bethelprideW W W . B E T H E L S D . O R G J U N E 2 0 0 4

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Spanaway, WA, 98387

bethelprideBethel School District No. 403516 E. 176th St., Spanaway, WA 98387-8399(253) 683-6000; www.bethelsd.org

Bethel School District Resident

INSIDEWhat you’ll findin this edition

H E L P I N G

MAKING ADIFFERENCE

S P O R T S

ATHENS BOUND

W E B S I T E

ON THE WEB

C A L E N D A R

FALLSCHEDULE

S U C C E S S

SCHOOLSCELEBRATE

• School starts Sept. 2

• Bus schedules sent tohomes in mid-August

Volunteers do everythingfrom reading withstudents to helpingin the office. 8

G O O D B Y E

HONORINGRETIREESDistrict thanks employeesfor years of commitmentto kids. 5

BHS alum Morgan Hicksqualifies for the Olympicsin rifle shooting. 11

Bethel High, SpanawayLake and Challengerconfer diplomas. 6-7

Check out grad photosand awards atwww.bethelsd.org

“There was an old woman wholived in a shoe. She had so manychildren, she didn’t know what todo.”

She had it easy.For schools, finding places to

put kids is no nursery rhyme. It’sa gigantic puzzle with no simpleanswers.

Tremendous growth in studentnumbers means that the districtis running out of room – fasterthan anyone thought possible.

“The numbers are more stag-gering than we ever imagined,”said Rob Van Slyke, executive di-rector for operations. Van Slykehas been number-crunching eversince the district hired an expertin demographics to take a long,hard look at the area’s growth.

Van Slyke and the 60 membersof the facilities committee have

met throughout the year to lookat the data and come up withlong-range solutions. The com-mittee hopes to wind up its workand make recommendations tothe school board by the end ofthe month.

Based on growth patterns, VanSlyke said the district should beadding 300 students per year, butit grew by 580 students this yearalone. That’s like adding an en-tire elementary school of stu-dents in just one year.

• Traditional elementaryschools are built for about 550students. Graham Elementary,however, is one of the largest el-ementary schools in the statewith a current enrollment of 816.

• Bethel Jr. High, built for 800,now has almost 1,000. Even withlast fall’s opening of Cougar

Mountain Jr. High, the districthas 844 more junior high stu-dents than fit into its five juniorhigh buildings.

• Bethel High, built to hold1250, is expected to house almost2000 students next fall.

Future projections are evenmore ominous. Looking out tothe year 2030, the district couldhave more than 10,000 students“unhoused” or beyond thedistrict’s basic capacity, said VanSlyke.

Short-term solutions havehelped to buy time, but won’tsolve the problem.

One interim measure is to useimpact fees to install portableclassrooms. In Pierce County,school districts get $1,710 in im-

Grads look to future

Spanaway Lake High grads Kenny Acfalle and Julie Orozco locate friends and family after receiving their diplomas June 12 at PLU’s OlsonAuditorium. More then 1,100 students graduated from the district’s three high schools.

5 students share stories, memories, dreamsIt’s a beginning and an end –

all wrapped up in one specialday.

For the Class of 2004, gradua-tion is a time to look ahead whilepausing to look back. Eachyoung man and woman has astory to tell; each faced uniquechallenges.

Below, five graduates fromBethel, Challenger andSpanaway Lake high schoolsshare a small part of their per-sonal stories. For them, and for

all 1,103 of the district’s gradu-ates, the future starts now.

Virginia KlemmSpanaway Lake High

When Virginia Klemm foundout that Spanaway Lake Highwas starting a Navy National Jun-ior Reserve Officer TrainingCorps (NJROTC) program, shejumped on board.

“I wanted to be in the military,particularly the Navy,” she said.“No one in my family had done

it before. Since I’ve been in lead-ership positions in school, Ithought becoming an officerwould push me forward with mygoals.”

Klemm proved her leadershipability by becoming the drillteam commander. She designedand taught drill routines for theteam to perform in statewidecompetitions.

“It pushed me to learn aboutmy limitations,” she said. “I’lllook back on this as one of the

most memorable things I did inhigh school.”

The hard work paid off. Klemmwill attend the University ofWashington on a full Navy ROTCscholarship. She plans to studyastronomy. After graduation,she’ll join the Navy to fulfill aneight-year commitment.

I’m very excited about the fu-ture,” she said. “I thrive on newchallenges.”

Schools running out of space○

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Growth Facts:

Fact One: A recent demographicsurvey shows that the BethelSchool District is one of the fastestgrowing districts in the state.

Fact Two: The district plans to add12 portables to schools this fall.This will bring the total to 176.

Fact Three: Spanaway Lake Highwas built in 1981, designed toaccommodate 1,200 students.Next fall the building will housemore than 1,800.

See Growth, 10

See Grads, 4

Facilities committee studies growth

S H O U T O U T S

JUNE 2004BETHEL PRIDE • WWW.BETHELSD.ORG2 bethelnews

Thanks, Mrs. ParkerI would like to express my

appreciation for Mrs. LindaParker, Honors teacher atCedarcrest Jr. High. I appreciatethe way she challenged andexpected excellence from mydaughter, Hannah Penna (SLHS’01). She not only expectedexcellence, but she encouragedstudents to be independentlearners. My daughter gradu-ated from PLU and plans to bea teacher. Thank you, Mrs.Parker, for showing what anexcellent teacher looks like!

Merry Penna

Spanaway

Print shop helps outWe want to thank everyone at

the Bethel print shop. They arefabulous! They have personallyhelped us organize our onlinefiles to maximize their use formany years to come. Theyroutinely complete our copyorders and ship them back to uswithin 24 hours; several timesthey’ve completed and shippedour order the same day! Theyhave definitely made it easy foremployees to use the printshop. In the process, they’vereduced our school’s copier/printer budget.

Marilyn Fangman, Brenda Pattee,Jaime Christianson, teachers

Elk Plain School of Choice

SLHS Craft Fair successAt Spanaway Lake’s Spring

Craft Fair the public once againgot to see what a great studentbody and staff we have. Thevendors were very impressed byhow helpful and polite ourstudents were. I would like tothank each of them for carryingon the Sentinel tradition.

Judy Gillespie

Spanaway Lake High School

Amazing staff at SJHSOn Feb. 23, I underwent an

emergency appendectomy.Spanaway Jr. High staff steppedright in to help out my numer-ous substitutes during my longabsence. Not only did theyprovide the substitutes withcurriculum help, but theyoffered to do so much more:reading to my communicationarts class, running papers,

sending e-mail greetings andmore. When I finally returnedMay 3, they continued tosupport me. I am truly thankfulto work with the amazing staffof SJH. In addition, support,understanding, and encourage-ment from Principal Jon Mishrakept me going during manydifficult days.

Betty Knauf, teacher

Spanaway Jr. High

Co-worker to be missedKari Martin started the

Accelerated Reader program atShining Mountain. She excels incoming up with original,creative ideas, and she knowshow to bring out the best inpeople. She is also one of thehardest workers I know. She hasdone a great job in all her rolesat our school. I admire herprofessionalism and intelli-gence. This is my last year asthe librarian at Shining Moun-tain, and I will miss her notonly as a co-worker, but as afriend.

Janet Matthews, librarian

Shining Mountain Elementary

Warehouse wizardRalph Brown, who works in

the warehouse, did a phenom-enal job handling pallets andpallets of ITBS and WASL tests.He also handled nine semi-truckloads of new books forcommunication arts, math andworld languages. He worked amiracle to get materials toteachers in time for theirtraining.

Kris Nelson

Educational Service Center

Parents to the rescueMany thanks go to Stacy and

Jim Shown from Kapowsin. OnMay 19, our fourth and fifthgrade musical program wasplanned for 7 p.m. One of ourteachers had a family emer-gency and had to leave school.Stacy stepped in and super-vised the students, while Jimserved as lighting director forthe performance. We couldn’thave done it without them!

Brad Graham, principal

Kapowsin Elementary

Teamwork pays offI’d like to send a huge shout-

out to Bruce Adler at Bethel Jr.High for all he does for thedrama program and for theschool in general. He has mademe realize what a team workingtogether can accomplish.

Michelle Scott-Beach, teacher

Bethel Jr. High

CMJH standoutsI’d like to give a shout out to

Barb Shadle, the librarian atCougar Mountain Jr. High forthe wonderful work she hasdone this year. I’d also like togive a shout out to Cliff Ander-son, our principal, for theexcellent job he has doneopening up a new buildingdespite all the chaos andcommotion that comes with it.

Kevin Mensonides, teacher

Cougar Mt. Jr. High

Quick fix for flat tireOn May 27, possibly the

rainiest day this year, I noticeda flat tire on my pickup truck. Iasked Bethel Jr. High teacherMike Hentges if he had one ofthose high-speed hydraulicjacks as opposed to the old-school edition in my vehicle.Without hesitation he re-quested my keys and withinnine minutes, stated, “It’sfinished!” He had gone out inthe pouring rain and changedmy tire! I was astonished by 1)the speed in which he hadchanged it and 2) the fact thathe went out and changed itwithout reservation!

Jeffrey Daughtry, teacher

Bethel Jr. High

Frontier staff is topsThank you to the entire FJH

staff for all your hard work thisyear. A special shout out toValerie Inman for her energy inmarshalling resources to greatlyimprove the entryway to FJH.That’s only the latest in herconstant efforts to makeFrontier a safe, welcomingenvironment for all. To JudySchulz, the best librarian thatI’ve ever worked with. ToDennis Denny, our tireless ACTrep and all around problemsolver. And to the incrediblechild nutrition staff. Theircreativity and love for our

MarkWenzelEditor

“Bethel is a district with a lotof heart.”

Those are the words of retiringkindergarten teacher PhyllisSmith. She should know whatshe’s talking about. She’s workedhere for 32 years. Time after time,she’s seen people reach out andmake a difference in others’ lives.

She’s right on. I know she’s right because

time after time, interview afterinterview, that same caringcomes through loud and strong– not only in words – but in ac-tions.

In preparing Bethel Pride, wetalk to dozens of people – retir-ees, grads, musicians, athletes,volunteers and more. We inter-view staff members, studentsand community members.

In our interviews, the samethemes keep reappearing. Stu-dents and parents tell about fac-ulty members who go above andbeyond the call of duty to help

kids learn. Staff members relateuplifting stories about colleagueswho reach out to help. Volunteerstalk about how good it makesthem feel to be a part of studentsuccess.

Often, the caring comes insmall steps. On a day-to-day ba-sis, the little things add up tosomething bigger. Caring be-comes even more critical whenwe face obstacles.

Whether it’s dealing with aloved one serving overseas, cop-ing with budget cuts, findingplaces to squeeze in more stu-dents, or addressing the needs ofchildren with multiple disabili-ties, we do our best when wecombine our talents to confrontthe challenges.

We see caring all around us.•Students and staff at

Spanaway Lake and Cedarcrestcame out in force to supportLorraine Fernandez (SLHS ’04)and her family when she tragi-

cally lost her father in a car acci-dent. Lorraine says the commu-nity support made her feel likeshe wasn’t alone in the world.

•Volunteers in ConnieCrawford’s classroom atSpanaway Elementary, including90-year-old Evelyn Shapiro,dedicate up to 12 hours eachweek to tutor children in reading.Their involvement creates a con-nection with kids that will havea lasting effect.

• When painter Dan Ettenhoferread in the paper about Bethel Jr.

High teaching assistant JillPalmer and her three childrenserving in Iraq, he wanted to dosomething special. He decided topaint Palmer’s house for free. Hesaid, “I can’t think of a better wayto thank your children than to dosomething for their mother.”

This month we launch 1,103graduates who’ll go off to buildtheir own lives, find their placein the workforce or pursue moreeducation. In addition to whatthey’ve learned in the classroom,these graduates will take withthem other lessons – lessons ofcommunity connectedness, car-ing, and service.

The compassion – the heart –of our community has rubbed offonto future generations.

The commitment of those inour schools has built a strongfoundation which not only bet-ters the lives of current students,but paves a positive road for gen-erations to come.

bethelprideBethel Pride is produced by theBethel School District. It is mailed toall addresses in the district duringthe school year to promotecommunity/school relations. Pleaselet us know if you have an item ofinterest for publication.

Bethel School District is an EqualOpportunity Employer and complies with allfederal rules and regulations including TitleIX/RCW 28A.640 and Sec. 504. Bethel doesnot discriminate on the basis of race, color,national origin, sex or handicap includingstudent participation in educationalprograms and extracurricular activities.Contact Laurie Barckley at (253) 683-6021about Title IX or Ben Runyun at (253) 683-6925 about Section 504 complianceprocedures.

Mark Wenzel: Communicationsdirector, Bethel Pride editor andphotographer; 253-683-6051;mwenzel@bethelsd.org

Bethel Pride staff: TomFitzpatrick, Irene Hicks, and DodieRaden

Interviews reveal community with heart

students is always noticeableand appreciated by all.

Tom Mitchell, principal

Frontier Jr. High

Dream come trueThank you staff, parents, and

students for making each workday a day I look forward to. Ihave wanted to have manychildren and teach since I was asmall child; now I have both.What I did not know was that Iwould love teaching in theBethel School District and atBethel Jr. High. I do, and theywould have to drag me out now,kicking and screaming all theway. Thank you!

Diana Gallinger, teacher

Bethel Jr. High

Favorite class at FrontierI am in the Honors program

at Frontier Jr. High with Mrs.Elliff for two class periods a day.I can honestly say that it is myfavorite time of the day. Welearn things that will benefit usin the future. Mrs. Elliff isconstantly challenging ourminds and helping us developvaluable skills that I havelearned to appreciate already.Thank you, Mrs. Elliff.

