SAMMAMISH REVIEW October 28, 2009 • 17

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The idea stems in part fromresearch conducted by JohnKilbourne, a professor of move-ment sciences at Grand ValleyState University, in Allendale,Mich.

He found his own studentspaid more attention and weremore engaged in class discus-sions when using the stability

balls. “We did not evolve to sit at

chairs all day at school. We’removement beings. We need tomove,” Kilbourne said. “I know alot of elementary teachers whoare incorporating them into theirclassrooms.”

There could be some discrep-ancies, since elementary school-ers’ bodies are different from col-lege-age ones. Some exercise sci-entists warn there may be thepotential to develop posture prob-lems.

Photo by Christopher Huber

The exercise balls allow students to move around, a little, and remain at their seats.

SeatsContinued from Page 16

But, Sally Westcott McCoy, anassociate professor of rehabilita-tion medicine at the Universityof Washington, said bad posturecould come from numerous otherhabits outside of sitting on stabili-ty balls for long periods.

“It depends on the individual

and the other things they do intheir lives,” she said. “Staying inany position for a long period oftime is probably not the bestidea.”

The option to use the ballsmay help children avoid prob-lems with bad posture, McCoysaid.

In the end, McCoy said thereneeds to be more research on thebudding national trend.

After the first few days in useat Carson, the plan seems to beworking,according toteachers andadministrators.

During arecent class,some childrenrolled in placeas their handsand arms anchored them to thetable. Some sat straight andupright as they pondered thenext sentence.

“They’re bouncing, but they’restill focused on work,” said MaryCronin, Carson’s principal.

During many activities, likereading, Brown and Hart give stu-dents the option to sit in the com-fortable chairs in the corner or onthe floor.

Since introducing these stu-dents to the stability balls Oct. 19,Brown said they seem to preferstaying at their desks.

It used to be a novelty to theirstudents, but this year, the first-graders seem to treat the balls astheir real chairs, the two teacherssaid.

“I like usual-ly sitting onhere,” first-grad-er Ben Wiljanensaid, gesturingto the exerciseball. “Because Ican’t bounce onthe regular

chairs.”

Reporter Christopher Huber canbe reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, orchuber@isspress.com. Comment onthis story at www.sammamishre-view.com.

“They’re bouncing, butthey’re still focused on

work.”– Mary Cronin,

Principal –

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

TIMESAVERSWe are your eyes and ears at local government meetings.

By Christopher Huber

Overcome with emotion andreeling from what she had helpedher team accomplish, Skylinesophomore goalkeeper TinaVargas wasn’t quite sure what tosay after the game was over Nov.21 at Harry Lang Stadium inLakewood.

All she knew was that she hadjust helped defeat district rivalIssaquah in the 4A state champi-onship soccer game. She blockedtwo of the Eagles’ four penaltykicks — one went over the goal— in a shootout.

“My goal is to make themscared, and I know that when Imake them scared that makes mebetter,” Vargas said. “When theylook me in the eye, that’s when Iget them intimidated.”

Paired with Vargas’ intimida-tion factor and its 3-1 shootoutmargin, the Skyline girls soccerteam repeated as the 4A statechampion, beating Issaquah 2-1.

“Tina Vargas just was absolute-ly out of her mind. She is able togo to a place, mentally, that veryfew players I’ve ever had are ableto go to,” said head coach DonBraman. “She is just absolutelydominant in penalty kick situa-

tions.”Junior forward Michelle

Bretl scored the winningpenalty kick for Skyline.

“To repeat as statechampions in this state isabsolutely, probably themost difficult challenge Ican picture for a highschool team,” Braman saidas the team celebrated.

Vargas played an inte-gral role in the second halfof regulation, too. Theteams played to a tiethrough two overtimes. Butdiving saves in the 51stand 55th minute heldIssaquah at bay.

“I knew that sometimein my high school career Iwould be able to play inthe state championshipgame. And I knew when Iwas going to play in thatgame I was going to give itmy all,” Vargas said.

Skyline jumped out to a1-0 lead in the 14th minutewhen senior midfielderShea O’Donnell snuck theball past Issaquah keeperBrooke Miller on a break-away shot.

In the beginning,

Skyline controlled the tempo, butIssaquah came out fired up in thesecond half.

Just five minutes in, forwardKristen Maris, KingCo 4A’s lead-ing scorer, tied the game at 1-1.The senior’s 21st goal of the sea-son came when freshman mid-fielder Audrey Thomas fed herthe ball in the center of the box.

Maris fired to the left, just past adiving Vargas.

“She’s been spectacular allyear long,” said Issaquah coachTom Bunnell. “And to do it in theleague that we play in … she’s socomposed and so crafty.”

Both teams came close in thesecond, but Issaquah pressedharder on offense. Its defenseheld Skyline to only a couple ofclose scoring chances.

