Dictionaries from Grange delivered to third-graders

Looking up words just got easier for hundreds of Spokane Valley third-grade students.

Members of the Tri-Community Grange and the Newman Lake Ladies Aid are donating more than 600 dictionaries, double the number normally given. Into the fourth year, they annually deliver dictionaries to all East Valley third-graders. However, after an accidental duplicate shipment this year, the groups got to expand their generosity.

They selected additional schools, including this week’s delivery to 138 third-graders at Liberty Lake Elementary, as well as to students at Valley Christian School, St. Paschal, Seventh-day Adventist School, St. Mary’s, St. John Vianney and Spokane Christian Academy.

“We ordered 312 dictionaries,” explained Lucille Mott, a project organizer for Tri-Community Grange in Newman Lake. “Somehow there was a mix-up at the national Grange office back East, and they sent a duplicate order.”

A volunteer here called to notify the national office about the mix-up.

“They didn’t want them sent back,” Mott said. “They said, ‘Just give them out.’ We’re going to give out 620, approximately. We didn’t have to pay for the extras.”

The Tri-Community Grange and Newman Lake Ladies Aid normally pay for more than 300 dictionaries, which costs more than $500, Mott said. Group members also try to leave a few extra dictionaries for students who are absent or enroll later in the year.

“Those kids just love it,” Mott said. “They can use these dictionaries through high school and into college.”

The paperback, “A Student’s Dictionary,” also includes a list of U.S. presidents, state information and facts about other countries.

Mott added that the dictionary program started a few years ago through the Grange’s national organization.

“The third-grade is the first time the students really start using the dictionaries. We tell the kids to open their dictionaries up. Right in front we tell them to write their name in pen. Boy, right away they put their name in there.”

School vacations near

Students in each of the three Spokane Valley school districts will soon have more time for sledding and holiday activities.

Both the Central Valley and East Valley school districts have winter holiday breaks scheduled Dec. 20 to Jan. 2, with students returning Jan. 3. East Valley’s Continuous Curriculum School releases students a tad earlier; from Dec. 18 through Jan. 2.

In West Valley, the break for everyone except for West Valley High School students begins on Dec. 21. Because of the delayed start of school at WVHS due to the remodeling project, high school students will have a full make-up day of classes on Dec. 21, with their break beginning Dec. 22. Classes for all West Valley schools resume on Jan. 3.

CV students honored

Thirty-five students at Central Valley High School have earned AP Scholar designation, a College Board recognition of achievement on the college-level AP exams.

The Advanced Placement program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP exams. About 18 percent of the more than 1.3 million high school students in almost 16,000 secondary schools worldwide who took AP exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.

Students took AP exams in May 2006 after completing challenging college-level courses at their high schools. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on student’s performance on AP exams.

At CVHS, six students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

They are Nathan Damiano, Samantha Keenan, Alicia Martin, Patrick Metzger, Scott Molsness and Derek Nelson.

Nine students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

The students are Fawn Carey, Alyssa Christenson, Jacqueline Churchill, Laura Dailey, Casey Harris, Suzanne Miller, Laura Murphy, Eric Smith and Julie Walker.

Twenty students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP exams, with grades of 3 or higher.

The AP Scholars are Cameron Blackburn, Christopher Burdick, Jesica Calkins, Nathan Doyle, Zachary Evans, Kimberly Gering, Jie Jiao, Justine King, Lauren Koch, Kevin Lyons, Janelle Moore, Chelsea Mullins, Joseph Prencipe, Patrick Rooks, Brittany Stoker, Joshua Tempel, Kelly Vincent, Nicholas Walker, Oliver Walter and Jessica Willard.

Drive brings in 30 tons of food

Central Valley High School wrapped up its annual food drive on Nov. 22, collecting 65,920 pounds of food – more than 30 tons – for the Second Harvest Food Bank and Valley Food Bank. The school was participating in the annual KHQ-6 Food Drive and collected more food than any other area school.

With a goal of 50,000 pounds of food, the CVHS leadership class coordinated the drive that began on Nov. 1 and included collecting loose change from students during every lunch period as well as classroom competitions. CVHS student Bob Plumb who has lost 168 pounds donated 168 pounds of food to the drive.

At University High School, students recently focused on delivering food and cash to benefit the Valley Food Bank. They collected 1,000 pounds of food and $700 in cash.