Ashley Swindahl, student

Frontier Jr. High

Pizza, prizes at KapowsinI really appreciate the home

support Kapowsin kindergart-ners received this year. Everyone of our 44 kindergartnerstook at least 20 AcceleratedReader tests on the books theyread. The children were theninvited to attend a pizza andprizes banquet as well asreceive reading medals at anall-school awards assembly.Thank you, parents, for helpingteach your children to besuccessful readers and meetthis important goal!

Linda LaVergne, teacher

Kapowsin Elementary

FJH science team is topsI would like to send a shout

out to the science departmentat Frontier Jr.High: Steve White,Mike Casem, Faith Guptill,Allison Sheneman and TerryDenny. You guys are the best

team to work with! Thank youfor another successful year!

Aimee Gower, teacher

Frontier Jr. High

Kudos for Mrs. BrokawMy daughter is at Naches

Trail in Mrs. (Diane) Brokaw’sthird grade class. I want tothank her for her dedication tomy daughter and for doingwhat she does to keep a highstandard of expectations for herclass. Major kudos.

Robb Hoover, teacher

CJH

Lucky kids at Clover CreekMs. (Brianne) Southwell and

Mrs. (Rhonda) Gibson you areboth awesome! I wanted tothank you for your dedicationto the staff and students atClover Creek. You both havesuch a wonderful gift with thestudents! We have been blessedto work with you.

Jennifer Benjamin, teacher

Clover Creek Elementary

Great year at Shining Mt. Thanks to all the students

and families who supported ourfourth-grade class this year! Thehard work and dedication ofeveryone involved helped ourclass succeed. We’re going tohave a lot of fun in fifth gradetogether.

Tiffany Scaniffe, teacher

Shining Mountain Elementary

Praise for WASL workThanks to everyone for their

hard work and effort to makethis year’s WASL testing processa success. We collectivelycarried, unloaded, proctored,stacked, marked and returned17,000 test booklets. Weworked closely with studentsand staff to create the appropri-ate climate. Wow! Test coordi-nators are awesome!

Linda Dugger, assessment director

Educational Service Center

I N B R I E F

JUNE 2004WWW.BETHELSD.ORG • BETHEL PRIDE 3bethelpride

Teams from Rocky Ridge El-ementary and Cedarcrest Jr. Highwon “Battle of the Books” cham-pionships in separate contestslast month. The competition, or-ganized by school librarians, pitsfour-member teams against eachother. Students must answerquestions from a pre-deter-mined list of books.

In the elementary competitionMay 26 at Cougar Mountain Jr.High, Rocky Ridge outlastedKapowsin after seven “sudden-death” overtime questions. Teammembers include: TrevorGallagher, Kayla Reopelle, JessicaHartzell, Cassy Dillard, andMichelle Porter (alternate).

“When we got to thetiebreaker, I got really nervous,”said Reopelle, who read all 18books on the list. “I was really re-lieved when we won.”

Cedarcrest Jr. High took tophonors in the inaugural juniorhigh contest May 20 at Bethel Jr.High. Teams from all five juniorhighs answered 32 questionsfrom 16 books. Cedarcrestsqueaked by Cougar Mountainby one point to take home thetrophy.

The winning Cedarcrest teamincluded Kayla Muldoon, AmilynHill, Sharelle Pampo and Alexan-dria Ricardo.

“It was exciting because this is

the first big competition I’vebeen in,” said Muldoon, a sev-enth-grader. “It gave us a pur-pose to really read the books andunderstand them.”

“Battle of the Books is wonder-ful because kids get recognizedfor reading,” said Cougar Moun-tain librarian Barb Shadle. “It’s agood way to bring kids from dif-

ferent schools together. It alsointroduces students andteachers to the new literatureavailable at each grade level.”

Kids come up winners in Battle of Books

Dozens of Bethel employeesand their families joined the su-perintendent and school boardlast month in a ceremony to cel-ebrate the hard work of classifiedemployees who have completedat least 180 hours of professionaldevelopment.

The classified professional de-velopment program, establishedin 1991, is a collaboration be-tween the district and the PublicSchool Employees.

The program offers a wide va-riety of job-related training in thefollowing strands: child nutri-tion, custodial, maintenance,mechanic, clerk, secretary,paraeducator and transporta-tion. The first step is completionof 180 hours of training. This is

Classified staff earn recognition for professional growthfollowed by five steps of 100hours each. Each step is recog-nized with a pay increase for theemployee.

Those recognized were: VilmaAlgara, Lori Allar, Staci Andersen,Janet Asbjornsen, VeronikaBarger, William Barker, PeggyBehee, Aileen ben Mohamed,Sharon Belt, Sonia Brownell,Linda Burke, Ruth Caballero,Leonard Conway, Debra Davis,Marylene Durocher, ColleenEdmondson, Suzanne Erb,Patricia Fry, Patricia Gardner,Janet Goatz, Marcia Gray, DonnaGunderson-Grazzini, MarieHamilton, Terry Hartman,Donna Hippensteal, SusanHolm, Debbie Hood, SherriJohns, Debbie Johnson, Melody

Jones, Linda Kelley, Kathy Kemp,Linda Kendrick, Jean Krotzer,Linda Lach, Coral Laird, MichelleLambert, Kathryn Lane, CynthiaLaumb, Karen Leifson, MarleneLovstrom, Anita Maughan,Debra Metcalf, GaelynneMichlitsch, Dianne Mikowski,Clara Mullin, Kim Nelson,Theresa Owen, Jeanette Perry,Lydia Pope, Susan Reichert,Marilyn Reidy, Lori Rochefort,Julie Schenck, Jimmie Shields,Leslie Smiley, Carolyn Smith,Tamara Smith, Tammy Solsten,Norma Spencer, Sue Stephens,Vicki Stowell, Gail Taijeron, JillVan Wormer, Rosemarie Vitale,Deborah Wilson .

Employees earning specialrecognition (more than 700

hours of professional devel-opment) included: CindyAlred, Edward Ammons,Paulette Anderson, JuliaCamacho, Jason Dexter, RosieEchave, Patricia Harvey,Debra Hobbs, Susan Holm,Rosemary Houser, FrederickJohnson, Hydie Kidd, CynthiaMcClure, Darlene McMakin,Shaun Michael, Mary Miller,Debby Morgan, Terri Lea Par-sons, Carol Reeves, Jerry Rich,Cheri Rooney, PatriciaRudolph, Dorian Scott, CherylSeidelman, Brenda Sherrell,Cornelia Smith, MariannTegge, Rebecca Willis andDoris Wright.

Choirs earn recognitionSpanaway Lake High choirs

and the Frontier Jr. Highconcert choir won prestigiousawards this spring. At theHeritage Festival in Anaheim,CA, the SLHS Music Companyand concert choir took first andsecond place, respectively, outof 31 choirs. In the state soloand ensemble contest inEllensburg, the SLHS women’sensemble beat out choirs from22 leagues to capture first place.It was the first state ensemblechampionship for the school.SLHS choirs are directed byBernard Crouse.

Frontier Jr. High took firstplace in the “Best of theNorthwest” competition inPortland. The contest featured13 choirs from three states. TheFJH concert choir sang sixpieces in English, German andItalian.

“It all came together the nightbefore the competition whenwe sang in an outdoor cathe-dral,” said ninth-grader NickKennedy.

FJH choirs are directed byAndrea Klouse.

Wal-Mart honors teacherSpanaway Wal-Mart pre-

sented Cedarcrest’s LyndaParker with a check for $1,000as 2004 Wal-Mart Teacher of theYear. Parker teaches communi-cations arts. She will competefor $10,000 as the state Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year.

Bethel Pride winsstatewide awards

Bethel Pride, the district’snewspaper, won more awardsthan any other school publica-tion in a recent contest spon-sored by the Washington SchoolPublic Relations Association.Staff members won three“awards of excellence” forwriting and two for photogra-phy. The publication receivedan award of excellence for itsoverall quality. Staff membersinclude editor Mark Wenzel,Irene Hicks, Dodie Raden, TomFitzpatrick and Kellie Ham.

United Way honors districtThe United Way of Pierce

County presented the districtwith a “community leadershipaward” last month. Districtemployees donated more than$40,000 to the charity last year.Bethel was the only schooldistrict to receive the award.

Students win awardsin square dancing

Several students won awardslast month in the PacificNorthwest Teen Square DanceFestival. Ashley Rose (CMJH)Marissa and Timmy Ballard(Centennial) and JoeyWestphalen won best of display,best sportsmanship and thirdplace overall in the pre-teendivision. Dustin Thomasson(SLHS), Daniel Thomasson(Cedarcrest) and JoshThomasson (Cedarcrest) wonthird place overall in the teendivision. Their instructor isKenny Freeman.

Battle Victors: Rocky Ridge students Jessica Hartzell, Cassy Dillard, Trevor Gallagher, Kayla Reopelleand Michelle Porter claim the championship trophy.

Rainier Pacific Foundation re-cently awarded three grants toBethel schools totaling morethan $40,000. The technologygrants aim to develop programsat Kapowsin and Clover Creekelementary schools.

The largest grant – $23,000 –promotes literacy and math atKapowsin.

It will enable the school topurchase eight eMac computersand software for students to takequizzes in reading and mathonline. It complements theschool’s Accelerated Reader (AR)program.

“This grant will allow us to fo-cus on individualized learningand create remarkable growth,”said teacher Linda LaVergne.

“Prior to writing the grant, wedecided as a staff to focus onreading and math.”

A second $5,000 grant toKapowsin will serve special-needs students. Teacher JohnHutzell plans to create a class-room in which 50 percent of in-struction directly involves using

technology. Students will usecomputers to take quizzes anddo core work. The school will usefunds to buy four eMac comput-ers and software. Hutzell plans touse data from the project to ex-amine the effects of technologyon special-needs classroomlearning.

Clover Creek will also boost itsAR program with a grant of$12,500. Last year, Clover Creekstudents read 8,586 books. Thisyear students will surpass thattotal even though the school’soperating system didn’t allowstudents to access AR for the firstthree months of the school year.

Teachers Mary Norton andJennifer Benjamin wrote the pro-posal to buy computers, softwareand books.

“This grant will increase com-puter access, which, in turn, willallow students to take quizzes ina more timely manner,” saidNorton. “We think it will have agreat impact on learning becausekids get so excited about the ARprogram.”

Clover Creek celebrates a $12,500 technology and reading grantfrom Rainier Pacific Foundation. Top (left to right) teacher JenniferBenjamin, Leah Bartell, Donald Thomas and teacher Mary Norton.Bottom (left to right) Yuliya Zalevskaya and Rashaud Scales.

Schools win technology grants

Bus schedules mailedto homes in August

The 2004-2005 bus scheduleswill be sent to homes in mid-August. The district will alsomail home a postcard withindividual student bus sched-ules. Routes will also be postedon the district Web site. Schoolstarts Sept. 2.

Rocky Ridge, Cedarcrest take top honors in reading competition

JUNE 2004BETHEL PRIDE • WWW.BETHELSD.ORG4 bethelnews

Spanaway Lake High seniorJacklyn Stricherz and BethelHigh senior Alyssa Siongcoboth excelled academically,reached out to their commu-nity and made many friends.This fall the two head off tocollege as Washington Schol-ars. They take with them full-tuition scholarships andwarm memories of their yearsas district students.

Stricherz, who boasts a 4.0grade point average, served assenior class president. Shealso helped lead a Brownietroop, sang in an award-win-ning vocal ensemble andplayed varsity basketball andsoccer.

“My teachers made a bigdifference in my success,” shesaid. “They have always beenpersonal and caring. They val-ued education, and they madestudents want to value theireducation.”

Stricherz plans to study el-ementary education at Wash-ington State University.

“Working in the SLHSdaycare with Mrs. Sue Luckettwas amazing,” she said. “Itwas the same daycare I at-tended as a 4-year-old. Itmade me realize that teachingwas what I wanted to do.”

Siongco graduates with a3.85 grade point average. Shecounts newspaper, FBLA andworking as a Red Cross volun-teer as highlights of her highschool years.

Academically, she prizes go-ing to Washington, D.C. for theNational History Day nationalchampionship with teacherJim Sawatzki. Siongco com-peted in the “individual re-search paper” category. Hertopic was Caesar Chavez.

“There are so many pro-grams out there,” she said, re-flecting on her time at BHS.“Anything you want to ex-plore, someone will be thereto guide and support youalong the way. That made a big

Jacklyn StricherzAge: 18

High school: Spanaway Lake High School

Activities: Senior class president, Brownie troop leader, varsity basketballand soccer, women’s vocal ensemble

College: WSU

Advice to younger students: “Find something that you love, stick to it, anddon’t be afraid to be yourself.”

Alyssa SiongcoAge: 17

High school: Bethel High School

Activities: Newspaper, FBLA, Red Cross volunteer, and History Day

College: UW

Advice to younger students: “Find opportunities – don’t expect them to fallin your lap. Look beyond the surface of things and you will be more likely tosucceed.”

difference in how I approachedthings.”

Siongco will attend the Univer-sity of Washington.

The Washington Scholars pro-gram recognizes the accomplish-ments of three high school se-niors from each of the state’s 49legislative districts.

High school principals nomi-nate the top 1 percent of theirschool’s graduating senior classon the basis of academicachievement, leadership andcommunity service. A commit-tee, composed of high schoolprincipals and college admis-sions staff, selects recipients ineach legislative district.