“The intensity is amazing

sports18 • November 25, 2009 SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Skyline girls soccer repeats as state champions

Photo by Christopher Huber

Skyline’s Madi Barney tries to power past Issaquah’s Dana Talley, left,and Kelsey Ford in the first half Nov. 21.

By Christopher Huber

Early in the 2009 girls soccerseason, Eastlake head coachChuck Krieble took the team on aday-hike to Little Mount Si, nearNorth Bend.

During the hours-long trek,the players carried an egg, gentlycradling it and carefully passingit around as they walked andtalked.

It was a team-building exer-cise, of course, teaching them totrust each other and to protect afragile object.

But it came to symbolize theLady Wolves’ and their difficult,competitive 11-week-long season.

Although its promising bid fora championship ended with aloss in the first round of the statetournament Nov. 10, Eastlake’sthree captains, seniors LindsayElston, Allie Beahan andCourtney Pixler share credit forreforming the team psyche, onthe field and off, according toKrieble.

“We’re not focused on wins orlosses, but more on team chem-

istry,” Beahan said. “Past selfish-ness and drama, there was noneof that this year.”

Not only did the three leadteam morale, they also led in thestat book. With seven goals andseven assists on the season,Elston, a midfielder, was namedKingCo 4A Player of the Year.And along with midfielderBeahan (10 goals, eight assists)and defender Pixler (one goal,two assists), she made the first-team All-KingCo 4A.

“Other people can make youlook really good, too,” said ahumble Pixler. “We work welltogether.”

Elston and Beahan have com-mitted to play ball for theUniversity of Washington in 2010and Pixler is headed to Alabama.

“None of us are really after thetitles,” Elston said. “It’s like a cre-ative outlet for me.”

Krieble said she deservesPlayer of the Year partly becauseof her quickness and measuredapproach to the game.

“Her foot skills are really justamazing. She makes something

out of nothing,” he said. “Lindsayis very thoughtful. If I ask a ques-tion, I will get Lindsay’s responsethird. Lindsay has a very intellec-tual approach to the game.”

Pixler, on the other hand,tends to wear her thoughts on

her sleeve, Krieble said.“Courtney is as polished a

defender as we’ve seen in years.She’s kind of the lifeguard,” hesaid. “She’s the one to get ampedup during a game. You ask thehard question, Courtney will give

you the hard answer.”Beahan is somewhat of a mix

between Elston and Pixler as aleader and eager midfielder,according to Krieble’s observa-

Photo by Christopher HuberSeniors Courtney Pixler, from left, Lindsay Elston and Allie Beahan each made the first-team All-KingCo 4A. Elston, a UW recruit, is league Player of the Year. Beahan is also headed to play for theHuskies and Pixler plans to play at the University of Alabama.

Eastlake soccer hada trio of leaders

See LEADERS, Page 20

See CHAMPS, Page 20

“I know that when Imake them scared that

makes me better.”– Tina Vargas,

Goalie –

Calendar...........10Classifieds........14Community........6Editorial.............4Police...............16Sports..............12

agrand

library tour

community page 6

Teamsstay

sharp

Sports page 12

December 30,2009

Locally ownedFounded 1992

50 cents

By J.B. Wogan

So, five naked cedar trees sit outsidea Starbucks.

“A lot of people think we cut themdown,” said Mason Cheung, 19, a baristaat the Starbucks by Eastlake HighSchool. Cheung, who lives down thestreet by Pine Lake, said customerskeep asking about the trees.

“No one really likes how they look,”Cheung said.

The story behind the trees, whoseheads were lopped off one day inNovember, is that they were either deador well on the way to dying.

Sammamish Public Works DirectorJohn Cunningham said the city had twoarborists examine the trees. The con-sensus was that two were dead and theother three would die in the next fewyears.

“We wanted to take them downbefore they fell down in a windstorm,”Cunningham said.

The city was originally going to hack

them down completely, but CityCouncilwoman Michele Petitti suggest-ed a different plan at the Nov. 10 coun-cil meeting. Petitti said the trees shouldbe made into works of art.

In a later interview, Petitti said shewas envisioning animal representations,perhaps a school of salmon or a familyof critters.

“That could be fun, add a little pointof interest,” she said.

Today, the trees are five column-liketrunks, 20 feet in height. Cunninghamsaid some of the trees were as tall as 100feet before being cut down. The cost ofdownsizing the trees was $2,280.

Bill Monahan, a biology teacher atEastlake, was sitting with two formerstudents at Starbucks, with a view of thetrunks through the window. He thoughtthe trees should be refashioned intototem poles.

“That would tie in well with the CityHall theme,” Monahan said.

Cunningham said his staff wouldcome to the Sammamish City Council

in early 2010 with several proposalsfrom wood carvers.

Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at392-6434, ext. 247, orjbwogan@isspress.com. To comment onthis story, visitwww.SammamishReview.com.

Photo by Christopher HuberWaterfront houses, all aglow in holiday lights and decor, reflect off the still waters of Pine Lake Dec. 23. For the full story, see page 9.

Sights of the season: Cruise the glassy waters of Pine Lake

Residents ponder fateof headless trees

Photo by J.B. Wogan

The extra-tall stumps sit along 228th

Avenue.

By J.B. Wogan

Regulations that could define the look andfeel of Town Center are on their way to theCity Council.

The Planning Commission has wrestledwith the development and zoning regulationsfor more than a year. The commissionapproved their rough draft of the regulationsDec. 10.

“It’s a pretty tremendous accomplishment,to take basically a 120-page document and toflesh that out,” said Tom Vance, PlanningCommission chairman.

The scope of the Town Center area will be

Town Centerregulationstaking shape

See CENTER, Page 3

City Council to begin deliberations next year

sports18 • September 9, 2009 SAMMAMISH REVIEW

By Christopher Huber

It’s a good thing for theEastlake High School footballteam that it worked out its first-game jitters early on againstMount Si.

Because at the rate the Wolvesproduced on offense in the first11-and-a-half minutes of the sea-son opener Sept. 4 at Eastlake,they would have totaled about 76yards, given up four fumbles andscored a big goose egg.

Again, luckily that wasn’t thecase for the now 1-0 Eastlake,which turned things around earlyand eventually dominated theWildcats from Snoqualmie 37-7 infront of the home crowd inSammamish.

“I’m really happy we pulled itout,” Eastlake quarterback KelbyMcCorkle said after the game.

Both teams came out a bit flatin the first, each going three-and-out on their first three posses-sions. The Mount Si defense,however, took an Eastlake fumbleat the Wildcat 16 yard line. Andrunning back Matt Bangstondrove it in for the first touch-down of the game.

“If it was a one-quarter game,

it was a heck of a game,” saidMount Si head coach CharlieKinnune. “We haven’t goneagainst that speed.”

Eastlake recognized the deficitand quickly composed itself onboth sides of the ball. Down 7-0 itonly took two minutes for theWolves to strike back.

“It felt like we needed to workout the first game kinks,”McCorkle said about the sloppystart for the Wolves. “I knew we

had it. We pushed back prettyhard.”

McCorkle finished 6 of 11 for127 yards passing.

The offensive play of thegame came with less than aminute left in the first whenEastlake had the ball on its own24 yard line. McCorkle took thesnap and tossed a little screenpass to senior wide receiver SamOlmstead to his left. Taking the

ball from a few yards off the lineof scrimmage, Olmstead cut rightacross the field, danced past acouple of Wildcat defenders andsprinted down the right sidelineinto the end zone for the 76-yardtouchdown.

Tie game.“We had to adjust and had one

play with our base stuff,” Dalessaid of the play and subsequentmomentum swing. “That was areal big momentum killer forCharlie and those guys.”

It quieted the visiting MountSi fans, too.

Eastlake proceeded to inter-cept two passes from Mount Siquarterback Ian Ilgenfritz. First,Eastlake senior linebacker AustinReifeis took a pass that ended a10-play, 60-yard Wildcat drive.Eastlake capitalized by marching93 yards in six plays, including35- and 44-yard runs fromMcCorkle and running backCameron Hunt, to score the go-ahead touchdown.

In Mount Si’s next possession,Ilgenfritz under-threw the balland Eastlake’s Michael Maguirecame down with it and ran itPhoto by Christopher Huber

Eastlake’s Robert Sharps eludes a Mount Si defender after inter-cepting an Ian Ilgenfritz pass in the second quarter

Eastlake handles Mount Si

See EASTLAKE, Page 20

“We pushed back prettyhard.”

– Kelby McCorkle, Quarterback –

By Christopher Huber

It seems typical, these days,that the Skyline football team,despite experiencing early-gamejitters, ends up shutting out itsopening-game opponent, no mat-ter how good they are.

Such was the case Sept. 5when the Spartans earned itsthird opening-day shutout victoryin three years. It beat Jesuit HighSchool, Oregon’s top-ranked Class6A team, 17-0in the EmeraldCity KickoffClassic atQwest Field.

Skyline’spent-up energyand excitementto play a realgame after a summer of rigorousworkouts was apparent from theopening kickoff.

“I think the biggest thing wasthat these kids were just so readyto play a game,” Skyline headcoach Mat Taylor said after thegame. “I think the excitement got

the best of them in the beginningof the first half.”

That eagerness hindered theSpartan offense in the form ofdropped passes and missedopportunities.

