Letters | Snoqualmie Valley music program deserves kudos

The quality of the music program in the Snoqualmie Valley Schools has to be one of the Valley’s best kept secrets. My husband and I have been attending school concerts and performances since we move here nearly nine years ago. In that time we have watched ongoing improvement in the quality of the music and the numbers of young people involved.

Read More ›

8:14 AM May 14, 2012 0

Letters | Playground's family Safety Fair a big success

Sno-Valley Indoor Playground’s annual Safety Fair, held on Friday, May 4, was a rousing success, if you ask the little folks who lined up to explore a real fire truck and a sheriff’s car! Fifty free bike helmets were distributed to local families, complimentary child car-seat safety checks were provided, and there were bags of information and coloring materials for each family.

Read More ›

9:38 AM May 10, 2012 0

Letters | Prepare our children to make a better world

Between your man-on-the-street column and the eloquent guest editorial from the Mount Si GSA officers, I had to write in. I was happy to read that three-fourths of the folks you polled regarding your man on the street question “Is high school the right place to talk social issues?” had reasonable responses. It gives me hope that the things so many people I encounter outside of the Valley say about our community are dead wrong. I want to ask the readers of the Snoqualmie Valley Record: Are we raising children that will be future adult citizens or not? If we don’t teach them—allow them to drive the discussion regarding issues they are already faced with in a school setting—about these issues, we are doing them and our communities a great disservice. By high school, students find themselves in part-time jobs, looking at college options, etc. They are in the world where things like racism, sexism and homophobia, along with too many issues to list here, exist. They will have to face them.

Read More ›

12:02 PM April 26, 2012 0

Letters | Tree farm grateful to flood cleanup helpers

Mountain Creek Tree Farm and the Kassian family would like to thank the following people who came to our farm on March 17. They helped after Tate Creek flooded, bringing hundreds of tons of sand and gravel onto more than 1,000 Christmas trees on February 22. Helpers included Mayor Ken Hearing and his wife Marie, Mayor Matt Larson and his wife Jennifer, Venturing Crew 115 and Boy Scout Troop 115 of Snoqualmie, with Kim Ferree and wife Anita; Boy Scout Troop 466 of North Bend; Venturing Crew 954 of Covington with advisor John Hearing; Boy Scout Troop 945 of Covington, and parents of many of the Scouts and Venturing Crews. A special thanks goes to our friend Marie Hearing, who, after seeing the damage, alerted John Hearing. He contacted Kim Ferree, and they organized the work party of Scouts and Venture Crews.

Read More ›

11:57 AM April 26, 2012 0

Letters | Frosh campus pros outweigh the cons

I have had three children in the Snoqualmie school district, with two completing K-12 in 2011 and 2012. They have attended all three middle schools and have had an excellent education at all three. My middle son was in the last class to graduate from Chief Kanim Middle School before Twin Falls opened. At that time, they had extra classes such as Spanish that could be offered, because the student body was large enough to support the extra teachers required.

Read More ›

2:54 PM April 20, 2012 2

Letters | County needs to handle transport needs before stadiums

Since King County does not have the budget to maintain and snowplow dead-end residential streets in unincorporated King County—nor the budget for a lot of other road projects in unincorporated King County—I do not want King County to be spending any money on transportation projects to serve the new $500 million sports palace in Seattle.

Read More ›

9:28 AM April 16, 2012 0

Letters: An emotional journey, thanks to letter writer

Dear Rev. Dr. James T. Elliott, your candid letter (March 14, Valley Record) impressed me. Thank you for sharing a bit of your own emotional journey with the community and for speaking on behalf of others who may find it hard to do so themselves.

Read More ›

1:27 PM April 10, 2012 0

Letters: Board needs to take a new look at FLC decision

The recent school board decision to convert Snoqualmie Middle School (SMS) to a Freshman Learning Center (FLC) in 2013 is on my radar. My son is a sixth grader at SMS, and so are my friends’ kids. Some of my friends have kids who will attend SMS next year. And, for all these kids, it means moving schools, learning new systems and making new friends right in the middle of their pre-high school journey. I’ve been told there’s just a lot I don’t know about the facts. I’ve been told we have to do this now. I’ve been told the decision has been made and there’s no turning back. I've been told, essentially, that my opinion doesn’t count.

Read More ›

1:59 PM April 3, 2012 0

Letter: Small hands, big success: Record take for schools foundation

The Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation is pleased to announce the Small Hands to Big Plans luncheon held on Thursday, March 22, raised a record of nearly $90,000 through corporate sponsorships and individual donations and pledges. Nearly 250 people were on hand to hear more about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education in our state, celebrate our educators of the year, and learn more about the funding provided by the Foundation.

Read More ›

4:44 PM March 27, 2012 0

Letters | Minister: Congregations are rising to faith-full courage

I appreciate recent coverage that encourages respectful dialogue concerning the lives and rights of people with minority sexual identities. It’s especially notable to me how spiritually faithful people can reach such different conclusions in this arena.

Read More ›

9:11 AM March 22, 2012 1

Opinion | Foreign exchange is growing, opening eyes

Looking up at snow-dusted Mount Si this week, I wonder how Renato Cocchella and Valeria Gamonal are doing in the bright South American sunshine. Earlier this month, the two Peruvian exchange students arrived back in their hometown of Chaclacayo after a February visit to learn Snoqualmie Valley ways. So, as the snow falls in the Valley, these teens are transitioning to late summer in the southern hemisphere. It’s 80 degrees this week in Chaclacayo. Sounds pretty rough.

Read More ›

updated 2:35 PM March 20, 2012 0