Haroldson wins speech contest

John Haroldson, chief deputy district attorney of Benton County, was the first-place winner in the Toastmasters International Speech and Evaluation Contest at the division level, March 19. The runner-up was Geoffrey Wilson of Eugene.

The winner of the Evaluation Contest was Nowell King of Eugene; the runner-up was David Taylor, a member of the Oregon State University Toastmaster Club.

The winners will compete again at the District Spring Conference in Corvallis April 11 and 12.

Lincoln chess team third at state

A team of Lincoln Elementary School students recently finished third in the state chess championship for their age group.

The team consisted of fourth-grader Ky Porter, second-graders Tony Newman and Trent Powell, and fifth-graders Van Fudge and Shelby Richards. They competed in the kindergarten through fifth-grade division.

Earlier, they won the regional competition to qualify for the state tournament. It's the first time a team from Lincoln has qualified for the state chess tournament, where 30 teams competed. Two dozen students at the school are part of the Lincoln Elementary Lions Pride Chess Club.

Corvallis singers head to nationals

On the Rocks, a 10-man a capella group of University of Oregon students including Crescent Valley High School graduates Peter Vomocil and Cooper Bombadil recently placed first at the international championship of collegiate a capella regional semi-finals, held at Stanford University. A total of 250 teams competed.

The group will compete in the national finals April 26, in New York City.

This is the second straight year that On the Rocks has made it to the national finals. They placed third in the nation in 2002.

Pritchard up for cycling honor

Corvallis resident Walt Pritchard and members of the Mid-Valley Bicycle Club are among the 20 nominees for the Alice B. Toeclips Award. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance is honoring the cyclists in Oregon and Southwest Washington who have made their communities better places to ride a bicycle in 2002.

Pritchard has heightened the awareness of MVBC members about the importance of their active involvement in protecting the interests of bicyclists, promoting safety education, and encouraging cycling as sensible transportation. He has served as the bicycle advocacy representative on the MVBC board and functions as their liaison to the Corvallis Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Commission. He keeps club members abreast of cycling-related concerns in Corvallis and Benton County with a regular article in the MVBC newsletter. He also speaks up for the interests of cyclists on the Benton County Roads Commission. He encouraged the club to participate in ODOT's Adopt-a-Highway Program, and, led by Walt, the riders now take care of a section of rural highway along one of their favorite routes.

Awards will be announced March 29 at the Alice B. Toeclips Awards Party and Auction, in the Melody Ballroom, Portland.

Rotary honors middle-schoolers

The Rotary Club of Greater Corvallis has announced its March students of the month. These students are selected from Westland Middle School, Cheldelin Middle School and Franklin Middle School based on their individual achievements in the classroom, their outstanding citizenship and their contributions to the community, their school and other students.

The students are Ivar Vong of Westland, Jane Riebold of Cheldelin and Doug Potts of Franklin.

Riebold was selected for her academic excellence, characterized by her attention to detail in school and hobby activities. She volunteers at Cheldelin in mentoring a younger student in math. She enjoys horseback riding and competing in dressage and is part of the Pony Club in Corvallis. She is preparing to qualify for the regional championships in Northern California. She has also been participating in dog agility shows with her Australian shepherds since the age of 8 and is one of the few junior handlers in these competitions.

Vong is a student leader at Westland. He is a member of Student Council and made all the videos for the Student Council elections. He is an AYSO volunteer referee. His interests include playing the guitar in the Westland Jazz Band and working with computers, including digital video, computer programming and Web design.

Potts was selected from Franklin for his outstanding leadership participation in a variety of areas at the school as well as at his church. He is described as "a hard-working student who is caring and supportive toward adults, peers and younger students." He also helps out at home after school in his mother's daycare center. He has played the piano for six years and enjoys playing jazz. He also plays soccer and participates in track, where he enjoys long-distance running. He enjoys sketching and building model airplanes.

Each student selected receives a certificate of achievement, recognition at the monthly Rotary Club meeting, and recognition at their individual schools.

Soroptimists

grant cash awards

Three Corvallis women recently received $300 cash awards from the Soroptimist International Club of Corvallis.

Kacy Cotton received the Violet Richardson Award for volunteer action as a result of her work in training guide dogs for the blind. The award may be used as the recipient wishes.

Megan Weimer received the Women's Opportunity Award, given to a female head of household in financial need who is pursuing a degree program or vocational skills training program. She has attended college part time for the past six years while working. She expects to receive a bachelor's degree in English in 2004 and will pursue a master's degree to become a special education teacher. This award can be used for any expenses related to the recipient's educational pursuit.

Lori Low received the Fellowship Award, given to a woman established in her profession who holds a bachelor's or master's degree and presents a plan for post-graduate study leading to enhanced competence in her profession. She is pursuing a doctorate at Oregon State University in counselor education and supervision, with a focus on grief and loss. She expects to graduate in 2005. She is a full-time counselor at Cheldelin Middle School. The award can be used for any expense toward her educational pursuit.

Soroptimist International of Corvallis is a classified service organization for business and professional women.

Young artists sought for contest

The Oregon Humane Society's Education Department is seeking young artists to enter its 54th Annual "Be Kind to Animals" poster and photo/essay contest.

Last year more than

6,000 entries were received from all over the state. The contest is part of the national annual celebration of "Be Kind to Animals Week."

Detailed entry information is available at www.oregonhumane.org. Any Oregon student in grades one through 12 can enter. Each grade has a specific theme illustrating a valuable humane lesson.

To receive a contest registration form contact the Oregon Humane Society's Education Department at 503-285-7722, ext. 232. All entries must be received by or postmarked no later than April 11. Send or deliver entries to the Oregon Humane Society, Education Department, P.O. Box 11364, 1067 N.E. Columbia Blvd., Portland, OR 97211.

The first-place poster winners for each grade will be featured on a full-color poster. Winners of honorable mention through first place in each grade will receive a specially designed T-shirt, certificate, ribbon, and cash prizes. The grand prize-winning poster entry, selected from all the first-place winners, will receive an IBM-compatible computer. The grand prize, first runner up, special award, and animal advocacy award-winning posters will be featured in the Oregon Humane Society's quarterly magazine and on the Society's Web site.