South Whidbey top seniors head to colleges with varied goals

Eight of South Whidbey High School’s top 10 seniors by GPA left campus with plans that split across majors, states and careers, offering a clear look at how the Class of 2026 is turning academic success into next steps. The range ran from Western Washington University’s honors college to Skagit Valley College, Montana State University and schools as far away as Florida and California.

Dorothy Bolstad-Schorn headed to Western Washington University and the honors college, where she is considering anthropology after building her Spanish skills and passing a bi-literacy test. Collier Honold, who balanced AP classes, honors coursework, baseball and tennis, planned to start at Skagit Valley College before transferring to study kinesiology and exercise science with the goal of becoming a physical therapist. Valedictorian Callahan Dobmeier paired strong academics with leadership as a student representative to the school board, National Honor Society president and ASB executive vice president before enrolling at the University of Washington to study English and Spanish.

Other top seniors brought equally varied records. Elsa Layman managed soccer, track, wrestling, band and Math Olympiad while preparing to study biochemistry at Montana State University. Jack Hempel, who also took part in soccer, golf, track and swimming, was headed to Eckerd College in Florida. Irene Stewart said high school helped her grow as a person; she planned to major in public health at San Diego State University and eventually pursue reproductive endocrinology. Tevrin Murray, a Running Start student at the Ocean Research College Academy, finished with both a diploma and an associate degree and planned to study marine and coastal science at Western Washington University.

South Whidbey High School scheduled its Class of 2026 graduation for June 6, 2026, with a senior parade on June 3 and the official last day of school on June 11. The 9-12 school sits at 5675 Maxwelton Road in Langley under Principal John Patton. The district serves 1,207 students across five schools, according to NCES, and is classified as a rural-fringe district with a student-teacher ratio of 18.99.

The setting matters. Island County’s population was estimated at 86,478 in July 2024 and 85,657 in July 2025, with 16.9% of residents under 18 and 28.3% age 65 or older. Langley’s estimated population was 1,044. Against that backdrop, the choices made by South Whidbey’s highest-achieving seniors show a small district producing students who are moving into college, transfer pathways and specialized careers with unusual breadth.

That fits the direction Washington education leaders say they want more students to reach. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction says its annual snapshot is meant to help families and educators track progress from early learning through graduation, and its roadmap emphasizes dual credit, career and technical education, work-based learning and pathways tied to student goals. Washington’s Class of 2023 reached a record 4-year graduation rate of 83.6%, and OSPI says more students are leaving school with advanced coursework and dual credit. On South Whidbey, that broad menu of options is no abstraction. It is already showing up in where the top seniors are going next.