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April 9, 2014
community
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Eastlake musical goes after stereotypes By Neil Pierson
Photo by Neil Pierson
From left, Eastlake High School students Ishanie Choudhury, Lauren Vasquez, Clair Mcdonald, Haley Langton and Alanna Martinez rehearse a scene from ‘High School Musical,’ which takes place April 24-26.
When the Eastlake High School drama club takes the stage April 24, it’ll be reinforcing some stereotypes about teenagers while breaking down others. Eastlake’s annual spring musical, directed by Rachelle Horner, takes aim at the highly popular and recognizable “High School Musical,” a story that gained fame through the Zac Efron- and Vanessa Hudgens-led Disney films of 2006-08. During rehearsals last week, the 37-member cast – the largest of any production in Horner’s five-year tenure – seemed to relish the fact they weren’t straying too far from their real-life personas. They’re high-school students playing high-school students. Chandler Gerdes, a junior who stars as basketball team captain Troy Bolton, said the show’s com-
‘HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL’ Who: Eastlake High School drama club When: 7 p.m. April 24-26, 1 p.m. April 26 Where: Eastlake auditorium Tickets: Available at the door only; $12 general admission, $9 for students and senior citizens mon description as a modernday “Romeo and Juliet” is an apt one. Bolton and the bookishlysmart Gabriella Montez, played by junior Ishanie Choudhury, struggle to develop their relationship and follow their true callings because of peer pressure. “I think, even though it perpetuates a lot of stereotypical norms See MUSICAL, Page 7
Creekside kids get schooled in career-path planning By Neil Pierson
did to achieve his goals in sports. Growing up outside Young children may rarely Philadelphia, Morgan fell in love think about the work they’ll be with the Miami Hurricanes footdoing after finishing school, but ball program. He earned a scholCreekside Elementary School is arship to play for Miami, where trying to open their eyes to the he became an All-American possibilities. linebacker and a first-round draft The plateau school held its pick of the Carolina Panthers. first career day April 1, bringing He ended up playing seven more than 40 parents and comseasons for Carolina and made 18 munity members from a wide tackles in their 2003 Super Bowl variety of fields into classrooms. loss to New England. Injuries Counselor April Stevens was the forced him to retire after spendbrain trust ing the 2008 “People who are behind the season with the event. excellent at their job are New Orleans “I’ve always Saints. passionate.” been interested Morgan in bringing encouraged his – Dan Morgan, career developyoung audiFootball scout – ment, career ence to find awareness, to something they our students,” love. Stevens said. “I think it’s really “People who are excellent at important, and this was just a their job are passionate,” he said. great opportunity to sort of bring “When you’re picking a career … the awareness school-wide, and it’s impossible to be remarkable hopefully, also in the home.” at your job if you’re not passionThe day started with a visit ate.” from keynote speaker Dan Derek Decater, a personal Morgan, a former professional trainer who owns a gym in football player who now works as Preston, and yoga instructor a scout for the Seattle Seahawks. Robin Rothenberg spent time in Morgan has three children physical education classes talking who attend Creekside, and he about their jobs and offering tips. spoke to the students about folIn music classes, students lowing their dreams, just as he were treated to visits from Steve
Flynn, a composer and pianist with eclectic tastes; and Danielle McCutcheon, a violinist with the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra. Three members of Eastside Fire & Rescue’s Station 81 in Sammamish went to classrooms and spoke about the exhaustive training required to do their jobs. Firefighters and emergency medical technicians have to study thick books on how to use ladders, air packs and other safety devices, said Lt. Dan DeGidio. They also perfect practical skills on each other, including putting bandages and splints on wounds, and using needles for allergic reactions. “We see people at the worst part of their day … and that takes a lot of skill,” DeGidio told students. In Megan Graff’s second-grade classroom, students hovered around Dave Ritter as he spread blueprints on the floor. A former architect, Ritter now works with Sellen Construction, and he’s helping to build three skyscrapers in downtown Seattle for an Amazon.com campus. “I have to imagine what the buildings are going to look like at the very end and then work backward,” Ritter told the students. See CAREER, Page 7
Photo by Neil Pierson
Second-grade students at Creekside Elementary School excitedly interact with builder Dave Ritter as he shows them blueprints during an April 1 career day event.
