Mount Si students get up-front dose of Japanese culture
July 23, 2009
Mount Si High School Japanese teacher Dr. Sudeshna Sen recently took her students on a whirlwind adventure to Japan, encouraging the teenagers to surround themselves with the Japanese language and culture as they rode bullet trains, toured Buddhist temples and met up with Naga High School exchange students.
From June 25 to July 13, Sen accompanied 13 students on a fieldtrip 4,785 miles away from home. This fall, many of the students will take Japanese AP, a class never before offered at Mount Si.
“I’ve pretty much just had a fascination with Japan for a long time,” Mount Si senior Sean Weatherbee said. “I thought it’d be a fun idea to see what the country was like.”
Local totem poles carved with ancient techniques
July 23, 2009
North Bend artist Bob Antone is keeping traditional American Indian carving techniques alive, mainly by learning from experienced tribal carvers one log at a time.
When Mercer Island resident Bruce Leven asked Antone to make him a totem pole, Antone called Alaskan carver Ralph Bennett, from the Haida tribe.
Together, Bennett and Antone carved a 15-foot contemporary Northern Haida totem pole.
The three-month long project incorporated more than just wood shavings. Bennett learned carving from his grandfather and father as a child, and has since taught on the Lummi Reservation near Bellingham, showing students traditional carving methods.
Calendar 7-23
July 23, 2009
Events
Si View Parks will host Love and Logic Parenting from June 16 – July 31. The class teaches simple and practical techniques to help parents have less stress and more fun while raising children. Register at www.siviewpark.org.
The popular Rodgers and Hammerstein’s production of “Oklahoma!” is scheduled to be performed at Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater on Saturdays at both 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. It will be directed by Roger Westberg, with music direction by Paul Linnes and choreography by Sandy Brown. Tickets are on sale now. Go to www.foresttheater.org or call 736-7252 or 222-7044 for more information.
Valley Center Stage in North Bend will hold summer drama camps July 27-31. The classes assembled in ages from 6-8, 9-11 and 12-14 for one week at 119 North Bend Way in North Bend. The youngest class will meet from 9:30-10:30 a.m., while the 9-11 age group will meet from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. and the 12-14 from 1:30 – 3 p.m. The classes are taught by Gary Schwartz, director of Valley Center Stage, and Stephanie Merrow. For more information, call 831-5667 or visit www.valleycenterstage.org.
The 16th annual Twin Peaks Festival will be July 24-26 in the Valley. Late tickets cost $220 with a bus tour and $200 without a bus tour. To learn more, visit www.twinpeaksfest.com.
Mike’s Cascade Grill will host Mike’s Bike Night With Jeff Warren and Friends, an open mic night from 6-8:30 p.m. every Wednesday through August. The band will be raising money for Relay For Life and Mike’s will donate 25 percent of all burger special sales to the American Cancer Society during the event. Bring an instrument and play or come for the music, food and to support the Snoqualmie Valley relay.
A variety of classic cars will be displayed at the Legends Car Show, scheduled to be held as part of Snoqualmie Railroad Days on Aug. 2. The Legends Car Club, which was founded in 2000, has more than 100 members from the Puget Sound region. For more information, go to www.legendcarclub.com.
The annual Festival at Mount Si continues this year from Aug. 7-9 with another round of events in North Bend. For the eighth straight year, the festival will include a chili cookoff, a cherry pie eating contest and the Burstin’ with Blueberries Dessert Contest. Also included will be the kids’ Fun Zone, The Grand Parade, a pancake breakfast, live and silent auctions, the Skate Jam, stupid pet tricks, kids bingo, Irish dancers, Veils of the Nile, a dog pageant and more.
The Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast will be from 7-11 a.m. Aug. 9 at North Bend Elementary. Pancakes, ham, juice, coffee, tea and hot chocolate will be served for $6 per person. All proceeds go to support children in the community.
Movie Times
North Bend Theatre show times for this week are as follows:
Thursday — “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” 11 a.m., 2:30, 6 and 9 p.m.