“Every first game everybody’strying to shake off the cobwebs,”said quarterback Jake Heaps.“You finally get a chance to hitsomebody else. Like coach said,we were all jacked up for thegame and that’s where errors

occur.”But the

defense putthat energy togood use, hold-ing the Jesuitoffense tominus-11 yardsrushing in the

first two quarters. “We take a lot of pride in that.

We’ve been working for thoseshutouts for a long time. It’s allabout keeping the goose egg,”said senior middle linebackerAnthony DeMatteo. “I think thisdefense is legit and it’s ready to

go.”DeMatteo and senior defen-

sive end Cooper Pelleur eachplayed a huge role in containingthe Crusaders.

Pelleur sacked Jesuit’s first-year starting quarterback Jeff

Elorriaga twice in the first half.“My objective of the game is to

get pressure on the quarterbackand wreak havoc back there,”said Pelleur. “I think as a fulldefensive line we accomplishedthat tonight and disrupted things

back there.”Pelleur, playing on the offen-

sive side, scored Skyline’s lonetouchdown in the first half.

It came on a wacky 6-yard

Skyline shuts outOregon’s best

Photo by Christopher Huber

Skyline defensive end Connor Cree (35) snags Jesuit’s Keanon Lowe as he tries to break to the out-side in the first quarter Sept. 5. Cree made the tackle.

See SKYLINE, Page 19

“It’s all about keepingthe goose egg.”

– Anthony DeMatteo, Linebacker –

St. Laurent,

Ducharme engaged

Meagan St. Laurent andChris Ducharme, both ofSammamish, have becomeengaged. St. Laurent is a 2002graduate of Skyline and a 2006graduate of the University ofWashington. Ducharme is a2001 graduate of Skyline.

The couple plans to marryNov. 9 at the Hotel Deca inSeattle.

Elisabeth

Gundelfinger weds

Clinton McCrery Elisabeth Gundelfinger, of

Sammamish and ClintonMcCrery, of Sammamish, areset to be married Sept. 5 at thePlateau Club. The bride is a2006 graduate of Eastlake, thegroom, a 2005 graduate, also ofEastlake.

The wedding celebrant isMichael Fort. The bridal atten-dants are Jessica Gundelfinger,Amy McCrery, StephanieMcCrery, Elizabeth McCrery,

Aubrey Miller and KaylaKoelling. Groomsmen areClinten Gundelfinger, BrianMcCrery, Bill McCrery,Cameron Lee, Kyle Hornbergerand Stephen Cheatum.

The bride’s parents areJennifer and ThomasGundelfinger, who live inSammamish and Juneau,Alaska. The groom’s parents areSharrel and Martha McCrery,who live in Sammamish. Thecouple plans to honeymoon inthe eastern Carribean.

Linfield College

dean’s listLinfield College of

McMinnville, Ore. hasannounced that Emily J. Smith,freshman and Michael C.Eldredge, sophomore have beenplaced on the dean’s list for theSpring semester.

UW dean’s list

The following students fromSammamish were named to theDean’s List at University ofWashington for the spring quar-ter. To qualify students musthave a GPA of 3.50.

Maria Jose Acosta, DanielleElizabeth Aemmer, NathanDean Anderson, Andrew ScottBarr, Stephen Jeffrey Barr,Brandon James Barron,Meaghan Beth Beaulaurier,Scott Karl Becker, Brian JosephBennett, Grant William Beyer,Brittany Elizabeth Bolz, JacksonWilliam Brammer, ChristineMyumi Breen,

SAMMAMISH REVIEW September 2, 2009 • 13

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games like the tennis ball toss,putt putt golf, a dunk tank andbasketball. An extra $2 garneredthe participants a bracelet, aswell.

“It really has just grown andgrown over the years,” said vol-unteer Lora Baier as she whippedup some cotton candy. She saidthe outpouring of support “wasexceedingly, abundantly above”expectations.

Pruitt started the neighbor-hood carnival in 2006 to benefitlocal charitable organizations.The idea was to get her children

and family involved in a goodcause.

“I wanted to show my kidswhat it’s like to give back to thecommunity,” Pruitt said. “It’sreally become a communityevent. It’s been a great, positiveevent.”

Prizes, which families donat-ed, included hand-made petrocks and bouncy balls, amongother things.

Dylan Pruitt and friendsmanned the “Groovy Smoothy”stand and dolled out the fruitydrinks all afternoon. The chil-dren also put on a talent shownear the end of the carnival Aug.25.

Pruitt said the 2009 event sawmuch more involvement, includ-

ing more refreshment stands andthe addition of the dunk tank.

“It’s fun and makes a lot ofmoney for a good cause,” he saidas operated the blenders. “Nowthere’s a lot more peopleinvolved.”

The 2006 carnival raised $113and had a handful of booths andfood stands, Keren Pruitt said.The next year they raised $630for Ronald McDonald House andin 2008 the event brought inabout $400 for Child Haven.

