Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter, February 08, 2013

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Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH

Friday, February 8, 2013

www.issaquahreporter.com

Saying goodbye Issaquah mayor Ava Frisinger delivers final state of the city address

Geneva Schlepp, a seventh grade Pine Lake Middle School student, is flanked by a group of friends she recruited to help raise money for education in a poor region of India. Below, Geneva and James Thoreson bake goods for one of the three fundraisers they’ve had so far. KEEGAN PROSSER,

BY LINDA BALL LBALL@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM

Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter

TAKING ON A VILLAGE Sammamish teens inspired to spread education around the world

BY KEVIN ENDEJAN

“They were like, ‘I have to kill a lion to be able to go to school.’”

KENDEJAN@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM

G

eneva Schlepp was stunned at the first-hand tale she heard from an African warrior in December.

Inspired to leave his tribe and gain a college education, the man first had to earn his father’s approval by slaying a lion with a club — all part of the Maasi Tribe’s rite of passage. The man expedited the training that normally takes five years, learning technique in three months. He accomplished his feat and went on to college where he earned a degree in botany. “We just take it for granted,” said Geneva, 13. “It’s like ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got school this morning.’ They were like, ‘I have to kill a lion to be able to go to school.’” Within days, the seventh-grade Pine Lake Middle School student searched for a way she could make a difference. She went to the organization who brought the African warriors to her school, Free the Children, and knew exactly what she wanted to do. “I thought ‘Brick by Brick’ looks like a pretty cool project, I can build a school anywhere,”

– Geneva Schlepp she said. Geneva recruited a family friend from the other side of the Plateau, James Thoreson, and the two got to work. With a goal of raising $8,500 by the end of March, the duo have already raised close to $2,000 through donations and three bake sales at various Sammamish storefronts. When they meet their goal, the money will go to build a school in the desert region of Rajasthan in

northern India where 60 percent of girls have dropped out of primary school and many families live below the poverty line. Funds will support a new school house, desks, a teacher’s salary and clean water sanitation among other things. “I wanted to help because I thought every kid needs an education,” said James, an eighthSEE EDUCATION, 5

Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger first took office in 1998. She has been re-elected twice, and now, in her fourth term, she’s decided not to seek the office again. At Monday’s regular city council meeting Frisinger delivered what will be her final state of the city address. In her address, she brought the crowd back to 1998 - when City Hall South on Sunset Way didn’t exist, Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery was a fledgling organization, and Costco had just settled into its headquarters not long before. Much has changed since 1998, including the development of the Issaquah Highlands. “While we’ve grown by more than 140 percent since 1998, most would say we still have that small town feel,” Frisinger said. “Why? Our citizens are heard. We care about each other and our larger community.” Now with the approval of the Central Issaquah Plan, which will guide the core of Issaquah as it transforms from parking lots and strip malls to a more sustainable urban area, although Frisinger will no longer be at the helm, she said she is confident that in 30 years Issaquah will be pleased with the outcome of the CIP because of its dedicated citizens, businesses and volunteers. Frisinger said she was proud of the city’s work to secure $4 million in state funds to improve fish passage near the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, where she volunteers as a docent. She acknowledged that the city needs to improve traffic SEE MAYOR, 5


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