WHS Knowledge Bowl Team earns Third in Regionals

High school Knowledge Bowl is where education meets competition. The new program at Washougal High School recently buzzed in an impressive third place Regional finish on February 22 held at Lower Columbia College in Longview.  Their sights are now set on the State competition on March 19 in Arlington, WA.

Pam Crockford, WSD Substitute Teacher, is the new WHS Knowledge Bowl coach after a previous coach left the district.  Crockford has coached the WHS Science Olympiad team for 3 years.  The Science Olympiad team recently earned a second place title at its regional competition also at Lower Columbia College in Longview.  That State meet will be at Eastern Washington University, April 16th.

“I am just learning about the logistics of coaching Knowledge Bowl,” Crockford said.  “But it is not about me. It is about the kids and they are the ones who make it all work.”

Sophomore Emma Hein is the WHS Knowledge Bowl captain.  She and other teammates had come from strong Washougal middle school programs.  As captain, Hein gives the final team answer in competition. “I also help to facilitate which answer is the correct one if several people disagree on the team,” she said. According to Hein, it is difficult to study for competition due to the huge range of questions.  But practice in thinking quickly and working together does help.

Asked if the competitions feel like a sport, Hein agreed that they could be considered mental athletes and they do work as a team.  “Chemistry between team members does impact how well you do,” she explained.  “I‘d say we finally nailed it at regionals.  We worked together and it showed.”

Crockford agrees. “Chemistry is important and so is having fun and enjoying who you are teamed with,” she said. “Having a variety of knowledge backgrounds is a real plus.  It is also good to know who on the team knows what topics really well.”

“At competition a student can buzz in even if you don’t know the answer but they know a teammate who probably does,” explained Hein.  “You have to be fast to push the button.  It can be very strategic.”

This year WHS also has enough interest to field a Junior Varsity team.  “They are a group of kids who really enjoy each other,” Crockford said.  “And they were very strong against some big competition.”

Winter Sports Recap

WRESTLING
WHS Wrestlers competed at the State Mat Classic in Tacoma in February.
Girls results: Baylee Wright, 7th; Morgan Ratcliff, 3rd; Christina Murray, 4th; and Abby Lees, 2nd. The girls finished 4th place overall.
Boys results: Taylor Leifsen, 7th.

BASKETBALL
WHS girls have qualified for the state tournament for the first time in 33 years.

UNIFIED BASKETBALL
WHS Unified Basketball Team headed to the Special Olympics State Competition in Wenatchee on March 5, and took 3rd place!  

SWIMMING
WHS Freshman Isaiah Ross took 5th place in the 500-meter freestyle at the state competition.

Congratulations Panthers!

Standout student: WHS junior balances academics, work experience and career exploration

WHS junior Riley Coffman is an expert at time management. Not only does he currently have a 4.0 GPA, he also holds down a part-time job at Lutz Hardware in Camas, working approximately 16 hours per week. Riley is also a participant in the rigorous and highly competitive Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) program.  WAS is a two-part program for high school juniors focused on topics in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

After successfully completing phase one of the WAS program (a five-month distance learning course designed in partnership with NASA and the University of Washington), Riley will attain five college credits through U.W. As one of the program’s top scorers with an overall grade of 88%, he has been invited to attend the summer phase two portion of this program, a six-day summer residency in Seattle working with Boeing and NASA engineers.

“Riley is a very self-driven individual that continues to amaze his father and myself every day,” said his mother, Jessica Coffman. “We are so proud of him, we are bursting at the seams.”

Riley says that good time management helps him juggle his busy schedule. “I just set priorities for myself and try to take everything in bite-sized chunks,” he said. “I do homework every night but I alternate the nights I work with nights I participate in WAS. I just take it one step at a time.”

Participating in WAS has sparked in interest in engineering for Riley, who thinks he may pursue a career in electrical or computer engineering. “I knew I wanted to do something with science and math,” he said. “But I now know that I love engineering.”

Riley says parental support was key to his success. “My parents played a big part in helping motivate me during stressful times,” he said. “It’s as much their success as it is mine. They’ve always been there to support me and to tell me it’s ok to have fun too.”

Riley currently has Mr. Bennett as a Physics teacher and Mr. Anderson for Pre-Calculus.

