Redmond High a Finalist in Walmart’s “Earth Day Every Day School Challenge”
Online vote to determine $20,000 grand prize winner began June 9
Redmond High School is among 20 schools from across the country that are finalists in the Walmart “Earth Day Every Day School Challenge.” As a finalist, Redmond High School will receive a $500 Walmart gift card, which can be used to purchase items that will help enhance its eco-friendly activities. In addition, the school is currently competing for the grand prize: a $20,000 grant from Walmart to further its environmental projects.

RHS was one of the schools selected by three independent judges (teachers and environmental experts) from among 439 qualified essays, which described the steps taken by each school to help make the world a greener place.

All finalists have submitted a short video showcasing the environmental activities and projects described in their essays. The competing schools’ videos and essays are now posted at: www.earthdayeverydaychallenge.com. Adults 18 years of age or older can vote for the school they believe should be awarded the grand prize, based on the following criteria:

• Involvement of the student body in initiating/continuing the eco-friendly activities/projects/efforts
• Demonstration of the school’s commitment to eco-friendly practices
• Originality/creativity of the eco-friendly activities/projects/efforts

The school that receives the highest number of votes will be awarded the $20,000 grant. Voting will end on June 19 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Individuals must register their e-mail address and birthdate with the Web site to cast a vote: www.earthdayeverydaychallenge.com.

ICS Student Wins Biomedical Research Essay Contest
International Community School student Aidan Hurst is the first place Washington Regional winner of the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research’s (NWABR) Biomedical Breakthroughs and My Life Essay Contest. Hurst chose to write about a rare visual condition known as Mild Enhanced S-cone Syndrome. He could speak knowledgably about the diagnosis and symptoms of this genetic disease because he experiences it on a daily basis. Hurst researched the genetics behind the disease and wrote about gene therapy research with dogs, rabbits and mice that may provide a cure for this and other retinal diseases. In his reflective paragraph, Aidan stated, “There will always be diseases that will have to be researched and that, along with many other reasons, is why I want to someday be either a heart surgeon or an eye surgeon.”

Two Schools Win Waste Management cArt Contest
Two teams of students, one from Inglewood Junior High and one from Redmond High School have won Waste Management’s cArt Contest. Students from both schools entered an art competition sponsored by Waste Management that encouraged students to decorate recycle bins (or carts). Both groups of students will win a check for $250 to be used on an environmental project of their choice. These awards can be used either at the school or in the community, or can be donated to a local non-profit. The following students received the awards:

Inglewood Junior High:

• Steffie Aguirre, Lizzie Anderson, Aisha Ashraf, Mykelle Morrison, Vicente Varas

Redmond High School:

• Hilary Polis, Trevor Miller, Nolan Thomas, James Brookman

Redmond High School Students Win RedSpoke Bike Poster Contest
Michelle Shepard, a junior at Redmond High School, was selected as the winner of the Redmond Rotary RedSpoke Bike Poster Contest. Three other RHS students were selected as the runners-up: Jennifer Maes (sophomore), Katie Rohrbach (junior), and Becca Wyant (senior). All four students will be honored next Thursday, June 11, at the Rotary luncheon.

Finn Hill Junior High Student Wins Talented Youth Award
On Saturday June 6, Mira Lamb from Finn Hill Junior High received an award from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth at the University of Puget Sound. Mira was recognized for high scores in Critical Reading on the SAT among 7th and 8th graders within the state of Washington. Nationally, only 25 percent of the Johns Hopkins Talent Youth Search applicants (who took the SAT, ACT, or both, for 7th or 8th grade) receive this honor.

RHS Students Win WSU Imagine Tomorrow Contest
On Saturday, May 30, Redmond High School students finished second in their category, the Behavioral Challenge, at the second annual Imagine Tomorrow competition, sponsored by Washington State University. Students Hailey Hargraves, Trevor Miller, and Hilary Polis presented their GO GREEN project. There were over 80 entries from 36 schools state-wide. RHS students took home $6000 in prize earnings, $3000 of which goes to the school and $3000 of which will be divided between the three students.

Communications Department Wins Three Awards
The district’s communications department won three awards from the Washington School Public Relations Association in its 2009 Publications and Electronic Media Awards. Certificates of Excellence are given to all entries that score an 80 or above out of 100 from judges. Certificates of Excellence were awarded for:

• LWSD 2008-09 Calendar, Category: Calendar. Responsible for the publication: Kathryn Reith, Shannon Parthemer, Shelley Rios; Richard McNamee Photography; Stephanie Schriger, Design & Graphics
• LWSD Annual Report, Category: Annual report. Responsible for the publication: Kathryn Reith, Shannon Parthemer, Chelsea Lee
• A Message from Chip, Category: Video. Responsible for the video: Dr. Chip Kimball, Kathryn Reith, Shannon Parthemer, Sean Valley

Note: The 2008-09 calendar was the last of its kind for the district: the budget for the printed calendar was cut in this year’s budget process. Staff members nominated for the calendar will be honored through the home page on the Web site. A printable version of the calendar also will be available on the Web site but staff members and parents will not receive a printed calendar in August.

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News from the Schools is compiled by the Lake Washington School District Communications Department. For more information or to submit your school's news, please e-mail Kathryn Reith or Shannon Parthemer.