The attorneys and staff at Budd Bay Law have always enjoyed supporting local high schools and organizations. Many members of the Budd Bay Law team attended a Thurston County high school or have children who did.
Brian Barnes graduated from Olympia High School in 1988. Brian did not waste a second of his time at OHS, participating in many different extracurricular activities. He played on the soccer team and was the captain of the cross country team.
In addition to athletics, he was an involved member of the OHS band and participated in student government, even being named ASB President. In 2020, Brian Barnes was inducted into the OHS Athletic Hall of Fame.
Brian continues to cheer for the Oly Bears as he watches his youngest son play for the boys’ soccer team. His other two sons graduated from OHS and enjoyed playing on the soccer team as well.
Megan Card graduated from Black Hills High School in 2003. She was the varsity goalkeeper for the Wolves’ soccer team, where she held the record for most shutouts and won awards for being the most inspirational player.
During her senior year soccer season, the BHHS women’s soccer team was the conference champion. Megan also ran track and field and managed the BHHS boys’ soccer team.
Megan was active in the classic car community and won first place for best student car at many car shows with her 1966 Mustang Fastback. She was voted best car by her classmates during her senior year.
Charles (Skip) Houser graduated from Olympia High School, where he played football, baseball, and basketball. Skip’s family members are Oly Bears through and through, as all three of his children attended Olympia High School (OHS) and excelled in a variety of sports, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, and golf.
Skip coached football at Washington Middle School and officiated high school football, baseball, and fastpitch. In 2012, Skip and his wife received the Community Volunteer Award from the Olympia High School coaches: a well-earned recognition for the time and energy they poured into OHS sports. To this day, Skip serves on the OHS Alumni Board and the Olympia High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and roots for the Bears in every sporting event.
After graduating law school, Scott Kee and his wife decided to move to Thurston County for the wonderful family life that it would provide. Scott prioritizes time with his children, which can be difficult with busy sports schedules, so he became involved in their teams in any way he could.
When his oldest daughter made the varsity soccer team at Tumwater High School, Scott volunteered as the sports announcer of the games. He cherishes the memories of watching three of his daughters from “the box”, getting to be the one to call out their name when they scored a goal or made a great defensive play.
Heather Christenson’s youngest son graduated from Olympia High School in 2023, where he was at the top of his class. During his time at OHS, he was a four-year varsity swimmer for the Olympia High School Boys Swim team. In addition, he was captain for his final two years, where he was also named an Academic All-American.
Heather’s oldest son graduated from Olympia High School in 2020, and he was also at the top of his class. He was a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American and the 2020 Thurston County Boy Sports Star of the Year.
Chelsea Beckman‘s roots run deep in Yelm, where her grandparents settled in the early 1900s. Her parents were Yelm High School sweethearts in the graduating class of 1971.
Chelsea graduated from Yelm High School in 1995, after four years on the Jazzline. Her son also attended Yelm High School and graduated with the class of 2023.
Chelsea loved growing up in Yelm, where at that time, you knew everyone you encountered around town and everyone looked out for each other. You also couldn’t get away with anything because someone was always watching. Chelsea says that to this day, no matter the year you attended, if you come across a fellow Tornado, you’ve got a friend.
Brandon Koenig graduated in June 2014 with his high school diploma and an Associates of Arts from South Puget Sound Community College.
Brandon attended Olympia High School from 2010 to 2014. He was a full-time running start student from 2012-2014 and was not able to participate in sports or clubs because of restrictions on running start students at the time. However, he made the most of his time at OHS by organizing an annual taco-eating contest, along with his buddies.
Brandon also attended the Olympia Police Explorers from 2013-2014 and received a scholarship for his volunteer work, which applied to his Central Washington University tuition.
Bill Pope graduated from Olympia High School in 1966. He transferred to OHS from Bellingham at the beginning of his junior year.
At 5’7” and 121 pounds, he was too short for basketball, too light for football, and his nickname “the turtle” was a reference to his lack of speed. He wrestled varsity both years. Bill was involved in student government and many extracurricular activities.
Despite his loathing for homework, Bill graduated with honors. Bill’s daughter also graduated from OHS. She was her senior class president and a star athlete (fast pitch and basketball). Her mother was a teacher at OHS until she retired.