Crowds cheer for Washougal grads during ‘car parade’

Throughout her tenure as a student at Washougal High School (WHS), Grace Jacobsen overcame a variety of academic challenges on her way to becoming one of four valedictorians for the school’s class of 2020. 

But during WHS’ virtual graduation ceremony, which was held Saturday, June 6, at the school and broadcast live on the school’s YouTube channel, Jacobsen acknowledged the unique nature of the task in front of her at that moment. If Jacobsen ever dreamed of making a valedictorian speech, she probably imagined speaking in front of hundreds of people on a pleasant evening at Fishback Stadium with her fellow graduates sitting closely behind her, not in front of a camera in a semi-dark, sparsely-occupied assembly hall, with her classmates listening via a computer, television or smart device.