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The Gift of Apparel is in need of a gift itself.
The 2-year-old clothing bank recently lost its space and had to close its doors. Now, the non-profit is looking for a new venue, so it can help people in need.
The Snoqualmie Valley Alliance Church had been allowing The Gift of Apparel to operate in its warehouse location on Falls Avenue Southeast in downtown Snoqualmie. When the church decided to remodel and consolidate its facilities with a location in Fall City, The Gift of Apparel lost its space.
Even if the new church had room for a clothing bank, SVA Office Manager Jan Van Liew said the location would not fit her clientele.
Snoqualmie Valley Alliance Church Office Manager Jan Van Liew sorts through shoe donations at a back-to-school drive given through The Gift of Apparel Clothing Bank, with volunteer Marianne Dieda on the right.
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By Laura Geggel
For many students, a brand new pair of shoes jumpstarts the school year. But many students’ families cannot afford a new pair of sneakers, let alone school supplies like backpacks and binders.
So, for the past five years, the Mount Si Lutheran Church in North Bend and Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Snoqualmie have partnered together for an annual school supply drive for Snoqualmie Valley students.
“Who can afford another $250 on school supplies for kids?” asked Jill Chambers, who brought her two daughters to this year’s drive. “We don’t live in a big house on the Ridge. We live in low-income housing.”
This year, 170 students signed up to receive free school supplies at North Bend Community Church Aug. 19 and 26. Normally, an average of 120 students sign up for the drive.
“It is a big increase, which really reflects where people are with the economy,” said Nancy Flanagan, the drive’s organizer.
Using a budget of about $500, Flanagan and other volunteers buy backpacks and fill them with schools supplies for students in grades kindergarten through 12. Students in higher grades receive larger backpacks with different school supplies. Younger students find crayons and glue sticks, among other school necessities, in their bags while older students get supplies that include binders and paper.
“I do this because I think it helps kids prepare for the school year,” Flanagan said.
Families in need registered for the drive the first three weeks of August at the Mt. Si Helping Hand Food Bank, 126 E. Third St., North Bend. Flanagan had to turn away a few families who had not signed up, because she did not have enough supplies. She encouraged them to come back the following year.
The Snoqualmie Valley Alliance Church accompanies the school drive with a shoe drive. This year, 200 children received free shoes from the church.
“Our church goes crazy when the shoe comes up on the screen (during services),” Jan Van Liew said.
After services, church members pick up cards with children’s grades and shoe sizes.
“We tell them, get whatever you would get your kid,” Van Liew said.
Volunteer Marianne Dieda, who normally buys apparel for her son, was excited to buy shoes for a young lady.
“I actually got to meet the little girl I bought shoes for,” Dieda said. “It brought tears to my eyes.”
Sixth-grader Ariana Chipilan smiled as she picked up her shoes and selected a backpack for the coming school year.
Chipilan looked forward to “making new friends and studying,” she said.
Her aunt, Annamaria Gonzales said the drive would help her niece start school on the right foot.
“Backpacks and supplies, they’re very important,” Gonzales said.
Flanagan accepts school donations throughout the year. To donate, drop off a monetary donation or new or gently used school supplies to Mount Si Lutheran or Our Lady of Sorrows. Checks can be made payable to Helping Hands Schools and mailed to P.O. Box 487, North Bend, 98045.
“It all helps,” Flanagan said. “Whether it’s a dollar or a pencil, it helps.”
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. To comment on this story, visit www.snovalleystar.com.
For many students, a brand new pair of shoes jumpstarts the school year. But many students’ families cannot afford a new pair of sneakers, let alone school supplies like backpacks and binders.
So, for the past five years, the Mount Si Lutheran Church in North Bend and Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Snoqualmie have partnered together for an annual school supply drive for Snoqualmie Valley students.
“Who can afford another $250 on school supplies for kids?” asked Jill Chambers, who brought her two daughters to this year’s drive. “We don’t live in a big house on the Ridge. We live in low-income housing.”
This year, 170 students signed up to receive free school supplies at North Bend Community Church Aug. 19 and 26. Normally, an average of 120 students sign up for the drive.
Read more
It was a lovely idea. When No Child Left Behind was passed into law, the plan was simple — make sure every student in America gets a good education by holding school districts to ever-tougher standards.