Reporter Christopher Huber canbe reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, orchuber@isspress.com. Comment onthis story at www.sammamishre-view.com.

CarnivalContinued from Page 12

Photos by Christopher HuberSammamish resident Annie Cox, center, eyes her cotton candy as Montrachet residents KaylaWheeler, far left, and Lora Baier, right, hand it to her.

Meagan St. Laurent andChris Ducharme

10 • July 8, 2009 SAMMAMISH REVIEW

2009 Fourth on the Plateau

From left, Kate Dixon, Michael Dixon and Matthew Dixon play during Fourth of July festivities.

Photos by Christopher HuberMembers of local group “Experimental Reality” perform

on the main stage.

Rows of fireworks wait for their cue to launch.

By Lauren McLaughlin

“The Fourth was great.Everything went off without ahitch,” Volunteer Ric Myers said.

There were bouncy toys, food,face painting, live music fromExperimental Reality and Shellyand the Curves, and the night wascapped by colorful fireworks..

“The grand finale was reallygood,” Sammamish mom PhyllisEicher said. “I think I liked thisyear’s grand finale better.” Eicherand her family have come to allthree Fourth’s and plan to go tonext year’s event, as well.

The event drew crowds of peo-ple from all over the area.Volunteer Coordinator DawnSanders was impressed by thenumber.

“Obviously, we can’t do a headcount of everyone, but someonetold me there was about 17,000,”Sanders said. “It seems like we’reincreasing about 15 percent everyyear.”

The crowds packed into everyavailable area to view the fire-works. That didn’t just includethe Upper and Lower Commons.

Event Coordinator LynneHandlos said she saw peoplewatching the fireworks from newplaces this year.

“People were packed in likesardines in the upper part andalong 228th. The skate park wasthe overflow, and some peopleeven sat in the little gravel lot,”Handlos said. “I think it’s the firsttime I’ve seen anyone sit there.”

Handlos and Sanders said thelibrary construction did take awaysome of the seating area, but itdidn’t seem to deter people fromattending the event.

Sanders said the event wentwell and she has plans for nextyear.

“I’d like to make it bigger andbetter. It would be fun if peoplecould spend the whole day here.”

Intern Lauren McLaughlin canbe reached at 392-6434, ext. 244 orsamrev@isspress.com. To commenton this story visit www.sam-mamishreview.com.

Families

gather on

the lawn at

the Lower

Commons

and enjoy

the

afternoon

sun before

the night’s

fireworks

show.

Volunteers and event goers gather at the entrance to the Kids Zone.

The Rotary Club sold food to benefit local events.

Kim Bennett, of Renton, holds

onto holiday balloons.

By Chantelle Lusebrink

Bringing an apple for theteacher may be an excellentidea the first day, but how abouthelping them get their class-rooms ready?

Some teachers, especiallythose recently hired, spend longhours putting their classroomstogether, which is why PineLake Covenant Church is askingfor your help.

This year, church pastors andvolunteers are sponsoring HelpA Teacher Day 2009 Aug. 29.The day brings volunteers fromthe church and communitytogether and assigns them to ateacher in the Issaquah SchoolDistrict who needs help.

Volunteer teams will work atApollo, Challenger, CougarRidge, Grand Ridge, IssaquahValley and Sunset elementaryschools and in special educationclassrooms at Tiger MountainCommunity High School and

Skyline High School.The idea came in response to

reports of budget cuts, said BethYeager, community mission pas-tor for the church.

“Knowing teachers face chal-lenges in the year coming up,with increased class sizes andreductions in resources, this is away to come alongside teachers.We want to support them and tolet them know the community

is grateful for their teaching andlet them know we are behindand support them.”

Bellevue’s First PresbyterianChurch has a similar program,which Yeager said she modeledthe program after.

Volunteers are still neededfor the event from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.Aug. 29.

Volunteers need to register atthe church’s Web site.

Once registered, they areassigned to a school coordinatorand given their school assign-ment.

Volunteers need to arrive attheir school at 8:45 a.m. for ateam meeting before beginningwork that day.

School officials will directgrounds maintenance crews andteachers will lead the classroomsetup teams, directing them tocomplete specific tasks likeunpacking boxes, setting up bul-letin boards and preparing sup-plies.

“We are so pleased to havethe community helping ourteachers as they prepare for thenew school year,” SaraNiegowski, district communica-tions director, wrote in an e-mail. “Come September 2, thoseclassrooms will be hopping withstudents and the teachers willbe off and running until nextJune, so it’s wonderful to havethe extra helping hands and themoral support. I’m sure it willenable our teachers be evenmore energized and focusedwhen children return.”

Reach Reporter ChantelleLusebrink at 392-6434, ext. 241, orclusebrink@isspress.com.

Comment on this story atwww.SammamishReview.com.

