feature writer of the year

COMMUNITY� �

The Issaquah Press

�Section

B WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2010

By Laura GeggelIssaquah Press reporter

By the time Sage Bower was born in theearly hours of Aug. 24, her mother, SarahBower, was already in a coma after experi-encing a hemorrhagic stroke.

“It was the scariest thing I had ever beenthrough,” said Sarah’s husband, NateBower. “I thought I was losing her rightthere. I was yelling at her to try to get her totalk. Words can’t explain it.”

Sarah and Nate Bower were ecstaticabout being new parents. The two had metthrough friends at church and married in2001, living in Issaquah before they movedto Maple Valley and then next to May Valley.

Nate worked in construction, but recentlylost his job because of the Great Recession.Sarah worked as a hairstylist at Issaquah’s Sa-lon Jade, which she owned with her motherfor four years, participating in ArtWalk andSalmon Days, until she sold it in June.

Sage was due Aug. 19, and the family’sphysician was plan-ning to induce la-bor. But Sage wasborn an entirely dif-ferent way. Sarah,34, awoke at 3 a.m.Aug. 24, complain-ing of stomachpains and a pound-ing headache.

Nate drove her tothe emergencyroom at SwedishMedical Center inSeattle and watched

as they plugged his wife into an IV drippingwith painkillers. Her blood pressure hadskyrocketed. He held her hand and held arag over her throbbing head.

Then, her left side went limp.Doctors realized she had just had a

stroke. Doctors delivered Sage via C-sectionso that Sarah’s blood pressure would drop.

Neurosurgeon Gregory Foltz happened tobe on site and he managed her case.

Shortly after her stroke, Sarah’s physi-cians learned she had HELLP — hemolysis,elevated liver enzyme levels and a lowplatelet count. HELLP is rare, and morelikely to affect white, pregnant women olderthan 25. HELLP patients often feel tired andexperience pain in the upper part of theirabdomen, as well as headaches or nausea.

Because many healthy pregnant womenexperience such symptoms, HELLP is hardto catch, but women with high blood pres-sure can ask their doctors to test them, ac-cording to FamilyDoctor.org.

The high blood pressure caused byHELLP likely led to her stroke, her husbandsaid.

After the delivery, Sage was safe, butSarah was sedated and not responding withnormal reflexes. Doctors rushed her to aCAT scan. Sarah’s medical diagnosis wasgoing from bad to worse; the CAT scanshowed she had bleeding in her brain.When blood enters the brain, it causesswelling.

As a Jehovah’s Witnesses, Sarah wouldnot accept a blood transfusion. Foltz in-serted a ventricular drain into her brain tohelp drain the blood from the hemorrhage,but Sarah’s blood started clotting.

Nate had called some close family friends,and Foltz explained Sarah’s options tothem. Foltz said could use a drug, called tis-sue plasminogen activator, that would helpunclot the blood in her brain, but the FDAhad not yet approved the drug for the pro-cedure.

With Nate’s permission, Foltz used thedrug. It worked perfectly.

“Really, within a few minutes of insertingthis tube, her brain was under tremendouspressure and the drain stopped working,”Foltz said. “She would have died had we not

By Kirsten JohnsonIssaquah Press intern

On the ninth anniversaryof the Sept. 11 attacks,members of a localchurch were hard atwork in the community

to help give the somber day a newimage.

More than 80 volunteers fromthe Issaquah congregation of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ventured up to Tradi-tion Plateau on a sunny morningto take part in the Tradition LakeReclamation Project.

Andrew Larsen, a local teenworking toward his Eagle Scoutaward, created the event for hisEagle Scout service project. As amember of the Issaquah LDS con-gregation, Larsen received manywilling hands from his ScoutTroop 697 and church.

The project asked for help to re-move scotch broom, a plant grow-ing invasively on the plateau. Theweeds could then decompose andallow for new, natural plants togrow in, essentially restoring ar-eas of the plateau.

By 10 a.m., volunteers of allages had arrived ready to help.Krispy Kreme doughnuts werestacked nearby as a snack breakfor the hard workers.

The LDS church designatedSept. 11 as the Northwest Day ofService — 11,000 volunteers inWestern Washington alone tookpart in 157 service projects similarto Larsen’s.

As bishop of the Issaquah con-gregation, Steve Balkman ex-plained that the church wanted toselflessly give back to the commu-nity on the tragic day in history.Along with Larsen’s Eagle Scoutproject, the church offered threeother local opportunities for mem-bers to help, including a carepackage project for military per-

sonnel, a back-to-school drive forunderprivileged kids and a Houseof Hope Amphitheater repaintingproject.

“We wanted to find projects thatcould impact the community,”Balkman said. “It’s a wonderfulopportunity for young people.”

Larsen is a 16-year-old sopho-more at Issaquah High School. Asa requirement for earning his Ea-gle Scout, he organized the projectentirely himself to demonstrate hisleadership skills and commitmentto service. For any teen attempting

to earn an Eagle Scout, all require-ments must be completed beforehis 18th birthday.

“This is an Eagle Scout require-ment, but the service is a lot offun,” Larsen said.

One of Larsen’s Scout leaders,Matthew Balkman, explained howrare it is for a Scout to earn theEagle Scout rank. He said that lessthan 2 percent of Scouts ever do.

“A big part of Boy Scouts is

SERVICE COMMEMORATESFALLEN AMERICANS

By Sarah Gerdes

When President Obama askedfor Americans to spend a day ofservice in commemoration fallencountrymen, Issaquah residentsresponded to the call.

On Sept. 11, hundreds of menand woman from three congrega-tions of the Church of Jesus Christof Latter-day Saints gatheredalmost 6,000 pounds of foodfrom local grocery stores. Manywent door to door, picking up cansthat had been left out for pickup.

“We printed 32,000 flyers thatwere hung on doorknobs by ouryoung men and women,” saidPresident Robert Johnson, whooversees 10 LDS congregationson the Eastside, stretching fromMercer Island to North Bend.“Every community responded inan incredibly gracious way.”

Officially named the Day ofService Northwest, 8,000 LDSmembers participated in theregion, conducting approximately150 service projects for nonprofitorganizations, individuals or com-munity programs.

The food drive raised 22,000pounds of food given to local foodbanks and another 5,000 poundsfor Northwest Harvest. Cash dona-tions are nearing $9,000.

“Members of the congregationprovide service already,” Johnsonsaid. “The goal with this effort wasto reach beyond our own, people wedon’t know or don’t see.We wantedto take this to a larger scale.”

He said he expects the daymay become an annual event.

“Serving one another brings ustogether as neighbors and as acommunity,” he said. “We’ll nodoubt be providing service to thecommunity next year.”

BY MATT MOLEN

Andrew Larsen (standing, right) works with other members of Boy ScoutTroop 697 and members of his Issaquah LDS church Sept. 11 on the TraditionLake Reclamation Project toward his Eagle Scout award.

BY MATT MOLEN

Deanna Bartholomew, with daughter Alaina, members of the IssaquahChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, join other members and BoyScouts at Tradition Lake.

Congregation marks 9/11 anniversary with service project

See PROJECT, Page B3

BY GREG FARRAR

Nate Bower looks down at his daughter, Sage, in their home near May Valley, as they wait for wifeand mother Sarah Bower to return home from the hospital.

CONTRIBUTED

Sarah (left) and Nate Bower pose for a photo-graph Aug. 22.

See NIGHTMARE, Page B2


The wild Pacific Northwestcan pull at any artist’s imagina-tion, whether that artist is apainter, writer, photographeror unsuspecting hiker.

The re-gion’sgloomy win-ters, denseforests,ruggedmountainsand deepPuget Soundact as anideal back-drop formysteries,thrillers, UFO sightings and leg-ends. Ask any “Twin Peaks” fanwho has visited the SnoqualmieValley, or any “Twilight” readerwho has journeyed to Forks tosee the setting of the novels de-tailing the lives of vampires andwerewolves.

North Bend art historian Su-san Olds will present “North-west Noir: Mysteries, Legendsand Landscapes” at 7 p.m.Sept. 28 at Issaquah Library,10 W. Sunset Way.

Her talk will delve into Amer-ican Indian legends and art,Sasquatch sightings and stories,and unexplained mysteries, aswell as contemporary art andnovels set in the Northwest.

Sasquatch, in particular, in-trigued Olds.

“What I found interesting ishow many sightings have beenrecorded,” she said. “Loggersand Caucasians have theirmyths, but it actually goes backto the Native Americans.”

Skamania County, in South-west Washington, has an ordi-nance banning Bigfoot hunting.