But in practice, No Child Left Behind has not delivered, and has caused more trouble than it’s worth. As a result, Snoqualmie Valley schools may pay a high price for it a few years down the road.
In some ways, the program actually succeeded. By highlighting problems that hadn’t before been quantified, it has allowed schools across the country to better focus their resources.
The law’s end goal — that 100 percent of America’s students graduate with a set of basic skills and can pass a test to prove it — is laudable, but unrealistic.
It doesn’t require a degree in statistics and educational testing to understand why. If everyone passes a test, all it really means is that the test is too easy to be an adequate measure of skills. No test should expect all students to pass, without regard to their ability to learn.
Washington is starting to have that realization now. Although WASL test scores released last week are good and essentially as high as they were last year, more and more schools are considered failing. The Snoqualmie Valley District is failing, in spite of the fact that all scores here rank higher than the state average.
Parents, ask yourself, do you think your school district fails to provide students with the opportunity to receive a quality education? We imagine most parents agree Snoqualmie Valley schools are excellent.
It’s the law that is failing, and it will get worse.
As the years creep by and the standards get tougher, more schools will fall into the failing category. If current trends hold, just about every school in the Snoqualmie Valley district – and, indeed, in the country – will be labeled failing within a few years, even if the pass rate is in the high 90’s.
Perhaps as soon as next year, Congress will begin its discussion on whether or not to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. We hope that any bill Congress considers will address the flaws in the current law, while still working to improve the education system. Standards should be high, but not unrealistic.
Editorial:
It was a lovely idea. When No Child Left Behind was passed into law, the plan was simple — make sure every student in America gets a good education by holding school districts to ever-tougher standards. Read more
Hotel will not benefit North Bend
People are already saying it. With the proposed new hotel at exit 31, North Bend’s motto will be “Easy to reach, EASIER to leave.”
A hotel at that location, south of I-90, within a stone’s throw of fast food, shopping, and manicured nails, will unlikely draw a soul to North Bend’s downtown core.
I believe this is the most likely scenario: You’re driving along the highway, getting a little sleepy. Ooh wow, you see a flashing light for a nationally-branded hotel, veer off exit 31. and in seconds you’re checking in. Hunger pangs send you over to McD’s for a double cheeseburger and a soft ice cream cone. You can even walk there from the hotel if you feel like dodging the Indie-500 track that is the traffic circle. In the mood for a T-shirt or tennis shoes? The outlet mall is right there.
The next day, you speed off the exit ramp, and vaguely wonder, “Isn’t there more to North Bend than this?” But, before you bother to find the answer, you’re headed toward the fabulous wonders of Issaquah, Seattle or Snoqualmie Pass and have no second thoughts of North Bend’s offerings.
Kathy Swoyer
North Bend
Loss of Millspaw a loss for Snoqualmie
I was shocked and dismayed to learn that Snoqualmie’s Senior Planner Robert Millspaw was recently laid off. The reason given… budget cuts.
Millspaw was the only city employee that was laid off.
I shouldn’t be surprised. Mayor Matt Larson has never supported positive planning and community development activities. Neither has City Administrator Bob Larson.
I view Millspaw’s departure as quid pro quo for funding the new City Hall building, and for the mayor’s pet project, the new community center. Larson knew that neither could be funded without sacrifices being made elsewhere. Millspaw was sacrificed for these projects.
Ironically, both Larsons knew of the city’s bleak revenue forecasts (see article in Aug. 13 SnoValley Star) prior to voting to move forward with constructing the new City Hall. Former Finance Director Harry Ostereich painted a bleak revenue forecast well in advance of the vote. The council was deadlocked in a 3-3 tie, which was broken by the mayor’s vote to spend money the city really didn’t have.
Millspaw was hired to perform long-range planning for the city. He possessed a wealth of credentials, none of which anyone else on staff possessed. For example:
He has over 26 years of planning experience – more than all other planners on staff combined.
He was the only certified planner on staff.
He was the only planner on staff to have ever written Comprehensive Plans. He has written four; two of which were recognized by the American Planning Association (APA) as being the “Best Comprehensive Plan” for the respective jurisdiction. A third plan he authored is being used by the Washington State Department of commerce (formerly CTED) as a “Model Plan.”
