Area high school students bring home FBLA awards

More than 30 Central Valley High School students have shown they mean business. They won recognition in a recent Future Business Leaders of America regional contest.

The events held Feb. 14 at Faith Bible Church in Spokane allowed members to demonstrate business concepts, career competencies, business knowledge and job-related skills. Those students placing in the top five in their events qualified to attend the State FBLA Business Conference in Bellevue in April.

The 35 CVHS students earning top honors were: team of Alicia Bird and Mikala Locnikar – second place in Banking and Financial Systems; Natalie Shepard, Jaime Darnell and Nic Morden – second, Business Ethics; Anna Highley – fifth, Business Communication; Shepard, Darnell, Morden – fourth, Entrepreneurship; Troy Murphey – first, Personal Finance; Chris Driver – fourth, Future Business Leader; Penny Zhang – fifth, Intro to Business Communication; Tony Kanago and Will Bernbaum – first, Network Design; Steve Lyons – first, Introduction to Business; Dallan Wagner – first, Introduction to Technology Concepts; Shepard and Darnell – second, Business Graphics; Terra Hill – fourth, Business Law; Breahna Bacheller – first, Business Procedures; Lyons – fourth, Computer Applications; Bacheller and Locnikar – fourth, Desktop Publishing.

Other winners were recognized in these events:

Technology Concepts – Kanago, first; Bernbaum, second.

Word Processing I – Ashley Underwood, second; Jesse Rennaker, fourth.

Job Interview – Locnikar, third; Nick Piger, fifth.

Networking Concepts – Kanago, first; Bernbaum, second; Cody Bafus, fourth.

Help Desk – Bernbaum, first; Bird, fourth.

Business Math – Lyons, first; Zhang, second.

Computer Problem Solving – Kanago, first; Bernbaum, second; Wagner, third.

Freeman students attend FBLA conference

Freeman High School students also reported top recognition from the Feb. 14 FBLA regional conference. A total of 38 FBLA members from Freeman attended.

The following Freeman students made it into the top five in their events and will head to the state conference: Cory Janssen – second place in Job Interview and fourth in Business Calculations; Leah Willard – fourth, Job Interview; Hannah Lally – second, Client Services, and fifth, Public Speaking II; Lally and Felicity Weathers – third, Emerging Business Issues; Tyler Hjaltalin and Jesse Sellers – fourth, Emerging Business Issues; MacKenzie Deruyter and Molly Thomas – fifth, Emerging Business Issues; Carolanne Lyons, Sara Robinson and Weathers – first, Entrepreneurship; Brandon Hollen, Audrey Fish and Alex Hungerford – third, Entrepreneurship; Josh Grandinetti, Cameron Floch and Travis Sorensen – fifth, Entrepreneurship; Megan Primmer, Fish and Taryn Wingett – first, Management Decision Making; Dalton Fetsch – first, Spreadsheet Applications; Tyler Wood – second, Spreadsheet Applications; Josh Reed – third, Spreadsheet Applications; Wood and Reed – second, Desktop Publishing; Isaac Hamilton – second, Help Desk; Andy Coumont – third, Introduction to Business; Alex Quinnett – fourth, Creed; Brandon Saiki – second, Accounting I; Ty Thomas – first place, Accounting II; Thomas and Dalton Reilly – third, Business Ethics; Stacy Sainsbury – fourth, Public Speaking II.

In addition, Anthony Emtman, Hamilton and Cameron Moore qualified to compete at state in Business Presentation. Fetsch, Floch and Grandinetti also qualified for state in Web site Design.

Musicians earn EWMEA honors

Music students from around Spokane Valley took home honors from the Feb. 9 Eastern Washington Music Educators Association regional high school solo and ensemble music festival. All winners will advance to the Washington State Music Educators Association state finals on April 26 at Central Washington University.

The Northeast Region winners from Spokane Valley schools include: Amanda McLaughlin, flute, West Valley High School; Nathan Van Vlaenderen, clarinet, University High School; Travis Ward, bass clarinet, Central Valley High School; Frank McNeilly, baritone saxophone, CV; CV Saxophone Choir, CV; The Golden Clarinet, CV; Mallory Morgan, French horn, CV; Joseph McNeilly, trombone, CV; Ryan Gienapp, tuba, U-Hi; Fred Rogers Memorial Quintet, CV; Tubas for the Advancement of Pandas, CV; Nate Hunt, snare drum, CV; CV Mallet Ensemble White, CV; Antonio Dowling, violin, CV; Cortland Walker, viola, CV; Melissa Kersh, cello, East Valley High School; Gypsy Strings, EV; Makenzie Mumford, soprano (1), U-Hi; Something Generic Because We Don’t Know, CV; Women of Lirico, U-Hi; Lirico Chamber Singers, U- Hi; Men of Lirico, U-Hi; Dumbledore’s Army, U-Hi; Lingbo Tong, piano, CV.

WVSD receives tobacco-prevention grant

The West Valley School District has received a $20,000 tobacco-prevention grant from the Washington Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. The award is designed to curb tobacco use among high school students by increasing awareness and enforcement of tobacco-free school policies.

The WVSD grant plans include: review and update tobacco policies as needed; educate students, staff and community about policies; develop student-created marketing materials and provide youth cessation classes on campus. WVSD will partner with the Educational Service District 101, Spokane Regional Health District and Community Health Education and Resources.

The high school cigarette smoking rate in Spokane County is about 17 percent. Among adult smokers in Washington, half tried their first cigarette by age 14, and 70 percent were smoking regularly before they left high school.