Sacajawea music group wins regional division
The Sacajawea Middle School Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Karen Bart, won its division at the Northwest Orchestra Festival last month at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore.
The competition featured middle- and high-school students from Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
The Sacajawea chamber orchestra is made up of 34 students, mostly eighth-graders, who must audition to be in the group.
Bart directs the orchestra and teaches the kids, but the past few years the group has had a lot of success working toward a conductor-less performance like a real chamber orchestra, Bart said.
“They don’t have conductors. They are all leaders, and they watch each other and give each other cues and essentially teach themselves, which is where the kids want to be by the end of high school,” Bart said.
“I’m so thrilled with my kids this year. They’ve taken to this particular type of instruction like ducks to water.
“They’re a very sharp bunch.”
The chamber orchestra has a concertmaster, and every group has a principal leader, but the students in the back of the section are also offering suggestions on how they want the performance to go, Bart said.
The group will perform its final concert at 7 p.m. June 8 at Lewis and Clark High School.
Running Start information nights
Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College will host Running Start information nights this month.
Running Start is open to area public high school juniors and seniors, allowing them to earn community college credits while completing high school academic requirements.
These credits transfer to most four-year colleges and universities in the state, allowing students to begin at a four-year school with advanced standing. The community colleges’ lower tuition rates help families save money on college expenses.
High school students and their parents are invited to meet current Running Start students attending SCC and SFCC to hear firsthand about their college experiences. Running Start counselors and coordinators also are available to explain how students can enroll in the program.
SCC’s information night is at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Lair-Student Center Sasquatch Room, Building 6, 1810 N. Greene St.
SCC offers liberal arts transfer classes as well as professional-technical programs specializing in health care, manufacturing and transportation technology, the construction trades, hospitality and culinary arts.
Call Gretchen Licata, SCC counselor, at 533-8062
SFCC’s information night will be at 7 p.m. April 18 in Student Union Building Lounges A, B and C, Building 17, 3410 W. Fort George Wright Drive.
Information tables staffed by SFCC instructors and Running Start students will be available.
SFCC is one of the top liberal arts transfer schools in the state and also offers several one-of-a-kind professional-technical programs, such as orthotic-prosthetic technician, physical therapy assistant and hearing instrument specialist.
Call Doug Morgan, SFCC counselor, at 533-3524.
WIAA state forensics winners
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s individual speech and debate competition was last month at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma.
Lewis and Clark High School won the fourth-place School Sweepstake Award for individual events for 4A schools for the second time in the past two years.
Winners from LC include Kalton Peterson-Allen and Nate Pringle, who won first place for duo interpretive speaking; Kalton Peterson-Allen, first-place Presiding Officer Student Congress Chamber 1 Award; Eliott Eaton, third place in expository speaking, finalist in humorous interpretation, and first place Presiding Officer Student Congress Chamber 2 Award; Kylie Lewis, fourth place Lincoln Douglas Speaker Award; Caleb Jewett, finalist in impromptu speaking; and Bethany Abbott, finalist for the Erik Helppie Award.
Victoria Dykes, Gonzaga Prep, won third place for extemporaneous speaking. Drew Maffei of Ferris High School won the first-place Judges’ Student Congress Chamber 2 Award.
Rogers teacher/coach Bruce Benedict was selected as Best New Forensics Instructor for the state for 2006.
Nick Bell and Nick Grieb of Rogers were finalists in duo interpretive speaking. The Rogers debate team of Matt Smith, Alana Scott and Dana Protsenko participated in the public forum demonstration debate and finished fourth.
From Mt. Spokane High School, Konnie Clary won third place for dramatic interpretation, and Michella Sutherland was a finalist.
From University High School, Zack Ormsby was the House 2 Student’s Choice Award winner; Heather Grover was a finalist in dramatic interpretation, and Ashley McGowan was a finalist in interpretive reading.
Colleen Conzelmen, Central Valley, won first place for impromptu speaking, and Theora Rice, also CV, was a finalist for interpretive reading.
LC’s debate team, coached by Phil Koestner, also won the Greater Spokane League Championship for 2006.
State dance and drill team winners
The WIAA state dance and drill team competition was March 23 and 24 at the Sun Dome in Yakima.
Lewis and Clark High School’s drill team received a superior rating in the 4A drill team competition and an excellent rating in the pom competition.
Mead High School received excellent ratings in drill, dance and the color guard/prop/production competitions. Mt. Spokane High School received an excellent rating in the drill and kick competitions.
Gonzaga Prep received an excellent rating in dance and outstanding rating in hip hop. Rogers High School received an excellent rating in the pom and an outstanding rating in hip hop.
In the 3A division, West Valley High School won the first-place trophy in the pom competition, and excellent ratings in dance and hip hop. East Valley won an excellent rating in hip hop.
NWC open enrollment
Applications are now accepted for preschool through 12th-grade students at Northwest Christian School for the upcoming school year.
Families may arrange a tour at the Central Campus (preschool through sixth grade) 1412 W. Central Ave/, by calling 328-4400, or at the Colbert Campus (seventh through 12th grade) 5104 E. Bernhill Road, by calling 238-4005.