He is active in the Planning Association of Washington, a nonprofit agency that provides planning education and resources to (primarily) citizens and planning commission members. His dedication to education is unsurpassed.
He is a true visionary.
Both Mayor Larson and City Administrator Larson lack the vision necessary to move Snoqualmie into the future. Legendary Alabama football coach Bear Bryant once stated, “Have a plan. Follow the plan, and you’ll be surprised how successful you can be. Most people don’t have a plan. That’s why it is easy to beat most folks.” Ralph Waldo Emerson quipped, “Few people have any next plans, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.”
Sadly, this is apparently the future the Mayor and Administrator Larson envision for Snoqualmie.
It was a sad day when the citizens of Snoqualmie lost Millspaws’ services. For where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18)
Timothy Lightfoot
(former resident of Snoqualmie)
Maple Valley
Coaches’ actions on
diamond embarrassing
Recently, I watched the child of some friends from Seattle play baseball in the Valley. I was excited to watch the games, and to have them visit my community. These tournaments are an opportunity for us to showcase our community and capture some additional tourism dollars.
Then came the fist-pump.
There was a questionable call at third base. My friends’ team didn’t like the call, but accepted it with minimal grumbling. At the same time, a “coach” from the opposing Valley team exclaimed a huge “YES!”. The person sitting next to me smiled and said, “There’s always one.”
The next day, Coach “fist-pump” was at it again. This time, she followed the fist-pump with some jeering toward an 8 year old that had struck out. That child’s parent cordially asked her to “Please take it down a notch.” She replied, “I’ll do what I want and I’ll do it all day!”. She then stood up, gave the other parents a high-five and strutted back into her teams’ dugout.
The visiting dad said, “That’s just wrong. She doesn’t need to act that way”. Then, several other parents from the Valley team made comments that collectively amounted to: “We’re from here and if you don’t like it, you can leave!”
Until that moment, I had never been embarrassed to be from the Valley.
To Coach “fist-pump”: I applaud the commitment you make as a coach. As I’m sure you’re aware, your actions and reactions set the standard for your players and their families. They also send a signal to visiting teams about what the standards are for behavior in the Valley.
Our Chamber, city officials, and countless other volunteers, spend endless hours working to make our community attractive to visitors. Our local economy is heavily reliant upon tourism dollars. Your behavior sent a clear and inaccurate message about our community’s values that will certainly travel rapidly in the communities of those Seattle athletes. I was embarrassed to be associated with this immature, bully-ish behavior, and suggest you rethink your role as a coach if you choose to behave like this.
Brent Cook
Snoqualmie
Hotel will not benefit North Bend
People are already saying it. With the proposed new hotel at exit 31, North Bend’s motto will be “Easy to reach, EASIER to leave.” Read more
By Michael Bayless Rowe
North Bend just beat out Snoqualmie in a recent Seattle Magazine ranking of best suburban Seattle communities, although both Valley cities finished near the top of the list.
North Bend was ranked ninth best out of 50 suburban Seattle area communities. Snoqualmie was ranked 13th by the magazine.
“It makes me feel very proud that the city is seen in that nice of a light. We’ve worked real hard to raise and maintain the quality of life here,” North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing said.
Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson was happy that his town was near the top of the list.
“We are honored to be recognized as a top place to live in the Seattle metropolitan area,” he said.
“Our community is dedicated to maintaining high standards for quality of life, educational opportunities and the preservation of the natural beauty surrounding our city. Visitors are captivated by Snoqualmie Falls and the spectacular scenery they find only 25 miles from Seattle. And our residents enjoy an abundance of open space, trails and parks. This truly is a unique place to live.”
The magazine noted that families flock to subdivisions like Snoqualmie Ridge, and that Snoqualmie Falls remains a popular tourist destination. It also noted the addition of the Snoqualmie Casino to the area as a new adults-only attraction.
For North Bend, the magazine noted it was a gateway to the Cascades with Mount Si “looming over the landscape.” It also noted the presence of the Factory Outlet Mall as an asset of the city.
Mercer Island was ranked first on the magazine’s list, with Redmond, Kenmore, Sammamish and Bellevue rounding out the top five, respectively. Issaquah came in 14th, behind Snoqualmie.
The rankings were determined by comparing the median home price, the crime rate per 1,000 residents, the percentage change of students who passed the fourth-grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning test, park acreage and commute times to downtown Seattle and Redmond.
