Schools applause

Peace Action announces essay contest winners: A dozen Edmonds School District middle school students placed in the 10th annual Linda Jewell Memorial Essay Contest sponsored by Snohomish County Peace Action. Brandon Lowe won first place and Jenna Donohue earned second place at Brier-Terrace Middle School; Ian Palmer was first and Alex Thurber and Kelly Nichols-Hoppe shared second at Madrona School; Rachel Spence earned first place and Katie Hamburg won second place at Maplewood School; and at Meadowdale Middle School, Taylor Callaway and Frankel Agyei shared first place and Kylie Jordan, Andy Hu and Olivia Bates shared second place. First-place winners each received $50 and second-place winners each were awarded $25. Contestants wrote 500-word essays.

Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy awards: Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy High School recently held its annual awards ceremony. Among the honorees:

Mill Creek Business Association Scholarship: Ben Shively

Neussendorfer Scholarship: Aly Gotz

Pat Jack Scholarship: Nick Anderson

Eagle Scouts: Nick Anderson, Charlie Dire, Tony Houts, Richard Yielding, Matt Darnell, Tyler Hayter and Cory Larson

Everett Knights of Columbus scholarships: Mary Robinson and Richard Yielding

Everett Knights of Columbus student of the month: Meg Slater

Don &Millie De Mers Endowed Scholarship: Terry Ryan

Theology: John-Paul Blair (outstanding student), Seath Howe (most improved student)

Science: Emily Bigler (outstanding), Christina Mitchell (most improved)

Math: Craig Murphy (outstanding), Tristan Askman (most improved)

Fine art: Sara Cooke (outstanding), Taylor Loutsis (most improved)

Social studies: Katie Bloom, Cassie George, Emily McClure (outstanding); Shea Meehan (most improved)

English: Marie Kyle (outstanding), Andrew Dzilenski (most improved)

Physical education: Russ Stiegler, Sarah Carratt (outstanding)

Foreign language: Cassie George (outstanding)

Publication awards: Ad Astra editors Katie Bloom and Beth Van Hollebeke

These kidz rule: Washington state champions Team No. 33 of Lynnwood, coached by Sue Elvrum, came in second among 43 high school teams for the “Kidz Rulz” portion of the Destination Imagination Global Finals May 27 in Knoxville, Tenn. Team members were Taylor Noble (Kamiak High School), Cora Glass (Shorecrest), Daniel Gross (Shorecrest), Kate Haller (Shorecrest), Laura Hill (Shorecrest), Kate Kremer (Shorecrest) and Natalie Wilhem (University Prep). The “Kidz Rulz” challenge required technical and dramatic skills, teamwork and organization. Teams also had to stay on a $125 budget. The Lynnwood team created a comedic skit, “The Laundry Quandary,” about a laundromat with a number of unique characters and a washing machine that defied the laws of physics by rising off the floor and spinning around.

Kappa Kappa grad: Andrea Sapp graduated from Everett Community College as a member of the Kappa Kappa chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. She is studying education and teaching. Sapp is the daughter of Gail Givan and Larry Sapp of Seattle. Phi Theta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious honor society serving two-year colleges around the world. Students must rank in the top 20 percent of the class to be invited to membership in Phi Theta Kappa, and they must maintain high academic standing during their enrollment. Sapp was inducted into EvCC’s chapter in 2004.

Two win Renshaw scholarship: The 2006 Jill Renshaw Human Services Academic Scholarship has been awarded to two students this year: Jessica Anderson and Nicole Nelson, graduating seniors at Lake Stevens High School. Each will receive $3,000 to go the college or university of her choice. Jessica, the daughter of Jaime Anderson and Robert Anderson, plans to attend the University of Washington and study foreign relations and translation. Nicole, the daughter of Laura Nelson and Russell Nelson, will study at Western Washington University and plans to be an elementary school teacher.

Student essay wins: Post Middle School seventh-grader Caroline Rensel was honored for her award-winning essay about Danielle Osting, a teacher at Presidents Elementary School. Caroline was a winner in the Washington Education Association’s 13th annual student-essay contest, “A Teacher to Remember.” The statewide contest drew 1,300 entries. Caroline will receive a $150 gift certificate from Amazon.com. Osting will receive an engraved award.

Lake Stevens students of the month: Lake Stevens High School: Natasha Foster and Troy Kilburn, ninth grade; Tessa Meyer and Joshua Fontanilla, 10th grade; Sara Enyeart and Stephen Marti, 11th grade; and Amanda Wallawine and Garrett Smith, 12th grade.

Lake Stevens Middle School: Shelby Walling and Grayson Andrus, sixth grade; Alicia Terry and Aaron Britton, seventh grade; and Neha Aggarwal and Patrick Instasi, eighth grade.

North Lake Middle School: Kendra Gobble and Alex Rinaldi, sixth grade; Launa Blaine and Kraig Looney, seventh grade; and Jared Lippold and Kristen Plumb, eighth grade.

Perfect attendance: Travis Gimple, the son of Rochelle Williams and Randy Gimple, is finishing elementary school with perfect attendance. Travis, 10, hasn’t missed a day of school since preschool, his mother said. Travis will move on next fall from View Ridge Elementary School in Everett to sixth grade at Evergreen Middle School, where he hopes to continue his attendance streak.