joy in doubt: the State Public Forum Championship

Until a few days ago, it had been an up-and-down year for my Public Forum squad. Back in 2013, we had not one, but two teams preparing for Nationals, the first time we had ever closed out PuFo in the Western Washington District. However, in the 2013-14 season, not only did we fail to qualify a single team for Nationals, we had just one team make State. Our previous best finish was second place at the Puget Sound Invitational. I wasn't going to complain if that was the end of our season, but, to be honest, I would've been disappointed.

But we still had a shot at State. So, on March 21st, Max and Tate headed back to the University of Puget Sound, researched and ready to debate the merits of single-gender classrooms in American public schools.

After the first day of competition, Capital's duo were 6-0, earning the top seed in the elimination rounds. That gave us a first round bye on Saturday morning. I figured we had better run a full practice round to warm up, so we trudged over to Howarth Hall, found an empty room, and debated, Max and Tate running their Pro case against me--and their own Con.

If there had been a judge in the room, I'm guessing he would've voted for Max and Tate. They held their own against my improvised rebuttals, and got me thinking that a state title was well within reach. I didn't want to say anything, though, and went back to the judging pool, trusting that they'd be fine.

After the eighth round, Tate's brother Ben, who had been judging for CHS late in the season, decided to quit watching Capital's round--they were getting too nerve-wracking. I enlisted him to help set up the room for the final round, and we dragged tables and chairs around, chatting to stave off our nervous anticipation, and then greeting the community members who had volunteered to judge the final round.

Then the text came: Max and Tate had won their eighth and semifinal round, and, for the final, were about to face a fantastic Mount Si team--the team that had defeated them to win the Puget Sound tournament in January. The prospect of redemption was just too perfect.

Even better: once everyone had arrived and the coin toss started the round, we won the toss. "We'll take--" and I already mentally finished the sentence. Max and Tate always chose Con. They were undefeated in seven rounds running the Con. I liked their Con case better. I thought the Con arguments were stronger. Of course they would take...

"--second speaker."

And then Mount Si took the Con.

It took me a moment to register what had happened. I turned to Tate's older brother, Ben, who had been judging for us late in the season. "They picked 2nd speaker. Why? Why in the world wouldn't they pick the Con?"

"They felt pretty confident after running it against you," he said.

Touché.

Thirty-five minutes later, I wasn't feeling too great about our chances. I thought the Con had established a lot of doubt about our Pro's statistics, and that we were relying too heavily on the choice argument--"let every kid, every parent have the choice that otherwise is only for the rich." The opposition was also a little bit smoother in delivery. As the round wrapped up and the judges began their internal deliberations, scribbling endlessly on their ballots as the room waited in silence, I whispered to Ben: "I think we lost."

Ten interminable minutes passed. Ben quietly noted that the longer it took, the better he liked our chances. That seemed right.

Five agonizing minutes later, at long last, the ombudsman gathered up the ballots and announced, "By a 2-1 decision, your state champions: Capital High School!" I leaped out of my seat, just about hitting the ceiling. I had known it was possible, but I couldn't believe it. As the judges began their post-round critiques, the two voting for CHS talked about the strength of the choice argument in pushing their vote for the Pro.

The dissenting judge, though, said almost word-for-word everything I had been thinking throughout the round.

Good thing there weren't more of me in the room.

The upshot: your 2014 Washington State Champions in Public Forum are two of Capital's finest, a class act who never doubted themselves, who worked harder than anyone to reach the summit, who ended up going undefeated in the most intense and thrilling fashion.

Am I sorry for doubting my own team? No, not really. Debate is as subjective as it gets. But on the right side of the ballot, the doubt created by that subjectivity can lead to the greatest joy. As the coach of this year's champions, I couldn't be happier.

Linnenkohl gets his shot

Congratulations to Capital grad Alex Linnenkohl, who was signed by the Chicago Bears to a 3-year contract, getting a shot at center. The Olympian reports:

Linnenkohl, who finished his college career last season as one of Oregon State’s all-time best centers, signed a rookie free agent contract with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday afternoon, fulfilling his longtime dream of getting a chance to play in the NFL. He was one of two undrafted centers signed by Chicago, joining Mississippi State’s J.C. Brignone.

