Winning their first three matches, Charles Wright Academy’s Upper School Knowledge Bowl team started the 2012 season with a bang. The team is very enthusiastic about their upcoming regional competition on March 3 and is working extremely hard towards their goal of winning the 3A state championship for the first time in school history.

Continuing a long tradition, CWA has been incredibly successful in recent years. Two Tarrier teams advanced to state last year and they placed second and third in the 3A state competition. While CWA won many 1A and 2A titles, the state championship has eluded the school in the 3A bracket.

CWA won state titles in the 1A division against other schools with 467 students are less in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. In 2009, CWA’s third request was granted to compete against 2A schools and the Tarriers won their first 2A state championship that year. In 2010, the Tarriers moved up another notch to the 3A bracket. Although CWA has just 275 high school students, their competitors in the 3A bracket come from schools with up to 1,300 students.

This year there are a total of fourteen members on the team: seniors Sarah Sadlier, Sarah Yamamoto, Anthony Wohns, Peter Schilling, Justice Nichols, Josh Zhu, Tim Chang, Kajsa Mayo, Nikki Ebalo, and Steven Lemma; junior Jack Dimmer; sophomore Nick Lai; and freshmen Connor Sandoval and Emily Ge.

Dimmer encourages new people to come and try out for the team next year.  He says “Knowledge bowl is really great; you don’t have to be a brainiac to join.” The team, led by history teacher John Lemma and science teacher David Kangas, meets three times a week during lunch to practice. As a second year member of the team, Dimmer wants to continue being a part of Knowledge Bowl and hopes he will get the opportunity to compete in this activity at the college level as well.

Zhu has been a part of Knowledge Bowl for three years and thinks it is a great way to use what he has learned in classes and other activities. He says “We are really hoping to win state; we have no idea who are strongest competition will be yet.”

The Charles Wright Community is extremely proud and supportive of the Knowledge Bowl Team. Senior Bob Thureson has been the scorekeeper for lunch practices for the past four years. This year he has attended home and away matches to cheer the team on. “It has been such an awesome experience to be a part of it, and all the guys love it that I’m there because it adds tension when they can see how close they are in scores to one another,” says Thureson. “It has been an honor to meet all of them, develop greater relationships with them, and just to be there and listen to questions is a treat!”

CWA’s next home match is scheduled for Thursday, February 2, at 3:30pm. The Tarriers will face off against Bellarmine and Wilson. Spectators are always encouraged to attend.

As each candle was lit, Chaplain Mike Moffitt read the following statements in alphabetical order explaining its significance.

Bodhi Day: Buddha statue and candle
This day marks the time when Siddhartha Gautama, a spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism, positioned himself under a tree and vowed to remain there until he attained supreme enlightenment.  All Buddhist traditions agree that upon the rising of the morning star, he had experienced enlightenment and attained Nirvana.

Chinese New Year: Chinese lanterns
Chinese New Year is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration. In China it is known as “Spring Festival.”  It marks the end of the winter season, and the festival begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar. It is a reflection on how the people behaved and what they believed in the most.

Christmas: Advent Wreath
Christmas is the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, believed to be the Son of God and Savior of the world.  Christmas traditions vary worldwide, and the day is often celebrated in prayer and song at church services, and gifts are often given to represent the gifts that Jesus received from the three kings, and the gift that Jesus is to the world.

Diwali: Diyas
Diwali gets its name from the row of lamps that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects us from spiritual darkness.  Diwali originated as a harvest festival that marked the last harvest of the year before winter.  Indians celebrate with family gatherings, glittering clay lamps, festive fireworks, flowers, sharing of sweets, and worship.

Hanukkah: Menorah
Chanukah — the eight-day festival of light — celebrates the triumph of light over darkness.  More than twenty-one centuries ago, a small band of faithful Jews defeated the mighty Syrian-Greek army, which sought to eliminate Jewish religion and culture, and drove the Greeks from the land.  They reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of God.

