By Christina Corrales-Toy
Hazen High School sophomore Shiva Prasad (center) is surrounded by Nelsen Middle School students as they make real-world financial decisions during a simulation that teaches kids about budgeting.

Adulthood comes with its perks, including a long-awaited sense of freedom, but it also brings to light the inevitable financial, familial and personal responsibilities that go with it.

As everyone matures through life, they are undoubtedly saddled with a multitude of decisions, including whether or not to buy a home, which health care provider is best for their family and determining what auto insurance is best for the family car.

Members of the Hazen High School DECA chapter had the opportunity to guide more than 80 Nelsen Middle School students through these very real financial responsibilities when they visited the Junior Achievement Finance Park in Auburn on April 3.

In the daylong simulation, each middle school student was assigned a card that outlined his or her life situations for the day. One student could be a 32-year-old, single mother earning $23,000 a year working in a retail store, while yet another could be a 35-year-old CEO of a bank.

Based on the parameters of their salaries, occupations and family arrangements, students had to decide how they would pay the bills, and they found out it wasn’t so easy.

“I hear a lot of them saying, ‘Oh, now I know what it’s like to be an adult,’ or ‘Now, I know when I ask my mom for something at the store, why I’m being told I can’t have that,”’ Nelsen Middle School teacher Allison Matthews said. “They’re getting an idea of how money works, and they’re also really starting to connect it to their own life.”

By Christina Corrales-Toy
Hazen High School junior Daniel Snitkovskiy (right) helps a Nelsen Middle School student decide whether he should invest in the stock market during a simulation that teaches kids about budgeting at the Junior Achievement Finance Park in Auburn.

The Hazen DECA students assisted the Nelsen students at every turn, directly applying the principles of budgeting and investment that are taught in the high school business classes.

“For us, it really teaches that leadership ability,” Hazen junior William Hancock said. “We also get the chance to apply what we’re learning at Hazen and pass it on to the middle schoolers.”

Many of the Hazen students said they wished they had the chance to go through the beneficial exercise when they were in middle school.

“Looking back to when I was in middle school, I thought money was just something you spend and it had kind of a never-ending cycle, but as I grew up, I figured out what money really is,” Hancock said. “It’s something that you work for, and you save up to build a better future for yourself.”

The partnership among Hazen, Nelsen and Junior Achievement allows students to get exposed to the realities of financial planning at a younger age, said Ray McCabe, Hazen’s DECA advisor and a marketing teacher at the school.

The process is a fun and interactive one as students travel around the Finance Park visiting the Quadrant Homes kiosk to pick out their new house, or the Russell Investments and U.S. Bank stock exchange to check on their portfolio.

The main takeaway from the event, though, is the importance of education as students work to achieve their career and personal goals, McCabe said.

“That’s why school matters, so that you can get the career that you want and lead the life you desire,” he said. “That’s the value of an exercise like this, to give them that practical knowledge.”

By Greg Farrar
Students from Newcastle and Hazelwood elementary schools are honored as Earth Day Heroes for their work to reduce waste during the Newcastle Earth Day event April 20.

Students from Newcastle and Hazelwood elementary schools are doing big things to help reduce waste on the planet, and they were honored for their efforts at the city’s 2013 Earth Day celebration.

All of the hours spent rifling through trash cans, collecting juice pouches and teaching others about recycling and composting paid off when the students received Earth Day Hero Awards.

More than 50 students from both schools gathered on the stage at Lake Boren Park to receive their certificates, distributed by Newcastle’s Mandy Schendel, 2012 Miss Washington and a Hazelwood alumna herself.

“All of these kids do a great service for the environment, so it’s our pleasure to acknowledge their earth-friendly efforts,” said Grace Stiller, the Newcastle Earth Day chairwoman.

At Hazelwood Elementary, a team of students collects thousands of juice pouches at lunches to close the recycling gap and encourage reuse of items. The school also has a community garden, coordinated by teacher Kate Ingalls, which encourages sustainability and environmental education.

At Newcastle Elementary, a group of about 100 students known as the Waste Watchers dedicate their time to sorting through trash cans to properly recycle and compost items. They also teach their peers about the merits of correctly disposing of waste.

