Education Notebook: No strings attached in this ‘Pinocchio’
The drama students at Meadow Ridge Elementary in the Mead School District will perform the family favorite “Pinocchio” tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the school.
The students will present the story of a wooden puppet who comes to life and can become a real boy if he proves himself “brave, unselfish and true.”
Meadow Ridge Principal Marilyn Brennan said in an e-mail that student Elizabeth Redmond is master of ceremonies.
The cast includes Rachel Lewis as Pinocchio; Julie Christensen as Glissandra the blue fairy; Caleb Wendle as Gepetto; Brenden Hoffmann as Mastroni; Myranda Wilsey as Maple; Hannah Faulwell as Spruce; Olivia Roth as Walnut; Gabrielle Warren as Punchinello; Alivia Sargent, Harlequin; Annika Johnson, Carlotta; Carsen Smith, Candlewick/Donkey; Gracelynn Stensland as Maria; Dayton Hammond as Mario; Landon Spencer as Tony; Sophia Andersen as the Cat; Dom Genzone as the Fox; Leah Walton as the Coachwoman; Chance Champoux as the Policeman; and a supporting cast of donkeys, fish and sea creatures, toys and singers, as well as parents and teachers who built the set, making up a list of more than 70.
Admission to the show is free, but donations are encouraged.
Students bring gifts to mission residents
Fourth-graders at Northwest Christian School showed the true meaning of the holiday season on Wednesday, when they donated Christmas gifts to the men at Union Gospel Mission.
According to a press release from Northwest Christian, the students were inspired by the children’s book, “Treasure in an Oatmeal Box.” Similar to the boy in the story, the fourth-graders saved oatmeal boxes and filled them with gifts for the men in the program at the mission. The students decorated the boxes and made cards to go with their Christmas gift.
The students also sang carols and toured the facility after they presented their gifts.
Sara Bernall, Northwest Christian fourth-grade teacher, said of the project, “It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to shift the focus away from the usual Christmas commercialism and instead share God’s love in a tangible way with those who are in need.”
Rogers cyber-security team makes finals
The team from Rogers High School that’s been competing in the national CyberPatriot contest qualified for the finals in Orlando, Fla., in February. The Rogers team competed against 39 other teams from ROTC and the Civil Air Patrol for two slots in the finals. The other team that qualified is last year’s championship winner.
On Rogers’ team are: Benjamin Donnelly, Cyrus Soheili, Chris Crozier and Jacob Thompson.
CyberPatriot is a competition where student teams spend six hours fighting off computer hackers, cyber attacks, computer viruses and worms on a virtual computer system. They know there are 20 security holes going in, but they don’t know where they are or what will come while they are working.
Master Sgt. William L. “Loyd” Patton III, is the group’s instructor and he said everyone is excited about the trip to Florida.