Education notebook: Chase Youth Awards honor area students

The winners of the 2017 Chase Youth Awards were announced last week at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox.

These awards recognize students in kindergarten through 12th grade who best represent the characteristics of citizenship, community service, courage, creativity, diversity, leadership and personal achievement. One adult was also recognized for their impact on youth.

The winners, by category, are:

Arts & Creativity: Theater Arts for Children Youth Board (middle school), Caitlyn Michaels (teen) and Brittan Hart and Madison Seipp (teen group).

Community Involvement: Cierra Williams (elementary), Spokane Area Homeschool Co-op (elementary school group), Kayla Priebe and Vanessa Miranda (middle school group), Matthew Newberry (teen) and SFCC On-Track Academy Partnership (teen group).

Courage: Alexis Burks (teen).

Cultural Awareness: Iaitia Farrell (teen) and University High School Spokane Scholars; Cameron Blegen, Evan Figuracion, Craig Robertson and Natelie Windsor (teen group).

Environment: Stella Marsh (elementary), West Valley Outdoor Learning Center Department of Fish & Wildlife Team (middle school group) and Project Hope (teen group).

Leadership: Sheridan Elementary K-Club (elementary school group), Avery Plank (middle school), U-Knighted Math Mentors of East Valley Middle School (middle school group), Kelton Hedstrom (teen) and Freeman High School Future Business Leaders of America (teen group).

Personal Achievement: Romey Fox (teen) and Freeman Girls Basketball Team (teen group).

Judge’s Choice: Michelle McDonald (individual) and Central Valley High School CyberPatriots (group).

Chase Youth Commissioner’s Choice: Jael Allen.

Jim Chase Asset Builder Award: Shamerica Nakamura, Communities in Schools representative at North Central High School.

Ferris senior named

U.S. Scholar candidate

Ferris High School senior Paige Ruehl has been named a Career and Technical Education candidate as part of the 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, which honors the country’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors.

The Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of citizens appointed by the president, will select the finalists, and the U.S. Department of Education will announce the 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars in May. Of these 161 scholars, up to 20 will be named U.S. Presidential Scholars in Career and Technical Education.

NWC ‘Seussical’

opens Thursday

Northwest Christian School’s production of “Seussical the Musical” opens Thursday.

This musical features some of Dr. Seuss’ most well-known characters including the Cat in the Hat and Horton the elephant.

Performances are Thursday-Saturday and Wednesday-March 17 at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at 5104 E. Bernhill Road, Colbert. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online at nwcs.org/seussical or at the door.

Ferris presents annual

Ham on Regal event

Ferris High School’s annual Ham on Regal fundraising event opens Sunday.

This year’s show is called “Live from Ferris High, It’s When Pigs Fly!” and features more than 250 parents putting their spin on characters from “Saturday Night Live.”

Performances are Sunday, 2 p.m.; Wednesday-March 17, 7:30 p.m.; and March 18, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. at 3020 E. 37th Ave. Tickets are $7 for matinees and $9 for evening shows and can be purchased at Round Table Pizza on South Regal, Albertson’s on 57th, 2nd Look Books at Lincoln Heights Shopping Center, Rosauers on 29th, the Ferris High School Business Office, from any Ham on Regal cast member or online at www.hamonregal.org.

LC ProStart team

heading to nationals

The Lewis and Clark High School ProStart team recently won the 2017 Sysco ProStart Invitational, a youth culinary and restaurant management competition.

The Lewis and Clark team, Madison Nesbitt, Alexis Davidson and Anne Farley, taught by Nancy Jewett, developed a concept for a restaurant that included a menu, pricing, recipes, a restaurant layout and floor plan, marketing strategies, interior decor, a mission statement and an organization chart. The team will now compete at ProStart Nationals in April in Charleston, South Carolina.

Ferris High School’s ProStart team, Cosette Lemes, Katarina Ducharme and Christine Chen, taught by Brenda Marshall, placed third, and senior Ducharme was named Washington State ProStart Student of the Year.

Local students qualify

for state Bee

Sacajawea Middle School seventh-grader Madeline Lavergne and Glover Middle School eighth-grader Adam Anderson have both qualified to compete in the National Geographic Washington State Bee, which will be March 31 at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.

One winner from each state and territory will advance to the National Geographic Bee Championship, which will be held May 14-18 in Washington, D.C.

Mead holds annual

robotics competition

Mead School District recently held its fifth annual robotics competition, with ten teams competing in preliminary and final rounds at Mt. Spokane High School.

Three teams from both Mead High School and Mt. Spokane advanced to finals, where the course included line following/ultra-sonic, maze runner, danger alley and teeter totter target, all with three-minute time limits.

The Mt. Spokane team of Ali Jones, Gabi Hager, Maiya Yeoman, Albert Hager and Topher Wright placed first. The Mead team of Lexi Elkins, Shannon McLaughlin, Elijah Trotz, Zach Deobold and Nathan Miller placed second, and the Mead team of Thomas Hall, Kayla Hernandez, Daniel Engen and Michael Utt placed third.

Student’s letter brings

principal an award

The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick recently awarded Sandy Nokes, principal of Trinity Catholic School, the Principal on Parade Award.

To determine the winner, fourth-grade students write letters detailing why their principal should be honored. The winning entry receives a $1,000 donation to their school from Spokane Teachers Credit Union, and the winning student and principal are invited to ride in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Saturday at noon.

Valley Rotary Club

taking grant requests

The Spokane Valley Rotary Club is accepting grant requests from area youth-related nonprofits, Spokane Valley schools and graduating seniors attending Rogers High School or any Spokane Valley high school for grants of up to $1,000 to help fund youth activities in Spokane Valley.

The club funds these requests through a charitable trust. Part of this trust is the A1 Stevens Music Scholarship Fund, which provides graduating seniors with music scholarships. Rogers High School students are only eligible to apply for these music scholarships, while students from Spokane Valley high schools are eligible to apply for grants, no matter their discipline.

Contact Herb McIntosh at (509) 928-8328, (509) 991-1855 or herbm10424@gmail.com for grant request forms. Send grant requests to Spokane Valley Rotary Charitable Trust, P.O. Box 14192, Spokane Valley, WA, 99214. The deadline to submit requests is April 15.

Washington Trust

gives $5K to CSF

Washington Trust Bank has given $5,000 to College Success Foundation-Spokane for juniors and seniors in the CSF Achievers Scholars program. The money will be used for college and university campus visits and other means of college and career exploration, including summer programs.

College Success Foundation college preparatory advisers at Ferris, Lewis and Clark, North Central, Rogers and Shadle Park high schools, in partnership with Spokane Public Schools, give students the academic, financial, social and emotional resources they need to achieve success on the way to and during college, beginning when students are attending Garry, Glover or Shaw middle schools.