Kalama HS Department Awards

Tia Burpee- Choir Award

Tia is a leader in the Alto section of choir and has been an outstanding choir member for many years. Her membership in choir makes it a better sounding ensemble but more importantly, Tia's great attitude helps the choir have a fun and positive atmosphere. I really appreciate her dedication, top notch musicianship, excellent ear for picking out difficult inside voices, and encyclopedic memory of every tune we've ever performed. Semester 2 will be bittersweet knowing Tia will be a KHS grad at the end of it. Thanks for your dedication!

Mr. Pollock

Nate Meyer- Shop Award

Nate is a great example of the well rounded shop student: good work ethic, excellent attitude, willing to help others, and an intuitive feel for machinery and tools in the shop. Nate's leadership in the shop helps it be a safer and more productive space. Thanks for your hard work and dedication to our shop program Nate!

Mr. Pollock & Mr. Torppa

Eileen Windsor - Fine Arts Award

Eileen consistently demonstrates a desire to push herself further, her creativity seems to know no bounds and it is awesome to see her ideas come to life.

Ms. MacLeod

Elianna Norton– Band Award

Elliana is a hardworking student that demonstrates her love of music in professional and positive ways. Her hard work is identifiable in her numerous performances in both small and large group settings. Elliana models exceptional interpersonal skills with her peers and represents her family, her school and her community at the highest level.

Mr. Groff

Mat Castle- Drama Award

Mat worked hard to put on the role of Haimon in what was an excellent performance. His dedication and work towards perfecting his role and supporting his fellow performers is a credit to all.

Mr. Ready

Sean Poppe – Spanish Award

It is always difficult to choose one student as an outstanding performer in the Language classroom. There are so many skills that students demonstrate and acquiring language uses a variety of them. Sean Poppe has been chosen as the World Language Department award winner for Semester 1 2021 due to his ability to consistently strive to improve his use and understanding of the Spanish language. Sean is never hesitant to raise his hand and answer questions. He also, when randomly called upon to answer a question, will consistently search his notes and resources for an answer before asking for support. He does not use “I don’t know” as an excuse for not trying. He is willing to make mistakes to learn more! Sean completes his work with quality as well as looks for more opportunities to expand his learning! His positive attitude whether we are taking a test, listening to a speaker or playing a game makes the classroom environment a positive one. I am proud to have Sean Poppe as the Department Award Winner.

Mrs. Stuhlsatz "Maestra"

Zoe Jones- Leadership Award

Zoe is a great student leader who truly embodies the qualities needed in an ASB officer. Zoe clearly cares about her classmates and their experience here at KHS. She works very hard to make sure all students have a voice in ASB matters and provides a great sounding board in class to give everyone a chance for input. The Class was also allowed to make nominations for this award and Zoe was the most recognized leader amongst her peers as well, further showing her true leadership.

Mr. Wright

Kasey is a go-getting and hard working stagehand. He has put in countless effort in both of our productions to assist in creating the magic that is theatre tech. He is an excellent role model for his peers, and works hard to support them and the stage.

Mr. Ready

Aurora Clarke- English 12 Award

Aurora has earned the English 12 Department Award for her dedication to excellence in the second quarter of the year. Aurora is a critical thinker who works extremely hard to maintain her excellent grade while also helping others in the class.

Ms. Sonn

Amelia Jacobs- AP/CHS English 101 Award

What is there to say about Amelia. Kind, Genuine, Intelligent, Empathetic, and a Natural Leader are only some of the ways to describe Amelia. She is a stellar intellectual and demonstrates critical thinking and analytical skills commensurate with a college senior. She is one of the kindest humans I know and demonstrates her kindness daily. She strives to make Kalama better for everybody. A pillar of the Kalama community, Amelia more than deserves this award.

Mr. Reed

Annelise Hamilton- Creative Writing Award

Annelise has earned the Creative Writing Department award for her prolonged dedication to her writing and for her efforts in editing the class literary magazine. She has demonstrated creativity, patience, diligence, and responsibility. Her passion and critical feedback always make writing workshop exciting.

Ms. Sonn

Lacy Hassett- Natural Resources English Award

This year in Natural Resources English, Lacy has been an exemplary student. She continually submits quality work, is intrinsically interested in both English and the natural environment, and maintains a positive attitude and demeanor. She is an important member of our classroom!

Mr. Reed

Chayton Rodman- English 11 Award

Chayton is a hard worker and engages well with the texts and themes of the class. He always engages in conversations and continues to provide useful insights to whole group discussions.