“This is all I’ve ever wanted,” Linnenkohl said Tuesday from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill., where the Bears will begin training camp Saturday. “It’s pretty surreal right now. It hasn’t really hit me yet.”

What follows is one of those I-knew-him-when's: Back in 2006, I appeared on the same stage as Linnenkohl in an improv comedy show. The papers always report his work ethic (second-to-none) and his determination (at only 303 pounds, he's small for a center), but what they miss is his quick wit and killer sense of humor.

Best of luck, Alex. Strike that: do what brought you here, and keep working hard. If you get a Superbowl ring before the Seahawks do, I won't even complain.

Guerilla Running's 4K Moon Run / Walk, Saturday, July 9th

On what promises to be a completely awesome evening, Guerilla Running is hosting the first ever 4K Moon Run / Walk this Saturday, July 9th, at Capital High School, to benefit CHS's Debate Team. I hear that 200 women have signed up to race, earning custom-designed sterling silver necklaces and post-race pampering.

There will be a raffle with great prizes from Olympia businesses, including The Alpine Experience, 510 Interiors, BeHive Massage Therapy, and Nathan's Performance Gear. Swing Wine Bar Cafe will provide desserts for the runners, served by volunteers including Debate team members.

Saturday night at 8 p.m., come watch, hang out, buy raffle tickets, and enjoy the race. If you'd like to donate prizes, cash, or time, feel free to contact me.

See you at the race!



Need more info? Check it the Facebook page.

a fond farewell to CHS's graduating debaters

Last Saturday marked the end-of-the-year celebration for CHS's Speech and Debate team. It's a celebration I've come to relish. We find a park if the weather's good, or a team member's home if it's not, and potluck it. Games, conversation, food, and, of course, speeches to recount triumphs, visions of the future, and, for the seniors, parting wisdom.

And gifts.

A few years ago, the team started a tradition of cobbling together some mementoes for the coach. This year's soon-to-be-graduates led the charge , and I have to say, the swag pile is pretty impressive, with reading material (Catch-22, The Encyclopedia of Useless Information), folk music, Guatemalan worry dolls, hair gel (gorilla snot? really?), a puzzle book, and a leopard-print Snuggie, which I will never, ever wear. Grace's handmade collection of Mr. Anderson Quotes (that have never made Twitter) was a delightful surprise, too. (Sample: "Well, let's just make a shot that will keep people from becoming Satanists, because that's a public health concern." I swear, it was valid in context.)

Their generosity and good humor should surprise no one, for this year's seniors are a special group. Sure, they've shone competitively, including a 2nd-place finish at the State I.E. tournament, but more important, they've always valued truth over trophies, and have always competed with character and class. As often as I have coached them, I have merely stood out of their way, and watched them triumph through their own effort and persistence.

They're good people made better by their experiences in forensics, leaders in the classroom and in the community.  They're writers, scientists, actors, scholars, artists, doctors, politicians, and whatever else they can imagine. They are tireless, and their possibilities are limitless.  It's humbling to see how much they've grown in four years, and more than a little sad to see them leave. They leave behind a history of accomplishments and a legacy of leadership, already inspiring their younger teammates to greatness.

So, to Jackson, Grace, Cameron, Matthew, Vamsi, Josie, Jesse, Layne, Shira, and Aaron: thanks for everything. I'll be so proud to see you walk across the stage tonight, out of CHS and into the wider world, bold representatives of a new generation.

The scaffolding is complete. The rest of the future is yours to build.

the RIF hits home

Friday, OSD officials came to Capital High School to personally deliver RIF notices to six teachers, our rookie staff who find themselves in the "lower 48." Having barely scraped through the '04 RIF, I can speak to the fear and uncertainty the process creates. (It got my students fired up, let me tell you.)

Capital's situation is a little more precarious than some, not only because of the political and economic climate, but because of our shifting demographic. With anticipated enrollment declines, we're overstaffed by 3.2 FTEs--and could lose an additional 1.8 positions if the Superintendent's proposed cuts are adopted.

The good news, at least as good as we can get at the moment, is that the 48 RIF notices mean, even in the worst case, a loss of 13 positions beyond the 29 already eliminated. The bad news is that even if a legislative miracle occurs and all the 48 teachers are retained, we're still going to face larger classes and fewer course offerings. Departing or retiring teachers just won't be replaced. But let's close on better news: District and school officials are optimistic that the worst case is unlikely.

