2026 Varsity Letter Awards

Congratulations to our 2026 Varsity Letter in Community Service recipients! 42 students earned this award, and together they served 14,707 hours of community service!

• Aryan Kumar
• Avani Kumar
• Bethany Conley
• Carson Thackeray
• Johsua Miranda
• Kaylin Ronnie Engelhart
• Landon Nakamura
• Maggie Metzger
• Sadie Murdock
• Scarlett Marchant
• Yara Jasim
• Zachary Lambert
• Henry Nelson
• Michelle Ewig
• Natalie Kate Armas
• Rayonna Eskeets
• Ridley McDonald
• Vasvi Bhagia
• Alayna Brost
• Amaron Tuipe'a
• Anthony Chhoeung
• Audry Kernutt
• Charmaine Eunice Petilo
• Dior Trinh
• Gabrielle Plamer-Tate
• Grace Free
• Gwendolyn Du Prey
• Heather Hunt
• Kiera Rosado
• Kyah Good
• Lily Bartlette
• Lindsay Chau
• Makayla Pennington
• Mariangel Fuenmayor
• Naomi Scott
• Matthew Isla
• Olivia Beckley
• Solomon Bailey
• Tehran Townsend

Aryan Kumar, Timberline class of 2026

Aryan volunteered a total of 438 hours. Most of those hours were with the Crisis Clinic of Thurston and Mason Counties. Aryan has responded to over 300 calls and helped with emotional support, crisis de-escalation, and referrals to community resources. His favorite part of volunteering with the Crisis Clinic was the sense of meaning that came from helping someone in a difficult situation.

Avani Kumar, Timberline class of 2026

Avani volunteered 428 hours with the Crisis Clinic of Thurston and Mason Counties. Under the direction of a licensed counselor, she answered calls from people in crisis and helped with de-escalation and crisis intervention. Avani says the communication skills she learned while volunteering are ones she will use constantly in the future.

Bethany Conley, Timberline class of 2026

Bethany volunteered 250.5 hours with the Lacey Police Explorers. The Lacey Police Explorers is a program for young people interested in a career in law enforcement, and Bethany helped with traffic control, the Police Academy, and other tasks. She enjoyed working in a team and making connections.

Carson Thackeray, Timberline class of 2026

Carson volunteered a total of 343 hours. Most of those hours were with the Coronado High School Band, a high school in El Paso, Texas, where he performed at football games. His favorite part of volunteering was the friends he made.

Joshua Miranda, Timberline class of 2026

Joshua volunteered a total of 500.5 hours. The majority of those hours were at Komachin Middle School. Joshua helped in Ms. Standlea’s science classes by tutoring, printing, and performing other support tasks. Although working with middle school students required a lot of patience, Joshua enjoyed it, especially when he could help a shy student feel more comfortable. He also volunteered at Capital Medical Center and with the River Ridge powerlifting club.

Kaylin Ronnie Engelhart, Timberline class of 2026

Kaylin volunteered a total of 286 hours. She was a camp counselor at Living Water Church and volunteered as a classroom assistant with the music program at Lakes Elementary. She loved all the different students she worked with and learned a lot about classroom management and teamwork.

Landon Nakamura, Timberline class of 2026

Landon volunteered 283 hours. All of those hours were with the Thurston County Food Bank. For over a decade, Landon volunteered with the “Fill a Bag” program, where he packed and delivered bags of food to schools around Thurston County.

Maggie Metzger, Timberline class of 2028

Maggie served a total of 325 hours. She volunteered as the manager of the Timberline High School Varsity football team. She helped with set up, traveled with the team, and recorded all games, practices, and scrimmages. Maggie enjoyed being part of the football community and the connections she made.

Sadie Murdock, Timberline class of 2027

Sadie volunteered 347 hours. She managed the Timberline football team, and her work included taking attendance, inventorying and ordering supplies, and filming games and practices (often with a drone!). Maggie helped build an inventory and attendance system and learned a lot about time management, spreadsheets, and working with different people.

Scarlett Marchant, Timberline class of 2026

Scarlett served 649 hours as the manager of the Timberline wrestling team. She enjoyed learning about time management, delegation skills, and community building.