Jacklyn Stricherz is the daugh-ter of Mark and Jolyn Stricherz ofSpanaway. Alyssa Siongco is thedaughter of Fermin and AliciaSiongco of Spanaway.

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SLHS Jacklyn Stricherz and BHS grad Alyssa Siongco were awarded full-tuition scholarships as WashingtonScholars. The students earned the awards based on academics, community service and club activities.

District boasts 2 Washington Scholars

Travis MagofnaBethel High

Many students have a par-ent serving overseas in themilitary. But Bethel High se-nior Travis Magofna has amore complicated situation.While his father works as acontractor in Iraq, Magofnaand his older cousin take careof his 5-year-old brother, akindergartner at ShiningMountain.

“I now have a lot of respectfor single moms and dads,”said the 17-year-old, whoshops, cooks, cleans, pays thebills and makes sure hisbrother gets to school ontime. “It’s a lot harder than Ithought.”

As a result, Magofna missedschool and struggled with hisstudies.

“I’m not a great student,” hesaid. “But I did my best.”

A modified schedule andhelpful guidance by adminis-trators guaranteed him a spotin the lineup at the TacomaDome this week. His fatherplans to return for the cer-emony.

Magofna wants to attendvocational school to learnhow to rebuild car engines.But that won’t happen untilhis father comes home forgood several months fromnow.

For now, the young care-

taker remains philosophicalabout his role as a surrogate par-ent.

“I thought I was responsible,but this experience has given mea glimpse of the future,” he said.“It’s given me an advantage forthe future. When I get out thereon my own, there’s no stoppingme.”

Dom CalataBethel High

Dom Calata embraced highschool life. He served as studentbody president, worked at theMcChord Air Force base com-missary, played varsity tennisand excelled in honors classes.

Now the high-achiever headsto Pacific Lutheran University forhis first year of college with plansto transfer to the University ofWashington to use a three-yearArmy scholarship.

Calata intends to embark on acareer as an Army officer. He sayshe’d like to go into nursing to be-come a physician’s assistant.

The student leader creditsteachers with creating a rigorouslearning environment at BethelHigh.

“Teachers like Mr. ( Jim)Sawatzki gave us a taste of whata college class would be,” he said.“He would ask a question andthrow it out to the class. Therewouldn’t be a right or wrong an-swer. We would just apply ourown focus points.”

As Calata takes his learning to

the next level, he reflects on thededication of those who committo the teaching profession.

“Teachers work so hard tomake students successful,” hesaid. “They spend time at schooland at home to put as much intotheir classes as possible. They doso much to help us out.”

Lorraine FernandezSpanaway Lake High

Despite a stellar academicrecord, high school will foreverbe associated with tragedy forgrad Lorraine Fernandez. Justweeks ago, her father, Virgilio,was driving home from his job asan electrician when he was hit bya semi-truck near the Roy Y anddied.

Students and staff from SLHSand Cedarcrest joined theFernandez family at the funeral.

“A lot of people from schoolshowed up who I didn’t expect,”Fernandez said. “It made me feelsupported. It’s nice to know thatpeople care when you thoughtyou were alone.”

Fernandez takes a 3.9 gradepoint average to the University ofWashington this fall to study psy-chology. She plans to go to medi-cal school to become a pediatriconcologist.

But first she has to make itthrough a painful graduationweek.

“I’m going to be very sad,” shesaid. “My dad was so excited forme. He was the one who was

helping me with scholarships. Heplanned to take me to college.”

Rachel ZellerChallenger

Graham resident Rachel Zellertook a non-traditional paththrough high school. A home-school student from third toeleventh grade, Zeller signed upat Challenger two years ago totake online classes and becomeeligible to attend Pierce Collegethrough Running Start.

Through Challenger’s onlineprogram, she studied Washing-ton state history and CurrentWorld Issues. Students in theonline program follow a set cur-riculum and submit homework,papers and tests by e-mail. Oc-casionally they make in-personpresentations at school.

“I liked it because I could dothe work whenever I wanted,”she said.

In video production and En-glish literature classes at PierceCollege, she thrived on the chal-lenge of university-level work.

“The teachers expected you tobe responsible and to do yourwork at the same level as anadult,” she said. “I learned a lot.”

Now the Challenger salutato-rian heads to George Fox Univer-sity in Oregon.

She hopes to work profession-ally in film editing or directing.“I liked taking a non-traditionalpath,” she said. “It allowed me todo unique things.”

GradsContinued from 1

Foundation offers grantsBethel School District

Foundation announces “HaroldLeMay Opportunities Fund”grants to strengthen classroomlearning. A committee, headedby curriculum director AnnVarkados, will award grants thisfall. Applications are due Aug.13. Call 683-6016 for moreinformation.

New leaders take helmThe district recently filled

several administrative openingsfor 2004-2005. They are: WandaRiley, Bethel High principal; JonMishra, Bethel High assistantprincipal; Debra Hay, BethelHigh assistant principal; RogerSamples, Spanaway Jr. Highprincipal; Paul Rempfer, BethelJr. High principal; RobertMaxwell, executive director forspecial services; Nick Jones,diversity facilitator; Jim Callen,transportation director; andDale Fleischbein, assistanttransportation director.

Head Start offers servicesThe Early Head Start program

is accepting applications forservices. Early Head Start is ahome-based program thatserves pregnant women andfamilies with children 0 to 3years old who are low-income.Workers provide weekly homevisits, twice-monthly playgroups and monthly parentmeetings. The program is year-round with services continuingthrough summer. For moreinformation, call Angie Weedonat 846-9278.

Athletes win medals atstate track tournament

At the state track and fieldchampionships in Pasco, SLHSsprinter Elvie Releford-Williamsplaced second in the 110hurdles and eighth in the triplejump; BHS student JimmySchofield placed fifth in the 400meters, and teammate PaigeSagen placed third in the highjump. The Bethel High1600-meter relay team of JimmySchofield, Caesar Rayford,Jacob Harkness, Mike Wells andAaron Colby placed fourth.

CJH wins media awardsSix Cedarcrest students

brought home awards thisspring from the WashingtonJournalism Education Associa-tion.

Casey Kuchnsky andCameron Oretega won honor-able mention for their TVbroadcast sports feature;Britney Hersch and LisaSchraufnagel won honorablemention for their walk-indocumentary feature on MartinLuther King, Jr.; and JenniferNewkirk and Nikki Lieburn-Diaz won honorable mentionfor their TV live broadcastnews/feature.

SLHS plans 1984 reunionThe Spanaway Lake High

Class of 1984 will celebrate its20-year reunion, Aug. 14 and15. For information go toreunionswithclass.com or call800-954-1044.

Committe makes namerecommendations

A citizens committe will soonpresent name, mascot andcolor recommendations for thenew high school in Graham tothe school board. The commit-tee reviewed more than 200suggestions for the highschool’s name. It will present itstop three choices to the board.

JUNE 2004WWW.BETHELSD.ORG • BETHEL PRIDE 5bethelpeople

Memories:Leaving home – a home

away from home – won’tbe easy for the 35 district

employees who retire thismonth. Co-workers, parents andstudents have become their sec-ond families.

It would take pages and pagesto chronicle their collectivememories. It would take evenmore pages to express apprecia-tion for a job well done.

Here’s a brief glimpse insidethe memories of several indi-viduals who have left their markon the lives of so many.

If you’d like to send a congratu-latory message to a retiree,please e-mail it tomwenzel@bethelsd.org or call683-6050.

Donna BusterEvergreen Elementary

For Evergreen’s Donna Buster,it’s the kids who come back to sayhello that bring tears to her eyes.

“They come back as juniorhigh or high school students.They even come back as adults,”said the 27-year veteran teacher.“They come back to say thanks.”

Sometimes, it takes a while torecognize the fifth or sixth-grader as a grown-up.

“They change so much,” shesaid. It’s difficult to place a boywho becomes a man with a mus-tache.

One incident stands out.“The door was open, and I

could feel someone come up be-hind me,” she said. “I felt thishand come down on my shoul-der.”

It was a man’s hand, an adulthand. At first, she was scared.

“He looked at me, and I didn’tknow who he was,” she said.

“You don’t know who I am, doyou?” he asked.

“No, I don’t,” she told him.“You’ll have to help me out here.”

The man gave her some clues– some of his “misbehaviors.”Then Buster figured it out.

“He had been a real stinker,”she said.

But he had changed his life,enrolled in college and turnedthings around.

“You made me work hard andmade me believe in myself,” hetold her.

The lesson for other teachersis clear: Don’t be afraid to betough.

“You’re doing students a dis-service if you don’t hold themaccountable,” she said. “In thelong run, they’ll appreciate youfor it.”

Marilyn MoorheadChallenger High School

Schools have homecomingqueens and Daffodil princesses,but Bethel schools are fortunateto also have a “goddess” – a tourgoddess, that is.

But not for long.Challenger’s secretary, Marilyn

Moorhead, is retiring after work-ing in schools since 1981.

So how did a school secretary

become a goddess?Moorhead likes to organize

trips. Her trip-taking talents ledto a volunteer job as coordinatorfor social events for school officeworkers. The group – BAEOP(Bethel Association of Educa-tional Office Personnel) – is nolonger active, but the memoriesare still vivid for more than 100office workers who went alongfor the ride.

“We had a ball!” Moorheadsaid.

Overnight destinations in-cluded Lincoln City, Oregon andfactory outlet stores; Sequim andthe Olympic Game Farm; andVancouver, Canada.

“Marilyn knows how to bringeveryone together and make itclose and personal,” said KarenWilkson, an administrative assis-tant at the district office. “She’dget on the microphone at thefront of the bus, tell jokes andkeep it fun.”

For Moorhead, her entire ca-reer has never been “just a job.”

“It’s been fantastic,” she said.“This is like an extended family.I’ve made lifelong friends.”

Although Moorhead is leavingthe school business, it’s likelyshe’ll keep up her side job as atour goddess.

“We’ve got an RV,” she said. “Ican see myself organizing events,making arrangements and get-ting everyone involved.”

John RockneBethel Jr. High

On a spring evening in themid-1990s, Bethel Jr. Highteacher John Rockne joined hishonor students at PLU for anend-of-the year banquet.

“It was a warm, beautifulnight, and the rhododendronswere in full bloom,” he said. “Thekids were all dressed up. Every-one was so proud.”

Rockne’s job that night was tokeep different grade levels of stu-

dents quiet as they prepared toenter the awards area to receivetheir recognition.

The communication arts andsocial studies teacher remem-bers it as a “fleeting, fragile mo-ment.”

“Looking at the kids, I realizedthey were just starting to bloomlike the rhodies,” he said. “Whenyou’re 14, you’re untried. Every-thing lies ahead.”

Rockne, who dedicated 30years to the district, sees similari-ties between teaching and gar-dening.

“As a gardener, you prune offbranches and cultivate,” he said.“You don’t own these plants, youjust help them grow. Like a gar-dener, I provide the environmentfor these kids to flourish. I allowthem space to grow.”

The veteran educator says he’llmiss his students at Bethel Jr.High.

“I use my imagination and cre-ativity in a way I dreamed I neverwould,” he said. “It’s been inspir-ing.”

Judy BorgiaSpecial Education

When Judy Borgia reflects onher 32 years in the Bethel SchoolDistrict, one thing stands outamong all others: growth – notonly in numbers, but in quality.

She remembers when the dis-trict was “nothing but farmland.”She also remembers a time – just20 years ago – when the district’sspecial education classroomshoused just 54 children.

Those days are gone. The dis-trict population has tripled in thelast 30 years. Now more than 400students receive services in spe-cially designed “self-contained”classrooms.

“I think growth has been a de-fining feature in my years here,”Borgia said. “As Bethel hasgrown, we’ve grown in sophisti-cation in everything we do.”

Borgia notes that 10 years ago,specialists knew very little aboutautism and other “low-incident”disabilities.

“Now we have the research sowe know how best to reach manyof those kids,” she said. “We’relearning more each year. It’s beenan amazing process to watch – allacross special services.”

Borgia refers to special educa-tion as “an extreme team effort.”

“I think we have the finest staffin the state,” she said. “I reallybelieve that Bethel has specialpeople who care for special kids.Our staff do everything they canto meet the needs of every stu-dent.”

The veteran teacher and ad-ministrator also has a high regardfor parents.

“I am amazed at the challengesparents of special-needs chil-dren face every day,” she said.“The loving concern they showfor their kids is heartwarmingand courageous.”

Above all, Borgia maintains aspecial place in her heart for thechildren themselves.

“We have some great kids,” shesaid. “They have a huge capacityto love. They’re the reason we dowhat we do.”

Curt ParsonsChallenger High School

When Curt Parsons went toBethel High, Principal Earl Plattand teacher Jim Knaggs stood atthe door every day as studentsarrived.

“They would know exactlywhat we did that weekend,” saidParsons who retires this year af-ter a 30-year teaching career.Even now, Parsons is awed byhow well the two long-time edu-cators understood kids.

They knew that young peoplesometimes got into trouble, butcould outgrow their problems.

“If kids got kicked out ofschool, then you’d have a drinker,a smoker or a skipper without aneducation,” Parsons said.

Back then, “acting out” instudy hall could result in a three-day suspension.

One day, a student knockedParsons’ book off his desk. Heretaliated by pushing the otherboy’s books on the floor.

“My options were zero. I wasgoing to be suspended and prob-

James Hadland, Bethel High

Lauretta Johnson, Bethel High

Kathy Nicolet, Bethel High

Carl Peterson, Bethel High

Patty Medak, Bethel Jr.

Sharon Moore, Bethel Jr.

John Rockne, Bethel Jr.

