Students discover way kids can help in the world

GIFTS WERE STACKED in overflowing piles on one side of a Trent Elementary classroom last week. Before Christmas, several presents and food items will be delivered to a Spokane Valley family of three. Students in the Planned Enrichment Program taught by Heather Schultz brainstormed ways to help a single mom with two young children.

“The students know it’s a family of three that just moved and are basically starting over,” said Schultz. “I told them we can learn so much about our world by participating in our world, and we don’t have to wait to be adults to help.”

Because of the overwhelming response to the students’ project, Schultz later said that extra gifts were available to go to two additional Valley families in need.

The students, second- through fifth-graders, come to Trent Elementary one day a week from throughout the East Valley School District as part of a program for gifted learners.

Schultz asked the students to think about ways they can help in the world, a task that resulted in a rather long list. They voted for the top three: adopting a family for Christmas, making piñatas for children in the hospital and writing to soldiers.

For the family, the PEP students also decided on priorities for presents, clothing, food and hand-crafted decorations. Some children did chores at home to help pay for gifts or looked at comparisons of store sale prices, Schultz said.

Cami Ness, 9, used a business-like approach to gather new kitchen utensils placed in a decorative basket.

“We needed to do something easy to get, but that would help them a lot,” she said.

“I made up a list of people I wanted to call, people in my family. I asked them to donate and a lot said, ‘yes.’ We ended up having so much we couldn’t fit it all and I had to call some back.”

Ness said she was surprised by the response.

“I thought people were only going to donate a few, but they donated a lot. It’s really important to do something. If we didn’t, a lot of people would be in need.”

Classmate Patrick Herbert also enjoyed the experience.

“We got to help a family that didn’t have much. Most people think that kids can’t do anything about their environment. This kind of shows we can make a difference.”

Added Alec Jespersen, “It’s really important because you know you are helping someone.”

CV foundation raises funds

Dave Graham of the Central Valley Activities Foundation recently handed out checks totaling about $8,000 for Central Valley High School activities and sports programs.

The money was raised through the Bear Scramble Golf Tournament, which was sponsored by the foundation and held during the summer.

Graham said the checks given to teachers and advisers included $825 for Leadership, $650 for DECA and $3,750 for the school’s football program.

Area AP Scholars named

Thirty-six students from Central Valley’s two high schools were recently named AP Scholars by the College Board.

Only about 17 percent of the more than a million students in more than 15,000 schools who took AP Exams in May performed at a sufficiently high level to merit such recognition. The majority of the students from Central and University high schools graduated in June.

Students took the AP Exams after completing college-level courses at their high schools. The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program allows students to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams.

Eleven students at University High School were named AP Scholars. Two students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. They are Marissa Florio and Albert Merkel.

Three students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. The students are Aaron Bertoni, Anne Peasley and Michael Pentico.

Six students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams, with grades of 3 or higher. They are Suzanne Almeida, Kellie Harding, William Johnson, Nicole Lovinger, Tyler Ormsby and current U-Hi senior Paul Anderson.

Twenty-five students at Central Valley High School earned AP Scholar designation. Seven students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. The students are Katherine Bitz, Adam Drake, Steven Kearnes, Trenton Murphey, Jonathan Nutsch, Kristen Ridl and Stephanie Tintinger.

Four students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award. They are Lauren Delgadillo, Jeremy Gering, Robert Love and Monica Trantow.

Another 14 students qualified for the AP Scholar Award. The AP Scholars are Sarah Crilly, Rachael Dolan, Anna Gentili, Heidi Goehri, Michelle Gorka, Jordan Harrison, Laura Heath, Kristopher Jones, Natalie Luth, Andrew Mitchell, Julie Nania, Katie Ostrom, Drew Wells and William Woelke.

Plenty gathered for food banks

Central Valley High School students blew so far past a food drive goal of 50,000 pounds that they more than doubled projections.

With a project that started after Thanksgiving and ended Wednesday, students gathered a grand total of 113,000 pounds of food that was delivered to Second Harvest Food Bank, the regional agency that supplies the Valley Food Bank among others. Student leaders with ASB and individual classrooms participated in gathering the food that also included four tons of onions and potatoes donated by area farmers this week.