Seven teams made up of 43 players from three decades worth of graduation years) participated and the stands were packed with friends, family, and fellow grads, cheering on the teams on Saturday, December 27.

This year’s championship team included three players who have participated in every Hoop it Up since its inception in 2005: Zach Sokolik ‘03, Casey Patnode ‘03, and Sam Bathurst ‘03.  Their teammates this year were Herb Hartso (’03), Christopher Krueger ‘02, and Jon Medley ‘03.

2008 inspired Hoop it Up’s first all-girls team: Heather (Tapp) Anderson ‘95, Saraid Faville, Sarah (Tommervik) Herr ‘95, Lindsey McFerran ‘05, Molly (Wilcox) Pennell ‘95, and Bridget Wilcox ‘98.

Elsewhere on Campus
CWA’s campus was closed for two full days, including just one day when classes were scheduled, and delayed several other days due to the weather.  The greatest impact was on Upper School students who had planned to take their math final on the day campus was closed.  The math final became optional and those students who felt taking the test would improve their grade were encouraged to reschedule.  Many students took the test on Monday, December 29.  Students and parents with questions about rescheduling finals are encouraged to contact Bill White or their teachers.

Facilities
The campus fared well during the storms.  Unlike the big storm in the early 80s, the dome roof did not collapse.  The roads are now all cleared and there are just a few little piles of snow around campus.  Construction on the new Language and Performing Arts Center did not suffer any major setbacks.

Athletics
Several basketball and soccer games were canceled during the storms and the athletic department is in the process of rescheduling those games.  Updated game schedules will be posted to the new Enrolled Families website at www.charleswright.org/enrolled-families-athletics as soon as they are available.

Events
Several other events have been rescheduled.  The fourth grade Bridges Fair will occur on Wednesday, January 7, from 9-10am.  The first grade Authors’ Tea will take place on Thursday, January 8 at 8:15 am.  A new date for the second grade trip to the Rain Forest Cafe will be set after classes resume.  The Middle School holiday concert has been rescheduled for January 8.

Monday night, the varsity boys squad won their first league game of the season against Orting by a score of 44-33.  In the first two weeks of December, the Tarriers played five non-league games resulting in a 3-2 record.

The team is led by three returning starters – Eric Knowles, CJ Dale and Jordan Hand.  Knowles scored 17 points in the team’s first game of the season, a one-point non-league loss to University Prep.  Dale scored 12 points against U Prep and matched that performance when the team faced Mt. Rainier Lutheran, a game they won 44-18.  Hand is shooting and rebounding well.  He scored 18 points against Steilacoom in CWA’s 53-67 loss, and had 12 rebounds against Christian Faith and 11 against Tacoma Baptist.

Brandon White is also playing very well this season.  He scored 19 points against Steilacoom and 20 against Orting.

The match-up with Orting was the Tarriers’ first league game of the season.  At half-time Orting led 20-11, but the Tarriers came back strong and held the Cardinals scoreless in the third quarter while racking up 12 points of their own to take a three-point lead.  In the fourth quarter, Charles Wright out-scored Orting 21-13.  White led the team in scoring.  Hand contributed 10 points and six rebounds to the victory.

The boys basketball program at Charles Wright shows great promise for future years as well.  The JV team is 3-2 so far with victories over Christian Faith, Mt. Rainier Lutheran and Orting.  Last year they had just six wins all season.  There are 16 players on the JV team this year.

Charles Wright’s girls basketball team also looks extremely promising.  The team has a new coach this year.  Molly (Wilcox) Pennell, a 1995 graduate of the school who played on the first CWA girls squad to make a state tournament appearance, has become the varsity head coach after two seasons coaching Middle School girls.  The team is 4-3 so far and 1-0 in league after beating Orting on Monday.  The team is just one win from matching their performance last season and perhaps even more impressively two of their three losses this year were nail-biters in which they came within three points of victory.

The News Tribune predicted today that the Tarriers will improve significantly from their 5-15 season last year and ranked them fifth in the league behind Seattle Christian, Vashon, Cascade Christian and Chimacum.  They are ranked ahead of Orting and Life Christian.

So far, the girls squad had been led in scoring by Fallon Staples and Jackie Kirschner, both of whom can consistently turn in double-digit numbers.  Staples scored 19 points against University Prep, her highest point total so far this season, in a 47-50 loss for Charles Wright.  Staples has scored 102 points in the first seven games of the season.  Against Forest Ridge, Kirschner scored 19 points of her own.  CWA won that game 56-49.  Laura Doman has also shown great ability.  She scored ten points against Northwest in the team’s 41-35 win and 12 points against a tough team from Steilacoom, 40 percent of the points scored by the Tarriers in a 53-30 loss.  CWA also lost to Washington, 43-46.

