College graduates

Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn. — Sophia Kast, the daughter of Barry and Carol Kast of Corvallis, graduated from Macalester on May 17. Kast received a liberal arts degree in geology. She also received the Henry Lepp Award — a cash award to a student who has made a commitment to academic excellence in geology. Kast is a graduate of Corvallis High School.

West Point, N.Y. — Cadet Andrew Steven Wilhelm, son of Dr. and Mrs. Steven Wilhelm of Corvallis, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy on May 31.

Wilhelm graduated from Crescent Valley High School in 2004. While at West Point, he concentrated his studies in physics with honors. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army within the Armor branch and will report to Fort Carson, Colo., for his first assignment.

University of Oregon, Eugene — Hasina Cohen of Corvallis graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Oregon on June 13. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in music and received the University Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award in Music.

Marylhurst University, Marylhurst — Joseph M. Cahill III, of Corvallis, and Dian Seslar Svendsen, of Philomath, will receive Master’s degrees from Marylhurst University at the commencement ceremonies on Saturday. Cahill will receive a Master of Business Administration and Svendsen will receive a Master of Arts in art therapy counseling.

Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Ga. — Flavia F. Pereira, of Corvallis, received a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from Georgia Southern University on May 10.

Pomona College, Claremont, Calif. — Emily Sparks Gable, a resident of Corvallis, graduated from Pomona College with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and a minor in environmental analysis on May 18. Sparks Gable graduated Magna Cum Laude with Phi Beta Kappa honors and was awarded the Anthropology Prize. She is the daughter of Warren Sparks and Cyrel Gable, residents of Corvallis and is a graduate of Corvallis High School.

University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colo. — Jennifer Ann Bailey of Corvallis received a Bachelor of Science in Earth sciences from the University of Northern Colorado. She graduated Summa Cum Laude.

College honor roll

Scripps College, Claremont, Calif. — Claire Richmond, a resident of Philomath, was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif. Richmond is a junior, majoring in interdisciplinary studies in culture.

Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash. — Sara Megan Ehlers and Erin Campbell Hunter of Corvallis were both named to the Western Washington University Winter Quarter 2008 Honor Roll. Hunter maintained a 4.0 grade-point average.

Byers gets student award

Kayla Byers of Corvallis was recently named a freshman award recipient of the Waldo-Cummings Outstanding Student Award at Oregon State University. This award is in recognition of the student’s outstanding achievement in academics, extra-curricular collegiate activities and leadership. Kayla is a member of Chi Omega sorority, majoring in communications and political science. She is the daughter of Glen and Tracy Byers of Corvallis.

Gerdes wins best graphic

Ryan Gerdes of Corvallis, a junior at Linfield College in McMinnville, won the first place award for best graphic at the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 2008 Collegiate Newspaper Contest. Gerdes works for the Linfield Review, the Linfield College student-run newspaper.

Wilson gets forestry education award

Pam Wilson, a Philomath Middle School teacher, recently received the Mary Rellergert Forestry Education Award from the Oregon Board of Forestry. The award honors individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the advancement of education and understanding of forestry in the Formal Educator category.

Winners were selected from a list of nominees by a panel of forestry educators from the Oregon State University College of Forestry, Oregon Forest Resources Institute, Oregon Department of Forestry and past recipients of the award.

Local results from Global Destination

Three local teams competed against students from across the country and more than 14 countries and provinces, including teams from Turkey, Brazil, Korea, Japan, England, Poland, China, Mexico and Guatemala in the Destination ImagiNation Global Finals May 21 through 25.

Cheldelin Middle School — DI’ve Got a Secret, team manager, Melinda Lind, placed 15th out of 69 teams. Team members are Emily Adams, Rishika Betrabet, Renee Engleson, Allison Lind, Hannah Marvin and Jacob Rueben.

Ashbrook Independent School — Chorific, team manager Katherine Cleland, placed seventh out of 80 teams. Team members are Lauren Bailey, Stephanie Cleland, Marissa Croft and Zoe Dilles.

Philomath High School — Chorific, team manager Jackie Thorness, placed 32nd out of 62 teams. Team members are Natalie Esterberg, Mary Forson, Kacy Kesecker and Kayla Thorsness.

OSU’s Chastain gets professorship

Tom Chastain was named to the George Hyslop Professorship, which recognizes research, extension and teaching activities related to the grass seed industry. Chastain researches the physiology of grass seed crops. He plans to use the endowment funds to enhance student education in the area of seed crops, and to promote student internships and undergraduate research.

NAACP Rollie Smith Youth Award winners

The Corvallis and Albany Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held the annual Rollie Smith Youth Awards Ceremony on Saturday. The awardees are students from local schools who are being recognized in various areas of achievement, improvement, citizenship and recognizing diversity.

The association honored the following students, from Franklin School: Jacqueline Ramos, Stacy Balcazar-

Cisneros, Debbie Ojeda, Sree Uppalapatti, Kevin Quintero, Angel Marcelo, Aaron Ojeda, and Ali Pham. Students who are from Linus Pauling Middle School include: Kayla Bucolo, Abby Schroff, Maya Patton, Alyssa Garrison, Bridget Lamp, Brigid Behrens, Gia Righetti, Gil Rosas, Jasmine Vidana, JJ Keim, Karen Hernandez, Keet Daily, Maile Wu, Sasha Medina and Yesenia Herrera.

John Harrison was nominated from Linus Pauling Middle School. Sravya Tadepalli, from Hoover Elementary School will be among the honorees, as will Chelsea Whipple, from Corvallis High School. Four students from Crescent Valley High School will also be recognized: Jaleen Cabell, Andre Oglesby, Jameel Tolbert, and Jordan Carpenter.

Weiler attends award ceremony

Erika Weiler, a Linus Pauling Middle School eighth grader, was recently recognized for academic excellence at a statewide awards ceremony held by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. She was invited to the ceremony based on her performance on the ACT, a test used for college admissions. In the 19 states the test was administered 25 percent of seventh- and eighth-graders who then earned an invitation to an awards ceremony. Erika is the daughter of Chieko and Steve Weiler.