Retirees 2004Brenda Ard, Camas Prairie

Sandra Jilbert, Camas Prairie

Ghita Lorenz, Cedarcrest Jr.

Elaine Shadle, Cedarcrest Jr.

Kerry Banyard, Challenger

Marilyn Moorhead, Challenger

Curt Parsons, Challenger

Kathy Honsberger, Elk Plain

Donna Buster, Evergreen

Lorraine Warber, Evergreen

Muriel Slater, Frontier Jr.

Mary Ellen Church, Kapowsin

Kathryn Crippen, Naches Trail

Phyllis Smith, Naches Trail

Nancy Anderson, Roy

Renate Boswell, Shining Mountain

Susan Blank, Spanaway Jr.

Ed Burmester, Spanaway Lake

Britt Kennedy, Spanaway Lake

Jack Taylor, Spanaway Lake

Judy Borgia, Special Services

Ramona Edwards, Special Services

Donna Falk, Special Services

Betty Magee, Special Services

Geraldine Clark, Thompson

Helen Lewis, Transportation

Lou Mabry, Transportation

Shannon Moen, Transportation

The making of...

District bids fond farewellto 35 retiring staff members

Judy Borgia, executive director of special services, shares a laugh with school board member Joy Cook at arecent retirement party. Borgia leaves the district after a 32-year career.

See Retirees, 9

Challenger’s retiring trio – Curt Parsons (top), Marilyn Moorhead andKerry Banyard.

Spanaway Lake High School

JUNE 2004BETHEL PRIDE • WWW.BETHELSD.ORG6 bethelpride JUNE 2004

WWW.BETHELSD.ORG • BETHEL PRIDE 7

A Stephen Adler, Joshua Agnew, Jessica Allen, Michael Allen, Richard Allen, Brit-tany Almond, Marcell Alston, Alicia Amely, Erin Anderson, Matthew Anderson,Melissa Anderson **, Whitney Anderson, Crystal Andrews, Julius Aquino, BlakeAragon, Mark Arpin, Joshua Arriola, Heather Atwood, Grant Ausley, B BrandonBaker, Steven Baker, Jessica Baldwin, Jacob Barden, Daina Barker, JessicaBarringer, Tanya Batby, Jack Baughn, Talea Baum, Daisy Baza, Hannah Beahler**, Durrell Bennett, Rebekah Berglund, Bobbie-Lee Betschart *, ChristopherBittala, Porsche Blackstone, Robynn Boedigheimer, Brian Bohnhoff, Anthony

Boldt, Krystal Bolte, Desiree’ Boswell, Sara Bounds Wagley, Katrina Bowman, Brittany Branch, JayBrandhagen, Kenneth Braunschweig, Rob Brim, Jessica Broadhead, Brayton Brono, Katherine Brown**, Krystie Brown, Tammy Brown, Michael Brucker, Gregory Bruland, Patricia Bryan, StanleyBuchmiller, Jr., Ryan Buie, Cameron Bullard, Jordan Buol, Keven Burnett, Christopher Burns, HelenBurow, Neola Burruss, C Jared Cady, Dominique Calata *, Amanda Calhoun, Christianna Caron, LeslieCaron, Jennifer Carroll, Brianna Case, Lindsay Casey, Andrew Cate *, Michael Cesarano, VictoriaChaffee, Roy Chambers, Ashley Champagne, Jason Chandler, Sung Choi **, Adam Christensen,Jonathan Chrum, Michael Clemmons, Samuel Cloyd-Zimmerman **, David Clow, Andrea Cobia,Jeffery Cobun, Kirk Coby, Joy Coffey, Aaron Colby, Drew Colby, Tina Coleman **, Carollyn Colwell,Richard Comeau, Daniel Contreras, Ashley Cooper, Bryan Cormier, Kimberly Coty, Collin Craig **,Angel Creager, Nunzia Creek, Jesse Crocker, Keven Crow, Ashley Cullen, Brett Cunningham, JaimeCurtis, D Sarah Daggett *, Brandi Davis, Caylund Davis, Jerry Dean, Caleb DeBattista *, Kristian Decker,Breana DeGruy *, Daniel De La Torre, Alejandra Diaz, Sherene Dinwiddie, Jessica Dix **, Brian Doble,Friederike Doebel, Daniela Dotson, Timothy Douglas, Joshua Drake **, Brianna Drexler, KristyDubacher, Shelbi Dunivan, Heather Durni, Justin Dusch, Brant Dutchak, E John Eagle *, LauraEdwards, Jeffrey Ehresman, Devin Ellis, Amanda Esborg, Bradley Essig, Steven Esteba, F MichelleFadness, Katie Faircloth, Mara Faitala *, Sheena Feavel, Douglas Felicita, Darcy Ferderer, AngeleenaFewell, Guenavere Fields, Shawna Fijalka , Joshua Fisher, Chelsea Fletcher, Zachary Fletcher, IanFlippen, Nicholas Ford, Jacob Fox Warner *, Jay Freed, Curtis Fretz, Zackery Frick, Adrienne Frost,Kymberly Fuhrman, G Christian Gagner, Carlos Garcia, Jr., Tiffany Garcia, Amber Gehringer, JustinGentry, Meggie Gesch, Ryan Getz, Gretchen Glass, Amanda Gonzales, Sonya Gonzales, JessicaGonzalez, Brad Gouvea, Janell Graciano *, Joshua Graff, Jennifer Grauman, Jacqueline Gray, FranklinGreene, Tyler Greinke, Adam Gudith, Sarah Gurth, Timothy Guy, H David Hadman, Sean Haggett,Nathaniel Hall, Mark Hallaux, Heath Hanke, Lisa Hansen, Stephanie Hansen, Timothy Hanson, JacobHarkness, Leslie Harrey **, Joshua Harris, Jeffrey Harrison II, Robert Hase, Benjamin Hawk, KeriHearlson, David Helland-Green, Chris Heller, Stephen Heller, Jr., Jared Helmer, Michael Hering, Jen-nifer Herrington, Stephanie Hert, Kristopher Herzog, Cameron Hicks **, Amy Higgins, JonathanHiggins, Tristan Hinote, Gennifer Hirn, Aaron Hochstrasser, Heather Hodges, David Holland, RobHolmes, Rachel Hooper, Kimberly Horan, Andrew Horton, Abigail Hoskinson, Joshua Houser, JannaHueneke, Michael Huntsman, Orin Husser, Dustinn Hutchinson, I Christine Ignacio *, JAndrewJacobs, Brandon Jacobs, Nikki Jacobson, Krystle Jarvi, Anthony Jason, Rebecca Jean, Andrew Jennings,Jesse Jensen **, Brandon Jerome, Chantal Jobe, Deandre Johnson, Joshua Johnson, Melinda Johnson,Stephen Johnston, Brad Jones II, Jasmine Jorgensen, Riley Joshua **, Rachelle Justice, K Ke’ala Kanoho,Brian Kellogg, Nikki Kemper, Daniel Ketter, Megan Ketter, Gregory Kidd, Derek Kim, Amanda Klein-Petersen, Aaron Klovas, Russell Kober, Casey Kolowinski *, Ross Krotzer, Darrell Krupa, RobertKuboyama, Christine Kuhns, L Kristy Laib, Joshua Lalicker, Jared Lambing, Jacob Lauback, SuniaLaulile, Kristy Leach, Jessica Leahy, Aaron LeBoeuf, Rachel Leslie, Jena Lipp *, Candice Lirette,DeWayne Long, Nathaniel Long, David Lorenz, Katie Losinger *, M Joshua Macauley, Lori MacDonald,Roger Machovsky, Travis Magofna, Chantal Makahanaloa, Craig Malone, Ashley Maloney, BrittneyMaloney, Samantha Manning, Braxton Martin, Gabrielle Martins, Cheri’ Marx, Anthony Mastberg,Brian May, Scott Mayes, Tyler Mays, Adam McAllister, Shante’ McAtee, Michelle McAuley, ArthurMcChristian, Nichole McClain, Brandon McClanahan, Victoria McKay, Bert McKenzie, Jr., CarolMcMullin *, Connecia McNeal **, Cody McPike, Anthony Medina, Michael Mednick, Alayna Melton,Justin Menard **, Drew Mendenhall, Desmond Meray, Jack Metz, Walter Miller III, Emily Mitchell,Joel Moody, Stephanie Motley, Kyle Mowatt, Melanie Mueller, Tomas Munoz, Brian Munson, SamuelMunson, Theresa Murchison, Chaise Music, N Andrea Nease, Eric Negley, Chad Nelson, StephanieNevis, Savannah Nodtvedt *, Kristopher Noel, Becky Nordgren, Yelena Nozdrina **, Jennifer Nuss, OPatrick O’Brien, Chris. O’Dell, Michael O’Kelly, Jr., Brooke Olson, Katlynn Oltman, Kristen Owen, PRussell Pablo, Josue’ Padilla, Lyle Painter IV, Lance Palady, Roland Palfenier, Jessica Palmer, DavidPardy, Christopher Parker, Jessie Parker, Kimberly Parker *, Jeremy Pearce *, Jeffery Peck, Fiti Peko, Jr.,Darcie Pelley, Christopher Pentecost, Keila Pero *, Robert Petersen, Morgan Peterson, Brandy Phillips,Amanda Pierson, Brittnie Preuitt, Alyssa Pribnow, Falicia Pritchett, Katherine Proud, R Jason Radach,Caesar Rayford, Joseph Ray, Christopher Reed, Shellby Reiten, Stela Reitzug, Jessica Rhee, Ashley Rice,Keith Richeson, Raymond Riffle, Trisha Rittenhouse, Whitney Roan *, Yvette Robertson, ShawneseRocco **, Alexis Rodriguez, Rebecca Rogers, Leslie Roller, Ashley Romes, Stefanie Roudabush **, Chris-ten Rubin, Tabitha Rudegeair **, Kathryn Ruth, Thomas Ryan, S Paige Sagen, Jr., Ria San Agustin,Gregory Sands, Matthew Sanders, Tesha Sanders, Angela Satter, LaVonna Schmidt, AndreaSchumacher, Erin Schwantner, Andrew Schwartzenberger, Anthony Scillo, Jessica Scott, TashaSeaberg, Misty Severs, Kimberly Shadlow *, Zachary Shelton, Danny Sherwood, Garrett Sherwood,Eric Simpson, Jason Simpson, Alyssa Siongco **, Vidal Sisneros, Reginal Sistrunk, Jerry Skolrood,Latasha Sligh, Jennifer Smith, Jessica Smith *, Kristina Smith, Patricia Smith, Cassandra Snipes, AnnaSoholt, Meghann Soper, Zachary Spiger **, Jameccea Spriggs *, Charmmaine Stankiewicz, AshleyStanley, Karry Starkel, David Stead, Shannon Steen, Samuel Stephens, Ashli Stocking, Whitney Stokes,Andrew Stone, Kevin Stone, Ashley Story, Tiffany Strickland, Kiley Stutsman, Michael Sullivan, Jr.,Ashley Sweeten, Angela Swick, Todd Sykes, T Justin Takeuchi, Anthony Taylor, Kyleigh Taylor, SaraTeal, Tara Teal, Jamie Terry, Braden Thatcher *, Kevin Therrell, Cassandra Thompson, Kendall Th-ompson, Marcella Thompson, Steven Thompson, Justin Todd, Steve Togesen, Erin Tollie, Joshua Toone,Paul Torres, Haley Tracy, Darren Tumblin, Patrick Turk, U Lenny Ugaitafa, Ashlee Ugartechea, RonaldUtke, VAaron Valenta, Autumn Vincent, David Vitale *, Aaron Voigt, WFawn Waite, Robert Waldherr,Alecia Warner, Joel Watkins-Barrett, Cristy Watson **, Rocky Weaver, Joshua Webb, Katie Wells, MichaelWells, Christopher Welsh, Devon West, Kelly Wharton **, Mariaa Wheeler, Mary White, Crystal Wilder,Matthew Wilke **, Jeffrey Wilsco, William Winter *, Elizabeth Wodtli, Ryan Wolfer, Amber Wood, Chris-topher Wright, James Wright **, Kody Wright, Z Katie Zajac, Matthew Zenner

* Top 10 percent** Top 5 percent

Bethel High School Bethel School District

Class

2004B Ian Becker *, Andrea Beinke, Kelley Bickleman,Robert Borski, Amanda Boyle, Jesse Brinson,Crystal Buchanan, C Theresa Carmin, ThomasCaswell, Erin Charaba, Jerry Clemens, MatthewCobb, Tabatha Coy, Amber Curtis, D AnthonyD’Amico, Theresa Daniel, Justin Dines, LatashaDunn, E Ja’Anna Edwards *, Molly Edwards, FDawna Fabre’, Haydan Faircloth III, Dor-Che

Fletcher, G Benika Gauthier, Susanna George, Stephanie Gibson, JasmineGilbert*, Allison Goskey, Maria-Tai Guttromson, H Jennifer Hall, SabrinaHall, Jessica Harvey, Daniel Heath, Elisandro Herrera, Eric Hockaday, AaronHocker, Rebecca Hopkins, Jennifer Hoskinson, Tosha Houser, JesseHutchings, J Crystal Jahner, Brandi Jennings, Windy Joell, K Amber Kennedy*, L Leota Lane, Heather Lewis, M Rachel Malone, Paul McLaughlin, SheenaMertens, Shawn Minchew, Kenneth Misner, Kady Morton, Steven Myracle,N Gina Nelsen, Jewel Norman, O Jacqueline Olson, Daniela Orta, P LatashaPalmer, Latrisha Parsons, Johathan Paulson *, Lisa Phillippe, MeganPomeroy, R David Ridenour, Melissa Rowe, Ashley Rupp, Ryan Russell, SGregory Sands Jr., Keeziah Smith, Christina Standon *, Temeika Starks, JamesStephen, Larry Stoltenberg, T Amanda Till, V Matthew Valdez *, W NicoleWalker, Matthew Wenberg, Leialohalani Williams, Y Sean Young, Z LauraZajac, Rachel Zellerv *