WHS Student Actors Perform for Young Audiences

Washougal High School drama students recently took their original production, “The Fish and the Clam" or "Keep Clam and Be Yourshellf,” on the road to several Washougal schools.  A student-created show has been a part of the curriculum of the WHS Second Year Drama class for the past eleven years and is a capstone project for the young actors.

“Students start by submitting ideas at the beginning of the semester,” said WHS drama instructor, Kelly Gregersen.  “A premise is chosen and then they work at improvisation to get a feel for the flow of the show.  After that, I take everything that they have created and turn their ideas into a script.”

WHS junior, Krysia Woods said the process was fun. “We took the main idea and then acted out what were wanted our characters to say,” she explained.  “This way we could build in our own personalities into the characters.”

The play tells the story of Marlin, a fish who is not happy being a fish.  Thanks to a magical clam, he is able to try being other sea creatures but, in the end, finds that he is most happy to be himself.

Through Marlin’s transformation, the plot also explores the nature of cliques.  “The sharks are tough, the jelly fish are mellow, crabs are, well, crabby,” Gregersen said. “The moral of the story is really to be happy with who you are and that is it is ok to try new things but you don’t need to try to be something that you are not to do that.

According to Gregersen, this year’s half-hour production is particularly entertaining since it started off with a very streamlined idea and a strong focus.  “This show also plays well to both the younger and older students,” he said.  “We stuck every fish pun in the book into this thing.  And there is even some modern music snuck in.”  The clever script also incorporates comical references to popular movies such as “Finding Nemo” and Little Mermaid.”

“The drama students get so much out of this,” Gregersen explained.  “First, they get to see their ideas become a show.  It creates a very deep ownership for them.  And then they get to perform it to various audiences.  They put everything they have into the play.  These kids own this show and their parts.  And you can see it in the performances.”

For senior Marshall Graham, the class production meant being able to have an additional theater experience that did not require the afterschool commitment that the larger productions have.  Graham, who played Kenickie in the Fall production of Grease, was not able to be a part of the Spring show due to his busy schedule.  He enjoyed the process to create an original script and said it was different to take a show on the road and perform in front of very young students.  “The children are a lot more energetic as an audience,” he said. “Sometimes they will laugh for minutes.  They really get into it.  Adults hold more in.”

Woods hopes that the play will not only send a powerful message to young students about being themselves, but will also help inspire them to look into the drama program at WHS.  “I did not have older students that I could look up to when I was their age,” she said.  “I hope we can have an impact on these kids.”

WHS Student Earns Master Certification through Microsoft Academy Program

Brendon Moen, Washougal High School freshman, is the first student in the Washougal District to earn a Microsoft 2013 Word Master Certification as a part of the Microsoft IT Academy (ITA).  Moen had to pass five exams (Word, Word Expert 1 & 2, Excel and one optional test). He passed two optional exams, 2013 PowerPoint and One Note.

WHS teaches ITA through the Computer Applications classes. “This program started late spring of 2013 and since then students have passed over 200 tests,” said Katherine Sturdyvin-Scobba, WHS yearbook and digital photography teacher.  “The program has shown an increase in participants and has prepared them in the application of Microsoft Office products in the academic and job arenas.”

Microsoft ITA is a partnership between The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and Microsoft to provide the training at all Washington high schools. Microsoft ITA bridges the gap between the world of education and the world of work. It boosts Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education statewide and the employability and global competitiveness of our students and future workforce.

Washougal High School Offers Varsity Letter Program for Students’ Community Service Efforts

Five Washougal High School students who demonstrated commitment to their school and community through documented volunteer service work have earned a varsity letter for that effort. Letters were earned by senior, Bryce Samwell; juniors Nick Costa-Stange and Deni Ortiz; and freshmen Michael Stevens and Bridgette McCarthy.  The community service varsity letter program was launched in June 2013. Last year, a single student, Nicole Gamble, earned the distinction.

“It is wonderful to provide recognition that is very meaningful to students for the time and energy they put forth volunteering,” said Marsha Spencer, Washougal High School Career Technical Education Director. “We believe this program helps to support positive interaction between Washougal students and the community and help to inspire a habit of service that these students will have for a lifetime.”

