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“Into the Woods” Premieres This Friday

“Into the Woods” by CHS Theater is the blending of several fairy tales into one story. The Baker and his Wife, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and others are all on their quests to see their greatest wishes granted.

Along the way, they cross paths with often hilarious results. In the end, all is mended, but the journey becomes quite a bit more complicated than anyone ever dreamed. With giants, witches, wolves, princes, and magic beans bouncing around all over the place, it’s no wonder that they all get much more than they bargained for.

The show begins Friday at 7 at CHS Theater.

Into the Woods


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Ask Susie: Questions & Answers

ASK SUSIE is a regular advice column at Lacamas Magazine.
Dear Susie:
The are girls at school I hang out with sometimes ask me to do things I don’t feel comfortable doing, things that just aren’t part of who I am. How can I let them know that I don’t do that stuff without embarrassing myself and losing my friends?
Jenny
Camas, WA
Dear Jenny:
It’s hard to find friends with the same standards. I should know, I went through numerous groups of friends until the third quarter of my junior year, when I finally found gal pals like me. Do your friends uplift and edify you? Because real friends make you feel good about yourself and care for your well-being. You should tell your friends that you’d rather not do what they’re doing because you just feel it isn’t right. If they are friends, I mean real friends, they will respect you more for the quality of morals you possess. If they aren’t real friends, they will be insulted. After you tell them where you stand, it is up to them to demonstrate if you should remain friends. And if you have to leave that group, remember you’ll have a new chance to form better friendships among people with your standards.
Susie
Dear Susie:
How do I tell a really nice girl who likes me that I just want to be friends? I really do just want to be her friend.
Brandon
Camas, WA
Dear Brandon:
I think you should set this sweet friend of yours straight. You should tell her that you’d just like to be friends, but remember to consider her feelings. Remember, if she likes you, how can she hate you for being kind and honest?
Susie
Feel free to submit your questions to [email protected] and remember last names are withheld.

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WSA Arsenal U16 Boys Premier Soccer Wins State Title

By Alberto Orihuela

The WSA Arsenal U16 Boys Premier soccer team had a very successful run in the Virginia Mason WA Youth Soccer Challenge Cup, finishing as champions on February 10 at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, WA. They will move on to represent Washington in the Presidents Cup Region IV tournament in Boise Idaho in June.

The team advanced to the Finals by beating Harbor Premier B96 by a score of 1-0 on Saturday February 9 in the semi-finals. Riley Brannon scored the lone goal following up on his blocked shot by Harbor’s keeper.

On Sunday, WSA Arsenal beat Crossfire Premier for the championship — with goals from Ben Klave, Carlos Bravo, and Dmitriy Tkachenko. Ben opened the score line to take the 1 lead. Crossfire equalized a short time later and the half finished 1-1. Carlos Bravo scored 2 goals in the second half as Arsenal took control. Dmitriy finished off a cross with a header in the final minute of the game to win the championship with a score of 4-1.”

Arsenal

“The club is very proud of this team’s accomplishments, both in winning a state championship but also for all of their hard work the past 3 years, moving from the RCL Division 4 to now playing in D2,” said Gary Osterhage, CWSA Director of Coaching.

Players named to the Golazo Best 11 Players for the U16 Challenge Cup from the Arsenal team are: Dmitriy Tkachenko, Riley Brannon, Carlos Bravo and Jeremiah “JJ” Guo.

Who’s in the photo? Top Row, left to right: Coach Eder Barajas, Emahn Hajarizadeh, Oscar Avalos, Dmitriy Tkachenko, Oscar Perez, Riley Brannon, Lucas Ulmer, Jurgen Hartung, Manager Alberto Orihuela.

Bottom Row, left to right: Carlos Bravo, Abdulkader El-Hoot, Taylor Hill, Jakob Cavin, Josh Stoller, Kobi Orihuela, Benjamin Klave, Jeremiah “JJ” Guo.

