School Winners
Published 9:25 pm Sunday, January 19, 2014
Cedar Park kids pay visit to senior citizensKindergarten and middle school students from Cedar Park Christian School’s Mill Creek campus spent the day Dec. 11 bringing carols and cheer to residents of Emeritus at Mill Creek. Teachers Marcia Milfs and Debra Thompson organized the effort, one of several by teachers and students in the Christian school system to do something positive for the community.
STEM students do well at regional eventFifty-four students from Alderwood, Brier Terrace, College Place and Meadowdale middle schools gathered Jan. 11 for the Washington Technology Student Association regional competition. Students competed in STEM-related events in preparation for the WTSA State conference to be held in March.
Structural Engineering: Daniel Orsborn and Antony Tran (Brier Terrace Middle School), first place; Themba Kimani and Reese Newhouse (Brier Terrace Middle School), second place; and Brad Knorr and Daniel Nguygn (Alderwood Middle School), third place.
Problem Solving: Zack Suh and Josh Ignacio (Meadowdale Middle School), first place; Alex Barber and Will Wright (Meadowdale Middle School), second place; and Dillon Pruitt and Brandon Tomchick (Meadowdale Middle School), third place.
PUD awards science project mini-grantsThe Snohomish County Public Utility District has awarded 10 mini-grants for science-related educational projects in several local school districts. The grants help schools incorporate energy and water education into their curriculum. The following teachers and schools received support for the 2013-14 school year:
Kent Prairie Elementary (Arlington), Donnica Farnsworth: Fifth-grade students will build solar cars and test variables to determine the efficiency of their cars.
Woodside Elementary (Everett), Joan Litzkow: Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will research solutions to electricity and renewable energy issues, then build models.
Lakewood Middle School (Lakewood), Patti Buchanan: Sixth-grade students will build wind turbines from kits.
Totem Middle School (Marysville), Cindy Vetter: Sixth-graders will construct solar-powered cars.
Voyager Middle School (Mukilteo), James Sparks: Eighth-graders will take a field trip to the Jackson Hydroelectric Project to learn how electricity is generated and distributed.
Shelton View Elementary (Northshore), Christy Freriks: Exploring Science Night, sponsored by the PTA, will provide an opportunity for students in kindergarten through sixth grade to examine a variety of energy concepts.
Centennial Middle School (Snohomish), Lori Strickland: Seventh-grade students will use Kill-a-Watt meters to determine the energy efficiency of different electrical appliances when they are on and off.
Seattle Hill Elementary (Snohomish), Ryan Painter: Using a variety of kits, fourth-grade students will learn about how energy is generated, how is used and how it impacts our environment.
Sultan High School (Sultan), David Cavanaugh: Using a wind turbine, sophomores in the “Sustainable Green Design” class will design and construct the transmission and charging infrastructure to build a wind-powered computer/personal electronic/USB charging station.
Hillcrest Elementary (Lake Stevens), Darlene Moe: Third-grade students will take a field trip to the Adopt a Stream Foundation to learn about our local ecosystem and the importance of water conservation.
EWU scholarships go to Everett, Mukilteo pairEmily Irwin, from Everett, and Kyle Buzzelle, from Mukilteo, have each been awarded a Presidential Scholarship of $3,000 for the 2013-14 academic year at Eastern Washington University.
The Presidential Scholarship is awarded to high school seniors with a 3.8-plus cumulative GPA, a 1250-plus SAT or 28-plus ACT score.
At Cascade High School, Emily was DECA president and is a DECA state and national qualifier. Kyle attends Kamiak High School.
Two schools win Gear Up &Go competitionTwo Snohomish County schools were the winners of the first-ever Gear Up &Go! Winter Games, an initiative of the Snohomish County Health Leadership Coalition. Elger Bay Elementary (Stanwood-Camano School District) and Port Gardner Parent Partnership (Everett School District) will each receive $500 to spend on fitness equipment, as well as Gear Up &Go! merchandise.
Nearly 400 fifth-grade students across Snohomish County ran, jumped, hopped, swam or otherwise moved during the Winter Games which ran during winter break, Dec. 21 through Jan. 5. The schools that earned the most activity points during the Winter Games earned awards.
More information is at http://snocohealth.org/wintergames/.
Granite Falls honors outstanding studentsThe Granite Falls School District has announced its second quarter Success in Education award winners: high school seniors Winter Wirkkala and Riley Hansen, sixth-grader Aurorah Fischer, seventh-grader Maddie Veatch, eighth-grader Jaden Yaretz, Monte Cristo Elementary winner Orion Green, and Mountain Way Elementary winner Kimberly Butler.
The winners received Success in Education certificates and a plaque for their achievement. The awards are presented quarterly to students who show an understanding of the importance of education and provide service to other students, staff, or the community.
Cedar Wood principal named county’s bestDavid Jones was recently named Snohomish County’s Distinguished Elementary Principal, putting him in the running for Washington Elementary Principal of the Year.
Jones heads Cedar Wood Elementary School, in the Everett School District. Cedar Wood has earned the Washington Achievement Award each of the past four years, one of only 10 schools to do so, in recognition of closing achievement gaps.
“The award is recognition of the work we are all doing collectively to serve the children and families in the Cedar Wood neighborhood,” Jones said. “It is not lost on me that I could not be doing this work without the support of a strong school district.”
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