Memorial Day Weekend in town. It was a gorgeous wedding! The happy day brought Knights Ferry locals who have since moved away back to town for the weekend.

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River rafting company, River Journey kicked off their rafting season last weekend! The ice-cold water was a good way to beat the heat. David Voortman reported the water flow in the Stanislaus River over the weekend, 1300 cfs on Saturday and 850 cfs on Sunday. It changes day to day and it is important to research the water flow day to day. They post the upcoming river flows on their website, www.riverjourney.com/riverlevels and they also post it on the white board in front of their building in town. This weekend, the river flow will be at 1375 cfs on Saturday and 1275 cfs on Sunday. What does that mean? The river is a great flow for people who can swim and wear life jackets! Please be smart and go on the river at your own risk. I recommend going with a company rafting company if you are unsure if the river is at a safe rate of flow for you or your party.

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The VBS at Knights Ferry Community Church is June 26 through 28 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. All are welcome to attend and it is a very fun morning activity. They do a craft, sing songs, have snack, and a little bit of class time. The theme is Splash Canyon! Download the registration forms at the church’s website: www.knightsferrychurch.org. It looks like a splashing good time!

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Upcoming Events/Meetings:

Thursday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. Community Club meeting

Tuesday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. Miller’s Hall meeting

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