LW drama putting on ‘Shop of Horrors’
“The Little Shop of Horrors” is this year’s Lake Washington High School drama department’s spring production.
The production will run May 7-10 with shows starting at 7 p.m. at the high school’s Cadle Theatre. The last day of the show will include a matinee at 2 p.m. All tickets are $8 and available at the door.
One of the longest running off-Broadway shows of all time, the affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies features floral assistant Seymour, who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood.
The shows plant star, “Audrey II,” grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore offering him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, putting all Seymour holds dear in danger.
Garden group gives out green grants
The East Lake Washington District of Garden Clubs recently awarded numerous “Give Kids a Hand” grants to schools in five school districts on the Eastside, including two to Kirkland schools. The goal of the GKAH program is to support classroom activities in gardening, horticulture, landscaping, or the environment. Funds will be used for plants, supplies, equipment and enrichment opportunities. The Environmental & Adventure School (EAS) and International Community School of Kirkland both received grants.
County ‘Posse’ seeks 2009 rodeo princess
The famed King County Posse with their “Silver Saddles on Golden Horses” is looking for young ladies interested in trying out for the position of 2009 King County Princess on the 2009 Ellensburg Rodeo Royal Court.
During her year long commitment, the selected princess will travel along with the Ellensburg Queen and Princess to numerous rodeos, parades, and other events throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Canada. Time is spent promoting the sport of rodeo, with a specific focus on the Ellensburg Rodeo, one of the top 20 rodeos in the nation.
The position is open to any young horsewoman from King or South Snohomish County, who will be a senior in high school or is starting her freshman year of college as of Fall 2008. The position includes a $500 academic scholarship provided by the King County Posse and all travel and clothing expenses are covered by the Ellensburg Rodeo Board.
For more information and to obtain an application, visit the King County Princess Web site at www.kingcountyprincess.com. Applications for the 2009 King County Princess tryouts are due by June 30.
6th grader joins safety hall of fame
Blake Smith-Patterson, a sixth grader at Ben Franklin Elementary in Kirkland, was inducted into the 2008 AAA School Safety Patrol Hall of Fame last Friday during a Mariner game at Safeco Field for his “outstanding dedication to the safety of his classmates,” according to a AAA of Washington.
Each year, AAA Washington and a panel of judges from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction choose 10 outstanding patrollers from across Washington to induct into the Hall of Fame. Patrollers are judged on their leadership skills, dedication to traffic safety, citizenship and contributions to their school safety patrol.
Local families needed for exchange program
ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE) is seeking local host families for international high school boys and girls. These students are 15 to 18 years of age, and are coming to this area for the upcoming high school year or semester. Those interested in obtaining more information about becoming a host family should call toll free: 1-800-733-2773.
New Poet’s Society competition
The New Poet’s Society held an awards ceremony for student writers on April 20 at Lake Washington High School’s Cadle Theatre. Students from Redmond, Lake Washington and Eastlake High Schools competed against others from their school and final poetry selections were then forwarded to the New Poet’s Society to be considered for scholarships and other prizes.
The top prize, known as the Judge’s Choice Award and scholarship funds of $1,200 went to Kotomi Yamamura from Eastlake for her poem “Revelation.”
First runner-up, Max Maser from Lake Washington, had an untitled poem which earned $800 in scholarship money.
Second runner-up, Emma Heil from Eastlake, received $600 for her poem “Empty.”
Third runner-up was Sydney Veltkamp from Redmond, who received $400 for the poem “Pocket Change.”
Other finalists received gift cards from Parkplace Books in Kirkland and SoulFood Books in Redmond. These students were Thomas Moore, Rachel Solomon and Simone Vieco of Redmond; Kristina Brown and Sean Tornquist of Eastlake; and from Lake Washington, Jeff Myers and Jennifer Swasey, the only entrant to have two poems in the finals.
The New Poet’s Society was created by Redmond poet, novelist and instructor R.E. Smith whose first book “A Sweeter Understanding,” was a silver medallion winner for the 2007 Bill Fisher Award at the PME Benjamin Franklin Awards. His second book “The Window Ledge” has also been well-received by a national audience.
Smith commented, “I hope I can encourage young, new writers to continue the effort to add and display their individual poetic voice and creativity. I suggest to them, never give up your dream. Speak out and make a difference to help soothe our chaotic world. If your poem offers refuge to a single person, for a fleeting moment, it has accomplished much.”
Smith has already begun plans for the 2009 New Poet’s Society contest and hopes to increase fundraising to reward more young people for their creativity. For information, e-mail rsmith2@hotmail.com.
Students win national merit scholarships
Sukhdeep Singh, a student at Kirkland’s International Community School recently won corporate-sponsored merit scholarships through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The scholarship is awarded annually for children of Boeing employees.
Singh plans to go into m0edicine.
Stella students stellar in Latin exam
Eighteen students from Stella Schola middle school placed in the top 85th percentile in the nation in a national Latin competition last month.
In mid-March, seventh grade students at Stella Schola Middle School in the Lake Washington School District participated in the National Latin Exam. The one-hour test consisted of 40 questions ranging from Latin root words and verb conjugations to questions regarding a multi-paragraph story in Latin which the students had to translate in their heads. Over 134,500 students took the National Latin Exam this year, including students from all 50 states and 11 foreign countries, including Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, England, Italy, Japan, Mozambique, New Zealand, Poland, Zimbabwe, and, for the first time, students from Brazil.
The 18 from Stella Schola earned themselves certificates and purple ribbons. Three students scored in the top five percent in the nation on the exam; Zein Charania (scored 38), Michael Pavlov (scored 38), and Merlin Erickson (scored 39).
Service group hands out scholarships
The GFWC Kirkland Woman’s Club hosted it’s fourth annual Senior High School Music Competition April 20, using the event to hand out a number of scholarships to top local high school musicians.
Performers from throughout the Lake Washington School District vied for financial scholarships provided by Club, with first place winner Evan Uebelaker of Juanita High School taking home the $1,000 prize for his Stamitz Concerto on viola. Second place winner Matthew Zhou of the Kirkland International Community School took second place and $700 for a Chopin piece on the piano. Calvin French-Owen, also of the International Community School, took third and a $400 prize.
Area College Student Selected for Summer Research at Occidental College
(Los Angeles, CA — April 17, 2008) Kirkland, WA resident Anders Eliasen, a member of the class of 2010 at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA, is one of approximately 100 students at the college who have been selected to live and work on campus this summer pursuing independent research projects.
Eliasen is working with Professor Don Deardorff, a professor of Chemistry, conducting research to study the Formal Synthesis of (-)-codonosinine.
Research at this level is an opportunity rarely presented to undergraduates. Most scholars do not participate in faculty-led research until graduate school. According to Chris Craney, professor of Chemistry and Occidental’s director of Undergraduate and Sponsored Research, “Occidental views summer research as a vehicle to promote inquiry in unsolved questions and as a framework for the mentorship of future scholars. In many cases this is the first chance students have to engage themselves fully in the life of scholarship. For this 10-week period, this is all they’re doing.”
About Occidental: Occidental College is a small, highly selective liberal arts college, located in the Eagle Rock section of Northeast Los Angeles, between Pasadena and Glendale. In the past decade, Occidental students have won six Marshall scholarships, six Truman scholarships, 24 Fulbright fellowships, 15 Coro fellowships, 19 Goldwater Science scholarships, 6 National Science Foundation graduate fellowships, and 10 Beckman scholarships.
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