Learnabout

Northwestnoir at the

library

A new parents’ nightmareMother remains in the hospitalwhile father cares for the baby

See NOIR, Page B3

“It was the scariest thing I had everbeen through. I thought I was losing herright there. I was yelling at her to try toget her to talk. Words can’t explain it.”— Nate BowerSarah Bower’s husband

HELP THE BOWER FAMILY

Donate to The SarahBower Donation Fundat any Wells Fargo. Callthe Issaquah branchat 557-0551 for theaccount number.

Susan Olds

Events

A writer’s open house is from6-9 p.m. Sept. 23 at the HailstoneFeed Store, 232 Front St. N. Reg-istration is not required, but ap-preciated. See a complete fallschedule at www.write-totheedge.com.

The Issaquah branch of theAmerican Association of Uni-versity Women’s first generalmembership meeting is its fallpotluck at 6 p.m. Sept. 23 at theKing County Library Service Cen-ter, 960 Newport Way N.W. TheAAUW’s mission is to advanceequity for women and girlsthrough advocacy, education, phi-lanthropy and research. [email protected].

Habitat for Humanity’s 11thannual Garage Sale is from8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sept. 24-25 atFaith United Methodist Church3924 Issaquah-Pine Lake Road.All proceeds go toward newhome-building projects.

It’s Family Day at the Is-saquah Farmers Market, from9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sept. 25 at Pick-ering Farm, 1730 10th Ave. N.W.Little Sprouts will be sellinghandmade items in the court-yard. Quarter Past 8 will performfamily rock, blues, country, folkand pop from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30p.m. in the courtyard.

The Swedish Mobile Mam-mography truck will be atProvidence Marianwood from 8a.m. – 4 p.m. Sept. 28 at 3725Providence Point Drive S.E. Makean appointment by calling 206-320-2500. Bring your insurancecard and photo ID to appoint-ment. Get directions atwww.providencemarianwood.org.

Rogue Ales hosts Pints forProstates, from noon – 6 p.m.Sept. 30 at the Issaquah Brew-house, 35 W. Sunset Way. Pintsfor Prostates is a campaign devel-oped to reach men with informa-tion about PSA testing andprostate health screening. Therewill be hourly bathroom tours andlatex glove contests, a toast toPints for Prostates, bleu ball spe-cials, and group members will beon site with prostate cancer pre-vention information and apparel.Go to www.pintsforprostates.org.

A special Front Porch The-atre Reading of excerpts from“The Scarlet Letter,” presentedby Intiman Theatre and the Sam-mamish Arts Commission, is at 7p.m. Oct. 7 at the Sammamish Li-brary, 825 228th Ave. S.E. Thispublic event is free. Volunteer tobe a reader by e-mailing [email protected].

The fourth annual Sam-mamish Art Fair, sponsored bythe Sammamish Arts Commis-sion, the city of Sammamish and4Culture, is from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.Oct. 9-10 at City Hall, 801 228thAve. S.E., Sammamish. The fairfeatures some of the best jury se-lected local artists on the East-side. Meet the artists and learnabout their creative process.There will be entertainment and

light refreshments at this freeevent. Go to www.sammamishart-fair.wordpress.com.

The Issaquah Elks Lodge No.1843 hosts several activitiesfor Salmon Days Oct. 2-3. A pan-cake breakfast is from 7-11 a.m.and a fish fry takes over at 11a.m. both days in the main hall.The public is invited to join in acharity poker tournament at 4p.m. Oct. 2, with part of the pro-ceeds going toward CompassionHouse. Buy-in for this no-limit,Texas hold ’em bounty tourna-ment is $35, with rebuys the firstthree rounds. To learn moreabout the events, call 392-1400.

FundraisersThe Liberty High School girls

basketball team hosts its sec-ond annual Poker Tournamentand Silent Auction fundraiserSept. 25 at 5 Star Hall, 15612 S.E.128th St., Renton. Doors open tothe silent auction at 4:30 p.m. Din-ner is from 5-6 p.m. Tournamentstarts at 6 p.m. A poker ticket do-nation is $65. A social ticket is$25. Call 466-1211.

The Chris Elliot Fund forGlioblastoma Brain Cancer Re-search ninth annual Gray Rib-bon Gala and Benefit Auction isSept. 25 at the Bellevue HyattGrand Ballroom, 900 Bellevue WayN.E., hosted by John Curley andJim Dever. VIP check-in is at 5:15p.m. Regular check-in and silentauction viewing starts at 5:30 p.m.Buy tickets at www.chriselliott-fund.org/events/gala.html.

Hope on the Hill Guild hostsTea for Hope, a women’s tea andsilent auction to raise money forSeattle Children’s, at 1 p.m. Oct. 3at Willow’s Lodge 14580 N.E.145th St., Woodinville. The teawill feature a local harpist, a guestspeaker from the hospital anddoor prizes. Tickets are $75 perperson. Proceeds from the eventwill go directly to the hospital’suncompensated care program,which allows all children access toquality healthcare, regardless oftheir families’ ability to pay. Go towww.willowslodge.com.

2010 Tasting Room, a SpecialOlympics Washington benefit auc-tion, is from 6:30-10 p.m. Oct. 8at Pickering Barn, 1730 10th Ave.N.W. Admission is $175. Go towww.sowa.org.

Religious/spiritual ‘Award-Winning Youth

Groups with Service Focus,’ forgrades six through eight and ninethrough 12, is at 6:30 p.m. Sun-days staring Oct. 3 at Mary, Queenof Peace, 1121 228th Ave. S.E.Join in a fun environment withplenty of opportunity to put faithinto action. Go to www.mqp.org.

Classes A free Watershed Training

Project in Issaquah, presentedby the city Resource ConservationOffice and Seattle Tilth, is from 7-

COMMUNITY CALENDAR�

FILE

grange has ‘Spare Parts’Sweet Adelines’ The Spare Parts, sponsored by the Is-

saquah Valley Grange, will sing at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at theMasonic Hall, 57 W. Sunset Way. Call 206-232-5233.

9 p.m. Sept. 23 at the IssaquahLibrary, 10 W. Sunset Way. Regis-ter athttp://seattletilth.org/about/is-saquah-watershed-project.

“Certainty in UncertainTimes,” an educational fair andseminar about real estate, creditscores, financial services, insur-ance, home security, organizationservices and estate planning, isfrom 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at thecommunity center. Fee is $10 perperson or $15 per couple. Regis-ter at www.boulevardbg.com.

The Issaquah Garden atPickering Barn, 1730 10th AveN.W., will undergo renovationlater this fall. Learn from 10 a.m.– 1 p.m. Sept. 29 how to trans-plant and pot the ornamentalplants the city will be reusing inthe garden. Call 837-3417.

ArtEAST offers the followingworkshops at its Up Front [art]location, 48 Front St. N. Go towww.arteast.org.�“Salmon Days SpawningSalmon Sculpture in Leather” —6-9 p.m. Sept. 28 at HailstoneFeed Store, 232 Front St. N., $160�“Art Marketing in the DigitalAge: A Weekend Workshop forArtists” — Get Your website upand running, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.Sept. 25�“Online Marketing: The Futureis Here!” 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sept.26, $85 per class or $150 for both�“Introduction to Assemblage”— 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sept. 24, $60�“Acrylic Painting for the fun ofit! With Ricco” — 6-8:30 p.m.Sept. 22, $50�“Acrylic Painting: Color andFeeling” — 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept.28 and Oct. 5, $50 per class�“Bookmaking and Bookbind-ing: Japanese Stab Bound Book”— 6-9 p.m. Sept. 29, $75�“Travel Photos” — 6:30-8:30p.m. Sept. 29, $30

Free adult English as a sec-ond language conversationclasses are Mondays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. starting Oct. 4 at Is-saquah Valley ElementarySchool, 555 N.W. Holly Street.Call 250-3009.

A food allergy parent educa-tion seminar, presented by Hi-lary Stephens, with the SeattleChildren’s Food Allergy Commu-nity Health Education Program,is at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in the GrandRidge Elementary School library,1739 N.E. Park Drive. [email protected].

LibraryThe following events take place

at the Issaquah Library, 10 W.Sunset Way. Call 392-5430.

