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Schools

June 29, 2010
Grass Valley students (left to right) Ashley Gerst, Cassidy Kendall, Sierra Goodwin, Hanna Upkes, Janessa Wilson and Jenna Efraimson wore red to school every Tuesday to support Wilson's efforts to help Kingston Springs Elementary School.

Helping a school rebuild

When Janessa Wilson heard about the recent flooding in Kingston Springs, Tenn., the first words out of her mouth were, "Mom, what can we do to help?" Wilson, a 9-year-old Grass Valley Elementary student, felt compelled to do something, especially after hearing the town's only elementary school had been flooded. "My uncle (James Fenton) lives there, so I thought he could help put me in touch with the school." Fenton did just that, connecting Janessa and her mom, Natalie, with Jenny Brackman, a school parent and volunteer.

June 29, 2010

Students honored with awards

Skyridge Middle School recently held its end of the year awards ceremony. During the assembly, the Jackson Leadership Award and Good Will Award recipients were both named

June 22, 2010
Keith Russell stands by his pictures of Lewis and Clark, complete with their signatures. He put together the portraits for the fourth-graders who were studying Washington State history.

Painting pieces of history

Keith Russell has been painting since he was just 5 years old. So when his fourth-grade daughter, Ariel, began studying Washington State history, he wanted to make a contribution. Russell approached teacher Heidi Echeverio with the idea to paint portraits of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The paintings are now hanging in the fourth-grade hallway at Helen Baller Elementary School.

June 15, 2010
Longtime administrators Tanis Knight and Ina Evers-Martin celebrate at a Hawaiian themed party held in their honor. The two have worked for the Camas School District for a combined total of 52 years.

The start of a new chapter

Tanis Knight and Ina Evers-Martin have a combined total of 52 years with the Camas School District. They both came to work for CSD in 1984; Knight as the principal at Helen Baller Elementary and Evers-Martin as the district's business manager. Knight, 57, is now the assistant superintendent, heading up curriculum and instruction. Evers-Martin, 62, remains as the business manager. At the end of June, each will end their long careers in CSD and begin a new chapter in their lives. The Post-Record recently sat down with Evers-Martin and Knight, who are friends as well as co-workers, and listened to their thoughts on working in Camas, life after retirement and stand-out moments in their careers. The answers below have been edited for clarity and length.

June 12, 2010

Young artists win big at state competition

The artwork of two local students was among just a handful of winners picked from more than 200 entries that came from school districts around the state as part of The Superintendent's High School Art Show competition. There were 11 state winners, including CHS seniors Whitney Austin who took home the Washington Art Education Association Tribute Award for her untitled photograph and Kristi Valentine, whose work "Journal of a Most Peculiar Voyage," was a Jury Choice winner. For being among the state winners, Austin's and Valentine's pieces will be purchased and added to a 36-year collection, which hangs in the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction building in Olympia.

June 12, 2010
Once youngsters reeled in their catch, Moose Lodge volunteers helped snatch the fish from the water, remove the hook, then clean it.

Reeling in some fishing derby fun

The smiles were absolutely contagious during the annual Camas Moose Lodge fishing derby Friday morning. Boys and girls tossed their lines in the calm waters of Lacamas Lake to try their hands at catching at lease one fish. With 4,000 of the little wiggly swimmers sloshing around beneath the surface of a small netted-off area next to the Lodge's docks, it didn't take long for the youngsters to begin reeling rainbow and brown trout -- one after another. That's when the smiles, laughter and excitement really started. This outing was a special, eagerly anticipated occasion for the nearly 30 students who are all part of the Life Skills programs at Liberty Middle School and Camas High School, and Liberty's TLC program. The curriculum is designed for students with a variety of disabilities, from autism and Down syndrome to more mild health impairments. "They talk about going fishing all year," said Misty Youngblood, a Life Skills teacher at Liberty. "It's good for the socialization. They have fun, it's a challenge, and it's a culmination of the whole year -- the skills that we practice."