Valley Record SNOQUALMIE
101RS YEA
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015 n DAILY UPDATES AT WWW.VALLEYRECORD.COM n 75 CENTS
Growth district Enrollment continue to climb, drives need for new facilities By CAROL LADWIG
SCENE
SPORTS
Editor
Wildcat wrestlers take second in Grandview tournament Page 8
It’s a busy day in the computer lab off Mount Si High School’s library. Teens work at each of the 17 computers, and teacher Bev Weller moves between students as they ask for help. Some are doing their end-of-semester tests, but the room, which is also the Snoqualmie Valley Virtual Academy space for online students, is always full. “Come on in,” Weller says. “We’re in a closet!” Although it’s an extreme example of crowded classrooms, the computer lab highlights some of the problems that Mount Si High School Principal John Belcher is struggling with, and why the Snoqualmie Valley School District has proposed a $244 million bond to rebuild the high school, as well as a new elementary school, restore a third middle school and repair every
Carol Ladwig/Staff Photo
Mount Si students in a science lab room have limited collaboration opportunities and cramped quarters in the lab classroom. other school in the district, over the next eight not the flexible workspaces that more modern schools provide. In working with the high school years. “The rooms are a little small, and students can’t vision committee of students, staff and parents, do what we call elbow talks,” Belcher said, on a Belcher said they agreed on the need to introduce preview of the public high school tours set for 7 more opportunities for collaboration, for both students and teachers. p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15 and Wednesday, Jan. 21. The rooms and the furniture inside, are also SEE SPACE, 3
Parks pioneer
Valley Center Stage hosts premiere of Evan Moon comedy Page 10
Mary Norton recognized for lifetime of achievement with Snoqualmie parks By CAROL LADWIG Editor
INDEX Opinion 4 5 Puzzles On the Scanner 11 Classifieds 12-14 15 Calendar
Vol. 101, No. 34 Carol Ladwig/Staff Photo
Mary Norton receives hearty applause as Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson presents her with a key to the city for a lifetime of achievement.
Meadowbrook Farm might not be the treasured landmark it is today, without the work of Mary Norton. The city of Snoqualmie’s “rich tapestry of mini-parks, neighborhood parks and community parks and recreation facilities” could be a lot different, too. Norton, though has worked with a will, and for decades, to not only preserve, but create more parks in the Upper Valley. She helped to secure the grant funding to buy the 460-acre Meadowbrook Farm in 1996 and sat on the Meadowbrook Farm Preservation Association since it was created. Similarly, in Snoqualmie, she helped the city develop its first parks and recreation comprehensive plan, making the city eligible for state grant funding, made development of parks, and trails part of the initial buildout on Snoqualmie Ridge, and has served on the city’s Parks Board since 1989. SEE PARKS, 2
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