Archive for June, 2009
The Central Lions Club of Bellingham recently donated about $4,500 worth of automated external defribrillators to Bellingham, Sehome and Squalicum high schools.
AEDs are used during cardiac distress to help a patient’s heart reestablish a normal rhythm. The units will be at the schools and staff will be trained on how to use them.
Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard recently honored seven graduates as Presidential Scholars.
The award honors top students from seven colleges at hte university. The awards were created by former president Karen Morse in 2000.
This year’s winners are:
Paula Berg, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Management and a 3.93 GPA. During her time in school, Berg volunteered with several community organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters Northwest and the Mother Baby Center.
Christina Mae Berger, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with an acting and direction concentration and Psychology minor. During her time at WWU, Berger participated in several productions, including “Dog Sees God” and “Nine Parts of Desire.” She will remain at WWU to complete a post-baccalaureate major in Psychology and minor in Athropology.
Forrest Copeland, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering Technology, is also the Oustanding Graduate for the program. He helped launch WWU’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders and assisted with a Mayan community in Guatamela managing a water pollution problem.
Holly Faulstich, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a 3.97 GPA. She presented her research on rare plant community biodiversity at the Ecological Society of America in 2008 and was offered a position as a graduate student at Brown University because of it. She was also one of two students selected to be part of the Polaris Project, a field course and research experience for undergraduates in the Siberian Arctic.
Ra’Jeanna Ann Foxx, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education and a certification in both P-12 special eduducation and K-8 general studies. Foxx spent some of her college career interning with programs around the state and was selected to present her research at the national conference for the Council for Exceptional children. This fall she will start working as a special education teacher at Kilo Middlel School in the Federal Way School District.
Gina Kim, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in both Sociology and Political Science, is also the Oustanding Graduate in Sociology. She has worked with national programs Norm Mineta Intership Immersion Program and the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program. She’ll be spending the next year as an Emerson Fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center.
Sharde Mills, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities-History of Culture, was also named the Oustanding Graduate in Liberal Studies. Mills is the leader of the Mixed Identity Student Organization and also participated in the “Naked Truth Monologues.”
Faculty at Western Washington University recently honored several graduates by naming them “outstanding” in their given field. One graduate can be nominated per academic department.
Recipients, their hometowns and departments they’re being honored by are listed below.
Kalene E. Barry, Ferndale, Modern and Classical Languages.
Chloe Blumenstein, Kingston, Special Education.
Rachel Christman, Tacoma, Physical Education, Health and Recreation.
Forrest Copeland, Spokane, Engineering Technology.
Molly Ann Daugherty, Puyallup, Physical Education, Health and Recreation.
Heather Davidson, Bellingham, Communications.
Deanna Davis, Spokane, Fine and Performing Arts.
John Davis, Shelton, Accounting.
Katherine Dreke, Arlington, Journalism.
Eric Fecht, Lynden, History.
Kelsi K. Franzen, Coupeville, Environmental Studies.
Maribel Galvan, Kent, American Culture Studies.
Christina Grace Garcia, Hoquiam, English.
Ian M. Grettenberger, Olympia, Biology.
John Harkness, Bellevue, Behavioral Neuroscience.
Nathaniel S. Ingroum, Bonney Lake, Elementary Education.
Gina Kim, Everett, Sociology. (Note: Gina is also one of seven 2009 WWU Presidential Scholars.)
Gregory S. Kubitz, Kelso, Mathematics.
James LeDuc, Portland, Ore., Psychology.
Megan Light, Auburn, Secondary Education.
Tyler Llewellyn, Wilbur, Environmental Science.
Malori McKenzie, Renton, College of Business and Economics.
Sharde Mills, Spokane, Liberal Studies.
Tyler Scott Morgan, Lake Forest Park, Economics.
Abigail Quarterman, Seattle, Physical Edcuation and Health and Recreation.
Jeffrey Shearer, Redmond, Finance and Marketing.
Michael E. Taron, Everson, Computer Science.
Leslie Umberger, Bellingham, Canadian American Studies. (note: I did a profile about Umberger, who was diagnosed with and beat cancer while being a student. You can read the profile here.
Elizabeth “Katie” Vliet, Rochester, Anthropology.
Tish L. Watson, Bellingham, Communication Sciences & Disorders.
Byron Yee, Issaquah, Theatre Arts.
Six Western Washington University professors have received awards that honor their excellence in teaching, research and service.
A new award was introduced this year, the Carl H. Simpson Bridging Award, which recognizes and supports efforts to create bridges and paths for others to follow. The award is named for a 25-year WWU professor and administrator.
