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Schools

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 8, 2013
Cape Horn-Skye Elementary student Haleigh Byrd (left) helps Allison Drake during the recent Sport-a-Thon. The event raised more than $6,000 for the school.

Sport-a-Thon raises more than $6,000

Cape Horn-Skye Elementary students were jumping, running, tossing and throwing to earn money for their school recently as a part of the Booster Club's annual Sport-a-Thon fund raiser.

October 2, 2013

School notes for Oct. 1, 2013

Letters about Literature begins Now in its ninth year in Washington, the Letters About Literature competition encourages young readers to write letters to their favorite authors, living or dead. The contest, co-sponsored by the Washington State Library, is for children in fourth- through 12th grade.

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.

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 17, 2013
Now that school is in full swing, local law enforcement agencies are urging drivers to be aware of young pedestrians and cyclists on their way to school. Here, two Grass Valley Elementary crossing guards help a student get through an intersection safely.

Being aware on the road helps save lives

With school in full swing, there are an abundance of children walking and cycling through Camas and Washougal compared with the summer months.This means drivers need to be more alert near schools, bus stop locations and student commute areas, according to Scot Boyles, a sergeant with the Camas Police Department. "Oftentimes, children can be inattentive or unaware of the rules of the road and this can cause dangerous situations," he said. "We are asking drivers to be extra vigilant in both obeying the traffic laws and also in being aware of the students who might be walking/riding near them. The beginning of the school year is a time when children are at increased risk of transportation-related injuries from pedestrian, bicycle, school bus, and motor vehicle crashes." This includes parents dropping off their children at school, added Laura Bolt, principal at Hathaway Elementary in Washougal. "Please don't double park on the street," she said. "Children run out and may not see oncoming cars."

September 17, 2013

School notes for Sept. 17, 2013

Bank of America donates $15k to Clark College Bank of America has donated $15,000 to Clark College's Career and Volunteer Service-Learning program to prepare more than 1,000 students with on-the-job training. Clark President Robert K. Knight said the college's primary goal is to improve the rate of post-secondary completion.

September 10, 2013

School notes for Sept. 10, 2013

'Walk the Walk' registration is open Registration is now open for the fourth annual "Walk the Walk" event on Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Clark County Public Safety Complex, 505 N.W. 179th St., Ridgefield, Wash. The 5K Walk/Run provides community awareness about drug and alcohol prevention, in addition to serving as a benefit for the Teens Care Too Youth Leadership and Prevention Summit, a free summit for Clark County youth.

September 10, 2013
Sean McMillan is the new principal at Grass Valley Elementary School. He served as a principal in the Vancouver School District for 10 years before coming to Camas.

Sean McMillan is looking forward to getting to know Camas’ Grass Valley community better

Very few of us know in elementary school what our future career choice will be.As a young student at Francis Willard Elementary in Rock Island, Ill., Sean McMillan made that decision. "Mrs. Turnbull, my second-grade teacher, and Mrs. Findley, my third-grade teacher, kept me on the straight and narrow," he said. "I always knew they really believed in me and held me accountable." McMillan is hoping to do the same for the students at Grass Valley Elementary School, as its new principal. He replaced Patricia Erdmann, who retired in June.