Japanese New Year: Wreath and candle

New Year is the most important holiday in Japan.  Families typically gather to spend the day together.  Each new year is seen as providing a fresh start. Consequently, all duties are supposed to be completed by the end of the year, while parties are held with the purpose of leaving the old year’s worries and troubles behind.

Kwanzaa: Kinara
Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili.  Kwanzaa was established in 1966 in the midst of the Black Freedom Movement and thus reflects its concern for cultural groundedness in thought and practice.

Yule: Candle
Yule marks the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, and celebrates the rebirth of the sun in the Norse pagan tradition.  The modern day, western Yule festival contains a large blend of celebrations, leading back to multiple cultures and religious practices.  Practices include decorating a fir or spruce tree, burning a Yule log, hanging mistletoe and holly branches, and giving gifts.

Automata are simple mechanical toys have been built since the time of the ancient Greeks. Working with the big idea of play, the sculpture class was asked to design an automaton for a child between the ages of five and eight. After each student made their own small-scale model (maquette), the class chose two to designs to build to a larger scale.

Katie Welch, Claire Drouillard, Naomi Griggs, Young-eon Kim and Genie Park took a cardboard marquette and created an elaborate Halloween-inspired toy. With a turn of the handle, the two monster puppets on top spin.

Jesse Kolp, Nick Lai, Josh Clemons and Janay Davis worked together to transform this small marquette made from pipe-cleaners and cardboard into a large-scale multi-media toy, sure to delight any child. Turn the crank on the back and the swing carries the doll back and forth.

Welch and Kolp, a senior and sophomore respectively, served as the leaders of the two design teams.

Stop by the Ted Sanford Art Gallery during finals week to see all the marquettes.

Mayer was named to the all-area team as a defender. She was the Nisqually League’s defensive MVP with 151 clearances, eight goals and three assists. She was the only player from a 1A team honored. The News Tribune’s sports reporters also chose nine 4A, one 3A and one 2A.

“Katie is one of the most talented, and most competitive, defensive players that I have ever coached,” says head coach Jim Dempsey. “However, what is more impressive is that she can play any position that we ask her to play. She even had a shut-out in 20 minutes of playing goalkeeper for us this season! She is a great team player and the CWA girls soccer program is fortunate to have her as a player and a leader.”

Iverson received honorable mention for his role on the defensive line.

Head Coach Mike Finch was delighted with the News Tribune’s selection of Iverson. “Standing at 6’8″ 240 pounds, Beau has the physical gifts necessary to become a top talent in the state. Beau’s length, wing span, and strength make him nearly impossible to block off the edge. In fact, he led the Nisqually League during the regular season with 7.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss with a lot of finger tip tackles that most defenders would not be able to reach. As a Tight End, Beau provided us the flexibility to have an inside power running game within our offense. Primarily a run blocker, Beau did finish the season with 9 receptions for 100 yards. We are grateful for his contributions to the 2011 team and excited for his return in 2012.”

Tarrier sports fans won’t have to wait until next fall to see either of these athletes in action. Iverson is also a member of the boys basketball team and Mayer will run track in the spring.

Photos by Ed Beck

1.) CWA Beginning School students put on their annual production of the Native American folktale The Rainbow Crow.  The littlest Tarriers took on roles that ranged from forest animals to the Great Sky Spirit.  Check out the trailer for the movie!

2.) Third grade students planted trees in cooperation with the Nisqually tribe as part of their study of the Nisqually Watershed.  The students take a field trip once a month exploring a different part of the Nisqually River from Mt. Rainier down to the Puget Sound.

3.) Second graders learned about the inner workings of a computer on a technology field trip to The Apple Store.  Students also received some instructions on how to use diagnostic tools to assess the “health” of a computer.

4.) Trailer runners!  Lower School students at the end of the weekly “trail run” at the start of Thursday morning recess.  Fun and fitness are always the result as students enjoy the trekking the trail through the woods behind school with CWA faculty.

