The Baker City Kiwanis Club honored Blaze Parent, a junior at Eagle Cap High School, on June 11, 2025, as part of the club’s citizenship award program. (David Cowan/Contributed Photo)

Also, Eagle Cap graduates 17

The Baker City Kiwanis Club honored Blaze Parent, a junior at Eagle Cap High School, on June 11 as part of the club’s citizenship award program.

Blaze was nominated by seven staff members — Julie Gentry, Zach Kimball, Hillary Kohntopp-Miller, Torie Andrews, Toney Hussey, Liz Smock and Thomas Joseph.

The nomination form states: “The entire Eagle Cap staff feels Blaze Parent simply makes Eagle Cap a better place. He is kind to others, helpful when our team needs volunteers, and generally maintains a positive attitude and strong work ethic no matter what the challenge. While many students face challenges, Blaze is a role model for doing so with positivity and a good heart.”

“I took over the Eagle Cap principal position in February, when coming on as a new principal can be difficult for students,” Joseph said. “Blaze was a student in particular I noticed who had the ability to make all people feel welcomed. He approached me in that very spirit, was proactive whenever we needed volunteers to get something done, and I just cannot say enough about the kindness he has for people in general.”

Kiwanis project

The goal of this Kiwanis project, according to the club, is to “recognize students who have proven themselves to be good citizens by way of being helpful, courteous, and kind to fellow classmates; provided impactful service to others in the larger community; or who has overcome personal or learning challenges.”

Eagle Cap graduates

Eagle Cap offers an alternative approach to school for “students who often by no fault of their own have fallen off pace on credits for graduation,” Joseph said.

“Eagle Cap mitigates these challenges through smaller class sizes, which allows for more one-on-one academic support per student across the entire system,” he said.

Each student has a personal education plan based on their future plans and career interests.

“The success we see every year is related to strong relationships built between the student and the entire staff around making up lost ground and moving ahead positively towards a future that students start to see as viable,” Joseph said.

Eagle Cap class of 2025

Seventeen students graduated from Eagle Cap on June 7.

Graduates were: Remington Benson, Kadyn Child, Alex Cook, Hailee Cutlip, Damian Davey, Tristan Gollott, Cierra Lafferty, Deja Lee, Elizabeth Linde, Kodiak Mahan, Adrianna Niehaus, Maya Richardson, Brooklyn Stahl, Jimmy Sullivan, Evangeline Torres, Brandon Unrein, Cierra VanDyke.