Yara Jasim, Timberline class of 2026

Yara volunteered 256.5 hours, most of which were with the Timberline Key Club. Yara was a Key Club officer and helped with many events, including food drives, campus cleanups, gift wrapping, and more. One of Yara’s favorite volunteer experiences was working concessions with Key Club.  She also volunteered as an athletic trainer for the Timberline basketball team.

Zachary Lambert, Timberline class of 2026

Zachary volunteered 291 hours at Camp Cascades, where he served as a camp counselor for three summers, working with middle and high school students. He loved how rewarding it was to work with the other students and staff.

Henry Nelson, North Thurston High School class of 2026

Henry volunteered 255.5 hours with the Meadows Center for Equine Connection, an equine therapy center. He cleaned and maintained horse paddocks.

Michelle Ewig, North Thurston class of 2027

Michelle volunteered a total of 665 hours with various organizations in the community. She wrote book reviews for the Salish Middle School library, volunteered with the NTHS Robotics club, cleaned and sorted books with the South Sound Reading Foundation, and helped with many events around the district. Her favorite volunteer experience was teaching elementary students how a robot functions.

Natalie Kate Armas, North Thurston class of 2026

Natalie Kate volunteered 250 hours. Most of those were with NTHS DECA, where she helped bag food and delivered it to people in need. She also volunteered with the Squaxin Island Tribe and many clubs at North Thurston High School.

Rayonna Eskeets, North Thurston High School class of 2026

Rayonna volunteered 259 hours. 121 of those hours were with the North Thurston High School tennis team, where she volunteered as the team manager. She also volunteered with the Nisqually Youth Council, a youth advisory board with the Nisqually Tribe.

Ridley McDonald, North Thurston High School class of 2026

Ridley volunteered 305 hours as the manager of the North Thurston High School football team, where she took attendance, sorted gear, handed out water, and supported the team.

Vasvi Bhagia, North Thurston High School class of 2026

Vasvi volunteered a total of 420 hours. Vasvi hopes to work in medicine, and most of her hours were spent in healthcare. She volunteered at Providence St. Peter Hospital as a “Wayfinder”. She greeted patients and visitors, made deliveries, sanitized wheelchairs and other supplies, and assisted the front desk staff. She also volunteered with the Allergy and Asthma Specialty Services, Cascade Eye and Skin Center, and Essential Direct Primary Care. Additionally, she volunteered with many different clubs at North Thurston High School. Her favorite volunteer experience was as a student mentor with the Tacoma Youth Symphony for violin students.

Alayna Brost, River Ridge class of 2027

Alayna volunteered for 292 hours. Most of those hours were with the River Ridge DECA, where she sold concessions at sports and other events. She also volunteered with the River Ridge National Honor Society. Her favorite part of volunteering was the leadership and customer service skills she learned.

Amaron Tuipe’a, River Ridge class of 2026

Amaron volunteered 270 hours. 120 of which were with Laumua, a Samoan dance group. He also volunteered with the River Ridge football team. Amaron is Samoan, and his favorite part of volunteering was learning new things about Samoan culture. He plans to use what he's learned when he interacts with his Samoan elders.

Anthong Chhoeung, River Ridge class of 2026

Anthony volunteered 382.5 hours with My Morbid Mind, a haunted house in Lacey. He helped with event setup and other tasks each October. He enjoyed being a part of a community and meeting new people.

Audrey Kernutt, River Ridge class of 2026

Audrey volunteered 257 hours. Most of those hours were spent as the manager of the River Ridge boys’ swim team. She also volunteered at Providence St. Peter Hospital, where she made deliveries to patients, helped direct visitors, and stocked wheelchairs. Her favorite part of volunteering was helping to make people’s days a little bit better.

Charmaine Eunice Petilo, River Ridge class of 2026

Charmaine volunteered 500 total hours. Most of those hours were spent as the manager of the River Ridge boys’ tennis team. She helped keep score, set up for games, and more. She learned a lot about creating spreadsheets and communicating with large groups.

Dior Trinh, River Ridge class of 2026

Dior Trinh volunteered 333 hours. 305 of those hours were with the River Ridge boys’ basketball team. She also volunteered at Salish Middle School as a manager and assistant coach for the girls’ volleyball team.

Gabrielle Plamer-Tate, River Ridge class of 2027

Gabrielle volunteered 275 total hours. Most of those hours were with the River Ridge Black Student Union, where she helped with different club events. She also volunteered with Saint Martin’s University, Salish Middle School, and the Lacey Community Center. She enjoyed meeting new people in the community while volunteering.

