I read with interest your June 11 story about the Marysville-Pilchuck High School 2008 Commencement ceremony. There were a couple of errors in the story: Elizabeth Hasseler’s name was misspelled and there is indeed a 2008 Salutatorian. She was not given the opportunity to address the guests, but Julie Zehnder is the M-PHS Class of 2008 Salutatorian. It’s no wonder that you misspelled Ms. Hasseler’s last name. The Commencement program had the same error in two of the three places her name was listed. Ms. Zehnder’s name was listed as the Salutatorian, but it was spelled incorrectly as “Sender.”

What a sad statement on our educational system when it can’t even get the spelling of two of the top four academic performers correct. I think it says something about the value placed on academic achievement.

As far as your coverage went, I would have liked to know more about these four as people, what else they achieved in High School and where they are headed. It’s time academics were recognized and celebrated, not relegated as a sidenote in Commencement coverage. These four were truly “Students of the Year” as proven by their records, but all we know about them is their “names,” errors of spelling and omission notwithstanding. At the very least, these young women deserved to be properly recognized and to have their names spelled correctly in the school program and your paper.

Jodi Welliver