Frontier students place in national contest
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 9 months AGO
(From left) Morgan Zeilenga, Addyson and Barker and Yvette Amrocio, all from the Frontier Middle School Builders Club, won awards in a national Builders Club contest. Yvette brought home first place.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | June 20, 2016 1:00 PM
MOSES LAKE — Yvette Amrocio drew a poster about kindness and helping others for a contest for the Builders Club, the middle school program sponsored by the Kiwanis. Addyson Barker wrote an essay, and Morgan Zeilenga wrote a speech. All three, students at Frontier Middle School, said they were surprised at what happened next.
The entries went to the regional contest sponsored by the Kiwanis. Yvette, Addyson and Morgan all won the regional contest. That meant their entries went on to the national contest. But the Frontier Builders Club never heard what happened at nationals.
That is, until the assembly on the last day of school. The Moses Lake chapter of Kiwanis had some news – Yvette’s poster took first place in the national contest, and Addyson and Morgan each won third place. “Our local Kiwanis has never seen these results before,” wrote Steven Himple, co-advisor for the Builders Club at Frontier.
All winners received a medallion and certificate. Yvette won $50 too, and her poster was displayed at the annual Kiwanis convention. The Moses Lake chapter wanted to make sure the girls’ achievements were recognized by the whole school.
So the chapter members were introducing new officers and other end-of-school business, when co-advisor Diane Reid made a special announcement. The girls were presented with their awards in front of the whole school.
Yvette, the daughter of Vanessa Lopez, said her poster was about the cycle of service. When people do kind things for one another, it makes the recipient of the kind deed want to pass it on, she said. Addyson, the daughter of Christopher and Jessica Barker, wrote an essay about caring, and Morgan, the daughter of Jack and Lisa Zeilenga, gave a speech on empathy.
Addyson said she was shocked to get third, and Yvette said she was surprised she did so well.
Frontier’s Builders Club has about 25 members, Himple said. The club emphasizes service, and its members completed service projects around school and the community. Builders Club members were among the volunteer bell ringers for Salvation Army at Christmas, and they visited Brookdale extended care facility to spend time with the residents, among other projects.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
REC Silicon reports operating loss in 2025
MOSES LAKE — REC Silicon operating revenue dropped substantially in 2025 when compared with 2024, according to the company’s annual report released March 25. The company reported $78.2 million in operating revenue in 2025, compared with $140.8 million in 2024.
Open house for Moses Lake comprehensive plan Monday
MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake residents are being invited to learn more about and give their opinions on proposed updates to sections of the city’s comprehensive plan at an open house Monday at the Moses Lake Civic Center, 411 S. Balsam St.
Samaritan posts operating loss for first two months of 2026
MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare posted net revenue losses in January and February, and while hospital officials anticipated some red ink, the losses were larger than the budget projections. Samaritan posted an operating loss of about $1.4 million in February and about $486,500 in January.