COMMUNITY10 • August 26, 2009 SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Photo by Christopher HuberA group of boys tests their engineering as they send their zucchini race cars down the stripduring the Sammamish Farmers Market Aug. 19.

Off to the (zucchini) races

How to help:Visit www.plcc.org and

click on “Help A TeacherDay 2009.”

Community can help localteachers before the bell ringsVolunteers areneeded to helpwith classrooms

By J.B. Wogan

Nine years ago, Don Gerendchallenged the Sammamish com-munity to take a civic-orientedmath test and Randy Nevin acedit. On the city’s 10-year anniver-sary, the retired Microsoftemployee did it again.

Nevin,whoearned abachelor’sdegreeand mas-ter’sdegree incomputerscience,was theonly oneto have aperfectscore on the final exam.

“The final exam, I didn’t findthat to be too difficult,” Nevinsaid, explaining that the eight-problem test involved basic alge-bra and logic.

The qualifying exam, whichNevin and three others aced, wasmore difficult, according toNevin. The last problem requiredgeometry.

“That took me several hours tofigure out,” Nevin said.

Gerend, the current mayor,

wrote the test, which had eightword problems concerningmunicipal issues like public tran-sit and population size.

He said only one of four final-ists could take the final exam in-person at City Hall Aug. 12:Jackson Dove showed up andscored a seven out of eight.

Nevin was on vacation, buthad Gerend e-mail him a copy.He swore that he took the test byhimself.

The other two finalists, ArielGoh and Dave Lee, had a brokenankle and a work engagement.But Gerend said he would giveprizes to all four.

For those still aching to provetheir mathematic prowess, thereis still time.

“I challenge anybody else inthe community to take the finalexam and send me the answers.I’ll grade them. That would befun,” Gerend said.

Go towww.SammamishReview.com tofind a copy of the test. E-mailyour answers to dgerend@ci.sam-mamish.wa.us.

Reporter J.B. Wogan can bereached at 392-6434, ext. 247, orjbwogan@isspress.com. To com-ment on this story, visitwww.SammamishReview.com.

Randy Nevin acescity math test, again

Randy Nevin

ByChristopherHuber

Ten-year-oldSammamishresidentEvanHamiltonfound out inearly Augustthat he was going to do some-thing most people don’t get to do.He’s one-of-a-kind around town.

It took a couple of weeks, butafter making the rounds to all thecity’s elementary schools lastspring, looking for students withthe same birthday asSammamish, Mayor Don Gerendfinally found Hamilton.

Hamilton, then a Mead

Elementaryfourth grad-er, was bornon the samedaySammamishbecame acity — Aug.31, 1999 —and was cho-sen to be thegrand mar-

shal of the “Future ofSammamish Kids Parade.”

“I was like, ‘oh my gosh,’ I wasreally surprised,” Hamilton saidof when he found out. “I think it’spretty cool to have the samebirthday as Sammamish.”

The city celebration startswith the parade at 10 a.m. and

Evan Hamilton tolead Kids’ Parade

See PARADE, Page 11

Evan Hamilton at age 1 month andtoday

and music than drumming,”Gross said in the ensemble’s finalrehearsal Dec. 7. “Drumming …strips away all the WesternEuropean influence on music.”

He started the class in thespring quarter of 2007 because hesaw a need for more instrumen-tal music instruction at theschool. Gross, a drummer him-self, had taught drumming toinner-city students in Seattle andrealized he could bring that toSammamish.

“There’s no reason I felt itshould be restricted to kids in theinner city,” he said. “There didn’tseem to be an instrumental out-let for the kids.”

The Smith PTA sponsored theprogram, which costs $50 for 10sessions, and has provided finan-cial assistance for anyone whowants to take the class.

Most of the students seemedfocused and intent on followingthe beats given, as Gross gavecommands using loud tweetsfrom a whistle. They began classsitting in a semi-circle and eachstudent lead the group in theirown made-up rhythm to imitate.

They all seem to enjoy groov-ing to the beat and hitting thedrum as firmly and accurately as

they can.“(I like this class) because you

can play different instruments,learn different rhythms and Ihave a fantastic teacher,” saidfourth-grader Alia O’Neill, who isin her third quarter-long session.“He can be serious and he can befunny,” she said.

After practicing three Africandrum pieces — Jingoloba, Moshiand Funga Alafia — for the con-cert, Gross and the childrenbroke out the xylophones, andother percussion instruments.

SAMMAMISH REVIEW December 16, 2009 • 13

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accepting Quest pro-

gram applicationsThe Lake Washington School

District will be accepting applica-tions for the junior high Questprogram for highly capable stu-dents (grades seven throughnine) from Jan. 6 through 4 p.m.Jan. 22. Applications are for the2010-2011 school year.

Students must meet specificscreening criteria to be consid-ered for Quest assessment,according to a district pressrelease.

