10
schools
march27
2012
LoggerBots Have Successful Debut at First Robotics Competition
The Vernonia High School Log-
gerBots enjoyed a successful and fun
experience at the Oregon First Robot-
ics Portland Regional Competition on
March 8—10.
This was the first time VHS
has organized a team for the competi-
tion. As a rookie team the LoggerBots
finished 59 out of 66 total teams, but
scored the most baskets of any of the ten
rookie teams competing in the Rebound
rumble competition.
“It was very educational,” said
VHS senior Brandon Krause. “the
whole event has such a
family feeling. All the
teams try to help each
other. The judges are
very complimentary. It
was just very friendly
all around.”
This year more
than 2000 students
from Oregon, SW
Washington, Mexico,
Alaska and Hawaii de-
scended on the Memo-
rial Coliseum for the
Oregon First Robotics
Competition. Compet-
ing teams were tasked
with designing and
building and program-
ing a robot from a ba-
sic kit they were given.
The robots compete in
Photos courtesy of Daniel Mullikin.
90 second games on a cooperative team
of three robots against another team of
three. Points are earned for scoring bas-
kets, balancing on a ramp and program-
ing their robot to be run by X-Box Ki-
nect.
“The main ranking favors things
that we did not concentrate on much, or
at all, like the balancing, and using the
X-Box Kinect,” said adult mentor Mitch
Seibert. “Heck, speak-
ing for myself anyway, I
was thinking for this first
year, it would be really
great to show up with
something that moved
and maybe even scored
a basket.”
The LoggerBots
did much more than that,
finishing tied for eighth
over-all in points scored
from baskets made with
78 points as well as lead-
ing all rookie teams in
that category.
“The
results
were excellent as we
were one of the best at
VHS Band Preparing for State Festival
The Vernonia High School Band
is getting ready to head to the State Band
Festival for the second year in a row.
The VHS Band will travel to
Corvallis to compete on May 10th
The Band will once again need
some help from the community to make
this unscheduled overnight trip. Band
Instructor Rob Izzett has come up with
a creative way to raise the funds for his
students and for the community to sup-
port the VHS Band going to State.
Izzett has decided to run in the
Vernonia Half Marathon on April 15 th.
“It worked out great because we need 13
rooms so we can stay overnight before
our morning performance in Corval-
lis, and the rooms cost $89. ” explains
Izzett. “There just happen to be 13 miles
in the half marathon and since we need
13 rooms, what I’m shooting for is 89
people to sponsor me $1 for each mile
I intend to run. And that would cover
the total expense for chaperones and stu-
Vernonia Community
Reads 2012
Youngsters will be reading and partici-
pating in an activity related to Addie
Boswell’s book, The Rain Stomper.
Ms. Boswell will be at the library
Tuesday, April 10 at 3:30 PM to
do an interactive reading, talk
about how the book was made
and lead a drawing activity on
character development.
Adults will be reading Craig
Lesley’s books—especially The
Sky Fisherman with Mr. Lesley
reading from and discussing his
writing Saturday, April 14 at 4:00
PM in the library.
Funded by a joint grant from
The Columbia County Cultural Coalition and
The Friends of the Vernonia Library.
dents.”
The VHS Band qualified for the
State Contest in strong fashion, winning
their league competition with scores of
85, 86, and 87. “You need at least two
judges to give you a score of 75 or high-
er to qualify for State,” explains Izzett.
“All three judges scored us well into the
80’s, so we qualified soundly.”
Izzett says the VHS Band will
be required to perform fifteen minutes
of actual music at the State Contest.
According to
Izzett the Log-
gers will be
p e r f o r m i n g
three pieces of
music: a tran-
scription from
an overture to
a French opera
called La Bella Helena, (“It’s French
opera and the kids just love it—it blew
me away that the kids like it so much,:”
says Izzett); a coral called Appalachian
Aire, (“it’s s rendition of an old, old
hymm called My God Will Supply All
My Needs.”); and a three movement
piece called Greek Folksongs Suite, ( A
very difficult piece of music—if you’ve
ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding,
you can just picture that when you here
this music.”).
Izzett says he expects VHS to
shooting baskets, which was always our
primary objective,” said Jeff Ely, anoth-
er adult mentor to the team. “We learned
a lot that we can do for next year and it
was great to have this level of success
right out of the gate.”
Krause noted that one of the vet-
eran teams from Philomath gave the Ver-
nonia LoggerBots a special award at the
competition for “Most Genius Design.”
be competing against six to eight other
schools and that the top half are awarded
trophies.
Izzett and the VHS Band will
warm up for the State Contest with a
performance at a Festival at George Fox
University on April 6 th . Following the
contest the judges will clinic with each
band to give them some pointers and
help them work on improving their
performance. This is also done at the
league contest. “There is winning and
not winning, but ultimately it’s designed
to help the kids, and me, improve,” says
Izzett.
The VHS PEP Band recently
traveled with the Basketball team to
the State playoffs in Pendleton, where
they received rave reviews for their per-
formance. “We benefited from all the
buzz around the basketball team and I
just want to keep that buzz going,” says
Izzett.
Izzett says that parents or other
Band supporters are encouraged to at-
tend the State Contest in Corvallis. “It’s
free and anyone is welcome to come
down and watch us perform.”
To sponsor Rob Izzett and help
the VHS Band go to State you can email
Izzett at robizzett@yahoo.com, call him
at 503-780-0661 or sign up at Sentry
Market.
Winter Sports Wrap Up
continued from page 9
named Most Inspirational, Jesse Edgar girls showed up to compete at the away
was named Most Improved, and Byron game in Gaston and were in the game
Weller was named Best Defender.
right until the final minute, losing 39-
34.
The Lady Loggers will say
Girls Basketball—The Lady Loggers
got off to a slow start this season under goodbye to several seniors including
new head coach Victor Matoush, but three year varsity players Kim Allen
turned things around and finished fifth and Shyla Tungwenuk along with Robin
in the 2A Northwest League with a 8-8 Elliot, Laura Kaiser ad exchange student
league record and a 9-16 overall record. Lea Mari.
The Lady Loggers qualified for
At the Winter Sports Awards
the league playoffs where they faced junior Samantha Lindauer was named
a tough Gaston team that had beat Most Valuable Player and Tungwenuk
them handily both times they played was named Best Defensive player.
previously in the season. The Vernonia
