Chase Youth Awards Winners

Students from the Greater Spokane Valley area raked in the honors at the 2006 Chase Youth Awards Ceremony on March 28. The awards are given to students who commit generous, selfless and even courageous acts. A detailed list of the winners and highlights from nominating letters follows:

Diversity Award, youth division

Emily K. Orne is a student at Seth Woodard Elementary. For the past two years Emily Orne has made daily visits to the special-needs classroom at Seth Woodard before school, during lunch and recess. She developed wonderful friendships with the students who have extreme special needs. Emily doesn’t come to visit because she has been told to or as a volunteer. She comes because the students are her friends and she likes them with all her heart.

Nominator Michele Dickerson said of Emily, “I don’t think she even realizes the positive impact she has had on my students. I’m very impressed with Emily and appreciate all the time she spends with us. Hopefully someday she will choose a teaching career working with students that have special needs. She would be an excellent educator.”

Community Service Individual, youth group

Erin Creighton and Hailey Hawkins are students at Sunrise Elementary. This nomination stems from their creation and hosting of a neighborhood carnival to raise money for the Spokane Humane Society.

Erin and Hailey have always been interested in helping others. Last summer the girls were discussing how much they both loved animals and decided to put together a charity project that would benefit animals. So, they had a short brainstorming session, gained approval and support from their parents, and the idea for a neighborhood carnival was born.

The girls worked extra chores to earn money for carnival prizes. They made fliers advertising the carnival and posted them around the neighborhood and handed them out. The carnival was well attended and a huge success. The girls raised more than $200. This money was then used to purchase badly needed pet supplies and to make a cash donation to the animal shelter.

Community Service, organization

K-Kids is a student-governed community service club comosed of fourth- and fifth-graders at Liberty Lake Elementary. The K Kids are: McKynzie Adams, Reilly Bealer, Desiree Bernhard, Logan Brassington, Matt Busch, Colton Cheshier, Sunny Collins, Patrick Crumb, Tatiana Crumb, Samantha Dewitt, Katy Dolan, Krystina Durman, Haley Feider, Amber Gimlen, Christine Glynn, Miranda Hill, Drayke Hilpert, Scott Hilpert, Cameron Himebaugh, Lucy Jones, Delainee Lenss, Brittni Ludington, Kelsey McCune, Haylee Millikan, Jeff Moberg, Melissa Morgan, Lynnsey Olson, Madison Phillips, Hunter Proctor, Myra Purvis, Coral Rankin, Brooke Rogerson, Jordyn Sandford, John Schutts, Josh Smith, Aubrey Spear, Nicole Thaler, Trevor Tomlinson, Zachary Van Curler, Hunter Wardian, Maggie Watson and Bryan Wilson.

Advised by the Liberty Lake Kiwanis chapter, the students have given more than 1,400 hours of community service. K Kids has done many projects, including: a baby food drive, collecting more than $600 in food and donations for the local food bank. They raised funds for tsunami relief, collecting $1,316 for UNICEF. The group made and delivered valentine cards to Guardian Angel Assisted Living Home, filled 4,000 plastic Easter eggs for the community Easter egg hunt, planted trees along the Centennial Trail and planted flowers at the city golf course.

Leadership, middle school

Annika Swanson is a student at City School in West Valley. When Annika was a sixth-grade student, she applied to be the assistant manager of the public relations department. She became the manager for her seventh- and eighth-grade years. The public relations department is responsible for school awareness and spirit, and in her two years as manager, Annika started the “You Make Things Better” awards, honoring any and all students whose presence and daily actions make our school better. Annika organized and facilitated an all-school “mix it up” day, where students took one day to see what life was like outside of their everyday “cliques.” Annika has provided the school with a “Secret Santa” program, where students can send their friends gifts delivered by the public relations department. She decided to host the 2005 Mother’s Tea, putting in countless after school and weekend hours to pull off the event that was attended by more than 200 people. She is now in the process of planning the 2006 Mother’s Tea.

Citizenship, middle school group

Centennial Middle School National Junior Honor Society. The students recognized are Matthew Bauman, Nathan Boyd, Torrey Finn, Haley Galik, Jennafer Grimes, Austin Henry, Marci Hohner, Alexa Knutson, Stacy Loberg, Katrina Marriott, Rachel Meagley, Ryelle Miles, Amanda Nikkola, Michael Potesky, Hallie Rockett and Joshua Roderick.

Honor Society students gave valentines to all the staff members and recognized a teacher each week with cards, treats, announcements and a latte. They prepared a staff breakfast cafe during Teacher Appreciation Week, raised money to cover pet adoption fees and volunteered at the Spokane County Animal Shelter. Many of the students run the book fair each year to raise money for the school library.

Community Service, organized middle school group

Greenacres Middle School Spirit Service Club. The students in the club are: Kalima Al-Ghani, David Aldrich, Tyler Baumer, Scotty Bernhard, Cameo Brereton, Raynne Calton, Brandon Carey, Makade Claypool, Brody Cone, Cody Crossley, Christina Davis, Jessica Davis, Sarah El-Bakkush, Teague Eschbach, Kelsey Glynn, Kyle Gunn, Morgan Hammon, Kerstyn Hendrickson, Tori Hickenbotham, Daneka Hildreth, Danielle Homuth, Caden Hughes, Zack Juhre, Logan Kelly, Ben Krueger, Leslie Krueger, McKenzie Lawson, Melissa Lesky, Brenna Longwell, Lori Martinez, Staci Martinez, Jordan Meredith, Becca Morrison, Kayla Panter, Austin Pruit, Megan Rindlisbacher, Gabby Ripley, Catie Schoultz, Jamie Singer, Justine Smith, Shelby Smith, Ellie Wagner and Hannah Winslow.

