SIUSLAW NEWS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER ❚ MARCH 2015 ❚
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Siuslaw Schools
A RT I S T O F T H E M O N T H
Elizabeth Wartnik — Creative Arts
B Y B ENJAMIN C AHOON
FLORENCE
A P OEM B Y A LEXIS C URTIS
S IUSLAW H IGH S CHOOL F RESHMAN
E NGLISH C LASS
Siuslaw High School Student
Small and busy,
in the summer it gets crazy.
Roads are curvy,
they could make you dizzy.
Beaches are packed,
‘til the day is done at last.
Sandrails all over,
zooming louder and closer.
Transients and tourists,
roam all over.
Rhody days grow closer,
anticipation gets greater.
People from all over,
come over for the summer.
Weather is bipolar,
partly cloudy, or rainy,
sunny, or the wind blows like crazy.
T
his column has never had a
repeat student — until now.
Elizabeth Wartnik was featured
for choir two months ago and now, due
to additional outstanding artistic per-
formance, she is being recognized once
again for creative arts.
Elizabeth, a senior at Siuslaw High
School and daughter of Neil and Kerri
Wartnik, is not currently taking a cre-
ative art course. Wartnik’s artistic inter-
ests span a vast array of mediums
including colored pencil, acrylic paints,
vocal arts, piano, creative writing and
poetry. Her favorite part of the arts is
how she is able to “take dreams,
thoughts and beliefs and embody them
like you weren’t able to while you were
younger.”
Mrs. Kim Pickell, the teacher who
nominated Elizabeth, states, “No matter
what I assign, she finds a way to include
her faith, personality and friends in her
art.”
When one has such a variety of art
PHOTO BY CAROL JOLLEY
forms, such as Elizabeth does, people
begin to question what gives them their
inspiration and motivation. Wartnik explains William Blake,
Van Gogh and other impressionists use “vivid colors and
details of the big picture.” That is what inspires her.
She also describes that she draws her motivation from her
“beliefs and Jesus” and in the “complexity in humanity and
how humans relate to each other.”
Writing is one of Wartnik’s other passions and she reveals
that “writing is seeing pictures and finding words to fit in like
paint.” Even though Elizabeth will be pursuing music compo-
sition at George Fox University, she will still continue in her
other arts and reports that she will “explore them before and
after school.”
Siuslaw High School will be proud to see Elizabeth go on
to succeed in the many facets of art where she excels.
SHS students display
artwork at library
One of Elizabeth Wartnik’s paintings currently
on display at the Siuslaw Public Library
S TUDENTS ‘R EAD A CROSS A MERICA ’
Siuslaw Public Library is
displaying both 2D and 3D art-
work by Siuslaw High School
students. The artists are made
up of ninth through 12th
graders in Kim Pickell’s art
and pottery classes.
The work will be on display
for the month of March.
Students whose work is in
the show are: Taylor Booth,
Benjamin Cahoon, Madeline
Castle, Brandy Crase, Anthony
Di Salvo, Katherine Dodson,
Dixie Dyess, Blanca Figueroa,
Thelma Gentry, Lainey Goss,
Rachel Hanna, Nicole Hine,
Summer Huntington, John
Kelly,
Lyndsey Keppol,
Reanna Latham, Sandra
Lorenzo, Madison Marbas,
Natalie
Madden,
Dylan
McGallian,
Haileigh
Middleon, Cassidy Moore,
McKenzie Murphy, Anthony
Perez, Emily Rosinbaum,
Victoria Rojas, Bradley Snow,
Jackson
Spinner,
Ryan
Stewart, Karmen Trebelo,
Celia Twombly, Elizabeth
Wartnik, Samantha Watson-
Bryers and Hailee Williams.
Sixth-graders compete
in Battle of the Books
n March, Siuslaw
Elementary School
participated in
Read Across America
week. Students read
many Dr. Seuss books,
including “The Cat in
the Hat” and “The
Lorax,” and visited the
school’s Book Fair in
the library. Librarian
Alice Burns dressed up
I
as The Cat in the Hat
and took photos with
students, such as
teachers Tamara
Carpenito’s AM and
PM kindergarten
classes (top photos)
and Annette Griffes’
AM kindergarten class
(at left). —Submitted
by Tamara Carpenito
and Annette Griffes
SHS BIOLOGY CLASS EXPLORES GENETICS
SUBMITTED BY HILARY ROACH
Lizbeth Garcia, Laena Jagoe and Alison Huff participated
in this year’s Oregon Battle of the Books in Eugene.
B
iology class students at Siuslaw High School wrapped up their genetics unit this month. Some of the hands-
on labs included spooling DNA from wheat germ, amylase variation and separating solutions with a gel elec-
trophoresis chamber. Students used the chamber to simulate a crime scene scenario and DNA fingerprinting.
The class ended its unit with a discussion and an essay on the bioethics of genetic engineering, transgenic techniques
and cloning. Above, students hold up their beakers to show the variation in the amount of amylase (enzyme) they
have in their saliva to break down starch. —Submitted by Gina Castro Brandt
On Saturday, March 7,
Siuslaw Middle School partic-
ipated in the Regional
Competition for Oregon Battle
of the Books in Eugene at
Willamette High School.
The Ladies in Blue, coached
by Kelly Dotson, competed
against other middle school
teams across Lane County and
were the first ever all-sixth
grade team from SMS to com-
pete.
In addition to competing,
the Ladies in Blue also got to
meet and hear from authors
Graham
Salisbury
and
Roseanne Parry.
The Oregon Battle of the
Books is a statewide voluntary
reading motivation and com-
prehension program sponsored
by the Oregon Association of
School Libraries in conjunc-
tion with a Library Services
and Technology Act grant.
Students in third through
12th grade, regardless of abili-
ty, are exposed to quality liter-
ature representing a variety of
literary styles and viewpoints.
The mission is to encourage
and recognize students who
enjoy reading, to broaden
reading interests, to increase
reading comprehension, pro-
mote academic excellence,
and to promote cooperative
learning and teamwork among
students.