Friday — “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” 2:30, 6 and 9 p.m.
Saturday — “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” 2:30, 6 and 9 p.m.
Sunday — “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” 2:30 and 6 p.m.
Monday — “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Tuesday – “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World,” (Free Summer Film Series), noon
Wednesday — “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World,” (Free Summer Film Series), noon
Classes
Theater summer camps are offered at July 27-31 at Valley Center Stage in North Bend. The workshop for actors ages 9-11 will be offered from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Tuition is $120. The drama workshop for children ages 12-14 will meet from 2-3:30 p.m. Tuition is $120. There also will be a Theater Games Summer Camp with Stephanie Merrow for children ages 6-8 that meets from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Tuition is $100. For more information, go to www.valleycenterstage.org.
The Early Bird Workout began July 2 at Si View Community Center. The class meets from 6-7 a.m. every Thursday morning, and offers a high intensity workout for those who want to exercise before work. For more information, go to www.siviewpark.org or call 831-1900.
The Mount Si School of Karate is offered through Si View Community Center Mondays and Wednesdays each month. Interested participants 7-8 years will meet from 4-5 p.m., those who are 9-11 years from 5-6 p.m. and those 12 and up from 6-7 p.m. Register for the class at www.siviewpark.org or call 831-1900.
Heather Evans with the Bellevue College Career Center in Snoqualmie provides free career services from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. every Tuesday at the Snoqualmie Tribe Headquarters, 8130 Railroad Ave. in downtown Snoqualmie and from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. every Wednesday at the North Bend Library, 115 4th St. in North Bend. For more information, call 888-6551, ext. 101 or e-mail heather.evans@bellevuecollege.edu.
An Al-Anon Family Group meets at 7 p.m. each Thursday at Mt. Si Lutheran Church in North Bend.
The teen drop-in program happens from 3-5 p.m. on Mondays and 1-5 p.m. on Fridays at Si View Community Center in North Bend. For more information, contact Ryan Daly at rdaly@siviewpark.org or 831-1900.
Spanish classes are held every Thursday, 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the Sno-Valley Senior Center. Open to the community. $5 per class, drop-in basis, taught by Celide Rivero.
Food Addicts Anonymous meets at 7 p.m. every Thursday in North Bend. For more information, please call 888-0314.
The Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program meets at Si View Park from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. every Monday through Thursday. Cost is $4.
An Alzheimer’s Association caregiver support group meets from 6:30 – 8 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at Holy Innocents Catholic Church, 26526 Cherry Valley Rd., Duvall. For more information, contact group facilitator Irene Olson at 868-4889.
Volunteer Opportunities
Through the end of July, donations for the Mt Si Helping Hands Food Bank may be made at the following Sno Falls Credit Union locations: Snoqualmie Branch, 9025 Meadowbrook Way SE; Snoqualmie Ridge Branch, 7730 Center Blvd.; North Bend Branch, 460 E. North Bend Way.
Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum seeks docents to volunteer at the Museum from 1-5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday through October. Duties will include greeting visitors, selling items in the gift shop and more. Training will be provided. Contact the museum at 888-3200 or Pat Kelly at 888-1557.
The Senior Services Transportation Program seeks volunteers to drive seniors around North Bend and Snoqualmie. Volunteers will drive their own vehicles and choose the weekdays, times and areas in which they’d like to drive. Mileage reimbursement and supplemental liability insurance are offered. For more information, call 206-748-7588 or 1-800-282-5815, or e-mail melissat@seniorservices.org. To apply online, go to www.seniorservices.org/vts/vts.htm.
The Mount Si Senior Center thrift store is looking for volunteers to sort donations and help with cash sales a few hours a week. The thrift store is located in the Senior Center at 411 Main Street in North Bend. For more information, call Janet at 888-3434.
Hopelink in the Snoqualmie Valley is seeking volunteers for a variety of tasks. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. For more information, go to www.hope-link.org/takeaction/volunteer or call 869-6000.