The median home price in North Bend was $372,000, which was 9 percent lower than the previous year. The crime rate reported for North Bend was 33 crimes per 1,000 residents. Fourth-graders from North Bend had a WASL passage rate of 76 percent. North Bend reported 720 acres of parks and the drive time to downtown Seattle from North Bend was 35 minutes. To Redmond, it was 33 minutes.
In Snoqualmie, the median home price was $464,125, which was only one percent off from the previous year. Snoqualmie reported 16 crimes per 1,000 residents. The percentage of fourth-graders passing WASL was 67 percent. The commute time to downtown Seattle was 37 minutes, and to Redmond it was 33 minutes.
The rankings appear in Seattle Magazine’s August 2009 issue.
Reach reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at mrowe@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434, ext. 248. To comment on this story, go to www.snovalleystar.com.
North Bend just beat out Snoqualmie in a recent Seattle Magazine ranking of best suburban Seattle communities, although both Valley cities finished near the top of the list.
North Bend was ranked ninth best out of 50 suburban Seattle area communities. Snoqualmie was ranked 13th by the magazine.
“It makes me feel very proud that the city is seen in that nice of a light. We’ve worked real hard to raise and maintain the quality of life here,” North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing said.
Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson was happy that his town was near the top of the list.
“We are honored to be recognized as a top place to live in the Seattle metropolitan area,” he said.
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By Laura Geggel
Just as people update their computers and cell phones, school districts need to update textbooks. So, after reviewing mountains of literature, teachers in the Snoqualmie Valley have presented and received confirmation they may teach books like “Fathers and Sons” by Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev and “Persepolis” by Iranian Marjane Satrapi.
At the July 9 Snoqualmie Valley School Board meeting, the board approved the curriculum for about 10 grades and classes.
Seniors taking the college writing/world literature class with Mount Si teacher Brad Rorem will read “Fathers and Sons” and “Persepolis,” if there is enough funding. Rorem said the department had enough money to buy “Fathers and Sons,” but it may not have enough funds to also buy copies of “Persepolis.”
Previously, students in this class read “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck, but Rorem said he wanted to focus on literature from other countries and save Steinbeck for an American literature class. He and his colleagues chose “Fathers and Sons” because “we had no Russian novels,” Rorem said. “(‘Fathers and Sons’) is considered one of the great works of literature. If you look at your top 100 list, it usually falls in there somewhere.”
The novel is about the generational divide in Russia during the 1830s and 1840s, between the traditional Slavophiles of the older generation and the pro-Western liberals and nihilists of the younger generation.
“The subject matter of “Fathers and Sons” could be called old people and young people because it’s really about generational differences,” Rorem said.
Rorem, who has visited Russia himself, said the freeing of the serfs in the book would connect to the students’ recently learned knowledge about the American Civil War and the following Reconstruction.
As for Persepolis, “We did not have any novels that covered the Middle East and we felt that this is a major culture that needs to be incorporated,” Mount Si teacher Bryce Meserve wrote in an e-mail.
Rorem agreed.
“Russia and the Cold War dominated my generation,” he said. “Their young lives kind of started with 911 and two wars going on.”
Meserve decided “Persepolis” — an autobiography of a young woman growing up in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and her tumultuous life in the 1990s — would help “create very powerful discussions in the class.”
A former art teacher, Meserve also liked “Persepolis” because it is a graphic novel.
If the department can afford to buy “Persepolis,” it will be one of the few books high school students read that is by a woman and about women.
“The majority of the books taught are indeed by or about men,” Meserve wrote. “That is one reason why we felt it was necessary to incorporate a novel with a female protagonist.”
Satrapi’s book does contain several adult situations — after all, the book is about a young woman growing up in a male-dominated, repressive society. But Meserve said students should be mature enough to discuss them as a class.
“In my experience, simply discussing the situations and not trying to jump around them has been the best approach,” Meserve wrote. “I have taught sophomores the last three years, and each novel/play we read had situations of sex, murder, violence, drinking, etc. Looking at each situation and trying as a class to discover why that scene was in there helped the students better understand the characters and the themes.”
Both Meserve and Rorem said they looked forward to teaching college writing/world literature.
