The IssaquahPress
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Community
Wednesday May 7, 2014
Issaquah’s unique heritage is on display for History Month By Joe Grove news@isspress.com
By Christina Corrales-Toy
Issaquah School Board member Anne Moore (left) makes a purchase from Rocket City merchant Ishan Misro during Apollo Elementary School’s Classroom City simulation.
ELEMENTARY ECONOMICS
Apollo students learn real-life lessons in Rocket City
By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com About a dozen little heads peered out from a row of oversized cardboard boxes, directing their attention toward a classroom door at Apollo Elementary School. Moments later, a line of third-graders from a visiting class entered the room, and the quiet anticipation was quickly replaced with the busy wheeling and dealing of a marketplace. Such is life in Rocket City, a bustling simulated town, marked by cardboard shops and led by an elected student mayor in Lauren Molnar’s thirdgrade class. “The students get creative and it’s fun to see their engagement level, because they spend so much time preparing,” Molnar said of the sixweek simulation. The Classroom City unit gives Molnar’s students a hands-on practicum of the inner workings of government and commerce. They elect leaders, set laws, craft a business plan and sell their wares to visiting classmates, referred to as “tourists,” in their little town. As the visitors file into the classroom they are
By Christina Corrales-Toy
Jenna Silvestri, of Newcastle, gives a customer change, after recording a sale in the simulated town of Rocket City at Apollo Elementary School. given a “wallet” full of blue and green currency. Student merchants sit patiently in their cardboard boxes, while “customers” peruse through the city businesses. The goods, crafted by the students themselves, vary from jewelry and bookmarks to pillows and key chains. Hannah Ward, already a savvy business associate at the age of 9, stood beside her Pretty Paper Crafts “company” and handed out business cards. It’s all about supply and demand, she said when asked how she sets the prices of her handmade paper crafts. Business owners often negotiate with their “customers”
and diligently record their sales in an effort to keep a balanced book. As most of the students do, Hannah, of Newcastle, has to pull double duty, acting as a City Council member and a business owner. It’s tough to juggle the two roles, she said, but she’s learning a valuable lesson about citizenship. “We’re learning how to be a good citizen and to vote, and make a good decision, depending on what you think, not what your friends think,” she said of the city experiment. The first person visitors see when they enter is Rocket City Mayor Anjali Dixit. Anjali, 9, occupies a piece of prime real estate next to the entrance be-
Churches host day of service Sammamish Hills Lutheran and Pine Lake Covenant churches will engage hundreds of volunteers to roll up their sleeves and work at numerous Eastside nonprofits for the Community Day of Service on May 10. Event organizers expect more than 600 volunteers will lend a helping hand at about 40 organizations, including local ones such as the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank, Eastside Baby Corner and Providence Marianwood. This is the third year Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church has led the communitywide initiative, and the first time Pine Lake Covenant Church is involved. “We’re excited to join See SERVICE, Page A8
cause she has an important job — she must greet the tourists. Anjali, of Newcastle, was elected by her peers after giving a rousing campaign speech, she said. “I promised I would help people if they needed it,” she said. “I would keep Rocket City safe and make sure there’s no littering.” So far so good, Anjali said of her performance as mayor. April 15 was an important day for the Rocket City leader as she entertained two special guests in State Rep. Steve Bergquist and Issaquah School Board member Anne Moore. See CITY, Page A8
OPENING THE ARCHIVES AN ONGOING LOOK AT MEMORABLE IMAGES FROM ISSAQUAH’S PAST
2009.006.080.062
Three of a Kind Three smiling guys, enjoying the sunshine, wearing threepiece suits and driving caps, are ‘Petch, Art Anderson, Sellers.’ The photo is from Ferol Tibbetts’ album dated 1911-1921.
The Issaquah History Museums take requests regarding what people would like to see in the Digital Collection. Roughly quarterly, volunteers have a data-entry day and prep a bunch of records for upload. If there is a particular name, place or item you’d like to see more images of on the website, email Erica Maniez at erica. maniez@issaquahhistory. org. If you have a photo or subject you would like to see in this feature, email editor@ isspress.com.