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Wrestler Lommasson Places 2nd in Weight Class at State

Tye Lommasson

Congratulations to Tye Lommasson who placed second in the state at 126 pounds this weekend at the 25th annual Mat Classic in the Tacoma Dome! Tye became only the second Camas wrestler in over 10 years to wrestle in the State Finals, and he became the first 4A Camas finalist ever.

In girls action, congratulations to Tye’s sister, Taryn, for earning a rare third trip to state this past weekend. While she did not place, qualifying for state three times is a great achievement.

Photo by Dan Trujillo.

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Camas Boys Swim Team Places 7th at State

FEDERAL WAY, WA — The Camas Boys Swim Team capped off a stellar season placing seventh overall, and dropping times at the 4A State Boys Swim and Diving Championships at the King County Aquatic Center this weekend.

This was the team’s first time competing in 4A, and placing seventh overall was the best state performance for the CHS Boys team. Last year, they placed ninth overall.

Camas sent eight to State, and seven qualified for finals on Saturday night. By the time the last event ended, the boys were exhausted, but had a lot to show for themselves. They entered State buoyed by clinching the District Championship, and felt the meet would be a success.

It was.

Kasey Calwell
Camas swimmer Kasey Calwell at the start of the 400 Free Relay.

 

John Utas
The Papermakers first made it to the podium in the 200-yard medley relay, with Kasey Calwell, Jake Yraceburu, John Utas, and Lucas Ulmer, and placing fourth with a time of 1:38.20.

Calwell, who swims for Camas, but attends King’s Way, also finished fourth in the 200 IM with a time of 1:55.70, shaving time off a personal record he just made at Districts.

“I feel really great about it,” said Calwell. “It was really fun to see people achieve their goals – and so many dropped time.”

In the 100 Breastroke, Calwell came in at 59.96 seconds. Yraceburu competed in the same event, and placed seventh overall.

The boys also took home a medal in the 400 Free Relay, placing seventh with a time of 3:17.26. Seth Albert, Trent Harimoto, Kasey Calwell and Lucas Ulmer competed in that event together.

Camas just missed the podium in the 200-yard relay, placing ninth, with a time of 1:32.18.

State Academic Honors

 

Academic Honors
The CHS Boys Swim team received academic honors for having solid
grades as a team. From left to right: Coach Mike Bemis, Xianguang Yan,
Kasey Calwell, Max Urbanek, Jake Yraceburu, Trent Harimoto, Seth Albert,
Lucas Ulmer, Nick Panebianco, and John Utas.

 The boys also received academic honors at the event for achieving higher than a cumulative 3.6 GPA as a team. It’s a very distinguish honor. The crowd cheered them on.

“They’re a good group of kids,” said Coach Mike Bemis. “They work hard in the pool and at school. It’s all paying off.”

In all, the following CHS swimmers went to State: Max Urbanek, Xianguang Yan, Lucas Ulmer, Seth Albert, Jake Yraceburu, Kasey Calwell, Trent Harimoto, and John Utas.

Jaron Hamlik
Camas sophomore Lucas Ulmer finishes a relay event.
John Utas
Camas swimmer John Utas gives every race everything he’s got.
Here he is at the end of a relay event.

Also in the 4A competition, Skyview senior Eric Bugna placed seventh in 100-yard backstroke with a time of 54.48 seconds. Jake Breuer of Skyview competed in the 200 IM.

I thought it was a great meet, said Bugna. “Really solid best times. Hoping to get even better times at sectionals in March.”

The Camas boys earned 130.5 points, and were just a half a point shy of tying for sixth place overall.