Game On!, for teens, 3 p.m.Thursdays, Sept. 23, and 30

Preschool Story Times, forages 3-6 with an adult, 11 a.m.Monday, Sept. 27, and Tuesday,Sept. 28

Spanish Story Times, for allages, 7 p.m., Monday Sept. 27

Toddler Story Times, for ages2-3 with an adult, 10 a.m. Tues-day, Sept. 28 and 11 a.m.Wednesdays, Sept. 22 and 29

Waddler Story Times, forages 12 to 24 months with anadult, 10 and 11 a.m. Thursdays,Sept. 23 and 30

Citizen classes, for adults,3:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 22and 29

Library Book DiscussionGroup — “The Sweetness atthe Bottom of the Pie,” by AlanBradley, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 22

“Northwest Noir: Mysteries,Legends and Landscapes,” foradults, 7 p.m. Sept. 28

Growing flowering bulbs,with master gardener LarryDavis, 7 p.m. Sept. 30

YouthThe Cannons Baseball Club

is hosting tryouts for the final

DEADLINEItems for the CommunityCalendar section need to besubmitted by noon the Fridaybefore publication to [email protected].

Tom Hearne

WHO’S NEWS�

EFR honors longtime countymedical services director

The board of directors for East-side Fire & Rescue recognizedTom Hearne, retired King CountyEmergency Medical Services Di-rector, for his accomplishmentsand contributions during the regu-larly scheduled meeting Sept. 9.

Hearne has served in the Emer-gency Medical Services Division ofKing County since 1978, and inthe role of director from 1996-2009.

“No one has done more to ad-vance pre-hospital care over thelast 10 years in King County,” saidEFR Chief Lee Soptich.

Rabbit owners win awards

Two Eastside Rabbits andCavies 4-H Club members’ rabbitswon Best in Show and Reserve inShow at the recent city of Enum-claw’s King County Fair. CallieWeber (left) poses with her Best inShow rabbit, Aluminum, and Syd-ney Weber is with her Reserve inShow rabbit, Pop.

Callie and Sydney Weber

COLLEGE NEWS�Local students graduatefrom University of Idaho

The following local studentsrecently graduated from the Uni-versity of Idaho, in Moscow,Idaho.

Issaquah: Katie Kofmehl, Ju-ris Doctor; Timothy Ganahl,Bachelor of Science, business;and Benjamin Cote, Bachelor ofScience, mathematics

Renton: David Alford, Bache-lor of Science, computer engi-neering

Sammamish: Michael John-son, Bachelor of Science, me-chanical engineering; ElizabethLast, bachelor’s degree, generalstudies; and Caroline Hartcorn,bachelor’s degree, general stud-ies

Local students graduatefrom WSU

The following students recentlygraduated from WashingtonState University.

Issaquah: Lindsay Agnew,

Bachelor of Arts, business ad-ministration; Kymberli BabbBushon, Bachelor of Arts, socialsciences (general studies), cumlaude; Kevin Clark, Bachelor ofArts, communication; MeganCook, Bachelor of Science, biol-ogy; David Lennon, Bachelor ofArts, hospitality business man-agement; Kyle Lynch, Bachelor ofArts, business administration;Andrew North, Bachelor of Sci-ence, mechanical engineering;Tim Nygaard, Bachelor of Arts,business administration, cumlaude; Alexander Reich, Bachelorof Arts, communication; GarthRich, Bachelor of Arts, criminaljustice; and Haily Schlemlein,Bachelor of Science, geology

Renton: Timothy Monda,Bachelor of Science, mechanicalengineering; and Jessica Simons,Bachelor of Arts, social sciences

Sammamish: JeffreyGugliotto, Bachelor of Arts, soci-ology; Alexander Moore, Bache-lor of Arts, communication; andPaul Treadway, Bachelor of Arts,business administration

roster spots for 15U Mantle Olympicteam and 18U Connie Mack team.Call 206-227-2920.

A districtwide middle schooldance, for grades six through eight,is from 7-10 p.m. Sept. 24 at thecommunity center. Fee is $5 withphoto ID. Dress code will be strictlyenforced. Concessions will be avail-able. Parent volunteers are needed.Call 837-3317.

Lacrosse Skill DevelopmentClinic For Girls, grades one throughfour, is 4:30-6 p.m. Fridays Oct. 1-29at Pine Lake Middle School field. Feeis $50 for five classes. Go to www.is-saquahyouthlacrosse.com.

SeniorsIssaquah Valley Senior Center hours

are from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday at 75 N.E. Creek Way.The following activities are open topeople 55 and older. Call 392-2381.

The following day trips are of-fered throughout September:�Cle Elum/Roslyn Antiques — 8:30a.m. – 5 p.m. Sept. 22, $10�Greek Festival at St. DemetriosHall & Cultural Center in Seattle —11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Sept. 25, $8�Lucky Eagle Casino — 8:30 a.m. –5:45 p.m. Sept. 29, free

AARP Driver Safety two-daycourse is from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.Sept. 22 and 29. Cost is $14 or $12for AARP members.

Meet Roper! He’s a 3-month-old Pembroke Welshcorgi mix with big puppy earsand a playful personality. Hisadoption includes a six-weekobedience course that’s funfor the whole family.

PETS OF THE WEEK

Meet Ria! She’s a 2-month-old black-and-orange tor-toiseshell kitten who lovesballs of yarn and bird-watch-ing. She’s ready to meet hernew best friend! Come visitRia today.

These pets may already have been adopted by the time you see these photos. If you’re interestedin adopting these or other animals, contact the Humane Society for Seattle/King County at 641-0080, go to www.seattlehumane.org or e-mail [email protected]. All adopted animalsgo home spayed/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, with 30 days of free pet health insur-ance and a certificate for an examination by a King County veterinarian. The Seattle HumaneSociety is now open from noon - 6 p.m. seven days a week.

�

B2 • Wednesday, September 22, 2010 The Issaquah Press

�

been able to get the tube working.”“All of the stars were aligned

for Sarah,” he said. “The nurse is like, ‘I can’t be-

lieve it’s working. It’s a miracle,’”Nate said. “I started crying a lit-tle bit. As Christians, we rely onGod a lot. It was interesting see-ing this all happening.”

Healthcare workers trans-ported Sarah to Swedish’s Neu-roscience Institute on CherryHill. Sarah remained in a comafor two weeks, staying at thehospital’s ICU instead of with herbaby daughter.

Sarah’s parents and sistershave been helping Nate care forSage, watching her during theday so he can be with Sarah andstaying with Sarah at night so hecan be with Sage.

“We talked a long time ago anddecided that if something hap-pened, I would take care of thebaby,” Nate said.

During the second week ofSeptember, Nate took Sage withhim to see Sarah. He laid hisdaughter on his wife’s chest andput Sarah’s hand on her child.

Sage had been slightly fussybefore the visit, but once sheheard her mother’s heartbeat,she fell fast asleep on Sarah.

“All of the nurses were cry-ing,” Nate said. “She knows whomommy is.”

Sage knows who her daddy is,too. The father dotes on his sleep-ing daughter, his “little hobby forthe next 18 years,” he said.

Family and friends from Is-saquah’s Kingdom Hall of Jeho-vah’s Witnesses have steppedforward, cooking Nate’s familydinner and offering them sup-port. Tammy Siegert and JillYoung, who both know the fam-ily through church, spend timewith Sarah.

“She’s kind of responding totalking, but not a whole lot andwith her hands,” Siegert said.“She can wave. She gets realtired real easy, so we just talk toher when she’s awake.”

Windermere real estate agentDavid Eastern is selling the fam-ily’s house for free so they canmove back to Issaquah.

Sarah is still recovering fromher stroke, but she has startedphysical therapy sessions.

“She’s had the greatest recov-ery,” Foltz said. “It’s just incredi-bly gratifying to see someonewho has so much to live for do sowell. I fully expect she will beable to return to a fully functionallife in raising her new baby.”

Her husband said he and Sagewould be there for her.

“This might be long term forSarah,” he said, but “she’s defi-nitely on the road to recovery.”

Laura Geggel: 392-6434, ext. 241, [email protected]. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

Voted Best Senior Care in Valley 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009!425.888.7108 650 E. North Bend Way & North Bend

Customized Assisted Living Care Community at the foot of Mt. Si

Senior Living at it’s f inest!

Random acts of fun!

Catch the Fun at Red OakCatch the Fun at Red Oak 100 Years Young! Sunday,

September 26th from 2-5pm. at Windsong Apartments

Cabana!

Friends & Family welcome!

Neoma Farrington is celebrating her 100th birthday!

ON THE WEBFollow Sarah Bower’s storyonline atwww.caringbridge.org/visit/sarahbower.

NightmareFROM PAGE B1

A2 • Wednesday, February 9, 2011 The Issaquah Press

�

At a vigil Feb. 2, friends andfamily remembered Lucas as ateenager who was laid back off thefield and showed intense talentduring games.

“He was straight forward withyou,” Sammamish High Schoolsenior Jose Esquivel said. “Healways had your back.”

