Mt. Spokane honors accomplished alumni
Cats Come Back to celebrate and inspire
Mt. Spokane High School celebrated its 18th birthday last month with the first Cats Come Back event.
The event grew out of conversation between principal Darren Nelson and teacher Jeff Naslund.
“We were trying to find ways to celebrate the traditions at Mt. Spokane and connect with the community since we are turning 18,” said Naslund. “Darren said, ‘How do we get the Cats to come back?’ It really just happened from there.”
Timing is everything. Naslund said, “I looked on the calendar and noticed the Tuesday before Thanksgiving is a great time to give thanks and invite folks back who might be in town for the holiday.”
Alumni were invited to return and reconnect with their alma mater, but more than that: They and current students were challenged to give back to their community.
One of the returning students didn’t have to travel far. Josh Cowart (’99), a Mt. Spokane counselor, was honored as a distinguished alumnus. Cowart served as the first ASB president of the school. After graduating, he attended Whitworth and was an ROTC member. In 2003, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant, eventually serving two tours of duty in Iraq.
While a high school student, Cowart proved instrumental in getting the school’s name changed. “We were initially Mt. Spokane-Mead,” he said. “That didn’t sit well with me. I thought Mead had earned their name and I wanted Mt. Spokane to make a name for ourselves, apart from Mead.”
He said he sees the pride of ownership the students have in their school as he walks the halls. “There’s power in a name.”
Another former student who’s made a difference is Kohl Crecelius (’04). He too, was honored as a distinguished alumnus. He and two other Mt. Spokane grads are the founders of Krochet Kids International, a nonprofit empowering the women of Northern Uganda and Peru with the assets, skills, and knowledge to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
Crecelius met with each class throughout the day, sharing the story of how three high school friends started crocheting cool hats to wear on the ski slopes and ended up founding a nonprofit that improves the lives of women in impoverished countries.
“I enjoy debunking some of the myths about what it means to change the world,” he said. “We started Krochet Kids while in college – we didn’t wait until we had our degrees.”
As part of a call to action to students, alumni and the community, the commons was filled with tables and representatives from organizations like Kira’s Kloset, The Salvation Army and Cup of Cool Water.
“You can make a difference right now,” Crecelius said.
After the evening program, guests were invited to attend breakout sessions led by other alumni and community members.
Twin sisters Renesha and Rashelle Conley (’07) led one of those sessions. Renesha works for Avista and Rashelle serves on U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ staff.
“We were both prepared for our passion for service during our time at Mt. Spokane,” Rashelle Conley said. “We want to help empower students to change their community.”
Nelson said he hopes to make Cats Come Back an annual tradition – a way of honoring one or two distinguished alumni during Thanksgiving week.
“It’s the perfect time to celebrate who we are as a school and to talk about where we’re going,” he said. “It’s great to hear how Mt. Spokane alums are giving back to the community and to present students with opportunities to get involved.”