The Giving Tree
December 21, 2009
Every year, Liberty High School’s Key Club hosts a giving tree in the main office of the school, a tradition met with great enthusiasm by the student body.
The tree was put up from Nov. 30 through Dec. 14, and the gifts received were given to five needy families in the Liberty area.
This year, student participation was high.
“We had tons of gifts, every tag on the tree was taken and there were tons of gift cards,” said Cari Fraley, vice president of Key Club at Liberty High School.
The giving tree is only one of the events the Key Club runs. The student organization is also planning a canned food drive for Martin Luther King week, and will donate the proceeds directly to the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank.
“Our main goal is to help out the community around us and make it a better place, and to inspire kids to get out of their daily routine and go help others,” Fraley said.
Get involved
Key Club meets every Tuesday morning in Liberty’s staff lounge.
This is your RAKE-up call!
December 21, 2009
Families unite for Christmas, a universal season of hope, joy and light.
Unnoticed among pandemonium surrounding the season, stood a man huddled in the deserted streets on a frigid winter night. From her kitchen window, a woman caught sight of the man and gestured him inside for a hot drink. The man hesitantly accepted, but hastily ate in her kitchen.
This random act of kindness changed the life of the woman, as acts such as this have inspired people universally.
Brianna Fowler-Linder, president of RAKE or Random Acts of Kindness Everyday club, brought the desire to perform acts of charity to Issaquah High School.
So, what is RAKE? The goal of the club is to improve the high school atmosphere through the unification of the student body. The students involved seek to better their community on an individual and personal level.
Through minor gestures of kindness daily, these students are on a mission to “inspire change and acceptance through the exchange of love,” Fowler-Linder said.
Get involved
The Random Acts of Kindness Everyday club meets Mondays after school at Issaquah High School. Learn more about upcoming events or becoming a member by e-mailing b.fowlerlinder@gmail.com.
Natural Helpers
December 21, 2009
Listening skills are the most important aspect a natural helper can have, according to Natural Helpers President Karen Lin.
The stereotype of the apathetic teen need no longer apply; in many ways, kids are seeking to destroy indifference and encourage awareness.
Motivated by tackling issues, such as suicide and depression, drugs, alcohol and eating disorders, natural helpers are the students nominated by their peers as the kids to talk to, the ones who want to make a difference in the lives of others.
If one travels the tunnels of Skyline High School before school on a Wednesday, he or she would find a group of students learning about major teen issues and putting together events for the purpose of awareness.
Natural helpers are there to listen and inform. Recently, the club presented the Youth Suicide Prevention program, and through presentations in the classroom sought to enlighten their teens of the crises others may face.
“It’s not just helping people. It’s listening and understanding what teens go through,” Lin said. “Who knows, it could help yourself with some issues you possibly have.”
Get involved
Natural Helpers meets Wednesdays after school at Skyline High School.
The Hot List
December 21, 2009
Movie: “Precious” is a film adaptation of the award winning novel “Push,” by Sapphire.
Clareece “Precious” Jones is 16, illiterate, overweight and abused by her troubled family. However, she finds hope in a school when a teacher helps her begin a new life. As she is pregnant with her second child, she learns a valuable lesson that “life is hard…short…painful…rich. Life is Precious.”
Album: “The Fame Monster,” by Lady Gaga.
The new “queen of pop” shares her deepest fears and discusses the dark side of being in the limelight.
Book: “Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations,” by Alex and Brett Harris.
Through humorous real-life stories, Alex and Brett Harris are starting a movement that encourages youths to rebel against the low expectations of their culture by challenging themselves, and start a “rebelution” for a better future.
Here’s how to find the perfect gift on a budget
December 21, 2009
By Olivia Spokoiny
The holiday season has become an increasingly difficult problem in these hard economic times.
Many of us lack the time and money to search for the perfect holiday gift for our family and friends — especially teenagers.
It is a common misconception that the “perfect gift” has to be something impressive, new or expensive. In fact, there are endless ways to be thrifty and creative. Read more
City Council reappoints Municipal Court judge
December 21, 2009
NEW — 6 a.m. Dec. 21, 2009
Judge N. Scott Stewart will serve another four years as the sole Issaquah Municipal Court judge, the City Council decided Dec. 7.
Stewart was first appointed to the Issaquah bench in 2007, when then-Judge Peter Jarvis retired. With the four-year municipal judge term set to expire Dec. 31, the council reappointed Stewart through 2013.
The court presides over misdemeanors — such as DUI cases — as well as parking and traffic infractions that occur in Issaquah. In the years since the court opened in 2005, criminal filings increased by 117 percent and the caseload ballooned by 209 percent, city documents state.
Council OKs human services campus study
December 20, 2009
NEW — 6 a.m. Dec. 20, 2009
A clearinghouse where people in need can receive food, healthcare and employment is a step closer to reality for Issaquah.
Officials hired nonprofit Family Resource Center, of Redmond, to locate a suitable site for a human services campus, engage in business planning and provide legal assistance. City Council members approved the $35,000 pact in a unanimous vote Dec. 7.
Seasonal flu shots offered at Rite Aid
December 19, 2009
NEW — 6 a.m. Dec. 19, 2009
The Rite Aid at the Pine Lake Village Shopping Center, in Sammamish, is still offering regular, seasonal flu vaccines.
Walk-in patients wishing to be immunized are advised to call the pharmacy first to ensure a certified immunizing pharmacist will be available at the desired time.
Eastgate shutdown begins at 9 tonight
December 18, 2009
NEW — 4:43 p.m. Dec. 18, 2009
If your plans include a trip with a friend to the Eastgate area this weekend be prepared for possible delays.
Crews will shut down two of the 142nd Place Southeast ramps to and from Interstate 90 all weekend, starting at 9 p.m. today until 4:30 a.m. Monday, to repair a storm drain.
Drivers who typically use the 142nd Place Southeast HOV ramps to access eastbound I-90 or exit westbound I-90 will need to take detours. This work is part of the Smarter Highways project on I-90.
NEW — Friday sports update
December 18, 2009
NEW — 11:04 a.m. Dec. 18, 2009
Eagles stroke by Eastlake
Skyler Kersten won two events and swam on a victorious relay Dec. 17 to spark the Issaquah High School boys swimming team to a 111-74 KingCo Conference victory against Eastlake.
Kersten won the 100 freestyle in 52.74 seconds, and captured the 100 backstroke in 1;01.31. He also swam on the Eagles’ winning 400 freestyle relay that had a time of 3:36.28. Willy Matsuda, Jack Taylor and Brian Ruggles were other members of the relay team.
The Eagles also won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:38.97. Ben Halter, Spencer McCulloh, Austin Melody and Ruggles composed the relay team.
Other Issaquah first places came from McCulloh in the 200 freestyle, Taylor in the 50 freestyle, Brandon Pomeroy in diving and Matuda in the 500 freestyle.