* Honor graduate

Challenger

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A Kenneth Acfalle, Amanda Adams, Carmind Addison, Patrick Adickes,Doreen Aguero, Michelle Aird, Tamesha Akers, Krystal Alarie, AnthonyAlconaba **, Curtis Alexander *, Sara Aller, Isabel Almodovar, JustinAlmogela, Aaron Andersen, Amanda Andrews, Rodika Angeniy, JessicaAngotti, Greg Anguiano, Curtis Arberry, Jessica Ardouin, Helena Artis, FrankAuman, Rodney Austin, Hardy Awadjie, April Ayers, Nichole Ayers, BMichael Bagaoisan Jr., Whitney Bailey, Shelby Ballard, Barry Barker Jr.,Danielle Barker, Megan Barney *, Michael Barry, Stephanie Bay, Sheila

Baydo, Carolin Bayer, Shaun Becker, Hollie Bering, Derek Berry, Scott Blankenship, Ashton Bolam,Chelsie Boyd, William Brace, Tyrel Bratlee, Korey Bringman, Wesley Brockman **, Amy Bronson, AdrianBrown, Jessica Brown *, Suzanna Brown *, Sean Browne, Christine Buggs, Cassie Bushnell **, KurtByrne Jr., C Cliff Cabrera, David Carkeek, Sarah Carr, Keola Ceridon, Frank Champaco, Robyn Ching**, Lacy Christian, John Chruscielksi, Austin Church, Courtney Cihla, Benjamin Clapp, Brettney Clarke,Matthew Clemenson, Jamie Cleveland, Jennifer Cohea **, Anneliese Cook, DÈShawn Cook, JasonCoolidge, Dustin Cooper, Erica Cooper, Jasmine Costanzo, Jane Crawford, ReneÈ Crawford, MichaelCrews, James Cronkhite Jr., Diana Crowder, Tara Cruz, Jeanna Custer, D Nicole Daane *, RachelDamgaard, Amber Davis, Darryl Davis, Greg Davis, Joseph Delgado, Mariam Delgado, ChristopherDelallana, TImothy Deoneseus, Ivy DeSpain, Olgy Diaz, Heather Dickerson *, Vanessa Dilley, ChrystalDobson, Ivette Dones, Catherine Donnelly, Katrina Dozier, Paris Dozier, Joel Dragoo, Carl Drexler,Carlos Drum, Andrew Drury, Marianne Dural *, Candice Dutcher, Michael Dye, E Jessica Eason,Amanda Edenfield, Charnea Edge, Haley Edgerton, Kristen Edholm *, Stephanie Edmunds **,Rayshawndra Edwards, Philip Ehnat, RenÈe Engelking, Keith Erdahl, F Joel Faker, James Farber,Jonathan Feliciano, Francine Fernandez, Lorraine Fernandez **, Sherri Ferrell, Clifford Feurtado, Goi-Runsiya Fharuendee, Sarah Finley, Emily Finnila, Darren Firth, Brandon Fleming, Casandra Folk,Dustin Fortsch, Amanda Fox, Nicole Franco, Cheryl Franklin, Jeremy Frazell, Kristine Friedmann, GGeoffrey Gallup, Sandra Gertsch, Angelina Gibson, Jamie Gilbert, Amanda Gillam, Pat Gillespie,Natasha Gilman **, Melissa Glass *, Monika Gleixner, Peter Godkin, Joseph Gooden III, Jonari Grant,L. E. M. Grilliett, Brandy Guajardo, Mario Guizzetti, Rochell Guzewich, H Stephanie Hagan, KerahHagen, Naomi Halkum, Julie Hancock, David Hansen, Nathaniel Harbert, Ross Harbin, Heari Hardman**, Amanda Harker, Stacy Harper *, Dorthya Harris **, Destiny Hawkins, Alicia Helm, ChristopherHenderson, Sambath Heng, Kendra Henry, Brandon Hergert, Kenneth Hess, Brad Hitchcock, AndreaHodges, Kory Hohn, Martez Holland, Brianna Holmes, Ryan Hornick, Stephanie Houston, Christo-pher Howe *, Steven Hubbard, Isaac Huffman, DraVonne Huggins, Paige Huggler **, I Opowity Iyall,Ashley Izan, J Natika Jacobs, Brian Jarrell, Amber Johnson, Brandon Johnson, Joel Johnson, RyanJohnson, Maurice Jones, Ronelle Jones, Malorie Junkert **, K Heather Kafton, Christopher Kagawa,Richard Kamienski, Andrew Karlsson, Dustin Kealoha, Destiny Kelley, Nicole Kelly, Faalafua Kennach,Brendon Kepner, Warren Kern, Jessica Key, ReneÈ Kilgore, Sarah Kinloch, Virginia Klemm **, MoniqueKnight, Rebecca Konamah, Alan Kuper *, L Arnold Lagajeno Jr., Clorice Lammert, Andrew Lance Jr.,LaRissa Larsen, Jaimee LaSorella, Ashley Lautt, Robert LaVon, Katherine Lawton, Jonathan Leavitt,Justin Lee, Michelle Lee, Amanda Lester, Jamie Lester, Tyonna Lewis **, Daniel Lim **, RaymondLindeke, Brandon Lindsey, Taylor Linke, Christie Livingston, John Lizama II, James Long, Katie Long,Jessica Lovell, Sarah Lucas, M Samantha Maddox **, Dharryl Maiava, Chappell Marshall, JenniferMartin, Jonathan Matautia, Kristina Maxwell, Nichole McAlpine, Rebecca McCall, Heather McCartney,Brittney McClintock, JamÈl McCurley, Kristin McDonald, Kyle McGilvray, Michelle McLaughlin, TravisMcMahon *, Lori McManus, Angela Medina, David Medina, Jarod Meeks, Jennifer Menchaca, JoseMendez, Kirstin Michael, Amanda Michels, Jennifer Miller, Justin Miller, Carling Misley *, JefferyMohoric, Steven Molina, Dudley Monfort **, George Montgomery III, Christa Moore, Ashley Muehl,George Mumford III, William Myers, Julia Myltseva, N Ravuth Nam, June Namkung, Joe Nash, WhitneyNeal, Julia Nelson, Rachel Nelson, Shuntana Newsome, Alexis Newton, Andrew Newton, ThanhNguyen **, Robert Nieto Jr., Chassidy Nixon, Patricia Noble, Michal Nolte **, O Jeffrey Olson, JulieOrozco, Ian Overstreet, Jose Oviedo, P Lorna Pack, Brandice Paine, Jun Pak, Jay Pangelinan *, JessicaPangelinan, Gary Parlett *, Steven Parley, Aubrey Paul, Julian PeÒa, Crystal Penny, Danielle Peregrino*, Russell Perry III, Elisha Peters, Marc Petersen **, Corey Peterson, Ciara Phillips, Samuel Phillips,Michael Pichler, Mike Pierce, Nicole Pitzler, Korrena Poe, Paul Pogreba, Brandon Punzalan, AnthonyPurdie Jr., Q Christina Query, Sheila Quijano, R Terell Randolph, Angela Raven, Brandon Rayford,Erika Redd **, William Reding, Kyrsten Reed, Marcus Reed, Tiffani Reed, Elvie Releford-Williams, JohnRemy IV *, Shoshana Retzer, Erin Rice, Lindsey Rice *, Ian Richards, Holly Riedle, Jordyn Riley, An-thony Rios, Xiomara Riutort, Melissa Roach **, Allison Roberts, Jessika Robinson, Philishia Robinson,Kaleena Rockenstein, Brian Rodriguez, RamÛn Rowlette, Aaron Rudd, Sarah Ruiz, Stephanie Russell,Keith Rux, S William Saguil, Victoria Sanchez, Neal Sandoval, Antonia Savage, Matthew Savageau,Heather Scarbrough, Kurt Schelhammer, Robert Schindele, Amanda Schopf, Aaron Schraufnagel, BethSheldon *, Michael Siedenstrang *, Michelle Simmons, Matthew Simon, Amber Skipworth **, Char-lotte Skovholt, William Slater, Meagan Small, Jennifer Smith, Jesse Smith, Kyle Smith *, Layonda Smith,Shawna Smith, Christopher Southwell, Adrian Spencer, Kelly Sperling, Sunny Staab **, Ashley Steele,Joseph Stefani, Abigail Stewart *, Ryan Stimer *, Brent Stover, Jacklyn Stricherz **, Joshua Suter, JohnnySutton, Lyndi Suydam *, Robby Swiger, T Marlon Taduran, Lester Taimanglo, Robert Talbot, ChristinaTarrant, Crystal Tautala, Jamaica Taylor, Scott Tea, Kheel Thomas, Lydia Thomas, Dustin Thomasson,Krystal Thommasen, Brandon Thompson, Robert Thompson, Lonnie Thompson-Williams, JamesThorn, Wallace Tillman, John Tinkham, Carlos Torres, Troy Torres Jr., Joe Toves, Matthew Travis, IanTrout, Monda Trust, Lyudmila Tulbya, Cassandra Turner, June Turner, V Laura Vaglienti **, RebeccaVanBoven *, Elisha Vankeuren, Josh VanZuyt, Andrew Veach, Veronica Veronda, Jennifer Vining, Sa-rah Vogel, Beverly Vonner, Dominique Vozzy, W Alexandrea Wagner, Josh Wagner, Steve Wagner, JamesWaldeck IV, Amanda Walker *, Chris Walker, Adrian Washington, Natalie Wells, Tyler Wells, AnthonyWhitehead, Bradley Whitehouse, Arthur Williams III, Bradley Williams, Johnnie Williams, NicholasWilloughby, Leo Winburn II, Gloria Woo **, Stephen Wood, Joshua Woslager, Y Kailin Yarawsky, PrestonYaris, Seul Ki You **, Judith Young, Kurtis Young, Z Heather Zimmerman, Kurt Zimmerman, AmandaZlatnik

* Top 10 percent** Top 5 percent

Throughout my years at BethelHigh School, I experienced manyincredible things and learnedfrom a variety of people. Oneclass had a particularly strongimpact on me.

In the 10th grade I took a ma-jor risk andwent outsideof my “com-fort” zone bytaking Mr. JimS a w a t z k i ’ sS o p h o m o r eH o n o r scourse. Ini-tially I hadsigned up forregular Com-m u n i c a t i o n

Arts 10, not wanting to challengemyself or be around a bunch ofstereotypically “smart” people. Ijust wanted to have fun whilegetting my ‘A’ in the class.

When I arrived for the first dayof my high school career, Mr.Sawatzki himself came to see mein my math class. Now, I had thispreposterous idea that Mr.Sawatzki was overly eccentricand so, consequently, I wasscared when I saw him open thedoor. He called me out into thehallway, said my WASL scoreswere incredible and that I musttake his class. He told me to cometo Room 102 third period to be-gin Sophomore Honors. Appar-ently my parents, against theirwonderful daughter’s wishes,had phoned Mr. Sawatzki andtold him that I should be in theclass.

Mr. Sawatzki’s class turned outto be the best thing that everhappened to me. He taught methe most profound things andallowed me to think outside ofmy “comfort” box. His class be-came the foundation of my suc-cessful high school career. TakingSophomore Honors taught methat when one takes risks in life,whether the outcome is a successor a failure, he or she will takesomething great from it. I endedup earning more than an ‘A’ in thecourse — I earned an apprecia-tion for creative thinking and theconfidence to tackle future chal-lenges.

Before I started high school,someone told me that my threeyears would be over before Iknew it. Although I didn’t believeit at the time, they were right. Itseems like only yesterday I was ascared sophomore walking

through thedoors ofS p a n a w a yLake HighSchool for thefirst time.

Now mytime and workhere are done.Although I amleaving SLHS,the memoriesremain. I

learned many valuable lessonsfrom teachers and from personalexperiences.

One of my greatest learningopportunities was serving as edi-tor-in-chief of the school news-paper. In two years, my fellowstudents and I turned “OnGuard” into an entertaining,award-winning publication.

It was not an easy task. Wespent many nights wanting to ripout our hair. While the memoriesof stress and anxiety are not myfavorites, I will always carry themas a reminder of what I learned.

I learned how to stand up forwhat is right, even if it meanschallenging authority. I learnedhow to look at the world througha critical eye and how to alwaysquestion my work. I learned theimportance of meeting dead-lines and managing time wisely.I learned just how deeply wordscan impact the lives of othersand why we have a free press.

I can’t think of any other activ-ity that could have more fullyenriched my life. The hard workand dedication of Mrs. JoAnnParr made my career as editor-in-chief an exceptional experi-ence.

I believe my work in studentjournalism will play a huge rolein my college education. It willstick with me for the rest of mylife.

SLHS Top 101. Robyn Ching

Malorie Junkert

Jacklyn Stricherz

4. Marc Petersen

5. Gloria Woo

6. Seulki You

7. Natasha Gilman

8. Wesley Brockman

9. Daniel Lim

10. Melissa Roach

BHS Top 101. Melissa Anderson

Joshua Drake

Leslie Harrey

Cristy Watson

5. Collin Craig

6. James Wright

7. Cameron Hicks

8. Sung Choi

9. Cannecia McNeal

10. Stefanie Roudabush

Taking riskspaid off

Newspapertaught lifelessons

Riley JoshuaBHS

Brendon KepnerSLHS

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of

Spanaway Lake High grad Jason Coolidge gets a hug of encouragementfrom teacher Jan Lacaille, June 12 at Olsen Auditorium on the campus ofPacific Lutheran University.