Tomorrow's OSD Board Meeting (Knox Building, 6:30 p.m.) is your first chance for public comment on the proposed cuts. Can't make it? There's a survey.

Emily Lockhart comes to CHS

Northwest author Emily Lockhart came to Capital Friday afternoon, sharing her experiences with six English classes. In a presentation that was relatable, self-deprecating, and honest, Lockhart spoke about her life as a student and as a writer--and explained how the two were intertwined. She grew up in Seattle, and first attended a "granola" and "bohemian" prep school; as she put it, "We all had to promise to never buy a car."

A loner, the sort of person others avoid in the cafeteria, Lockhart decided to transfer to Lakeside School, where she was able to reinvent herself in a surprising fashion:

I didn't change anything about myself--how I looked, how I acted. I just showed up to see what happened. What happened was, I made friends.... I had a totally different life. I saw high school life from somewhere near the top, and somewhere near the bottom.... that's why I keep writing about it.

As Lockhart explained, unlike many places in the adult world, high school throws together people of every conceivable disposition and circumstance, with no real option for escape. The conflict that results is what interests her, and her young adult books are full of italicized, capital-D Drama.

Like a lot of fiction writers, Lockhart took time to get noticed. Her first attempt at publish non-fiction was rejected 70 times; her first success, a children's book, was rejected 30 times--and then, when published, "it was a lovely experience, but nobody read it." She wrote five unnoticed novels before The Boyfriend List finally caught readers' attention. Now, she's published a book a year for the last eight years. In her words, "It's not an easy way to get rich, but you can make a living."

You could sense Lockhart's palpable enthusiasm for her craft when she talked about the way she develops narrative.

You become a little bit fond of the character. I gave Ruby traits that I like--some of them are mine. I liked Ruby. Once you create a character that you like, as a fiction writer, what you have to do is torture them. If you have a story about a happy person with a good life, and they continue to be a happy person with a good life, you don't have a story, you have a description. Your job as a writer is to ask, "What's the worst thing that could happen?"

Some of Lockhart's best advice concerns her writerly motivation.

I don't feel like writing a lot of the time. I make myself do it. I write junk... I set a goal. I'm going to write 500 words, and then I can have a chocolate chip cookie.... Some day it's really fun and the best job ever. My writing teacher [in her university program] thought I sucked. But I'm the only one from the class who became a published writer. Why? Because my books are finished.

Lockhart's down-to-earth persona and frank advice seemed to resonate with the students in her audience. Even though YA Teen Drama isn't really my thing, I'm going to check out a couple of her books, and recommend her work to my students.

And one last thing: Lockhart pointed out, "I'm on Twitter, you can come follow me." (She's @elockhart.)

Capital debater to have breakfast with Biden

Cameron Seib, a leading debater for Capital High School, will dine over hash browns and coffee with the talkingest politician who ever talked, one Vice President Joe Biden.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” said Seib, 17, of Olympia. “You don’t get too many chances to meet such important people, and I’m definitely excited that not only is he coming to Seattle, but I get to meet him as well.”

The teenager was invited to the political fundraiser by 3rd Congressional District candidate Denny Heck. He spent the summer volunteering for Heck’s campaign.

Biden's in the region to stump for Patty Murray, who's hoping for a campaign that goes the way I like my eggs: over easy.

Capital Cougars off to a great start

The Capital Cougars put up 28 on O'Dea--and shut out their rival..

Capital and O’Dea, which have met every year since 2007, faced each other in Week 1 for the third consecutive year. The Irish had the Cougars’ number in winning the three previous matchups, 46-9 (2007), 14-13 (’08) and 19-15 last year at the Emerald City Kickoff Classic at Qwest Field.

“The last couple of years, we played them so tight,” Capital coach J.D. Johnson said. “It goes back to talking to the kids about not just wanting it, but you have to need it. We needed to win this game and have this solidify us.”

We have a battle-tested squad brimming with confidence. Our defense has always been tough, but combined with an experienced offense well-suited for a varied attack, we are officially the team to beat in the Narrows 3A league.

