 |
|
May 14, 2012 News
Coeur d'Alene artist, musician soars with Eagles
By Gloria J. Warnick, Sentinel Staff WriterShare:  
May 14, 2012 — The date is Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, the snowiest day of the year so far, and over 60 people have made the trek to attend the Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Jak Van Etten.
A young man who loves the scriptures, especially 3 Nephi 18:20: "And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you," Jak (pronounced Jack) says he finds freedom in living the values of the Church and looks forward to serving a full-time LDS mission. As part of his preparation, Van Etten obtained the most prestigious individual award in all of scouting - the rank of Eagle.
"I want people who read this, if they are in Scouting, to earn their Eagle Scout rank," Jak said. "This award and the pathways that you will travel to receive it are worth your time and effort."
The highlights of the evening were Jak's works of art, his beloved viola, and a volume of photography he had created. He also favored the audience with an original work of music on the piano.
A talented artist, Jak played with the Coeur d' Alene Spring Orchestra for a time and has since branched off into other instruments, playing the piano and the guitar.
"I took viola in elementary, junior high and high school, and I base my piano playing on the knowledge I received there," he said.
Despite his accomplishments as a musician, Jak's ability to communicate artistically isn't limited to that field.
"At school they call me the 'Renaissance man' because I am good at all forms of art, pencil, photography, and graphic design," he said.
Combining his artistic abilities together with the values of the Boy Scouts, Jak led a group of 15 people to create a Frisbee Golf course at Farragut State Park. The project consisted of putting together baskets suspended on poles and digging post holes into the ground and pouring concrete to support the poles. Van Etten and the crew also created a series of 3x6 foot concrete pads as the 'tees' on the Frisbee golf course.
Farragut State Park supplied the tools and equipment and Jak supplied the manpower and the plan to create the venue. He said his goal was to create something that would still be utilized in his home state, even if he moved out of Idaho one day.
"I didn't want to do anything too easy or too hard but something that I would be able to show my children that I created," he said. "And I also wanted to do something fun for other people."
Jak is a senior at Coeur d' Alene High School and doesn't see his future as limited, whether it involves being an artist, musician, writer, poet, chef, mathematician or scientist.
"I have a wide range of stuff that I can do in my future, and that is exciting," he said." My horizon is not narrow - in fact, it seems endless and if I find myself in one career where I have nowhere to go I can just close my eyes, point in another direction and see where the wind will take me. But I do want to go to culinary school. I also want to have a double degree. If I fail at culinary or I fail at art, or if I fail at anything, then hopefully I'll have another degree in another area that I can move into."
Van Etten is also someone who looks ahead to what his impact might be on others.
"Someday, I want to be the one teacher, the grand influence on my grandchildren," Van Etten said. "I want to know as much as possible so my grandchildren can come to me with their problems and I can help them easily."
As far as dedicating two years of his life to missionary work, Jak said he is looking forward to preaching the gospel - wherever in the world he may be.
"I know that I want to serve a mission," he said. "I would love to go on a foreign speaking mission and I know I want to travel. But where will I go? I don't know yet. My horizons are wide open."
Jak said he has already seen the impact that prayer and scripture study can have in his life. One example involved a simple case of locating a set of keys.
"My favorite (scripture) is, 3 Nephi 18:20, when Jesus Christ was talking to the Nephites and he said 'If you ask in my Name, believing that you shall receive it shall be given unto you.' I've tested this promise and know that it is true.
"When I was at a store, I couldn't find my bike lock keys. So I prayed. I'm like, 'Lord you said this in the scriptures and I'm asking and I'm believing that I shall receive. Will you give me guidance?' And immediately afterwards I had the thought of 'You should check your bike lock.' And I'm thinking 'We have a bad connection.' I mean, I knew where my bike lock was and I knew where my bike was but what I needed was my keys! I kept having the impression to check the bike lock. I checked everywhere else first, of course. Finally I checked my bike lock and there were my keys. I had left my keys in the lock.
"I believe that if you follow the commandments to the best of your ability and you pray unto Heavenly Father and believe that you shall receive, it shall be given unto you."