5.) Zoo fun: First grade students listen to instructions on a recent field trip to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.  The students paid particular attention to animals from the desert as they prepared to write desert stories.

Cross-Country
Junior runner David Goldstone finished second at state, leading his team to a fourth place finish. Goldstone has now been invited to compete in the Border Clash race in Oregon on November 20, an honor only extended to the top two Washington state finishers. After beating Goldstone at the Westside Classic meet to become the tri-district champion, CWA junior Ruben Riordan took third in state, finishing just nine seconds behind his teammate.   Also contributing to the team victory were junior Travis Hensley, freshman Nick Laberge, junior Dylan Harper, sophomore Drake Birnbaum and senior Bob Thureson.

“It’s a very difficult course,” Coach Jaime O’Dell commented after the team returned home from Pasco. “It’s hilly, windy and a larger race than any of the others our athletes run during the regular season. It can be very intimidating but despite the tough course, five of our boys set personal bests which is simply not expected on the state course.”

For the boys team, this is the best finish since the 2003-2005 seasons when CWA runners Tommy Wyatt, Alex Crabill and Peter Browne won the state championship in three consecutive years.

At the tri-district competition, junior Sarah Dimakis finished third for the girls, setting a new personal record, and sophomore Bryn Mayo came in fourth. Both advanced to state where they ran well in very cold weather.

Tennis
The boys tennis team had a fantastic fall. The team won the league tournament held at Vashon and the district tournament in Seattle. Senior Daniel Ham, junior Austin Kelley, freshman Teddy Grenley, freshman Philip Grenley, senior Tim Chang, and junior Evan Valentine won the quad-district title and all qualified for the state tournament in May. This is CWA’s second consecutive quad-district championship and in the spring the Tarriers will defend their state title, hoping to win three in a row.

Football
The CWA football team concluded the regular season as co-champions of the Nisqually League. This is the first time since 1989 that CWA’s football team was tied for or won the championship. CWA hosted Meridian High School at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood where the teams battled in the district playoffs for a trip to state. It was the Tarriers first district game since 1998. The Tarriers held Meridian to a 14-14 tie in the first half, but when the Trojans abandoned their passing-game CWA fell behind in the third quarter. They pulled within two to bring the score to 22-20, but then fell behind again and lost by a final score of 42-27.

Coach Mike Finch, now in his fourth year at CWA, picked up all-league Coach of the Year honors as many of his players were honored for their efforts. Junior running back Colin Reynolds, senior tackle Nick Mungia, and junior tight-end Beau Iverson were named first team offense. Mungia and Iverson were also named to first-team defense as a linebacker and lineman. Senior linebacker Alex Nielson and senior secondary Chris Lee were also named to the first-team defense. For special teams, senior Alex Dennis was named first-team as a kicker and second-team as a punter. Second-team honors on offense went to junior quarterback Fritz Jacobson. Senior Parker Rush was named second-team defense for his efforts as a lineman.

Volleyball
The volleyball team advanced to the district playoffs by defeating Orting 3-1 in their last match.. The team finished the season strong with three critical wins to make the playoffs. Their first and last playoff game was against Lynden Christian. The team played a great match but lost 3-0.

Soccer
The girls’ soccer team played well this fall and has won several important games. While the team did not advance into the post season this year, they were very competitive with other teams in the league.

Click here for full coverage of the NCAA Division III women’s soccer championship tournament.

Elsewhere in college sports

In her senior season at the University of Washington, goalkeeper Jorde LaFontaine-Kussmann ’07 was named to the second-team All-Pac-12, named GoHuskies.com Student-Athlete of the Week on Sept. 12, and named the Portland/Nike Invitational Defensive MVP for a performance in which she made 13 saves and allowed just one goal against the Huskies.

In football, Ishmael Stinson ’09 helped the Division II Central Washington University defeat Dixie State 42-14 in the Wildcats last game of the season. Stinson, a sophomore, rushed for a season-high 129 yards and had a touchdown in that game. Stinson ranks fourth in total contributions to the team’s offensive efforts this season and sixth for all purposes.