The weekend before the acci-dent, Esquivel and a group oflacrosse players had gathered atLucas’ house to play video games,“as we usually do,” he said. “Healways shared everything — hisfood, his clothes, his lacrossegear.”

Lucas formerly attendedIssaquah High School, but with-drew at the end of his junior yearin 2010, Issaquah School Districtspokeswoman Sara Niegowskisaid.

Issaquah Youth Lacrosse co-president Charles Mauzy, whoknew Lucas, called him an “amaz-ing, promising young man.”

Mauzy’s son played lacrossewith the youth, an athlete who hada talent for the sport.

“He was just an absolutely won-derful young man,” Mauzy said.“Full of life.”

Lucas also played lacrosse forIssaquah High School and playedfor Coach Brandon Fortier. Hemade varsity his freshman yearand played starting defender hissophomore and junior years.

During Lucas’ junior year, hebegan taking classes at ChrysalisSchool in Woodinville, but he con-tinued playing lacrosse atIssaquah High. The accident hap-pened when he was driving toChrysalis, Fortier said.

Fortier said the lacrosse teamwas mourning the loss of theirteammate.

“I’m sure those guys will havesomething to play for and havesomething to rally for and use thisas motivation as best we can,” hesaid.



Friends and family gathered atIssaquah High School on Feb. 2 tohonor and celebrate the life of TylerLucas, an 18-year-old lacrosseplayer who died in a car accidenton Interstate 405 on Feb. 1.

More than 100 of his peers andlacrosse coaches attended, holdingcandles that lit up the dark, clearnight as they remembered a team-mate who inspired them to playwith a passionate verve.

Students stood silently in circles,praying, wiping away tears andhugging friends. Issaquah HighSchool Lacrosse Junior VarsityCoach Mark Greenhall broke thesilence, reading a letter his sonwrote to Tyler’s parents, Patty andJim Lucas.

“He was a great person, a greatteammate, a great friend,”Greenhall said, reading from theletter that described Tyler as a con-fident athlete whose magnetic per-sonality always attracted a crowdof friends wherever he went.

As more people stepped up toshare their memories of Tyler, hismother Patty Lucas thanked thecrowd and told her son’s friendsthat her house would always beopen to them.

“I don’t ever want it to be quiet,”she said.

Her husband Jim said he wouldcontinue attending lacrosse gamesso he could watch his son’s friendsplay. Tyler went to Issaquah HighSchool until his junior year, when hetransferred to Chrysalis School inWoodinville. At Chrysalis, he raisedhis grades, but continued playingvarsity lacrosse for the IssaquahHigh School lacrosse team.

Dominican University ofCalifornia, a Division II school,

accepted him and two of his closefriends, Kevin Powers and JakeFritz. All three planned to playlacrosse together, just as they hadat Issaquah High.

“My son, he died, but he diedworking towards his dream,” JimLucas said. “We should all be solucky to die chasing our dreams.”

Picking up his son’s helmet, heencouraged Issaquah High to starta tradition, giving Tyler’s helmet tothe player with the most spirit.

“I want the team to think aboutwho’s going to take the helmet nextyear,” he said. “I think that wouldbe a great tradition to pass on.”

Lacrosse players from BainbridgeIsland, Bellevue, Issaquah, MercerIsland, Sammamish and Skylinehigh schools spoke, thanking Jim,Patty, and Tyler’s older brotherRyan Dean, for raising such a car-ing and charismatic young man.

“For as long as I’ve known him,he’s always had the ability neverto burn bridges with the people heknew,” Bellevue High School stu-dent Sam Leggett said. “There’snot many kids that can do that. Hehad a knack for making moresmiles in a room than when hewent in.”

Issaquah High senior A.J.Hoffman remembered how someclassmates picked on him in middleschool, “but never Tyler,” he said.“He always had nice words to say tome and changed my middle schoolexperience and my life even.”

Tyler’s friends also created a

Facebook memorial page thatattracted almost 2,000 likes in thedays after the accident.

Other students recounted howseeing Tyler play lacrosse inspiredthem to take up the sport.

“I just looked up to him somuch, more than anybody reallyknows,” Issaquah High junior ColeLindor said. “We’re all going toreally miss him.”

Skyline junior Jack Pruittremembered a lacrosse tourna-ment he played in with Tyler inSan Diego. Pruitt had a roughgame, but Tyler supported himthroughout.

“Tyler looked at me from thesideline and said, ‘Pruitt, I knowyou’ve got one more in you,’” hesaid. “I could have sworn that Ididn’t. Tyler was the epitome ofsportsmanship.”

Former Skyline studentBrennan West said Tyler was theonly student who could pull off apink sweatshirt, and TravisWright, an Issaquah High alum,recalled Tyler’s rainbow shoes.

Tyler continued to play lacrosseeven after doctors diagnosed himwith juvenile diabetes in middleschool. Even with his health chal-lenges related to diabetes, his for-

mer girlfriend Alex Nelson saidshe learned three important les-sons from him — how to roll withthe punches, find something tolove passionately — like lacrosse— and not let other people’s opin-ions interrupt life.

After nearly three hours, JimLucas ended the vigil, saying Tylerhad never been much of a senti-mental person.

“If Tyler were here, he’d be itch-ing to go,” he said.


Community honors ‘a great person, a great teammate, a great friend’ON THE WEB

See a slideshow from thecandlelight vigil at www.issaquahpress.com.

BY LAURA GEGGEL

Patty and Jim Lucas thank Tyler Lucas’ friends and family for their support during the vigil at Issaquah High SchoolFeb. 2, a day after Tyler died in a car accident on Interstate 405.

DeathFROM PAGE A1

Gehrig’s disease.The interview process is certain,

like the application, to includequestions about service and pro-fessional experience.

In the days before the Feb. 4application deadline, candidatesremained reluctant to offerspecifics, so as not to lose the edgeto other contenders. The process isa competition, after all.

The council could also endeavorfor a geographic balance amongneighborhoods or gender amongmembers.

Eileen Barber is the only womanon the current council. SquakMountain claims more councilmembers — Barber, Fred Butler,Marts and John Traeger — as res-idents than other neighborhoods.Councilman Mark Mullet is theonly highlands representative onthe council.

The process offers real potentialto create more highlands repre-sentation on the board. Goodman,Milligan and Perea reside in thehillside neighborhood.

Though council members serveat large — representing the entirecity — and do not representdefined geographic areas, mem-bers often advocate for projects inspecific neighborhoods.

The appointee to the vacant seatwill serve until the next councilelection in November. The victor inthe council race serves until Dec.31, 2013.

The appointment process setsup a busy campaign season forcouncil members. In addition tothe Position 5 seat, councilmenButler, Joshua Schaer and Traegerface re-election in the fall.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, [email protected]. Comment atwww.issaquahpress.com.

Applicants:Reluctantto offerspecifics

FROM PAGE A1

PAGE 4NNOOVVEEMMBBEERR 22001100

By Laura Geggel

Four-year-old PaulKerdel speaks Englishwith his father andFrench with hismother and au pair.

The Issaquah boy did not al-ways have such fluency, butdeveloped it as French perme-ated his household.

The Kerdels knew they want-ed their children to speakFrench. Karinne Kerdel grew upin France, and she lived therewith her American husband forthree months before theymoved to New York and thenIssaquah.

They tried speaking Frenchin front of Paul, but at the endof the day, it was easier speak-

ing in English, Kerdel said. Shespoke to him in French beforebed, but “even though I wastrying to speak French to himat night, he was speaking Eng-lish 10 hours a day,” at homeand at preschool, she said.

Shortly after the birth of herdaughter, Anne-Sophie, in2009, they hired French au pairEmilie Uteza, a childcare work-er who knew Kerdel’s family inFrance. The family also startedsending Paul to the French

American School of PugetSound on Mercer Island, so“he’s speaking French all day,”Kerdel said.

Even Anne-Sophie, still inher babbling stage, has benefit-ed from the family’s Frenchmovement. Her first word, coucou, means hi and peekaboo inFrench.

If Paul and Anne-Sophie mas-ter French, they will be able tospeak with their grandparentsand cousins and, once they areold enough, decide which coun-try they would like to live in.

“When they’re little, it’samazing how they catch on,”Kerdel said.

Learning through playMany children can learn a

“You don’t need fancytoys, you just need tointeract.” Gina LebedevaUniversity of Washington

By Greg Farrar

Xinyang Liu (right), a teacher at the Sponge language school in Issaquah, speaks in Mandarin to two youngsters in a class withtheir mothers. From left, Michelle Robertson, daughter Grace, Kai Marcelais and his mother Lin, hear dozens of vocabularywords for colors, toys and objects.

