Latest news with #GonzagaPrep
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronaut Anne McClain to greet hometown from ISS in earth-to-space video call Tuesday
May 25—Spokane-born astronaut U.S. Army Col. Anne McClain is set to talk with Earth's schoolchildren Tuesday from the International Space Station. In a "downlink" event sponsored by the Mobius Discovery Center, McClain will answer Spokane-area pupils' prerecorded questions while floating 250 miles above the Earth's surface in a video call. The 1997 Gonzaga Prep grad and her crew, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, launched March 14 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida 4. They're scheduled to return to Earth this fall after about six months of research. It's McClain's second trip aboard to the International Space Station, spending 204 days there in 2018- 19 running hundreds of experiments, walking in space twice and partaking in another downlink event with thousands of students hosted at Gonzaga Prep. The call is scheduled for Tuesday at 10:25 a.m. The 20-minute call with McClain will be live streamed on the NASA STEM YouTube channel.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronaut Anne McClain to greet hometown from ISS in earth-to-space video call Tuesday
May 25—Spokane-born astronaut U.S. Army Col. Anne McClain is set to talk with Earth's schoolchildren Tuesday from the International Space Station. In a "downlink" event sponsored by the Mobius Discovery Center, McClain will answer Spokane-area pupils' prerecorded questions while floating 250 miles above the Earth's surface in a video call. The 1997 Gonzaga Prep grad and her crew, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers, Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, launched March 14 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida 4. They're scheduled to return to Earth this fall after about six months of research. It's McClain's second trip aboard to the International Space Station, spending 204 days there in 2018- 19 running hundreds of experiments, walking in space twice and partaking in another downlink event with thousands of students hosted at Gonzaga Prep. The call is scheduled for Tuesday at 10:25 a.m. The 20-minute call with McClain will be live streamed on the NASA STEM YouTube channel.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two Eastern Washington high school students turn to Trump Administration to bar trans athlete from competing
Apr. 4—Two Washington female athletes are asking the Trump administration to stop a champion transgender runner from competing in the ongoing high school track and field season. The civil rights complaint was sent to the U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative religious law firm. The firm has been part of several recent Supreme Court cases, most notably, the successful overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2023. The complaint was filed on behalf of two high school girls, one from Gonzaga Preparatory School and one from Prosser High School. It stems in part from last year's controversy regarding Verónica Garcia, the East Valley High School student who took first place in the 400-meter run during the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association 2A track and field championships in Tacoma. The athlete from Prosser placed 13th in the race and would compete against Garcia again this year if the two qualify for state. The student from Gonzaga Prep, Kora Lengerich, typically competes in a different classification than Garcia, but raced against her this season during a preseason meet on March 17 at Gonzaga Prep. Her mother Kimberly Lengerich, pursued the complaint on behalf of her daughter, who finished fourth in the race and thus was not on the podium. Garcia placed first in the 400-meter race, prompting the firm to point out that Garcia's participation "kept (Lengerich) off the podium." When Garcia, now a senior, won last year's state championship, some fans booed and jeered. One man shouted from the stands, "She's not a girl!" "I'm just a teenager. I wish people would remember that," Garcia told The Spokesman-Review in an interview last year following her win. "... Even if you don't understand why we're transgender, the very least is to be nice to us. Kindness goes a long way." The claim contends that allowing a Washington transgender teen to compete in high school sports is putting other competitors at a disadvantage and in turn violates Title IX, the federal law ensuring equal opportunity in schools and prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex. The student from Prosser, Soliel Hoefer, was already named Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year by her school for two years in a row and signed to play soccer at Walla Walla Community College, according to the complaint. She has also placed first in several track events this year. The Alliance Defending Freedom claims the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association does not give students "fair opportunities to win" based on its 19-year-old policy allowing students to compete in a sport division surrounding the gender they most consistently express. "All students have the opportunity to participate in WIAA athletics and/or activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity," the 2023-24 WIAA handbook reads. Following the controversy of Garcia's win, WIAA spokesperson Sean Bessette defended the association's policies and gave a nod to state