Twain 5th graders party for penguins
A fifth grade class at Mark Twain Elementary last month earned itself a special party at the Woodland Park Zoo by winning a regional contest.
In February, the zoo invited Puget Sound-area schools to participate in a promotion called “Pennies for Penguins,” which asked classrooms to help build a new home for Humboldt penguins through a penny-collection coin drive. Mrs. Preston’s fifth grade class at Mark Twain was the top fundraiser among approximately 20 schools, winning itself a special bus ride, party and attendance at the penguin exhibit ground-breaking presentation on May 15.
The Humboldt penguin exhibit is scheduled to open in 2009. The contest portion of the coin drive kicked off Feb. 25 and ended March 14.
For more information on the contest and the exhibit, visit www.zoo.org/penguins/pfp.html.
LW choir ties for first in national contest
The Lyrica Vocal Ensemble, Lake Washington High School’s large mixed-auditioned choir, tied for first place in a national competition last month in Los Angeles, Calif.
The Heritage Festival at Fullerton College May 17-18 drew 26 high school choirs from Texas, Arizona, California, Utah, Oregon, Washington and Alberta, Canada. It was the largest competition the Lake Washington choir has ever attended, the school said.
The Lyrica choir tied for first place overall with an A Cappella Choir from Plainview High School in Texas.
Bell brings in 3,000 items for food bank
A.G. Bell Elementary sixth graders Madison Shepard and Jacque Gottlieb last month organized and implemented a Hopelink food drive that produced nearly 3,000 items over a two week period.
The students won a cake and soda party for their class through their efforts.
Kamiakin 8th graders boast language skills
A number of local students were commended for their knowledge of the French and Spanish languages last week by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) and the American Association of Teachers of Spanish (AATSP).
First year French student Andrew Loeliger, an eighth grader at Kamiakin Junior High School, was a national winner of the “Le Grand Concours” exam, ranking 10th nationally among 4,911 who took the test.
Other Kamiakin first-year French students who ranked in the top 10 in their chapter included: Rachael Kurtz, Marlowe Emmons, Shyla Hansen, Nicolas Ramirez, Derek Reubish, Brooke Davis, Adam Fugate, and Alana Yao.
Lake Washington High School junior Katherine Oberg, a first-year French student, was another national winner in “Le Grand Concours.” In her Level 1A division, taken by 16,633 nationwide, she ranked 10th nationally and sixth in her chapter, scoring in the 90th percentile.
Kamiakin eighth graders and first-year Spanish students Steven Silveira, Genki Marshall, Ethan Ludlam, and Suejean Hwangpo, (who all scored about the 90th percentile among 4,620 who took the test) eighth graders, were national winners in the National Spanish Exam, an annual exam sponsored by the AATSP.
Other Kamiakin first-year Spanish students will receive “premios de excelencia” (honorable mention prizes). They include eighth graders Mitchell Miyashita, Sara Tari, Jordan Miller, Kalia Castro, and Connor Davis and ninth graders George Stearn, Josie Engreitz, D’Arcy White, and Aliese Poole.
Local PTAs honored by state organization
During its annual convention at the beginning of May, the Washington State PTA announced awards given to local PTA groups.
Communication award: Outstanding Web site – Wilder PTSA, third place.
Newsletter award: Category 6 (Councils) – Lake Washington PTSA Council, first place.