Click here to read more or leave a comment >
News
BYU Management Society announces 2012 scholarship winners
By Sentinel News SourcesShare:
May 14, 2012 — A dozen area high school seniors and five returned missionaries are among the recipients of scholarships awarded by the Spokane BYU Management Society this year. In addition, five seniors were awarded grants for college thanks to the generosity of a private donor.
Since 2005, the local chapter of the BYU Management Society has handed out over 125 scholarships, totaling more than $60,000. Initially, the scholarships were funded by private and corporate donations and through the group's annual golf tournament fundraiser. Starting in 2009, the society began sponsoring other fundraising events, like the local premiere of movies with LDS themes, such as "One Good Man" and "17 Miracles" as well as concerts by Jon Schmidt and Michael Ballam.
The next BYU Management Society scholarship fundraising event is coming up on June 4, called "Stand up Dads." For more information, see this week's rendition of the Recreation Guide.
Scholarships worth $750 each are offered to both high school seniors and recently returned missionaries (defined as missionaries who have returned within the last year, ending March 31). The idea of scholarships for returned missionaries was unique to the Spokane chapter, a concept that many other chapters now emulate.
"We wanted to assist where we could in providing some bit of financial assistance to attend college," said Brent Sears of the Spokane BYU Management Society.
The group sends applications and instructions to each LDS bishop in the Spokane/North Idaho area every January. The application is also included on the society's website at http://spokanebyums.org. Although the scholarships come from the BYU Management Society, they are not scholarships to students attending BYU only. Scholarships are provided to selected applicants regardless of where they attend college.
BYU-Provo led the way with 10 students receiving scholarships, followed by BYU-Idaho with seven. Two students intending to attend the University of Washington were also awarded grants.
Sears said the awarding of the scholarships aligns with the mission of the BYU Management Society to "help promote moral and ethical leadership in the world."
"I believe our efforts to provide scholarships to high school seniors and recently-returned missionaries, and invest in the futures of these young men and women is one way to help bring about this mission," he said. "The hardest part of the scholarship selection process is not being able to award a scholarship to each applicant. Every one of our applicants is deserving. We hope that our future efforts to raise funds, by bringing such quality, family-friendly entertainment to Spokane will allow us to reach and reward more scholarship applicants."
This year's list of scholarship recipients includes returned missionaries Jacob Woodbrey (Terrace View YSA Ward, Spokane East Stake), Trevor Morrill (Greenville Ward, Monroe, Louisiana Stake), Tanner Bennett (West Plains Ward, Spokane West Stake), Jordan Larson (Provo First Ward, Provo East Stake) and Kalie Larson (Provo First Ward, Provo East Stake).
The roll call of high school senior to receive BYU Management Society scholarships includes Seth McCombie (West Terrace Ward, Spokane West Stake), Addison Tucker (Sullivan Ward, Spokane Valley Stake), Jordan Bennett (Cheney Second Ward, Spokane West Stake), Alexandra Smith (Manito Ward, Spokane Stake), Blake Holloway, (Pines Ward, Spokane East Stake), Elizabeth Greenhalgh (East Valley Ward, Spokane Valley Stake), Maitlin Stewart (Mica Peak Ward, Spokane Valley Stake), Kira Webster (Northpointe Ward, Spokane North Stake), Gwendolyn Bateman (Colville 1st Ward, Colville Stake), Amber Beauchamp (Ponderosa Ward, Spokane East Stake), John Taylor (Riverside Ward, Colville Stake) and Janice Wright (East Valley Ward, Spokane Valley Stake).
An additional five scholarships worth $750 each were awarded to the following high school seniors: Seth Johnson (Pines Ward, Spokane East Stake), John Morgan Nowels (Newman Lake Ward, Spokane Valley Stake), Jayna Walker (Mica Peak Ward, Spokane Valley Stake) Trevor Rowell (Liberty Lake Ward, Spokane Valley Stake) and Brandon Lytel (Colville 1st Ward, Colville Stake).
