Fourth Annual Camas Indoor Kite Festival

Students of Camas High School’s chapter of Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA www.fcclainc.org) have been busy planning for the 4th Annual Camas Indoor Kite Festival. In addition to hosting the event in the CHS gym, members will also be selling tickets at the door and providing concessions for the event.

This festival is the student’s major fundraiser for the year and allows them to attend the Statewide FCCLA leadership conference. This conference provides students the opportunity to experience and participate in a professional meeting, compete for and receive recognition for their efforts, and meet other like-minded students from across the state.

November is National Family month. This event is truly a wonderful way for the family to spend an afternoon or two enjoying healthy, artistic activity while avoiding the chilly and rainy November weather!

Kite flying is typically something one associates with the sun, lots of wind, and going to the beach. In this case, the American Kite Flyers Association sanctioned event is coming to the Portland Metro Area and the wind and the sun or rain is not a factor because this kite competition will be warm and dry inside the beautiful Camas High School Gymnasium, located about 15 minutes from the Portland/Vancouver area.

The first question that pops into most people’s minds when they hear the phrase “indoor kite flying” is, “How do you fly a kite indoors? Do you use fans?” The response is an emphatic no. The kites that are used are so light that small amounts of arm and body movement on the part of the flyer is enough to send these marvels made of former NASA materials sailing with a grace and beauty that has left many a person wondering, “How can this be happening?” The kite’s movements are set to music and the choreographed ballets are scored by a panel of judges who grade how well the flyer interprets the music, fly their kite or kites, and present showmanship.

Regional, National and International Champion kite flyers from Washington, Oregon and Canada will be there to participate in this American Kite Flyers and Northwest Sport Kite League sanctioned event. The results of the four separate competitions on Saturday and Sunday will count toward a regional championship which is key to qualifying for competition at the National level. On Saturday and Sunday, activities will include ballet competition, demonstration flying, hot tricks competition, kite making and the opportunity have a lesson and try your hand at flying yourself. See the website for a schedule of events: http://nwskl.org/camas.htm

FCCLA is the only national student leadership organization that focuses on the multiple roles of today’s individual as family member, wage earner, and community leader. The organization’s mission is to promote personal growth and leadership development through Family and Consumer Science Education. Members build skills for life through planning and completing projects using creative and critical thinking, interpersonal communication, practical knowledge, and vocational skills.

Bus Ridership Week

Camas School District receives State transportation funding based on the number of students who utilize busing services. Each fall, districts conduct a ridership count for one week, which is reported to Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. If the district transports your student, please encourage them ride the bus to school during the week of October 12-16, 2009.

If you have questions, contact the Transportation Department at 833-5585.

Imagine the possibilities

"Imagine the Possibilities" is the theme of the Camas Educational Foundation (CEF) Auction that will be held October 10, 2009, at the Vancouver Hilton. This year marks the auction's 11th year. Tickets are on sale now. If you would like to make a donation, please contact Roxanne Giffin at 834-1345. Click the link below to register online.

http://tinyurl.com/ktes4w

District seeks advisory committee members

In preparation for the new school year, the Camas School District is seeking volunteers to serve on the district’s Citizens Advisory Committee. CAC consists of 18-25 school district patrons who advise school administrators and board members on a variety of issues. Meetings are held the first Monday of each month during the school year.

Interested citizens are encouraged to visit the next CAC meeting on October 5, 2009, at Grass Valley Elementary School, 3000 NW Grass Valley Dr., at 7:00 p.m. Of particular interest, this group currently has little representation from Director Districts II, III and V. Maps of each district are available online at http://tinyurl.com/4fpzxr.

Applications to CAC can be completed at the meeting, online, or by contacting Lynette Marshall at 833-5412. All completed applications should be returned to the Camas School District Administration Center by Wednesday, October 14, and will be forwarded to the School Board for appointment.

Line dancing anyone?

If you’ve ever wanted to learn to line dance and get a good aerobic workout, then this fun class is for you! No partner necessary... bring friends or come alone!

What: Beginning Line Dancing
Where: Lacamas Elementary Gym
When: Mondays, Sept. 28-Oct. 19
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
$30 (checks made payable to E.C.C.E.)
Class code: 1240-09

http://tinyurl.com/mgjksm

Vendors: register now for Holly Days

If you are interested in becoming a vendor at the 2009 Holly Days Arts & Crafts Bazaar, now is the time to register. The event takes place on November 14, and applications are due October 16. Click the link below for details and the registration form.

http://tinyurl.com/mfj53f

Be a Farmer for a Day!

Camas students and community members are invited to help harvest and sell produce from the Camas Roots Garden at the Camas Farmer’s Market on Wednesday, September 23. From 9 to 11 AM, Hayes Freedom High School students and community members will harvest potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and other things from the garden, which is located next to the JD Zellerbach building. In the afternoon at the market, students will help display the produce, make signs, calculate costs, make change, and practice customer relations. There will be important jobs for all ages starting at 2:30 PM. Elementary age children must have an adult nearby (at the market). The market runs from 3 to 7 PM and shifts are flexible according to your schedule. Students are encouraged to come and help for a half hour or longer. All proceeds will benefit the garden project. Helpers are welcome to take home extra produce. If you are interested in participating, please contact Elisa Wells at 833-0925 or eswells@comcast.net.

Camas Student Graduates from Washington Aerospace Scholars Program

The Washington Aerospace Scholars program is pleased to announce that Stuart Jergensen is a graduate of the 2009 WAS Summer Residency at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) is a competitive educational program for high school juniors from across Washington State.

Stuart Jergensen was among the 150 students who qualified for the Washington Aerospace Scholars Summer Residency program from 260 students who applied in November. To qualify for the residency program, Stuart of Camas High School spent six months studying a NASA-designed, distance-learning curriculum via the Internet. Based on his academic performance on the distance-learning lessons, he was selected to attend one of the four residencies hosted at The Museum of Flight in Seattle this summer. During the residency experience, he collaborated with the other student participants on the design of a human mission to Mars. WAS scholars are guided by professional engineers, scientists, university students and certified educators as they plan these missions. The WAS program is designed to inspire students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) but the students are divided into teams which also require them to learn about mission management, budgets, the legal aspects of space exploration, and medicine.

In addition to the design of the human mission to Mars, he and the other WAS scholars also participated in a number of hands-on engineering challenges. These challenges included design, construction and deployment of robotic rovers, model rockets, lander devices, and payload lofting systems. Summer residency participants also received briefings from experts in the fields of engineering, science, physics, medicine, project management, risk management, and space exploration. They also visited Everett, WA, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Boeing Commercial Airplane assembly plant, (including the new 787) and toured engineering laboratories at the University of Washington. As a graduate of WAS, Stuart joins over 380 alumni, representing 170 different Washington high schools.

All expenses (including travel, meals and lodging) are provided to students free of charge by the Washington Aerospace Scholars Foundation. The program has been supported through generous grants from The Apex Foundation, The Aldarra Foundation, The Boeing Company, Microsoft, Battelle and individual donors. The Museum of Flight hosts both the program administration and the summer residency sessions. Additional partners include NASA Johnson Space Center for curriculum development, the Washington State Governor’s Office, Washington State Legislators, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.