The following Bellingham School District students and staff have recently received national and state honors:
Squalicum High School Receives National Humanities Endowment
Squalicum High is one of the 1,500 pilot school recipients of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) program, Picturing AmericaSM, an innovative program that helps teach American history and provides students with a gateway to the broader world of the humanities. Picturing America is composed of 40 carefully selected works of art spanning several centuries -- all by American painters, sculptors, photographers and architects. In January, the NEH distributed large, high-quality reproductions of these images, along with a teachers' resource book, lesson plans and materials to schools and libraries nationwide. Picturing America's resources unlock the potential in each work of art to enhance the study of American history, social studies, language arts, literature and civics. The posters are currently being used in the social studies and English departments at Squalicum and in the library. Students also have used them for their classroom-based assessment in Jason Bergman's U.S. history class. Library media specialist Tracy Shaw submitted the grant application for Squalicum last year.
Sehome High School Takes Third Place in Knowledge Bowl
On March 22, Sehome High School took third place in the 2A State Knowledge Bowl. The members of the team include students Paul Tefft-Meeker, Chris Pauly, Evan Ingalls, Jordan Smith, Finnian Haskins and Ryan Roberts.
Semi-Finalists in Geographic Bee
The National Geographic Society has notified Fairhaven Middle School seventh grader Jason Newell and Silver Beach Elementary School fifth grader Espen Stalder that they are Washington state semi-finalists eligible to compete in the 2008 state Geographic Bee. Bees were held in schools with fourth through eighth grade students throughout the state to determine each school's winner. School-level winners then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic society in Washington, D. C. In each of the 50 states and in the territories, the National Geographic Society invited students with the top 100 scores to compete at the state level. The 2008 Washington Geographic Bee will be held April 4 at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. The state winner and his/her teacher will represent Washington state in the national finals in May at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D. C.
Sehome Film Wins Third Place in Teen Filmmaking Contest
Sehome High School's "Back Flash" by the ApplePi/Amish Porcupine Team won third place in the Guerilla Film Project "fast film" competition in February. The contest was to write, shoot and edit a short film in three days. To ensure that no one could make their film in advance, films had to include three items that were announced at the start of the contest. A panel of independent filmmakers judged the entries on script, camera work, sound and overall impact. The winning films will be shown at the Whatcom Museum's Careers in the Arts Day on April 25. The Guerilla Film Project is part of NW Projections, a celebration of Northwest film produced by the Whatcom Film Association.
District Students Win in Regional Bridge Building Competition
Sehome junior Bryn Smith placed first at the Western Regional Bridge Building Competition with a bridge weighing just ounces that could withstand 105 pounds of weight. Her coach was Sehome science teacher Mark Toney. Squalicum senior Casey O'Day placed second in the contest. His bridge-building coaches were Squalicum science teacher Alan Doud and technology teacher Jeffrey Tetrick. Both students will be going to Chicago at the end of April for the International Bridge Building contest. The construction and testing of model bridges promotes the study and application of fundamental principles physics and also helps high school students develop "hands on" skills through bridge construction. By participating in the competition, students get a flavor for the career of engineering by designing structures to a set of specifications and watching them perform their function.
Squalicum Career Specialist Debbie Granger Receives State Honor
Squalicum career specialist Debbie Granger has been named as Washington State Career Counselor of the Year. Granger was honored for her work in supporting students to prepare for college, careers and in meeting their goals beyond high school.
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