Team scores — Kamiak 207, Stadium 170, Newport 163, Issaquah 156, Gig Harbor 139, Inglemoor 131, Camas 130.5, Kentridge 129, Easltkae 123, Richland 119, Mount Rainier 114, Moses Lake 88, Woodinville 76, Roosevelt 67, Curtis 67, Skyline 60, Jackson 43, Cascade 41, Redmond 41, Rogers 29.5, Walla Walla 28, Lake Stevens 25, South Kitsap 23, Skyview 22, Snohomish 17, Tahoma 15, Kentlake 14, Wenatchee 13, Auburn Riverside 13, Garfield 12, Bothell 12, Evergreen 11, Olympia 10, Ballard 8, Davis 4, Puyallup 2, Federal Way 2.

 

Relay Podium
Camas placed fourth in the 200 Yard Medley.
From left to right: Jake Yraceburu, Lucas Ulmer,
Kasey Calwell, and John Utas.
Relay Podium
The Camas 400 Free Medley made the podium.
From left: Seth Albert, Trent Harimoto, Kasey Calwell
and Lucas Ulmer.

 

Edward Kim, of East High School, stunned the event with his 50 Free, clocking in at 20.11. He was only .09 seconds off the state and meet record of 20.02.

Class 3A

Prairie swimmer Jaron Hamlik, a junior, who trains with the Camas team, earned two medals on Saturday and All-America consideration times, but wasn’t pleased with the outcome.

Hamlik placed fourth in his events, the 200 IM (1:53.24) and the 100 Back (51.51), and was clearly discouraged. “I really wanted to go faster,” he said.

Jaron Hamlik
Jaron Hamlik leaves the pool after the
200 IM, in which he placed fourth.

Class 2A

The Hockinson Boys team, who train with Camas as well, excelled at State, placing fifth overall.

Jonah Rodewald placed second in the 200 IM and seventh in the 100 Back. Rodewald was joined by Dylan Osbourne, Dylan Butler, and Cullyn Newman in the 200 Medley and 400 Free Relays, placing third in both events.

 

The Hockinson Boys Swim Team did well at State. Jonah Rodewald,
Cullyn Newman, Dylan Osbourne and Dylan Butler.
Newman placed third in the 100 Fly, at 56 seconds flat. Rodewald was intimidated by the size of the center, but it didn’t show. He and his teammates looked solid – and prepared.
Max Urbanek
Camas sophomore Max Urbanek competed in the 500 Free.

Teams From All Over Washington

More than 30 schools from all over Washington state competed at the event this past weekend. There will be shorter stories about several other teams on the Lacamas Magazine Facebook page.

“It was a good learning experience for our team as a whole, we had no seniors go to state, so everybody is returning,” said Brian Wright, of Kentwood High School. “We should come back even stronger next year.”

 

State Swim Meet
Members of the Kentwood Swim Team. From left to right:
Brian Wright, Logan Stoick, Andrew Stone, Dane Turnbull, Kevin Molloy, 
Edward Quintos and Blake Rizzo.
Emerald Ridge Swim Team
The Emerald Ridge 200 Relay Team. From left to right: Riley Hein, Hunter Mata,
Kaleb Smith, and Jake Heckert.
Ballard Swim Team; Rory Carlson
Members of the Ballard High School Swim Team. From left to right: Duncan Fowler,
Rory Carlson, Kyle Garrity, Josh Pehrson, Ian Rice, Andrew Stevens, and Garrett Jaeger.
Rory Carlson
Josh Pehrson, of Ballard High School, celebrates a 200 Relay time drop
for his team.
Josiah Clark
Josaiah Clark, of Inglemoor, did well at State.

Diving Too

Each division also had a Diving competition.

Tanner Holmes
Divers from North Thurston High School. Form left to right: Tanner Holmes,
David Wolf, and Jordan Agatarap.

 

Rory Krueger
Rory Krueger, of Archbishop Murphy,
medaled in diving on Saturday.
Mt. Rainier Diving Team
The Mt. Rainier Diving Team. From left to right: Adam Gefkovicz, Peyton Conrad,
and Nathan Da Dalto.