The Spaghetti Bowl is gonna be a good one. Don't miss it.

greetings from NFL Nationals

We're "Jazzin' it up in KC" at the NFL National Tournament, waiting for the second flight of the first round of Public Forum to commence. How'd we get here? By surviving...

* Construction-based traffic delay in Lakewood, WA that nearly made us miss our flight out of SeaTac. Luckily, at 11:15 p.m., you can breeze through security in five minutes.

* Thunderstorms. Like last year's trek to Birmingham, we were greeted with flash flood-bearing fireworks shows. We missed the ones that delayed a few flights on Sunday morning, and then tried, and failed, to sleep through the one that lit up and drowned the city last night. But no floods in our neighborhood, this time, at least.

* Free hotel breakfast. It is, in fact, possible to screw up cranberry juice.

* Google Maps' directions. Exit on the left? Exit on the left!

Flight B starts in 13 minutes. It's gonna be great.

the beard is dead, long live the beard

From To Beard, or not to Beard

It was fun while it lasted--fun for everyone else, at least. Thanks to everyone who gave, and kept giving, and helped the CHS Debate team raise $520. I can promise you, it'll be $520 well spent.

As you can see, shaving off a full beard is a miraculous instant weight loss and age-defying formula. I'm afraid the incredibly coarse hair may have destroyed my clippers, which mowed it down to less than an eighth of an inch before tiring and tagging out. The Gilette Mach 3 Turbo finished the match.

At last, I have my face back.

well, this is heartening

In a story straight out of a Law and Order episode, drugs and weapons were recovered across the street from Capital High School, The Olympian reports:

Acting on a tip, narcotics detectives arrested a registered sex offender and a 17-year-old at a West Dundee Street residence across from Capital High School where detectives seized three ounces of methamphetamine and more than two pounds of marijuana.

Detectives also seized seven firearms from the juvenile’s bedroom, including a loaded AK-47 assault rifle and a sawed-off shotgun.

Read the story for all the details. Although the thought of a nearby weapons cache is more than a little unsettling, I'd imagine the weapons (and bulletproof vests) found at the scene were the typical arsenal for a low-level drug dealer living in fear.

As a teacher who mostly thinks of drugs in the abstract, I know there's more going on in the world than I'm aware of. But sheesh:

The juvenile’s mother, who apparently also resides at the home where the narcotics and guns were found, said she was unaware of the alleged illegal activity going on there, Peters said in court.

Colossally bad parent, or tracks-covering accessory?

Either way, a tragedy might have been averted.

Capital High School football update

If you've been following the Capital Cougar football team, you already know that Tyler Sundberg has been ridiculous this year, running for--count 'em--31 touchdowns. But he's not the only vector in a multidimensional attack, as Enumclaw discovered yesterday.

Alex Everson, Capital’s junior quarterback who moved into the starting lineup this season, made sure of that. He ran for two touchdowns, passed for another and ran the option to perfection.

“They were biting on the fakes a lot,” Everson said. “It’s worked before, but that was the best it’s worked all season.”

Coming into the game, Everson had run for four touchdowns and passed for another 14. Against an Enumclaw defense that was giving up just 16.2 points a game, Everson completed 7 of 9 passes for 108 yards and rushed for 44 yards on five carries.

While the offense tends to get most of the attention in a 42-7 win, it's important to note that Capital's defense has been stifling all year long. Looking at the 3A rankings, this is a team that nearly knocked off Times-ranked #7 Timberline and #5 O'Dea (and, in the Spaghetti Bowl, exposed the weaknesses in the recently eliminated 4A Olympia squad.)

Capital rolls on to State to face #4 Union next.

I should also mention that Capital's girls cross country team finished 14th at state. Meanwhile, the volleyball team faces Holy Names next weekend in Kennewick.

Capital to rejoin Narrows League?

It appears that Capital, along with the three other remaining teams from the tiny Western Cascade Conference (itself part of the WCC/OWL--confused yet?), will rejoin the Narrows League next year.

The Narrows League will absorb the four remaining Western Cascade Conference teams: North Thurston, Timberline, Yelm and Capital, all Class 3A teams.

That will make the Narrows League, which was founded in 1979, as a 15-team league.

The Narrows League had previously been resistant to adding Class 3A teams. Several Tacoma schools could end up in the 3A classification next year as they were “opting up” to remain in the Narrows League. Gig Harbor had 3A numbers as well and opted up.

