Education Notebook: HOPE School kicks off Hear Me Run

Thu., June 5, 2014

By Rainey Coffin raineyc@spokesman.com (509) 459-5434

Never missed a day – even kindergarten

Paige Warnick, 18, will be graduating from Cheney High School with a perfect attendance record. She has not missed a day of school since she enrolled in Cheney Public Schools as a kindergarten student.

“I can’t recall the last time this happened,” said Cheney High School Principal Troy Heuett. “When I was in high school many years ago one of my friends did that – it’s amazing.”

Heuett said Warnick has always prioritized school attendance above anything else, and with the support of her parents she has shown a perfect attendance record is possible.

Warnick was honored at the Blackhawk Dessert hosted by Cheney High School faculty on Monday, and again at A Time to Honor Ceremony hosted by the Cheney High School counseling department on Wednesday.

Pia Hallenberg

The Spokane HOPE School will hold its first Hear Me Run 5K benefit fun run around Riverfront Park on Saturday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Registration and packet pick-up begins at 8:30.

The race is chip timed and will include fun activities for children such as a jumping castle and face painting. Food vendors will also be set up in the park.

Cost to participate is $30 for adults and $15 for children age 6-12 with a T-shirt; children 5 and younger run free, a T-shirt costs $5. Proceeds from the race will benefit the school, Spokane’s specialized early intervention program for local children with hearing loss.

Registration for the race is available online at www.hearmerun spokane.com. Registration also will be available at the race on Saturday.

For details call Kim Schafer, HOPE School’s development director, at (509) 863-7097 or email kim@spokanehope school.org.

National Merit winner

Andrew Chuang, a student at Ferris High School, was recently awarded a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship.

Merit Scholars are judged on their academic record, including the difficulty level of the subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and the recommendation written by a high school official.

Chuang, who received a National Merit University of Chicago Scholarship, is looking at intellectual property law as his chosen career field.

Exchange hosts sought

Ayusa International is seeking host families for exchange students for the 2014-15 school year.

People interested in becoming a host family can learn about the program and students at www.ayusa.org, where they can also find an application and other guidelines, including a criminal background check for hosting, a request for references, and a program agreement.

After the application is submitted, an Ayusa representative will schedule an in-home interview and help with other hosting requirements. Once the host family is approved, they may log in into the website and select a student.

Exchange students come from more than 60 countries and are 15 to 18 years old. The students are fully insured, bring their own spending money, and speak English.

For more information call (888) 552-9872.

Jazz band best at festival

The Chase Middle School jazz band won first place in the middle school/junior high division and the Grand Sweepstakes award at the Coeur d’Alene Jazz Festival on May 17.

Trumpeter Jonathan Herberger also was honored for his trumpet solo at the festival.

The jazz band was also awarded the outstanding band award and best saxophone and trombone section awards at the Eastern Washington University Jazz Dialogue Festival earlier this year.

To submit news about your school, students and staff to the Education Notebook, send details to raineyc@spokesman.com or call (509) 459-5434.