law, both of which include transgender identity in their definitions on gender identity discrimination. "The WIAA considers numerous personal, political, and religious beliefs of communities that join the Association," according to a statement provided by Bessette. "Many of these beliefs do not align, resulting in a conflict among the diverse groups the Association serves. For this reason, the WIAA Executive Board has been advised to follow state and federal law." In January, however, a federal judge in Kentucky struck down former President Joe Biden's regulation to expand Title IX protections for LGBTQIA+ students, a regulation that was already halted by numerous lawsuits from Republicans. Washington still has a law protecting the rights of transgender people. The number of transgender teens in K-12 sports is unclear but in the NCAA, fewer than 10 identify as transgender, according to its president, Charlie Baker. President Donald Trump has continually brought transgender student athletes into the national spotlight. In February, he issued an executive order dubbed "Keeping Men Out Of Women's Sports," which refers to anything outside the scope of two sexes as "gender ideology extremism." The order states that allowing transgender women to compete in sports denies women an equal opportunity to compete. The conservative firm wrote in the complaint that now, due to the executive order, Washington schools should be required to amend policies to allow athletes "based on sex, not gender identity" and to "remedy all past violations" of the Title IX law.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Entries now being accepted for annual Congressional art contest for high schoolers
Mar. 21—U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner's office is accepting entries from high school students for the annual Congressional Art Competition. The Congressional Art Competition was started in 1982, according to the U.S. House of Representatives website. More than 650,000 students have entered the competitions over the years. Art judges from each congressional district choose the winners, whose art is displayed in the U.S. Capitol. Those who enter through Baumgartner's office must live in Washington's 5th Congressional District, which includes Spokane and much of Eastern Washington. "It's a fantastic chance for young artists to showcase their creativity and unique perspectives," Baumgarter said in a news release. "I encourage all high school students to dive in, unleash their creativity, and submit their original artwork." Entries must be two dimensional and no larger than 26 inches by 26 inches. Deadline for submitting art is April 21. Last year's winner for Washington's 5th Congressional District was Hawwi Jebena, a senior at Gonzaga Prep. More information on the contest is available at by visiting Baumgartner's Congressional website or by calling (509) 353-2374.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Recaps, highlights from semifinals at 4A and 3A state boys basketball tournaments
Between the Class 4A and 3A boys state tournaments, 30 high school basketball games will be played in the Tacoma Dome this weekend. The News Tribune will be providing game recaps, highlights, interviews, stats and more. Follow along for live updates from Friday's semifinals. CLASS 4A SEMIFINALS Gonzaga Prep has been here before. Trailing most of the game against No. 3 Glacier Peak in the 4A state tournament semifinals on Friday afternoon at the Tacoma Dome, the Bullpups never panicked. 'We're never nervous,' guard Ryan Carney said. 'We've had a bunch of close games, a couple in Spokane where we got down big at halftime. We just stick together, trust our defense and just slowly claw back.' That's been the recipe this year for the top-seeded Bullpups, who lost their two top players to injury before the season even began: stick around and win tight, one or two possession games. The Bullpups forced overtime against the Grizzlies on Friday and pulled away for a 62-50 win. In overtime, Carney stole the show, knocking down a layup and then hitting a corner 3-pointer to put the Bullpups up by five. Gonzaga Prep never looked back. 'Our shots hadn't been falling and we knew that they were bound to,' Carney said. 'My guards had been driving and getting open a lot so I knew that I was eventually gonna get a corner three. I got lucky that Brogan (Howell) kicked one to me and I was able to get it.' Gonzaga Prep coach Matty McIntyre said he felt grabbing an early overtime lead was crucial. 'Absolutely huge,' he said. 'The team that probably started with the lead in overtime was really gonna carry the day there. For (Carney) to come in and get in the paint and then knock down that open three, that's big-time. Big time guts.' Like his team, McIntyre never looked fazed on the sideline. His stoic expression may have concealed some inner turmoil, though. 'I'm miserable,' he said, laughing. 'I'm in absolute agony.' Josiah Lee and Reed Nagel each scored a game-high 18 points for the Grizzlies. Gonzaga Prep's output was typically balanced; Carney led with 14, Hudson Floyd and Brogan Howell scored 12 apiece, Carter Nilson had 10 and Jackson Mott chipped in eight. 'That's the story of this team,' Carney said. 'We knew that everyone had to step up. We've had all sorts of guys that scored double digits, it's not just one person, which makes us a special team.' Gonzaga Prep will face the winner of the Puyallup vs. West Valley (Yakima) in Saturday night's Class 4A state championship game.