A committee will meet next week to being figuring out how this re-configured league will look and function.

My guess is it'll have two subdivisions, hopefully based on geography to make travel and gate proceeds best for all involved.

At least two good things about this, from Capital's perspective: first, playing in a bigger league means more battle-testing before the playoffs. Second, it restores the full import of the traditional crosstown rivalry with Olympia--now the game would matter for more than pride.

Capital's proven that it can hang with 4A schools. Next year, we'll have to do more: we'll have to beat them.

[via Meg Wochnick]

Capital loses Spaghetti Bowl heartbreaker

In a game that seesawed so fast I got whiplash, Capital eventually fell to the Olympia Bears, 35-28.

With four minutes left and the scored locked at 28-all, it appeared that the Cougars might have the moxie to muster another grueling drive, just like Tyler Sundberg had ground out in the 3rd quarter.

Alas.

This time, Sundberg fumbled, and Olympia recovered, racing all the way back for the winning score.

I couldn't believe it. From where I stood, it appeared that the ball had popped loose when Sundberg's elbows hit the ground--in which case, he was down, as the ground can't cause a fumble. But the refs saw something different, and that was that.

What a game. What a great, great game. We came so close.

Next year.

Update: The Olympian's writeup is available. Judging from one of the comments, I'm not the only one who thought Sundberg's "fumble" wasn't.

Thursday thoughts

1. Tomorrow's Spaghetti Bowl will be very, very interesting. Oly dominated Gig Harbor in their warmup, while Capital's relatively inexperienced squad narrowly lost to O'Dea. Neither fact makes predicting the outcome any easier. This may qualify as limb-going, but I'm calling this one for the Cougars, 21-14. (And don't you dare bet on sports.)

2. Tacky ties are back in season, and have folks around Pod B seeing double.

3. Capital High now has eight bell schedules, A-H. Just kidding. We actually have nine, now, with an email announcing that tomorrow's half-hour end-of-school assembly is "Schedule Z." (I suggested at a staff meeting that we start naming them after vitamins, but I like the James Bond vibe of the latest addition.)

4. "They are who we thought they were!"

5. The crazy guys who go over Niagara Falls in a barrel? Much empathy from me.

the long arm of the law

Back in February of 2008, Capital High School went on lockdown because of a nearby bank robbery. At the time, I wrote,

For about 45 minutes, my advisory class sat in darkness near the inside wall, taking naps and chatting quietly about There Will Be Blood and the magic that is Daniel Day-Lewis. I totally called the bank robbery angle.

When they announced the lockdown's conclusion, saying that the search had been called off, I told students it was because the cops had probably caught the bad guy.

Nope.

Roughly a year and six months later, they finally have.

An anonymous letter to the Olympia Police Department in January helped detectives make an arrest Wednesday in a year-and-a-half old armed bank robbery on the west side, court papers state.

Abraham Sebastian Anthony, 22, turned himself in at a local state Department of Corrections office after he was identified as a suspect and located in Lansing, Mich., as part of Olympia Police Det. Jeff Herbig’s investigation, court papers state.

Olympia Police Det. Dan Smith said Anthony admitted to committing the robbery after his arrest and said he did it to get money to feed his OxyContin habit.

The investigation of the Feb. 12, 2008 armed robbery of the Columbia Bank on Harrison Avenue had stalled until an anonymous letter sent to OPD in January said that Anthony was responsible.

There's one tiny transposition error in the article: the robbery occurred on February 21st, not the 12th.

CHS roof collapse blamed on faulty trusses

At long last, it appears we have an explanation for the roof collapse at Capital High School this past winter, The Olympian reports.

OLYMPIA – Roof trusses that were substandard contributed to the Christmas morning cave-in at Capital High School that caused school closures in the second half of the year, according to district officials and a report from an engineering firm hired by the insurance company.

Capital High is expected to be ready and open for students by fall, as crews work through the summer to restore the school from structural and water damage caused by the collapse of the library roof during several feet of snowfall over winter break.

So far, the repairs to the roof and the walls have cost about $2.25 million, which will be covered by insurance, district spokesman Peter Rex said.

The school’s roof caved into the library, breaking a fire sprinkler main that poured water throughout the building. The snow that accumulated in the week before winter break also compressed the roof over adjacent parts of the building, damaging gas lines.

