The cast of Snow White prior to a performance at the Lakewood Playhouse.

Southgate Elementary School students brought the magic of the classic children’s story, Snow White to life for their classmates, teachers and families, thanks to contributions by the Lakewood Playhouse and the Clover Park Rotary.

Beginning last fall, staff from the Playhouse tutored Southgate students in acting exercises. Once the basics were mastered, more than 175 students auditioned for 25 parts. Students performed two productions of Snow White at Southgate Jan. 27 and two additional community productions Jan. 28 at the Lakewood Playhouse.

“This opportunity gives our students confidence and widens their horizons,” said Becky Condra, reading interventionist. “Our students worked extremely hard to memorize their lines and ‘become’ their characters. I was absolutely amazed at how well they performed.”

The collaboration was born from an idea by Rotarian Ernie Heller, and started last school year with a production of Peter Pan. The Clover Park Rotary contributed funds to pay theatre staff and to purchase costumes and props.

How did the Apple Squeeze become a Steilacoom tradition? What does “Steilacoom” mean?

More than 200 Saltar’s Point Elementary School Fourth Grade students learned the answers to those questions and more when they toured the Steilacoom Historical Museum this past week.

The annual student class tour to visit the Museum’s properties: the Museum, the Wagon Shop and the Orr Home, took place during the last week of January and first week of February. Docents from the Museum’s Education Committee shared their knowledge about Mr. Orr’s shop, and other parts of the community’s history.

The students’ collective reaction to the displays and activities—such as making butter—“what an amazing place!”

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Carole Jacobs, judge and board member, and Lynn Wilson, judge and administrator for business services and capital projects, sample tasty delights at the Kids Can Cook event.

Eighteen fourth-graders took over the district kitchen Jan. 25 for the fifth annual Kids Can Cook Competition, sponsored by Sodexo.

Students from Beachwood, Clarkmoor, Dower, Evergreen, Greenwood, Hillside, Idlewild, Lake Louise, Park Lodge and Tillicum Elementary Schools prepared unique recipes with the guidance of a student nutrition employee. The student chefs were responsible for their finished food products, including plate and table presentation.

A panel of judges tasted each recipe and had the difficult task of selecting just five winners in the following categories:

• Health-Conscious Foods: Kylee Kennedy, Greenwood, Banana Oatmeal Smoothie
• Kid-Friendly Preparation: Hope Heugel, Hillside, No-Bake Trail Mix Cookies
• Fun Foods: Kamyla McCormick, Evergreen, Fruity Croissant
• Best Table Presentation: Ryan Wynder, Evergreen, Ryan's Mystery
• Judge's Choice: Elijah Barragan, Evergreen, Pizza (Meat or Veggie)

After more than 111,000 online votes and 7,800 Facebook shares, the 2012 recipients of the eighth annual Harlequin More Than Words award are Mindy Atwood of Hilliard, Ohio, who runs Patches of Light, a nonprofit organization where anonymous angels pay the rent for parents of desperately ill children; Helen McGovern of Tacoma, Washington, who oversees Emergency Food Network, which distributes food to 67 food banks, meal sites and shelters, including those with health restrictions; and Sally Spencer of Toronto, Ontario, who manages a mentoring program that rescues at-risk children.

(more...) ]]> http://www.thesubtimes.com/2012/01/31/emergency-food-network-receives-15000-from-harlequin-books/feed/ 0 http://www.thesubtimes.com/2012/01/26/tcc-alumnus-chi-choi-honored-at-transforming-lives-event/ http://www.thesubtimes.com/2012/01/26/tcc-alumnus-chi-choi-honored-at-transforming-lives-event/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:51:48 +0000 russell http://www.thesubtimes.com/?p=32404 Tacoma Community College alumnus Chi Choi was one of five students and former students selected to receive the "Transforming Lives" award from Washington’s Trustee Association for Community and Technical Colleges (TACTC). TACTC chose the five students, including Choi, from 34 students nominated by the Washington community and technical colleges. Choi and his fellow award recipients were presented with a $500 prize at the TACTC’s Winter Conference dinner in Olympia Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. The five award recipients are also featured in a video, currently in production.

Choi is currently employed as a design engineer at Genie Industries in Moses Lake, WA. He was nominated for the award by the TCC Board of Trustees.

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Our recent winter storm carried with it the potential for a huge impact on all of us, both positive and negative.

To emphasize the positive, I have attached several photos, with captions.  I find the photographs to be interesting.  I hope you do too.

Snow attack.

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Deelyn Cheng worked as a page for Sen. Mike Carrell and other senators last week in Olympia.

The new inductees are:

• Staff Sgt. Masasinge (mah-sah-sing-ah) Hadley, Northwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility
• Staff Sgt. Allister Hawkins, 42nd Military Police Brigade
• Staff Sgt. Melissa Snow, Henry H. Lind NCO Academy
• Staff Sgt. Hector Valadez, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team

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Aimee Brown

Lakewood Rotary honored the January Educators of the month at their regular meeting on Friday, January 6. Kim Prentice presented the awards, first to Aimee Brown, a sixth grade language art and social studies teacher at Pioneer Middle School in the Steilacoom School District. In addition to her regular teaching assignment, she does after school tutoring, is an active and vocal member of Steilacoom Historical School District’s Diversity Committee, and leads a staff book club. She does all this while pursuing her National Board Teacher Certification and being an outstanding, passionate and dedicated teacher. Aimee’s principal, Andre Stout, says, “The profession of education needs more young, energetic teachers like Aimee. She consistently creates academically engaging lesson for her students. There is never a dull moment in her classroom. Every time I visit her room, students are engaged in a learning activity that she has creatively planned.”

