Soaring with Eagles
June 11, 2013
Autistic youth earns Scouting’s highest honor
With a combination of courage and a bit of help from friends, anything is possible.
Just ask Jason Callans, a freshman at Issaquah High School. The 15-year-old was diagnosed with autism at age 3 yet is thriving in a variety of activities among his peers.
By Justin Lester
Jason Callans, a member of Boy Scout Troop 69, shows the certificate awarding his accomplishment of earning Eagle Scout honor.
Jason’s most recent achievement is one he has been working toward for nearly a decade. In March, he was awarded the Eagle Scout badge, representing the highest possible rank for a Boy Scout.
Maywood teacher heads to sea
June 11, 2013
The last time Maywood Middle School science teacher Marla Crouch traveled Alaskan waters, she was on a cruise ship. She headed north once again June 8, but this time she will be living aboard a different vessel.
Crouch joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Teacher at Sea program, allowing her to spend about three weeks aboard the Oscar Dyson, where she will study Pollock, a type of fish, alongside NOAA scientists.
Marla Crouch
“Just living and working with these scientists, I expect to get a great deal of information I can share with my students when I return,” she said.
Heritage Day returns July 4
June 11, 2013
Mark your calendar now for an historic 4th of July.
The Issaquah History Museums will hold the 12th annual Heritage Day in conjunction with the community’s Down Home Fourth of July Celebration. Activities will take place in and around the Issaquah Train Depot, 78 First Ave. N.E., convenient to the Field of Fun. The event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free to the public.
Graduation: a medley of emotions
June 11, 2013
Every senior is probably all too aware that graduation is quickly approaching, and leaving high school once and for all is becoming a very real affair.
I suppose when asked how they feel about graduating, most seniors would say something along the lines of, “I’m so happy to finally be done with high school.” After four long years of high school, our minds and our bodies are eager to embark on new roads and new journeys.
Hall Monitor
Alice Ko
Issaquah High School
Recently, though, I was sitting in the audience at Issaquah High School’s Senior Acoustic Night. They say that music is one of the strongest ways to bring out emotions, and that statement could not be more accurate because from rap medleys to original compositions, the music that filled the theater was a mixture of the feelings and emotions graduation invokes in us.
Issaquah History museums honor volunteers
June 11, 2013
The Issaquah History Museums and community members recently honored 70 volunteers who cumulatively donated 3,553 hours during 2012.
As a volunteer-based organization, the museums rely upon such generous donations of time and talent to discover, preserve and share Issaquah’s unique history, according to a news release from the group.
Doug Bristol
The Independent Sector, an organization dedicated to leading, strengthening and mobilizing nonprofit organizations, has estimated the value of one volunteer hour at $22.14, which means the total value of volunteer labor contributed to the museums in 2012 was $63,970.
Who’s News
June 11, 2013
Issaquah student wins poetry award
John Figg, a sophomore at Issaquah High School, won the Angie Greer Music in Poetry Award for the region with his poem entitled, “Earth’s Ensemble.”
There were 84 entries in the contest. He also received a check for $50.
Last year, he won the National Federation of Music Essay Contest for the state of Washington and a $50 check for his essay entitled, “Sounds That Inspire.” That essay discussed the influence music has had on our military.
Who’s News
June 11, 2013
Teachers named Heroes of the Classroom
Two Issaquah School District teachers, Lane Helgeson, of Tiger Mountain Community High School, and Liz Villa, of Issaquah Middle School, were among 24 Puget Sound area teachers named Symetra Life Insurance Co. Heroes in the Classroom during a special event May 24 at CenturyLink Field. Each teacher received a $350 Office Max gift card for classroom supplies and tickets to a Seahawks home game. In addition, Symetra makes a $1,000 donation to each school. The teachers met Seahawks’ player Russell Okung, who shared a story about his inspiring elementary school teachers who ‘had a level of belief in me that I didn’t have in myself.’
Engagement: Erica Neuendorf and Joe Diez
June 11, 2013
Neuendorf-Diez
Erica Neuendorf, of Bellevue, will marry Joe Diez, of Bellevue, in July. They will be married in Seattle.
Neuendorf majored in psychology and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2009. She works as a recruiter at Insight Global.
Erica Neuendorf and Joe Diez
Diez is a 2005 graduate of Issaquah High School and studied business at Washington State University, graduating in 2009. He works as a systems administrator at Microsoft.
The bride to be’s parents, Dan Neuendorf and Tracy Rogers, live in San Diego. The groom’s parents, Bob and Michelle Diez, are from Issaquah.
Military News
June 11, 2013
Joshua Woods completes Army basic training
Army Pfc. Joshua M. Woods graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
Woods is a 2012 graduate of Issaquah High School. He is the son of Cindy Woods, of Sammamish, and Tim Batzel, of Renton.
College News
June 11, 2013
Local student stars in production of ‘Spring Awakening’
Collin Morris, of Issaquah, is participating in the Linfield College Theatre production, “Spring Awakening,” May 9-11 at Linfield College in Oregon.
Morris, a senior majoring in political science, will play the role of Melchior. He was also in the production May 2-5.
