Wathena ? Principal Bob Blair stood at the microphone inside the Wathena High School gymnasium Thursday morning giving graduation ceremony instructions. The 34 students, some already dressed for summer vacation and wearing gold tassels draped around their neck, listened intently.

“When I say class of 2011, we’re all going to stand in unison at exactly the same time,” Blair ordered his charges.

When the order came, a few heads popped up sooner than others. But it was graduation practice. The students have a few more tries to get it right.

“In my 10 years as principal, I’ve only had one class do this right the first time,” Blair informed the class.

On Sunday at 5 p.m., it will be for real. And for the 34 seniors who make up the Wathena High graduating class of 2011, it will be the last time anyone will graduate as a Wathena Wildcat. No more red-and-blue painted hallways. No more Wildcat pride.

Next year, Wathena USD 406 will consolidate with Elwood USD 486 and become the Riverside Unified School District 114 High School. The two schools will merge to become the Riverside Cyclones. The school colors will be Columbia blue and black.

The baseball and the wrestling teams are already called Riverside. Some buses already have the name painted on their sides.

The Wathena campus will have pre-kindergarten through second grade and high school grades nine through 12. Elwood will have pre-kindergarten through second-grade students and third through eighth grades.

And Andrew Euler will have his memories as the school’s last class valedictorian.

“It’s a real honor to be able to achieve that and have the school end after that and re-start,” he said. “There will be more to come, but not from Wathena.”

The last day for Wathena schools will be next Wednesday. But Thursday, seniors spent the most part of the morning cleaning out their lockers, loading up their cars and checking out in the office.

“It’s the same as what we’ve done for the past eight years since I’ve been principal,” Blair said. “I think the seniors are excited, it’s their last day.”

A steady flow of seniors flooded into the school office jostling for position in front of school secretary Doris Schweder’s desk ready to check out for the day. Schweder has seen this play out since 1978 when she came to work at the school. She remembers being just as excited when she graduated from the school in 1958. She said she’ll miss the Wildcat but is excited about the change.

“The Wildcat is the main thing,” Schweder said.

She thinks the combining of the two schools will run smoothly. There isn’t the school rivalry with Elwood like it is with Troy, she said.

“We had more rivalry with Troy sports-wise,” she said.

It’s a rivalry almost as old as the school. Wathena High School was organized in 1889 under Principal E. J. Mathes, according to a history of the school written by teacher and historian Glendon Hartman. The first class graduated in 1890. By 1895 the school had grown from an enrollment of 21 to 53 students. The school moved into its present building in 1909. Additions were made in the 1990s.

Looking at the flip board of graduating classes in the school cafeteria, custodian Don Kirkland shares his own history. He graduated from the school in 1962 and has worked in maintenance there for more than 20 years. His children went here, too.

Kirkland said 1965 was the largest graduating class at the school with 58 seniors. He remembers undefeated football seasons in 1932, 1944 and 1970. He’ll miss the school but he also thinks the consolidation is progress.

“I think it can be a good thing if it’s handled right,” he said.

Jacob Singleton, class salutatorian, said it’s pretty overwhelming for him to be in the last Wildcat class. He’s kept a few things like Wildcat cups and other items for keepsakes. He’s been at Wathena schools since kindergarten.

“It’s kind of a shame. I’m going to miss it,” he said.