“They volunteer their time, giving up their recess or social time to work in the lunch room,” said Kathy Keegan, a teacher at Newcastle Elementary School. “It’s kind of dirty and stinky, but it really empowers them.”

It was a special moment for many of the students, who beamed with pride as they received their certificates and shook Miss Washington’s hand.

Keegan, who works and lives in the Newcastle community, said it was important for the city to honor the efforts of its environmentally minded kids.

“It is super exciting,” she said. “It’s a big honor for the students. It’s not a glamorous job, but it’s a big deal for them to make a difference in our school and our community.”

Michael Payant, of Newcastle, made Dean’s list at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., for the fall and winter quarters of the 2012-2013 school year.

The requirement is a 3.85 grade point average or higher. Payant is a freshman at Northwestern and graduated from Liberty in 2012.

Seattle Pacific University

The following students made the Seattle Pacific University 2013 winter quarter dean’s list. Students on the dean’s list have completed at least 12 credits and attained a 3.5 or higher grade point average.

Newcastle: Jacob Zimmer.

Renton: Lisa Aaker, Kelly Apperson, Jennifer Ciriaco, Nolan Fiedler, Leah Francis Fox, Teresa Harmon, Brian Hinnenkamp, Chanelle Huffman, Tatyana Volodymyrovna Lats, Elias Lunsford, Tyler Mays, Jon Meis, Victoria Melton, Anna Patti, Abigail Person and Amanda Rablin.

Washington State University

The following Newcastle residents made the president’s honor roll at Washington State University for the fall 2012 quarter:

Jake Alger, Michaela Calderon, Kelsey Fletcher, Henry Kohm, Lauren La Fontaine, Paige Lane, Ryan Maio and Chelsea Moorhead.

They were named to the president’s honor roll by achieving a grade point average of 3.75 while enrolled in at least nine graded hours in a semester or by achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.5 based on at least 15 hours of graded work.

Affiliated with NASA and the University of Washington, the program is a free, competitive, science, technology, engineering and mathematics program for high school juniors.

This year’s participants are Isabel Giang, Evan Howe, Nancy Molina and Christina Tang.

The students are among the 285 student applicants from 117 public, private and home-school organizations who applied earlier this year. They are among 218 students still participating in the program. Having already completed five online lessons, they will spend the next three months continuing to compete for one of the 160 slots available in a Summer Residency session held at The Museum of Flight in June and July.

Applications for the 2013-14 program will be available late summer at www.museumofflight.org/was. Participants must be high school juniors, United States citizens and Washington state residents with a 3.0 minimum grade point average.

Vicki Tang

Hazen High School’s Vicki Tang was named a Washington Scholar for the 11th Legislative District by the Washington Student Achievement Council.

The designation is a prestigious recognition reserved for only the state’s most exemplary high school students. Tang will attend Stanford University, where she hopes to major in biology or math and to continue on to medical school, where she can achieve her dream of becoming a doctor.

Jonathan Fortescue is presidential scholar finalist

Jonathan Fortescue

Jonathan Fortescue is a finalist for the 2013 Presidential Scholars Program, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.

Fortescue was selected from a pool of more than 3,900 seniors across the country. He will be honored with a Presidential Scholars Medallion during a White House ceremony in June.

During his visit to the nation’s capitol, he will meet with government officials and acclaimed educators, authors, musicians and scientists.

Dale Schrock earns prestigious scholarship

Dale Schrock

Dale Schrock was awarded a four-year Navy ROTC scholarship with a Marine option to San Diego State University. The highly competitive scholarship is awarded to applicants based on SAT scores, GPA, extracurricular activities, essays, community service and physical fitness.

“I come from a family with a history of military service,” Schrock said in a statement. “I’m honored that the Marine Corps chose me for this great opportunity to serve my country.”

At San Diego State, Schrock will major in economics and minor in political science, while also taking the required military science courses and participating in Navy ROTC activities. Upon completion of the program, Schrock will be commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.

By Katherine Simmons
Taylor Schadt, as the Cowardly Lion, Maddy Daly, as Dorothy, and Sedrik Spradling-Reim, as the Scarecrow, play with Toto.

