danielle.frost@camaspostrecord.com
April 3, 2012
Robotics club takes first
After three days full of twists and turns, Team Mean Machine came out on top.
After three days full of twists and turns, Team Mean Machine came out on top.
When Woodburn Elementary School opens its doors in the fall of 2013, it will be the sixth elementary school in Camas. The addition of a new building will mean a boundary revision at both elementary and middle school levels. "We need to redistribute the student population of the district, that is what is driving this," School Board member Doug Quinn said. "It also coincides with our long range facilities improvement. We are figuring out what the demands on our buildings are and trying to distribute students before we have to deal with more growth related issues."
A "three-peat" is often considered the crown jewel in team achievement: To win a state title three years in a row takes accomplishment to a whole new level.It's the exact feeling the Camas High School Knowledge Bowl Team had when they realized they'd won the state tournament again. "It was really exciting," said Marcus Bintz, team captain. :State was a really good opportunity for us to showcase our strengths well. We're very happy." Knowledge Bowl is a competition which quizzes students on topics relevant to their education. "Basically, it's everything you ever learned in school if you never forgot anything," said team member Griffin King. "It's all related to school topics."
Firefighters make final preparations for the controlled burn of the former Riverside Bowl building in Camas along Northeast Third Avenue.
Spring break in the Northwest usually means stormy weather and cold days. But don't let that keep the kids from getting the most out of it.Camas and Washougal offer several options for kids to be interactive and engaged during their time off from school, without spending several hours in front of the television or computer. For those parents who don't have the week off with their kids, there is the option of an all-day or part-day spring break camp through Camas Community Education. "Not everyone goes on vacations and many parents need childcare," said Director Mary Weishaar. "And if others are going to be home and just want their kids to have some fun, structured activities, there's a half-day camp option, too."
Tiffani Pekkala is serious about her efforts to secure donors for the American Red Cross Blood Drive."I have bribed classmates to donate with food and movies," she joked.
Instead of sifting through approximately 70 pages of documents during meetings, Washougal School Board members will be able to access needed information in seconds. The district recently purchased five iPad2 devices for all five school board members at a cost of $3,833. It will cost the district approximately $530 more the first year than the traditional paper method, but will save $2,771 the next year, and the same amount the following year. The factors in the decision to purchase the iPads were to become more efficient and earth-friendly, to integrate technology into board meetings, and to save staff time.
The members of the Camas High School Knowledge Bowl team are all smiles after capturing their third state championship in three years. The team traveled to Marysville-Pilchuk High School to compete in the 30th annual Knowledge Bowl state championship over the weekend. There, teams from all over the state competed at the 4A, 3A and 2A levels in three separate tournaments. The Papermakers beat out 17 other teams in the 3A division to secure a win.
"Be the change you want to see in the world."This famous quote by Mahatma Ghandi calls people to action. It is also the theme of Challenge Day, an event which provides participants with the tools to break down the walls of separation and isolation, and build new levels of respect and communication within their schools and communities. Washougal and Excelsior high school students, along with teachers, administrators and community members, had the opportunity to participate in Challenge Day last week. WHS counselors Christina Mackey and Owen Sanford first heard about it from a student intern, who said he'd participated in it at another school and it, "changed his life." "When we heard that, we had to investigate," Sanford said. "I started researching it, and got pretty overwhelmed by the costs and how to make it all happen. Then we heard there was a grant opportunity through Clark County Department of Community Services, and so we applied and got it."
Walking through the hallways of Washougal High School last week, students were greeted by a large, orange and black poster congratulating various choir and band members. And there were several reasons to give kudos: On Monday, Feb. 20, several students performed with the Washington Music Educators All-State Honor Symphonic Choir and Wind Ensemble. In addition, many of the same vocalists and instrumentalists performed well at the Regional Solo and Ensemble Contest the following weekend. "This is great," said Jen Mahorney, choir director. "We've been preparing since right after Christmas. There are some pretty stellar schools in the region, It's fortunate that we have this level of competition."
