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Schools

September 11, 2012
From left, principals Laura Bolt, Rex Larson and Mary Lou Woody display backpacks their schools received, filled with supplies, for children in need.

Rotary program gives away 200 backpacks to children in Camas and Washougal

Picking out school supplies and a new backpack is a much-anticipated tradition in most families. However, due to household budgets that have been stretched to the breaking point, many school kids begin the new year without these items. But thanks to the generosity of the Camas-Washougal Rotary Club's backpack program, 200 local elementary school students started classes on the right foot.

September 11, 2012

School notes for Sept. 11, 2012

WHS turf fundraiser kicks off Friday The Washougal High School Turf Campaign Committee will kick off its fundraising efforts Friday at the first WHS home varsity football game.

September 4, 2012

School notes for Sept. 4, 2012

Sullivan graduates from Juilliard Macy Elizabeth Sullivan of Camas graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree in dance from The Juilliard School in New York City.

September 4, 2012
Fourth-grade students at Dorothy Fox Elementary School had the opportunity to learn about the famous "Voyage of Discovery" through an Oregon Museum of Science and Industry interactive outreach workshop. It included hands-on stations exploring cartography, taxonomy, anthropology, astronomy and botany. It was made available through a grant from the Camas Educational Foundation.

Camas Educational Foundation is seeking airline miles for its annual auction

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Camas Educational Foundation. To celebrate, board members have named the annual auction, "Soaring with CEF: Our 15 year Journey," and are asking community members to donate unused airline miles. "The idea came from the Make-A-Wish Foundation," said Mandy Huth, CEF president. "They have a great message about donating miles or tickets to children. Since this year's auction is based on a journey, I thought this was a good approach to ask our community to support the children in this manner."

September 4, 2012

Washougal teachers ratify 3-year contract

Washougal teachers overwhelmingly approved a new three-year contract on Thursday. The new agreement came after negotiations between the Washougal Association of Educators and the School District. "I am very pleased with the negotiation process," said Dawn Tarzian, district superintendent. "It is important and we have learned a lot, and reached an agreement that the association, board and administrators can feel good about." "Washougal teachers feel that this was an equitable contract, given the current economy," said Sheila Good, WAE co-president.

September 4, 2012

School district approves budget

The Washougal School Board has approved a $28.8 million budget for the 2012-13 school year. It is a $1.5 million increase over the 2011-12 budget. Of that, approximately $800,000 is for a planned gym floor and turf field replacement at Washougal High School. "I feel very positive about this year's budget," said Dawn Tarzian, district superintendent. "It identifies key priorities and sets aside money for those things."

August 28, 2012
Teachers learn new things at an environmental teacher training at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Washougal. Volunteers shared new techniques and information on how to use the local refuge to bolster educators' science curriculum. Teachers participated in watching for and counting Purple Martins, a rare bird that nests there each summer.

Teachers learn to use natural resources

Educators in the Camas-Washougal area spent a recent Tuesday morning exploring ways to teach their students by getting outside of the classroom and into nature. Jim Clapp, Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge manager, coordinated two environmental education teacher trainings held at the refuge and nearby Jemtegaard Middle School in Washougal. With the help of the Columbia Gorge Refuge Stewards, Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, Educational Service District 112 and Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, teachers from Camas, Washougal and Battle Ground spent six hours learning how to teach using the outdoors. "It is geared toward elementary schools, but there are applications for any level," explained Josie Finley, one of the environmental education workers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the area. "We really try to address the needs of the students. "Teachers especially need to know about the area since we don't have the number of volunteers to host tours ourselves." There will be another training program held on Oct. 20. Educators can register through ESD 112. For more information, contact Clapp at 835-8767.

August 28, 2012

Clark College scores high with Google

A first-year Clark College entrepreneurship club, Winning Innovations through Student Entrepreneurship, placed in the top 15 percent globally in the Google Online Marketing Challenge. The challenge required teams of two to six students to build a campaign for a local business or non-profit organization that would drive business to their website. More than 2,000 teams entered, and W.I.S.E. earned the highest rating before making it into the semi-finals.

August 28, 2012

School notes for August 28, 2012

Local student receives scholarship from WSU Nicholas Lafrazia was awarded a $500 Charles W. Harrison Engineering Scholarship and a $2,000 Washington State University achievement award. The College of Engineering and Architecture awards the Charles W. Harrison scholarship to a student interested in engineering based on academic excellence in math and science.