Seattle’s lush greenery may lend itself to its Emerald City nickname, but fans of Dorothy, and her little dog too, know that the true Emerald City is a magnificent metropolis inhabited by a powerful wizard, situated at the end of a yellow brick road.

Audiences young and old are invited to take that long, winding journey from Kansas to Oz with the Liberty High School Patriot Players, as they break in the school’s new theater with a musical performance of “The Wizard of Oz.”

“I think everyone is super, super excited for this,” said Liberty junior Maddy Daly, who plays Dorothy. “‘The Wizard of Oz’ is an iconic show and we’re going to debut our new performing arts center. It can’t get any better than that.”

The Patriot Players will bring to life the classic story of Dorothy and her ragtag group of friends’ quest to visit the wizard, while plagued by the Wicked Witch of the West at nearly every turn.

The production is the largest the school has ever put together, with more than a dozen scenic sets and 1,000 costume pieces to accommodate a cast of about 50 performers.

“It’s a little bit hectic, but it’s an organized chaos,” said Liberty junior, and stage manager, Katie Simmons. “It’s amazing to be working in such a new place, and to be the first people to really use it and show it to everyone. It’s fun and it’s sort of difficult, but it’s interesting to figure it all out.”

Among the 50 performers are about a dozen students from Newcastle and Briarwood elementary schools, selected to play everything from munchkins to flying monkeys.

“They’re really fun to work with,” said Liberty senior Taylor Schadt, who plays the Cowardly Lion. “I was expecting very crazy, rambunctious kids, but no, they are so on point.”

Performing such a well-known show, the Liberty students hope their production can offer audiences something a little different, while remaining true to the story.

“There are a couple of characters and a few scene things that are, I think, fairly different and personally, I really love them,” Daly said. “I just hope that we can keep the same story, but make it our own.”

More than anything, the students want to send theatergoers home with a smile on their face, confident in the fact that there really is “no place like home,” said Sedrik Spradling-Reim, a Liberty junior who plays the Scarecrow.

“We want everyone to experience that sense of nostalgia and that childlike wonderment, allowing them to escape from the world for a night,” he said.

In the days prior to opening night, the entire cast and crew were scrambling to get adjusted to the new theater, understanding its capabilities and discovering the intricacies of performing in a bigger, safer space.

Despite the frenzied atmosphere, the new facilities were just what the school’s growing drama department needed, said Katherine Klekas, the drama program’s longtime director.

“It means that the district values Liberty and values the performing arts, and both of those things, sometimes people didn’t feel like that was the case,” she said.

If you go

• ‘The Wizard of Oz’
• 2:30 p.m. May 4
• 7:30 p.m. April 26, 27, May 2, 3 and 4
• Liberty High School Performing Arts Center
• 16655 S.E. 136th St., Renton
• Tickets can be purchased at the door: Adults are $12; seniors/children younger than 12/students with Liberty Associated Student Body cards are $10.

Name the theater

A Liberty High School committee has been formed to help name the brand new theater in the performing arts center. The committee is seeking feedback from the Liberty community and asks that people email suggestions, along with specific details as to why the name is relevant to the school, to Kathy Schroeder at schroederk@issaquah.wednet.edu by May 7.

Liberty High School freshman Tania Nambo-Escobar could literally talk for hours about the history of Che Guevara.

“I love presenting about Che Guevara in general,” she said. “Ask me a question and, whether you like it or not, I will give you a full speech about it.”

Nambo-Escobar knows a lot about the subject, after she spent months researching and putting together an exhibit to enter into the local History Day competition.

At the end of March, Nambo-Escobar and a handful of her classmates took their projects to the regional competition at Green River Community College. Eight student projects did well enough to advance to the state contest held at Bellevue College in May.

Before they do that, though, they will share their projects in front of an audience filled with like-minded history fanatics at the Issaquah History Museums’ History Day Highlights on April 13.

“History Day is a really great way for kids to connect with history,” Liberty High School librarian JoAnn Olsson said. “Adults just love it when they can see kids being passionate about history.”

While Nambo-Escobar’s project is in the form of a tri-fold exhibit, other students made websites and documentaries.

Liberty juniors Nathan Sjoholm and Aditya Seshadri created a 10-minute documentary about Henry Ford. The students focused less on Ford’s contribution to the modern day assembly line or his company’s famous Model T, and more on his work for social change.

