City School students earn honors in science, math, tech competition
Several West Valley City School students landed a total minimum of $53,000 in savings bonds after their projects won regionally in a U.S. Army Web-based science, math and technology contest.
Called eCYBERMISSION, the contest is open to sixth- through ninth-grade students who compete for regional and national awards while working to solve community problems.
With notification last week, five City School teams won top recognition in the Northwest Region. Two of those teams got first-place honors and will head to Washington, D.C., in June for an expense-paid trip to compete nationally.
“This is our first year of doing this competition,” said City School teacher Judy Harris. “That kind of makes it more extraordinary that we did so well.”
Winning team members received individual savings bonds of $2,000 to $3,000 depending on their award level. Those going to nationals can earn more in savings bonds.
City School winners in the two first-place teams – with each student receiving $3,000 in savings bonds – include Cameron Dolsby, Connor Johnson, Cody Percival, Kieran Abbotts and mentor John Adams; and the group of Alexandra Golikov, Gail Gallaher, Talulah Schultz and mentor Stephanie Agnew.
The two second-place teams had Katie Salmon, Serenity Ogle, Mariska Gramlow, Laura Combs and mentor Debbie Noble; Ashley Reitan, Gabrielle Olscamp, Megan Percival, Niesa Merchant and mentor Matt Phillipy.
City School’s Criteria winning team members included Jackie Noble, Jurnee Montgomery, Josh Rogers, Josie Brantley and mentor Agnew.
Harris said the first-place teams won for their good use of science and technology, communication and collaboration. The boys eighth-grade team developed a project for lower-cost recycling of computers and reducing the dumping of such equipment.
“They developed a partnership with one of the high schools in the district and it will continue on,” she said. “They are going to teach other kids how to do it and keep it going year after year.”
The first-place project by the seventh-grade girls team included work to prevent the spread of the aquatic weed milfoil that is choking area lakes.
Another Spokane Valley school also had students do well in the contest. Central Valley High School had three teams place in the Criteria Award category, all led by teacher Lori Buratto.
The CVHS Criteria team winners included members Hannah Damiano, Casey Enzler, Megan Jydstrup and Nikki Richardson; Mariah Crosby, Elizabeth Mansoor, Natalie Martinez and Shanna Thompson; and Cody Bafus, Shannen Kuest, Jonathan Snider and Mathew Summers.
Setting a new record for participation, 11,533 students from 50 states and four U.S. territories registered for the U.S. Army’s 2007-2008 eCYBERMISSION competition.
Freeman, Central Valley students mean business
Twenty-nine Freeman High School Future Business Leaders of America members and 18 students in Central Valley High School’s FBLA attended the organization’s 2008 State Leadership Conference in Bellevue April 9-12.
To make it to state, members had to finish in the top five at the regional conference in February. Students competing from the two schools included:
Seniors: Freeman – Cory Janssen, Brandon Saiki and Ty Thomas; Central Valley – Breahna Bacheller, John Beattie, Will Bernbaum, Alicia Bird, Chris Driver, Terra Hill, Mikala Locnikar, Tony Kanago and Nic Morden.
Juniors: Freeman – Anthony Emtman, Audrey Fish, Isaac Hamilton, Brandon Hollen, Alex Hungerford, Hannah Lally, Carolanne Lyons, Cameron Moore, Megan Primmer, Josh Reed, Sara Robinson, Stacy Sainsbury, Felicity Weathers, Leah Willard and Tyler Wood; Central Valley – Jamie Darnell, Anna Highley, Troy Murphey and Natalie Shepard.
Sophomores: Freeman – Andy Coumont, Dalton Fetsch, Cameron Floch, Josh Grandinetti, Dalton Reilly, Travis Sorenson and Molly Thomas; Central Valley – Steve Lyons and Dallan Wagner.
Freshmen: Freeman – Mackenzie DeRuyter, Tyler Hjaltalin, Alex Quinnett and Jesse Sellers; Central Valley – Cody Bafus, Jesse Rennaker and Penny Zhang.
From Freeman, Janssen finished in the top 10 in Job Interview. Saiki took fifth in Business Calculations. The team of Fetsch, Floch and Grandinetti took fourth in Web site Development. Fetsch took third in Spreadsheet Applications. Hamilton took third in Help Desk. The team of Emtman, Hamilton and Moore took first in Business Presentation.
From Central Valley, Bird was in the top 10 in Help Desk. Lyons placed fifth in Introduction to Business. Driver and Locnikar took second for the chapter’s Annual Business Report. Wagner placed third in Introduction to Technology. The team of Bernbaum and Kanago placed first in Network Design. Bernbaum also placed second in Networking Concepts, fifth in Technology Concepts, fourth in Help Desk, and fourth in Computer Problem Solving. Kanago took third in Computer Problem Solving, fourth in Networking Concepts, second in Internet Application Programming, and second in Technology Concepts.
Qualifying for the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, June 23-30 from Freeman are Emtman, Hamilton and Moore; from Central Valley, Bernbaum, Kanago, Driver, Locnikar and Wagner.
The CVHS FBLA chapter also was recognized as a Gold Seal Chapter and named the state’s Outstanding Local Chapter by the Washington State Business Education Association.
FBLA is the premier organization for students preparing for careers in business. The chapter advisers are Scott Moore for Freeman and Sherry Johnson for CVHS.