Schools Winners

Byrnes wins statewide superintendent award

Arlington School District Superintendent Linda ­Byrnes was selected as Washington state’s 2008 Superintendent of the Year by the Washington Association of School Administrators.

Byrnes will represent Washington in the National Superintendent of the Year Award Program, which is sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators.

In February, the national superintendent of the year will be announced and recognized along with the four state finalists at a national conference in Tampa, Fla.

“I am proud of the quality of education in Washington state and the role superintendents have played in raising standards and performance expectations for students and staff,” Byrnes said. “I also am extremely proud to represent the superintendents of the state of Washington.”

Byrnes is in her 12th year as superintendent of the Arlington district and will retire at the end of the school year.

“I consider Linda Byrnes to be one of the most encouraging and positive role models I have ever met,” said Ally Acker, a former student representative to the Arlington School Board.

As a community leader, ­Byrnes serves on the board of directors for both the Snoho­mish County Boys &Girls Club and the Arlington Rotary Club, which honored her in 2005 with the Service Award for Professional Excellence.

Byrnes also has been on the board of directors for the Snohomish County United Way and the Stillaguamish Valley Senior Center and was a member of the Lake Stevens City Council from 1981 until 1984.

@3. Headline News Briefs 14 no:Granite Falls board to honor students

Granite Falls School District has named its first-quarter Success in Education student winners.

They are sixth-grade student Catrina Wilson, seventh-grade student Megan Davis, eighth-grade student Trey Hitchcock, and Granite Falls High School seniors Chris Vergaray and Rachel Thornton.

Success in Education awards are presented to students who understand the importance of education and provide a committed, excellent service to other students, staff members or the community. Awards will be presented by the Granite Falls School Board on Wednesday.

The Success in Education student awards are presented each quarter. Success in Education staff awards are issued each semester.

@3. Headline News Briefs 14 no:Lake Stevens names students of the month

The Lake Stevens School Board recently honored students of the month for October from several schools.

They are:

Lake Stevens High School — sophomores Kim Dengchamloen and Zach Isaacson, juniors Emily Bolton and Troy Kilburn, and seniors Kimmie Patrick and Josh Rose.

PROVE High School — sophomore Cinthia Contreras and senior James Thompson.

Cavelero Mid High School — eighth-graders Daniel Corley and Kylie Hall and ninth-graders Shannah McMahan and Mark Russell.

Lake Stevens Middle School — sixth-graders Justin Blanchard and Lindsay Gorder and seventh-graders Sidney James Monroe and Marysa Hay.

North Lake Middle School — sixth-graders Joseph Palmiere and Kiersten Thompson and seventh-graders Beau Klick and Hannah Fauchald.

@3. Headline News Briefs 14 no:Kamiak band wins grand sweepstakes

Kamiak Show Band and Color­guard recently finished its season by winning the Grand Sweepstakes Award at the high-profile Auburn Veterans Day Marching Band Competition.

The Kamiak musicians won first place in the field show competition and received the highest marks in all categories, bringing home trophies for best music, best marching, best percussion, best color guard, best general effect and best roadies.

@3. Headline News Briefs 14 no:EdCC alum gets paper published

Edmonds Community College alumna Monica Nelson’s paper “Eating Disorders: A Sign of the Times” will be published in “Nota Bene,” an annual anthology from Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges.

Nelson’s paper was one of 21 submissions selected for publication out of more than 1,000 entries. Her paper argues that a cultural disorder, rather than individual psychological disorders, bears responsibility for the high rate of eating disorders among women in the United States.

“I just don’t believe there are that many sick women out there. I believe we are part of a sick culture,” Nelson said. “I knew this would raise eyebrows, so I did a lot of research to support my ideas.”

Nelson, 37, of Lynnwood, is studying philosophy and anthropology at the University of Washington, where she is a member of the university’s transfer student honor society. Nelson began her educational pursuit at EdCC after the birth of her third son, intent on studying philosophy.

“Culture strongly shapes our experiences whether we are aware of it or not,” she said. “We need to be able to think about philosophical ideas and articulate and argue our thoughts.”

While at EdCC, Nelson participated in service projects throughout the community in her Human Ecology class as part of the Learn and Earn Anthropology Field school and received an EdCC Foundation scholarship.