Connor Gill, a fifth grade student at Cobb Mountain Elementary School, and Madison Templeman, a sixth grader from Minnie Cannon Elementary, were the top spellers in the Lake County Elementary Spelling Bee in Lakeport, Calif., on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. They will both compete in the California State Elementary Spelling Championship on Saturday, May 15, at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Calif. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT – The Lake County Elementary Spelling Bee was held in the Marge Alakszay Center (MAC) on the Lakeport Unified School District campus on Tuesday, March 16.

In a battle between Lake County elementary students, grades fourth through sixth, the top two finalists were Connor Gill and Madison Templeman.

Connor is a fifth grade student at Cobb Mountain Elementary School; Madison is a sixth grader from Minnie Cannon Elementary. Congratulations to these Lake County spelling champions!

They will both compete in the California State Elementary Spelling Championship on Saturday, May 15, at Sonoma State University.

Elementary “super spellers” who participated in the competition include: Esgar Aguirre, Kelseyville Elementary; Lacey Amaral, Pomo Elementary; Logan Biggs, Mountain Vista Middle School; Charlie Burk, East Lake Elementary; Yuzelmy Estrada, Coyote Valley Elementary; Samantha Fields, Terrace School; Jason Gentle, Riviera Elementary; Vanessa Hughes, East Lake Elementary; Miranda Huntley, Upper Lake Elementary; Maranda Kalousek, Lower Lake Elementary; Isaac Lewis, Terrace School; Avery Madrid, Riviera Elementary; Jonathan Nance, Coyote Valley Elementary; Kaylee O’Bryant, Upper Lake Middle School; Jesse Salazar, Lower Lake Elementary; Jared Smith, Mountain Vista Middle School; Corrinne Thill, Pomo Elementary; Rachele Wagner-Pugh, Lucerne Elementary; Steve Williams, Lucerne Elementary; Travis Williams, Minnie Cannon Elementary; and Natalia Young, Cobb Mountain Elementary.

Students who qualified but were unable to participate in the completion are Kimberly Gonzalez, Burns Valley Elementary; Hailey Johnson, Kelseyville Elementary; and Luisa Onate, Burns Valley Elementary.

A very special “thank you” goes to Jill Falconer, Andrew Goodwin, and the staff at Terrace School for hosting the spelling bee.

Thank you to Principal Tony Loumena and staff at Upper Lake Middle School for hosting the Lake County Junior High Spelling Bee on Thursday, March 18.

In a heated competition between Lake County junior high students (grades seventh through eighth), the top two champions were Ariana Diaz, a seventh grade student from Middletown Middle School; and Arthur Wilkie, a seventh grader from Lucerne Elementary School. Both Ariana and Arthur will compete in the 2010 Junior High State Spelling Championship on May 8 in San Rafael.

The junior high spelling champs who participated in the competition are: Alexis Castaneda, Pomo School; Tyler Clays, Lower Lake Elementary; Pamela Coleman, Burns Valley Elementary; Jimmy Haddan, Burns Valley Elementary; Julius Hanlon, Upper Lake Elementary; Taylor Klemin, East Lake Elementary; Bundita Kosolcharoen, Terrace School; Stephanie Lesher, Pomo School; Jeremy Meade-Malley, East Lake Elementary; Mathias Paul, Lower Lake Elementary; Aimee Sauer, Mountain Vista Middle School; Brandon Saylor, Lucerne Elementary; Evan Wofford, Upper Lake Middle School; and Skyler Yocom, Terrace School.

Students who qualified but were unable to participate in the competition include Serena Gelfer, Cobb Mountain Elementary; Kristine McDermand, Middletown Middle School; and Carson Reed, Mountain Vista Middle School.

Spelling Champions Connor Gill, Madison Templeman, Ariana Diaz and Arthur Wilkie were each awarded a Medal of Excellence and a $25 gift certificate to Catfish Books in Lakeport.

The annual spelling competitions are coordinated by the Lake County Office of Education.

Master of ceremonies/spell master for both of the spelling bees was Stephanie Wayment, ELA/ELD Specialist at Lake County Office of Education.

The judges for the competition were Robin Totorica and Jan Bailey, also from LCOE.