Infants andtoddlers

learn foreignlanguage

best throughearly play

Bringing up bilingual baby


foreign language, and theylearn best through play early inlife.

Since 2003, the University ofWashington’s Institute forLearning and Brain Scienceshas researched the fundamen-tal principles of human learn-ing, especially children be-tween infancy and age 5.

“We think that the brain ismore plastic, or more open toexperience learning — the ear-lier the better,” Gina Lebedeva,translation outreach and edu-cation director with the insti-tute, said.

By 10 months of age, thebabbling of infants reflectstheir mother language, and re-searchers have found this iswhen they start to lose theability to distinguish soundsnot needed in their language.

For instance, the sounds of Land R are the same in Japanese,but English-speakers mustlearn to distinguish the differ-ence between the two lettersfor rake and lake.

While windows for learningdifferent aspects of languageare not rigid, research hasshown that infants learn mostabout sounds, called phonetics,in their first year of life, andlearn more about syntax be-tween 18 months and 36months, according to a re-search paper from the instituteby Patricia Kuhl.

Vocabulary developmentskyrockets at 18 months of age,but can continue throughoutlife, she wrote.

“At 6 months, babies areuniversal citizens of theworld,” Jackie Friedman Migh-doll, founder of Sponge lan-guage school, said. “They candistinguish any sound aboutthe same. By 12 months, theneurons in their brains havebeen pruned, so they recognizetheir native language and theyare less able to distinguish oth-er sounds from other lan-guages.”

How babies learn language ispivotal to their success in itsfluency. Social interaction is amust, meaning children watch-ing DVDs or listening to CDswill not get the same results aschildren interacting with a per-son speaking the language tothem.

“You don’t need fancy toys.You just need to interact,”Lebedeva said.

In a recent study publishedby the institute, a group of 9-to 11-month-old infants wasbrought to the institute, wherethey interacted with a nativeMandarin speaker for 12 30-minute sessions.

A control set of infants wasexposed to Mandarin DVDs, asecond control group listenedto CDs and a third controlgroup interacted with Englishspeakers.

The group that played withthe English speakers showed

no sign of learning Mandarin,and neither did the group ex-posed to the DVD or CD, eventhough the children hadshown rapt attention to both.

The relationship betweenthe speaker and child makes allof the difference, Lebedevasaid. The child can follow theadult’s gaze, imitate theirspeech and movements, andreceive feedback.

“If a child laughs, an adultlaughs. There is an engage-ment,” Lebedeva said. “That

doesn’t happen in a TV interac-tion and that doesn’t happenin a CD interaction.”

Learning a foreign languagehappens best during bath ormeal time, she said, adding,“It’s counter-productive to usethings like flash cards anddrills. Instead you want tobuild things into play.”

Affects of a second languageChildren learning two lan-

Continued on Page 6

By Greg Farrar

Paul Kerdel, 4 (right), works on an art activity with his French au pair, Emilie Uteza, at the Kerdel family’sIssaquah Highlands home.


guages may have smaller vo-cabularies in one or both lan-guages, compared to childrenlearning only one language,Lebedeva said.

Yet, when words from bothlanguages are counted, bilin-gual children have either aboutthe same or more words com-pared to monolingual children,she said.

Sometimes, bilingual chil-dren will mix their languagestogether, and Lebedeva saidthis is a normal stage bilingualchildren go through that helpsthem develop language skills.

Playing in IssaquahParents can find a variety of

language-friendly play areas inthe city. The King County Li-brary System hosts free, 30-minute story times in 10 lan-guages at its various branches.The Issaquah Library has Span-ish story time at 7 p.m. everyMonday. Go to the website atwww.kcls.org for more details.

Cecilia McGowan, KCLS co-ordinator for children’s ser-vices, said the program targetschildren whose families speak aforeign language, and childrenwho are learning a foreign lan-guage.

Several language schools inIssaquah teach children aboutdifferent languages and cul-tures. One of them, Sponge,teaches children through play,song and dance.

At a recent Mandarin lesson,teacher Xinyang Liu playedwith 9-month-old GraceRobertson and 2-year-old KaiMarcelais, showing them toyfarm animals and talking tothem in her native tongue.Their mothers played, too, sur-rounding their children withMandarin words.

Friedman Mighdoll said sheand the instructors live for mo-ments when children sponta-neously speak in a foreign lan-guage. Art projects with theirtoddler students are speckledwith foreign phrases about themost ordinary things, like say-ing, “Can you pass the glue?”in Spanish.

Parents are given handoutsso they can review vocabularyand songs their childrenlearned in class, she said.

Other parents join neighbor-

hood language groups, orspend time with friends whospeak a foreign language. TheIssaquah Highlands Playgroupmeets every Thursday from9:30-11 a.m. at the EastsideFire & Rescue fire station, 1280N.E. Park Drive. E-mail NataliaSanti at [email protected] learn more.

A fine balanceAndrea Noon, a Spanish

teacher at Issaquah HighSchool, studied Spanish in col-lege and traveled across Chileand Spain as a young adult.When she and her Mexicanhusband had their daughter,Leila Ramirez, they decided toteach her both Spanish andEnglish, so she could commu-nicate with both sides of thefamily.

When a Spanish-speakingfriend of hers babysat Leila forthe first two and a half years ofher life, Leila’s Spanish blos-somed so much that her par-ents began to worry about herEnglish. Now age 4, Leila’sEnglish is by far better than herSpanish, though she improvesevery time she spends timewith native Spanish speakers,like friends of the family.

“I’m excited when Leila goesto play with them, because herSpanish improves in 15 to 20minutes,” Noon said.

By Greg Farrar

Paul Kerdel, 4 (left), au pair Emilie Uteza, Anne-Sophie Kerdel, 14 months, and the youngsters’ mother,Karinne Kerdel, look on as Anne-Sophie has a snack.

From Page 5

By Greg Farrar

Lin Marcelais and her son Kai, 2, look in a pig puppet’s mouth whiledropping toy vegetables inside, as teacher Xinyang Liu uses Man-darin vocabulary words.

As a Spanish teacher, Noonsaid she recognizes two typesof students with a previousknowledge of the language.There are students who grewup speaking Spanish, “andtheir parents have done a real-ly good job educating them inreading and writing,” Noonsaid.

The other type includes stu-dents who speak Spanish athome, “but there is not reallyan emphasis on the education-al side. They might have neverseen it written,” she said.

While this last group mayspeak the language conversa-tionally, “usually their level ofSpanish is weak grammaticallyand they have a lot of miscon-ceptions about it,” Noon said.

Noon said she hopes Leilawill speak and read Spanish flu-ently, though she knows sheand her husband will have touse the language regularly athome if they want their daugh-ter to follow suit.

Kerdel, the French mother,acknowledged the challenge ofsticking with a foreign lan-guage.

“I think children tend to gowith what’s easier, and Englishis everywhere,” she said.

The benefits of a polyglot The most obvious benefit of

speaking a foreign language isobvious to most. SpeakingFrench, Spanish or Mandarincan help children communi-cate with others and could ex-pand their circle of friends, aswell as career opportunities.

Friedman Mighdoll said shefeels a thrill when her two chil-dren say hello to people inSeattle’s International District.

Other benefits are not asreadily observed. A recentstudy published by the insti-tute at the University of Wash-ington showed that bilingualchildren tend to think moreflexibly.

“It doesn’t mean that bilin-gual people are smarter, thatthey have a bigger memory,that they have bigger IQ,” Lebe-deva said. “What it does meanis that there are certain skillsthat bilinguals are better at.”

Bilingual children playing agame were able to adjust to achange in rules faster thannonbilingual children, accord-

5 GREATEST DANGERS FACING OUR CHILDREN TODAY

LEADERS IN PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT

1. LACK OF EXERCISE Obesity and physical inactivity are two main risk factors of Type 2 diabetes in children.

2. POOR DIET HABITSUnhealthy eating habits are predisposing children to serious illness, including heart disease.

3. PEER PRESSURE Children are encouraged to engage in unacceptable or unsafe behavior to ‘fit in.’

4. BULLYING Children that experience peer harassment are more likely to suffer from

decreased self-worth and depression.

5. LACK OF MOTIVATIONMany children’s lives lack direction because they haven’t been taught how to set worthy goals.

At Karate West, we understand these concerns and have solutions for parents. For over 20 years we have been helping children build strong minds and bodies.