Adopt-A-Park with yourself, your family, neighbors or club. Adopt-A-Park is a volunteer program for Snoqualmie residents willing to help improve and enhance public parks and trails. Volunteering requires an application and a one-year commitment. Call 831-5784.
Be a Study Zone tutor and give students the homework help they need. Study Zone needs volunteers to tutor elementary through high school students in math, science, English, social studies and study methods. A two-hour weekly commitment and flexible substitute scheduling are available. The Study Zone program is a free service offered by the King County Library System. For more information, call 369-3312.
Share your love of books and make new friends by becoming a Friend of the Library in either Snoqualmie or North Bend. Annual memberships cost $5 for individuals and $10 for families and help expand opportunities for children, families and seniors around the community. To learn more, call 888-0554.
North Bend Library
Join the North Bend Library Tuesday Book Group for an evening of lively conversation about a variety of new and notable fiction and nonfiction. The group meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the North Bend Library meeting room. New members are always welcome. For more information, call 888-0554.
The North Bend Chess Club, for all ages, meets from 7-9 p.m. every Thursday.
Game On, for ages 12 to 18, meets 3- 5 p.m. Fridays to play XBox 360, Playstation, Nintendo DS, Guitar Hero and DDS. Board games also are available.
English as a Second Language classes meet at 6:30 p.m. Mondays.
Toddler Story Time, for ages 2 to 3 with an adult, meets at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays.
Preschool Story Time, for ages 3 to 6 with an adult, meets at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays.
Evening Family Story Time meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
Snoqualmie Library
Young Toddler Story Time, for age 12 to 24 months with an adult, is at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays.
Preschool Story Time, for ages 3 to 6 with an adult, is at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays.
Anime & Manga Club, for middle and high school students, meets at 3 p.m. Wednesdays to watch anime movies, eat popcorn and practice manga drawing.
Snoqualmie Library Pajama Story Time, for all young children with an adult, is at 7 p.m. Thursdays.
Clubs
Rotary Club of Snoqualmie meets at 7 a.m. every Thursday at the Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club. E-mail SnoqualmieRotary@yahoo.com.
The Eastside Chapter of the Northwest Biodiesel Network meets the second Wednesday of every month, from 7-9 p.m., at the Railroad Depot in North Bend. For more information, go to www.nwbiodiesel.org or call 503-9876.
The Snoqualmie Valley Garden Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Mount Si Senior Center. There is a guest speaker each month. For more information, call 206-295-8363.
The Mt. Si Artist Guild promotes visual fine arts in the Snoqualmie Valley. It meets the third Saturday of every month at 9:15 a.m. in the North Bend Senior Center. Upcoming events include: the Festival at Mount Si, Aug. 7-9; Art in the Park, Aug. 15 and 22; Sawdust Art Show, Aug. 31. For more information, contact Diane Solomon at djsolomon@comcast.net.
Post No. 79 of the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary meets on the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at the American Legion Building at 38625 Southeast River Street in Snoqualmie. For more information, call Steve Fenton, Post Commander, at 396-6100 or Kathy Kerr, Unit President, at 831-5133.
Snoqualmie Valley Kiwanis Club meets at 7 a.m. every Thursday at the Mount Si Golf Course restaurant in Snoqualmie. E-mail snovalley@member.kiwanis.org.
Snoqualmie Fraternal Order of Eagles Women’s Auxiliary meets the first and third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. The Men’s Aerie meets the first and third Wednesday at 7 p.m. Meetings are held at 108 Railroad Ave. Call 888-1129.
The Snoqualmie Valley Youth Hub provides cultural, athletic, recreational and educational opportunities to more than 4,000 young people in the Valley. Call 831-1900.
Loyal Order of Moose is located at 108 Sydney Ave. in North Bend. Men meet at 6 p.m. the first and third Mondays of the month. Women meet at 7 p.m. the third and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Call 888-0951.
The Mount Si Fish and Game Club meets at the Fall City Firehall at 7:30 p.m. the first Thursday of every month.
