Students walk safety talk

Schools throughout the area celebrated International Walk to School Day Wednesday to create safer routes for walking and biking to school and highlight the benefits of exercise.

• At Otis Orchards Elementary in the East Valley School District, Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Craig Chamberlin told the students about “Stickman Knows,” the Spokane Regional Health District’s educational campaign to help reduce pedestrian, bicyclist and motorist collisions. He also distributed Stickman Knows tattoos and reflective helmet stickers.

• More than 90 students from Seth Woodard Elementary School walked or biked as far as a mile to school Wednesday.

They were escorted by parents, West Valley’s security officer Bill Peterson and neighborhood SCOPE volunteers.

School secretary Lori Rousseau pushed the idea of involvement as a way for the school to become more environmentally friendly. Principal Tad Heinen greeted each student walking or biking onto the school grounds.

HarVEST Banquet Auction

Valley Christian School will present its annual HarVEST Banquet Auction Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Luxury Box, 10512 E. Sprague Ave.

The evening will include dinner from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and an auction.

Tickets are $30 and are available at the school, 10212 E. Ninth Ave.

For more information, call the school office at (509) 924-9131.

Kudos

• The West Valley School District is the recipient of a GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant from the Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The district will receive $81,000 annually, serving seventh-graders at Centennial Middle School to increase college readiness and success through their graduation in 2017.

The grant is part of $27 million which will be shared among 40 schools. There were 296 entities applying for the grant.

• Lois Musser of Trent Elementary School in the East Valley School District received $500 from Spokane Teachers Credit Union Tuesday to use for any purpose which will enhance her students’ learning.

Musser teaches kindergarten at the school.

• Principal Jesse Hardt of Horizon Middle School in the Central Valley School District has been named Principal of the Year by the Washington Library Media Association.

Hardt received the award for his support of the school library, which has expanded from one computer lab with 26 computers to two labs with 56 computers. He supported the creation of a class for students to create a weekly newscast and has supported the library budget to purchase up-to-date titles.

The teacher-librarian at Horizon is Marijke Albers.

• Jeff Cross , a Central Valley School District bus driver, has received the Public School Employees President’s Leadership Award for his leadership of the Central Valley PSE chapter, which he serves as president.

“Jeff is a leader who leads by example,” said Central Valley PSE Vice President Betty Foley. “He has brought continuity to the chapter and is always fair in dealing with our members.”

• Peggy Barnes, a second-grade teacher at Sunrise Elementary School in the Central Valley School District, was chosen as the Teacher of the Week, a program sponsored by the Seattle Mariners, Washington State Employees Credit Union and 710 AM ESPN, a Seattle radio station.

Barnes was honored Sept. 18 with a check for $500 during a Mariners’ game.

Two parents and their children nominated Barnes, who has been teaching for 27 years.

Civics conference

West Valley School District and Eastern Washington University will host “Civics Conference: A Call to Activism” Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Hargreaves Hall on the EWU campus in Cheney.

Students in grades 4 through 12 will visit the college to hear from State Supreme Court Justice Debra Stephens, a West Valley High School graduate, and others about the importance of being an involved citizen.

They also will hear about reducing diet-related diseases by promoting healthy food, learn about supporting sustainable farms, expanding food access to end hunger, protecting the environment and farm animals by reforming factory farms and promoting health by curbing junk-food marketing aimed at kids.