Burlington teen pages for Rep. Norma Smith in Olympia

Hayley Ekle recently served as a page in the state House of Representatives the week of Feb. 17. She was sponsored by Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton.

Ekle, 14, is the daughter of Ken and Anita Ekle of Burlington and is a freshman at Burlington-Edison High School.

Pages are responsible for delivering messages and documents to lawmakers in their offices, committee meetings and the House chambers during floor sessions. While in Olympia, students are also required to continue their studies for two hours during the day.

To become a page, applicants must have a legislative sponsor and be between the ages of 14 and 16, and obtain written permission from their parents and schools. For more information about the legislative page program, visit: www/leg.wa.gov/House/PageInternProgram.

PULLMAN

Student honored with curriculum and cultural studies award

Xyanthe Neider, a doctoral student in the Washington State University College of Education, will receive the 2008 Critical Issues in Curriculum and Cultural Studies Graduate Student Award from the American Education Research Association.

The award will be presented Monday, March 24, at AERA’s annual meeting in New York City. It stems from Neider’s paper “Higher Education Curriculum as Western Colonial Project” about cultural imperialism, essentialism and historical sanitization.

Nieder is the daughter of Les and Linda Lockrem of La Conner, and a graduate of Skagit Valley College. She is a teaching assistant, president of the Education Graduate Association and advisor to Phi Eta Sigma honor society.

Neider earned a dual bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and sociology, and a master’s degree in higher education administration from WSU. She is working on a doctoral degree in higher education administration.

SKAGIT COUNTY

Students awarded scholarships

Daniel Weston of Bow was awarded a $1,000 scholarship through the Services for Academic Success program at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont. SAS students are first-generation college students, students with disabilities or from low-income families and have overcome significant challenges to pursue a college degree.

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Andrew Taylor of Clear Lake has been awarded a $350 MW Consulting Scholarship at Eastern Washington University. Taylor is a graduate of Sedro-Woolley High School. His parents are Ruth and Dean Taylor of Clear Lake.

Students of the Month

The Skagit-Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club has selected Elizabeth Santos and Luke Aguilar, both eighth-graders at Mount Baker Middle School, as March students of the month. They were honored with a breakfast ceremony.

Elizabeth is the daughter of Juana and Asuncion Santos. She is involved with the Power of Hope Monologue Project and AVID. Santos enjoys reading and playing volleyball.
Luke is the son of Adele and John Aguilar. He is a member of the Student Council, basketball team, band and the Concert Choir. Luke is on the worship team at his church, has worked at the food bank and is involved in community sports. His hobbies include football, basketball and playing piano and guitar.

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Mount Vernon High School seniors Carly Feiro and Corey Hughes have been named Rotary Students of the Month for March.

Carly is the daughter of Kathy and Mark Feiro of Mount Vernon. She maintains a 3.97 grade-point average and is a member of National Honor Society. She also plays varsity volleyball, basketball and softball. In her free time, Carly enjoys spending time with friends, going to the lake and playing softball with her club team, Lake Breeze. She plans to play softball for Lafayette College in Easton Pa. and to major in mathematics. She would like to complete a master’s degree in education and become a high school math teacher.

Corey is the son of Janis and Jeff Hughes of Mount Vernon. He maintains a 3.83 gpa and played football and basketball during his freshman and sophomore years, and varsity baseball all four years. Corey works summers on Hughes Farms doing tractor and field work. He enjoys snowmobiling, hunting, fishing and spending time with family and friends. Corey plans to major in engineering at Washington State University and minor in agriculture.

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The Kiwanis Club of Burlington has chosen Bay View Elementary eighth-graders Carmen Ruby Torres and Eric Schenk as the Student Achievement Award recipients for February and March.

February award recipient Carmen is the daughter of Laura Torres. She enjoys playing soccer and volleyball.

March award recipient Eric is the son of Lisa and Keith Schenk. He enjoys playing saxophone in the eighth-grade band. He plays soccer, basketball and baseball. An accomplished snow skier, Eric also likes to camp and fish with his family. He serves as Senior Patrol Leader in Boy Scout Troop 4078, has earned the rank of Life Scout and is working toward his Eagle Scout award. Eric plans to attend Brigham Young University.

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Soroptimist of Mount Vernon has announced that Chris Fredlund has received its Merit Award Student for March.

Chris is the son of Cheri and Jim Fredlund of Mount Vernon. He is the senior class president at Mount Vernon High School and is involved in Leadership and the Associated Student Body. He also played football, earning first team All-League and first team All-Area honors as an offensive lineman. Chris has worked in his family’s construction business. He plans to attend Pacific Lutheran University.