Fresh veggies will continue at Trent Elementary
Plenty of fresh produce will keep reaching kids at Trent Elementary School. School officials have learned that Trent is a federal grant recipient for the third year in a row for the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program.
Trent received the notification recently from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The grant helps fund fresh produce to be served as snacks and during lunches and for educating families about better nutrition.
Every classroom has an “earth growing pot” for planting fruits and vegetables. The grant has paid for field trips to Albertsons “Field Trip Factory” where students learn about the farm-store-to-home connection and choosing healthy foods.
The school district also has provided support for seven raised cedar flower beds for outside planting with a watering system. On May 17, Cub Scout Pack 479 helped with this project by spreading dirt and bark. Each grade level is scheduled to plant vegetables and tomatoes for harvest in the fall.
Garden will grow at Chester
Another growing project will benefit the students and staff of Chester Elementary by next year. School members celebrated a groundbreaking this week for a new school garden.
Chester is the recipient of a $5,000 grant from Lowe’s to build the school garden project, which will be built over the summer and ready for students to plan and plant in September.
Summit School takes first in debate competition
More than 90 seventh- and eighth-grade students in the Central Valley School District competed in a round-robin debate tournament June 6 at the University Center.
The Summit School debate team took a first-place overall Sweepstakes award in the tournament. Evergreen Middle School debaters were second and Greenacres third.
Summit’s award is the first sweepstakes win for the school. Representing Summit was Connie Grooms, Helena Mazzola, Elizabeth Ellis, Devan Morgan, Miranda Caudill, Pierce Oeflein, Kelby Lind, Jennifer McGovern, Phoebe Lew and Chris Choate.
The fifth annual tournament marked the culminating event in a communication unit taught in Extended Core English classes at all five district middle schools and Summit School. The tournament included dual interpretation, impromptu, dramatic and humorous interpretation and oratory events.
The students prepared at their schools and were coached by members of the Central Valley High School and University High School debate teams. Melody Crick, a practicing attorney and former CVHS debate team member, coordinated the event.
Results from the tournament include:
Dual Interpretation: Zoey Bowden and Brittany Connor, finalists (Bowdish); Chris Choate and Kelby Lind, finalists (Summit); Nathan Breedlove and Sanne Dixson, finalists (Bowdish); Abby Keenan and Marcy Prothero, third-place (Bowdish); Alexandra Bliss and Maci McLain, second-place (Greenacres); Lane Clark and Alexander Kreider, first-place (Evergreen).
Humorous Interpretation: Hailee Holley, finalist (Evergreen); Steve Peregoy, third-place (Horizon); Choate, second-place (Summit); Julie Gray, first-place (Bowdish).
Dramatic Interpretation: Rachel Edlund, finalist (Horizon); Sydney Hiebert, finalist (Horizon); Taylor Martins, third-place (Bowdish); Madison Whitney, second-place (Evergreen); Brittany Holden, first-place (North Pines).
Impromptu: Natasha Saric, finalist (Greenacres); Lucas Schneidmiller, finalist (Greenacres); Maitlin Stewart, finalist, (Greenacres); Adam Blyckert, finalist (Evergreen); Phoebe Lew, third-place (Summit); Sarah Yates, second-place (Evergreen); Pierce Oeflein, first-place (Summit).
Original Oratory: Abby Hockett, third-place (Greenacres); Andrew Croneberger, second-place (Bowdish); Ansh Sehgal, first-place (Horizon).
Debate Top 10 Speakers: Alex Kreider, 10th-place (Evergreen); Choate, ninth (Summit); Holley, eighth (Evergreen); Dakota Pearce, seventh (Greenacres); Hannah Calligan, sixth (Greenacres); Keenan, fifth (Bowdish); Martins, fourth (Bowdish); Rachel Baker, third (North Pines); Prothero, second (Bowdish); Drew Brown, first (Greenacres)
Quarterfinalists: Connor and Prothero (Bowdish), Hannah Calligan and Kellie Watson (Greenacres), Holley and Kreider (Evergreen), Brown and Schneidmiller (Greenacres); semi-finalists: Brett Busch and Andrew Schutts (Greenacres), Kelsey Glynn, Saric and Stewart (Greenacres); Second-place: Adam Blyckert and Whitney (Evergreen); First-place: Choate and Oeflein (Summit).
High school debaters head to national competition
Spokane-area high schools are sending 24 orators and debaters to the National Championship Tournament this month in Las Vegas.
Sponsored by the National Forensic League, the tournament draws about 3,000 teens from throughout the country. CVHS debate coach Roberta Rice is the adviser for the national league’s Inland Empire District.
Spokane Valley students participating include: Duo Interpretation team of Allie Campbell and Danielle Dunbrasky, of University High School; Original Oratory presenter Heather Fried of U-Hi; U.S. Extemporaneous entrant Theora Rice of Central Valley; Congressional Debate entrants Adam Bernbaum of CV and Tori Head of U-Hi; Foreign Extemporaneous entrant James Ganas of CV; and Humorous Interpretation participant Leslie Krueger of CV.