Staples also leads the Tarriers on defense in many games.  Against Northwest she had 12 rebounds and nine steals.  She also had 12 rebounds against Washington and 16 against Forest Ridge.  Rachael Williams had seven steals against both Washington and Forest Ridge.

In their first league game of the season, the Tarriers beat Orting Monday night 51-45.  They led 16-8 at the end of the first quarter and 33-21 at the half.  The Cardinals closed in on the Tarriers in the second half, outscoring them 13-7 in the third quarter and 11-1 in the final quarter, but Charles Wright hung on for the six-point win.

The girls JV team has a 2-3 record thus far.  They beat Northwest School 42-22 and Washington 31-29, but fell to University Prep by one point, 22-23, Tacoma Baptist 30-37, and Orting 25-32.

All Charles Wright’s Upper School teams have one game left to play in 2008.  On Friday, December 19, the Tarriers will travel to Chimacum.  At 5:15pm, the girls varsity and boys JV teams will play.  The boys varsity and girls JV teams are up at 7pm.

The Middle School has four athletic seasons and boys basketball and girls soccer are currently competing.  The boys varsity team is 3-2 with five games left to play.  They lost their first game to Showalter, 41-43.  The came back strong to beat Life Christian 37-29.  Nate M. led all scorers with a game-high 15 points.  According to their coaches, “the tenacious Tarrier green wave washed the Eagles right out of the building” that night.

The Tarriers also beat Tacoma Baptist, 41-31.  Calvin C. was the player of the game showing fierce intensity and scoring 12 points, racking up 12 rebounds and three blocks.  Nate M. also had 12 points and 8 boards in that game.  In was another outstanding performance for the entire team as all 15 players had significant playing time and seven of them scored.

The Tarriers lost to Seattle Christian, 51-33, but won their most recent game against Cascade Christian, 39-37.

The Middle School JV boys basketball team lost to Showalter in a very close game, 28-31.  They beat Life Christian in a thrilling double overtime see-saw affair which saw the Tarriers finally wear down their opponents and pull out the victory, 32-26. Patrick V. led the team in scoring while Jack S. dominated the paint.

CWA beat North Tapps “C” 30-10.  Wunmi O. had a game-high 10 points in that game but there were a number of contributors, according to their coaches.  In the team’s 25-14 victory of Seattle Christian, Patrick V. scored ten points.  The Tarriers lost to Cascade Christian, 23-30.

The Middle School teams face Showalter at home tonight and Life Christian on the road Thursday, before the winter break.  They’ll play their final three games of the season when they return in January.

Middle School girls soccer is the school’s lone outdoor winter sport.  CWA’s team is 5-1 with four games left to play.  Their game this week was rescheduled due to the extreme cold and ice on the grass.  They’ll play three games in January.  The Tarriers beat Showalter 5-0 with goals scored by Minah C., Malia K. (2), Erin F. and Lauren F.  They lost to North Tapps then beat Hawkins 5-0 with goals by Malia K. (2), Katie M. Shelby F. Erin F. and Destiny S.  Malia K. and Lauren F. scored against McMurray for their third victory.  Against Cascade Christian, Charles Wright won 1-0.  The Tarriers’ goalie never once touched the ball.  Katie M. scored the lone goal.

The JV team is 1-3-1.  They tied 0-0 against Showalter at the start of the season.  They lost to two different teams from North Tapps and beat Hawkins 2-0.  Clare B. and Destiny S. scored in that game.

Click here to open all the school’s winter sports schedules.

With the permission of TRN Music Publisher, Inc, CWA recorded the String Orchestra rehearsing one of tonight’s numbers - In Dulci Jubilo, arranged by Clifton Jameson Jones - earlier this week.  The video is now available on YouTube.  If you’re reading the blog from a computer on campus, please check back in the next few days for the video link.  If you’re reading from a computer off campus, click here to watch the video on YouTube.

