Centennial’s Night on the Nile filled with creativitiy

A mummy wrapped in muslin added an extra touch among displays shown at Centennial Middle School’s Night on the Nile.

Some visitors who saw the mummy seemed a bit surprised to learn the model was a student under wraps – Dina Chebotareva – who quietly played the part while her sister and a friend kept watch. Other tables around the hallway and in classrooms held student-designed pyramids, King Tut masks, jewelry, woven sandals and models of ancient boats.

The sixth-grade teachers and students prepared for the night held last week after two months of Egyptian studies. They did the work as a pilot project under upcoming state social studies requirements for classroom-based assessment. Using a rubric called “Dig Deep,” the students wrote essays and studied primary sources and artifacts in doing research.

“We thought it would be fun and that it would be more meaningful for students if they created the artifacts,” said sixth-grade teacher Candi Jordan. “It really has brought our kids together as a group.” Six teachers and about 172 students were involved in the collaborative project.

Teacher Angela Wagner said the hands-on learning got the students most excited. “Getting to create artifacts, I think that was the best part for the students.”

Student Kaitlyn Kanzler wore a costume and represented Queen Nefertiti, the royal wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhnaten. Kanzler said she enjoyed learning about the different families, also known as dynasties, which ruled over people along the Nile.

“We learned about different times in Egypt,” she said. “I liked learning about the different dynasties and how the different dynasties worked. Often family members ruled and it goes from one dynasty to another dynasty. I learned about the different ways the Nile was used. It provided nutrient soil to grow crops.”

Another student, Jasmine Fowler, portrayed Ankhesenamen, who was married to King Tut and was Nefertiti’s third daughter.

“I got to learn about different cultures,” Fowler said. “I wrote about King Tut since I’m married to King Tut. I learned about how he had two tombs. He was a pharaoh so they considered him a god.”

Also as part of the experience, parent Julia Postlewait helped dish up some Egyptian-inspired foods – whole wheat flatbread that could be dipped in olive oil and spices as well as beans, dates and olives. The Egyptians are thought to have invented bread.

Greenacres students make math fun

Greenacres Elementary School students celebrated a math festival on Wednesday by measuring birdhouses and collecting data from frog-jump races.

The day’s activities were aimed at helping the more than 500 students at the school appreciate and feel comfortable with mathematics, utilizing 19 different standards-based, hands-on projects. The stations included building birdhouses to measure for area, perimeter and other dimensions; frog-jump races, designed to have kids collect data and calculate the mean, median, mode and range for the series of eight races with live frogs; and building bottle rockets to use inclinometers to measure the height of distant objects.

Other activities had students doing fraction brownies – baking brownies to study fractions and use problem-solving skills – and baseball statistics with guest Kevin Stocker, former Major League player.

‘Summer in Spokane’ takes first in Congressional art show

East Valley High School senior Lori Bourgeous won first-place for her pastel drawing for the 5th District in the 2008 U.S. Congressional Art Show. She got a call last week from the office of U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers with notice of the award.

Bourgeous’ pastel depicts three little girls at play. The colors are vibrant with the feel of summer time, said her teacher Pam Smith. Her drawing will be professionally framed and shipped to Washington, D.C., where it will hang on display in the Cannon Tunnel this summer. She has been invited to D.C. to receive her award.

Burgeous has had many accomplishments this year. She also won first place in the Superintendent’s High School Art Competition May 16 in Olympia. Two days later, she won first place at Pasco for the All-State High School Track Competition in the 100-meter hurdles and captured fifth-place for the 300 hurdles. She has a current 3.89 grade-average and plays piano.

Her Congressional art submission is named “Summer in Spokane.”

CV senior receives Sunrise PTO scholarship

Central Valley High School senior Haley Ruth Lewis received this year’s Sunrise Superstar Scholarship from the PTO of Sunrise Elementary School.

The annual $500 scholarship for continued education is awarded to a graduating senior who completed sixth grade at Sunrise Elementary School in the Central Valley School District. The PTO received several applications from outstanding students. Lewis’ application stood out for various reasons, including her dedication to academic excellence, her personal commitments and for her future aspirations. Lewis plans to attend Spokane Falls Community College before transferring to a university. She hopes to pursue a career in education.

Lewis has proven her abilities in a classroom setting through her work in CV High School’s Teaching Academy where she has served as an intern in the classroom of one of her former Sunrise teachers.

Students earn Kiwanis scholarships

The Spokane Valley Kiwanis awarded scholarships to five Spokane Valley seniors in a breakfast ceremony last month at Holman Gardens.

Ashley Johnson, Central Valley; Kayla Lockhart, Central Valley; Elizabeth Ross, University; Riki Schiermeister, University; and Stephanie Watson, Freeman, are recipients of the $1,200 scholarships.

Applicants are judged on community service, school activities, academics and an essay.

Among résumé highlights: Johnson was a Chase Youth Award winner, volunteered 450 hours for AmeriCorps, hundreds of hours at her church and maintained a 3.86 grade-point average. She will attend Brigham Young University.

Lockhart volunteered more than 450 hours at Valley Hospital and Medical Center and Big Brothers/Big Sisters with a 3.99 g.p.a. She will attend Carroll College.

Ross volunteered weekly for three years at Shriners Children’s Hospital, was Key Club president and active in drama, carrying a 3.79 g.p.a. She will attend Washington State University.

Shiermeister was voted first team All-GSL in basketball and softball six times, volunteered hundreds of hours at her church and in the school mentoring program, maintaining a 4.0 g.p.a. She will attend Eastern Washington University.

Watson participated in food and clothing drives, helped organize her community picnic for four years and donated hundreds of hours keeping statistics for the high school basketball program, maintaining a 3.97 g.p.a. She will attend the University of Washington.

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Inside Our Schools appears each week in the Valley Voice. If you have news about Valley schools, write: Treva Lind, Valley Voice, 13208 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley, WA 99216. Fax: 927-2175. Phone: 218-5042 or e-mail: trevalind320@hotmail.com.