Washington Freemasons meet at 7:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at Unity Lodge No. 198 in North Bend. Call 888-5779.
The MOMS Club of North Bend, a social group for at-home mothers, meets at 10 a.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the North Bend Library. Children are welcome at all MOMS Club activities. Call 888-1387 or visit www.momsclub.org for more information.
To submit an item for the community calendar, send to editor@snovalleystar.com or via www.snovalleystar.com.
Events
Ridge 3-on-3 tournament enjoys another round of success
July 23, 2009
By Ryan Piersol
Bryan Murphy crawled out of bed at 4 a.m., drove on the interstate for three hours and then played a series of rugged basketball games in the heat.
At the end of the day, though, he had no complaints.
Murphy was just one of hundreds of competitors at the third-annual Snoqualmie Ridge 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament July 18. His team, Brandeberry Logging, was assembled from various parts of the Pacific Northwest, including Murphy’s home town in a suburb of Portland, OR.
Brandeberry Logging was good enough to capture the championship in the Men’s Competitive Group 1 division, but Murphy — a former player at Division III Linfield College in Oregon — still came away impressed.
“It was a long drive up, but it was worth it. The competition was really good,” he said. “The last few games, the score didn’t really show how close the game was. There were some good teams here.”
There were a total of 18 teams crowned champion at the event, which once again grew in numbers. In 2007, the tournament’s first year, 77 teams signed up to play. Last year, that number grew to 102. This time around, it had an even bigger jump to 151.
“That’s a 50 percent increase in a down economy, so we’re pretty excited about how it turned out,” tournament founder Jeff Orswell said.
Next year’s tournament has been scheduled for July 17.
Many of the tournament’s participants were traditional competitors at Hoopsfest, the state’s largest annual tournament in Spokane. Paul Swanson, from Everett, said he liked the tournament on the Ridge better.
“It’s a little different from some other 3-on-3s, but it’s good. It’s a closer drive for us, which makes it much better than Spokane,” he said. “It’s pretty good competition. There are not quite as many teams, but it’s a good run.”
One local team, Inferno, won the Girls Grades 3-5 Recreational division by taking five straight games. The team included Snoqualmie’s Kallin Spiller and Mady Privatsky, as well as Bellevue’s Courtney Wehner and Sammamish’s Gabbie Beahm.
Inferno had competed in the 3-on-3 tournament the last three years, and was finally able to win its first championship by knocking off team Starbursts in the finals.
Reach editor Ryan Piersol at editor@snovallesytar.com or 392-6434. To comment on this story, go to www.snovalleystar.com.
Bryan Murphy crawled out of bed at 4 a.m., drove on the interstate for three hours and then played a series of rugged basketball games in the heat.
At the end of the day, though, he had no complaints.
Murphy was just one of hundreds of competitors at the third-annual Snoqualmie Ridge 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament July 18. His team, Brandeberry Logging, was assembled from various parts of the Pacific Northwest, including Murphy’s home town in a suburb of Portland, OR.
Team Inferno, from left, is Mady Privatsky, Kallin Spiller, Gabbie Beahm and Courtney Wehner. The local team won the Girls Grades 3-5 Recreational division at the Snoqualmie Ridge 3-on-3 tournament.
Mount Si girls basketball team picks up summer learning lessons
July 23, 2009
Sometimes it was good, sometimes it was bad. The entire time, however, it was an experience.
The Mount Si girls basketball team finished off its summer with a trip to Spokane for the Gonzaga Tournament July 16-18. The Wildcats returned with a varied mix of results, having three games go down to the wire and another two end up in blowouts.
The tournament began with a match against Shadle Park, who was the Class 3A state runner-up a year ago. Even though Mount Si was short three starters, the Wildcats still nearly pulled off the upset.
Mount Si’s Traci Nelson goes in for a layup last season.
Piano knows no bounds for Snoqualmie teacher
July 19, 2009
By Laura Geggel
If a song is a gift you give away, then Snoqualmie piano teacher Bob Pajer has played enough gifts to fill all of Snoqualmie Valley.