Visit the Quest program Website atwww.lwsd.org/parents/accelerated-programs/quest for the detailedcriteria.

Parents can learn more aboutthe program at the junior highsection of the site, or at the Questoffice, at the district’s resourcecenter, 16250 N.E. 74th St. inRedmond.

Contact Jannette Cimburek at702-3238 or Quest@lwsd.org formore information.

By Christopher Huber

The final bell rang, dismissingall the students for the day atSamantha Smith Elementary. Butafter music teacher Adam Gross’sclassroom cleared out, anotherset of students meandered in.

The room bustled with ener-getic youth, who were awaitinginstruction. They would spendthe next hour practicing for theirupcoming concert Dec. 10.

The dozen or so childrendropped their backpacks andsquirmed around on the floornext to some two-foot-tall drums— some argued over who shouldplay the larger, lower-toned onesfirst and who would get the lonedjembe drum.

Gross teaches the after-schoolWorld Rhythms Ensemble atSmith. They meet every Mondayto learn basic beats, chants andrhythms using tubano drums andtheir voices. They learn stylesand methods for various culturesaround the world.

“There’s not anything moreeffective in connecting the body

They’ve got rhythm,they’ve got music

Together, they pieced togetherthe parts of a sound story basedon Owen Lewis’ “Storm Boy.”

O’Neill said she likes “xylo-phones, because each one has adifferent sound.”

For some, the class is almosttherapeutic, or a way to be moresocial outside of regular class,Gross said. But for some, theyjust want to make noise and hit a

drum.“For the boys, they look at

these drums all year long (inmusic class) and say, ‘ah, man, Igotta hit one of those things,’”Gross said. “This is a chance to beloud.”

Reporter Christopher Huber canbe reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, orchuber@isspress.com.

Photo by Christopher Huber

Smith Elementary students take turns leading the group in various drumming patterns.

sports14 • September 23, 2009 SAMMAMISH REVIEW

By Christopher Huber

Considering it faced the No. 1team in the Washington Class 3Avolleyball standings, the EastlakeWolves put up a pretty good fightSept. 14 against Eastside Catholic.

The atmo-sphere waselectric in thecross-town,preseasonmatch-up, asboth schoolsbrought size-able studentsections tocheer on the girls at the Crusadergym in Sammamish.

Eastside Catholic played con-sistent volleyball and put uprespectable numbers, beatingEastlake 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-11)in each team’s second game ofthe season.

“This was just kind of a barom-eter for us to see where we are,”Eastlake head coach GaylenePage said after the game. “Wewanted to see kind of how wemeasured up.”

The Lady Wolves kept in stridewith EastsideCatholicthrough thefirst and sec-ond sets, butlost steam inthe third.Eastlake hadits moments,but struggled

to defend against dominatingattacks from Brooke Bachesta andCami Silverman.

“We work on trying to improveevery match as much as we can,”Eastside Catholic head coach

No. 1 EastsideCatholic overtakesEastlake volleyball

Photo by Christopher Huber

Eastside Catholic’s Kelly Finan, left, and Sarah Hill try to block the ball in the first set againstEastlake Sept. 14. See VOLLEYBALL, Page 15

By Christopher Huber

When the teams left the fieldfor halftime, Skyline junior widereceiver Kasen Williams told histeammates not to quit. That’s notwhat Skyline does, he said.

The Spartans were down 21-17at the break to one of the nation’sbest teams in Oaks Christian.Lions quarterback Nick Montana,a Washington verbal commit, andhis offense had struck threetimes through the air and theirrunning game picked away at theSkyline defense.

Skyline got off to a jittery starton offense in front of 4,400 fansand a national TV audience Sept.18, but had come back from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to score 17unanswered points in the second.Skyline let one more Lions touch-down slip by, but the game wasnowhere near decided.

“I told my team I wasn’t goingto quit,” Williams said after thegame at Spartan Stadium. “Andthat’s what we did, we didn’t quit.Down to the end, even whenwe’re down, we don’t quit.”

And they didn’t quit. But OaksChristian, from Westlake Village,Calif., handed Skyline its firstloss since November 2006(31games) in its 28-25 victory.

“We don’t want to feel thisanger ever again,” Williams said.“We never want to be in this posi-

tion again, so what we’re going todo now is go back to the drawingboard and we’re going to figure

things out and we’re going to getready for next week. We still havethat state championship to go to.”

The dagger to the heart cameon a last minute fourth-quarterSkyline drive that shaped up tobe a comeback drive to remem-ber.

Running back Nick Washburnran the ball in for a touchdownand the 2-point conversionbrought the score to within three,28-25, with 3:31 remaining.Skyline’s defense pressuredMontana heavily and forced apunt. And Skyline fans wentwild, knowing they might wit-ness an historic comeback.

