‘Gravestone Gossip’ presentation to explore Clark County history

Local historian and cemetery expert Peri Muhich will present “Gravestone Gossip: The Stories of the Clark County Pioneers,” a photo-filled virtual tour exploring the lives, family connections and stories of people buried in the county’s historic cemeteries.The meeting also will introduce Gretchen Hoyt, the newly appointed director of the Two Rivers Heritage Museum. A lifelong Clark County resident, Hoyt previously served on the historical society’s board and has volunteered at the museum for five years.The annual meeting will include the election of board members and comments from museum volunteer coordinator Susan Hurlbut. The event is free and open to the public.For more information, visit 2rhm.com.Washougal seeks nominations for youth recognition program The city of Washougal is seeking nominations for its Washougal Rising Stars program, which recognizes school-aged youth who demonstrate positive character and make meaningful contributions to their community.The program honors young people for qualities such as leadership, service, perseverance, citizenship, academic growth and positive community impact. All school-aged youth in Washougal are eligible.Nominations are accepted year-round. The city’s Community Services and Strategy Department reviews submissions and selects honorees, who are recognized monthly from September through June at a city council meeting. Honorees also have an opportunity to meet the mayor and council members and take a photo with Mayor David Stuebe.The program was inspired in part by young people’s participation in Washougal Wins When Everyone Pitches In, a city litter cleanup initiative.Community members can nominate a youth through the city’s website at cityofwashougal.us/866/Washougal-Rising-Stars-Program.Washougal, Camas schools collaborate on math instruction The Washougal and Camas school districts are collaborating to bring a hands-on, collaborative approach to math instruction into more classrooms, with an emphasis on strengthening students’ critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.The approach, known as Building Thinking Classrooms, is based on a book by educator Peter Liljedahl and encourages students to work together, share ideas and develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.Teachers at Jemtegaard Middle School introduced the practices to colleagues last year through a department book study and classroom visits that allowed teachers to observe the strategies in action.This fall, staff members at several other Washougal schools began their own book studies and are piloting the approach. At Gause Elementary, students have worked in randomly assigned small groups to solve math problems and share their work on wall-mounted whiteboards.The Camas School District, which has used Building Thinking Classrooms practices for several years, is sharing its experience as part of the collaboration.—Doug Flanagan

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