“What I tell my students is, this is to give away,” Pajer said as he sat in front of the August Forester piano in his living room.
Valley residents may recognize him as the piano player at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club, the Salish Lodge & Spa or even from Boeing plane releases, but Pajer has played all over the country, including in the Washington Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., the Emory Symphony Orchestra in Atlanta and the Sammamish Symphony Orchestra.
Pajer’s musical journey began at age 5, when his pianist father sat him down on the bench for lessons. Pajer used to watch his father dress up in a tuxedo and play at upscale Brooklyn establishments, such as the Waldorf Astoria restaurant.
“I said, ‘Boy, I’m going to do that,’” Pajer remembered.
He did, although he took a circuitous route to reaching his piano teaching business at his home on Snoqualmie Ridge. At first, Pajer concentrated on piano with a musical fervor. At age 10, he auditioned for and played at the Mannes College and found himself practicing seven hours per day. By the time he reached 16, Pajer was teaching students and playing professionally, with a little help snagging jobs from his father.
When he reached age 18 in 1953, he auditioned for a part in a 20-piece jazz band and began playing with U.S. Air Force members stationed in Alaska.
“That was my introduction to jazz and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” said Pajer, who had before only played classical. “The main difference is that you’re improvising. It’s a big part of my work now.”
He stayed in the band for four years, living in the wilds of Alaska. School took him to the East Coast again, this time to Rutgers University in New Jersey. There, he studied psychology, married and had three children.
And through all of that, “I never stopped playing the piano,” Pajer said.
His work with the government and as a consultant took him across the world. He worked for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington, D.C. and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. It was there that he met his wife, Andrea. After visiting some friends in Europe, the two made a wager: they would move if one of them could find a job over there.
They both won — Andrea found a job in Germany and Pajer became a consultant in Macedonia from 1996 to 1998, helping the Macedonian government rewrite their laws in a more democratic style. He visited his wife and piano in Germany once a month. The rest of the time, he played the bassoon, an instrument he picked up as a teenager.
“In 1999, I said to myself, this has gone far enough,” Pajer said. “It’s time to go back to music.”
The couple decided to seek out Seattle, where Pajer had studied for a year in 1968 as a National Institute of Public Affairs Fellow at the University of Washington. Once out west, they found their home on Snoqualmie Ridge.
“We were pioneers in 1999,” Pajer said. “This was the only house on the street.”
Families, who they sometimes invite over for a neighborhood recital, now surround the Pajers.
About 20 students take piano lessons from Pajer at a $65-per-hour rate. Pajer grades students with progress reports he e-mails to their parents. Once a month, he holds group lessons to help students gain performance experience and learn from their peers. Ever interested in teaching, Pajer is working on a paper about how to motivate students during lessons.
“He is a wonderful teacher and a lot of people don’t know this, but he had the same piano teacher as Billy Joel,” Christen Jeans said.
Her 10-year-old son Hayden is playing music from the National Music Certification Program, a program used worldwide.
Pajer maintains his own certification through the Music Teachers National Association. In 2005, he played a recital at Sherman Clay Pianos in Bellevue with a program including Chopin, Schubert, Bach and Shostakovich. His next recital is scheduled for spring 2010.
For now, Pajer concentrates on his students both here and abroad. The Pajers hosted Hui Lee, a South Korean student from Gangjin, during the Sister Cities exchange. Gangjin’s major Ju Hong Hwang recently hosted them in South Korea and Pajer played for them on the trip.
“Everything you do, you will be enriched by music,” Pajer said.
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. To comment on this story, visit www.snovalleystar.com.
If a song is a gift you give away, then Snoqualmie piano teacher Bob Pajer has played enough gifts to fill all of Snoqualmie Valley.
“What I tell my students is, this is to give away,” Pajer said as he sat in front of the August Forester piano in his living room.