“The classes are aimed at seniors who will be continuing on in college or a further post-secondary education,” Rorem said. “It’s an opportunity to get them reading and writing at the college level.”
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. To comment on this story, visit www.snovalleystar.com.
Just as people update their computers and cell phones, school districts need to update textbooks. So, after reviewing mountains of literature, teachers in the Snoqualmie Valley have presented and received confirmation they may teach books like “Fathers and Sons” by Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev and “Persepolis” by Iranian Marjane Satrapi.
At the July 9 Snoqualmie Valley School Board meeting, the board approved the curriculum for about 10 grades and classes.
Seniors taking the college writing/world literature class with Mount Si teacher Brad Rorem will read “Fathers and Sons” and “Persepolis,” if there is enough funding. Rorem said the department had enough money to buy “Fathers and Sons,” but it may not have enough funds to also buy copies of “Persepolis.”
Read more
It’s time for the mettle of the Mount Si football program to be tested.
A year after a successful season that included a 6-5 record, a third-place finish in the league and a trip to the state playoffs, the Wildcats find themselves replacing a bevy of graduated seniors. Still, the coaching staff believes the program is up to the task.
Mount Si starts the season Sept. 4 at Eastlake with expectations every bit as high as normal.
“We graduated a large group of very good football players, but we believe we have our program to a point where we can bring kids up and start with a good nucleus,” head coach Charlie Kinnune said. “I look around the team and I see a lot of athleticism. I don’t see a lot of kids out of shape who are going to suffer. And that’s huge.”
The Mount Si defense stacks up a ball carrier during a game last year.
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By Chantelle Lusebrink and Laura Geggel
Snoqualmie Valley School District students are making a splash with their high American College Testing scores.
“The five-year trend of our scores are showing an upward trend in all subjects, while the state trend is declining,” said Mount Si High School Principal Randy Taylor. “This is good news for our teachers and students, as the achievement gap between Mount Si’s ACT scores are widening over state averages.”
This year, 65 Snoqualmie Valley students took the ACT exam. This year’s students far-exceeded the state and national averages for students taking the exam.
Snoqualmie Valley students scored an average of 23.8 in English, 23.5 in math, 24.5 in reading, 22.4 in science and 23.7 as a composite score. All of those scores were above both the state and national averages.
The ACT is a curriculum-based exam and is primarily used for admission into colleges and universities by measuring a student’s readiness for collegiate-level coursework.
In recent years, Washington students have led the nation in ACT and Scholastic Assessment Test scores, another college entrance exam.
Washington students tied for seventh, with Rhode Island, among states with students who scored well on the exams. It is the sixth year Washington students have scored above average on the exam.
Washington finished behind states like Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.
In Washington, Snoqualmie Valley students have continued to score well above the state and national averages.
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. To comment on this story, visit www.snovalleystar.com.
Snoqualmie Valley School District students are making a splash with their high American College Testing scores.
“The five-year trend of our scores are showing an upward trend in all subjects, while the state trend is declining,” said Mount Si High School Principal Randy Taylor. “This is good news for our teachers and students, as the achievement gap between Mount Si’s ACT scores are widening over state averages.”
This year, 65 Snoqualmie Valley students took the ACT exam. This year’s students far-exceeded the state and national averages for students taking the exam.
Read more
Shiny, clean cars will leave Les Schwab Tires Sept. 12. First, though, the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital Foundation needs to find volunteers to do the washing.
The foundation is looking for teenager and adult volunteers who will help wash cars at its wash-a-rama from 11 a.m. — 4 p.m. at Les Schwab Tires, 610 E. North Bend Way, North Bend. To learn more, contact Dr. Kat Halloran, who serves on the foundation’s board of directors, at 206-601-2612 or DrKat@QuantumLightHealthcare.com.
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About 20 Snoqualmie residents came to the Aug. 24 Snoqualmie City Council meeting to hear a discussion of how the city plans to build a community center.
Mayor Matt Larson had intended to have an agreement between the city and the YMCA closer to completion, but the city is still waiting to hear back from the YMCA. The City Council may look at the agreement again at its Sept. 22 meeting.
During the public comment period, two people representing different ridge businesses — the Cascade Dance Academy and the Snoqualmie Ridge Athletic Club — asked for more details about what programs the YMCA could offer.
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