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February 1, 2011
Lila Robertson Trammell, 94, received an honorary Camas High School diploma from School District Superintendent Mike Nerland and School Board member Connie Hennessey last week. The event had been more than 75 years in the making.

Graduation day

On Monday, Jan. 24, Lila Robertson Trammell finally received her high school diploma. The event had been more than 75 years in the making. Trammell would have graduated from Camas High School in 1935. However, for reasons she did not want to disclose, Trammell did not attend her high school graduation and never received her diploma. But three-quarters of a century later, she did just that. At a school board meeting, Trammell, now 94, was bestowed an honorary diploma from Camas High School, given to her by Superintendent Mike Nerland.

January 25, 2011
Satya Hariharan, 12, has won the Skyridge Middle School Geography Bee two years running. He is hoping to win state this year.

A geography whiz

Satya Hariharan talks about political and physical maps the same way some kids his age talk about video games. He has an ease and familiarity with the subject matter that few adults could master. That's probably why Hariharan, a Skyridge Middle School seventh-grader, has twice won the school-wide Geography Bee. As a sixth-grader, Hariharan made the state level Bee, but missed out on going to nationals. This year, he has his eye on the prize.

January 25, 2011

School notes for Jan. 25, 2011

Students named to honor roll The following local students have been named to the President's Honor Roll at Washington State University for the fall term. To be named to the honor roll, a student must either earn a cumulative 3.5 GPA and take at least 15 graded credits or have a 3.75 GPA and take nine graded credits. The students are:

January 18, 2011

School notes for Jan. 18, 2011

Local student makes honor roll at OSU Brittney N. Oljar of Camas has made the fall term honor roll at Oregon State University. To make the honor roll, students must take at least 12 graded credits and earn at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA.

January 13, 2011
The Robo-Titans team recently competed in its first-ever FIRST LEGO League competition and walked away with the "Rookie Award," given to the top first-year team.

More than just play

Not every 9-year-old knows how to design, build and program a robot. But the kids on Jeff Hendricks Robo-Titans team are becoming experts in the field. That's because they are part of a FIRST LEGO league team, where children learn to design and build robots using special LEGO kits. The program includes a 10- to 12-week period in which youngsters form teams, build robots that can complete individual tasks as part of an overall challenge, then compete at a local tournament. The robots are programmed using a flow chart rather than traditional programming language, and coaches often have the help of technical mentors to teach team members how to build and program the robot.

January 11, 2011

School notes for Jan. 11, 2011

Teen game night, 'Read to the Dogs' set There will be a teen game night at the Washougal Community Library, 1661 "C" St., from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28. Call the library at 835-5393 for details. Also coming up will be a "Read to the Dogs" night Tuesday, Jan. 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., where readers of all ages can sign up to read aloud to a therapy dog for 24 minutes.

January 4, 2011
This abstract piece by Washougal artist Beth Flannigan, "reminds me of the veins of a leaf," she said.

Abstract impressions

Self-taught Washougal artist Beth Flannigan never titles her paintings. "My abstracts are just that," she said. "I don't title anything because I don't want to influence anyone's opinions." Flannigan describes her painting style as both abstract and organic. In addition to not titling her work, she signs it on the back only.

January 4, 2011

School notes for Jan. 4, 2011

School board seeking applicants The Washougal School Board is seeking applicants to fill two vacancies that will be left when longtime members Orlan Gessford and Tom Huffman retire Jan. 31. Qualified applicants must be U.S. citizens, registered voters and reside in the appropriate director district. The open positions will be in districts one and four. Employees and immediate family members of district employees are not allowed to serve on the board.

December 28, 2010

Number of homeless students climbs

They sleep in cars. In parks. In shelters. On the sofas of generous relatives or friends. They are the more than 1.3 million homeless children nationwide. Of that total, more than 21,000 live in Washington state, according to numbers submitted to the federal government last week. Collected by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the numbers show that during 2009-10, the state reported 21,826 homeless students, up 5 percent from the previous year and up 56.5 percent from 2005-06.