By Neil Pierson

At Discovery Elementary School in Sammamish last week, fourth-grade students huddled around plastic bins filled with sediment and conducted sci-ence experi-ments about water flow.

It was a sim-ple lesson, but one that might not have been possible without private funding.

Each of the 15 elementary schools in the Issaquah School District has received money to improve its science curricu-lum from the Issaquah Schools Foundation, a non-profit organi-zation. It’s just one of dozens of programs ISF assists every year at all grade levels.

Discovery Principal Tera Coyle said curriculum upgrades immediately impacted reading test scores last year, the first year of implementation. She expects the same for writing assessments, as teachers will get a boost this year for professional develop-ment in that area.

“Our science scores have also gone up substantially,” Coyle said, “and I do believe it’s because

the kids are getting terminology, they’re getting hands-on experi-ence, but yet they’re also being held accountable to write about their science experience. They

have science journals that they record their data in.”

ISF is in the middle of its annual “All in for Kids” fundraiser, which seeks to close the gap between what the state pro-vides for basic

education and what students need for a high-quality education.

The organization’s goal for 2013 is $440,000, and it had raised roughly 40 percent of it as of last week, development direc-tor Lynn Juniel said.

ISF will be mailing donation requests this month to all district families and past donors, and Juniel expects about 200 volun-teers to help with a three-night pledge drive over the phone in November. The foundation donates $25 to every high-school student who works the phones, and it becomes a fundraiser for many school clubs.

“I know a lot of people in the community love to hear the kids call,” Juniel said. “We also know

that all the kids need money, so we’re happy to cut those checks for them.”

Technology is an area ISF tends to focus on, Juniel said. They’ve provided $6,000 to each

of Issaquah’s high schools for

COMMUNITY 6 l October 9, 2013 SAMMAMISH REVIEW

66

Donations making big impact in Issaquah classrooms

How to donateTo give money to

this year’s ‘All in for Kids’ campaign, visit the Issaquah Schools Foundation website at www.isfdn.org.

By Neil Pierson

Eric Montoya has been part of dozens of art exhibits and pro-grams since graduating from the Art Institute of Seattle in 1987, but his appearance at this week-end’s Sammamish Arts Festival is happening somewhat by chance.

Montoya recently moved from Seattle to Sammamish, and while his paintings have been viewed at galleries from coast to coast, he’s never participated in a small, local event like this year’s seventh annual incarnation at Sammamish City Hall.

“I saw the arts fair and thought it was a great way to get involved in the community,” said Montoya, who also had his work on display at the upscale

Sammamish Nights event in August.

“For me, what’s neat about it is seeing the community come out,” he said. “There’s something about being closer to the arts, closer to the event, and it’s just kind of fun.”

Much of Montoya’s works are oil-based canvas paintings. He’s inspired by many things, includ-ing his 3-year-old daughter, the plants in his garden, and the complexity of American society.

Montoya’s “Memoir Americana” series reflects his thoughts of “how we see our-selves as Americans,” he said. The paintings include depictions of the Space Needle, Midwestern File photo

Artist and art lovers crowd City Hall’s lobby during last year’s Sammamish Arts Fair.

Sammamish Arts Fair creates place for creativity

See ART, Page 7

Photo by Neil PiersonDiscovery Elementary School third-grader Ansley Jaye reads a book in Stephanie Keibel’s class-room on Oct. 4. The Issaquah Schools Foundation has helped fund a more advanced reading curriculum for Issaquah district students.

See ISF, Page 7

88

sports 8 l October 9, 2013 SAMMAMISH REVIEW

By Neil Pierson

The Eastlake High School vol-leyball team is looking to reach the Class 4A state tournament this fall, and they believe they’ve got enough talent on their roster to get the job done.

There’s been one missing ingredient, though, that has been apparent in two early-season losses. The Wolves have to play with fire at all times, regardless of whether they’re winning or losing the match.

“I think our energy can just go up and down sometimes,” said Jordan Dahl, a sophomore outside hitter. “I think we’re kind of a new team, but I think we’re getting the hang of it and we’re going to have a good season.”