Valley residents may recognize him as the piano player at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club, the Salish Lodge & Spa or even from Boeing plane releases, but Pajer has played all over the country, including in the Washington Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., the Emory Symphony Orchestra in Atlanta and the Sammamish Symphony Orchestra.
Pajer’s musical journey began at age 5, when his pianist father sat him down on the bench for lessons. Pajer used to watch his father dress up in a tuxedo and play at upscale Brooklyn establishments, such as the Waldorf Astoria restaurant.
Snoqualmie pianist Bob Pajer started playing piano at age 5 and now teaches at his home on Snoqualmie Ridge.
King County executive election is critical
July 17, 2009
Twelve years ago, as King County voters prepared to elect a new executive, the big issue was all about the need for more ball fields. And rural residents were threatening to form their own county in protest of land regulations imposed on property rights. Ron Sims promised a lot of ball fields and a little of everything else. He won the election.
My how times have changed. The county has encouraged cities to take over many of the parks and ball fields it built, but couldn’t afford to maintain. A court ruling rescinded much of the county’s critical areas ordinance, putting rural land use issues in limbo. The economy has tanked, leaving local governments scrambling and King County in a world of financial hurt. Audit reports show the county’s accounting system to be untrustworthy. Heck, the county can barely operate decent animal shelters.
This year, voters will look for a county CEO that understands fiscal management — and how to get the county to a balanced budget.
We also need a new executive that has a vision, not just more of the same. He or she will need to know how to bring different viewpoints together to create the goals for transportation, natural resources, solid waste, human services and more — then outline the steps needed to get us there.
As the summer primary election among the eight candidates heats up, voters should listen carefully. Which one best understands how to create a business environment that will help create more jobs? Who will be best at creating dialogue that leads to solutions and compromise? Will we continue to have an executive who accepts the multiple complex layers of a bus/rail/ferry system or will he/she have the know-how to get us to one transportation agency?
The King County executive election gives us a chance at change. Ballots will arrive in the mail the first few days of August, narrowing the field to two candidates while most voters are still layering on the sunscreen.
Let this year be the exception. Voters, start paying attention now. Look beyond the sound bites to be sure your favored candidates know what they are talking about, not just “connecting” with you to get a knee jerk vote. Then be decisive, tell your neighbors and family of your choice.
Editorial:
Twelve years ago, as King County voters prepared to elect a new executive, the big issue was all about the need for more ball fields. And rural residents were threatening to form their own county in protest of land regulations imposed on property rights. Ron Sims promised a lot of ball fields and a little of everything else. He won the election.
Letters to the editor 7-16
July 17, 2009
More discussion about highly-capable classes needed
The elimination of highly-capable classes at the middle schools should be discussed district-wide, as the move will likely be replicated at the high school. According to authorities at the middle school and high school levels, highly-capable and honors programs should be axed in favor of “differentiated instruction,” which “the studies show” is preferable.
The issue is not one of money. Rather, today’s movement is philosophical and political, aimed at ensuring that every student is given exactly the same opportunity to achieve highly-capable or honors status. It is admittedly a noble goal. But behind it lies the fact that education gurus object to the idea that some students are “tracked” as being at, below or above standard. They want all classes to be “blended.” The goal is always to maximize the number of students meeting standard, rather than to promote the truly exceptional. The expectation is that the highly-motivated students are always going to learn the material anyway.
Unfortunately, the idea that all students will learn as much or more in a blended class is likely a pipe dream. Granted, the teachers can load up highly-capable students with extra work, but they cannot give multiple lectures simultaneously, nor can they avoid disruptions caused by less-motivated students. In one classroom with one teacher, there is a limit to what can be accomplished, despite extraordinary efforts on the part of teachers and students.
Teachers already differentiate instruction in the classroom. Every class currently has students with different skills, aptitudes, learning styles, and motivation levels. Teachers are expected to tailor their lessons to reach all of the students. By blending honors students with regular classes, the schools will be expecting teachers to address even more levels. Of course, there are teachers that can do that. They are the ones who took honors classes when they were in high school.
