W.F. West Graduates Complete Rite of Passage With Senior Walk

Clad in their crimson caps and gowns, about 190 W.F. West High School seniors took to the streets of Chehalis on Thursday morning for the annual senior walk to Chehalis Middle School, James Lintott Elementary and Orin C. Smith Elementary to bid farewell to beloved teachers and staff, as well as impressionable young students.

This year's trip was done on foot — a 15-minute walk — though normally the seniors would pile into school buses, said Assistant Principal Tom Elder. This is either the third or fourth year they've done this ritual, he said.

The trip last year was canceled due to COVID-19.

"We're trying to do all our normal celebrations, the things we can do in-person," Elder said. "We're just trying to recognize the last 12 years of hard work they've put into this."

W.F. West High School's graduation ceremony is at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at the high school stadium.