Camas Prairie ElementaryJulie Esch

• PTA president• Involved ineverything frompopcorn toplayground• Makes schoolbetter placethrough her hardwork

which passage we worked on,”he said.

Later, in class, his coachingpaid off. Vega had paused, giv-ing the boy an opportunity tovolunteer. He hesitated, thenread it perfectly.

Johnson combines praise withdiscipline. He gives studentshigh fives and encouragement,but he also sets strict guidelinesfor behavior.

“At the beginning of the year,one boy would shut down,” hesaid. “He wouldn’t talk to anyoneor do anything. Because of ateam effort, he’s now reading,building things, attending as-semblies, and turning in his as-signments. He’s been able to turnthings around.”

Johnson says other peopleshould consider volunteering ata local school.

“You don’t need to know howto teach,” he said. “Just spendingtime one-on-one with a childmakes a huge difference.”

A team headed by communityconnections director SteveBrown selected Johnson as thedistrict volunteer of the year. TheWashington Association ofSchool Administrators honoredJohnson and other volunteersfrom neighboring districts at aceremony in Fife last month.

Elk Plain School of ChoicePam Kelshaw• More than 300hours of volunteertime• Helped withbackdrop forschool play• Organizedreading incentiveprogram

JUNE 2004BETHEL PRIDE • WWW.BETHELSD.ORG8 bethelpeople

Clover Creek ElementaryDarby Krumpos

• Organizesreadinghomework

• Helps with “ReadWell” materials• Involved inschoolimprovement

Clover Creek ElementaryMarisol Milatz• Assists in 1st and2nd gradeclassrooms

• Active in PTA

• Serves ondistrict facilitiescommittee

Elk Plain School of ChoiceRose Albright

• Works inclassrooms• Helps at schoolevents likeWinterfest• Recruited malecounselor foroutdoor camp

Evergreen ElementaryRhonda Denmark

• PTA organizedtwo book fairsand a sock-hop• PTA runs annualfundraiser• Group doeswhatever isneeded to helpstudents

Kapowsin ElementaryShelly Edminster

• Accumulatedmost volunteerhours• Always willing tohelp whenneeded• Dedicated,positive, supportiveof school

Graham ElementaryTammy DeBord• HelpedimplementAcceleratedReader program• Designed andupdates board forevery student• Active in PTA

Kapowsin ElementaryStacy Shown• Active in PTAand organizedcountless projects

• Chaired schooltalent show,organized musicalprograms• Helps teachersand office staff

Clover Creek ElementaryRhonda Gibson• Volunteer GirlScout leader, PTAtreasurer• Coachesbasketball,collects Campbelllabels• Helps in 2nd

grade classroom

Pioneer Valley ElementaryAlan Oyama• Received thePioneer ValleyMemorial GeneOboy Award• Coaches 4th and6th grade sports• Chaperones fieldtrips, attends allschool events

Rocky Ridge ElementaryVikki Oades

• Volunteers inclassrooms• Prepares classesfor field trips,serves refreshmentsat events• Shares sense ofhumor andpositive attitude

Roy ElementaryCandy Johnson• PTA secretary,will be next year’streasurer

• Runs studentstore

• Helps withpopcorn onFridays

Shining Mountain ElementaryTeri Kindsfather

• Helps withfundraisers,volunteers inclassrooms• Organizesevents, food andgift drives• Supports sportsteams

Shining Mountain ElementaryClayton Samuelson• Safewayemployee, BHSgrad and schoolvolunteer• Helps inclassrooms andcomputer lab• Serves as cheerfulrole model

Spanaway ElementaryEvelyn Shapiro

• 90-year-old tutorfor HOST readingprogram• Has spent herlife reaching outto others• Her humorsprings from herpositive outlook

Thompson ElementaryLinette Aparicio-Chagolla• Volunteers atleast three days aweek

• Helps strugglingstudents findsuccess

• Assists PTA andstaff , willing to “gothe extra mile”

Bethel Junior HighCathy Ball

• Brought PTSAback to life• Provides officesupport, helps inlibrary, chaperonesevents• Inspires othersto share their timeand talents

Cedarcrest Junior HighPam Tinkham• Runs choir’sbooster program• Organizes “KidsNight Out”• Videotapes choirconcerts sostudents canevaluateperformances

Cougar Mountain Jr. HighLaurie McGloothlin

• Helped withwith transitionfrom BJH to CMJH• Organized PTSAas active, workinggroup• Volunteers inhealth room andfront office

Frontier Jr. HighKris and Everett Blankenship• Helped with 12fundraisers

• Collectedpermission slipsfor 900 students

Spanaway Lake High SchoolJan Gerber• Althoughchildren nolonger at SLHS,continues to assistschool

• Helps withmailings• Always flexibleto assist

Spanaway Junior HighWendy DeBeaux

• Works tirelesslyto help studentsand staff• Helps with ASBactivities,chaperones fieldtrips• Helps recruit andorganize parents

Spanaway Junior HighKathy Short• Assists inattendance office

• Helps registrarduring busy times• Works with ASBfundraisers

Bethel High SchoolRobin Barnes• Organizesholiday fooddrives• Helps connectvolunteers withthe school• Assists in findingresources forteachers

Bethel High SchoolWayne McNeal

• Serves on sitecouncil• Adds expertiseto discussions onlearning andschool climate• Helps withHistory Day andband

North Star ElementaryVerne and Shirley Pierson

• Help studentswith writing andart lessons• Shirley teachesspecial craftlessons• Willing to offertheir time andexpertise

Naches Trail ElementaryDeena Salter

• Co-vicepresident of PTA• Volunteers in theChallenge program• Organizesactivities andmanagesvolunteers forevents

Naches Trail ElementaryBecky Griffith• Involved inCampbell’s Labelsfor Education• Collects labels,box tops; countsand records totals• Work has earnedequipment andfunds for school

S C H O O L V O L U N T E E R S O F T H E Y E A R

HelpingHands

Volunteers make a difference

Volunteer Edd Johnson and Centennial fifth-grader Patrick Harrisonexamine a brontosaurus model they made together. Johnsonearned recognition last month as the district’s volunteer of the year.

One-on-one contact leadsto student breakthroughs

Lend a hand

• Providementorship asseasonedmusicians

• Accompanychoir on fieldtrips.

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Interested in volunteering? Great! Schools can always usededicated community members to read to kids, help outwith field trips or assist in other classroom activities. Callyour local school or the district communications officeat 683-6050 for more information. All volunteers arerequired to complete a volunteer application andprovide photo identification. Background checks onvolunteer applicants can take up to two weeks.

Edd Johnson, the district’svolunteer of the year, workedclosely with Centennial El-ementary teachers Pam Vegaand Jennifer Laible to helpengage two fifth-grade boys.Johnson, a retired bread truckdriver, tutors the boys in read-ing and math. They also dohands-on activities like mak-ing model dinosaurs.

“It’s been wonderful to haveEdd work with these boys,”said Laible. “For classroomteachers, it’s really hard towork one-on-one with stu-dents for extended periods oftime. That’s why volunteerslike Edd are so important.”

Laible says Johnson’s skillsextend beyond tutoring.

“He’s been a good male rolemodel for the boys,” she said.

Recently the teachers andJohnson worked out a strategyto build reading ability. In aone-on-one session in the li-brary, Johnson focused on aparticular reading passagewith one of his learners. Theyread it together several times.Then he encouraged the boyto volunteer to read the pas-sage aloud during class read-ing time.

“After our session ended, Icalled Miss Vega and told her

JUNE 2004WWW.BETHELSD.ORG • BETHEL PRIDE 9bethelpride

ably not graduate,” he admitted.Rather than suspension,

Knaggs asked him to be his stu-dent assistant in the photo laband print shop. Parsons gradu-ated on time from BHS in 1966.His training led to work as a com-bat photographer in Viet Namand a stint as a photojournalistin Germany. Once out of the mili-tary, he earned his teaching de-gree. He went on to work in thedistrict’s alternative school, help-ing troubled kids get on the righttrack.

“I would never have become ateacher without Jim Knaggs,” hesaid, referring to himself as “theoriginal alternative student.”

As Parsons’ career in educa-tion comes to an end, he can’thelp but think back to the begin-ning and give thanks to theteachers who changed his life.

A few years ago, he put hisgratitude in stone. An engravedbrick on the wall at North StarElementary is dedicated to hismentor.

It reads: “Thanks, Mr. Knaggs– Curt.”

Phyllis SmithNaches Trail

In 1972, Phyllis Smith visitedone of her kindergartners’ homesfor a parent conference. At theend of the long, dirt road in

Spanaway, she found the studentand his sister standing in front ofa dilapidated house. Two chick-ens and a pig joined them insidethe house for the conference.

“The mother told me if I hadto go to the bathroom, she wouldtake me to her cousin’s house ahalf block away. The septic sys-tem was broken and theycouldn’t afford to fix it,” Smithsaid.

What happened next remainsa vivid memory.

“She handed me the best sau-cer they had and we drank tea,”she said. “They had nothing, butthey gave me the best they had.They treated me like a queen.”

Because of the family’s dire cir-cumstances, Smith worked out adeal with the mother to give thechildren a warm bath twice amonth at school. She also pro-vided clean clothes for the kidsto wear.

“We used a big, deep sink inthe janitor’s room and filled itwith warm, soapy water,” shesaid.

“It’s probably something wecouldn’t do today, but they reallyappreciated it.”

Smith tells her students everyday that she loves them. She saysthat throughout her career shehas tried to create a nurturing,academically rigorous environ-

ment.“As long as I’ve been in the

Bethel School District we’ve triedto do our best for kids and fami-lies, both academically and so-cially,” she said. “I think Bethel isa district with a lot of heart.”

Kerry BanyardChallenger

It was her first day on the job.Health clerk Kerry Banyard

walked into the faculty lounge atSpanaway Jr. High and saw awoman standing on her head ontop of a table.

“I knew then that this placewas going to be a great place towork,” said Banyard, who retiresfrom Challenger this year after 21years with the district.

The inverted woman was P.E.teacher Lorinda Beitz. Heramazed audience included fel-low P.E. teachers who didn’t thinkshe could do it.

“She said she could stand onher head, and they egged her on,”Banyard said.

Beitz held on long enough towin the bet.

It was enough to convinceBanyard that she’d like workingat the school. The job alsobrought her security and a senseof belonging.

Her husband had been sta-tioned in Korea, and she wasalone with two small children.

“I didn’t have a friend or a rela-tive here,” she said. The job ledto many enduring friendshipsand a chance to help students.

At the district’s alternativeschool, she’s learned the impor-tance of being positive and find-ing something good in everyone.She especially credits JohnZurfluh, a teacher at ChallengerSatellite, for helping her dealwith troubled kids.

“I learned to always give stu-dents another chance,” she said.“So many of them pulled out ofit and succeeded.”

Banyard plans to move to TwinFalls, Idaho, but vows she won’tsoon forget her “family” here.

“I intend to stay in touch,” shesaid.

Carl PetersonBethel High

Carl Peterson can tally upmany achievements in his 16years as a district administrator.

For the past five years, he’sbeen an assistant principal atBethel High. Before that, heheaded the seventh-grade acad-emy at Bethel Jr. High. He spentone year at Spanaway Lake asinterim principal.

And he had the opportunity toopen “two brand-spanking-new”elementary schools – CamasPrairie and Elk Plain School ofChoice.

A Friday afternoon in Febru-ary, 1992 remains one of his mostvivid memories. Elk Plain wasabout to register its first students– but not until Saturday morning.Peterson looked up from hisdesk. A woman caught his atten-tion.

“I’m here to register,” she said.“It’s tomorrow,” Peterson an-

swered.“I know. That’s why I’m here,”

she said.She wasn’t the only one.Parents camped out to be in

line to sign up their children ona first-come, first-served basis.

“They lined up along 22nd Av-enue out to the Mountain High-way, and all the way up to 208th,”Peterson said.

It was a festive atmosphere.“They had food, radios, cool-

ers, cots, folding chairs andsleeping bags,” he said.

The school was a new concepthere. It focused on science andfine arts. Children from all overthe district could register on aspace-available basis.

The superintendent worriedthat the concept might not work.

“He was nervous to the last,”said Peterson.

But the idea took off, and therest is history.

“People started visiting usfrom all over the country,” hesaid. “They had to make reserva-tions to come.”

Peterson’s work hasn’t goneunrecognized: the building’s per-forming arts center is named af-ter him. “Opening that schoolwas the biggest, most rewardingchallenge in my professional ca-reer,” he said.

RetireesContinued from 1

School may be out, but educa-tion won’t stop for hundreds ofdistrict students who will keepon learning while the sun’s shin-ing.

Summer school programsHigh school students may

choose from three different pro-grams.

• About 150 students are ex-pected to enroll in a traditionalsummer school at Cedarcrest Jr.High from June 25 through July23. Students may earn credits incommunications arts, socialstudies, science or math. Twodaily classes run from 7:30 to 9:30a.m and 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. Eachclass costs $150. For more infor-mation, call the district office at683-6000 or Challenger at 683-6891.

