sammamishreview050212

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May 2, 2012

COMMUNITY

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Book details journey of grief and faith

By Jessica Yuwanto

Contributed

Six-year-old Ella Matias shows off her Eager Reader minutes.

Cascade Ridge students log touusands of minutes reading

By Lillian Tucker

If the students at Cascade Ridge Elementary School had a dollar for every minute they read last month, they’d be a

long way toward paying for college.

At the beginning of April, the children were challenged to track how much time they spent reading for pleasure out-

side of class. The numbers were tallied April 27 and in the end the students had read 628,191 minutes – that’s well over See READ, Page 16

McAuliffe hosts art walk

Contributed

Parents peruse the artwork at Christa McAuliffe Elementary School’s art walk April 13.

The event featured a musical performance from the kindergarten, first- and second-grade students, an interactive mural and art work from all students.

In early 2002, Kerry Monroe, of Sammamish, learned that her youngest son, Micah, had adult leukemia. That was 10 days before her husband, Jim, lost his six-year battle with mouth cancer.

She had never experienced such a disorienting grief, she said, and the days and months that followed were very difficult.

After her husband’s death, Monroe and her son lived at Seattle Children’s Hospital for a year and a half during his treatment. She left her two teenagers — Marlana, then a ninth-grader, and Brandon, then a senior in high school — at home to take care of themselves.

Those were “pretty important times for them — breaks my heart even today,” she said. But “what choice did I have?”

Micah recovered his health within a few years. He even went on to play for the school’s basketball team.

He is now a senior at Western Washington University and will graduate in June.

Still, Monroe’s grief continued for many years.

Mainly a stay-at-home mom, she served as the women’s ministry director at Calvary Chapel Eastside in Bellevue. It was at that time — six years ago — that she got the idea to write a book.

Kim Case, the pastor’s wife at Calvary, suggested Monroe write about the many challenges she had faced. Such a book could help expose the truth about difficult issues that society often ignores, according to Case.

“As a culture, we do like problems to be solved in 46 minutes and we don’t have the stomach for real dialogue about issues like rape, abortion, domestic violence, etc.,” Case said. “Kerry isn’t afraid to go there. (Her) loss is real, her life is open, her heart is tender.”

Monroe initially laughed at the idea. She didn’t think anyone would be interested in her story.

But she had already had several poems, prose and prayers published and distributed to many churches. She often spoke at women’s luncheons and retreats.

This triggered the idea that there

might actually be an interest in writing a book.

Hence the beginning of “God Always Knew” was born. After initially being published last summer, the book was re-released in January. Monroe combined her life experiences and Christian faith to write the tragedy-to-triumph story. It is “a very transparent look at what (the relationship with God) looks like,” she said.

Just like her personal journey, the writing process wasn’t easy.

Monroe battled with the painful details of her story. She exposed her personal scars from sexual and physical abuse, identity crisis and abandonment by parents.

She also faced the dilemma of how much should one share without dishonoring someone’s life, in terms of past abuse.

“Many tears were shed while writing this book for many reasons,” she said. “To open up old wounds and relive the past, or to relive all the pain of dealing with my loved ones’ battle with cancer, was daunting to say the least.”

Monroe wrote “feverishly” and wept through every chapter as it came out. She would then put the manuscript away and come back to it later. She said while people often hide from their true feelings, it’s really best to be honest and express the feelings as they are. She said she believes writing helps promote healing.

It took Monroe about a year to finish writing. Jebaire Publishing published the book last August, and then did another printing in January. Jebaire is an independent, nondenominational Christian book publisher. As an “author’s company,” its job is “to provide a platform for the Christian writing community to have their voices heard” as it is difficult to break into the publishing industry, according to its website. The distribution list for “God Always Knew” included big names, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Monroe said she received an uplifting response for her book.

She now works at Northwest Multiple Listing Service, a database service for real-estate firms, and Marketplace Chaplains USA. See BOOK, Page 15

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sports

May 2, 2012

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Eastlake tops record-setting Skyline golf team

By Lillian Tucker

Photo by Lillian Tucker

Eastlake’s Abbie Carlson chips the ball onto the green during the April 24 match against Skyline.

The fact that the Skyline girls golf team broke its course record by more than 20 strokes last week should have made it Skyline’s match, but the win went to the visiting Eastlake Wolves, who bested their host by three strokes.

