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W I L D C A T
N E W S
JANUARY 2015
“HAPPY NEW YEAR”
It is the new year! Hopefully this finds you rested and ready to take on 2015. As I
look back at 2014 I see many reasons to be thankful. Two academic state champions (football and baseball), receiving our 2nd straight State Scholastics Award,
four state championships, passing our modernization bond and M&O levy all remind me of the great support we have from our communities.
Thanks to you our, future is bright! Happy New Year!
Modernization Update:
Main Building
Mr. Smith
Our project continues to progress and we are starting to see new structure being built in
the main building. Most of the demolition has been completed and the framers are hard at
work building new classrooms and hallways. The new entry has been cut into the west side of
the building and the new stairway is being built.
Agriculture/Bus Shop:
All of the mechanical systems are complete and the sheet rock is going up in the new Agriculture/bus garage. The siding is soon to be completed leaving the finish work for the month of
February. We are excited to see the finished product.
Construction photos are continually being posted on our website! www.colton.k12.wa.us
For those interested Mr. Smith would be happy to give tours on Fridays as the crews are working four, ten
hour days. Please call and schedule a time. (509)229-3385
DAHMEN BARN NEWS
Colton Creativity Update
We have finished the fall elementary art experiences. Each student had the opportunity to learn about colors and mixing them through age-appropriate exercises. The kids learned a lot while having fun. The winter sessions will begin in January. An afternoon workshop for grades 6 and higher will be held at the Dahmen Barn on early dismissal day January 21 – topic to be announced. We hope everyone has a wonderful
holiday and break from school.
We are still raising funds for the art program we do with the Colton students. The cradle, handmade by
Colton resident Terry Frei and finished by Greg Schultheis, was donated to the program. We have put a
special holiday price on it of $275. You may see its lovely quality on the third floor of the Dahmen Barn.
The cradle comes with a mattress, not shown in the photo. The piece is sure to become a family heirloom.
WILDCAT NEWS
Page 2
COMMUNITY INVOLMENT & SUPPORTING THE SENIOR CLASS
BY: RACHEL MEYER & COURTNEY HOYLE
Each year during the
holiday season the National Honor Society organizes the Tree of Sharing. The NHS selects a
few families from the
local communities and
asks them what they
would like for Christmas.
These ideas were put on
a tag and then hung on
the sharing tree. The
staff and students can
then take the tags and
buy these items. The
gifts were delivered to
the families on Tuesday
the 23rd. While our
NHS chapter sponsored
families, our seniors
this year are trying to
raise money for their
Senior Trip! Wilbur Ellis
has generously donated
an Apple iPad to the
Senior Class, who will
be selling raffle tickets
for the iPad during the
next few basketball
games. The winner will
be announced in February.
NEW YEARS IN DENMARK
BY: NICK SCHULTHEIS
New Years Eve in Denmark is spent partying
with friends and it’s not
uncommon to see fireworks whizzing through
the nighttime sky, but at
6pm the real celebration
begins. Everyone gathers
around their television to
hear the Queen’s speech.
At midnight the clock tow-
er strikes and the New
Year officially has begun. After that it’s out
with the old and in with
the new.
Many people jump off
chairs at the stroke of
midnight to banish evil
spirits who are left behind in the old year. It
is meant to represent
jumping forward into
the New Year. Also,
many Danes smash
old plates on doorsteps to bring good
luck to the household.
So if you wake up to
find broken dishes on
your doorstep, your
year will be filled with
lots of luck.
Smashing of old plates, a Danish tradition!
FERGUSON TRIAL
BY: RACHEL MEYER
Due to all of the controversy that is surrounding
the Ferguson case, president Obama decided that
all of the police should
have cameras on them so
that the same incident
cannot be repeated. It
has recently been decided that the police will be
doing a test run of the
cameras which will last
three months. If the tests
prove to be successful
then all of the policemen
will be receiving cameras
to put on their uniforms.
Too many people, this is
a great idea, but not all
individuals feel the same
way. While these cameras will be doing a great
service there will also be
a tremendous cost.
