Area students at UI place in technology competition

Winners of the University of Idaho’s fourth annual EdTechQuest competition have been announced.

More than 300 students from Idaho, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia participated in the two-day event on the UI campus with 30 teams of fourth- through 12th-graders presenting their projects to judges using the latest learning technologies. Points were given for presentation skills as well as projects.

The ETQ contestants competed for a share of more than $90,000 in hardware and software prizes. Top prize in the elementary, middle school and high school categories was a $2,500 white board provided by SMART Technologies, which will end up at the team’s school. Top placers and their categories are listed.

Elementary school: Second place, Farmin-Stidwell Elementary, Sandpoint, for “Civil War.”

Middle schools: First place, Emerald Empire/4-H (junior high), Sandpoint, for “Horse Program.” Also received Smart Board.

High schools: Second place, Priest River Lamanna High School, for “History of the Yo-Yo.” Third place, Sandpoint High School, for “Fahrenheit 451.”

Other participating schools from North Idaho included Idaho Hill Elementary, Oldtown; John Brown Elementary, Rathdrum; Hope Elementary; and three teams each from Sandpoint High School and Priest River Lamanna High School.

This was the fourth annual ETQ at which vendors and sponsors displayed the latest in learning technologies. The high-tech learning competition is sponsored by UI’s College of Education, and 14 partners, including Microsoft, MPC (formerly Micron PC), Adobe and SMART Technologies, Inc. Educational software companies are Saxton- Bradley, Digital Workshop, eZedia, Teacher Created Materials, Inspiration, Digital Blue, Serious Magic, sofTV and eInstruction. The J. A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation also provides support.

• Two area residents attending North Idaho College were recently named finalists in a national photography contests.

Shaun Schlager, a graphic design major from Coeur d’Alene, was named a semifinalist in the portraiture category of the International Open Amateur Photography Contest through the International Library of Photography.

Trevor Fulton, a general studies major from Rathdrum, was named a finalist in the Photographer’s Forum Annual Student Photography Contest. Fulton graduated from NIC in May with an associate’s degree.

• Winners of the 16th annual Writers Competition at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library have been announced. Selected entrants received cash prizes provided through a grant from the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Kiwanis Club. First place received $100, second place won $50, and $25 was awarded for third place.

More than 175 entries of previously unpublished fiction and nonfiction were submitted for the competition in five age categories.

Judges for the competition were volunteers from among professional writers and editors working in North Idaho and Spokane.

A first-place may not be awarded in every category, depending on the tabulated scores.

Winning entries are listed by category.

Nonfiction Ages 6-8: First place, Jordyn McCracken, Coeur d’Alene, “The Christmas Puppy”; second place, Nicholas Oetken, Coeur d’Alene, “Buddy the Brave Schnauzer”; and third place, Knute Rognaldson, Worley, “My Baby Sister.”

Nonfiction Ages 9-11: First, Darcy Gross, Hayden, “Visiting My Foster Parents”; second, Kaitlin Birdsall, Athol, “David King Omstead”; third, Hanna Coad, Hayden, “The Heroism of Richard Bennett.”

Nonfiction Ages 12-14: First, Amanda Prescott, Coeur d’Alene, “Angel’s Flight No. 421”; second, David Hatfield, Hayden Lake, “Red Rover”; and third place tie, Jocelyn LePage, Coeur d’Alene, “Welcomed Strangers in My House,” and Bryan Rognaldson, Worley, “The Rights and Desires of People In Free vs. Communist Countries.”

Nonfiction Ages 15-18: Second, Amy Oliveria, Coeur d’Alene, “Waiting For My Prince to Come”; third, Melissa Fish, Worley, “The New Urbanism in Community Planning And Design.”

Nonfiction Age 19 and over: First, Renee D’Aoust, Clark Fork, “Replacing Fire”; second, Larry Strobel, Coeur d’Alene, “Our Walk to Japan”; third place tie, Renee D’Aoust, Clark Fork, “The Equation,” and Cathy Keister, Post Falls, “Facing Each Other.”

Fiction Ages 6-8: First, Gina Myers, Spokane, “Leah’s Snowman”; second, Emily Runge, Coeur d’Alene, “Best Friends”; third, Emily Runge, Coeur d’Alene, “The Singing Cricket.”

Fiction Ages 9-11: First, Scott Campbell, Post Falls, “Lost in a Virtual World”; second, Gavin Weiss, Coeur d’Alene, “O-U-As!!!”; third place tie, Anne Altbaum, Hayden, “Ali and the Sultan’s Saddle,” and Naomi Ketchens, Post Falls, “The Adventure of the Three Flowers.”

Fiction Ages 12-14: First, Lauren Heistuman, Coeur d’Alene, “Just Looking”; second, Ana Uraine, Hayden, “On the Street”; third, Natalie Colla, Coeur d’Alene, “Through Laura’s Eyes.”

Fiction Ages 15-18: First, Alex Mauck, Sagle, “The Crime of Hope”; second, Caroline Biggs, Worley, “By the Danube River”; third, Allison Hein, Sagle, “A Christmas Tale.”

Fiction 19 and over: First, Robin Volaitis-Heflin, Coeur d’Alene, “One Thousand Forty-eight”; second, Robin Volaitis-Heflin, Coeur d’Alene, “Steal My Heart”; third, Hudson Fields, Coeur d’Alene, “Sonny.”

All entries in the competition will be included in professionally bound volumes to be added to the Library’s collection.