Scholar Notes
Scholar Notes
Here is where you will find news about the accomplishments of the students in Valley Home Scholars.
VHS Homeschool Graduates in the Military
2008 Graduates
National Geography Bee Winner! by Diane Smith
Valley Home Scholars hosted a Geography Bee in December 2008. This was the first round in the 21st annual National Geographic Bee sponsored by the National Geographic Society for students in grades 4 – 8. Joey Roth (age 12) correctly answered 71 out of 87 questions on a written test. Congratulations, Joey!
Joey’s next step will be to take a timed, 70-question test. If Joey places among the top 100 scores in Washington State, he will qualify to compete in the State Bee that will be held in Tacoma on Friday, April 3. Joey, we hope you make it to the State Bee! The winner of the State Bee will fly to Washington, D.C. and compete in the National Bee at the end of May.
In addition to the official National Geography Bee, we had eight high schoolers willing to take part in an unofficial high school bee. Michael Kortlever correctly answered 81 of the 87 questions! Congratulations, Michael!
Band Update by Janeen Graham
December 9 saw the Lilac City Homeschool Band and the Valley Home Scholars Fiddler class performing for friends and family. A variety of Christmas music and fiddle tunes made the evening enjoyable, and cookies and fellowship afterwards were the icing on the cake. Of special note: Alek and Viktor Black did a phenomenal job playing "Arkansas Traveler;” Rachel Hess and Erin Johnson tugged at our heartstrings with “Ashokan Farewell;” David and Madison McGuire helped us meditate on “Silent Night;” and the trumpet trio of Kalem Morgan, Brolin and Jorin Graham did a nice fanfare on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” For those of you who were not able to hear our performance this past season, we hope to see you at future performances next spring.
Spokane is Spelling
By Andrea Hood
Hannah Manning, Hannah Neale & Abby Hood par-ticipated in the "Spokane is Spelling" bee October 25 at Riverpark Square. The girls competed as a team and made it to the final round. The final few rounds of the bee were exciting. The girls mis-spelled susceptible and thought they were out. How-ever, they were brought back because the other teams misspelled their words too. During the final round, the VHS team was given the word comple-mentary. Unfortunately, they spelled its homonym: complimentary. Although they didn't win, the girls had so much fun they were ready to do it again next year! Congratulations to all!
The Vote is in … Elections 101 won by a Landslide!
By Shelly Potts
Sixteen boys attended the recent Elections 101 class on the north side of town. The class was facilitated by Donna Kuhn, but Emily Sue Pike, a retired high school teacher resembling Ms. Frizzle in manner, taught much of the time. The class was a fast paced introduction to government, elections and voting.
The line-up of guest speakers included Ozzie Knezovich – Sheriff, Catherine Brazel – Republican convention attendee, Cecily Kelly – a questioner at a 1996 Presidential debate, and Sam Reed - Secretary of State. These speakers encouraged our boys to participate in the political process.
Other than a pop quiz on the first day of class, assignments were limited. However, one homework task called for students to write a 3-minute campaign speech for the presidential nominee of their choice. Two “volunteers” read their speeches and a vote was taken by secret ballot to determine the new President, who was later announced by Sam Reed.
As a follow-up to the class, a field trip to the Elections Office was organized. Mr. Paul Brandt, Director of Elections Communication and Outreach, gave our group of 22 a tour and explanation of the winding path a voter’s ballot travels. He covered everything from how voter signatures are verified to the steps taken to ensure machine accuracy during ballot processing. Attendees were amazed to see the sorting machines in operation at breakneck speeds. Thanks to all who participated in this field trip and in the class!
The National Geographic Society has notified David Roth, age 13, that he is one of the finalists eligible to compete in the 2008 Washington State Geography Bee on April 4 in Ta-coma. David will compete with other students from across Washington who earned the top 100 scores of a written test taken in January. The winner of the State Bee will then be eligible to compete in the National Bee in Washington, D.C. on May 21 — 22. We are proud to have David represent homeschoolers and Valley Home Scholars in particular at the Bee!
Let’s Hear a Drum Roll Please… By Shelly Potts
A day to perform, to listen, and to have fun…this describes the 2008 Homeschool Band Festival! Eighteen members of the band met on Friday, March 8 in Port Orchard, WA for the festival. This well-organized event kept band members rotat-ing between several valuable activities. Participating homeschool bands included Port Orchard, Sounders, North-winds, North County, and Spokane, for a total of approxi-mately 300 students. These students represented Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Jazz Bands.
Each band warmed up their instruments in a designated area then had the opportunity to hear another band at their same level prior to performing for an audience and judges. After performing, individual bands met with a seasoned band pro-fessional for evaluation. The feedback gained in this process was an important component of the festival. The evaluators connected well with students and offered constructive criti-cism in a humorous and clear way, as well as plenty of praise. In addition, several students had the opportunity to perform in the Beginning Mass Band led by seasoned director, Tina Riley. This band was comprised of beginning players from each of the participating bands. In less than an hour Mrs. Riley had these novice students performing "The Procession of the Cy-borgs".
In addition to performing, band students were able to listen to amazing performances by several advanced bands, includ-ing jazz ensembles. Their music took the audience back to the Wild West with their kettledrums and penetrating brass sec-tions in "Rumble on the High Plains". Lighter fare included selections from "Mary Poppins" and "The Incredibles".
The Band Festival was a valuable experience and many thanks go out to Mrs. Janeen Graham, the determined and industrious leader of the Spokane Homeschool Band, as well as to the coordinators of the festival. A big drum roll also goes to the band students and their parents for going the extra miles to participate in this event!
Erika Laulainen entered the Veterans’ of Foreign Wars (VFW) Annual Elementary Essay contest (Patriot’s Pen) and placed first in her district for 3rd grade. Her essay went to the next level where she placed 2nd in Washington third graders. The contest is designed to provide an opportunity for elementary school students to think, write and speak up for Democracy. This years’ essay theme was “Who is your hero and why?” Erika chose to write about her dad. Her essay can be read here.
Kelly Crockett, VFW coordinator and Lisa Laulainen receiving a "Teacher" award for encouraging participation in the essay contest.
Caleb Potts submitted one of the winning entries in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) writing contest last month. Students were required to assume the role of a spy, either a Loyalist or a Patriot, in the American Revolution and write a historical fiction paper. Caleb received a $25 prize award and medal, presented to him by Mrs. Pat Ewers of the Spokane Garry Charter DAR, during the VHS’s Monday classes. Caleb has been invited to read his paper during a luncheon hosted by the Daughters of the American Revolution in June. His essay can be read here.
The DAR writing contest is an annual event for students from 5th through 8th grade. The contest rules are posted in November, with papers due in January. This is good timing, as many families take a break from their regular subjects around the holidays and students can work on this assignment independently in large part.
Congratulations to Caleb and best wishes as his entry is judged at the next level.