Mr. Ready

Araylia Martinez- English 10 Award

Araylia Martinez has earned the English 10 Department Award because she is dedicated to kindness and scholarship. She has been nothing less than excellent this school year.

Ms. Sonn

Katrina Rick-Mertin - Honors English 10 Award

Katrina has earned the Honors English 10 Department award because she has overcome many challenges to achieve excellence in Honors English 10. She is an excellent critical thinker, is thoughtful in all she does, and puts forth her best effort on everything.

Ms. Sonn

Sam Kalimanis- Honors English 9 Award

Sam is a one in a million kind of student. He has a natural talent for literary analysis and this shines through daily. He consistently submits exemplary work that is well above a typical 9th grade student. His talents do not stop at academics; he is also a caring, empathetic individual. Sam helps others, shows genuine concern for others, and is a pillar of our Honors classroom. I am excited to see the future success of Sam Kalimanis!

Mr. Reed

Andrew Schlangen – English 9 Award

Drew is an amazing student with a drive for success. He helps create a positive and empathetic atmosphere in English. Drew actively participates in class discussions and readings. He is an amazing classmate as he helps his peer group with challenging concepts. His empathy, however, is his strongest asset. Drew has one of the kindest hearts I've seen in a long time; he demonstrates this daily. He is a valued member of our classroom community!

Mr. Reed

Jayson Ketzbeau- Advanced Placement American Government Award

In a class that examines the interworking and conflicts that occur in American Government, Jayson is a person who is able to look beyond the simple explanation of events as reported by news sources and see the importance of the actions that are taking place. He consistently applies his understanding when writing argumentative essays, and always contributes during classroom discussions and simulations.

Mr. White

Regan Cadigan -Current World Problems Award

Regan is an outstanding student who is able to grasp the most difficult topics, analyze the impact of the events and apply understanding to the topic at hand. She is a person who is quietly assertive and well respected by all of her peers. Her consistent work ethic and positive attitude makes her a pleasure to have in class.

Mr. White

Austin Wright- US History Award

Austin does not simply complete the work in history, he tries to make connections of past events to our current society. His deeper search for understanding and application of that knowledge makes him the student most deserving of the United States History Department Award.

Mr. White

Tony Peonio - AP/CHS World History Award

Tony is an exceptional thinker and writer. His skills to discern historical information rival that of many upperclassmen college history majors. Tony was able to produce one of the best historiographical analysis papers I have seen in my years teaching history. Overall, Tony is a model student to any he comes in contact with.

Mr. Ready

Victoria Waterhouse- World History Award

Victoria is a diligent and hard working student. She shows up everyday with a positive attitude and a desire to learn. When assignments challenge her, she takes the initiative to ask for help and works until she understands the content. Victoria collaborates with others and spreads kindness through her willingness to help her peers.

Mrs. Atkins

Jason Atherton - Independent Learner Award

What can I say about this young man! Jason has embraced the ALE program in the way it is intended. A safe place and unique learning environment to help with student success. He has committed to his course work and it shows in his completion rate, but also his quality of work. Jason is such a hard worker! What a terrific young man and I am looking forward to seeing the positive impact he will make in the world.

Ms. Becker

Ryan Newman - Independent Learner Award

Ryan came back from adversity and got as much completed in a couple weeks as many students do in a whole semester. KEEP UP THE HARD WORK AND AWESOME ATTITUDE!

Ms. Geiger

Kendal Collins - CHS Pre-Calculus Award

Kendal is an exceptional Pre-Calculus student. She is attentive, detail-oriented, and turns in quality work on time. Kendal consistently earns perfect (or near perfect) scores on quizzes and tests.

Mrs. Hedden

Josie Brandenburg - Algebra 2/Trigonometry Award

Josie demonstrates a high level of understanding on assessments in Algebra 2/Trigonometry. Josie is committed to doing well in her classes and persists with a problem until solved. Josie is a positive influence in class and works ahead of the class in Mathia - without complaint!

Mrs. Hedden

Kevin Lardizabal-Orea - Geometry Award

Kevin is an excellent Geometry student. Kevin not only performs well on quizzes and tests, he is over 90% finished with the entire Geometry Mathia curriculum. Great job Kevin!

Mrs. Hedden

Kadon Booth - Intro to Algebra 2 Award

Kadon is excelling in this class for two reasons. The first reason is that Kadon tries extremely hard. The second reason is that Kadon doesn't give up.

Mr. Phillips

Despite continuously saying that she doesn't think she is good at math, Rylie managed to get a higher score in Algebra 1 than any student I have ever taught that class to. It is safe to say that Rylie is very good at math.