To earn a varsity letter, students must complete and document at least 150 hours of qualifying community service hours.  That requirement is based on an estimate of hours needed for practice to participate in a varsity high school sport. No more than 50 of their volunteer hours can to be school-related.  The balance must be earned in the community, such as work with churches, service organizations, non-profit organizations, 4H and scouts.

The Washougal students will be recognized by the Camas/Washougal Rotary at their weekly morning meeting on May 21.

“The recognition is nice,” said Samwell. “But it is not why we do this,”  Samwell earned many of his volunteer hours at Legacy Salmon Creek at the help desk, discharging patients, delivering food, and helping to guide visitors to where they need to go.

McCarthy was able to learn about conservation and the environment through her volunteer work at the Portland Zoo.  “I worked to educate the public about animals and habitat and how to protect them,” she said. “We even went to elementary schools and talked about recycling and the positive affect it has on Black Bears.”  McCarthy said that she personally learned a lot about the environment and its effects on everything around us.  She also enjoyed the challenge of educating a variety of age groups. “I learned how to talk at different levels to different audiences,” she said.  Rounding out her volunteer work, McCarthy also volunteered with UNITE Washougal Community Coalition.

With an eye on a career in law enforcement, Stevens completed this community service work as a part of the Clark County Explorer Post 893.  A portion of that time was learning skills through the Washington Law Enforcement Exploders’ Auxiliary Academy.  “The training is in Yakima, WA in the summer and winter so it is either really hot or really cold.” Stevens said.  “I learned everything from social contact to practice on the shooting range.  I also learned things like report writing and traffic stop protocol.”  Stevens plans to study computer science after high school to provide a variety of options in a law enforcement career.  Stevens also volunteered as a lifeguard at the Camas Pool.

“I feel like I am making a difference in the community,” McCarthy added.  “I encourage others to try for this varsity letter.  It is really fun and you can learn a lot while volunteering.  Plus it is nice to get recognized for something you are out there doing that other people may not know about.”

Community Service Varsity Letter program forms and more information, such as what type of volunteer work qualifies, can be found at the WHS website at www.washougal.k12.wa.us/whs/departments/counseling.htm.

“Volunteerism assists students to gain experiences to help qualify them for various scholarships, bolster their college applications and for use on their resumes,” said Spencer.  “The WHS varsity letter program provides another reason to get involved and help provide them with the recognition they deserve.”

9th Annual Japanese Festival - WHS Commons, April 25, 2015

The Japanese Program students are currently organizing the 9th annual Japanese Festival.  It will be held from 11am to 3:30pm on April 25th (Saturday).  The address of the event is 1201 39th St. Washougal, WA 98671
The theme for this year’s event is “Friends.”  One of our first year Japanese students designed a sweatshirt for our Japanese program, and she used the symbol, “Friends,” and her classmates loved the design.  In fact, we decided to use “friends” as our festival theme this year.

During the festival, the highlight event is always the cultural performance at Washburn Performance Art Center Auditorium between 1:00pm to 2:30pm.  This year, we are inviting professional performers to share Taiko drums, Okoto string instruments, and traditional dance on the stage.  The Taiko drummers are elementary school students from Portland, Oregon.  They came to perform last year, and they are coming back this year as well.  Their performance is inspiring for anyone to see because it vividly shows that they practice rigorously.

Moreover, there will be Kimono demonstrators, and they are the newcomers for the festival this year.  They are Japanese ladies from Japan and volunteer to show their Kimono dresses and explain why and how they are wearing them.  This should be very interesting because a set of Kimono dresses is very expensive and it is rare to see and hear the Japanese ladies reveal why and how on the stage.

At the commons, there will be cultural displays and demonstrations including how to experience a flower arrangement and calligraphy, how to learn Kendo swordsmanship, and how to create Origami paper crafts.  There will be Japanese food dishes; for instance, Curry & Rice, Udon noodle soup, Okonomiyaki pizza, Green tea ice cream, Ramune drinks, and snacks.  Also, we will sell raffle tickets.  The prizes will be a gift certificate from Uwajimaya (a Japanese grocery store), Japanese products, and other items donated by local Japanese companies.

Everything including the concert tickets, raffle tickets, and food items are all under $5 each.  Approximately 150 to 200 people attend the festival every year.  We are looking forward to seeing you all!