With finals and graduation complete, The Feather staff will bid adieu to its senior members and take a well-deserved two-month break.

In view of summer vacation, no new articles will appear on The Feather until after school resumes on Aug. 15. While many are familiar with school news and activities, others are not so up-to-date. Here are a few highlights of the 2005/2006 school year.

The Feather received an Online Pacemaker award from the National Press Association for high school students; Academic Decathlon placed third at their February competition and the campus math team ranked first at the Math Field Day competition at Fresno State on April 22.

The arts competed equally well over the course of the year. Band won the overall title at the Caruthers Band Parade while choir received a gold medal ranking at the Heritage Festival in Colorado in April. Two of Sharon Scharf’s art students placed in the top three in the ACSI Art Festival in Modesto in April; sophomore Ie Run Jun and senior Corinne Pogue also had pieces honored at the Radanovich Art Festival in May.

Many sports teams also flew high this year. The girls? tennis team won a Valley Championship while the and boys’ tennis team and the girls? track team captured the West Sierra League [WSL] titles. Senior Wes Wells qualified for the State Championships track meet in the high jump by jumping 6’2″ at the Valley Championships. The girls? volleyball went undefeated in the West Sierra League this past season while the varsity cheer squad placed eighth at the Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders competition in Orlando, FL.

The campus also was awarded the Spirit Stick by WSL leadership teams for the upcoming school year for the students’ enthusiasm and good sportsmanship.

National, state and valley awards were not the only accomplishments students? achieved this year. In school competitions, the senior class received first place at homecoming for their float representation of The Wizard of Oz followed by the sophomores in second with Mary Poppins, the freshmen with The Swiss Family Robinson and the juniors with Grease.

Night of the Stars also highlighted the year with the seniors Best Picture The Day After Yesterday, the juniors with The Hunted, the sophomores with Take My Breath Away and the freshman with Play Ball.

The seniors celebrated one final achievement, their graduation, together on May 25 in the Peoples Church sanctuary before heading off to Grad Night at the Downtown Club for dinner and then to Boomers for a night of free games, prizes and fun.

For more information on the above events, read the articles posted on this newspaper under the News, Features or Sports icons. For more information on the new school year, call the high school office at 299-1695, ext. 5.