We would love to report more highlights from alums playing college sports. If you have news to share, please email Althea Cawley-Murphree at acawley-murphree at charleswright.org.

Last week, Junior Alec Kurtz appeared on TV Tacoma’s CityLine talk show to talk about the contributions of the Upper School’s Advanced Ceramics Empty Bowls Club. Click here to watch a video of the show and skip ahead to 45:50 for the Empty Bowls segment.

Empty Bowls is an annual fundraiser for the Emergency Food Network that will be hosted on the Charles Wright campus on Saturday, November 19, from 1-4pm. Kurtz and nine other students have been throwing pots all year to donate to the cause. They will have 100 pots for sale in the Middle School Commons.

Kurtz and his classmates are also contributing pieces to a silent auction on Friday evening at the EFN’s juried art show, Vessels, located in CWA’s Language and Performings Arts Building. This is the only three-dimensional juried art show in the area.

Both events are open to the public and proceeds from both events will benefit the thousands of Pierce County residents that visit the network of food banks in our area each week.

For more information about Empty Bowls or the Juried art show, contact Aileen Bacon at (253) 620-8433 or visit efoodnet.org.

Anthony Wohns of Tacoma, Nicole Ebalo of Olympia and Sarah Yamamoto of Lakewood were all honored as National Merit Semifinalists. This year CWA’s Commended Scholars are Timothy Chang of Gig Harbor, Paige Henderson of Port Orchard, Sydney Hughes of Olympia, Kajsa Mayo of Gig Harbor, Justice Nichols of Fircrest, Decker Nielsen of University Place, Sarah Sadlier of Gig Harbor, Peter Schilling of Tacoma, Ashley Thomas of Auburn, Jay Um of Gig Harbor, and Joshua Zhu of Tacoma.

These fourteen students have also excelled in many other academic and co-curricular pursuits.  The group includes:

•    Ten student athletes (Wohns, Chang, Henderson, Hughes, Mayo, Nichols, Nielsen, Sadlier, Schilling and Um);
•    Nine musicians, actors and actresses (Wohns, Yamamoto, Chang, Henderson, Nielsen, Sadlier, Schilling, Thomas and Um);
•    Nine Knowledge Bowl team members (Wohs, Ebalo, Yamamoto, Chang, Mayo, Nichols, Sadlier, Schilling and Zhu);
•    Seven volunteers who have far exceeded the school’s community service expectation (Wohns, Ebalo, Chang, Nielsen, Sadlier, Schilling and Zhu);
•    Six study-body or club leaders (Ebalo, Yamamoto, Chang, Henderson, Nielsen, and Sadlier);
•    Five Model UN team members (Wohns, Ebalo, Sadlier, Thomas and Zhu);
•    Three National History Day contestants (Chang, Schilling and Sadlier);
•    Two visual artistis (Hughes and Zhu); and
•    Two lit mag staffers (Hughes and Thomas).

1 & 2) CWA Third Grade students on their field trip to Mt. Rainier National Park. As part of their focus on studying the Nisqually Watershed from mountain to Sound, the Third Graders will take a field trip a month studying everything from the salmon life cycle and hydroelectric power to understanding the various ecosystems along the Nisqually River.

2) First grade members of the CWA Chess Club show off their new team t-shirts. Weekly beginning to advanced chess players work with coaches from Chess4Life to improve their chess game. Emphasis is put on improving skills as well as fair play and good sportsmanship.

3) The 3rd/4th Grade CWA football team line up versus Orting. The team consists of CWA students as well as students from local schools interested in learning the game and having fun.

4) Back to pass! The CWA 5th/6th grade team in a recent contest. Athletics continue to play an important role for CWA students as they strive to be their best in mind, body and spirit.

5) Finishing strong! CWA Running Club students ran hard at the last meet of the year. Meeting twice a week through the first part of the school year, teacher and parent volunteer coaches put emphasis on personal improvement and having fun.