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SPORTS
April 9, 2014
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Bowman, Skyline subdue Issaquah in fastpitch rivalry By Neil Pierson
The fastpitch rivalry between the Issaquah Eagles and Skyline Spartans always has intensity, and last week’s clash to open Class 4A KingCo Conference play was no different. Facing off against former teammates Winter Ridgeway and Tia Hedman, the Spartans used a fourth-inning surge and rallied past the Eagles, 5-3, on April 1 at Skyline High School. Caroline Bowman, one of six freshmen starters for Skyline, was superb in leading the comeback. She used her fastball and rise ball effectively to strike out 11 hitters, while limiting the Eagles to five hits and no walks. Spartans coach Ken Brooks said Bowman responded well after throwing one mistake pitch – a second-inning fastball that Ridgeway belted over the centerfield fence for the game’s first run. “She did make a bad pitch to Winter, and she said it was her,” Brooks said. “I take credit for the bad ones if she hits her spot, and she takes credit for the ones that she doesn’t. “That’s pretty big in a kid that will do that, that accepts her role and knows that (mis-
takes) are going to happen … but owns up to it and moves on. She’s just quality. I can’t say enough good things about her.” Bowman, who has previous experience with a Seattle-based select team, said she tried to bounce back after Ridgeway’s homer. “I started off pretty good, and I thought it was going good, and then I just left one right over the middle and she took it,” Bowman said. “But I came back the next inning, finished strong, I think.” Issaquah increased its lead to 2-0 in the third as Sydney Schultz scorched a leadoff double and scored on Julianna Bernado’s sacrifice bunt. But momentum took a 180-degree turn in the fourth as Skyline benefited from some poor Issaquah defense and got its first hits off Ridgeway, who also pitched well. The junior allowed four hits and two walks while strikSee SKYLINE, Page 9 Photo by Greg Farrar
Caroline Bowman, Skyline High School freshman, retires three Issaquah batters in the seventh inning to round out her complete-game pitching effort April 1 in the Spartans’ 5-3 victory.
Eastlake’s momentum falls flat in last-minute loss By Neil Pierson
Crawling into a defensive shell against a talented opponent usually isn’t a great recipe for success in the game of soccer. It was a lesson learned the hard way last week for the Eastlake Wolves, who held a one-goal lead against the visiting Garfield Bulldogs with less than 10 minutes to play. But two late goals brought the Bulldogs back from the precipice of defeat, and they knocked off the Wolves 3-2 in a Class 4A KingCo Conference match on April 1. Wolves coach Adam Gervis said his players simply lost their attacking mentality late in the game, and the Bulldogs made them pay. “When we were up 2-1 with 20 minutes (left), they just shut it down, and you can’t shut it down,” Gervis said. “They’ve mentally said, ‘OK, we’ve got it in the bag,’ and good teams know that doesn’t happen.” Eastlake rebounded after a slow start. In the fourth minute, Garfield’s Jokichi Matsubara got on the end of a corner kick and headed it past Wolves goalkeeper Jack Hornsby from point-blank range. The Bulldogs controlled possession for long stretches of the first half, but the Wolves wound
A Garfield player attempts to interrupt an Eastlake pass in the first half. up with the halftime lead thanks to a pair of unstoppable shots. In the 25th minute, Anthony Humay found space in the middle of the field and unleashed a
20-yard rocket that found the far side of the net. Connor Ahlquist put Eastlake in front in the 37th minute after taking a crossing pass from
Photo by Neil Pierson
Connor Finley. Ahlquist whiffed on his first attempt, but kept the ball in front of him and volleyed a shot from the top of the penalty area into the upper left corner of
the goal. Garfield’s Abdi Abdulahi nearly tied the score before the halftime whistle, but his shot struck the crossbar and bounced out. With the lead, the Wolves surrendered much of the possession in the second half, although they were able to generate some dangerous counterattacks. Forward Kekoa Knief was the target on many chances, but was unable to make good shots after beating the last defender, Gervis said. Still, the defeat rested more on lax defending late in the game, the coach indicated. “What was good to see is the things we asked them to do, they did,” he said. “But they didn’t do it all the second half. First half, they got it going and they did really well. Second half, they just went back a step. And who knows what that was about? We’ll figure that out as we go along.” Physical play began picking up late in the match, with the referee handing out yellow cards to Garfield’s August Marquard and Eastlake’s Humay. Abdulahi’s speedy influence may have turned the game in the Bulldogs’ favor. He drew a penalty kick in the 73rd minute, which teammate Joseph Hurley converted to tie the score. Three minutes later, he creatSee SOCCER, Page 9