It happened April 24 at The Plateau Club, home turf of the Skyline Spartans. They play the par 36 nearly every day, and at the match managed a 249. But Eastlake had a better day, coming in at a 246.

After the match Erik Hanson, Skyline’s coach, told his team that the worst thing about golf is that even when you do well there is always something bad to think about.

“This is a really legit golf course and for us to come in and shoot a 249 is great,” he said. “I tell the girls they are always playing against themselves…It was win, win.”

With only a few players still finishing up the match, the coaches began tallying the score.

Having broken their own course record, it looked like Skyline was a shoo-in. But that all changed when Eastlake’s No. 5 player, Kelsey Maki signed her score card. With 57 strokes it pushed the Wolves into first.

“I had no idea. Normally I don’t score so that was exciting,” said Maki. “I had a bad round yesterday so I just wanted to play better than I did.”

The day before Eastlake had hosted Newport at Sahalee golf course, par 36, and lost with a score of 261.

“It was the difference of the match,” said Eastlake coach Pat Bangasser. “This is a team sport and sometimes we forget that.”

Eastlake started off strong with its No. 1 player Jamie Midkiff birdying the first hole. The bumpy par-4 challenges players with its fairway that looks like a giant’s collection of holiday ornaments with several hundred yards of green carpet laid over them. On hole six, a par-3 with a miniature canyon and thorn-clad bushes separating the tee box from the green, Midkiff’s drive landed five feet from the pin.

With both team’s coaches looking on, she sank the putt for her second birdie of the day. Having shot a 48 Monday, Midkiff came back Tuesday to improve seven strokes for a score of 41.

“We focus a lot on staying in the present. Forget yesterday, forget the last shot,” said Bangasser. “You just have to be mentally tough, positive and optimistic regardless of what’s going on.”

The day’s second top-scorer was Megan Wotherspoon. The senior at Eastlake High School lives on The Plateau Club’s back nine and started out on the course when she was 3-yearsold with plastic clubs. Having graduated to irons and woods, Wotherspoon shot a 43 that day, parring both par 5’s on the front nine.

“I get nervous with the par 5’s here because they are long and there are hazards on both sides so it s a relief to get on the green in three and par them,” she said.

“I’m here a lot. I’m comfortable and know it but every day is different.”

While it was a day of team bests, it was also a day of personal bests on that particular course for several of the Skyline golfers. Layla Hiramoto shot a 51 to improve on her personal best by two strokes. Shirly Chung shot a 49 and Brya Vowels finished with a 47. Emma Farno plays in Skyline’s No. 3 position, but on April 24 she shot a 47 for her personal best and tied with varsity No. 1, Vowels, for the match’s third place. Farno said that it was around the seventh hole when she realized she could set a new record for herself.

“I had it added up in my head,” See GOLF, Page 22

Spartan track team dominates Garfield

By Lillian Tucker

With a boys score of 68 and a girls score of 98, Skyline’s field and track team put its best face forward last week when it swept its home meet against Garfield.

The clouds rolled in over the Sammamish field April 26 but never opened up to pour over the event. When the sun peeked out from behind its curtain it was not enough to warm up the athletes, who peeled off their sweats only long enough to compete in their particular events. At the long jump station, Lindsay Coutts, a junior at Skyline quickly shed her warmer layers before taking off down the runway and launching, her arms and legs stretched back before coming down in the sandpit. During her jumps Coutts kept commenting that she found herself having to slow before springing from the takeoff board.

“Sometimes my mark is off. I

just have to make sure my runup is solid and I don’t scratch,” she said. The hiccup didn’t affect her standing. Coutts took first with a jump of 15 feet, 9 1/2 inches, followed by Garfield’s Nhautrey Brown(15-8). With a 13-0.5 jump Cailey Grembowski, a sophomore at Skyline, got a personal best and came in fifth out of nine girls.

“Usually I just try to clear my mind and hope that it’s all muscle memory,” said Coutts. “I just try and sail along as long as you can.”

With the exclusion of pole vault, the Skyline Spartans swept all other girls field events. Kara Alden threw 29-3 1/2 to win the shot put and 87-0 to win discus.

At 82-4, Kelly Garrett won javelin. With a jump of 5-0, Sydney Tingey took first in the high jump and Marissa Fortier won See TRACK, Page 22

Photo by Lillian Tucker

Bryan Lee, a sophomore at Skyline High School, threw the discus 132 feet, two inches on April 26 and set a new personal record.