Engagements: Hammond, Donwen
February 19, 2013
Sarah Hammond and Nathan Donwen, both of Issaquah, recently announced their engagement to be married in June 2016 in Seattle.
Hammond, Donwen
The bride-to-be is the daughter of Martin and Jane Hammond, of Issaquah. Sarah is a 2012 graduate of Skyline High School. In 2016, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in hospitality business management from Washington State University.
The future groom’s parents are Carrie and Trent Thompson, of Issaquah, and Jeff Donwen, of Minnesota. Nathan is a 2011 graduate of Issaquah High School. He currently works for the United States Army military police.
Final Statement
February 19, 2013
All area high school swimmers win team, individual state titles
By Greg Farrar
Raymond Ha, Liberty High School senior, steps up out of the pool after repeating as 3A state champion in the 100-yard butterfly Feb. 16 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.
At the 2013 4A Boys State Swim and Dive Championships, Issaquah High School coach Laura Halter wore a T-shirt with an illustration of purple-and-gold eagle wings on the back. Each feather included the name of one of her swimmers.
It proved to be an appropriate symbol, as it took each swimmer working together to help the Eagles take flight toward a fourth-place finish at state.
Skyline High School cheerleaders claim top score, state title
February 5, 2013
The Skyline High School green cheerleading team topped off its award-winning routine Jan. 26 with a pyramid. Contributed
For the third time in three years, the Skyline High School green cheer team walked away from the Cheerleading State Championships on Jan. 26 with the state title.
District unveils Skyline High School stadium plans
February 5, 2013
Superintendent Steve Rasmussen has given the Issaquah School District the OK to move forward on a nearly $6.5 million facelift for the stadium at Skyline High School.
Rasmussen signed off on the project Jan. 24, the day after he and the school board received a presentation on the topic during the board’s regular business meeting.
The improvement project includes moving the home side to the west side of the field where new covered aluminum bleachers will have seats for 2,500 Spartans fans. New support facilities, including locker rooms, restrooms and concessions, will form a horseshoe around the south end of the field where a large scoreboard will be a feature element.
Students qualify for DECA state competition
February 5, 2013
Hundreds of students, working individually and in teams, recently competed in the Area 4 DECA competition at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue.
Many qualified for the DECA state contest March 7-9 competing in categories including accounting, marketing, retail, entertainment management, business law and ethics, financial services, travel and tourism and sales.
Students express mixed feelings about Skyline lunches
January 29, 2013
A standard public school is expected to serve lunch on a daily basis under specific dietary regulations. However, whether students actually like the options provided is not something that is enforced.
Sampurna Basu
Skyline High School
Skyline High School has many daily options for lunch, ranging from the featured hot lunch of the day to a wide array of salads. In addition, there is a Student Store where students can purchase Yoko’s Teriyaki and other lunch choices. All meals are strictly regulated by the Issaquah School District so each serving size is no more than 300 calories.
At the average lunch table, varied responses come in reaction to these seemingly fair conditions.
Board adjusts Liberty High School graduation requirements
January 29, 2013
Students who start at Liberty High School next year will need to earn more credits to graduate.
The Issaquah School Board voted unanimously Jan. 23 to increase graduation requirements at the school from 28 credits to 29.5 credits, beginning with the class of 2017.
The plan is designed to better align Liberty with the other schools and take advantage of Liberty’s eight-period schedule, Issaquah School District Associate Superintendent Ron Thiele said.
Thiele, along with administrative staff members Emilie Hard and Michelle Trifunovic and Liberty Principal Josh Almy, studied the idea of making Liberty students earn more credits.
Taking a closer look at nutrition in schools’ lunches
January 29, 2013
Lee Xie
Skyline High School
This month, we are choosing to start off the year with a bang by reporting on an issue that is relevant and important to our audience: school lunches.
We all know that the Issaquah School District is innovative and dedicated when it comes to education, but how do our schools fare when it comes to feeding our students in a nonintellectual way? Our journalists explore the issue and how lunches shape up at Skyline, Issaquah, Liberty and private Eastside Catholic high schools.
In the grand scheme of things, school lunches in America have been a hotly debated topic in the past few years. Last January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued new guidelines that stated that school meals would have to offer fruits and vegetables to students every day. The meals would also have to reduce sodium, saturated fat and trans fat levels. The new standards called for schools to offer more whole grains, as well as more fat-free or low-fat milk options.
How to thrive in competition
January 29, 2013
Lee Xie
Skyline High School
This year, the motto for DECA — an international association that prepares students for their futures in the business world — is “THRIVE.”
And on Jan. 11, Skyline High School did just that at Area 4 Competition, qualifying 90 members of the chapter, a new school record, for state competition that is set to begin March 7.
I asked my fellow executive board members on what they thought set our chapter apart from the others at area, and received the following tips on how one can thrive in competition:
Off the Press
January 22, 2013
Share your sports accomplishments
Kathleen R. Merrill
Press managing editor
I get complaints from people about things we miss in sports on some kind of regular basis. Not daily, but probably about once a week, someone calls or emails to ask, “Hey, why didn’t you cover this game?” or “How could you miss my son’s first school record?” or “Why isn’t my daughter’s swim meet time in your scoreboard?”
I hear you, and I care about your comments and concerns. I have the same concerns.
When I first started working here nearly eight years ago, we had a three-page sports section, with a color front page. (Schools ran on the back of that standalone section.)
Ahh, those were the days! We not only ruled prep sports, but we also had the occasional Mariners or Seahawks feature story.
