Camas-Washougal Post-Record

April 1, 2014

Luna and Andrew Ziegler have been through a lot together in the past four months. The trained diabetes alert service black labrador retriever has become a lovable hero for this 16-year-old Camas High School sophomore.

A nose for diabetes

Wherever Andrew Ziegler goes, Luna will be two steps behind while her nose stays two steps ahead. "When I'm out with her, I'm never alone," Ziegler said. "It's like a missing part of me has been filled. I couldn't imagine life without her." The 20-month-old trained diabetes alert service black labrador retriever from Pieces of the Universe follows the 16-year-old Camas High School sophomore to his classes and band practices. She also keeps a cautious eye on his blood sugar level while he sleeps. Ziegler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 2 years old and has been on an insulin pump since he was 5. Constantly living in fear for her son's life, Sharon would wake him up in the middle of the night to check his blood sugar. Now she can rest comfortably knowing that Luna is always on guard.

April 1, 2014

School notes for April 1, 2014

CHS students takes part in 'Ten Grands' concert Two Camas High School students will play piano at the "Ten Grands" Seattle Concert Friday, April 4, at 7 p.m. JJ Guo and Johnathan Liao are among three dozen young musicians from 11 high schools who will perform at Benaroya Hall during the evening's showcase of talent that benefits music education.

April 1, 2014

JMS eighth-grader wins Student Stride art contest

Taylor Grasseth, a spunky red-haired eighth-grader from Jemtegaard Middle School, was honored in front of her student peers and faculty during an assembly Friday morning. Grasseth's artwork, a colorful cat holding a banner, was chosen as the winner of the Washougal Schools Foundation art contest and will be the face of the organization's signature event, The Student Stride for Education. "It's wonderful and I'm super psyched about it," was Grasseth's response when asked how she feels about her artwork being chosen as the logo for the event.

April 1, 2014

WHS to celebrate 100th commencement

The Washougal School District, along with the Washougal Old Timers, are making plans to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of Washougal High School's first commencement in 1914. "It is a historic milestone and we want to take this opportunity to reconnect with alumni and share in our community's pride of our high school," said Dawn Tarzian, Washougal School District superintendent. To help commemorate the occasion, all former Washougal students and staff from the far and near past are being invited to share their favorite memories via a survey.

March 25, 2014

School notes for March 25, 2014

Students of the month named at Hathaway Hathaway Elementary School recently named its February students of the month.

March 25, 2014

CHS student presents work at professional science conference

Meghal Sheth's research about hearing loss has allowed her to do things most high school students only dream about. The Camas High School junior presented her findings with mentor Dr. Allison Coffin at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology conference in San Diego last month. The invite came about after Coffin asked Sheth to join her and co-present their research on BPA (Bisphenol-A). "She wanted me to experience going to a big conference and she also wanted me to be able to showcase my research project as first author," Sheth said. "We've spent a lot of time together working on the project and she said that since I did a lot of the work, I should be able to present it."

March 25, 2014

Tami Grant, an American Sign Language teacher at Washougal High School, was recently named Interpreter of the Year for Sorenson Communications. Here, she works with her students on songs for their end of the year show.

An ASL leader

When Tami Grant headed into the offices of Sorenson Communications on March 6, she was expecting a routine staff meeting. But that day was anything but routine. Grant, who works as an American Sign Language interpreter, found out she had been named Sorenson Communications 2013 Interpreter of the Year for the Western Region. Grant is also a full-time American Sign Language teacher at Washougal High School. "I walked into the room, and they announced that someone in our center had won, and that it was me," she said. "There was a lot of emotion. I was totally in shock because I work with some really fantastic interpreters. Being nominated by my peers was awesome."

March 25, 2014

District clarifies boundaries between students, staff

In an effort to increase awareness, the Washougal School District has clarified, in detail, what constitutes acceptable behavior between students and staff. Some of the document is fairly standard, such as refraining from inappropriate physical conduct, showing pornography to a student or making jokes of a sexual nature. However, other portions of it may come as a surprise to some: For example, it is not acceptable to employ a student, such as having them baby-sit any staff member's children.

March 18, 2014

School notes for March 18, 2014

Preschool 'Childfind' screening set There will be free screenings for children ages 3 to 5 who reside within the Camas School District boundaries on Wednesday, March 26. The screening tests children in hearing, vision, speech, concepts and motor development, and lasts approximately one hour.

March 18, 2014

JMS teacher Jennifer Bohn-Snapp's students recently completed a "selfie" project, where the girls and their moms, or other influential female figure, each used their cell phone to snap a self-portrait. The pictures were taken with no filters or editing, and then submitted for a gallery showing in the library.

Redefining beauty

With scantily clad, perfectly toned models on magazine covers, pop music stars with skin that appears flawless and television shows dedicated to exploring which "hot" woman will snag the even-hotter bachelor, it's tough to be a girl these days. However, students in Jennifer Bohn-Snapp's classes at Jemtegaard Middle School in Washougal aren't letting these images define beauty for them. Instead, they are reshaping it, along with the help of their mothers and modern technology. Inspired by Dove's Real Beauty campaign and its documentary "Selfie," which features real mothers and daughters talking about how they feel about their appearance, Bohn-Snapp challenged her students to use their cell phones to take an "honest" self-portrait, known as a "selfie," with no filters or editing. She asked their mothers, or other influential female figures, to set an example by doing the same.