• High school-age studentsmay also earn credits throughthe district’s online courses. ThePLATO curriculum is alignedwith district requirements. Stu-dents may do their work anytime– 24 hours a day, seven days aweek – as long as they have e-mail access. Fees are $100 for asemester class (.5 credit) and$200 for a full credit. Currentlyabout 150 students are enrolledin the district’s online academy.

The program isn’t for every-one, says Dave LaBounty,Challenger’s principal. Studentsmust be self-directed.

“It takes a more mature learnerand someone with a passion towork at a computer,” LaBountysaid.

More information is availableon the district’s website:summerschool.bethelsd.org

• A third option for high school

students is the extended summerschool offered at Challenger.Classes run from June 21 throughAug. 13 at the Challenger site,Tuesday, Wednesday and Thurs-day mornings. About 120 stu-dents are expected to attend. Theschool serves students up to age21 whose education has been in-terrupted.

“Sometimes it’s a military fam-ily, a medical issue or a drop-outsituation,” said LaBounty. “Giveus a call, and we’ll get themstarted.”

Technology crewAnother 24 high school stu-

dents will get on-the-job train-ing, earn some money and workto improve the district’s technol-ogy program. They’ll be workingin the secondary schools repair-ing, refurbishing and inventory-ing school technology. The crewwill work 18 hours a week andearn minimum wage.

“It’s good for them and goodfor the district,” said Marc Elliott,the district’s technology special-ist. “They’ll learn valuable tech-nical skills and teamwork. Thedistrict will get a lot of projectsdone that would be difficult to dowithout them.”

Students will also develop in-structional materials and leadclasses at the district’s summerinstitute for teachers.

A culminating project may in-clude providing tech support fora large summer conference orspecial event in the Puget Soundarea.

Students interested in nextsummer’s program should con-tact a computer teacher at theirschool.

Elementary summer day campYounger kids – ages 6 to12 –

will have fun at the Boys & GirlsClub Summer Day Camp atThompson Elementary inSpanaway. The camp runs fromJune 21 through Aug. 13. Stu-dents may attend Mondaythrough Friday from 7 a.m. to 6p.m.

Besides arts and activities, ses-sions will include field trips ev-ery Tuesday and Thursday. Par-ticipants will play golf and iceskate at Sprinker, visit NorthwestTrek and Point Defiance Zoo,tour local businesses and evenspend a day at Wild Waves. Fieldtrips range from free to $18.

The program is limited to 60

participants. Children may reg-ister for individual weeks or forthe entire session.

Registration fee is $25; weeklyfees are $85. Lunch and twosnacks are provided.

For more information, contactCarrie Ching, program director,at 683-5821.

A 24-member crew of high school students will work on district technology this summer. Above, BethelHigh student, Joel Bentz, refurbishes an older-model computer.

Summer offers more learning opportunitiesCredits, computers and camp

“They had nothing, but they gave me thebest they had. They treated me like aqueen.”

Phyllis Smith, Naches Trail,recalling a home visit

“They had food, radios, coolers, cots,folding chairs and sleeping bags.”

Carl Peterson, Bethel High,recalling the opening of Elk Plain School of Choice

BHS student serves aspage in Congress

Bethel High junior Julie Fordwas selected to serve as a pagein the U.S. House of Represen-tatives this summer. Ford wasone of just 10 students nation-wide selected to serve twosessions in June and July. Pagesperform administrative dutiessuch as delivering correspon-dence in the Capitol.

Mary Bridge offers freehealth screening

Mary Bridge Hospital teamswith the Lions to offer freehealth screening at theSpanaway Street Fair on 161st

and Park Avenue, July 31 from10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Aug.1from noon to 4 p.m. Screeningincludes blood pressure,diabetes, hearing and vision.Call (253) 531-8520 for moreinformation.

New students mustregister for school

Students entering Bethelschools for the first time mustregister before school starts inthe fall. This includes enteringkindergarten students andchildren moving into thedistrict.

• Next year’s kindergartnersmust be 5 years old by Aug. 31.Bring a birth certificate and animmunization record.

• Students entering grades 1-9 must provide their immuniza-tion record.

• Students entering grades 7-9 must bring a report card fromtheir previous school.

Registration packets areavailable at the district office,516 176th St. E., in Spanaway.Parents are encouraged toregister students as soon aspossible.

Frontier honors vetsFrontier Jr. High observed

Memorial Day with a specialceremony organized by teacherCharles Rennaker. The assem-bly included short speeches bydignitaries, patriotic songs bythe school band and choir,presentation of colors by the Ft.Lewis honor guard and a drillby the Spanaway Lake NJROTC.Congressman Adam Smith,Brigadier General MichaelDunn, Colonel Eric Crabtreeand Superintendent Tom Seigelparticipated in the event.Military personnel presentedfolded American flags to threedistrict representatives onbehalf of former students andstaff who sacrificed their livesfor their country.

Kiwanis auction raisesfunds for scholarships

Parkland-Spanaway KiwanisClub sponsored an auction lastmonth at SLHS that nettedmore than $20,000 for studentscholarships for students in theBethel and Franklin Pierceschool districts. Items includeda Mercury Sable stationwagon(donated by SuperintendentTom Seigel), a week at a condoin Palm Desert, flying lessonsand more.

Cedarcrest hosts firstWalkAmerica

Team Bethel raised morethan $30,000 at the annualMarch of Dimes WalkAmericaevent April 24 at Cedarcrest Jr.High. Team Bethel coordinatorMike Sandner said the teammade “an outstanding effort.”Teams from Pioneer Valley,Clover Creek and Camas Prairieraised the most money.

JUNE 2004BETHE PRIDE • WWW.BETHELSD.ORG10 bethelbuildings

Right now it’s torn-up turfand piles of crushed gravel.

But come September, it willbe an athlete’s dream cometrue.

Once referred to as the“mud bowl,” Art Crate Field,next to Bethel High School,starts a new life this fall withartificial turf. Football, soccerand track and field events willbenefit from the communityeffort to transform the grassfield into a first-class athleticsurface.

More than $1 million ofpublic funds – half fromPierce County and half fromthe state – will pay for theproject. An additional $26,000came from individual andcorporate donors.

All the work will be done

without using school districtfunds.

“It’s nearly a miracle,” said RobVan Slyke, executive director foroperations.

Jim Hansen, director of con-struction and planning, echoedhis enthusiasm.

“Other school districts couldnot believe we did it,” he said. “Itgenerally doesn’t work that way.”

Although the field belongs tothe district, it will be operatedunder a joint-use agreementwith the county.

All district schools will shareequally in the use of facility. Soc-cer, flag football and other recre-ational activities will also be wel-comed.

The Spanaway, Graham,Eatonville Soccer Club has morethan 400 local youngsters who

will play up to a dozen matcheseach weekend. The kids are “justitching” to try out the new turf.

“It’s going to put our kids onthe map as far as soccer is con-cerned,” said Andy Roberts, SGEclub president.

Coaches and athletes say thatthe upgrade is long overdue.

“It’s going to give them a state-of-the-art surface to play on,”said Dan Heltsley, district ath-letic director. “It will be a safer,more competitive surface, re-gardless of the weather.”

The new field also allows thedistrict to host high school foot-ball playoff games. WashingtonInterscholastic Athletic Associa-tion rules require artificial turffor such games.

Wear and tear on the grass sur-face turned it into “mostly mud”

by the end of the season, Heltsleysaid. The News Tribune referredto the field as the “mud bowl.”

The tybrid turf is nylon pile, in-filled with rubber. The 2-inchlong fibers look like natural grass.The surface is guaranteed to lasteight years, but is expected topass the stress test for about 12years.

Before contractors took over,district workers dug up old sprin-kler heads to use at other schoolsites, uprooted goal posts to berelocated to Bethel Jr. High, andeven removed sand from jumppits to use at other playfieldsaround the district.

Work is expected to be com-plete by the end of August. Thefirst varsity football game is Sept.3, with Spanaway Lake hostingPuyallup.

pact fees for each newly builthome.

“We turn that money rightaround and buy portables,”said Van Slyke.

The district received about$1.8 million in impact fees lastyear. It went directly to pro-vide immediate classroomspace to alleviate overcrowd-ing. Last fall, the district had164 portables placed at schoolsites. Another 12 “temporary”buildings are on order forSeptember.

Yet portable classrooms be-come a drain on the core fa-cility. The main building sim-ply can’t support the needs ofso many additional studentsand staff. Septic systems,lunchrooms, office space,parking and play areas can’tkeep up.

At Graham, for example, theplayground area had to be cutback because some of theschool’s nine portablesblocked the line of sight foradequate supervision. Atlunch, administrators “pullthe wall” to divide the gym soone side can be used for stu-dents to eat. Parking conges-

tion before and after school turnsstaff members into traffic cops,says Principal Kelley Boynton.

Evergreen Elementary inSpanaway faces similar prob-lems. The compact campusdoesn’t have room for any moreportables.

Parking is inadequate for staff,let alone parents who come in tovolunteer.

“The parking lot at dismissaltime is just a nightmare,” saidPrincipal Suzanne Dobb. “Wehave walkers, busses and parentsin cars picking up their kids.”

As might be expected, safetybecomes a critical issue.

“We’re making changes in theparent pick-up for next year,”Dobb said. “But it’s only a stop-gap measure.”

Years of overloaded buildingsalso take a toll. Spanaway LakeHigh opened in 1981. Built for1,200, it will house nearly 1,800next school year.

“People don’t realize how hardkids are on a building,” said Prin-cipal Greg Eisnaugle. “When yourun that many people throughthe doors in 20 years, the build-ing just becomes worn out.”

Because of the shortage of

space, schools rely on their owncreative solutions to make thingswork.

Graham’s orchestra practicesat the end of a hallway.

Student musicians store theirchairs in the gym. A storage roomhas been turned into office

space.“We use every little nook and

cranny,” said Boynton. “Although we have all these

barriers, we’ll get the job done,and we’ll do it well. But it wouldreally be nice to have morespace.”

GrowthContinued from 1

Work begins on Art Crate FieldI N B R I E F

Artificial surface to be ready by fall

The state and county came up with $1 million to install a state-of-the-art artificial surface at the district’s stadium.The field will be used by secondary schools and community groups.

So many students, so little space – Graham is one of the state’s largestelementary schools.

JUNE 2004WWW.BETHELSD.ORG • BETHEL PRIDE 11bethelsports

Bethel grad to compete in Athens Olympicsfor three weeks of focused in-struction and practice.

In the three-position event,competitors fire shots in prone,standing and kneeling positions.The pre-Olympics training willfocus on finals matches in whichshots are timed and pressurebuilds.

“Everyone is watching you,”said Hicks. “The room is dead si-lent. It’s very stressful.”

Experts say the U.S. OlympicTrials are known to be some ofthe most intense competitions inthe world. Having jumpedthrough that hoop gives Hicks asense of confidence.

“I think we’ll do well,” she said.“The U.S. team is very competi-tive.”

Growing interestIt all began back in 1995 when

her father, Ross Hicks, encour-aged his children to try theirhands at shooting. All three ofthe Hicks kids showed surprisingtalent.

Graham (BHS ’98) earned ashooting scholarship to Jackson-ville State University in Alabama.Cameron (BHS ’04) recently tookeighth in the nation at the JuniorOlympics in Colorado. He’ll at-tend Murray State on scholar-ship.

The middle kid, Morgan, gothooked early on.

“Dad thought my olderbrother and I were good shots sohe encouraged us,” she said. “Hetook me to a few of my brother’spractices, and that got me inter-ested.”

The future Olympian becamea standout at the Paul BunyanRifle Club in Puyallup, earningnumerous awards, honors andscholarships.

Along the way, she receivedstrong support from staff at BHS.

“I remember telling Mr. (John)Reopelle that I won a state cham-pionship in a club event,” shesaid. “Even though it wasn’t aschool sport, he awarded me aletter for my letterman’s jacket. It

was neat to be recognized.”She says many others at the

school encouraged her includingteachers Larry Gliege and KathyParis and school secretary KathyLathrop.

Building confidenceEven though Hicks has ex-

celled at every turn, her runthrough the elite ranks of com-petitive rifle shooting has notbeen without doubts. In fact, af-ter her junior year she soughtadvice from a university sportspsychologist because shewanted to learn how to get into“the zone” – the space where ath-letes achieve their best resultsthrough sheer focus.

“He convinced me to be moreself-confident,” she said. “I al-ways thought of myself as good,

but I thought so many otherswere better than me. He said, ‘Idon’t want you to think thatyou’re conceited, but you need tobe aware of your talent. You’rebetter than most.’”

Several months later, thesharpshooter grabbed the NCAADivision I title in a unique co-edcompetition that pitted heragainst the best women and menin the country.

Media attentionSince her victory in the NCAA

tournament, Hicks has becomesomewhat of a media star. CBSaired an interview with her inApril; the Seattle Times ran astory in May; and several news-papers and radio stations in Ken-tucky have covered her accom-plishments.

Back in junior high, MorganHicks used to write “FutureOlympian” next to her namewhile signing friends’ yearbooks.Now the 22-year-old athlete hasmade that dream come true byqualifying for this summer’sOlympic Games in Athens.

Hicks finished second in the5 0 - m e t e rthree-positions m a l l - b o r erifle competi-tion at theOlympic Trialsat FortB e n n i n g ,Georgia lastmonth. Shescored 1,943.3points, just

one-half point behind first-placefinisher Sarah Blakeslee ofVancouver, Washington. The toptwo athletes in each event qualifyfor the Olympics.

Ironically, it was the air riflecompetition – in which sheplaced fifth – that she consideredher best event.

“I was shocked,” Hicks, a 2000Bethel High graduate, said in atelephone interview last week.