Click here to read more or leave a comment >
News
Wholesome Recreation Guide - May 14-21
By Sentinel News SourcesShare:
May 14, 2012 — Stand-Up Dads
The Spokane chapter of the BYU Management Society will host a special evening of comedy featuring Milt Abel and Dan St. Paul at the Bing Cosby Theater on Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m. The duo comprises the nationally acclaimed team of "Stand-Up Dads," known for family-friendly humor pertaining to topics such as suburban life and the challenges of parenthood. Proceeds from this event will go toward scholarships for local high school seniors and returned missionaries through the BYU Management Society. Tickets are $12 for adults; $8 for students or $40 for a family prior to the event; $15 for adults; $10 for students and $50 for a family on the day of the show. For tickets, go to www.ms.edu.byu/spokane.
Zags baseball
The Gonzaga baseball season will conclude the regular season with a series against the University of Portland this weekend at Patterson Baseball Complex/Washington Trust Field. The Zags host the Pilots in Spokane on Friday, May 18 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 19, at 3 p.m. Tickets are a bargain at $5 for adults and $3 for kids and seniors. To order, call TicketsWest at 509-325-7328. Tickets are also sold at the Patterson gate up to one hour before gametime.
Mid-Singles Conference
The Spokane Valley Stake and Spokane Stake will sponsor the annual Mid-Singles Conference for LDS singles "30-ish to 40-ish" on May 18-19 with a theme of "Lift Up Your Heart." The weekend will begin with a barbecue on Friday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m., followed by games and a fireside at 8:30 p.m. Saturday will include breakfast and workshops at the Spokane Valley Stake Center, 21022 E. Wellesley. Service projects will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. with dinner from 6 to 7. Pat Cabbage will be the keynote speaker from 7 to 8 p.m. with a dance scheduled for 9 to 11:45 p.m. Registration is $25 per person. For more information, call 509-928-1187 or 509-216-7382. The Regional LDS Single Adult (31 and over) sponsors a variety of activities and firesides each month. For information on single adult events, call the Spokane info line at 509-459-1072 or the Coeur d'Alene line at 208-664-1223. The Spokane Single Adults website is www.spokaneldssa.org.
Local history at Museum of North Idaho
Interested in learning about the geological and cultural history of North Idaho? Then stop by the Museum of North Idaho this week for exhibits like "Your History in 3-D," "The Mullan Road," "Scandinavians Settled Here" and more. The museum, located at 115 Northwest Blvd in Coeur d'Alene, is a bargain at $3 for adults and $1 for kids. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more, visit www.museumni.org or call 208-664-3448.
Coeur d'Alene Farmers Market
March 16 and running through September, the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Farmers Market will be a staple each Wednesday at Fifth Avenue and Sherman. The festive community gathering features local produce, artisan breads, live music, a variety of arts and crafts and much more. The market runs from 4 to 7 p.m.
Historic Spokane Walking Tour
Art-deco buildings, turn-of-the-century architecture and landmarks that were installed for the 1974 World's Fair - all these features and more are part of a unique experience known as the Historic Downtown Spokane Walking Tour. Discover the history of unique structures like the Davenport Hotel and the Fox Theater and learn how the city rebuilt itself from the ground up after the Spokane Fire of 1889. The tour itself lasts three hours and includes a guide. For more information on prices and group discounts, call Inland Empire Tours at 747-1335.
Cooking classes
Thai cuisine, southern vegetables and English muffins are just a few of the items on the menu as part of cooking classes sponsored by the Community Colleges of Spokane Continuing Education program. Classes run from May 2-30 at various locations in the area. Cost begins at $35 per class. To register, call 509-279-6027 or visit www.ccs.spokane.edu/ContinuingEd.
Jundt Art Museum
Located on the campus of Gonzaga University, the Jundt Art Museum features nearly 5,000 square feet of space housing a layered permanent collection as well as a variety of rotating exhibits. The museum is free to the public and open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays, from noon to 4. "Japanese Prints," a collection of prints by contemporary Japanese artists is now being showcased in the main gallery through July 31 .To learn more, visit www.gonzaga.edu.
Click here to read more or leave a comment >
IOTW
Image of the Week
By Craig Howard, News EditorShare:
May 14, 2012 — 
The campus of North Idaho College is dotted with a number of unique landmarks, including this sculpture patterned after the rippling current on nearby Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Photo by Craig Howard.
Click here to read more or leave a comment >
|
|
|
|
|
|
