Youth board to host Glitz & Glam night
March 26, 2013
Elementary school girls can express their glamorous side at the Issaquah Youth Advisory Board’s Glitz & Glam night from 6-9 p.m. May 17 at the Issaquah Community Center.
Girls in kindergarten through third grade can spend the night doing hair, makeup and crafts.
Registration fee is $20. Learn more at https://iplay.issaquahwa.gov/Start/start.asp, or call 837-3300.
Issaquah High School senior explores energy industry at USC camp
November 20, 2012
When Issaquah High School senior Alex Hansen was tasked with a project to find a solution to combat the waste associated with plastic bottles, he thought outside of the box.
Hansen and a small group of other students from across the country suggested employing a sort of hypothetical bacteria that would have the ability to eat plastic and turn it into a substance that is more environmentally friendly.
“I personally researched a lot about these weird bacteria, I forget their name, but apparently they are being looked into as having the possibility to eat plastic and turn it into a material that is more decomposable,” he said. “It’s not really plausible yet, but it was fun.”
It was all part of Hansen’s summer visit to the University of Southern California for the weeklong USC/Chevron Frontiers of Energy Resources Camp.
Summer job provides more than a paycheck
July 31, 2012
Recent Issaquah High School graduate Maria Dalzell isn’t bagging groceries or working retail this summer.
Maria Dalzell
Instead, she is busy meeting CEOs, sitting in on board meetings and getting a first-hand look at how nonprofit organizations function through her paid internship at Seattle Goodwill.
Dalzell is among a handful of Puget Sound-area teens selected to participate in the Bank of America Student Leaders program. The program awards community-minded teens from across the country with an eight-week paid internship at a local charitable organization and a July trip to Washington, D.C., for a weeklong Student Leadership Summit.
During a time when the teen unemployment rate in Washington state is among the highest in the nation, Bank of America’s Student Leaders program and Summer Youth Employment Initiative provide meaningful summer work for teens.
“Youth unemployment is a big deal, especially since there are many more adults in the field looking for jobs,” Dalzell said. “What’s really special about programs like this is that it’s not just a job that you get over the summer, it’s a job that really prepares you for the big world, prepares you for college and prepares you for life.”
Issaquah Youth Advisory Board seeks fresh faces by May 18
May 8, 2012
City leaders need tweens and teens to serve on the Issaquah Youth Advisory Board during the 2012-13 school year.
The panel fosters advocacy, community service and youth representation on local boards and committees.
Students must live within the Issaquah School District boundaries in order to apply for the board. The school district stretches from Preston to Newcastle and from Sammamish to Renton.
Organizers intend to include members representing each middle and high school in the district.
The panel also welcomes home-schooled and private school students living inside district boundaries.
Find the application on the municipal website, www.ci.issaquah.wa.us/Files/2012-2013IYABapplication.pdf. The application deadline is May 18.
Contact city Recreation Coordinator Cathy Jones at 837-3317 or cathyj@ci.issaquah.wa.us to learn more.
The upcoming year represents the 17th anniversary for the Issaquah Youth Advisory Board. Past projects include hosting a daylong Issaquah Youth Summit, collecting more than 1,200 pounds of food for the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank and organizing a middle school dodgeball tournament.
Issaquah Youth Advisory Board seeks fresh faces
April 15, 2012
NEW — 4 p.m. April 15, 2012
City leaders need tweens and teens to serve on the Issaquah Youth Advisory Board during the 2012-13 school year.
The panel fosters advocacy, community service and youth representation on local boards and committees.
Students must live within the Issaquah School District boundaries in order to apply for the board. The school district stretches from Preston to Newcastle and from Sammamish to Renton.
Organizers intend to include members representing each middle and high school in the district.
The panel also welcomes home-schooled and private school students living inside district boundaries.
Who’s News
January 31, 2012
Brian Ruggles is named athlete of the month
Brian Ruggles
Senior Brian Ruggles was named Issaquah High School Booster Club Red Robin Athlete of the Month.