Obama says that the
plan is to spread the cost
of $263 million over a
period of three years.
This plan will also help to
expand training, and
help get more resources
for police officers. The
FBI says that there are
around 700,000 law
enforcement officers in
the US, so there will need
to be many cameras. The
government is starting
with $75 million to buy
50,000 cameras and
they will be buying more
after that if the cameras
are successful.
Page 3
COLTON & UNIONTOWN CRAB FEED
BY: KIPP MEYER
On Saturday, February
7th, the Colton Council
#1565 will host it’s annual Crab & Shrimp
Feed fundraiser for the
GASB school. Please
join your friends, family,
and neighbors for this
wonderful feast. The
menu includes a choice
of crab, shrimp, or ham,
a variety of salads, coleslaw, baker beans, garlic bread, and a no host
bar! Dinner should be
purchased in advance
by Feb. 1st please. The
Crab & Shrimp Feed
starts at 6:00pm, located at the GASB School,
and costs $25.00. If you
would like tickets or are
available to help, please
contact Kipp Meyer by
phone at (509) 2293605 or email at [email protected]
COLTON FFA
BY: LUKE MOORE
The FFA held their annual Christmas Party in
the Ag Room on Sunday
December 21st. We
had dinner and a white
elephant gift exchange.
The District Six Agricultural Issues and Job
Interview Career Development Event will be
held on January 28th at
Pullman High School.
Students in the Plant
Science class will be
getting geraniums to
transplant in mid January as we gear up for
our annual spring plant
sale in conjunction with
the Colton Fair on May
1st. We are also excited that starting after
Christmas Break we will
have a student teacher
with us until May. Ms.
Thonney did her practicum this fall and we look
forward to working with
her this coming spring.
The Colton FFA would
like to wish everyone a
Merry Christmas and
thank you for your continued support of our chapter.
COLTON ASB
BY: SAM FAERBER & AUSTIN MEYER
During the month of December Colton ASB
stayed busy planning out
when the staff and students of Colton High
School will get to dress
up and have a week
filled with fun events during the week of January
26th through the 30th.
The ASB approved a
fundraiser request from
the senior class to raffle
off a new apple iPad at
the home game of Tuesday February 3rd, 2015.
ASB member got the opportunity to have the Inland Northwest Blood
Center come to the
school on December 8th
from 1:30 to 3:30 to
have a blood drive for
students, staff, and community members come in
and give blood. By the
end of the blood drive
the Colton and Uniontown communities
showed their support of
others in need, with
more than 10 people
donating.
WILDCAT NEWS
Page 4
NORWAY CHRISTMAS TRADITION
BY: LUKE MOORE
When the rest of us may be at home celebrating Christmas Eve with family and friends; in Norway Christmas
Eve is regarded with great superstition. Norwegians believe that Christmas Eve is the night when evil spirits
taunt the living. It is believed that witches come out to steal brooms in order to fly off into the night. In order to
prevent this it is a yearly tradition that the women hide all of the brooms and mops. This is to stop a witch from
stealing them. The men are then responsible for firing guns into the shy to frighten away evil entities.
NEW YEAR GOALS
BY: EMMA SCHULTHEIS
The New Year marks a fresh start, and a unique year full of possibilities. One of the most common traditions is The
New Year’s Resolution. This is one of the oldest customs, dating back to Ancient Rome when the Romans would
make promises to their gods to repay debts, and strive for greater things. These days in the U.S. the most typical
Resolutions are:
1. Lose Weight and Get Fit
5. Learn Something New
2. Get Organized
6. Volunteer
3. Save Money
7. Fall in Love
4. Enjoy Life
8. Spend More Time with Money.
About 45% of Americans make resolutions, and only 8% of those people are actually successful in completing those
resolutions. Most people end their resolutions after the first 2 weeks. Whether you make a resolution this year or not,
we wish you the best of luck during the New Year!
CITIZEN COMPLAINTS FEDERAL PROGRAMS
A citizen complaint is a written statement that alleges a violation of a federal rule, law or regulation or state regulation
that applies to a federal program.