With 1:56 left, Spartans quar-terback Jake Heaps strungtogether a drive that included 16-and 25-yard passes to Williamsand Connor Brandt respectively.Washburn helped pick away atthe clock and Oaks Christiandefense.

“I think it just shows theresilience of our team,” Heapssaid of the comeback. “We’re nota team that’s going to give up.We’re not a team that’s going toback down. We’re going to clawand fight our way back through.Unfortunately, I made a mistakeat the end of the game and it wascostly.”

Montana and Heaps are con-

Skyline lacks rhythm, falls to Oaks Christian

Photo by Greg FarrarKasen Williams, Skyline junior wide receiver, collects a Jake Heaps pass in the end zone to tie thegame 14-all in the second quarter against Oaks Christian senior defensive back Max Napolitano.

See SPARTANS, Page 15

“I think we held ittogether pretty well forthe first two games.”

– Gaylene Page, Eastlake coach –

By Christopher Huber

When Skyline forward JackieWilson broke open the 0-0 tie inthe 53rd minute against theEastlake Wolves Sept. 24, thehome crowd and her teammateswent wild.

The two Sammamish teamshad played a physical game ofcat-and-mouse all evening andEastlake hadnot given theLady Spartansany realchances toscore.

As Wilson, asophomore, setup in the mid-dle of the boxand tussled with Eastlake defend-er Savannah Gunning, her team-mate, Maddie Christ, dribbled upthe right side of the field and fedit to the center. Wilson got theball, fended off the ensuingEastlake defense and somehowtipped the ball in the right side ofthe goal as she fell.

“It kind of just worked out.Two of them (defenders) camefrom behind me and I just kindof fell forward and hit it,” Wilsonsaid after the game. “It was prettylucky. It was kind of like a golfputt.”

In the end, Skyline came outwith a 2-1 victory over Eastlake atSpartan Stadium.

Both teams duked it out for 80minutes ofaggressive butmeasured play.Eastlake con-trolled thetempo earlyand had a fewopportunitiesoffensively.

“We werepushing it down their throats,”said Eastlake senior captain AllieBeahan. “The only two chancesthey had were those two andthey scored off of them.”

But the second half saw a reju-venated Skyline, which scoredwhen it counted, maintain a tightdefense and beat the swift Wolves

in the air.“They are very good in the air.

They were winning a majority ofthe header balls,” Beahan said.

“And we know we need to workon that, but we’ll see ‘em again.”

After the Wilson goal, Eastlakegot lucky in the 67th minute

when Skyline’s Dom Randle acci-dentally headed the ball into her

sports14 • September 30, 2009 SAMMAMISH REVIEW

By Christopher Huber

Through the first seven holesof Sahalee’s South 9, the Skylineboys golf team held its ownagainst Eastlake Sept. 22.

But Cole Clearman andNathan Stephenson, Skyline’s toptwo golfers, had averaged 40-stroke finishes through the firstfour matches of the season andwere looking good.

The Spartans had kept pacewith Eastlake and looked to makeit a close game.

“Then the eighth and ninthholes happened,” said Skylinecoach Mike Fleming.

Suffice it to say Eastlake con-tinues its hunt for the KingCotitle after it beat Skyline 205-213.

Eastlake freshman Li Wangwas the medalist against Skyline,finishing with an even 36.

Teammate Evan Alston had a38 and Skyline’s Jordan Windsorhad a 40-stroke finish on the par-36 course. A.J. Taylor, of Skylinecame in with a 42.

“I think our team never gaveup,” Wang said. “Even thoughthey lost to their guys, they never

gave up. They kept grinding itout.”

He said the win was nice andhelps in the pursuit of a KingCotitle, but Eastlake could haveplayed better, consideringSahalee is its home course.

“It really pays off to haveplayed the course before,” Wangsaid.

Wang, who seems particularlyfamiliar with the course, addedthat the Skyline match was a bittougher Sept. 22 because thegroundskeepers had kept theSahalee South 9 grass a littlelonger in the rough.

The 444-yard, par-4 hole No. 8is a challenge for many, but forSkyline players, who are accus-tomed to the wider and moreopen Plateau Club fairways, itproved too challenging.

It doglegs right, with a forestof trees to the right and threebunkers on the left side of a fair-way that slopes to the left.

Two more bunkers sit at theopening to the green, whichslopes up from front to back.

Photo by Greg Farrar

A.J. Taylor, senior, hits out of the sand trap.

Eastlake golfers edge out Skyline after tough finish

Skyline soccertops Eastlake incross-town duel

Photo by Christopher HuberSkyline midfielder Madi Barney jostles with Eastlake defender Jamie Marzano to control the ball inthe first half Sept. 24.

See GOLF, Page 15

See SOCCER, Page 15

“It was pretty lucky. Itwas kind of like a golf

putt.”– Jackie Wilson,

Skyline soccer player –