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Rep. Herrera Introduces House Bill to Transfer Pearson Air Museum Property to Vancouver City

Jaime HerreraOn Thursday, U.S. Representative (WA-3) Jaime Herrera Beutler introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would transfer Pearson Air Museum and the surrounding seven acres of land from National Park Service control to the City of Vancouver.  The bill would allow the City of Vancouver to restore its partnership with the Ft. Vancouver National Trust, and once again make Pearson Air Museum fully accessible and open to the local community.

“For years, Fort Vancouver was the shining example of a local community benefitting from a successful public-private management,” said Herrera Beutler.  “Forcing this change through congressional action was not my first choice.  I am still hopeful that the National Park Service will work out a solution with the City and the Trust, and I will continue to do whatever I can to facilitate a compromise.  However, if compromise fails, the Park Service needs to know a legislative fix is moving forward.”

The bill uses a “land conveyance” procedure to permanently transfer control of seven acres of land recognized as the Pearson Air Museum Complex from the National Park Service to the City of Vancouver.

The Fort Vancouver Trust quickly moved out of museum last week after the two entities failed to reach an operating agreement.

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Camas School District Statement on Recent Levy Passage

This week’s levy votes in Camas were approved by sizable margins with the Maintenance & Operation levy passing with 62.3 percent, and the Technology levy passing with 64.3 percent. Voters approved the levies for another four years to fund essential school district services.

The levy has multiple components – 1) Maintenance and Operation (M&O), which will allow the Camas School District to meet staff funding obligations; and 2) Technology, which covers the tangible and intangible, such as phone systems, laptops, 911 system, software licenses, etc.

The M&O levy will collect $11.45 million, $11.8 million, $12.2 million, and $12.75 million each year over the next four years.  And the Technology levy would collect approximately $1.3 million each year over the next four years.

“Thanks to all the voters in Camas who stepped up and voted to uphold our standards for our students, and the community in which we live,” said Doreen McKercher, of the Camas School District. “While we only needed a simple majority to win the levy elections, it warms the heart to see the overwhelming support.”


“It is clear that our community values the education of our children, but also the many intangible benefits of supporting and maintaining a strong public school system. One of the benefits is economic growth as businesses choose to locate in areas where they can attract employees who desire quality educational opportunities for their children. In fact, many companies in Camas have reported to us that one of the reasons they chose to locate here was the quality public school system. More business means more jobs, and that is good for everyone. Also, because if our strong industrial tax base, property owners pay less in taxes than in neighboring communities. Additionally, all of these factors play a role in increased personal property values.”

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“Rex”: Woodland Author Nominated for Global Ebook Awards

Woodland, Washington—Jim Cheskawich’s book, “The Story of Rex of White Way, The Blizzard King” has won nominations for Global Ebook Awards in the categories of Best Photography and Best in Animals/Pets Non-Fiction.

The story of Rex is an adventure-filled historic biography of a purebred Samoyed canine who excelled in mountain rescues during a time before snowmobiles and cell phones. Rex lived from 1946-1957 and spent most of his life in the Sierras of California. He was lead sled dog on a U.S. mail run, set a world record in weight pulling, won many speed and freight races and was involved in over 30 documented rescues during his lifetime. He was a show dog also and was removed from the Golden Gate benched dog show in January 1952 to lead the team to deliver the doctor to the 226 passengers and crew aboard the snowbound “City of San Francisco” train stuck at Yuba Gap. He also pulled out downed planes at the Truckee, CA airfield in 1949 taking the injured passengers into town for medical care. This was a hero dog whose fascinating story has captured the attention of readers of all ages.

Jim has served as Samoyed Club of America (SCA) president and treasurer in addition to serving as treasurer for the SCA Foundation for many years and as president and treasurer for the Willamette Valley Samoyed Fanciers. In 2002, he retired as HR Director with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration in Washington, DC.