Anyone can file a citizen complaint.
There is no special form.
There is no need to know the law that governs a federal program to file a complaint.
For more information: visit http://www.k12.wa.us/TitleI/CitizenComplaint.aspx
Online | Phone (360) 725-6100 | TTY (360) 664-3631 | FAX (360) 586-3305
Mail Your Question:
Attn: Citizen Complaint - Title I, Part A
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
P.O. Box 47200
Olympia, WA 98504
Page 5
COLTON WILDCAT FFL ROBOTICS TEAM
BY: KEITH STORMO
The Colton First Lego League (FLL) robotics team did a great job at the Spokane FLL regional tournament on Saturday and earned the right to compete in the Eastern Washington Championship. They competed with 37 other
teams and were chosen as one of the top 12 to be invited to the Championship tournament to be held on January 17 in Ellensburg, Washington. In addition to being in the top 12, they won a Mechanical Design Award and
had a perfect score on their Core Values judging panel.
SCRAP METAL RECYLING
BY: MR. NORDQUIST
Attention: Anyone with scrap metal lying around: Five Colton School students will be heading to Florida next June
on a five day Science field trip to learn about eco-system care, The Everglades flora and fauna, as well as sea
turtle and dolphin rescue operations. You can donate to their trip AND get rid of your scrap metal in the process.
Pacific Steel and Recycling in Lewiston has set up an account for you to donate the proceeds from your recycled
metal to this Florida trip. There are two ways to donate. First, you can take the metal down to Lewiston yourself
and ask that the money be donated to the “Colton School Florida Trip Fund.” The second way to donate is to call
Mr. Nordquist, at 509-432-1684, and leave a message that you have some scrap metal to be picked up. We will
call you back and set up a time to come and get your metal.
Pacific Steel will accept: copper, aluminum (including cans), brass, tin, light gauge iron/steel and heavy gauge
iron/steel, stainless steel, electric motors and car batteries . They will also accept vehicles of any kind, even
those which have been in the pasture for 40 years.
Eric Nordquist
(509)432-1684
UPCOMING EVENTS AT COLTON/UNIONTOWN LIBRARY
Upcoming Events at the Colton & Uniontown Libraries:
Colton
Jan. 5, 12, 26 – Storytime at 10:30 for kids 1-6 years of age
Jan. 15 – Third Thursday – after school program for kids
Jan. 22 – Colton/Uniontown Book Club discussion of Whispers of the Bayou by Mindy Starns Clark – 6 pm
Uniontown
Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 – Storytime at 10:30 for kids 1-6 years of age
Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27 – Play Group for preschoolers from 9:30 – 11:30
Jan. 21 – Third Wednesday – after school program for kids
Jan. 28 – Adult craft night at 4:30 pm
C
O
M
I
C
S
MACY BISHOP
And
COURTNEY DEVORAK
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
BY: PHIL NIEHENKE
January, 1st- The most celebrated holiday around the world.
January, 1st 1801- Ireland was added to Great Brittan.
January, 4th 1790- President George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address.
January, 8th 1935- Elvis Presley was born in Tuelo, Mississippi.
January, 17th 1945- During World War 2, Warsaw Poland was liberated by soviet Russian troops.
January 24, 1972- A Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi, was discovered on Guam after he had spent 28 years hiding out in the jungle not
knowing WW II had long since ended.
January 28, 1935- Iceland became the first country to legalize abortion.
“PHIL”OSOPHY TIPS AND TRICKS
BY: PHIL NIEHENKE
This month “health” tips (warning: these tips are not being advised to actually listen to):
Q: Doctor Phil, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: No, your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it. Don't waste beats on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. How
would speeding up your heart make you live longer? That’s like saying you extend the life of your car by driving faster. Want to live
longer? Take a nap.
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two body’s, your ratio would be two to one.
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: Food is fried in vegetable oil. How is getting more vegetables bad for you?
If you would like to add in an article for the next February Newsletter, the due date will be: 1/26/15. Please send your “Word Document” to our email: [email protected]