The repairs to the roof have included bringing the damaged sections of the roof up to city code, said district supervisor of capital planning and construction Tim Byrne.

When the main part of the high school was built in 1975, codes allowed for a lighter snow load, and plywood gussets at the time could be glued to the trusses, instead of bolted in.

An investigation by engineering firm PCS Structural Solutions of Seattle and Tacoma also found that some of the original trusses were not built to the original specifications.

According to the firm’s report, some of the roof structure over the kitchen and Vis-Com and Tech classrooms “appears to have not been properly designed or constructed originally. The plywood gussets at these joints are smaller than the size shown on the truss shop drawings.”

The district’s insurance carrier told district officials that the contractor who built the trusses in 1975 is no longer in business, Byrne said.

The engineering firm made short-term and long-term recommendations for Capital’s roof, according to its report.

PCS’s long-term recommendation for the district is to repair or replace all the trusses in the building to meet the city of Olympia’s current requirements.

Olympia generally calls a district-wide snow day if there is an accumulation of 4 inches or more of snow, he added.

The short-term recommendations for Capital include:

• Repairing the deficient joints.

• Keeping shoring beams underneath roof top mechanical units.

• Making sure that roof drains are functional.

• Clearing snow from the roof when there is an accumulation of more than 4 inches.

• Checking for signs of structural distress, including sagging ceilings, roof leaks or “popping” noises from the trusses.

The firm also recommended an annual inspection of Capital’s roof.

Officials have adopted the short-term recommendations made by the engineering firm — which would allow occupancy of the building with up to 4 inches of snow on the roof — and the district is looking into its options for the school in the long term, Rex said.

“Obviously, we have an interest in making sure nothing happens even when there’s 8 inches of snow,” Rex said.

The district is looking into purchasing a snow-melting system that would allow the district to clear the roof in case of a heavy snowfall, Byrne said.

The district is working with its insurance company to see how much insurance will cover, Byrne said.

Birmingham bound: for reals

Tomorrow I'm headed to Birmingham, Alabama for the "Stars Fell on Alabama" National Forensic League tournament. Two of Capital's stars, Vamsi Chunduru and Cameron Seib, will compete in Public Forum debate. They're sophomores, so I'm floored that they're even going. It's gonna be fun.

So far, it's been a crazy day of preparation. After a school day full of presentations, songs, tacky ties, and heartfelt goodbyes, I spent four hours prepping my sub plans and writing exams, interrupted by the news that one Western WA school had dropped, and messed up our hotel arrangements. It made for a rather frantic series of emails and phone calls--but at least it's fixed.

Right now I'm printing out itineraries and maps and boarding passes, and hoping for a relatively boring travel day.

See you in Birmingham.

Capital sends out the grads

Tonight's graduation ceremony was efficient--an hour and three quarters--and enjoyable. The band rolled through "Pomp and Circumstance" nine times as grads gave staff members high-fives while marching in. The choir warbled in English and Latin. The student speaker, Emily Milburn, recounted the good, crazy, and crazy good times of the unforgettably snowy year. The faculty speaker, CHS alum and math wizard Scott LaViollette, gave the graduates an equation for success. (Hint: it's not nearly as simple as Euler's identity--and it's on the test. Everything's on the test now.)

The class of '09 was the first class I saw go all the way through, evolving from peppy freshmen to wizened seniors. Tonight I got to say goodbye/goodluck to maybe a quarter of the students I knew, and bumped into the older siblings of another ten percent, former students crashing the community colleges, pounding out degrees in geology, or still trying to figure out the future.

All in all, a fantastic night, exciting and hopeful. I'm glad I could go.

a bruise that will not soon heal

On the way to giving (well-deserved) kudos to Olympia High School for its production of Bye Bye Birdie, Misha Berson of the Seattle Times slaps Capital High School in the face.

Capital High School (Tacoma), Eisenhower High School (Yakima), Edmonds Homeschool Resource Center and Kamiak High School (Mukilteo) received three awards each.

Worse, it's the "corrected version" of the story. The original "error":

Information in this article, published June 9, 2009, was corrected June 9, 2009. Capital High School was listed as being in Olympia, not Tacoma.

Yikes.