The club raises money for nonprofit organizations and for individual families at Greenacres. This school year the club started the year raising money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They created a Bruin, Greenacres’ mascot, for each donation regardless of the amount and added it to a large display that, when connected together, made a large bear. The students also contacted a business and were able to get a matching fund to double the school’s donation to the Red Cross. The Spirit Service Club volunteered during the holiday season at the Valley Center’s Season of Sharing. Some of members also volunteered at the Valley Center during the Coats for Kids Campaign as well as the Mirabeau Point Fashion Show fund-raiser for the Valley Center. They not only helped with the Katrina fund-raising efforts but also organized a fund-raiser called adopt-a-family. The students raised money during a week in December to help families in need at their school. This year, seven families received food, clothing and gifts for their children at Christmas.

Creativity, organized middle school group

Greenacres Middle School multimedia students. The students are: Carissa Balmes, Stephen Wheir, Derek Reinghans, Emily Lanning, Kirsten Lanning, Chaz Grady, Casey Mertens, Kelsey Matthews and Kurshell Neil.

These students produce the “What’s Bruin? Channel 17 News,” a closed-circuit school news service. The students produce a TV quality news program and know how to use all the equipment, including a “green screen” for a weather forecast. The announcements are sent digitally to the students so they can edit them and place them directly on the teleprompter. Another real life experience for the students is doing live news broadcasts from around the school. Classrooms, hallways, the student commons area and yes, even outside, have become the broadcast center.

The students have learned how to spice up the broadcast by creating specialty features such as “A Week in a Minute.” These are media created videos or photos from the school week. There is also the “6 Questions” modeled after Q-6 News. Students pick a staff member and ask them six questions that are then broadcast to the school.

Leadership, middle school group

Mountain View Middle School Road to Success students. The students are: Chris Allmand, Austin Greene, Josh Gust, Tom Johnson, Jon Pinyerd, Bryce Rigby, Alisha Knutsen, Chelsea Warren, Shane Quinn, Jeremy Maxwell, Ian Stevens, Dillon Torkse, Reanna Walthers, Joslin McNeece, Katie Campbell and Brandon Jendro.

Students in the program work on a global project, a community project and a school project every year. The global project was a penny drive for the hospital in Nalta, Bangladesh. In the local community, they volunteer at the county animal shelter once a month. They also volunteered numerous hours helping with Valleyfest and contributed to the Santa Express for the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. The school projects included a reception for speakers at the Veterans Day Assembly, constructing three benches to be placed in the school hallways, and monitoring the indoor air quality for Mountain View Middle School and East Farms Elementary.

Community Service, teen

Kara Kazemba is a senior at West Valley High School. Last year Kara was in charge of West Valley High School’s annual Sharing Tree, a volunteer program that gathered, wrapped and delivered more than 500 gifts to community members of all ages. Kara volunteered with Special Olympics. She organized a team to participate in the multiples sclerosis walk last spring. This fall, Kara organized a National Honor Society project to send boxes to troops in Iraq who were graduates of her high school. The project mushroomed, and the honors society sent hundreds of dollars of supplies in 20 boxes to troops in time for Christmas.

Kara is a “big sister” in the Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Spokane program.

Courage, teen

Derick Beck is a junior at Central Valley High School. Derick was nominated for extraordinary care he gives to his grandfather, whose health is declining. Derick has helped pick up grandfather when he has fallen, which is not an easy task given that grandfather weighs about 270 pounds. Derick helps get his grandfather in and out of the car, and loads and unloads his grandfather’s wheelchair. The task takes about 10 minutes each time, and Derick performs the service tirelessly. He has stood by as his grandfather practices walking with a walker. He has helped his grandfather with personal hygiene issues. In short, Derick does many things to help his grandfather that most high school juniors don’t have to do. If Derick had not done these things, his grandfather would probably not still be living at home.

Personal Achievement, teen

Justin Gonzales is at senior at West Valley High School. Justin has attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The faculty at West Valley High School says Justin is one of the most considerate young men they have worked with. Justin takes responsibility in his own learning by meeting with every teacher each year to design plans allowing him to be successful in the classroom. He is very good at seeking help from teachers when needed.

Justin knows when things might take him a little longer to complete and therefore asks for additional time when necessary. Justin never abuses these privileges afforded him and only uses the special accommodations when necessary. He loves a challenge and thoroughly enjoys learning new and difficult things in all his classes.

Spirit of Jim Chase, teen group

Hutton Settlement Youth for the Service and Leadership United Through Education, or SALUTE, program. The SALUTE members are: Kaitie Twiggs, Beth Houser, Jasmine Pacheco, Miranda Merchant, Sam Rancourt, Robert Egertson, Emanuel Pacheco, Steven Johnson, Foss Raub, Brian Haffner, Pamela Smith and Josh Kling.

The participants in SALUTE spend at least one hour per week learning about the most vulnerable in our community, country and world. The group then uses that information to plan and implement service projects that address community needs. The children have raised $5,000 for the American Cancer Society, collected more than a thousand pounds of winter clothing and blankets for the homeless in Spokane, and assembled needs packages for refugees coming to Spokane. The group has done more than 750 hours of direct service and fund raising for nonprofits in the last year.

Compiled by Tom Lutey