Monroe High gets Energy Star label
Monroe High School was recently awarded the 2011 Energy Star designation by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Fryelands Elementary is also expected to qualify this year, and Maltby Elementary received the designation in 2010.
To qualify as an Energy Star school, a building must score within the top 20 percent on the Energy Utilization Index, based on an engineering study.
The study looks at heating, computer use, lighting, the size of building, and the number of people using it. Climate and the size of the school are also taken into account.
Since 2007, Monroe High’s electricity costs are down by more than $6,000 a year.
“We have done millions of dollars of work through grants and capital funds to reduce those operating costs, and it is paying off,” said Ralph Yingling, director of facilities.
Everett resident earns arts degree
Bri-Ann McClure of Everett graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Evansville in Indiana.
McClure, who majored in German and international studies, graduated Dec. 14 during the university’s winter commencement ceremony.
Lynnwood grad on college honors list
Robert Evers of Lynnwood was named to the Milwaukee School of Engineering honors list for the fall quarter.
Evers is a computer engineering major at the school in Wisconsin.
Undergraduate students on the honors list have earned a GPA of at least 3.2 out of 4.0 for the quarter.
Elementary students run food drive
Salem Woods Elementary School Associated Student Body Officers organized another successful food drive this year.
Students collected 1,500 pounds of food and $500 and donated it to the Sky Valley Food Bank.
Salem Woods Elementary is in the Monroe School District.
Schools win national nutrition award
Three schools from the Marysville School District were part of a group of 21 schools throughout the state that recently received an award from the The HealthierUS School Challenge.
The awards are based on how the schools improve the nutritional quality of foods served, provide students with nutrition education, and opportunities for physical activity.
Cascade Elementary, Liberty Elementary and Quil Ceda Elementary schools each received a bronze award of $500.
Bronze, silver, gold and gold of distinction awards were given with increasingly stringent criteria for each level.
Each award comes with a monetary prize: $500 for bronze; $1,000 for silver; $1,500 for gold; and $2,000 for gold of distinction.
Schools receiving an award commit to meeting the criteria throughout their four-year certification period.
Snohomish resident wins scholarship
Ashleen Williams, a 2011 graduate of the University of Montana, recently received a scholarship to study in Ireland.
Williams is the first University of Montana graduate to win the Mitchell Scholarship that pays for students to pursue postgraduate studies in universities throughout the country.
The former Snohomish resident plans to attend the University of Ulster in Ireland next academic year to pursue her master’s degree in peace and conflict studies.
Granite Falls teacher earns VFW award
Granite Falls teacher Debra Howell has been selected as the Washington State Veterans of Foreign Wars Elementary Teacher of the Year.
Howell is a multiage teacher at Monte Cristo Elementary School. She will receive the state award Jan. 21 at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Yakima.
A teacher in the Granite Falls School District since 1984, Howell is well known for her involvement and support of veterans.
Over the years, Howell and her students have organized Veterans Day parades, shipped hundreds of boxes of supplies to veterans serving overseas, and participated in American Legion events.
Her classes have maintain contact with veterans as “pen pals” and she regularly invites veterans into the classroom to interact with students.
Howell is a past winner of the George Washington Honor Medial, was the first teacher in the Granite Falls School District to earn her National Board Certification, and is a 2011 National Teacher Hall of Fame inductee.
Howell is now eligible for the national VFW award.
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