Ruggles is swim team captain. His coach, Laura Halter, wrote in her nomination letter that Brian “has been an outstanding leader so far this season. He is hard working and very dedicated to his sport training in the off-season almost daily. He leads by example in and out of the pool, always demonstrating good sportsmanship and respect for all other athletes, coaches and volunteers.
“He appreciates everything that people do to make our program successful and he is a main ingredient in that success. The younger athletes look up to him and really enjoy his sense of humor and attitude.”
He has been a district qualifier for the past three years and a state qualifier last year, and is on pace to do so again this year. Ruggles has also been involved in many activities, such as the Issaquah Youth Advisory Board for the past three years. He is serving as the Outreach chairman and is in charge of publicity for all of the board’s events.
Ruggles has helped tutor the high school physics review session and also tutored other students in Spanish, math and general homework. He earned his lifeguard certification and worked last summer as a lifeguard and swim instructor, as well as helped coach some team practices. Ruggles has also won a contest for the design of his K’nex roller coaster model.
Issaquah High School senior wins President’s Volunteer Service Award
December 20, 2011
Allie Lustig
Issaquah High School senior Allie Lustig won the silver level President’s Volunteer Service Award for more than 200 hours of community service with the city of Issaquah during 2010.
The silver level award is given by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation to young adults who complete 175 to 249 hours of community service to thank and honor Americans who have inspired others to engage in volunteer service.
Lustig said that it was important for her to volunteer to give back to the community.
“I think you should give back to the places that give to you,” she said. “I grew up here and now that I’m going to college, I feel good that I gave back to the community that gave so much to me.”
In addition to an official President’s Volunteer Service Award lapel pin and a personalized certificate of achievement, Lustig also received a congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama.
Issaquah teenagers request a place to ‘hang out’
July 5, 2011
The future is close at hand, and Issaquah’s youth want to have a hand in it.
The Action Forum for Youth brought young voices to the forefront as teenagers met with community leaders to discuss ways to help youth connect and succeed in their community.
One of the first tasks was dispelling negative stereotypes, Issaquah High School junior Allie Lustig said.
“Adults just really don’t get it,” she said. “They think all teens are into prescription drugs, and I’m like, ‘No, no.’”
Students needed for Issaquah Youth Advisory Board
May 20, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. May 20, 2011
City leaders seek tweens and teens from fifth to 12th grade to serve on the Issaquah Youth Advisory Board during the 2011-12 school year.
The panel aims to foster advocacy, community service and youth representation on local boards and committees.
Students must live within the Issaquah School District boundaries in order to apply for the board. The school district stretches from Preston to Newcastle and from Sammamish to Renton.
The board also welcomes home-schooled and private school students living within district boundaries.
Find the application at the city website. The application deadline is May 25.
Contact city Recreation Coordinator Cathy Jones at 837-3300 or cathyj@ci.issaquah.wa.us to learn more.
Teens to tackle tough issues at Issaquah Youth Summit
April 12, 2011
How should teenagers address their education or the environment? What should they know about advocacy? How can they take on a community project?
Students in middle and high schools from Issaquah and across the Eastside will gather at the Issaquah Community Center on April 30 to learn more about their world and how they can improve it.
The Issaquah Parks & Recreation Department previously held youth summits in 1998, 2000 and 2002, but the summit fell by the wayside until now, when Issaquah Youth Advisory Board members revived it for themselves and their classmates.
“We’re trying to get as many students as possible to come together,” Issaquah High School sophomore Iman Baghai said. “We’re going to have different workshops from media literacy to helping the environment to starting your own projects to what community service projects are available to you.”
Issaquah High junior Allie Lustig said there were two types of workshops: educational and skill-oriented.
The educational workshops will tackle issues such as bullying, harassment, suicide and depression. The skill-oriented sessions will teach students how to get involved with volunteering and how to become media-savvy. Experts will lead each seminar.
