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WVHS dance team brings home wins

E-Gal team leaders, from left, Olivia Bergman, Peyton Boone, Lexi Spies and Stephanie Guttromson celebrate as it is announced they are the 2A State Hip-Hop Champions during the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Dance Team State Championship in Yakima. Courtesy of Jodee A. Cahalan (Courtesy of Jodee A. Cahalan / The Spokesman-Review)
Treva Lind Correspondent
E-Gal team leaders, from left, Olivia Bergman, Peyton Boone, Lexi Spies and Stephanie Guttromson celebrate as it is announced they are the 2A State Hip-Hop Champions during the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Dance Team State Championship in Yakima. Courtesy of Jodee A. Cahalan (Courtesy of Jodee A. Cahalan / The Spokesman-Review)

West Valley High School’s dance team members are state champions. The group took two first-place awards in the 2A school division at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Dance Team State Championship in Yakima this past weekend, in the pom and in hip hop categories.

The 24-member team also was named 2A Academic State Champions for the highest GPA among members, and student Peyton Boone got honors as Outstanding Individual Dancer Scholarship Winner. Their coach is Jodee Cahalan.

The teams that compete at state must qualify at invitational contests and district competitions. At state, a team can only compete in three of six categories.

The WVHS dance team captain is Boone and the choreographer is Maggie Cahalan, also the new choreographer for the Spokane Shock’s dance team.

EVMS student body ‘Simply the Best’

East Valley Middle School took time Friday to honor “Simply the Best” kids – the entire student body.

The school’s honor society recently held a coin drive for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, with a record-setting $3,138.66 raised. During an assembly, staff planned to show off how tall the coins would stack – pennies alone at 67 meters – and illustrate how much they weigh at 335 pounds.

“We’ve done the fundraiser for several years and we’ve never brought in this much money,” said teacher Stephanie Koch. Last year’s total was $1,229. “We kept breaking the records every day. Our original goal was $2,000.”

The winning classrooms were those of teachers Michael McGowan and Nicole Williams.

Every six weeks, staff honors a group of students as “Simply the Best,” but this month, the entire student body got the recognition for their generosity, Koch said.

A representative of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Eric Nordstrom, was scheduled to receive the students’ check at the assembly.

The EVMS drive brought in 44,711 pennies; 4,016 nickels; 3,894 dimes; 1,864 quarters; three 50-cent pieces; and six $1 coins. Free ice cream was planned for all students at lunchtime Friday.

EVHS student studies in Washington, D.C.

An East Valley High School student recently took her studies to Washington, D.C., after being selected by Honeywell International for a scholars program.

From March 2 through 8, Honeywell sent students from 31 countries and 31 states to participate in the Scholars @ Presidential Classroom program, where students learned about the interconnection between science, technology and public policy.

Lauren Bergam, who has a grade-point average of 4.0 at East Valley, was chosen from the Spokane area. She takes calculus, Spanish and AP classes at EV and has a passion for running cross country and track. She created a program called Runners Recruit to bridge the gap between eighth grade and high school. Bergam also volunteers for SpokAnimal and the Diabetes Society and does student tutoring.

This year, Honeywell awarded scholarships to 428 students to attend the Honeywell Scholars program.

The students met with elected officials, business leaders and government appointees to discuss current global issues. They also observed the U.S. Congress and visited historic sites including the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Department of State, and Arlington National Cemetery. The Honeywell Scholars also visited the Honeywell Technology Experience on Capitol Hill, a state-of-the-art exhibition with many of Honeywell’s technologies.

Additionally, students heard from Commander Eileen Collins, the first female commander of a space shuttle, at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. They visited the National Academy of Sciences, Honeywell facilities at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Library of Congress and Walter Reed Institute of Research.

Honeywell awards the scholarships after a rigorous application and review process based on academic achievement and community involvement. Financial contributions from Honeywell employees help fund the scholarships, which include tuition for the week-long program, meals, accommodations and program materials.