“When we chose Henry Ford, the reasoning behind it was everybody has an idea of how he became an industrial juggernaut,” Seshadri said. “So, we wanted to go toward a different angle, and the angle we were going for was, socially, what things did he affect? He was huge on labor reform and employee goodwill.”

Sjoholm and Seshadri spent more than 50 hours working to collect more than 90 academic and primary sources for the documentary. The work paid off, as the duo earned first place in the group documentary category at the History Day regional competition.

“One of my personal goals for this documentary was to make viewers, if they were to watch the whole thing, come away with goosebumps, almost,” Sjoholm said.

Other projects that will be showcased at the special History Day Highlights event include student-made websites about the Brown v. Board of Education case, the establishment of Israel and the Montgomery (Ala.) bus boycott.

All of the projects must have a modern angle, showing how events in the past impact what’s happening in the present.

“It makes kids look back at our history to sort of answer questions,” Olsson said. “It’s a really great way to kind of hook them into social studies and what goes on around the world.”

Sjoholm and Seshadri’s project shows how modern innovators, such as Costco founder Jim Sinegal, applied some of Ford’s social principles, while Nambo-Escobar’s shows what the proliferation of Guevara’s image means in today’s society.

“I like history a lot,” Nambo-Escobar said. “I find it very interesting, just what happened in the past and how sometimes we keep on making the same mistakes.”

If you go

History Day Highlights

• 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 13
• Issaquah Train Depot
• 150 First Ave. N.E.

Katie Tinnea

Katie Nicole Tinnea, 30, of Snoqualmie, passed away peacefully April 4, 2013, after courageously fighting cancer for two years.

She is survived and will be missed by her husband Ryan, daughter Kennedy, parents Tony and Jocelyn Aldridge, and many extended family members and friends.

She will be remembered for her love, positivity, grace, energy and humor. Katie was an inspiration to many as a well-respected teacher at Newcastle Elementary School, and as a spokesperson for colon cancer prevention, research and awareness. Her passions included her family, her students, holidays, the Seahawks and shopping!

A public memorial service to celebrate Katie’s life will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, 1717 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue, WA 98004, on Sunday, April 21, at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Katie’s name can be made to the Colon Cancer Coalition.

Photos by Christina Corrales-Toy
Above, Laura Thompson, McKnight Middle School choir teacher, leads the seventh-grade choir through a March 21 practice. Below, members of the Hazen High School jazz band practice March 13.

Every day during fifth period, 86 Hazen High School students sit in a crowded music room, arranged neatly in rows, with an almost equal population of boys and girls.

They are all members of the school’s concert choir, and for an hour each day, they get the opportunity to immerse themselves in song.

“I love fifth period because I get to come to this class,” Hazen senior Dale Schrock said. “In all the other classes, you’re learning something, but in this class, you’re making something, and it’s a beautiful product.”

Passion for Hazen’s choir programs is at an all-time high, as evidenced by the high student turnout, many of which are boys. It isn’t generally easy to coax boys to join their high school choir, but Hazen music teacher Josh Viles said he doesn’t have to try hard at all to get them to join the class.

“The kids are just ready to go,” Viles said. “There’s just an enthusiasm and energy behind the whole music department, in general.”

Hazen offers a full lineup of music programs with band, orchestra, choir, guitar and piano classes.

“Hazen is a great place and has great kids, with a huge base of talent and people who are there willing to do everything they can to be the best singers, or best band members,” said Brody Graybeal, a Hazen senior, and a member of the concert choir.

The school’s music department does not lack for passion or enthusiasm, but it is short on funding to buy basic essentials, Viles said. He has just a $500 budget to cover expenses for his choir, guitar and piano classes.

“Just getting sheet music into the kids’ hands is difficult,” he said. “The average piece of music costs $1.80 for one copy. Do the math. If I buy 86 copies of just one thing, that’s a good chunk of my budget.”

Hazen senior Griffin Lindbeck, also a member of the concert choir, agreed that funding for music seems to come up short.

“We’re one of the most underfunded departments in the whole school, but we’re one of the most motivated and most successful departments,” he said. “We try really hard, but we have to basically work with what we’ve got, which is very minimal.”