“Every community has its own weird, wild and wonderful stories, and Issaquah is no exception,” according to Erica Maniez, director of Issaquah History Museums. This is the fourth year the museums will spotlight Issaquah’s unique heritage throughout the month of May for Local History Month. The organization operates two museums people can visit, Gilman Town Hall, 165 S.E. Andrews St., and the Depot Museum, 78 First Ave. N.E. Town Hall has exhibits on display that show the history of the town; the Depot Museum highlights the role the railroad played in the town’s development. The museums’ plans for May go beyond the exhibits in the two facilities. The first is a Historic Pub Crawl on May 8, starting at 6:45 p.m. “It is the second time we have done it,” said Lissa Kramer, program coordinator for the museums. “The first one was last September, and it was a lot of fun.” During Local History Month they try get more of their general messaging to the membership, volunteers and the general public, and “our pub crawl is a vehicle for getting out a larger historical story, and a way for us to be getting to different audiences than we might normally get,” she said. The group is working with the Downtown Issaquah Association on the Pub Crawl. “Our goal is to get as many people involved in local history as possible,” Kramer said. “So, our purpose in the Pub Crawl is to show how interesting it can be.” The crawl is a walking tour with groups of 10 to 15 people, led by a museums’ staffer. In some pubs, patrons will be served a drink and in others they will be given an appetizer. “We have a lot of experience with interpretive walks,” Kramer said, “so we tell some juicy stories thrown in along with the general history, a little murder and mayhem, along with the prohibition thing. But it has to connect directly with Issaquah. That is the essential piece.” Tickets for the Pub Crawl are $45, which includes the drinks and appetizers, and can be purchased on the museums’ website, www.issaquahhistory.org. On May 31, they will wrap up the month with Olde Town Mine History Hike, led by volunteer Doug Bristol from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Bristol will lead hikers through the story of Issaquah’s coal mining past. The hike requires advance registration at the museums’ website. “Issaquah is very unique in its coal mining history,” Kramer said. “If you look at the history of Washington state and how Seattle developed, Issaquah was really pivotal because of its coal fields. We try to get a little more into that, as it is another interpretive walk.” Laura Hall, administrative coordinator, said the museums have been around since 1972. Gilman Town Hall was built in 1898; much of the interior finish is from the original era. “We do a lot of programs with children and have a great set of docents, some
“We have a lot of experience with interpretive walks, so we tell some juicy stories thrown in along with the general history, a little murder and mayhem, along with the prohibition thing.” — Lissa Kramer History Museums program coordinator
who have lived here their entire lives,” she said. Gilman was the name of the town when the building was built. It housed the mayor and sheriff, who were one and the same at times. Before it was called Gilman, it was Squak Valley. “There is a fourth name that I am missing sandwiched in there somewhere,” she said. She said both the Town Hall and the Depot Museum are on the National Register of Historic Places. Maniez said the mission of the organization is to help people in the community discover, preserve and share the history of Issaquah. With one full-time employee and three part-time employees, the museums organization has four people with graduate degrees in museum studies to carry out their programs. Both Kramer and Maniez said they are striving to expand the kids portion of their audience. “We want to get kids engaged when they come in,” Maniez said. “It is fun to understand why things are the way they are in the community in which you live, but it also gives a hometown pride in knowing the story of your hometown.” May 1 was the launch of STQRY, a new mobile phone app that helps users find out about nearby points of interest. The public can use STQRY to learn more about the museums’ buildings, rolling stock and outdoor exhibits. Download the app at www.stqry.com. Maniez said they just received a grant for a pilot program that will allow them to develop a summer camp for middle school students. But why should kids care about history? “Because it is your home and you want to hear the story of how it became the place it is today,” Maniez said. She said one of the mysteries kids might see at the museum is a glass jar of home canned green beans preserved in 1922. “They still look green, but I wouldn’t vouch for the nutritional value of them,” she said. Or they might learn how Poo Poo Point got its name. “It was named by Harvey Manning and was named after the sound of a steam donkey, which whistled ‘poo poo’ before it started pulling logs into a central point. It’s not scatological,” Maniez said. Exhibits at Gilman Town Hall are open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at the Depot Museum from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The historic Issaquah Valley Trolley will start running Saturday and Sunday May 17 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Information about the Local History Month highlights and activities can be found on the museums’ website.
P olice & F ire Stolen tools Tools, worth an estimated $1,000, were stolen from the 18500 block of Southeast Newport Way on March 26.
Bear sighting A person spotted a bear in the 23300 block of Southeast Black Nugget Road on March 26. Police responded but the bear was gone.
Return to sender In the 5300 block of 229th Avenue Southeast, a man reported March 26 that someone had placed what appeared to be dog feces in his mailbox. He stated that he had a minor property dispute with a neighbor but was unsure if he would be responsible for something like this.
Stolen bicycles Bicycles were reported stolen in the 700 block of Fifth Avenue Northwest on March 26. The estimated loss was $2,400.
Two ski break-ins 4A ski bag was reported stolen from a 2004 Porsche Cayenne in the 21200 block of Southeast 42nd Place on March 26. The estimated loss was $1,300. 4Ski goggles and a ski jacket were reported stolen from a 2003 Saturn Ion in the corner of Southeast 42nd Land and Peregrine Point Way Southeast on March 26. The estimated loss was $250.
Broken windows An estimated $1,500 was reported lost from damaged windows in the 500 block of Rainier Boulevard North on March 27.
Vehicle break-in Electronics were reported stolen from a gold 2010 GMC Terrain in the 23200 block of Southeast Black Nugget Road on March 27. The estimated loss was $1,568.
Assault arrest Police responded April 7 to a domestic violence report at an apartment in the 4400 block of IssaquahPine Lake Road Southeast. Upon arrival, officers witnessed a man shoving a woman. He was arrested and charged with fourthdegree assault. The man told the officers he was experiencing chest pains, and was taken to an Issaquah hospital for observation. He was medically cleared and booked into the county jail.
DUI suspect arrested An officer driving northbound on 228th Avenue Southeast at about 12:40 a.m. April 12 witnessed a vehicle traveling at 50 mph in a 40-mph zone. The officer stopped the vehicle and determined the driver had a warrant for DUI. The driver was arrested and booked into the Issaquah Jail for the warrant, and was issued a speeding ticket.
Stolen vehicle A resident called police to the 3300 block of 262nd Avenue Southeast at about 9:35 a.m. April 12 to report a vehicle theft. The female resident said she parked her 2005 silver Toyota Corolla in the driveway at 7:30 the previous night, and it was gone the following morning. The woman said both keys to the vehicle were in her possession. Police didn’t find any evidence around the driveway to determine how the car was stolen, and there was no immediate suspect information. The vehicle has Washington plates, AIY4462. The Press publishes names of those charged with felony crimes. Information comes directly from local police reports.
The Issaquah Press
Wednesday, May 7, 2014 •
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