Posted by Charles Rehberg on Jun 17, 2019
North Notes
Spokane North Rotary Club Bulletin
June 20, 2019
 
Rotary calendar:
            June 24: Club’s annual dinner and installation of officers, 6 p.m., at the Kalispel Golf and Country Club’s 1898 Restaurant.
 
            July 1: No meeting during the holiday week.
 
            July 8: Rotary Connects: President Melinda Keberle hosts at her home.
 
            July 15: Luncheon, noon at Nectar in Kendall Yards.
 
            July 22, or: Rotary Serves:  Project TBA.
 
            July 29: Luncheon, noon at Nectar in Kendall Yards.
 
            Sept. 20: Club fund-raising wine tasting and dinner at Kalispel Golf and Country Club.
 
Briefly:
            Holmes help, cont.: Several members have stepped up, but a few sign-ups are still needed for various Holmes duties during the year, said program coordinator Sandy Fink.
          
 
                           West Central Community Center's Neighbor Days:  Ron Schurra enjoying himself at the Rotary Serves Event! 
Thanks to incoming President, Melinda Keberle, for heading it up.
           
 
 
 
Two more Saling scholars honored
 
            At the June 17 luncheon, Myah Rodriquez-Bates of North Central and Samuel Milsap of Rogers High received their $1,500 Gerald L. Saling scholarships.
 
            They joined Perla Ramirez-Martinez of Rogers who received her scholarship at the June 3 luncheon.
 
            Scholarship coordinator Brian Hipperson talked about Jerry Saling’s love for education and for carefully managing education funding while Saling was in the Washington Legislature and at Spokane Falls Community College.
 
            Saling joined the Spokane-North club in 1983 and remained as a member until he died in 2008. He was principal at Roosevelt Elementary, when he was elected to the Legislature in 1964 through 1970.  Saling was dean of instruction at SFCC from 1971 and named president in 1974 through 1982.  He was elected to the State Senate in 1984.  
 
             Hipperson said Saling, always working for growing education opportunities, pushed so hard for the Riverpoint District that the area “should be called Jerry’s Yard.”
 
            Jerry would have loved the accomplishments of Myah, Sam and Perla.
 
            Steve Bergman, club president-elect and vice president next month, introduced Myah Ramirez-Martinez.  She plans to attend Western Washington University, hoping for a degree in secondary education, majoring in history.  “That was my favorite topic,” Bergman said.
 
            In her application, Myah said “my biggest goal was to spread kindness and make friends.”
 
             She ran for ASB vice presidency as a junior.  “Although in the end I lost, I still pushed myself out of my comfort zone and overcame the anxiety I had around public speaking.  Losing was hard; it felt as if all of the time and effort I put into campaigning was for nothing.”
 
            “As I continued to reflect on my loss, I realized I would not change the experience for the world,” Myah said.  “I made many new friends and met people I had never seen at North Central before.”
 
            Myah worked at NC’s Link Crew and the One Tribe Leader to help new students.  She chaired three of the school’s Food Drive and a drive for funding for the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
She said the new “One Tribe Day” program for the NC Indians, was started “because after experiencing four suicides in two years the school was hurting, so we wanted the whole school for part
of a day to bring suicide awareness to our school and build more community.”
 
            Her history teacher, Matthew Johnson, said “she is a truly solid scholar with a matchless love for learning.  Myah was on the varsity volleyball team and also chaired NC’s “Groovy Shoes” competitive rally with Shadle Park.
 
            NC Counselor Lyndsey Sabo cited Myah’s “upbeat spirit, determination and drive to do well.  Sabo said “Myah is a cancer survivor (requiring removal of one kidney), student athlete, leadership guru and volunteer extraordinaire.”
 
            Introducing Sam Milsap, Board Member Chuck Rehberg said that since Sam was wearing a bright Rogers purple T-shirt, Sam had to go to the University of Washington because he already had the right Husky wardrobe.
 
            Sam said he “plans to get a bachelor’s degree in engineering and hopes to get a master’s in another engineering field, or some form of construction, plus a professional engineering license.”OK
 
            Asked in his application about how he has made a difference, Sam said “my most meaningful difference was with helping my mom after her (six) surgeries” while Sam was a 10th grader.  “I had to take off time from school at least three days a week for a four-month period to help her with daily life,” Sam said.
 
            He cited his pride in work with the Black Student Union group at Rogers and his speech at the Martin Luther Convocation this year.
 
            Speaking about Rotary’s Four-Way Test, Sam said his involvement with the Project Lead the Way engineering curriculum, “I have learned people skills, such as how to effectively communicate, tutor and lead by example” in civil engineering and architecture classes.
 
            “Growing up with four brothers and just my mom was always tough for me and this is one key factor for my source of self-motivation,” Sam said.
 
            Rogers counselor Stacie Collier said “Sam is academically at the top of his club.  Throughout high school, he has sought out challenging coursework and has always looked for opportunities to grow.  He is one of a small number of students who completed all four years of our Engineering program.”
 
            Collier adds: “Sam is the epitome of a servant leader both in and out of school. He can always be found helping tutor students at lunch and after school. He volunteers with the National Honor Society, always willing to help with school projects and volunteers with the local Humane Society.”
 
            “Whether it’s mowing an elderly neighbor’s lawn, or moving a neighbor’s piano, Sam is present, reliable and willing to help,” Collier said.
 
            “Few would have the ability to identify unmet needs and positively interact with diverse individuals to make others have the tools to be the very best.  Sam has this capability and those around him are better for it,” Collier said.
 
            English teacher Andrew Lochhead said about Sam: “I was immediately struck by how intent Sam was on completing his assignments with utmost accuracy and effort.  Sam proved himself to be a tremendous writer.  Very few students have the ability to convey their thoughts and ideas as clearly as Sam.”   
 
            On June 3, President-elect Melinda Keberle presented the scholarship to Perla Ramirez-Martinez, noting she is the first member of her family to go to college.
 
            Perla also attends Spokane Falls Community College and plans to major in math at EWU.  Melinda quoted from Perla’s scholarship application, saying, “even if you’re an immigrant, you can still make the difference and get an education if you work hard for it.”
 
            In her application, Perla said the scholarship “means a lot to me because it’s only my mom working at Taco Bell.  And with this it can help her, so she doesn’t have to pay so much.”
 Of the Four-Way Test, Perla said, “I am truth fully to the people around me and my friends.  I volunteer at Lidgerwood Elementary as a mentor to help and be a good role model to children.  I want to be a match teacher because I want to help others like my teachers did to me.”
 
            Beth McGibbon, history and social studies teacher at Rogers, said Perla has been active for four years in the AVID program which prepares students to be college and career-ready.
 
            “Perla is a kind, considerate and diligent student who deserves a scholarship so that she can pursue her dream to be as a secondary math teacher.  Daily she gave her best, used her time well and collaborated effectively with her peers,” McGibbon said.
 
            Chandra Abney, Rogers math teacher, said “I have observed Perla to be an incredibly hard worker, very reliable and a positive attitude towards me and her fellow classmates, a desire to excel academically and a kind and caring demeanor.”
 
            “Perla is always willing to lend a helping hand.  I am confident that Perla will carry her great work ethic, initiative and positive attitude into any post-secondary program she chooses to pursue,” Abney said.
 
            Club President Lenore Romney congratulated the scholarship winners and asked them to tell us how they are doing in college.  She also suggested Rotaract programs as a way to get involved with young Rotarians.
 
The bulletin producers:
            Bulletin editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink
            Photos: Sandy Fink and Melinda Keberle