Brad Rorem
North Bend
Schools need
improvement
Our schools are becoming daycares for adolescents. They are becoming less and less an education facility and more a place for our youth to scrap and make our society a place of stupidity.
Students are graduating with inadequate knowledge about the world and their surroundings. Just when colleges are becoming more competitive, we are cutting education short.
In theory, the No Child Left Behind Act holds everyone accountable — teachers and students — for education. In reality, schools are funding in the wrong places, making moving on a nightmare for the graduates of years to come.
I wish I could say one school system was the problem, but these skills are acquired from day one of schooling. In my district, it is said that students won’t graduate if they don’t pass the WASL in their sophomore year. In addition to assessing a student’s progress — now tested in third, fourth, fifth, seventh and 10th grades — it also assesses how well teachers are doing. Many students did not pass, yet they still graduated. Funding was moved from needed programs to make up for the learning the students did not obtain prior to the test.
Where did we go wrong? Placing a harsh consequence on the failure of teachers and direction of funding are where students all too often slip through cracks in the system. From kindergarten, resources and programs need to be in place so that we do not have to take away from the preparation of the students to enter the real world. Teaching middle school-level education in high school should be a thing of the past.
We should prepare our students to head out into the world and to become productive members of society, not scramble to see where we went wrong. Schools are too focused on looking good than the actual education of the student. Let’s refocus on lower education, so we are not sending our students into the world unprepared.
Katie Abercombie
Bellingham
More discussion about highly-capable classes needed
School construction gets underway
July 17, 2009
By Laura Geggel
School construction crews are hard at work, using the $27.5 million provided by the March 2009 bond.
At the July 9 Snoqualmie Valley School Board Meeting, Clint Marsh, construction program manager for the school district, gave the board an update of the construction process.
About $3.8 million of the bond is being used to finance safety and security upgrades, including security video systems, playground safety, fire protection and a new track at Chief Kanim Middle School.
As the Valley’s population grows, so does vandalism. So, to better monitor school property, the district has installed closed-circuit TV surveillance cameras at all five elementary schools. The cameras are Internet accessible, allowing district security to check on any camera at any time.
The elementary schools are also receiving new playground surfaces. Before, the district filled each playground with woodchips, which continually needed to be replaced. Now, each playground will have a rubber surface and will be accessible by standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Construction crews first filled the playgrounds with gravel and then asphalt. The asphalt has to cure for 30 days before crews can install the rubber tiles on top.
Another part of the bond — about $14.2 million — is financing the district with infrastructure upgrades.
Opstad Elementary, as well as Chief Kanim and Snoqualmie middle schools, are receiving roof repairs. At Opstad, crews are removing old shingles, laying down an ice and water shield, and installing new shingles that are resistant to 110-mile-per-hour winds and have a 30-year warranty.
At Snoqualmie Middle School, construction crews are changing the slope of flat-roof areas so that water will properly drain, instead of sitting on top of the school.
At Mount Si High School, the bond is funding about $3.6 million for the installation of 12 portables and $1.8 million to build new tennis courts.
Construction crews had to tear up the old tennis courts, before proceeding with the portable installation, and soon realized they had to remove more than they had bargained for at the high school. Marsh reported construction crews found four courts buried under the six visible courts, prompting them to remove a total of 10.
Crews also tunneled under Meadowbrook Way to place closed-circuit TV cables, electricity cables and an intercom system at the new tennis court site.
“The intercom will be tied to the building, so if you’re at the tennis courts, you still get all of the announcements from the school,” Marsh said in a later interview.
The tunneling, Marsh reported, went well.
“Joel, you won’t be getting a call from the mayor that we’ve hit a water main or a gas line,” Marsh said to Snoqualmie Valley Superintendent Joel Aune.
The other high school project, the proposed Wildcat Court, has not gone to bid yet. Marsh said he was waiting for about $445,000 in state funds to come through before proceeding with the court, which is expected to be completed by January 2010.