That’s why, during the month of March, the Friends of the Renton Schools worked to raise funds for district music programs. The goal was to raise $50,000 to provide money directly to the programs to buy and repair instruments and purchase sheet music.

That money could go a long way at McKnight Middle School, where longtime band teacher Dave Niimi must make the most out of instruments that are a little worse for wear.

“Some of these instruments are 1960’s vintage, and it’s really important for us that students have an opportunity to play them so that we get a representative sound,” he said.

A pair of tubas, in particular, showed years of use, with dents spotted all across the instruments.

McKnight orchestra teacher Sharon Olsen and choir teacher Laura Thompson could both use materials as well. From sheet music and performance attire, to instrument repair or replacement, every little bit can help, they said.

“Unfortunately, not many people have access to music, because it costs so much money for instruments and private lessons,” Olsen said. “So, to provide that in the school, what we’re saying is that music is, and should be, for everyone.”

Thompson added that the value of music education goes far beyond the skill of simply learning an instrument.

“We’re trying to develop kids that are well-rounded, and music is one of those things that, now that standardized testing is such a focus, it kind of goes by the wayside,” she said. “It helps the kids academically and it helps them to feel connected to the school community.”

Get involved

The Friends of Renton Schools collected money for district music programs through a special ‘March is Music Month’ promotion. Since it’s no longer March, the group will not actively campaign for music program funds as it turns its focus to the April benefit breakfast. However, those interested in giving can do so at the Friends of Renton Schools’ website, www.friendsofrentonschools.org.

His audience on March 11, though, was a class full of students, in a building that Neville holds dear to his heart.

Contributed
Paul Neville, a Liberty High School graduate (center), speaks at a cultural exchange presentation in the form of a fashion show in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on July 4, 2012.

Almost 20 years after he graduated from Liberty High School, Neville returned to his alma mater to talk about his experience working as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State.

“I wanted to tell the next generation about the incredible experiences of living, working and volunteering overseas,” he said. “Plus, I’m a Liberty Patriot forever, so it was great to come back.”

In an hourlong presentation, Neville showed the class photos from his travels abroad to places such as Vietnam, Tajikistan and Thailand.

His message to the 30 students sitting in the Advanced Placement French class was a simple one — Don’t be afraid to expand your horizons.

“It’s OK to get to know the world outside of what you know now,” he said. “You can always come back home, because it is a great place to live and grow up around here, but I would definitely encourage you to go and explore the world.”

Neville had recently returned from Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he served an assignment as a political and economic officer at the U.S. Consulate General.

In that position, Neville monitored political and economic trends in the country and provided written reports of information and analysis to his superiors.

As a Liberty student, Neville said he did not immediately know he was destined for a life full of global experiences; that passion came later when he joined the Peace Corps after graduating from the University of Washington.

Liberty did represent an important part in getting him where he is today, though, Neville said.

“Liberty was an excellent educational foundation and the support that came from the staff was amazing,” he said. “They encouraged us to follow our dreams, and that’s what I did.”

Sarah Duran, Liberty’s AP French teacher, said the visit was beneficial for her students, many of whom expressed a greater interest in traveling after Neville’s visit.

“In our world language classes, we are always trying to encourage our kids to think with a global perspective and to explore the world around them,” she said. “Having a Liberty graduate that has done this was truly an inspirational experience for the students.”

Liberty Principal Josh Almy, who sat in on a portion of the presentation, said Neville was a prime example of the amazing accomplishments of which Liberty grads are capable.

“We look forward to Liberty graduates, like Mr. Neville, continuing to come back and share their stories with Liberty students, and inspiring them to excel in fields that give back to the greater good,” he said.

Just days after his visit, Neville traveled to Washington, D.C., to begin preparations for his next assignment. In August, he will move to Tijuana, Mexico, where he will work as a consular officer.

In that role, Neville will help Mexican citizens obtain visas and assist American citizens who may be traveling in Mexico.

“It’s all about the adventure of living in a different culture and learning about new places, meeting new people and eating new food,” he said. “It’s also great knowing that I’m serving my country and helping make it a more secure and prosperous place.”