www.chehalis.k12.wa.us | 310 SW 16th St. | Chehalis, WA 98532 | (360) 807-7200 | Fax: (360) 748-8899

LEARNING NETWORKthe

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LEARNERS TODAY, LEADERS TOMORROW.

A N O T H E R G R E AT S C H O O L Y E A R I N C H E H A L I S

A message from Superintendent Rothlin

Dear Chehalis Patrons,

It’s hard to believe that another school year has come to an end! The 2012-2013 school year was filled

with amazing achievements by our students, including the W.F. West Knowledge Bowl qualifying for the State Competition, our Baseball team taking first in State and our Golf team placing second in State. Building on the education they have received in our district, our graduates will go on to achieve incredible things. See what our Top 10 students plan to do on page two of this newsletter.

Chehalis School District is fast becoming a leader in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) education. This spring, W.F. West was named a Lighthouse School to mentor other schools in STEM and our Chehalis Foundation received a $1.8 million donation to support STEM in the future. In August, we will offer a STEM Academy for students entering grades 9-12 at the reasonable cost of $85 for the week thanks to the support of the Chehalis Foundation. This is an amazing opportunity that will greatly benefit our students.

Speaking of investing in the future, our Board of Directors made a significant commitment to the future of our students by offering all-day kindergarten free of charge beginning in 2013-14. This decision will reach out to families who might wish their children to attend full-day kindergarten but are unable to afford it.

On behalf of the staff and School Board of the Chehalis School District, I want to say thank you for another great year. We deeply appreciate the work you do to assure every student who enters our school system is adequately prepared to walk across the stage to accept his or her diploma and become successful in life after graduation.

Sincerely,

Ed Rothlin, Superintendent

23rd Annual Spelling Bee, Olympic Elementary School

On April 19, 2013, Olympic Elementary School held its 23rd annual school-wide spelling bee, sponsored by the Chehalis Kiwanis Club. Eleven grade-level spelling bee finalists participated. Pictured from left to right are the top five winners: Gabe Sheets, fifth grader, 1st place; Waylon Fisher, fifth grader, 2nd place; Matthew Jacaway, fifth grader, 4th place; Camryn Bostwich, fourth grader, 5th place; and Megan Nowels, fifth grader, 3rd place. Ed Rothlin, Chehalis School District Superintendent and Brett Ellingson, Olympic Elementary Principal, are also pictured. Great job Olympic Cougars!

Congratulations Class of 2013!

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Kelly GiffeyGPA: 4.0Parents: Mark & Cheryl GiffeyFuture plans: University of Idaho to study Biochemistry to become a pediatrician

Jace PetersonGPA: 4.0Parents: Jeff & Jill PetersonFuture plans: Centralia College and Oregon State University with a major in Music Production

Jared RasmussenGPA: 4.0Parents: Kyle & Joanne RasmussenFuture plans: St. Martin’s University to study Mechanical Engineering

Marissa ReynoldsGPA: 4.0Parents: Rodney & Julie ReynoldsFuture plans: Princeton University for a degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Seth SchneiderGPA: 4.0Parents: Gary & Dianna SchneiderFuture plans: Washington State University to earn a Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences

Abrielle SheetsGPA: 4.0Parents: Mark & Vikki SheetsFuture plans: Brigham Young University to study Public Health and to apply to medical school

Brock WadeGPA: 4.0Parents: Steve & Kathryn WadeFuture plans: Whitworth University to study Engineering and play basketball

Jenna GregoryGPA: 3.994Parents: Dan & Debby GregoryFuture plans: Washington State University to study Genetics & Cell Biology to become a Genetic Counselor

Forrest CraigGPA: 3.986Parents: Kim McDonald & Jeff CraigFuture plans: Centralia College and Oregon State University to major in Audio Recording

Brittany SimmonsGPA: 3.983Parents: Ed & Shelly SimmonsFuture plans: Central Washington University to study Biology and pursue a Master’s in Occupational Therapy

KELLY GIFFEY JACE PETERSON

MARISSA REYNOLDSJARED RASMUSSEN

SETH SCHNEIDER ABRIELLE SHEETS

BROCK WADE JENNA GREGORY

FORREST CRAIG BRITTANY SIMMONS

W.F. West High School Top Ten Graduates of 2013

Chehalis School District Retirees

THANK YOU for your many years of dedicated service!