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Andrea Lopez Vann was honored during halftime at the annual Steilacoom High School Alumni Basketball game, held Dec. 30 at SHS.

Vann, Class of 1999, was unable to attend the ceremony because of business obligations, but SHEF representatives (Steilacoom Historical Education Foundation) Linda Evanson and Sharon Westman made the presentation.

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Orange and red aren't exactly holiday colors—but they are the colors worn during a popular holiday occasion in Steilacoom. The occasion?

The 18th annual Steilacoom High School alumni basketball game. The game was played on Dec. 30 at the school's gym, and halftime entertainment included presentation of the Steilacoom Historical Education Foundation's Alumni Award Presentation. (Read that story elsewhere in this issue).

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Lakewood Rotary President Ben Sclair made to dress as a cheerleader, hearkening back to his college days at the University of North Dakota.

A multi-decade Lakewood Rotary tradition continued Friday, December 16 when club members roasted their president, Ben Sclair, at it's noon meeting at the Tacoma Country & Golf Club.

The clubs newer members, called Puffins, take-over the final meeting before Christmas to have a little holiday fun, enjoy some holiday libations (Tom & Jerry's) and raise money to support delivery of Christmas food baskets to area needy families. (more...)

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Read all about it in this month's newsletter. 

Dan and Teresa Donahue like to give back to their community, especially at Christmastime.  This year they were stunned when they saw the request from their adopted family.

For the past three years the Donahue family has taken part in The Salvation Army of Tacoma’s “Adopt-A-Family” Program which matches a needy family, struggling to make ends meet, with a sponsor who wishes to provide the family with Christmas food and gifts. Usually Dan and Teresa purchase gifts like clothing items and toys for the children.

(more...) ]]> http://www.thesubtimes.com/2011/12/07/christmas-request-stuns-gift-givers/feed/ 2 http://www.thesubtimes.com/2011/12/07/clover-park-technical-college-online-instructor-receives-master-reviewer-certification/ http://www.thesubtimes.com/2011/12/07/clover-park-technical-college-online-instructor-receives-master-reviewer-certification/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:50:56 +0000 russell http://www.thesubtimes.com/2011/12/07/clover-park-technical-college-online-instructor-receives-master-reviewer-certification/ Fran Hunter, online instructor for the Dental Administrative Specialist program, is now a certified Master Reviewer - the first instructor to receive this designation at Clover Park Technical College.

“The journey started nearly two years ago; it has been a very intense and rigorous endeavor,” said Hunter. “I am grateful to the incredible team at QM. Their facilitators and company employees truly believe in student success and support and I am working hard to emulate what they did for me as a student.”

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On Saturday, Dec 3^rd, the Lakewood History Museum’s debuted their new art display in the popular Artist’s Corner. When Marjorie Mankin agreed to be the next artist, she decided this would be a perfect opportunity for her to showcase the works of her students rather than her own. She has been teaching art to children and adults alike for over 45 years. Learning techniques of how to relate what we see and feel is so exciting and she feels blessed to share my gift.

Marjorie has had a love of art since early childhood. She has studied both commercial and fine art with many local and nationally renowned art instructors. These studies have strengthened her personal philosophy that one never stops growing in the knowledge of self expression in the visual arts. Her philosophy can best be understood by this statement she recently made. "Art is what pumps up your 'tire' so you can keep on rolling."

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DVIDS has posted holiday greetings from men and women from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.  Currently, there are 111 greetings from troops whose hometown is in Washington State, and 14 greetings from troops who are from Oregon.
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(L-R) Don Denning, Kevin Callahan, Superintendent Bill Fritz, Jeni Martinez, Mike Winkler, Sam Scott

Jeni Martinez "retired" from the board and was honored at the Wednesday, Nov 30 meeting for her four years of service .

Story & Photo by Joseph Boyle

I have a metal sign hanging in my office.  The sign’s message is succinct and yet shares a powerful message, “KINDNESS 365”.

Let me share two stories with you to demonstrate how “KINDNESS 365” is a wonderful life-enhancing concept.

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Eighty-five Anderson Islanders enjoyed an unexpected bountiful feast on Thanksgiving Day, thanks to the hospitality of their Island friends.

The traditional Turkey Day meal was held at the Island Golf Club’s community room, said Brenda Gamble, who, along with her husband, Robert, organized the much- appreciated gathering.

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Miller states that the recent 100% citation-free State survey of University Place Care Center came about “after a rough patch, but we were determined to plow through and push forward with a clear vision of where this facility is going.”  October 28 on re-inspection, the State found UPCC citation-free.  Miller adds that she and Javier have a “clear vision of the future and are striving to find a clear niche in the community and up the ante for what nursing facilities should be and can be.”  Miller echoed a recent quote by Richard Minnix, President and CEO of Leading Age, in which he stated that, "There should be two kinds of nursing homes:  the excellent and the nonexistent."

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TACOMA, WA — Maureen Peterson, a therapist at HopeSparks, has received a national award for her positive impact on the organization and the people it serves.

Peterson was awarded the Spirit of the Alliance award by the Alliance for Children and Families, a national association of nonprofit human service organizations. The Spirit of the Alliance award recognizes a direct service staff member’s commitment to his or her agency and his or her dedication to serving children, families, and communities. Peterson was presented with the award during the Alliance and UNCA 2011 National Conference Oct. 17-19 in Washington, D.C.

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