Rainey Coffin

Hutton Elementary students recently had the opportunity to write to their favorite authors, living or dead, in the 2009-’10 “Letters About Literature” contest. Sixth-grader Reagan Nelson wrote to “Little House on the Prairie” author Laura Ingalls Wilder, as her favored writer. Nelson’s letter was chosen as the winner in the Level 1 competition for Washington state. In Washington, 1,413 letters were received at Level 1 and of those, only 45 were returned for judging at the state level.

Two Rogers High School students were recently recognized for their essays, answering the question: “Is Justice Blind?” in an essay contest piloted by the Washington Bar Association, through its Committee for Diversity. Alexandra Franklin was the state winner and was awarded a $500 prize. Her essay will be published in the Washington State Bar Association magazine, Bar News, in May. Christian Mashtare placed second and was awarded $250.

“Look at me NOW! It is fun to have fun…” And, fun they had when the Cat in the Hat stopped by Holy Family Catholic School last Thursday, to help students in pre-kindergarten through fourth grades celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The mischievous cat read the Dr. Seuss favorite, “Green Eggs and Ham,” then “he gave them a pat,” and was gone, just like that!

Andrew Black and A.J. Black were recently awarded the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest given in the Boy Scouts. They are a members of Troop 313. For their project, the brothers did landscaping for the city of Spokane, on the north side of Riverside Avenue, between the Riverfalls Tower and the Maple Street Bridge. The boys replaced sod, picked up litter, painted and repaired a fence, and planted bushes, shrubs and trees. They also installed irrigation and electricity for the city’s Christmas lights.

Three teachers in Spokane Public Schools have been honored as Teacher of the Year. Dorene Brown, a teacher at Rogers High School, was named the Washington State ProStart Teacher of the Year; Paula Korus, a teacher at North Central High School, received the Teacher of the Year honor from the Washington State Council for the Social Studies; and NC’s band and orchestra teacher, Collins Loupe, was awarded Teacher of the Year for the Spokane Falls region.

Area residents have graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio: Air Force Airman Derek Baskin graduated in 2008 from Ephrata Senior High School and is the son of Martin Baskin of Soap Lake, Wash.

Students at North Central High School share the story of two rambunctious young boys in the musical “Big River, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” beginning tonight at 7:30 at the high school. The cast, crew and orchestra totals approximately 60 NC students. Students on the main stage, floating down the Mississippi River, include: Dalin Tipton as Huck and Anthony McCain as Jim, with Lindsey Gay as Miss Watson, Brittany Cozza as the Widow Douglas, Colton Sullivan as Pap and the King, Corey Evans as the Duke, and Tim Hensz as Tom Sawyer.

The students and staff in the Liberty School District showed their support for Liberty Superintendent Bill Motsenbocker and his family when they gathered on the Liberty High School football field Monday. Mike Jydstrup, a teacher at Liberty Junior High and Elementary, the LHS leadership class, and the Liberty Junior Boosters, recently purchased bright pink wristbands, imprinted with the name of Motsenbocker’s wife, Jeanne Motsenbocker, who has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing treatment. The group of more than 400 students and staff came together, formed in a heart, and presented the Motsenbockers with the wristbands.