In Your Neighborhood, July 1

Five Corners: Dakota, left, Kelly and Brody Coleman; Russ Chambers, president of the Habitat board of directors; Ken Campbell, pastor of St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Camas; and LaVeta and Larry Scherer, family partners for the Colemans.

La Center: Sixth-grade teacher Kristy Schneider

Felida: Students at Sarah J. Anderson Elementary School helped paint a 42-foot mural depicting environmental issues, children holding hands and local landmarks such as the Interstate 5 Bridge and the school.

Washougal: Peggy Bloom of Loaves & Fishes, Cindy Walker of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Lynn Stewart, Eagles President Charlie Walker, and Loaves & Fishes manager Ross Jonak celebrate a $1,500 donation.

Kevanna Park: Cameron Townsen celebrates some big numbers.

Bagley Downs: The grand entryway to Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School's new Gallery space.

La Center: La Center sixth-grade teacher Kristy Schneider was among 288 teachers awarded a scholarship to attend the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy program at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center June 13 to July 3 in Huntsville, Ala. The teachers, from 16 counties and 47 states, participated in a classroom and lab, and astronaut-training sessions, including a high-performance jet simulation, scenario-based space missions, and land- and water-survival training. "I’m really getting excited, and I know that I will be bringing back many new ideas for my Young Astronauts Club," Schneider said by e-mail before her trip.

Pleasant Valley: The graduating students at Pleasant Valley Middle School voted to have a "green" theme graduation. To help them along, mother-and-son authors Linda and Tosh Sivertsen donated a copy of their of their award-winning book, "Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life," to each member of the graduating class. The kids "especially like their chapter on green college majors and green careers because it gives them concrete examples," said Nathalie Lindsay, a graduation committee parent volunteer.

Felida: Rebecca Anstine, the visual arts teacher at Sarah J. Anderson Elementary School, assumed a tall order: to coordinate the painting of a 42-foot mural. Ninety-seven students used acrylics to paint four, 12-foot canvas sections. "The theme reflects the students’ optimism that kids can work together, across ethnic boundaries, to take care of the Earth," Anstine said by e-mail. "‘Green’ messages about air and water pollution, recycling, saving our fish, along with kindness to animals are shown geographically using images of children holding hands across the bottom." The school building, neighborhood and the cityscape of Portland serve as the background on the two central panels. The mural will hang on three walls in the school’s main hall. It is currently awaiting a wooden rail for installation.

Battle Ground: Washington state has approved a $184,000 grant to make the walk to school safer for Battle Ground students. The money is part of the state Department of Transportation’s "Safe Routes to Schools" program. It will buy flashing lights and a new overhead sign on streets approaching the Daybreak Primary and Middle School campus, 1900 N.E. 20th Ave. Daybreak has 1,200 students, with about 850 living within walking distance. The grant will also pay to complete the sidewalk in front of a residence where a chunk of sidewalk is missing and to the Battle Ground Police Department to increase enforcement. The city of Battle Ground will pitch in $20,000 worth of in-kind services.

Five Corners: Three Presbyterian churches have formed Churches in Partnership and will work with Evergreen Habitat for Humanity to build a home for Kelly Coleman and her children, Dakota and Brody, by Christmas. The home will be built by the labor and funding from First, St. John’s and Columbia Presbyterian churches, and grant money from Wells Fargo Bank. The Colemans will also invest 500 hours of "sweat equity" helping to build their home.



Brush Prairie: Grocery chain WinCo Foods has broken ground on its planned Brush Prairie store. Expected to open in early 2010, the 94,000-square-foot store will be the Boise-based chain’s fourth in the county. It will anchor the 10-building Bowyer Marketplace complex of stores and restaurants on Northeast 119th Street at 117th Avenue, the former Bowyer’s Par 3 golf course. Vancouver-based Killian Pacific is developing the $40 million project. WinCo’s other county stores are in Hazel Dell on Highway 99, and in Vancouver on Northeast 136th Avenue and on Northeast Andresen Road.

Shumway: Gary Wetherington is bursting with thanks for the way his grandson, Cameron Gable, was treated by professionals who rushed to the rescue when Gable was hit by a car while riding his bike near Safeway on upper Main Street in May. Mostly, he wants to thank Jason Hattrick, associate principal at Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, who came flying when he learned a VSAA student had been injured. Hattrick stayed with Gable during the ambulance ride to Southwest Washington Medical Center, got ready to leave when Gable’s mother showed up, but then came back and said he didn’t want to leave her alone, either. He stayed until more family, including Wetherington from Battle Ground, arrived at the hospital. Of the care and courtesy showed by Hattrick and the firefighters also involved, Wetherington said: "Everybody came together, just like in the good old days." Gable, who suffered a ruptured spleen, cracked ribs and other injuries, is on the mend, Wetherington said.

Bagley Downs: The very multicultural Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School took advantage of its constituency when it put on International Friendship Day June 5. There was music and dance from China, Greece, Russia, Hawaii, the Philippines, South Africa, Mexico — and even the United States of America.



Bagley Downs: Artists, craftsmen, designers, parents and school district workers came together to create a space at Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School now called The Gallery: a showcase for elementary students’ artwork and a beautiful place itself. The display includes a mobile, tile mosaic panels, a word wall with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, and a digitally produced entryway mural. The project had a $7,000 budget in addition to district staff time. The Gallery was unveiled in a "Feast of Sights and Sound" on June 4.

Washougal: Every year the local Eagles chapter makes a donation to the charity of the chapter president’s choice. This year t he president is Charlie Walker, and his choice was Washougal Loaves & Fishes, which got a $1,500 check from the Eagles on June 10. Walker is a longtime Meals-on-Wheels volunteer and steering committee member. Loaves & Fishes has been providing a nutritional and social lifeline to homebound seniors since 1970. The Washougal Loaves & Fishes Center is at 1681 C Street. Call 360-210-5666.

Mountain View: What makes Heather Scukanec’s neighborhood special? The garage-arcade basketball tournaments. The last-day-of-school banner. The silly string and water balloons. In a word, the community. Scukanec described it all in an essay for the Dreyer’s Slow Churned Neighborhood Salute contest — and she won. Dreyer’s will send Scukanec the fixings for an ice cream party for 100 of her closest friends: 10 cartons of Dreyer’s ice cream and 36 ice cream cups, plus apron, napkins, scoops, spoons, name tags, and a disposable camera. There will be 1,500 winners nationwide.



Kevanna Park: Ten-year-old Cameron Townsen rallied Clark County Family YMCA staff, members and just plain folks for a June 20 fundraising flea market called "Dare to Declutter." The event raised $1,448 for financial assistance for children and families to participate at the Y. More than 100 people donated items for the sale, and 350 people stopped by to make a purchase.