“Enrolling our children at Karate West was one of the best things we could have done to positively affect their future.” – Karate West parent

To learn more about Karate West’s award winning programs andthe beginner classes starting now, call Sammamish 425.391.4444or Mercer Island 206.232.4477. Visit us at karatewest.com.

Continued on Page 8


Paul Kerdeltries out hisDarth Vadercostume forHalloween asthe Kerdelfamily’sFrench aupair, EmilieUteza, lookson.

By Greg Farrar


• 8 years providing fun learning programs for children

• Multicultural bilingual program

• Academics emphasized in a warm and nurturing environment

• Hands on learning

• Lessons reinforced through art, dance and songs

“We love to teach and we teach with love”www.sammamishspanishpreschool.com • 425.898.7831 • 425.836.0212

ing to the study. In one game, children were

asked to sort objects by color.Then, the rules changed andchildren had to sort them byshape, though some childrengot confused since some ofthe shapes were red and oth-ers were blue.

“In order to do that, youhave to ignore the first set ofrules and use the second setof rules,” Lebedeva said.“Bilingual kids don’t get asconfused.”

The answer to why maylie within the child’s pre-frontal cortex, the part ofthe brain that allows him orher to switch back and forthbetween two languages withvariations in words, pronun-ciation and grammaticalstructure.

To get to that point of flu-ency, Lebedeva prescribedchildren a healthy dose offoreign language playtime.She instructed parents to fol-low the child’s lead, mean-ing, “if the child is interest-ed in the ball, let’s talkabout the ball and play withthe ball,” she said.

When children reach mid-dle school, learning a secondlanguage is harder to master.

“By the time seventhgrade rolls around, it’s justtoo late for your brain tolearn a second language aswell as a native speakerwould,” Lebedeva said. “Youcan learn vocabulary, butyou’re never going to learnit as functionally and effi-ciently as a young child.”

From Page 7

You take her to regularcheckups, monitor her nutri-tion, provide plenty of cuddletime and stimulation, and keepher out of the sun. But is yournewborn really getting every-thing she needs to thrive?More likely than not, she is notgetting enough vitamin D, ac-cording to studies published bya leading group of doctors.

Also known as the “sunshinevitamin,” vitamin D supportsthe growth of healthy bones ininfants and assists with main-taining functions of theirbrain, heart and various muscletissues. Vitamin D deficiencycan lead to rickets, a disorderthat weakens the bones and be-comes apparent during infancyor childhood.

“Vitamin D is not only impor-tant in bone health, but emerg-ing data support its role in main-taining our immunity and pre-venting diseases such as cancerand diabetes. Unfortunately,many infants are not receivingadequate levels of vitamin D

from breast milk, formula or syn-thesis from sunlight,” said Dr.Scott Cohen, a pediatrician andauthor of the book “Eat, Sleep,Poop: A Common Sense Guide toYour Child’s First Year.”

For many people, exposureto sunlight is the body’s wayof producing vitamin D. Butmany others, including chil-dren being protected from thesun or those with darker skin,need supplemental vitamin D.

In 2008 the American Acade-my of Pediatricians revised itsrecommendations regarding vit-amin D, saying that all children,including newborns, should re-ceive 400 IU a day of vitamin D— double the previously recom-mended level. Follow-up studiespublished this year in the orga-nization’s scientific journal, “Pe-diatrics,” showed that most chil-dren are not receiving vitaminD levels that meet the 2008 rec-ommendations.

According to data reported inthe two studies published in “Pe-diatrics,” less than 13 percent of

infants exclusively breastfedwere meeting the daily recom-mendation of vitamin D. Yet lessthan 16 percent of infants whowere exclusively or predomi-nantly breastfed were receivingsupplemental vitamin D.

Ensuring your baby getsenough vitamin D can seemchallenging, regardless ofwhether you feed your childbreast milk, infant formula or acombination. So what shouldyou do? Here are a few simpleways to help ensure your babygets enough vitamin D:

❑ If you breast feed, talk withyour pediatrician to determinewhether you should add a vita-min D supplement. While it isthe gold standard for infant nu-trition, breast milk by itself gen-erally will not supply your babywith enough vitamin D to meetthe AAP recommended levels.

❑ If you formula feed or par-tially formula feed your baby,you also should talk with yourdoctor. Standard infant formu-las include 400 IU of vitamin Din 34 fluid ounces, but most ba-bies consume an average of ap-proximately 27 fluid ounces offormula a day over the courseof their first three months oflife. Look for a formula thatsupplies 400 IU in fewer fluidounces, or talk with your doc-tor about supplements.

❑ Remember that yourchild’s need for vitamin D doesnot stop when he or she transi-tions to solid foods. Continuethe conversation with yourdoctor and choose foods anddrinks that contain vitamin D,including milk and milk-basedbeverages designed for toddlers.

Source: ARA Content

Is your baby getting

enough vitamin D?

A&EB12 • Wednesday, NOVEMBER 3, 2010

� �

The Issaquah Press

�

N O V E M B E REvergreenPhilharmonicseason pre-miere concert,7:30 p.m.,Skyline High

School, 1122 228thAve. S.E.

Fridays in the Living Room with theGreta Matassa Trio, 7:45-10 p.m.,Bake’s Place,$20

Half Pack Live,7-10 p.m., AmantePizza and Pasta, 131Front St. N.

Darren Motamedy, 8-11 p.m.,Pogacha, $5 cover

The Halyards,7:45-10 p.m.,Bake’s Place,

$20

“Barns, Boats andBridges,” curated byCharlotte Beall, opens with a reception from2-4 p.m., University House Issaquah, 22975S.E. Black Nugget Road, through March 6,557-4200

Ricky Venture Review, 7:30-11:30 p.m.,Vino Bella

SundayBreakfasts withMichael Gotz, 10a.m. – noon,Bake’s Place

MichaelPowers,7-9:30 p.m.,Amante Pizzaand Pasta

ARTSCALENDAR�

4

TO SUBMIT AN ARTS CALENDAR ITEM:Call 392-6434, ext. 237, [email protected]. Submit A&Estory ideas to [email protected].


For years, Michelle Ryan could notbear to go outside. She had sta-tioned herself on her living roomcouch, doing crossword puzzles,watching TV and recovering from a

series of medical problems.Then, a light came into her life in the

forms of a paintbrush and the welcomingcrew at artEAST, an Issaquah art cooper-ative.

Ryan’s life has taken her across thecountry, but she moved to Issaquah in1990, working as an echo cardiographer,taking ultrasounds of peoples’ hearts. In1998, her health left her on disability,and she ended up staying indoors for thenext four years.

“I was sort of not all there,” Ryan said.“I was in recovery and trying not to domuch.”

She took a big step from her livingroom couch to a chair her mother gaveher, and soon she emerged from herhaze, picking up crafts, including cro-cheting and logo design. Soon, her artgrew into different media. She paintedwith acrylics, ink and watercolor, andmolded polymer clay. The only problemwas she had no feedback or inspirationfrom other artists.

“It was in a vacuum and nobody sawit,” Ryan said.

Her parents and son, Nicholas RyanLongtin, encouraged her talent, but shefaced setbacks, too. Her parents, whohad been living with her, moved out ofthe house and two of her dogs died. Butit allowed her to grow, becoming closerto her boyfriend, Michael Russell. Thetwo of them began training seeing eyedogs, and Ryan got a service dog, agolden retriever named Horton, for her-self in 2006.

Horton reminds her to take her med-ications, reminds her to stay calm andhelps her reach objects, since she islimited by a bad back and hip, shesaid.

With the help of Russell and Horton, Ryanwas able to go more places, though, as anagoraphobic, she still feared the outdoors.

Her art propelled her forward when afriend introduced her to artEAST co-founder and board member JuneSekiguchi.

Ryan talked so passionately about herwork, Sekiguchi didn’t even know she

had problems venturing behind her frontdoor, probably because, “When art’s yourpassion, everything else falls away,”Sekiguchi said.

At Sekiguchi’s suggestion, Ryan joinedartEAST and pushed herself artistically.

When artEAST members invited her toparticipate in the Collective Memory proj-ect, she agreed, and found herself pairedwith Cougar Mountain Zoo General Cura-tor Robyn Barfoot.

The two instantly connected, and Ryanmade Barfoot a collage, incorporating el-ements such as leaves, tiger whiskersand crushed ostrich eggs into the piece.

“I wound up totally crying when I sawit,” Barfoot said. “It was really movingbecause she was able to capture a lot ofme that is not really seen in the publiceye. My love of dogs, the strong bond mymom and I had.”

Barfoot liked it so much, she commis-sioned Ryan to do a pet portrait of Chen,her wrinkly Chinese shar pei.

