part in the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the

							                          Renton School District
                        Good News Announcements
                           December 10, 2008

1. Renton High School freshman Seth Jinka has been selected to take
  part in the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the
  United States. Seth is one of a few outstanding high school students
  from across the U.S. chosen to take part in the celebration on Jan. 20,
  as part of the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference which provides
  student-scholars a deeper understanding of the history behind the
  electoral process and the rich traditions surrounding the presidential
  inauguration. During the five-day program, Seth will have the
  opportunity to interact with White House officials, congressional staff
  members, political experts and other VIPs, such as former Secretary
  of State General Colin Powell and former Vice President Al Gore.
  After the inauguration, scholars will attend a Black Tie Gala Inaugural
  Ball. Other events and festivities include visiting the numerous historic
  sites and monuments and participating in roundtable discussions,
  debates and other activities.


2. Students in Terry Derrig’s Business Education class at Lindbergh
  High School recently made 150 Thank You cards for service members
  in Iraq as part of a Veterans Day project. The cards will be mailed to
  Army Specialist William Wallace, a young man Derrig has known
  since he was 10-years-old, who will give the cards to members of his
  unit on Christmas Day.
3. Hazelwood Elementary School students recently held a “Kids for
  Cans” food drive that garnered nearly 850 cans of food. The school’s
  PTSA used some of the food for families as part of Thanksgiving
  baskets and will use the remaining food for Christmas meal baskets.


4. Family Liaison Nancy Piombo was recognized in a recent Seattle P-I
  newspaper column for her work to manage a program that sends a
  backpack full of food home with 18 elementary school students every
  weekend. The program, funded by the Renton Salvation Army and
  Wizards of the Coast, helps families in Bryn Mawr, Campbell Hill and
  Lakeridge elementary schools by sending food home with the
  students on the weekend.


5. Hazen High School senior Lorilyn Roller was recently selected as one
  of only two students to represent Washington state as part of the U.S.
  Senate Youth Program, which includes visiting Washington D.C. in
  mid-April during Washington Week. Lorilyn was selected based on her
  leadership at Hazen and as a student leader in Washington state. She
  will have a chance to meet President Obama, members of the
  Presidential Cabinet and members of the Senate to learn about public
  service and government. In addition to the week of hands on
  government, all participating students will receive a $5,000
  scholarship from the Hearst Foundation.


6. Students in Hazen High School’s DECA Chapter and who serve on
  the Association of Washington School Principal’s State Leadership
  Council, recently hosted the “Walk with Champions” fund drive at
  Seward Park in Seattle. The Hazen students managed more than 150
  students from across the state at the event and raised more than
  $2,200 for Special Olympics. Guests included Special Olympic
  Athletes, Renton School District Superintendent Dr. Mary Alice
  Heuschel, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Terry
  Bergeson. This was the first annual event. Hazen students are hoping
  to increase the size and participants of the event next year.


7. Journalism teachers from the district’s three comprehensive high
  schools recently hosted a journalism conference at Lindbergh High for
  more than 30 students from all three comprehensive high schools.
  Ben Graeber, from Hazen High, Kent McCleary from Lindbergh High
  and Derek Smith from Renton High hosted the Journalism Day to offer
  district students an intensive, hands-on training in essential article
  writing and desktop publishing skills. The event connected students
  with local publishing-community professionals including writers,
  photographers, advertisers, layout and design experts. Students were
  able to attend four different sessions, including tips for writing
  headlines, newspaper layout and design, and more.


8. Two Hazen High School seniors in Kerri Dowd’s leadership class
  have been selected to take part in the annual Macy’s, Seattle Times
  and KING 5 TV Follow-a-Leader contest. Senior Shelby Lyonais will
  get to spend a day with Bellevue Chief of Police Linda Pillo who is
  also a Hazen graduate. Senior Kevin Martin will spend a day with
  Tomio Moriguchi, the chairman of the Asian specialty supermarket
  Uwajimaya. The Follow-A-Leader mentor program is designed to
  encourage students to develop their writing and communication skills,
  and to think and learn about various career options.This year’s
  contest featured about 20 local business and community leaders from
  the greater Puget Sound region. The two winners will also receive a
  $1,000 savings bond. This is the fourth year that Hazen’s leadership
  class has participated in and had winners in this contest.


9. Seven Hazen High School musicians have been chosen as part of the
  Washington Music Education Association’s All State and All
  Northwest Honor groups. The students were selected from more than
  7,000 applicants into groups of about 150, and are considered among
  Washington’s finest musicians.
                 • All State Orchestra:
                            Kent Coburn – Acoustic Bass
                 • All Northwest Wind Ensemble:
                            Zacariah Shugart – Clarinet
                 • All State Symphonic Choir:
                            Dan Lucier – Tenor
                            Kevin Martin – Tenor
                            Kyle Nation – Tenor
                            Mason Catt – Baritone
                            Colin Jones – Bass


10.   Students from Talbot Hill, Hazelwood, Benson Hill and Maplewood
  Heights elementary schools recently represented the Renton School
  District at the Seattle Kids Marathon Run. The marathon is structured
  to allow children — kindergarten through eighth grade — to complete
  a full 26.2 mile marathon at a rate that is fun and safe for their growing
  bodies. It also encourages students to read 13 books and perform 13
  “do rights” (good deeds) to be eligible to take part in the run. Deeds
  performed by the students included:
                 •   Donated their own money to charity
                 •   Cleaned the park near their home
                 •   Picked up litter around school
                 •   Helped neighbors work in their yard
                 •   Helped a person carry groceries

11.   Recently-graduated Lindbergh High School student Dalia Amin
  was invited by the Prime Minister of Kurdistan in the summer to visit
  him in his palace. Dalia’s family is from Kurdistan in Northern Iraq,
  and moved to Renton when she was 10-years-old. The Prime Minister
  was very impressed with Dalia’s many accomplishments in school and
  in her community including writing for an international newspaper,
  volunteering and working on her own non-profit organization called
  Family Care, which provides support to Washington newcomers by
  helping translate documents, search for jobs, manage cases and
  apply for citizenship. The Prime Minister offered Dalia a position in the
  Kurdistan government if she agreed to change her major from
  medicine to political science. Dalia agreed, and was also awarded
  funding from the Prime Minister for her education. Because Dalia’s
  studies have afforded her scholarships to pay for school, she instead
  invested the Prime Minister’s money into her uncle’s business.


12.   Renton High School language arts teacher Jessica Buchan and the
  school’s Speech and Debate Team recently hosted a state-qualifying
  Speech and Debate Tournament at Renton High. Twenty area teams
  participated in the event. This is Jessica’s first year as the Renton
  High’s Debate Team advisor and staff and students at the school are
  proud of her leadership skills and accomplishments.


13.   McKnight Middle School sixth-grader Kalina Cook has been
  selected to play the role of Maria in the Renton Civic Theater 's
  production of the holiday play, "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus.”
  Kalina began her acting career at Hazelwood Elementary School,
  playing major parts in the school’s productions of "Peter Pan" and
  "Wizard of Oz.” She has managed to combine acting while
  maintaining an A average in school. “Yes, Virginia…” runs from Dec. 5
  - 20.

14.   Seventh-graders in David Black’s classroom at McKnight Middle
  School have collected nearly 2,000 non-perishable food items for the
  Renton Food Bank. Students collected the food from their own
  families and also worked with local grocery stores like QFC to bring in
  the food that will be delivered to Renton Food Bank to be distributed
  to Renton families by Christmas.