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Stories by Danielle Frost

email icon danielle.frost@camaspostrecord.com

October 15, 2013
Isaac Hodapp

CHS musician to perform at nationals

Isaac Hodapp is making quite a name for himself in the arts. The Camas High School sophomore was recently selected as a member of the 2013 All-National Symphonic Band by the National Association for Music Education. As a freshman, he made all-state symphony orchestra, and won the district solo and ensemble contest in the trumpet solo category. Hodapp, 15, will travel to Nashville, Tenn. and join more than 670 of the most musically talented high school students in the country Oct. 27 to 30.

October 8, 2013
Raina Kennedy has always loved Halloween. The Camas mom of three is helping others have that enjoyment, free of charge, with a lending room of costumes for Halloween and other occasions in her home. "It is so much fun to dress up and create," she said.

Camas woman offers costumes free-of-charge to kids and adults

Raina Kennedy has always loved Halloween.Since she was a little girl, growing up in Staten Island, New Jersey, with eight brothers and sisters, she has eagerly anticipated this time of the year. Her favorite costume was a mermaid that she made at the age of 11. "I remember most the fun we had getting ready to go out: Finding the costume and pulling it together with my brothers and sisters," Kennedy said. "The late nights of trick-or-treating with a pillow case cover was another highlight." Now, she helps other families find just the right costume for their child. "It is so much fun to dress up and create," said the 37-year-old Camas mom of three. "My kids and I love playing with costumes."

October 8, 2013
Camas teens Ka'iulani Warren (center, red hat) and friend Luke Bruno (far left, black hat) organized a team for the recent Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes on Sept. 28. Warren was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 4.

Local teens team up to stop diabetes

This time of year, most 14-year-olds are busy playing sports, participating in activities and getting back into the routine of school. Two Camas residents and friends Ka'iulani Warren and Luke Bruno, are doing all of that and raising money for diabetes research. Warren and Bruno, both 14, organized a team for the recent Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Vancouver Landing. Although the weather was stormy throughout the walk, it did little to dampen their spirits.

October 1, 2013
Danielle Frost/Post-Record Camas School Board member Doug Quinn addresses attendees at last year's Camas Educational Foundation dinner and auction. Organizers are hoping to raise $110,000 this year to benefit Camas schools.

Elevating the arts

Over the past 15 years, the Camas Educational Foundation has given more than $1 million to local schools.The organization is hoping to continue that tradition with its annual auction on Saturday, Oct. 19. "CEF on Broadway" is a celebration of the arts in any form, whether written, performed, drawn or otherwise experienced, said Mandy Huth, auction chair. "Our special appeal this year, in line with the theme, is to 'Elevate the Arts,' giving voice to our students' stories," she said. "The arts are a crucial aspect of children's education that we want to support this year. We will have some very special performers from our very own Camas High School. It is a show you don't want to miss." Registration for the auction is available online at www.cefcamas.org or by calling 335-3000, Ext. 79915. Information and registration fees can also be mailed to CEF at 841 N.E. 22nd Ave, Camas, WA 98607.

October 1, 2013
Danielle Frost/Post-Record Heidi O'Connor, executive director of The Kids Cooking Corner, instructs her students on how to safely peel an apple. The group made pie, festive salad, and a cheesy butternut squash casserole.

The ‘joy and art’ of cooking

You could say that cooking is a career for Heidi O'Connor, but that might be selling it short.O'Connor, of Vancouver, lives and breathes the culinary arts at The Kids Cooking Corner, a school that teaches children, "the art and joy of cooking." The 45-year-old mother of three opened the school three years ago, when she realized her son didn't know how to make a box meal because he didn't understand how to measure ingredients. "The schools don't have the budgets for home ec anymore, and with parents having full-time careers, it is challenging to find time to teach kids in the kitchen," she said. O'Connor speaks from personal experience. She balanced a full-time career in the restaurant industry and then in sales while raising her family. She was searching for a new business to start when the idea for a cooking school came about. "A light bulb went on," she said. "Why not teach other people's children how to cook? You get to a point in life where you start wondering, 'What am I really here for?' This was the answer."

September 25, 2013
Friends, colleagues, family and community members gathered to remember Tom Hays during a memorial service at Washburn Performing Arts Center last week. The Jemtegaard Middle School history teacher passed away on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the age of 59.

Colleagues, friends and students remember Tom Hays

"What we do for ourselves, dies with us. What we do for others and the world, is and remains, immortal." This quote by Albert Pine sums up the man Tom Hays was during his time on earth, Washougal High School Principal Aaron Hansen said. Hays, 59, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 14. The Jemtegaard Middle School history teacher was a longtime coach and community volunteer, along with a "tireless" advocate for using technology in education. Hays also served as a building representative for the Washougal Association of Educators, and was a longtime member of the Washougal Lions Club. "You are here today because Tom was in your life in some way," Hansen said during a memorial service at Washburn Performing Arts Center Thursday. "Maybe he taught you, maybe you grew up with him or played football in college with him. Whatever he was to you, thank you for being here."

September 24, 2013
The international delegation got to experience one of the many things that makes life in the Pacific Northwest so great--the myriad of outdoor activities that are readily available. Here, the group kayaks the Columbia River. Other activities included a trip to Mount St. Helens and a picnic at Beacon Rock park.

Increasing international understanding

When asked what he enjoyed most about Camas, Michael Wagener, mayor of Wissen, Germany, said "the people.""It's the contact with the people that is most rewarding," he said. "When you come to another country, you can learn a lot of things by listening. We can learn how a city gets a vision, and comes up with ways to make it happen." Wagener needed no translator to communicate his statement. He speaks fluent English. He was part of a Partner Cities delegation visiting Camas. The group arrived on Sept. 13, and included professionals from the cities of Krapkowice, Morawica and Zabierzow in Poland; Lipova Lazne in the Czech Republic and Wissen, Germany. The official partnership between Poland and Camas has been in existence since May 2004, when then-Mayor Paul Dennis signed a declaration of cooperation with the intent to: "Seek to establish and develop effective cooperation between the towns' communities, institutions and trade. We are aware that this cooperation is a major factor in popularizing and promoting our town and that it opens up new perspectives for European and transatlantic integration."