“Going down there, I knew Ihad a chance of being in the topfive, but never in my wildestdreams did I think I’d make theteam.”

Making the Olympics is justone in a long list of accomplish-ments. The Roy native earned amajor scholarship to MurrayState University in Kentucky; shewon the Junior Olympics in 2001;she captured the NCAA title thisyear in air rifle shooting; she shota perfect score last February inan air rifle competition; and nowthe big one: The Olympic Games.

Keeping calm, cooland collected

Before the Aug. 13 openingceremony and Aug. 20 rifle com-petition, Hicks faces intensetraining. She and her elite team-mates head to the Olympic Train-ing Center in Colorado Springs

Junior highs finish track season in styleBethel Jr. High girls re-defined

the word “dominate” when theytook home first place at the May27 conference meet at Sumner Jr.

High. The Bull-dogs won theeight-schoolevent with ateam score of140 points.C e d a r c r e s tplaced secondwith 105points.

In boys ac-tion, Spanaway Jr. High andCedarcrest placed second andthird, respectively, as Sumner Jr.High took home top honors.

For the BJH girls, this year’swin earned them back-to-backtitles.

“Working with the girls thisyear was a joy,” said Kevin Kintz,who coaches with Mike Sniezak.“They turned in some marvelousperformances. They were a hard-working, competitive group.”

Sadena Parks, Brittany Hodge,Markelle Gallagher and RosieRuth led the Bulldogs.

Parks, who won the 100-meterdash and triple jump, said sheobserved pro athletes to improveher form.

“I watch track meets on TV,”she said. “I notice how the sprint-ers start low, pop up toward themiddle and bring it home. I triedto copy them.”

Cedarcrest long-distance run-ner Nicole Cochran claimedthree titles: 400 meters, 800meters and 1,600 meters.Frontier’s Brittany Grigsby wonthe 200-meter dash and led herteam to victory in the 4x100 re-lay and 4x200 relay.

On the boys side, Cedarcrest’sAnthony Kemmer took hometitles in the 800 meters and 1,600meters. Spanaway Jr. Highsprinter Jer-emy Ammonswon the 200-meter dash,placed secondin the 100-meter dash,and led histeam to firstplace in the4x100 relayand 4x400 re-lay.

Competing schools includedBethel, Spanaway, Frontier, Cou-gar Mountain, Cedarcrest,Mountain View, Lakeridge andSumner.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking,”she said. “But I guess I’ll get usedto it.”

CountdownAs she prepares for the biggest

challenge of her life, the Olympicathlete finds solace in knowingthat her parents will join her inAthens.

Ross and Janet Hicks arespending thousands of dollars tomake the trip to see their daugh-ter compete.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal,”said her father.

Morgan’s voice smiles as sherecounts a recent conversationwith her father.

“He told me that I’m living hisdream. And I told him, ‘It’s mydream, too, Dad.’”

Sharpshooter Morgan Hicks qualifies in 50-meter small-bore rifle competition

After intense practice at the Olympic Training Center, Morgan Hicks will head for her Aug. 20 riflecompetition in Athens. Hicks graduated from Bethel High in 2000.

Junior high conference finalsEvent First Place Second Place Third Place

(Girls)

75-meter Markelle Brittany Autumnhurdles Gallagher (BJH) Hodge (BJH) Knutson (FJH)

110-meter Brittany Markelle Yasmein

hurdles Hodge(BJH) Gallagher(BJH) Rogers(SJH)

100-meter Sadena Brittany Markelledash Parks (BJH) Grigsby (FJH) Gallagher (BJH)

200-meter Brittany Brittany Camilledash Grigsby (FJH) Young (CJH) Love (BJH)

400-meter Nicole Camille Brittanyrun Cochran (CJH) Love (BJH) Young (CJH)

800-meter Nicole Junko Traneciarun Cochran (CJH) Kondo (SJH) Celestine (CJH)

1600-meter Nicole Theresa Junkorun Cochran (CJH) Edwards (MJH) Kondo (SJH)

4 X 100 Frontier Cedarcrest Sumnerrelay

4 X 200 Frontier Cedarcrest Bethelrelay

4 X 400 Spanaway Cedarcrest Mountain Viewrelay

Long jump Rosie Camille EricaRuth (BJH) Love (BJH) Kobe (MJH)

High jump Brittany Vanessa MarkelleYoung (CJH) Ayres(Sum) Gallagher (BJH)

Triple jump Sadena Camille RosieParks (BJH) Love (BJH) Ruth (BJH)

Shot put Kady Stephanie CourtnieVibier (Sum) McEntires (Sum) Martin (SJH)

Event First Place Second Place Third Place

(Boys)

75-meter Chase Evan Evanhurdles Krumins (CJH) Harrison (BJH) Carlson (Sum)

110-meter Chase Phillip Darnellhurdles Krumins (CJH) Villanueva (BJH) Harrris (SJH)

100-meter Alec Jeremy Phillipdash Simmons (Sum) Ammons (SJH) Villanueva (BJH)

200-meter Jeremy Alec Reggiedash Ammons (SJH) Simmons (Sum.) Christor (FJH)

400-meter Alec Paul Kevinrun Simmons (Sum) Winger (LJH) Crofts (MJH)

800-meter Anthony Brian Mattrun Kemmer (CJH) Hughes (Sum) Smith (FJH)

1600-meter Anthony Brian Ericrun Kemmer (CJH) Hanes (Sum) Calliham (CJH)

4 X 100 Spanaway Sumner Lakeridgerelay

4 X 200 Cedarcrest Lakeridge Sumnerrelay

4 X 400 Spanaway Mountain View Frontierrelay

Long Jump Evan Reggie KaiCarlson (Sum) Christor (FJH) Redro (SJH)

High jump Nate Evan JaredStevenson (BJH) Carlson (Sum) Perkins (Sum)

Triple jump Evan Kai AnthonyCarlson (Sum) Pedro (SJH) Neal (SJH)

Shot put Emmanuel Nick LeviLainivec (Sum) Campbell (FJH) McNaughton (MJH)

Overall: Bethel (14 0 points), Cedarcrest (105), Sumner (72.5), Mountain View(61), Frontier (56), Spanaway (50), Cougar Mountain (19), Lakeridge (18.5).

Overall: Sumner (125 points), Spanaway (106.5), Cedarcrest (83), Bethel (58),Frontier (53), Lakeridge (38.5), Mountain View (37), Cougar Mountain (17)

Morgan Hicks

Sadena Parks

BrittanyGrigsby

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JUNE 2004BETHEL PRIDE • WWW.BETHELSD.ORG12 bethelleaders

Public schools are justthat – schools ownedand operated by the communi-

ties they serve.Bethel schools aim to reach out to our

growing and changing population. Wecurrently serve more than 17,000 stu-dents.

It is our mission to do all we can to pro-mote academic achievement and prepareour children for the future. We can’t do italone. We value and welcome public in-put.

Report cards are out for the kids; nowit’s your turn to evaluate what we do.

The following is a list of accomplish-ments that Superintendent Tom Seigelprovided the Bethel Board of Directors forhis annual evaluation.

Take a minute or two to read throughthe list and fill out the survey below. Letus know how we’re doing and where weneed to improve.

Meeting district goals, asking for public inputF R O M T H E T O P

First Mackenzie, then it’s your turn – Rocky Ridge 5th grader Mackenzie Lancaster has lotsto tell Superindendent Tom Seigel at the school’s annual barbecue and Field Day.

How are we doing?We greatly value community feedback. Please take a moment to fill out the following survey on thedistrict’s performance. If you would like to take the survey online, please go to www.bethelsd.org.

Improve academic performance• Increased WASL scores in reading, math and

writing• Increased number of students taking Advanced

Placement and Honors courses• Invested $1.8 million in new elementary

communication arts textbooks, new junior highmath textbooks and new world languagetextbooks

• Purchased FOSS science kits for grades 7-8; trainedteachers to use kits

• Worked with counselors to emphasize academiccounseling

• Used assessment data to develop schoolimprovement programs

• Implemented full-day highly capable “Endeavor”program at Spanaway Elementary

• Developed grade-level required reading lists forgrades 7-8

• Increased science teacher support for grades K-6• Won statewide award for professional

development program• Conducted science, laboratory, and materials

safety reviews• Conducted instructional audits at several

elementary schools to focus on instructionalexcellence

• Installed the new “Destiny” library system tostreamline finding and checking out books

• Expanded Battle of the Books program to juniorhighs

• Added nursing, firefighting, and motorizedrecreation vehicle repair classes throughpartnership with Bates Technical College; enginerepair and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)classes to be added in 2004-2005

• Provided staff development opportunities forvocational teachers to increase their competencyin teaching WASL-related subjects

• Added honors program at Cougar Mountain Jr.High

• Promoted online learning with the alignment ofthe PLATO computer software learning program tostatewide standards

• Provided beginning teachers with support forcurriculum development and classroommanagement from experienced teachers

Improve community-school relations• Became the only school district in Pierce County to

earn a “community leadership award” from UnitedWay for raising $45,000 in employee donations

• Raised more than $30,000 in hosting the March ofDimes’ WalkAmerica at Cedarcrest Jr. High

• Tripled the use of school district facilities byvarious community groups in the last two years

• Provided space and staff support for the BethelFamily Center to offer youth and family services tothe community

• Became the first school district in the state tocommit to “America’s Promise,” a program initiatedby former U.S. presidents to ensure studentsuccess

• Increased before and after-school opportunitiesfor students throughout the district

• Expanded GED courses to Challenger andSpanaway Learning Center

• Offered English as a Second Language (ESL)classes through Pierce College

• Involved the community in district committeessuch as facilities, curriculum, diversity and highschool naming

• Involved the community in career fairs as guestspeakers and mentors in vocational programs

• Partnered with Good Samaritan Hospital, TacomaCommunity House, Stand up for Kids, Pierce

Diversity Actions• Sponsored community diversity forum• Hired diversity facilitator based on community

feedback• Provided diversity and cultural awareness training

opportunities to staff and students• Ensured new curriculum textbooks contained

literature from diverse perspectives• Hired motivational speaker, Albert Mensah, to

work with students, staff and community membersat all five junior highs regarding the strengths ofdiversity

• Received grant to promote safe schools andhealthy students

• Promoted appreciation for multiculturalenvironment through classroom activities andschool assemblies

• Provided school grants through the diversity taskforce

• Successfully defended claims filed by individualsthrough the Office of Civil Rights

Improve Communications• Received six statewide awards for Bethel Pride• Received statewide award for improved design

and content of district Web site• Sponsored community “chats” with the

superintendent• Initiated monthly e-mail from the superintendent

to community members• Sponsored superintendent meetings with realtors,

faith community leaders and other keycommunicators to update them on district news

• Sponsored parent information nights for allsecondary schools regarding new graduationrequirements

• Promoted internal communications throughregular e-mails, monthly paycheck letters andmeetings with staff in each building

• Initiated superintendent meetings with eachmember of the 70-member district leadershipteam to get feedback on areas for improvement,budget and other areas of concern

• Produced a video on school district studentgrowth and school construction

• Produced redesigned annual school reports tonotify parents and community members ofindividual school achievement

Provide guidance of capital construction• Delivered Kapowsin Elementary on time and

Cougar Mountain Jr. High 10 months early

Review and improve operationsdistrictwide

• Installed fiber optic network system and updatedapplications to improve technology support

• Placed job applications on Web site for greatervisibility and ease in reaching quality candidates

• Installed more than 750 new computers andupgraded more than 1,000 computersin the last year

• Developed plans to implement new studentrecords system in September 2004

• Implemented new telephone system to improveefficiency

• Continue to emphasize customer service andincreased efficiency

• Obtained $25,000 science technology grant fromBoeing

• Added all-day kindergarten programs atSpanaway, Evergreen and Camas Prairieelementary schools

• Completed first year of Navy Junior ROTC atSpanaway Lake High; program to double to 300students next year

• Received Pierce County Excellence in the ArtsAward; earned awards in several statewide artscompetitions

County Health Department, Boys and Girls Club,Bethel Education Scholarship Team, GrahamBusiness Association, Spanaway Learning Center,Bethel Citizens for School Support, Bethel AreaCouncil, Children’s Home Society, Bethel SchoolDistrict Foundation, Youth Builds, Alliance forYouth of Pierce County and other communityorganizations to provide services to children andtheir families

• Completed both buildings on budget• New high school in Graham set to open on time

and on budget in September 2005• Acquired $1 million from state and county

government to upgrade surface at Art Crate Field(to be completed by August 2004)

• Purchased property near Frontier Jr. High to offerfuture growth options

• Will break ground this summer on ThompsonElementary with plans for a complete rebuild –more than was promised in 2001 bond because ofstrong project management and a positive bondmarket

• Placed emergency storage containers (includingelectrical generators) at every school site

• Completed energy conservation projects tomaximize resources

• Installed 18 portable classrooms last summer• Completed two school roofing projects and two

school flooring projects• Completed all major repairs of existing buildings

two to four years ahead of 2001 bondrequirements

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Contact the school board:

Email: dtownsend@bethelsd.org

Phone: Dennis Townsend 537-2186Susan Smith 847-1321Ken Blair 537-1486Joy Cook 893-6393Brenda Rogers 893-5425

Next meetings (7p.m.):Tuesday, June 22 at ESCTuesday, July 13 at ESCTuesday, July 27 at ESC

Please send to: Mark Wenzel, Bethel Schools Communications, 516 East 176th Street East, Spanaway, WA 98387

Comments/Questions:

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1. Academic performance

2. Community - school relations

3. Communications

4. Capital construction

5. Operations districtwide

6. Diversity