RUSTY BROWER District Maintenance

FRED CARRSchool Psychologist

MARY DAHLSTROMSpeech/Language Pathologist

GAIL DENBESTE Student Support Secretary

JULIE JOHNSONSchool Psychologist

BOB KIRKMANOlympic Elementary Instructor

CARLA LINKStudent Support Paraeducator

DAWN MCHUGHSpeech/Language Pathologist

LINDA NEWBERRYOlympic Elementary Instructor

28 years Chehalis School District

KAREN NOTO Special Education Paraeducator

Congratulations to the Boys' Golf Team taking 2nd in State! Team members include Brady, who personally placed 2nd; Jared, who placed 13th; and Jacob, who placed 25th. Terrific playing by the team and great coaching by Bruce Thompson and Laurence Costa! Way to go Bearcats!

Field Day at Cascade—Cascade Elementary students participated in several fun activities on the last day of school, including this sack race. Field Day was coordinated by P.E. teacher Melissa Varick.

Mapping out history—R.E. Bennett Elementary students recently visited the Lewis County Historic Museum to learn about our local history. Pictured: Cathy Cavness's class.

Performing in Seattle—Chehalis Middle School’s Caribbean Breeze Steel Drum Band performed at the Mariners game on June 9. The band is led by Scott O’Hara.

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W.F. West history teacher Rob Sande likes to spend his summer time-traveling. If that sounds like an unique activity, it is. Sande joins historians and other “re-enactors” to travel back in time 150 years to re-enact major Civil War battles, complete with authentic dress, canons and artillery. He got the idea two years ago when he realized the 150th anniversary of the Civil War was fast approaching and thought it would be fun to teach others about the major battles of the war. Sande worked with the Veteran’s Memorial Museum and other veterans groups to plan the first event last summer which drew 525 participants. “Last year’s event was amazing, and we are really hoping to build on it,” said Sande. “There are not many re-enactments in our region. We try to make it as real as possible.” Many of Sande’s students attended last year’s event as spectators and volunteers, gaining a real perspective of the era. This year’s event is set for July 20-21 and commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Teacher helps bring Civil War to life with help of local historians

Activities wrap up the year with a smile

Postal Patron

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage Paid

Chehalis, WAPermit #7

www.chehalis.k12.wa.us(360) 807-7200 | FAX (360) 748-8899Chehalis School District Board Members

Vicki Daniels, President | Colleen State, Vice-President | Dr. Brian Roberts | Brennan Bailey | Joe ClarkSuperintendent, Ed Rothlin

310 SW 16th St. | Chehalis, WA 98532

LEARNING NETWORKthe

Twelve Olympic Elementary students participated in the third annual Kids Can Cook event March 22. With the assistance of Chehalis School District food service staff, the students prepared their recipes and created display plates and samples for a special reception. The young chefs did an excellent job of preparing their recipes and sharing their creations with guests. Winners, by category: Fun Food—Elizabeth Twining, Lizzy’s Easy Fruit Salad; Kid Friendly—Ami Nichols, Chicken Cobb Salad; Health Conscious—Sahara Twiss, Spinach Salad; and Judge’s Choice—Miley Iverson, Greek Salad. Kids Can Cook was coordinated by Food Services Director Heather Matheney.

The W.F. West Bearcats Baseball Team won the 2012 State Championship. The team was honored with a ride through Chehalis on a fire truck amid cheering fans.

Don’t miss the Summer STEM Academy

August 5-9. Course offerings

open to all SW Washington

students entering grades 9-12.

Cost is $85 - Register at:

www.stemchehalis.org