“She completely captured my dog,”Barfoot said. “She works with her heartin all of her art, which is why she is sosuccessful.”

Ryan started submitting her work toshows. Although an artEAST jury did not

initially approve her work for Up FrontArt, another jury did a year later.

Once an artEAST member, her careerskyrocketed. Ryan now has five showsaround the area, including at ProvidenceMarinwood, Yoga Barn, Up Front Art, CArt Gallery in Seattle, and the CreativeActivities and the International Organiza-tion on Arts and Disability travelingshow, “Metamorphosis.”

She also knits for Hats for Happiness, aprogram that gives hats for people un-dergoing chemotherapy, makes clay ani-mal necklaces she calls cuddle buddiesand paints pet portraits.

Ryan has two new art studios close tohome — one in her home that she isbuilding now, and the other in the newartEAST space on Front Street North, indowntown Issaquah, which has its grandopening Nov. 6.

“It feels good to be part of the newspace,” she said. “I feel part of artEAST.To those who have been afraid to takethe leap, becoming a member of artEASThas been one of the best things I haveever done.”

Laura Geggel: 392-6434, ext. 241, or [email protected]. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

By Warren KagariseIssaquah Press reporter

The latest offering from VillageTheatre — the coming-of-agetale “Anne of Green Gables” —is adapted from a century-oldnovel, but rest assured, the

stage rendition does not require Cliffs-Notes for the uninitiated.

The original musical is pulled from thepages of the classic Lucy Maud Mont-gomery series — the story of a carrot-haired orphan set in bucolic Avonlea onPrince Edward Island. Scribes JanetYates Vogt and Mark Friedman last pre-sented the piece to Village Theatre audi-ences as a barebones reading at the2009 Festival of New Musicals. The full-fledged show — fine-tuned since the fes-tival — opens Nov. 11 at the downtownIssaquah theater.

“The material, in many ways, worksbeautifully,” co-director Vanessa Millersaid. “It’s a classic story, and we all reallyrelate to the central character of Anne.”

Miller directs the piece alongside long-time Artistic Director Steve Tomkins.

The musical starts as headstrong Anne

Shirley lands in Avonlea after Matthewand Marilla Cuthbert, a brother-and-sisterduo, decide to adopt a boy to handle farmchores. Instead, due to a mix-up, the or-phanage sends a 12-year-old girl.

“There’s this precocious, verbal, imagi-native, red-headed Anne,” Miller said.

The exuberant girl has some trouble inthe children-should-be-seen-and-not-heard ethos in the Cuthbert household.

“Because her surroundings continue tochange, and because her sense of familyhasn’t been formed, she has an extremely

vivid imagination and is creating imagi-nary worlds all around her,” Miller said.

The search for friends in unfamiliarAvonlea also causes Anne to stumble fromtime to time. The musical, like the book,plays up the setbacks for laughs.

“She desperately wants to win peopleover, and in doing so, in her enthusiasmto find friends and find a sense of herselfin the community, she’s just making socialmistakes right, left and center,” Millersaid.

The creative team turned to Seattle ac-tress Kasey Nusbickel for the title charac-ter, or, as the actress describes her, “thecoolest little girl.” In the role, the 30-year-old actress depicts Anne from adolescenceto adulthood.

The production relies on a series of cos-tumes, plus changes in fashion and hair-styles, to suggest different ages. Nusbickelis a brunette, so the creative team uses aseries of wigs to provide the red tressesneeded for the production.

Before Nusbickel portrayed Anne in the2009 festival reading, the actress read theoriginal novel.

“It makes you cry. It makes you laugh. Itmakes you think about yourself in the

context of a community,” she said.For Nusbickel, the product of a small

town in Georgia, the depiction of life intight-knit Avonlea resonated.

“The older I get the more I realize thatthat is the kind of setting where I would

like to raise my family as well,” she said.“Avonlea really taps into that part of me.”

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or [email protected]. Comment at www.issaquah-press.com.

BY JON PAI/VILLAGE THEATRE

Suzy Hunt as Marilla Cuthbert (left), Kasey Nusbickel as Anne Shirley and Dennis Batemanas Matthew Cuthbert perform in the production of ‘Anne of Green Gables’ at Village Theatre.

Village Theatre preps precocious‘Anne of Green Gables’ for debut

IF YOU GO‘Anne of Green Gables’�Village Theatre — Francis J. GaudetteTheatre�303 Front St. N.�Nov. 11 – Jan. 2�Show times vary�$20 – $60�392-2202 or www.villagetheatre.org

Michelle Ryansmiles whilestanding besidetwo of her poly-mer clay collageshadow boxesrecently at theoriginal UP FrontArt gallery. Thesecond artEASTlocation at theformer LewisHardware opensNov 6.

BY GREGFARRAR

ARTEAST ART CENTER Grand opening open house�Noon - 5 p.m. Nov. 6�Former Lewis Hardware building�95 Front St. N.�The newest addition to artEAST and UPFront invites the public on a free tour of artexhibits, a guided figure drawing session, artdemonstrations, and artist meet and greets.

Find her on Facebook�Search for “Michelle Sidnie Ryan Artist”

Contact Michelle Ryan�[email protected]�www.arteast.org/msidnie_ryan.htm

Agoraphobic painter finds friends at artEAST

56

711

Same Owner - New LookKlahanie Service Center

425.313.30574598 Klahanie Dr. SE

Issaquah

“As always, FREE BRAKE

INSPECTIONS”

FREE 30K60K90K

MAINTENANCE INSPECTION & 10% Off Labor

on any related repairsMust present coupon at time of service

Exp. 11/30/10

wheeland motor

ISSAQUAH(425)391-7227Located in Issaquah Auto Mall,

Between Big O Tire & Mark’s Japanese Auto

60 NW Gilman Blvd. Issaquah

AUTO GLASS, Inc.

EASTSIDE MOBILE

Locally Owned and Operated Since 1979

NOW AVAILABLE:

Saturday Appointments

Let us worry about auto glass - so you can enjoy the drive!

$25 Gift Card with windshield installation

(in shop, retail only) (in shop, retail only)

A&EA8 • Wednesday, March 30, 2011

� �

The Issaquah Press

�

M A R C HWings & Things, the music ofPaul McCartney, 7:30-9:30 p.m.Wednesdays, Field ofChampions Sports Bar & Grill,385 N.W. Gilman Blvd.,392-7111

Village Theatre presents ‘Iron Curtain’through April 24, Francis J. Gaudette Theatre,303 Front St. N., $20 to $60, 392-2202 orwww.villagetheatre.org

JessicaHoughtonCD releaseparty, 7-10p.m., VinoBella

A P R I LApril Fool’s DayParty with 3 TrickPony, 8-11 p.m.,Pogacha

Uncle Bonsai,7:45 p.m., Bake’s

Place

Bake St. Blues Revue, 8-11 p.m.,Pogacha

Little Bill & theBluenotes, 7:30p.m., Bake’s Place

Breakfast at Bake’swith Michael Gotz, 10a.m. Sundays, Bake’sPlace

Burgers & Benz car show, noon, XXXRootbeer Drive-in

Vintage TravelTrailer & MotorHome Camp Out,8 a.m., XXXRootbeer Drive-in

Darren Motamedy, 8-11 p.m.,Pogacha

Trish, Hans & Phil, 7:45 p.m., Bake’sPlace

Breakfast at Bake’s withMichael Gotz, 10 a.m., Bake’sPlace

All Emergency & MilitaryVehicle Show, 8 a.m., XXXRootbeer Drive-in

ARTSCALENDAR�

30

TO SUBMIT AN ARTS CALENDAR ITEM:Call 392-6434, ext. 237, [email protected]. Submit A&Estory ideas to [email protected].


Mike Margolies always tells his audi-ence that he was a very good, unsuccess-ful athlete.

“I had the physical tools, but I didn’tunderstand the mental side of the game,”he said. “I didn’t understand that mythoughts contributed to how I performedon the field. I didn’t understand therewere things I could do to help me focusbetter.”

No matter at what level an athlete isplaying — from Little League baseball tothe Olympics — the field of sports psy-chology can help players channel thepressure of their sport into a positiveforce.

“I’ve worked with athletes who havewon world championships, gone on toplay professional sports,” Margolies said.“The difference between them and some-one who has an equal level of tools ishow they deal with adversity, how theydeal with the stress of the game, howthey plan and prepare for the game.”

‘More focused, ready to play’Haliey Richmond, a sophomore at Bal-

lard High School, plays for a soccer teamcoached by Margolies. She recently be-gan taking sports psychology sessionswith him, and its effects are already help-ing her game, she said. The two reviewhow she felt and acted during previousgames. Then, they’ll visualize the nextgame and give Richmond scenarios forwhat might happen on the turf.