Award recipients are listed below.
Carmen Werder — Carl H. Simpson Bridging Award. Werder has been a teacher and administrator at WWU for 24 years, is the director of Writing Instruction Support and the head of the Teaching-Learning Academy.
Jackie Caplan-Auerbach — Peter J. Elich Excellence in Teaching Award. Caplan-Auerbach is a geology teacher who is known for her enthusiastic teaching style and willingness to serve on a large number of thesis committees and research project teams.
Lorraine Kasprisin — Diversity Achievement Award. Kasprisin has been at WWU for nearly 30 years and shares her perspectives of diversity and social justice with her students and coworkers. She recently founded the Journal of Education Controversy, an electronic journal.
Wendy Walker — Excellence in Teaching Award. Walker, an 18-year WWU teacher, believes in experiental education, and even runs Spring Block, a set of four courses in which student prepare lessons and teach environmental education to elementary and high school students.
Michael Medler — Faculty Outstanding Service Award. Medler, a pyrogeography expert, not only studies forest fires, he’s on the President’s Waterfront Development Committee and has secured more than $50,000 in grants for Huxley’s move. He also developed the Huxley College Speaker Series and serves on other committees.
Merrill Peterson — Paul J. Olscamp Research Award. Peterson, a field biologist, explores ecological and evolutionary theory. He’s been working on a beetles species research project, funded by a $450,000 National Science Foundation Grant.
Jamie Yoos, a science teacher at Bellingham High School, has been named the 2010 Regional Teacher of the Year, putting him in the running for the Washington State Teacher of the Year award next year.
Yoos, who teaches chemistry and bicycle maintenance/indoor cycling for fitness, is one of only nine teachers in the state being considered for the state award.
Yoos has taught at BHS since August 2004. He was named the districtwide certificated staff member of the year earlier this spring.
I have had the honor of speaking with Yoos multiple times — both about a science competition and the bicycle class. Congrats!
Three recent Whatcom County graduates have each received $1,000 college scholarships from the Mt. Baker Chapter of the Harley Owners Group.
This is the fifth year of the scholarship, which goes to students who have a close relative or guardian that owns a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Recipients must write an essay about their relative’s experience on the bike. Each high school is allowed to submit one student for the scholarship.
This year’s recipients are: Sara Catey, Sehome High School; Brittany Bebee, Nooksack Valley High School; Emily Magee, Mt. Baker High School.
The Neighborhood Schools Coalition, a group of people trying to keep all small schools in Bellingham open, launched a new blog last week.
You can find it here: http://www.neighborhoodschoolscoalition.blogspot.com
This group formed after the Bellingham School Board decided to keep Lowell Elementary School closed again for the 2009-10 school year, in light of about $2.5 million in budget cuts. Part of the deal requires the district to do a study examining all Bellingham schools and determining if all of them are needed, based on population and cost.
You can find school board information, meeting times and other discussions at the new blog. Welcome to the blogsphere!
Welcome to summer vacation everyone!
As of Friday, all schools are out for the summer. The last graduation ceremony, Bellingham Technical College’s, will be on Tuesday. Whatcom Community College and Northwest Indian College’s are both tonight.
I know this school year has been really stressful, so I hope everyone has a fun and safe summer vacation.
School district budgets will continue to be approved this summer, so watch for those education articles.
I will be away for much of this summer, but I will update School Days as information comes across my desk.
State Superintendent of Education Randy Dorn announced today that about 93 percent of 12th grade students passed the Washington Assessment of Student Learning before graduation.
But, he said, that’s still not enough.
It is unknown how the new state standardized testing, which starts this fall, will impact scores or graduation rates, but Dorn hopes that the new test is a better measure of student success.
To read the entire Herald Wire Service story, click here.
The annual WASL score report by school won’t be available until the end of August, right before school starts.
Simone Prince-Eichner, a homeschooler from Lummi Island, has shown the country that she knows her history.
The teen found out this morning that she won first place in the junior individual performance category at the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland. Last year she placed second at the large competition.
Prince-Eichner did her project on Clarence Gideon, the Florida inmate whose trial helped create the public defender system. She was one of 14 students to make it to the final round in her category.
Lynden High students Julia Roper and Lauren Olson placed 11th in their category, senior group performance. The teens made it to the final round yesterday as one of 14 teams. This is the first time the girls have made it to the final round at nationals — they were eliminated in the preliminary rounds last year.
Roper and Olson did their project on Eglantyne Jebb, the woman who created Save the Children and influenced children’s rights.
To see the story I wrote about these three Whatcom County girls, click here.
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