The Charles Wright students named to all-league teams this fall are:

Cory Barrett ’10 - football first team offense
Willy Bredberg ’09 - football second team defense
C.J. Dale ’09 - football second team offense and second team defense
Kate Ellwanger ’09 - volleyball honorable mention
Andrew Gapsch ’10 - football second team offense
Jesse Hirota ’11 - girls soccer honorable mention
Eric Knowles ’09 - football second team offense and second team defense
Mike Mayer ’09 - football second team defense
Natalie Powell ’10 - girls soccer first team
Valerie Rutan ’10 - girls soccer second team
Fallon Staples ’09 - girls soccer first team
Jayme Staten ’10 - girls soccer first team
Grace Su ’09 - volleyball second team
Jake Weyerhaeuser ’09 - football first team defense
Natalie Weyerhaeuser ’11 - girls soccer second team
Brandon Wilber ’09 - football second team offense
Rachael Williams ’11 - volleyball second team

“Our first issue came out December 1, 1988, and teaching journalism for the last 20 years at Charles Wright has been a fantastic experience,” said Steve Matson who has served as adviser to the paper since its inception. “I’ve been so lucky to have worked with great editors and staffers at a school that respects the voice of the students. This ’slow motion’ award recognizes the pursuit of journalistic excellence by 20 different staffs.”

Journalists from Charles Wright accepted the honor at the NSPA’s annual conference in Saint Louis, Missouri.  Induction into the Hall of Fame recognizes the efforts of all those Tarriers who have served as editor-in-chief of the paper and as student reporters.  Together they have developed The Academy Times into one of the very best high school newspapers in the country.

In the November/December issue of Ties, the school’s quarterly publication, the school begins exploring where all those past editors are, what they’re doing with their lives, and what they remember most about their days on the newspaper staff.  That series will continue all year.

The past editors of the paper are:

Tracey Reim Luckner ’89
Pomona College and Columbia
Luckner is a senior product manager at Nestle Nutrition, working on new Gerber baby food products.

Paige Boyle Evers ’90
Bryn Mawr College and Luther Seminary
Evers is the pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Edgewood, Maryland.

Kimberly Chu Reed ’91
Columbia College
Reed is now a partner at American Capital Strategies in the private equity buyouts group.

Stephanie Lai Chen ’92
Stanford University, undergraduate and school of business
Chen managed merchandising in the Gap’s international division for both BabyGap and GapKids before taking time off from her career to raise her children.

Beth Olson Sutron ’93
Stanford University and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management
Sutron launched the Gap’s RED campaign, traveling to Africa with Bono, writing talking points for Oprah and going on photo shoots with Annie Leibovitz, an experience she describes as “pretty much exactly like running The Academy Times.”  She is now taking time off from her career to raise her children.

Scott Case ’94
Williams College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management
Case now works at Microsoft as a director of product management, leading a team of software product managers in Microsoft’s digital advertising technologies group.

Heather Tapp Anderson ’95
University of San Diego
Anderson worked for United Airlines for ten years.  She is now an active volunteer with the Tacoma Children’s Museum and Junior League.

Kathy Niakan ’96
University of Washington and UCLA
Niakan holds a PhD in human genetics and is now a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard conducting research in embryonic stem cells and teaching stem cell biology.

Marnie Bergman Silver ’96
University of Washington, undergraduate and law school
Silver is now a civil defense attorney in Seattle.

Michi Wohns ’98
Occidental College and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
Wohns is planning a career as a special education teacher.

Loren Thompson ’98

Andrea Haughton Kladder ’99
University of Puget Sound and Princeton Theological Seminary
Kladder is the associate pastor of family ministries at Second Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, Illinois.

Nate Rowland ’00
University of Denver, undergraduate and school of business
He now manages The Sky Hotel in Aspen, Colorado.

Ahrum Hong ’01
Rhode Island School of Design

Jen White Chiang ’01
University of Washington, undergraduate and school of law
Chiang is now an attorney focusing on intellectual property and technology licensing.

Marya Colignon ’02
Whitman College
Colignon is in her final year of law school at the University of Oregon.

Mike Zeeck ’03
George Washington University
Zeeck now works in the signatories department of the Directors Guild of America.

Dan Moe ’04
California Lutheran University and the University of Oregon

Katherine Robinson ’05
Robinson is a student at Whitman College.

Ashley McLean ’05
McLean is a student at the University of San Diego.

Jamie Lee ’06
Lee is a student at the University of Southern California.

Anna Min ’07

Emily Rome ’08
Rome is a student at Loyola Marymount University.

During the winter sports season the Upper School will field JV and varsity boys and girls basketball teams.  The Middle School has two winter sports season.  Girls soccer and boys basketball will compete in the first season.  Click here to read the schedules for all six teams: US boys basketball, US girls basketball, MS boys basketball, MS girls soccer.  Middle School girls will compete in basketball during the second MS winter sports season.  Click here for their schedule.