“I feel a lot more focused and ready toplay when the games come,” she said.

Using his sports psychology back-ground, Margolies, of Issaquah, primarilyworks with high school athletes, but hehas a wider audience — one he can’teven see and who listens to his everyword on Toginet radio.

Margolies started broadcasting his ra-dio show, “The Athlete Within You,”Feb. 7. Every Monday, he talks to ath-letes from a range of sports, includingbaseball, soccer, track and roller-skatingderbies. Instead of asking athletes towax on about their careers, Margoliesfocuses on the steps they took to achievesuccess.

Bobby Howe, a soccer coach who hashelped coach teams, such as the PortlandTimbers and the Seattle Sounders, volun-teered as Margolies’ first guest on theshow.

“I thought it was terrific,” Howe said.“For me, he looked at my background, helooked at my views on player develop-ment, especially the younger players, andalso looked at my view on coach educa-tion.”

Howe called Margolies’ interview stylethoughtful and well rounded.

“I like the way he tries to look at yourpast to determine what makes you tick,”

he said.

A history of sportsMargolies relationship with sports is

one that has lasted his whole life. Hestarted playing baseball at age 5. Be-tween then and college, he played bas-ketball and football, and made his foot-ball debut as a freshman at CaliforniaState University in Los Angeles.

He had played football casually withfriends, but not for his school team. Evenso, he went to tryouts and played as theNo. 2 wide receiver. He could play physi-cally, but didn’t have the mental tools orconfidence to take it to the next level, hesaid, adding his coach spent more timeyelling instead of giving advice for how tosucceed.

He transferred to Humboldt State Uni-versity his sophomore year. When he ap-proached the football coach about play-ing, the coach asked if he had played inhigh school. Margolies said no, and triedto say he had played for a Division I uni-versity, but the coach cut him off.

“He never let me get the next wordsout,” Margolies said.

Now, he suspects his appearance — itwas the 1970s and Margolies had longhair and a beard — might have turnedoff the coach.

“Instead of saying, ‘This is what I reallywant to do — I’ll cut my hair, my beard— and that I really want to play,’ I said afew words and left,” he said.

The rejection was a mixed blessing.Margolies took up soccer and played un-

til he graduated. Sports were his pas-sion, so he went to the University ofDenver to earn his master’s degree insports science. In Denver, he workedwith his professors, coaching world-class athletes for the Tour de France,The National Football League and theOlympics.

From good to eliteAs a sport psychologist and founder of

Sports Psychology Consultants, heteaches athletes how to play their best.Visualization is a main component, hesaid.

One athlete he worked with was train-ing for the discus event in the 1980Olympics — an event the U.S. ended upboycotting because of the Soviet invasionof Afghanistan. The athlete could throwthe discus 140 feet when Margolies methim. He improved a few feet, but thenone day he called Margolies to say he hadthrown it 177 feet.

“That morning when he went throughhis imagery rehearsal, he noticed hishand was at the wrong angle,” Margoliessaid. “That afternoon when he went topractice, he made the adjustment.

“That really put him into that eliteworld class,” he said.

Margolies fills the airwaves with storieslike that one, showing how athletes canimprove their craft through sports psy-chology.

“I didn’t get the chance because Igave up on myself,” he said. “So if I can

help kids in any sport get closer to whattheir real potential is by them usingtheir mind, then I think I’ve done some-thing.”

Laura Geggel: 392-6434, ext. 241, or [email protected]. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

In honor of Village Theatre’s newmusical comedy “Iron Curtain,” Vil-lage Theatre presents a scavengerhunt. Village Theatre is posting aphoto of a potato in seven iconic Is-saquah locations for the seven Tues-days on its Facebook page. Figureout where that location is, take yourown photo with a potato of yourchoice (receive extra points forstyle) and post it towww.facebook.com/villagetheatre.Clues to the potato’s location will beposted every Wednesday throughFriday. Those who post their photoin the correct location first will wina pair of free tickets to see “IronCurtain.” Everyone who posts willbe entered to win a pair of seasontickets. Get more info at www.vil-lagetheatre.org/iron_curtain_scav-engerhunt.php.

SCAVENGER HUNT�

Issaquah sports shrink talks a good game

BY GREG FARRAR

Issaquah radio show host Mike Margolies gets ready for his program, ‘The Athlete WithinYou’ from his home office on Squak Mountain.

ON THE WEBListen to Mike Margolies’ radio show ‘TheAthlete Within You’ from 6-7 p.m. everyMonday at www.themental-game.com.

Fans can meet young adult author

Dori Jones Yang, the author of a novelfor young adults about the Mongol Em-pire, is scheduled to sign books for fansApril 2 in Issaquah.

Yang’s debut novel — “Daughter ofXanadu” — introduces readers to 16-year-old Princess Emmajin, the granddaughterof Kublai Khan. The princess is deter-mined to serve as a warrior in the Mongolarmy — something no woman has donebefore.

Fans can meet the author at 1 p.m. atCostco, 1801 10th Ave. N.W.

Yang, a former China correspondent forBusiness Magazine, teamed up with Star-bucks chief Howard Schultz to write thebestselling “Pour Your Heart Into It: HowStarbucks Built a Company One Cup at aTime” in the late 1990s.

Starbucks CEO to sign books at CostcoStarbucks chief Howard Schultz is due

at Costco early next month to sign copiesof a book about navigating the coffee titan

through a successful turnaround.Shultz, Starbucks’ president and CEO, is

scheduled to appear at the Issaquah ware-house at 1 p.m. April 8. The book is “On-ward: How Starbucks Fought for Its LifeWithout Losing Its Soul” — a frank ac-count of how the Seattle-based companyreached out to customers and batteneddown to weather the recession.

Schultz joined Starbucks as director ofmarketing in 1982. In 2000, Schultzstepped down from daily oversight of thecompany, but returned as CEO eight yearslater as the company foundered.

The experience is the basis for Schultz’saccount. Publishers Weekly praised “On-ward” as “a must-read for anyone inter-ested in leadership, management or thequest to connect a brand with the con-sumer.”

‘Million Dollar Quartet’ tours to Seattle“Million Dollar Quartet” — the Tony

Award-winning musical about a famousjam session — reaches Seattle next springafter originating at Village Theatre in Is-

saquah and achieving success on Broad-way.

The national tour of the musical isscheduled for a run at the Paramount The-atre from May 15-20, 2012. Find ticket in-formation at the Seattle Theatre Groupwebsite, www.stgpresents.org.

“Million Dollar Quartet” tells the truestory of a chance meeting in December1956 of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, JohnnyCash and Jerry Lee Lewis. The legendaryentertainers jammed together at the SunRecords studio in Memphis.

The rockabilly musical debuted at Vil-lage Theatre in September 2007 and thenon Broadway in April 2010. Actor LeviKreis originated the Lewis role in Is-saquah and continues to perform in theBroadway production.

“Million Dollar Quartet” garnered multi-ple Tony nods and a statuette for Kreis.

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ tickets on saleVillage Theatre is preparing a rock

opera of biblical proportions to concludethe ongoing season: “Jesus Christ Super-

star.”The downtown Issaquah theater pres-

ents the blockbuster show about the lastweeks of Jesus’ life from May 11 to July3.

Purchase tickets at the theater website,www.villagetheatre.org. Or call the box of-fice at 392-2202. Tickets can also be pur-chased at the box office, 303 Front St. N.,from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Satur-day.

Tickets range from $20 to $60. Studentsand military members can pick up half-price tickets 30 minutes prior to curtainfor any available seat. The theater also of-fers group discounts for parties of 10 peo-ple or more.

Issaquah native Brian Yorkey — a TonyAward- and Pulitzer Prize-winner for themusical “Next to Normal” — is set to di-rect “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

The show opened on Broadway in Oc-tober 1971 to controversy, because somereligious groups considered some ele-ments as blasphemous. The original runended in June 1973 after 711 perform-ances.

“I had the physical tools, but Ididn’t understand the mentalside of the game.”— Mike Margolies Sports radio psychologist

31

12

3910

CONTRIBUTED

Issaquah sports psychologist MikeMargolies works with three girls on a chal-lenge course for a team-bonding exercise. Byworking together, the athletes learn how tocooperate and depend on one another.

AmazingAmazinggrandkids!grandkids!

Order photo reprints of your grandchildren when they are in the news!

www.issaquahpress.comClick on banner ad at the bottom of the home page.

Documents

feature writer of the year