Mr. Phillips

Kayce Schnebele-Lute – Math 9th Award

Kayce demonstrates a high level of understanding on assignments and challenges herself on quizzes in Algebra Concepts. Kayce has a genuine interest in learning how mathematics can be applied in her everyday life. She is helpful to her classmates, engaging in our discussions, and submits quality work. She shows up every day with a positive attitude and a desire to improve herself.

Mrs. Stepper

Aubrey Doerty - Physical Education Award

Aubrey was the recipient of the Freshman PE award as she was a young person who came each day and worked to the best of her abilities with a positive attitude. It didn’t matter what the activity was, Aubrey put forth her best effort and was a leader for those around her. Aubrey was a joy to have in class.

Mr. Stemkoski

Tarrell Lockridge - Physical Education Award

Tarrell was the recipient for the High School PE department award for his hard work and positive attitude. Tarrell is in the Weight Training class and has shown great strides this Semester with his relentless work ethic and desire to do well. Tarrell has a great attitude and is such a pleasure to have in class.

Mr. Stemkoski

Marin was the recipient of the Health award because of her work ethic and attention to detail. Marin always had a positive attitude and was a willing participant in class discussions and projects. Marin brings a positive vibe to the class and is a great student leader.

Mr. Stemkoski

Saturn Hassett- Natural Resources Award

I've known Saturn since she was in middle school. Saturn has always been an enthusiastic science student. In Natural Resources, we work to manage our school's forest and to better understand the forest ecosystem. Saturn always asks great questions and works hard to help manage the forest. Saturn, keep up the great work!

Mr. Stone

Isaiah Hoffman - AP Environmental Science

Isaiah is a great student. This is the first year we have offered AP Environmental Science and everyday we are trying new things. Isaiah has worked diligently to understand the material, take part in labs and field studies. Isaiah always asks great questions to insure he understands the material and is not afraid to ask a follow up or to point out an error if he sees it. APES would not be the same class without him.

Isaiah, Keep up the great work!

Mr. Stone

Levi is always willing to help setup lab experiments and cleanup. He is a leader in conducting labs and helping his group understand concepts. Levi is an awesome science student.

Mr. Chapman

Ellie Little - Honors Chemistry Award

Ellie is always asking questions and sharing her thoughts in class discussions. She excels at mastering calculations and helping others to understand too. Ellie is an excellent science student.

Mr. Chapman

Elyse DiCristina - Advanced Chemistry

Elyse is a leader in her lab group and in class, always asking questions to make sure she and other students understand concepts. Elyse is always prepared to do well on tests and quizzes.

Mr. Chapman

Solar McClellan - Chemistry Award

Solar is an amazing chemistry student, and is always willing to learn more and understand concepts better. Solar excels at working in groups during laboratory experiments and on tests.

Mr. Chapman

Hudson Shadduck – Robotics and Engineering Award

Hudson is one of the most mechanically inclined students I have ever seen. If someone were to tell him that he couldn't build something into a robot, he would prove them wrong.

Mr. Philips

Sam Leigh – Earth Science Award

Sam is a fantastic student. Every day Sam brings enthusiasm and an inquisitive mind to 9th Grade Honors Science. In science, we practice gathering evidence to better understand a concept. This process requires grit and determination. Sam has these characteristics and then some. Sam, keep up the great work!

Mr. Stone

Anna Abbott - Earth Science Honors Award

Anna is a fantastic student. In science, we practice gathering evidence to better understand a concept. This process requires grit and determination. Anna is always excited to take part in this process, showcase her understanding and then add additional knowledge and evidence until she fully understands a concept. Anna, keep up the great work!

Mr. Stone

Notice of Non-Discrimination

Kalama School District #402 complies with all federal rules and regulations and does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, honorably-discharged veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation (gender expression or identity), marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, participation in the Boy Scouts of America and all other designated youth groups listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. District programs shall be free from sexual harassment. This holds true for all district employment and opportunities. Compliance procedures regarding employees should be directed to Eric Nerison, Director of Human Resources, the School District's Title VII Officer and ADA Coordinator. People of disability may request reasonable accommodation in the hiring process by contacting, Eric Nerison, Director of Human Resources, 548 China Garden Rd 98625 or (360) 673-5282. Inquiries regarding compliance procedures regarding students may be directed to Eric Nerison, Director of Student Services, the School District’s Title IX Coordinator or Eric Nerson, Director of Special Programs, and the School District’s Section 504 Coordinator, 548 China Garden Rd. Kalama WA, 98625 (360) 673-5282