The Wolves were plenty hun-gry to play in an Oct. 2 match at Woodinville, taking charge from the start for a 3-0 victory in KingCo Conference action.

Relentless play from all six positions helped fuel Eastlake’s 25-18, 26-24, 25-17 victory over the Falcons. Senior outside hit-ter Angela Pellicano led all play-ers with 15 kills and 15 digs. Dahl added nine kills, 10 digs and a block, while junior middle

blocker Ellie Woerner chipped in seven kills and two blocks.

Janna Tonnahill, Eastlake’s fourth-year head coach, said beating Woodinville represented a “good team win” in which the Wolves kept their energy and communication levels high, two factors for success in another team’s gymna-sium.

“We knew that we would have to play hard and we would need to play our game, that (Woodinville) were going to put up a fight,” Tonahill said. “They’re a scrappy team, and they work really hard, so we needed to play our game. We needed to be solid, otherwise it might not have ended like that.”

On paper, the straight-set win might have appeared relatively easy for Eastlake, but it had to keep Woodinville at bay during several junctures.

After winning the first four points of the night, Eastlake built a 16-8 lead. Woodinville

had some life after trimming its deficit to 21-17, but the Wolves finished the first set with a flour-ish. Pellicano slammed down two kills, and McKenna Hawksford served one of her four aces.

In the second set, Woodinville scored six of the first seven points before Eastlake came

roaring back. With a seem-ingly safe lead at 21-15, however, the Wolves made some errors and allowed the Falcons to earn a set point.

But fol-lowing a

Falcons serving error, Pellicano and Woerner recorded consecu-tive kills, and the Wolves escaped with a 2-0 lead.

Dahl indicated it was a momentum-changing moment.

“I think we got a little down on ourselves, but we brought it back in the end, and I think that helped us in the third game,” she said.

Photo by Neil PiersonEastlake’s Angela Pellicano prepares to serve during an Oct. 2 volleyball match at Woodinville. Pellicano had 15 kills, 15 digs and three aces in the Wolves’ 3-0 win.

High-energy effort leads Wolves volleyball past Falcons

See VOLLEY, Page 9

“We needed to play our game. We needed to be

solid, otherwise it might not have ended like

that.”– Janna Tonahill,

Coach –

By Neil Pierson

Stephanie Munoz and Yui Umezawa have accomplished a lot during their swimming careers, but their ambitions have grown even larger at the start of their senior seasons at Skyline High School.

Munoz and Umezawa were major factors in Skyline’s 122-63 victory over Issaquah School District rival Liberty on Oct. 1 at Boehm Pool, and the results they’ve posted in the Spartans’ first four meets have them on pace for an outstanding finish at the Class 4A state championships in November.

Against Liberty, Umezawa captured first place in the 200-yard individual medley (2 min-utes, 18.31 seconds) and 100 backstroke (1:01.40) Her times were slower than her season-best marks, but she’s already turned in a state-qualifying mark of 1:00.34 in the backstroke and is within a second of qualifying in the 200 IM.

Umezawa has competed at the state meet in each of her first three seasons at Skyline, but has yet to win a medal in five indi-

vidual events. She didn’t post her best marks against Liberty, but said she felt very good about her performances.

“I had goals going into my races, making sure I got 15 meters underwater for my back-stroke, and I was really proud of myself,” she said. “Going into my races, I’m not always about the time. I always have little goals of something I want to do for every race, and as long as I carry those out, I’m really happy with my time.”

Munoz, who won state medals as a sophomore and junior, has started the 2013 season stronger than any before it. She broke the state time standard in the 100 butterfly by previously swim-ming 1:00.18, and she won the event against Liberty in 1:02.32.

“I’m really happy with that,” she said. “It’s my first year where I’ve actually made my time before (the league meet), so I’m excited. … I want to just find a way into the top-eight again in the 100 fly, and another event that I don’t know of yet.”

Versatility is one of Munoz’s

Seniors Munoz, Umezawa pace Skyline swimmers’ win

See SWIM, Page 12

Photo by Greg FarrarStephanie Muñoz, Skyline High School senior, strokes through the water on the way to winning her 100-yard butterfly race against Liberty Oct. 1 at Boehm Pool.