Peers Honor Two Elementary School Teachers

Thu., May 13, 1999

By Kevin Blocker kevinb@spokesman.com

Terrie Geaudreau of Bemiss Elementary School and Connie Garvin of Garfield Elementary were recognized as Distinguished Teachers by their peers.

In their letters of nominations, staff members described Geaudreau as “focused, persevering, creative, professional and student centered.”

“She has been vital to the new can-do spirit of instructional reform,” said Bemiss principal Lorna Spear.

Garvin was recognized not only for “exemplary teaching every single day,” but also for the significant impact she has had on the Garfield community as a whole.

“She assists more teachers than I’ve ever worked with,” said principal Joann Ekstrom.

The awards were presented by District 81 in a surprise announcement at the teachers’ respective schools last month. The district presents two teachers with the awards every school quarter.

Also recently receiving recognition was Woodridge Elementary School principal Bob Pedersen. Pedersen was a finalist for the Washington State Distinguished Principal award presented by the Elementary School Principals’ Association of Washington.

Candidates for the award are selected on their contributions to professional growth and development, educational excellence, community relations and humanitarian activities.

Newman bound for Gonzaga

Mead High School senior Nicholas Newman has accepted the Regents Scholarship from Gonzaga University, where he has selected engineering as his major field of study.

Newman is the president of the school’s National Honor Society, sports a 3.95 grade-point average and earned varsity letters in cross country and track.

Students win vocational awards

Five North Side high school students were among 150 high school, skill center and community technical college students who were named recipients of the 1999 Washington Award for Vocational Excellence by the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board.

Seniors Jennifer Craze, Shadle Park High School; Anna Zinkgraf and Amy Haasis, of Rogers; Kirk Sabiston, Mead; and Rebekah Moore, Deer Park High, were recognized.

The Washington award (WAVE) provides recipients a tuition grant for six quarters or four semesters of undergraduate study at community and technical colleges, the state’s regional and research universities, accredited independent colleges, or licensed private vocational schools in the state.

Middle school book fair Tuesday

Mead Middle School will host its fourth free community book fair on Tuesday. The fair is sponsored by the school’s honor society and will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the school’s cafeteria.

More than 300 books are available for people of all ages. Mead Middle School is located at 12509 N. Market. For more information call Nancy Monroe, 465-7400.

Debate fund-raiser Friday

The Mead High School debate team is planning several fund-raisers to help offset travel costs for Emily Setcho, Ethan John, Suzanne Kim, Sudha Nandagopal, Zane Torretta and Kelly Moyse - all of whom qualified for the national debate team tournament in Phoenix next month.

A bingo night will be held Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the Mead High School cafeteria, featuring prizes from local vendors.

And, from Monday through Wednesday, a few dollars from each dinner purchased at the North Side Tony Roma’s, 7640 N. Division, will be donated to the debate team. Diners must first obtain a verification coupon to identify them as debate team supporters.

Debate team members will have the coupons available each night at the restaurant.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.