The Global EBook Awards honor and bring attention to the future of book publishing: EBooks. Now in its second year, the Awards are in 72 specific categories. They are open to all publishers large and small so that a winner is the best in its category, not just the best of small or regionally-published books. Most EBooks, are also available as printed books as well.

“The Story of Rex of White Way, The Blizzard King” is available at $18.95 for the hard cover and $14.95 for the soft cover and very competitively priced through Amazon Kindle. Rex can be found online at Amazon.com and at http://dketasamoyeds.com

 

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Effort to Save Pearson Air Museum Gains Momentum

The Save Pearson Air Museum movement continues as supporters work with local and federal officials to push back against last week’s abrupt closure of the beloved facility.

Just over a week ago, after 18 months of failed negotiations, the National Park Service (NPS), which owns the Pearson Air Museum property, gave museum operators (Fort Vancouver National Trust) just a few days to vacate the premises. At issue is control of how the trust operates and coordinates with event organizers. The NPS wants to exert more control of day-to-day operations.

The trust has continually shown a profit for several years and has turned the Pearson Air Museum into a popular attraction, with 45 additional events slated over the next six months.

According to her office, U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler will introduce legislation this week that would turn control of Pearson Air Museum and surrounding land to the city of Vancouver.

It’s exactly what supporters like James Beckelhiemer have been hoping for.

“This museum really belongs to the people of Vancouver,” said Beckelhiemer. “The NPS, or the federal government, really shouldn’t have ownership.”

Herrera Beutler’s decision to pursue a legislative fix is happening alongside local efforts to overturn the NPS decision.

On Monday, the Vancouver City Council reassured concerned residents that they were working hard to overturn the NPS move.

The Fort Vancouver National Trust, which had been operating the museum on behalf of the city, removed belongings from facility.

“These planes and other property belong to many different people,” said Beckelhiemer. “Many were on loan to the museum, and they wanted to make sure their property was accounted for.”

NPS had thought the pieces would remain.

City Manager Eric Holmes wants to get the museum up and running as soon as possible.

“We are wanting to make sure we pursue any and all avenues,” Holmes said Tuesday. He said Herrera Beutler’s legislative fix “may be one way to get there, but I’m not ready to say it’s the only way.”

Holmes said on February 8 he spoke with staff members from the offices of Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Herrera Beutler.

Cantwell spoke with NPS Service Director John Jarvis and urged him to find a solution.

Tracy Fortmann, superintendent of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, who ordered the closure, said that she was not aware of any pending legislation, and declined further comment.

Herrera Beutler’s office plans to announce details of the pending legislation in the coming days.

The Pearson Air Museum has been vacant for more than a week.

 

Pearson Air Museum
The Pearson Air Museum land is owned by the National Park Service, a
federal entity, but has been operated by the Fort Vancouver National Trust,
on behalf of Vancouver, for many years.
Pearson Air Museum Protestors
Pearson Air Museum supporters continue to mount pressure on local
and federal officials to overturn the NPS decision.

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Camas Wrestling Sends 4 to State Tournament

The Camas High School Wrestling team placed fifth in regionals this past weekend, and qualified four wrestlers for the upcoming State Tournament.

Papermakers Tye Lommasson and Austin Miller became Camas’ first regional champs in over four years.  And Bryant Elliott and Dakota Safford also qualified for state by placing fourth in their respective weight classes.  Seniors Vicente Huber and Andrew Duffy rounded out our regional placers by placing fifth and sixth.

The top qualifiers compete at the Wrestling State Tournament this Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.

Congratulations also go out to our girls’ wrestling team.  Erin Tully and Taryn Lommasson were both in action at the regional tournament held in Battleg Gound, with Taryn placing third and qualifying for her third and final trip to the Tacoma Dome in search of a top 8 placing at State.

Wrestling
Camas High School wrestler, Austin Miller, left, is one of four CHS
wrestlers headed to the State Tournament at the Tacoma Dome.
 
Wrestling
Vicente Huber, left, placed fifth at regionals.
 

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