Each week ''At Our Best'' highlights the achievements of those in our community. It includes honors, awards and other recognition that is being earned by local residents.

Please continue to send or deliver such information, along with pictures of those honored, to the newspaper in care of managing editor Rob Priewe, 600 S.W. Jefferson Ave., Corvallis, OR 97333.

Philomath students win skills awards

Three Philomath High School students won awards at the EITD Industrial Skills Contest held March 1 at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany. Approximately 200 high school students competed in contests for automotive technology, machine tool, welding, heavy equipment/diesel and engineering graphics.

Galen Wilson won first place in Welding Technology-General Welding Skills. Cody King was awarded second place in Welding Technology-Gas Tungsten Arc Welding. Kayleen Hannaway was awarded third place in Drafting n 2D Mechanical.

College honor rolls

Forest Grove - Pacific University fall dean's list: Jessica Moser of Philomath.

Spokane, Wash. - Gonzaga University fall semester: Christopher T. Provencher of Corvallis, sophomore, dean's list; Sandra Dooley of Corvallis, sophomore, president's list, with a 4.0 grade point average.

Portland - Portland State University fall dean's list: Madeline M. Maze of Corvallis, School of Fine & Performing Arts.

College graduates

Marquette, Mich. - Northern Michigan University December 2006: Eileen Oppelt of Corvallis, Master of Science in biology.

Stillwater, Okla. - Oklahoma State University December 2006: Chad Barrington of Corvallis, Bachelor of Arts in architecture. Barrington is a 1998 graduate of Crescent Valley High School.

Corvallis Fire gets 14th in stair climb

The Corvallis Fire Department Stair Climb team finished 14th out of 144 teams at the 16th annual Scott Firefighter Stair Climb, a fund-raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, in Seattle, Wash., on March 4. Firefighters donned their firefighting gear and self-contained breathing apparatus and raced up 69 floors to the top of the Columbia Center building. The event, billed as "climb for a cure" brings together firefighters from all over the world to test them as they climb to the top of the second tallest building west of the Mississippi. Members of the Corvallis Fire Department's team began training in early November for the event.

Corvallis Fire Stair Climb Team results:

Matthew Crawford, 14:48

Carl Niedner, 15:36

Mike Maldonado, 18:39

Braydon Bigam, 19:08

Ross Fuhrman, 17:22

Rick Hill, 22:52

Mark Baxter, 25:53

Jason Dennis, 27:19

Local wine makers win Best of Show

Local amateur wine makers formally known as The Three Fools, Joel Rea (Corvallis Brewing Supply), Derek Whiteside (Whiteside's Beer and Wine) and Barry Glassman (OSU librarian) recently took Best of Show at the 2007 Newport Wine and Seafood Festival in the amateur wine making division with their 2004 Del Rio Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The following award-winning amateur wine makers are from the Corvallis/Albany area.

Doug Markle, gold, 2005 Oregon Pinot Noir

Jessica Cortell, Craig Massie and Tom Ottenheimer - silver, 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

Mark Daeschel, silver, Pinot Noir/Gamay

Barry Glassman, Joel Rea, Derek Whiteside, silver, 2004 Temperance Hill Pinot Noir

Jessica Cortell, Craig Massie and Tom Ottenheimer - 2005 Syrah

Tom and Karen Pearson, bronze, 2005 Pinot Noir

Mark Daeschel, gold, Chardonnay/Pinot Blanc

Kim Rowe, silver, 2003 Thompson Seedless

Ken McCracken, silver, 2001 Strawberry

Ken McCracken, gold, 2002 Granny Smith

Kim Rowe, gold, 2004 Melrose Apple

Rotary names Students of Month

Brad Rondeau was awarded the the Greater Corvallis Rotary Club's Student of the Month award for Linus Pauling Middle School. Brad has earned straight A's in school since sixth grade. He has over 50 hours of community-service learning including working at the Humane Society and a golf tournament benefiting the Old Mill School. He is in Leadership Class and has been co-chair of Make-A-Difference Day, MLK Jr. Week of Peace n including the Potters for Peace Project.

Frank Lui is the Greater Corvallis Rotary club's Student of the Month for Cheldelin Middle School. Frank is an excellent student having a 4.0 grade point average. Frank enjoys math and is taking classes at Oregon State University and competes in math competitions. In 2006 he competed in the regional and state competition placing fifth. He also received the Presidential Fitness Award last year.

OSU alum is No. 2 officer at Whidbey

Whidbey Island, Wash. - Cmdr. Paul A. Spilsbury, a native of St. George, Ill., assumed the executive officer job March 1 as second in command for the only naval air station in the Pacific Northwest.

Spilsbury enlisted in the Navy in 1982 as an electrician's mate before entering Oregon State University in Corvallis, under the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program and earning a bachelor's degree in technical journalism.

He pinned on wings of gold as a naval flight officer at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif. Since then, he has served at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, Calif.; two tours with Maritime Patrol Squadron One (VP-1); the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and officer in charge of Fleet Support Unit Detachment 10.

Spilsbury lives in Burlington, Wash.

Ryssegem honored with valor award

Army Spec. Sam Van Ryssegem has been decorated with the Army Commendation Medal with the "V" device signifying valor for participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom at a forward-deployed location in Iraq. The medal is awarded to individuals who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism, meritorious achievement or meritorious service.

Van Ryssegem, a machine gunner, is assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, Baumholder, Germany. The specialist has served in the military for two years. He is the son of Guido Van Ryssegem and Martha Adams, both of Corvallis. Van Ryssegem graduated from Corvallis High School in 2004.