Singing, dancing students participating in Valleyfest

Two school groups are scheduled to show off their talent today at Valleyfest.

The Solar Energy choir of Sunrise Elementary plans to sing three songs at 2:45 p.m. as part of Valleyfest’s Mirabeau Park dedication at the park’s main stage. The choir’s director is Ken Wendt.

Student soloists scheduled for today’s performance include: Brandon Carter, Shawnee Guegel, Rachel Saxby and Kiendra Chester. The group with 54 members will sing “Discovery,” “Put Your Hand on Your Heart,” and “The Blue and Red and White.”

For another performance at the Meadow Stage, University High School’s Step Team is set to showcase its African American inspired music at noon. This group plans to have about 10 members perform rhythmic movement of hands and feet for a unified beat, a technique used in Africa to create music.

“We do this as a means of bringing unity among all students of different cultural groups,” said U-Hi adviser Tess Clowe. “It’s open to all students, and we have a diverse group from every background.”

Student Kellen Lewis is the group’s main choreographer. Others who help direct the performance team with a total 25 members include four student leaders. They are Tiffany Reed, Conquela Anderson, Shamilya Anderson and Sukiela Wright.

For Reed, today will be her first Valleyfest performance. “It’s exciting,” she said. “To people seeing it for the first time, it’s something new and different.”

The U-Hi Step Team is scheduled to lead off a nearly four-hour session of ethnic dance groups that include Scottish, Guatemalan, Hmong and Native American dancers.

During Valleyfest’s 9 a.m. parade, several schools also will have entries. Some of the schools represented are North Pines Middle School, Central Valley High School, including its marching band, University High School, Greenacres Middle School and St. Mary’s Catholic School.

The parade’s grand marshals this year are representatives from all three Valley school districts: West Valley Superintendent David Smith, Central Valley Superintendent Mike Pearson and East Valley Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Shirley Moser.

CV grad gets gem of a job

Central Valley High School jewelry teacher Sherry Carson announced that a recent student, Donny Frank, was put in charge of casting gold jewelry for Teneff Jewelry Manufacturing Co. in Spokane. Frank graduated in 2004 and had three years of jewelry classes at CV.

Fund-raiser at Centennial

This week kicks off Centennial Middle School’s largest fund-raiser, which is an Oct. 5 fun run. Students gather pledges to run the perimeter of the school.

The theme for the fun run this year is “Centennial Salutes America,” with decorations in red, white and blue.