Skyridge Middle School presents Once on This Island Jr. - 04/16/14
Join us for this take on The Little Mermaid on April 24-27 at 7 PM; April 26 at 1 PM.

With its poignant story and catchy Caribbean-flavored score, Once on This Island Jr. is a highly original theatrical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's popular fairy tale The Little Mermaid. The original Broadway production of Once on This Island garnered eight Tony nominations, including nods for Best Musical, Book and Score!

This full-hearted musical tells the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl who rescues and falls in love with Daniel, a wealthy boy from the other side of her island. When Daniel is returned to his people, the fantastical gods who rule the island guide Ti Moune on a quest that will test the strength of her love against the powerful forces of prejudice, hatred, and even death.

Camas High School Theatre
26900 SE 15th Street, Camas, WA 98607

Tickets are on sale at the Skyridge Middle School Office between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. or at the event. Adults: $7; students ages 5-18: $5; children under 5: free.

Papermakers set to bring science skills to Sunshine State (Photo) - 04/14/14
Next stop: the National Science Olympiad Tournament in Orlando.

Camas High School's Science Olympiad teams hit a new record on Saturday with a first place win at the State Science Olympiad Tournament for the fourth year in a row. This on the heels of third and fourth place state-level wins earlier in March for Liberty Middle School and Skyridge Middle School respectively.

The tournament was held at Eastern Washington University and featured 24 different science-related events in which students competed. Teams battled for event medals, with CHS taking home 17 and earning one of the best scores in tournament history.

It was not smooth sailing during the tournament. Two of the events, Bungee Drop and Scrambler, were ultimately dropped from scoring due to mishaps in event setup and scoring. However, calamities which would shake most students didn't trip up the Papermakers.

"Perseverance and preparation really paid off for the team," said team coach and CHS math teacher Matt Chase. "When adversity struck, our students knew how to handle themselves and refocus for the next event. They showed a remarkable level of maturity due, in part, to the overall experience of the team," he added.

"Thanks to leading, innovative teaching staff and the support of our community and parents, Camas enjoys very strong science programs from elementary through high school," commented Superintendent Mike Nerland.

Team members include students in ninth through twelfth grades:

* Ninth: Rachel Duquette - 1st in Disease Detectives, Melody Holler, Erik Johnson, Jason Kim, Bilal Manzer - 1st in Hydrogeology, Chemay Shola - 1st in Hydrogeology, Phebus Tsai
* Tenth: Kurtis Shibata
* Eleventh: Jon Bartlett, Jonathan Ho - 1st in Boomilever and Mission Possible, Levi Holscher - 1st in Compound Machines, Kevin Hsu - 1st in Compound Machines, Erica Lee - 1st in Technical Problem Solving, Isabel Lee - 1st in Technical Problem Solving, Arya Pathak, Reese Pathak - 1st in Disease Detectives, Sophie Shoemaker, Yun Teng - 1st in Material Science
* Twefth: Parker Liebe, and Yushuan Peng - 1st in Material Science

The team is now setting their sights on the national title at the upcoming tournament in Orlando, Florida, May 16-17. The trip will be funded by a combination of funds including family contributions, donations, and Associated Student Body funds.

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Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, creating a passion for learning science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. These goals are accomplished through classroom activities, research, professional development workshops and the encouragement of intramural, district, regional, state, national and international tournaments.

The National Science Education Standards hails Science Olympiad as an example that "illustrates the close relationship between teaching and assessment. The assessment tasks are developmentally appropriate for young children, including recognition of students' physical skills and cognitive abilities" (NRC, 1996, p 39).