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Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune | APRIL 5, 2012
okanogan valley life Not the big prize, but maybe the best one
Brent Baker/Staff photos
Tonasket’s Cierra Williams (far left) said that the camaraderie amongst the contestants was one of the best parts of the Nashville Country Star competition Saturday in Omak.
Cierra Williams performs “Jesus, Take the Wheel” at the Nashville Country Star state finals at the Omak PAC on Saturday, March 31.
By Brent Baker
Williams performed two numbers: “Crazy” by Patsy Cline, and Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” “The first one I wanted to try something different, and something that worked well with my lower register,” Williams said. “’Jesus, Take the Wheel,’ I’d sung before and was really comfortable with and showed off my higher register, so between the two I was able to go both high and low.” Her experience with “Jesus, Take the Wheel” showed, as she delivered a heartfelt, confident performance. It wasn’t enough to get into the big money on a night that featured an impressive array of talent. Emily Stredwick of Connell won the $1,500 top prize, edging out Bonney Lake’s Maile Gagner. Williams said the 15 finalists enjoyed their time together, despite the fact that it was a competition and not merely a performance. “It was like a big family,” Williams said. “Everyone was super cool. We were giving each other high fives. It was really, really encouraging.” Cierra’s parents, Melody and Kevin, said they were overwhelmed by the Tonasket community’s turnout. “We would like thank our wonderful community for supporting Cierra in her singing adventure,” Melody Williams said.
bbaker@gazette-tribune.com
OMAK - Cierra Williams may not have broken into the ranks of the big prizes at Saturday’s Nashville Country Star state finals. But she ended up with prize that in the long run she’ll remember even more. The Tonasket High School senior received a special award as part of the closing ceremonies given to the contestant with the largest “fan club” in attendance, as more than 40 of the crowd of nearly 500 traveled specifically to see Williams’ performance. With 15 finalists, most from Tonasket’s Cierra Williams beams as she receives a prize for having the the eastern half of the state, largest fan club in attendance at Saturday’s Nashville Country Star state and a number of local fans finals. More than 40 friends and relatives in the crowd of nearly 500 were unattached to a single contesthere to see her performance. tant, it made for a big night for She said the results of the contest weren’t as Williams, in just her second important as having gotten to experience it, singing contest and the first in which she’s especially the big stage at the Omak PAC that reached the finals. She also received $200 as one of the final- added to the atmosphere. “The stage was bigger, the lights were brightists. er,” she said. “I liked it better (than smaller “I was surprised,” Williams said. “I was venues in previous rounds). It was just a lot really, really flattered by the turnout.” of fun.”
Cierra Williams reflects as she and the other Nashville Country Star contestants await their final judging at Saturday’s state finals.
Oroville students rewarded with Bucket-Filled Field Day
Fifth-grader Mathew Lopez takes steady aim and sinks a tennis ball into a bucket in one of the many Bucket-Filled Field Day activities.
Oroville Elementary Principal Joan Hoehn wears a very fashionable bucket of her own last Thursday. The outfit was just one of the rewards to students for reading so many books during the Principal’s Challenge. By Gary A. DeVon Managing Editor
Oroville Elementary School Students were rewarded for overwhelmingly going
beyond this year’s Principal’s Challenge by reading over 5,000 books with a BucketFilled Field Day matching the challenge’s bucket theme on Thursday, May 29.
The students read the books throughout February. This year the challenge was about filling buckets, a theme the whole school adopted from the book “Have you filled a bucket today?” written by Carol McCloud.The book talks about positive behavior as children see how rewarding it is to express daily kindness, appreciation and love. On Day 6 of the Challenge students had read 1500 books and earned their first reward, buckets of popcorn for each class. In addition, after learning the song herself, Principal Hoehn taught the children the song; “There’s a hole in my bucket.” By Day 14 the kids had read 4889 books and earned a piñata for each class level. Two days later the number of books read got up to 5921 earning them the Bucket Filled Field Day. In addition to Principal Joan Hoehn wearing a bucket for a dress last Thursday, reading coordinator Mary
Willey organized seven bucket games, including a Spoon Race to fill a bucket by filling a spoon and racing 50 yards down the hall and putting the water into a bucket. In the Marshmallow Toss students attempted to toss large marshmallows into small red buckets from five feet away. The Bucket Stilt Race had two groups of students wearing coffee cans on the bottoms of their feet as they raced down the hall. Buckethead had players tying a bucket to their head, standing five feet from the wall and tossing a tennis ball against the wall and trying to catch it in the bucket. In the Bucket Toss players tossed tennis balls into a large bucket 10 feet away. Bucket Ball had players pass a basketball from one to another and trying to score a basket in a large bucket. In the Bucket Balance players held a bucket of cotton balls on their heads while racing around traffic cones. Needless to say the games made for some fast paced and often comical results.
Photos by Gary DeVon
Andrea Altamirano, a kindergartener, tries out a couple of coffee can stilts during the Bucket-Field Field day at Oroville Elementary. Andrea was helped by fifth-grade teacher Doug Kee.