Special Olympics tourney is set for Feb. 10
February 5, 2013
The Issaquah Community Center will host the 2013 Special Olympics King County Regional basketball tournament beginning with opening ceremonies at 8 a.m. Feb. 10.
Games tip off at 8:30 a.m., with matches taking place at the Issaquah Community Center, Issaquah High School, Issaquah Middle School and Clark Elementary School.
Jones Soda Co. bottles Issaquah High School purple, gold beverages
January 1, 2013
The Jones Soda bottles in Issaquah High School flavors of grape and pineapple cream feature pictures of Issaquah students at a school assembly and cheering for their football team. By Greg Farrar
Stores will soon introduce an innovative tandem of new Jones Sodas, featuring pictures and ideals furnished by nearby Issaquah High School and Eagles event coordinator Tim Baynes.
Baynes has been working in unison with Eric Chastain, vice president of operations with Jones Soda Co.’s Seattle headquarters. The tiny inscription on the back of the Grape Soda bottle reads:
“Issaquah High School is located at the foot of the beautiful Cascade Mountain range in the heart of Issaquah. We pride ourselves in our ability to serve and support one another and the world around us. Whether that is building wells in Ethiopia and Nepal or joining the fight against cancer, we impact our world when we work together.
Homecoming is about having fun for a cause
October 16, 2012
Editor’s note: This is the Hall Monitor column that should have run in the Oct. 10 issue.
Hall Monitor
Julia Weiner
Issaquah High School
Getting back in the swing of things at school is never easy, but the students of Issaquah High School are sure doing a fantastic job of making it look like it.
This week is one of the most fun weeks of the entire year; it is Homecoming week. Each spirit day is different, but it follows our James Bond-esque theme: “Under Cover, Over Dressed.”
If you walk through the halls of IHS this week do not be surprised if you see students wearing pajamas, camo or ninja attire, or the same thing as a friend, or even students dressed as their favorite celebrities.
We also have night events to look forward to, including one very special one. Some of our awesome special-needs students will play alongside our varsity basketball team on Thursday evening in a game called Project Unify Basketball Game.
Issaquah police protect and serve — Red Robin burgers
October 16, 2012
Issaquah Deputy Police Chief Steve Cozart serves diners during the Tip-a-Cop fundraiser Oct. 14 at Red Robin.By Jacqueline Kerness/Issaquah Police Department
Issaquah police officers donned aprons to protect and serve — meals, that is — for the annual Tip-a-Cop fundraiser.
Officers served burgers, fries and more to diners Oct. 13 at Red Robin. Tips collected by the Issaquah Police Department benefit Special Olympics Washington.
Issaquah and Snoqualmie officers at the local Red Robin raised about $6,000.
During the event, police officers — alongside Special Olympics athletes and restaurant employees — served patrons and collected donations. Special Olympics Washington provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
The fundraiser encompassed local police departments throughout Washington. Snoqualmie officers joined Issaquah officers at Red Robin for the event.
The task is more difficult to some officers than routine traffic stops and crime-fighting tasks.
“I am not a good server,” Issaquah Police Chief Paul Ayers joked. “It is a very hard job, and each time I do it, I have more respect for the people who do it on a regular basis.”
The gig doubles as a community outreach effort for the police.
Issaquah police officers don aprons for Tip-a-Cop fundraiser
October 10, 2012
NEW — 11 a.m. Oct. 10, 2012
Issaquah police officers plan to protect and serve — meals, that is — as the agency’s Tip-a-Cop fundraiser returns.
For the annual Tip-a-Cop fundraiser, officers intend to don aprons and dish up burgers, fries and more to diners at Red Robin. All tips collected by the Issaquah Police Department benefit Special Olympics Washington.
Tip-a-Cop returns from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at Red Robin, 1085 Lake Drive.