The basketball teams began practicing this week and this Saturday, November 22, Upper School players will help the school’s basketball coaches lead a clinic for Lower School students participating in the school’s youth sports program.  More than 50 students are expected to participate.  The event is not only an opportunity for young players to develop skills and learn more about the game, it’s a chance to get to know the “big kids” on campus whom many will come to see as role models for their leadership on and off the court.  Interested families should contact the Lower School for more information.

The schedule for the evening is as follows:
5:45 Snacks for sale — popcorn, pizza, candy and soda
6:00 Showing 1
7:45 Intermission — food sales and a show by the improv troupe
8:15 Showing 2

The films for the first showing are:

Wag the Dog, sponsored by the Young Republicans Club
Robert DeNiro stars as a Washington spinmaster who needs a war to distract public’s attention from a sex scandal involving the President. Dustin Hoffman received an Academy Award nomination for his role in this biting political satire. Directed by: Barry Levinson.  Starring: Woody Harrelson, James Belushi, Denis Leary, Anne Heche, Catherine O’Hara, Craig T. Nelson, Dustin Hoffman, Harland Williams, John Michael Higgins, Kirsten Dunst, Robert De Niro, William H. Macy, and Willie Nelson.  This 1997 film is rated R.

‘Bama Girl, sponsored by Diversity Club
‘Bama Girl follows a charismatic black woman’s quest to become the 2005 Homecoming Queen at the University of Alabama, one of the great Deep South institutions. Homecoming has a rich history there, tied into centuries of privilege, old money, and racial exclusivity. The film follow Jessica Thomas’ campaign for Queen, running against not only 15 other co-eds, but a strictly segregated Greek system, internal black politics, and, most ominously, a secret all-white association called ‘The Machine’ that has been controlling politics at the University for most of the past century. This is a film about the light and the dark sides of tradition - and a fascinating parable for the electoral politics that affect our country everyday. Directed by Rachel Goslins.  Winner of eight film festival awards.  This 2008 film is not rated.

An Inconvenient Truth, sponsored by the Environmental Club
An Inconvenient Truth focuses on Al Gore and his travels in support of his efforts to educate the public about the severity of the climate crisis.  The film closely follows a Keynote presentation (dubbed “the slide show”) that Gore presented throughout the world. It intersperses Gore’s exploration of data and predictions regarding climate change and its potential for disaster with Gore’s life story. Directed by Davis Guggenheim.  Winner of two Oscars and 21 other awards.  This 2006 film is rated PG.

The films for the second showing are:

Philadelphia, sponsored by GSA
Andrew Beckett, a gay lawyer infected with AIDS, is fired from his conservative law firm in fear that they might contract AIDS from him. After Andrew is fired, in a last attempt for peace, he sues his former law firm with the help of a homophobic lawyer, Joe Miller. During the court battle, Miller sees that Beckett is no different than anyone else on the gritty streets of the city of brotherly love, sheds his homophobia and helps Beckett with his case before AIDS overcomes him.  Directed by Jonathan Demme.  Starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.  This 1993 film is rated PG-13.

The Forbidden Kingdom, sponsored by Chinese Club
An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.  Directed by Rob Minkoff.  Starring Jet Li, Michael Angarano and Jackie Chan.  This 2008 film is rated PG-13.

21, co-sponsored by the Math Club and the Gaming Club
Ben Campbell is a young, highly intelligent, student at M.I.T. can’t afford the tuition to transfer to Harvard School of Medicine and become a doctor until his unorthodox math professor introduces him to a small but secretive club of students learning to count cards at blackjack.   Directed by Robert Luketic.  Starring Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth.  This 2008 film is rated PG-13.

Saturday at noon, the volleyball team faces Annie Wright in the first match of the West Central District III tournament.  Click here for tournament bracketing. In the single-elimination tournament, the Tarriers must win two matches to advance to the state tournament.  During the tournament, click here for updated bracketing and other information.

The girls soccer team won their first game of the tri-district tournament over Meridian by a score of 3-0 on Wednesday.  Now they face Overlake at 5pm on Friday at King’s High School.  The team is guaranteed a Saturday game but the time and openant will be determined by Friday’s game.  Click here for the soccer tri-district bracketing. Charles Wright will play at 1pm Saturday if they win Friday and 11am Saturday if they lose on Friday.

Those who are looking ahead to the state tournaments should click here.

Click here for directions to King’s to attend either the volleyball match or soccer game.

Meanwhile, boys and girls cross-country runners will compete on Saturday in Pasco.

Stay tuned to the blog for updates on all these teams and Go Tarriers!