Human Anatomy Study Leads Students On Fantasy Quest

Picture a “permalard.” Seriously. Here’s some help.

Imagine a creature with two legs, a tail wide enough that it could actually hold itself up on its tail alone. Now give it a rusty orange coat, with flecks of green and a hint of scales.

That’s Karissa Giles’ creature.

“I got the idea for his tail from my brother’s iguana. He does weird things with his tail,” Karissa said.

All around Cyndie Hammond’s fifth-grade classroom at Otis Orchards Elementary School, imaginary creatures were coming to life. A walrus-perch-lizard. An eagle’s head on a crocodile’s body. Eagle wings on a dog’s body, but with human hind feet.

Hammond’s students got their background for this project by studying human anatomy. Next, they created skeletons for their new creatures, thinking not just of fantasy, but of habitat and prey, climate and protection.

“Remember your research,” Hammond told her students time and again.

“He’s a night animal and a meat-eater,” explained Fathom Swanson, working on her graceful, winged “afftowdileagon.”

“I wanted him to live in trees. It took me forever to think of a name, but it worked,” she said.

On Monday, the students worked cautiously with pastels to flesh out their animals. They started with a base color, then added more color to create subtlety and texture. They used fingertips and Q-tips, and discovered that the damp paper towels they were supplied with helped keep the pastel residue from building up on their fingers.

“Oh, that’s what this is for,” said Ashley Colosimo.

This was a thinking person’s art class, with help from artist Terri Austin-Beech.

“Boys and girls, I’m getting a lot of wonderful questions about how to make textures. Remember that there are 25 teachers in the room,” Austin-Beech said.

Nic Haupt took the advice to heart.

“How do you do the scales?” asked Jessica Gemmrig a few minutes later.

“Oh, I know how to do those,” Nic said. Up he hopped and showed a precise way to create a scale-like appearance.

Then he returned to his animal, a “bickenake.”

“It was hard to do the bat wings. They took forever,” Nic said. “Now, the chicken. Anyone have a chicken book?”

Within minutes, he’d found not only the necessary chicken picture, but a rattlesnake book, besides.

Fathom studied the tail of her creature. She was stumped.

“What should I do?” she asked.

“Well that’s the problem you have to solve,” Austin-Beech said.

“Some people say they’d like the freedom to be creative. But being creative takes a lot of problem-solving.”

Odyssey of the Mind

Several teams from Spokane Valley schools won their divisions at the Spokane Odyssey of the Mind competition. The event was last weekend at Shadle Park High School.

Teams could choose among five problems to solve.

In Over the Mountain, Horizon Junior High School’s team won second. Teams had to build a vehicle.

In Environmental Challenge, Greenacres Junior High School’s team won its division; Central Valley High School won its division; and Orchard Center Elementary School placed second in the elementary division. Teams had to find a way to test air and water.

Oh, My Fair Shakespeare was a problem in which students had to write a play based on a scene from a Shakespeare play. North Pines Junior High students won among middle schools. Central Valley High won its division.

In Ratiometric Structure, Pioneer School placed third in its division. Students had to build balsa wood towers that would bear weight.

Customer Service, the final problem, involved creating a play about a store with a memorable customer. Central Valley ABLE Learners won among middle school teams. Centennial Middle School placed second. Seth Woodard Elementary School placed third in its division.

EVHS dinner-auction

Put March 27 on your calendar if you want to support the East Valley High School All-Knighter dinner auction.

The event will benefit the substance-free, all-night celebration that’s held after graduation. The dinner auction, in the high school commons, opens with a 5:30 p.m. silent auction, followed by lasagna dinner, a silent dessert auction and a 7 p.m. live auction.

Dinner tickets are $6.50. Contact an EVHS senior parent or call 226-1174 or 922-2430.

CV wants nominations

Central Valley School District wants nominations for its annual good-guy awards.

More formally called the meritorious service awards, these honor teachers, other staff and community members who have made an outstanding contribution to the schools.

Deadline for nominations is March 19. Contact the superintendent’s office at 922-6706 for more information.

AUCTION DINNER East Valley High School All-Knighter dinner auction is planned for March 27.