During the event, police officers — alongside Special Olympics athletes and restaurant employees — serve patrons and collect donations. Special Olympics Washington provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Issaquah, Liberty host homecoming festivities
October 9, 2012
It’s homecoming time again and here’s what’s on the docket for Issaquah and Liberty high schools this week.
The theme for Liberty High School’s spirit week is “Lights, Camera, Liberty!” Students are dressing up all week at school and breaking out their spirit wear for Friday’s LHS Color War. Before the big game, catch the annual homecoming parade, which will begin at Maywood Middle School at 4 p.m. Oct. 12.
Liberty’s football team kicks off against Mercer Island at Liberty High School at 7 p.m. The week caps off Saturday night, Oct. 13, with the homecoming dance from 8:30-11:30 p.m.
Homecoming is about having fun for a cause
October 9, 2012
Hall Monitor
Julia Weiner
Issaquah High School
Getting back in the swing of things at school is never easy, but the students of Issaquah High School are sure doing a fantastic job of making it look like it.
This week is one of the most fun weeks of the entire year; it is homecoming week. Each spirit day is different, but it follows our James Bond-esque theme: “Under Cover, Over Dressed.”
If you walk through the halls of IHS this week do not be surprised if you see students wearing pajamas, camo or ninja attire, or the same thing as a friend, or even students dressed as their favorite celebrities.
We also have night events to look forward to, including one very special one. Some of our awesome special-needs students will play alongside our varsity basketball team on Thursday evening in a game called Project Unify Basketball Game.
Who’s News
September 25, 2012
Elks Lodge takes Special Olympians to Mariners game
The Lake Sammamish Elks Lodge in Issaquah took 60 Special Olympics youths and their caregivers to a Seattle Mariners baseball game Sept. 23 thanks to a $2,000 grant from the Elks National Foundation.
The money also paid for transportation and refreshment costs.
The Mariners acknowledged the Special Olympians in attendance at the end of the fourth inning on the large scoreboard. The youths are members of the Issaquah Special Olympics baseball team.
Police endure icy plunge for Special Olympics fundraiser
March 6, 2012
Kasey Keller, a Special Olympics Washington board member and former Seattle Sounders FC player, emerges from Lake Union at the Polar Plunge on Feb. 11. By Rod Mar/Special Olympics
The temperature in Lake Union held steady at 41 degrees, but the chill did not stop Issaquah police officers and police department employees from a dip on a gray February day.
The police department descended on a stretch of shoreline along the Seattle lake Feb. 11 for the Polar Plunge, a frigid fundraiser for Special Olympics Washington. Combined, Issaquah officers and department employees raised about $1,000 for the nonprofit organization.
Police Communications Specialist Jacqueline Kerness rounded up more colleagues for the February event for the Polar Plunge after she and coworkers dipped into Puget Sound for the 2011 endurance test.
“It was a moment of shock for a good cause,” she said. “It’s something easy to do to raise funds for a lot of people.”
Outdoors for All offers opportunities for disabled adventurers
July 2, 2011
Outdoors for All participant Laszlo Jajczay paddles with two volunteers at Green Lake Park in Seattle. The nonprofit organization invites volunteers to help participants throughout the summer. By Ed Bronsdon
The world of Susan Camicia, an avid Issaquah bicyclist and skier, turned upside down on June 19, 2006.
She had registered for a triathlon and was cycling on Mercer Island during a training session. As she neared the Mercer Island Park & Ride, some fence work threw her off guard and she ran into a pole, toppled over the handlebars of her bike and broke her neck.
In an instant, Camicia essentially became a quadriplegic, except for limited use of her hands.
“People always think that they work, but I have no strength in them at all,” she said. “If someone hands me a cup of coffee, it’s going to fall on the ground.”
She has learned to use both hands when picking up a cup of joe at her favorite coffee cafes. With such limited mobility, she worried that a sedentary life would be her default fate, until her recreational therapist recommended she try the Outdoors for All Foundation.
“It’s a great organization,” she said. “It has great volunteers.”