Grace Free, River Ridge class of 2026

Grace volunteered 313 total hours with many different organizations, including New Life Baptist Church, where Grace helped with the food pantry. Grace also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, River Ridge High School, and Joint Base Fort Lewis/McChord.

Gwendolyn Du Prey, River Ridge class of 2027

Gwendolyn volunteered 250 hours. She split her volunteer time between Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where she helped with youth and teen programs, and the River Ridge Robotics club, where she helped with robotics competitions and other club events.

Heather Hunt, River Ridge class of 2026

Heather volunteered a total of 1,026. Most of those hours were music-related. Heather volunteered with the River Ridge pit orchestra, the Capital Area Band, and the American Legion Band. She also volunteered at other events, like the Procession of the Species and the River Ridge Band Booster Club craft fair.

Kiera Rosado, River Ridge class of 2026

Kiera volunteered 501 hours. Most of those hours were with Laumua, a Samoan dance group. Kiera also volunteered at various events at River Ridge High School, including the Multicultural Club’s Trunk or Treat, an ASL-signed Christmas carol event, and the River Ridge blood drive.

Kyah Good, River Ridge class of 2026

Kyah volunteered 305 hours. 300 of those hours were with River Ridge Robotics, where she taught kids and adults about robotics at different events around the community. Her favorite part of volunteering was introducing young kids to robotics and robots, and seeing them genuinely interested and excited about STEAM.

Lily Bartlette, River Ridge class of 2026

Lily volunteered 292 hours. Lily is a cellist, and most of her hours were spent with the Olympia Sarang Church and the Chunsung Presbyterian Church, where she performed at various church events. She also organized and performed in multiple multicultural events/performances at River Ridge High School.

Lindsay Chau, River Ridge class of 2026

Lindsay volunteered 325 hours. All of those hours were with the River Ridge boys’ basketball team. As the team manager, she collected data on the team and its players and supported the team.

Makayla Pennington, River Ridge class of 2026

Makayla volunteered 301 total hours. 232 of those hours were with the River Ridge wrestling team. She also volunteered with Joint Animal Services, the River Ridge Key Club, Meadows Elementary, and the YMCA (where she coached 4th and 5th-grade basketball).

Mariangel Fuenmayor, River Ridge class of 2026

Mariagel volunteered 256 hours. Most of those hours were in the River Ridge library, where she shelved and checked out books, answered questions, and advised staff and students on book recommendations. She also volunteered at the River Ridge plant sale and with the Thurston County Food Bank.

Naomi Scott, River Ridge class of 2026

Naomi volunteered 500 hours. 200 of those hours with the River Ridge multicultural club, where she choreographed and performed different dances. The other 300 hours were with the River Ridge football team, where she filmed games and supported the team. Her favorite part of volunteering was learning about Filipino history.

Matthew Isla, River Ridge class of 2026

Matthew volunteered 251 hours. Most of those were with the River Ridge tennis team, where he helped with drills and warmups, and set up the court for matches. He also volunteered with the River Ridge FBLA, the River Ridge drama club, and as a math tutor. The most challenging but also most rewarding part of volunteering for Matthew was talking to strangers and putting himself in new situations with new people.

Olivia Beckley, River Ridge class of 2026

Olivia volunteered a total of 401 hours. Over half of those hours were with Tiny Tails and Scales Animal Rescue, where she fostered 24 cats and kittens (including some that needed 24-hour care). She was also the president of the River Ridge Unified Club. She coordinated events, supported athletes, and more. Olivia’s favorite part of volunteering was watching the Special Olympics Unified athletes cheer at a varsity football game as part of a cheer program she created.

Solomon Bailey, River Ridge class of 2026

Solomon volunteered 270 hours at Salish Middle School, where he helped in Ms. Brinkey’s class. Through his volunteer work, Solomon has learned that he wants to become a teacher! 

Tehran Townsend, River Ridge class of 2026

Tehran volunteered 250 hours total. 120 of those hours were spent with the River Ridge Unified club, where Tehran supported student-athletes during the basketball and soccer seasons. Tehran also volunteered for three summers at Camp Invention, a STEAM camp for students in grades K-6. He also volunteered with the Academy of Brian Johnson, a local martial arts gym.