With all of these projects going on, Marsh said the bond has created jobs for 123 people in 21 companies so far, but added his priorities lay elsewhere.
“It’s not about jobs, it’s about quality of projects for the kids,” Marsh said.
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. To comment on this story, visit www.snovalleystar.com.
School construction crews are hard at work, using the $27.5 million provided by the March 2009 bond.
At the July 9 Snoqualmie Valley School Board Meeting, Clint Marsh, construction program manager for the school district, gave the board an update of the construction process.
About $3.8 million of the bond is being used to finance safety and security upgrades, including security video systems, playground safety, fire protection and a new track at Chief Kanim Middle School.
As the Valley’s population grows, so does vandalism. So, to better monitor school property, the district has installed closed-circuit TV surveillance cameras at all five elementary schools. The cameras are Internet accessible, allowing district security to check on any camera at any time.
Construction crews installed a district freezer 2.5-times larger than than its predecessor at the Snoqualmie Valley School District district office.
Hospital set to start care program in August
July 17, 2009
By Michael Bayless Rowe
A pilot program for the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District’s primary health care coverage plan begins Aug. 1.
The program is designed to make access to primary health care coverage more affordable for uninsured and underinsured individuals. For $30 a month, and a one-time $45 registration fee, participants can see primary care physicians at the North Bend clinic for a $5 co-pay.
If the program is successful, it will expand to the district’s other clinics.
The pilot program will last for 60 days. It will only register 100 for primary care coverage. However, if the program expands, there will be no cap on the number of people who can participate, said Hospital District CEO Rodger McCollum.
Dr. Ken Wiscomb at the North Bend clinic thinks that there are many people who could benefit from this type of primary care health coverage that focuses on preventive care. Wiscomb has seen what expanding access to primary care can do to turn peoples’ lives around. He helped organize free clinics in 1986 after seeing an increased demand for services at area food banks and other social service providers.
Wiscomb has never forgotten the number of lives the free clinics were able to change. He said one of the first patients was a recent college graduate with a broken ankle. Without health insurance, the woman was unable to afford health care, and eventually ended up homeless. After receiving treatment for her injuries, she was working within six months, Wiscomb said.
“If we want to fix health care in the U.S., we must focus on disease prevention, instead of problem solving,” Wiscomb said.
A troubling sign of the times that Wiscomb sees now are the number of patients who pay in cash, instead of using health insurance. Wiscomb said that the North Bend clinic gets more cash payments than any other clinic he has worked in, which is a strong indication that people don’t have health insurance.
For many people, an unexpected health care emergency can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back in terms of their personal finances.
“I think there are folks out there who could use this,” Wiscomb said.
McCollum doesn’t see the problem of people without health insurance or with too little insurance going away. During the recession, many small businesses have stopped offering health insurance benefits for employees, or are moving to plans with high deductibles. Individuals have also been cutting back on their health insurance coverage, moving away from expensive plans that provide full coverage to plans that cover only catastrophic injuries or illness.
The hospital CEO does not see those companies or people going back to full coverage, once the economic recession is over. He thinks that, as the economy picks up, programs like the hospital district’s primary health coverage program will become more viable.
Only individuals, not businesses, can sign up for the hospital district’s primary health care plan. Businesses that are interested in providing primary health care coverage to their employees as a benefit will have to work out arrangements with their employees who, as individuals, can choose to participate in the program.
Reach reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at mrowe@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434, ext. 248. To comment on this story, go to www.snovalleystar.com
A pilot program for the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District’s primary health care coverage plan begins Aug. 1.
The program is designed to make access to primary health care coverage more affordable for uninsured and underinsured individuals. For $30 a month, and a one-time $45 registration fee, participants can see primary care physicians at the North Bend clinic for a $5 co-pay.
If the program is successful, it will expand to the district’s other clinics.
The pilot program will last for 60 days. It will only register 100 for primary care coverage. However, if the program expands, there will be no cap on the number of people who can participate, said Hospital District CEO Rodger McCollum.
