Exchange student gets graduation in Battle Ground

Battle Ground — A trip to Disneyland and a high school graduation: Two American experiences that Francisco Torres Parra, an exchange student from Villa Alemana, Chile, had during his time as a Clark County resident. During his stay, members of the Lewis River Rotary, Battle Ground Rotary and Vancouver Sunset Rotary raised enough money to send Parra to Disneyland with other Rotary exchange students from around the country. Later, when Parra’s host family, Vern and Tammy Haas of Battle Ground, learned he was scheduled to fly home the day before Battle Ground High School’s June 16 graduation, they helped give him his own ceremony. The family, along with members of the Lewis River Rotary and the Battle Ground school board, put together and attended a graduation ceremony for Parra, complete with cap and gown.