Review editorial
August 6, 2008
High school algebra decision easy as pi
The Washington State Board of Education put two and two together last week and came up with a pretty obvious choice – more algebra is needed for our teenagers and future generations.
Starting with the graduating class of 2013, high-school students will now be required to pass algebra II, along with two other years of math, to graduate. The board’s decision to include algebra in the curriculum comes after the legislature deemed it necessary in 2007 to add a third year of math to bring student learning to a higher standard. They left it up to the board to decide what the third year would be.
The move is full of foresight. Texas is currently the only state in the country with a similar requirement, but 14 others have plans to incorporate an algebra II requirement soon.
Some school districts in the state – like Bellevue, Federal Way and Kent – already require algebra II as part of their curriculum.
In January, the Issaquah School District added a third year of math to graduation requirements beginning with the class of 2012. Lake Washington has begun discussions for how to accommodate the additional requirement.
It’s no big secret that the U.S. is quickly falling behind other countries when it comes to math. An international exam – the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment – conducted in December showed the U.S. ranked 24th out of 30 countries in the subject area. The finish was almost identical to a similar test done three years prior.
Many worry about students’ ability to complete a third year of math, especially since about one-fourth of this year’s seniors failed to pass math on the 10th-grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning, a test which covers algebra I and geometry. Those failures, however, may be more evidence that more math education is required.
While it may not be the most glamorous subject, math is every bit as vital as the other subjects already packing the curriculum. The world will continue to need engineers and physicists for the next century and beyond – and that career path begins with a broader understanding of mathematics.
Sammamish Forum
August 6, 2008
Why not pave it themselves?
I am writing in response to the articles on 248th Avenue, the part between 14th Street and 17th Street, which is a private road at present. It was stated Read more
Sammamish runner finishes college All-American
August 6, 2008
Michael Kilburg competes in U.S. Olympic Trials
Even Michael Kilburg didn’t fathom making Olympic Trials.
Kilburg, a Sammamish resident who attended the University of Portland from 2003 to 2008, finished his college career Read more
Kevin Penner reaches second round of U.S. Amateur
August 6, 2008
Eastlake golfer continues high-level play
Kevin Penner, a rising senior at Eastlake High School, qualified for match play before losing in the second round of the nation’s largest junior golf tournament.
Penner traveled to Birmingham, Ala. for the U.S. Junior Amateur July 21-26.
The Junior Amateur is one of the country’s premier junior competitions. Only Read more
Beaver Lake Triathlon readies for another year
August 6, 2008
When the time came to decide who would race what, 14-year-olds Hailey Theeuwen and David Jett both wanted the swim.
“They had to arm wrestle, let’s put it that way,” said Sharon Theeuwen, Hailey’s mother.
As of July, Theeuwen and Jett, rising freshmen at the Pacific Read more
Local youth runners qualify for National Junior Olympics
August 6, 2008
Several members of the Issaquah Gliders and Plateau Runners Track clubs qualified for the USA Track & Field’s largest meet: the National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships, held in Omaha, Neb. July 22-27.
Glider member Andrew Matthews, a rising Read more
Vedic Cultural Center opens
August 6, 2008
New facility to act as a hub for the Vedic community
Upon entering the Vedic Cultural Center, everyone is ushered into a small side room to remove their shoes, before entering the center and participating in the numerous activities being orchestrated all at the same time. People can chose to hear the congregation president lecture upstairs, enjoy a free vegetarian meal or watch a drama enacted by children. Whatever you want to do or need, the volunteers and patrons of the Vedic Cultural Center do everything they can to meet your needs.
The Vedic Cultural Center, located at 1420 228th Avenue SE, has been there since 1989, yet has become a more prominent monument in Sammamish since its newly completed remodel.
The Vedic Cultural Center embarked on the mission to create a larger “more attractive” building due to the growth of the Indian community in the region and because more people Read more
Sammamish teen acts as ambassador
August 6, 2008
Eastlake senior Lauren Rice spent two weeks in Europe as an ambassador abroad, sponsored by LeadAmerica, with 70 other young leaders from all over the nation.
Rice and her fellow ambassadors started their two weeks in London, England, then moved to Paris, France, Lucerne, Switzerland, and ended in Munich, Germany. The group also made short stops in Austria and Liechtenstein.
The application process for LeadAmerica is selective and seeks students who have demonstrated leadership potential, academic promise and will contribute Read more
Student publishes children’s book about autism
August 6, 2008
In an effort to demystify autism, Briana Pacelli, 18, wrote her first book.
Pacelli, who graduated from Eastlake High School in May, collaborated with her brother Trevor, 15, on the work, entitled “The Kindergarten Adventures of Amazing Grace: What in the World is Autism?”
“I’ve always enjoyed writing. It’s been one of my strengths as far as school subjects go,” Briana said.
The book, which also served as Briana’s senior project, follows a kindergartener named Grace as she Read more
Military news
August 6, 2008
Ryan DiBello, of Sammamish, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on May 23, 2008, with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering and was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. Ryan’s brother, Marine 2nd Lt. Scott DiBello, pinned on his ensign shoulder boards.
Following graduation, Ensign DiBello, a 2004 graduate of Eastlake High School, reported to the guided-missile frigate, USS Gary (FFG-51), homeported in San Diego, Calif., where he will initially serve as the ship’s electronic warfare officer and intelligence officer.
