Community people
Soldotna student wins poetry contest
Skyview High School senior Bonnie Loshbaugh recently won first place for Alaska in the state-level competition of the 14th annual National Peace Essay Contest sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace. She and many other students examined how third parties can help bring peace to violent civil conflicts abroad.
Loshbaugh will receive a $1,000 college scholarship and compete in June for national awards up to $10,000 in Washington, D.C. She and other students will meet with senior U.S. government officials, members of Congress, foreign embassy officials and other experts directly involved in making American foreign policy.
Kenai student helps team win
Kelly Mason, a Kenai Central High School graduate, was one of 21 students who took part in Eastern Washington University's Students in Free Enterprise team. The team won the regional championship, placing first in the four-year college division at the recent 2001 SIFE Regional Exposition and Career Opportunity Fair in Seattle.
Active on more than 1,000 campuses in 20 countries, Students in Free Enterprise take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it to real-life situations and use their knowledge to better their communities through educational outreach projects.
Former resident helping make Orlando great
Terry Olson
Terry Olson, will be named Downtowner of the Year for the nation's 28th largest city, Orlando, Fla., on Thursday. The title is awarded by the Downtown Orlando Partnership at its annual Golden Brick Awards luncheon to a person who has contributed significantly to the city's quality of life and helped make downtown Orlando a more exciting, interesting and desirable place to work, shop and live. Mr. Olson is a 1971 graduate of Kenai Central High School.
He is the son of Leonard and Kathryn Olson of Soldotna.
Iditarod art contest winners named
National Bank of Alaska held a statewide NBA Iditarod Art Contest. An independent panel of judges was selected to review the final entries in each age category. The following are area winners:
Tess Wasson, of Homer, won second place in the preschool-kindergarten category;
Kayla Overpeck of Soldotna won second place in the first-second-grade category;
Andrew Bischoff of Anchor Point won third place in the first-second-grade category;
Bartholomew Bischoff of Anchor Point won first place in the third-fourth-grade category;
Annegelica Jacobson Gregory of Anchor Point won second place in the fifth-sixth-grade category;
Madalyn McCurdy of Kasilof won third place in the fifth-sixth-grade category.
This year's artwork featured a picturesque landscape of a musher leading his sled dogs through the mountains. National Bank of Alaska received more than 2,500 entries, which were judged based on the following criteria; coloring ability for particular grade level, creativity and overall appearance. Prizes for each age category were a $500 savings bond for first place, a $200 savings bond for second place and a $100 savings bond for third place.