From left, Lucerne Elementary School seventh grader Arthur Wilkie and Ariana Diaz, a seventh grader from Middletown Middle School, were the champions in the spelling bee for Lake County junior high students in Lakeport, Calif., on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Both will compete in the 2010 Junior High State Spelling Championship on May 8, 2010, in San Rafael, Calif. Courtesy photo.

MENDOCINO COUNTY – Join the Big River Stewards program of the Mendocino Land Trust and the Mendocino Woodlands Camp Association for the fourth-annual Earth Day Work Weekend at Big River on April 24 and 25.

Come stay a night at the historic Mendocino Woodlands Camp in the redwoods and help with restoration projects at Big River or join them for either day.

Complimentary lodging will be provided to volunteers in rustic private cabins nestled in the redwoods at the Mendocino Woodlands Camp, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Lodging is limited to 25 participants.

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 24, volunteers will remove Ammophila (or European Beach Grass) and other invasive plants from scenic Big River Beach located between the Big River estuary and the historic village of Mendocino.

On Saturday night, a complimentary dinner will be served in the Woodlands historic Camp One dining hall.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 25, volunteers will work to remove invasive English Ivy from mature stands of redwoods bordering Big River.

For more information, or to RSVP, contact Stewards Coordinator Matt Coleman at 707-962-0470 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

In 2002, Mendocino Land Trust acquired the 7,334-acre former industrial logging property and turned it over to California State Parks.

Big River, home to endangered Coho Salmon and threatened Steelhead Trout, is also one of the longest undeveloped estuaries in Northern California.

Since 2004, MLT’s Big River Stewards have been working to remove invasive plants, control erosion and monitor avian and aquatic resources.

YOUNTVILLE – The Napa Valley Museum announces the April 2 opening of the Suiseki exhibit of rare stone artifacts from the Rozaline and Bertram Johnson Collection of Fossils, Stones and Minerals in the museum's History Gallery.

The Rozaline and Bertram Johnson endowment was made in 1995 when the Napa Valley Museum was located in St. Helena where a small portion of the collection was displayed.

The April 2 opening represents the first time the collection has been shown in 15 years.

The current exhibit will feature cases filled with Suiseki (soo-ee-sek-ee) or sui (meaning water) and seki (meaning stone) viewing stones, chalcopypyrite quartz and pyrite, and chrysanthemum stones collected during the Johnson's many travels throughout Japan.

The chrysanthemum stones are polished to bring out their natural beauty. Some are described as resembling brilliant fireworks in the night sky.

As Oakville residents and world travellers, the Johnsons amassed an extensive array of nature's wonders. Through their generosity, they have shared their passion about the earth's history with museum visitors who will be able to enjoy their beauty and appreciate their worldwide significance.

The Napa Valley Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, call 707-944-0500 or visit www.napavalleymuseum.org .

NICE – Come enjoy an Italian-style dinner and dance Friday, March 26, at the Sons of Italy.

The will serve a Chicken Cacciatore supper with all the fixings plus dessert at the club hall, 2817 E. Highway 20 in Nice.

The bar is open for socializing at 5 p.m. then dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.

Enjoy dancing to music of John Zimmerman right after the meal.

All tickets cost $15 at the door. Everyone is welcome.

For information about this event or renting the hall for your own, call 707-263-1606.

CLEARLAKE OAKS – The Lake County Computer Users will meet on Saturday, April 3.

Coffee and doughnuts will be offered beginning at 9 a.m., with the meeting running from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The meeting will take place at the Live Oak Senior Center, 12502 Foothill Blvd., Clearlake Oaks.

The program topic will be "Intro to Social Networking with Twitter, Facebook and Flickr!" presented by Judy Grindle.

If you have tried it, tell them how you use it and if you like it. Also bring a list of your PC problems and questions and they will try to help you find a solution.

The group's programs topics include "Ordering books, movies, CDs, etc. online from your local library and downloading free books to your PC or mp3 device" by Dorothy Hurkett, and "How to get 25GB of free online storage and Window 7's missing programs" by Judy Grindle.

For more information visit www.lccu-ca.org or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

UKIAH – The Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for Lake and Mendocino Counties’ Governing Board will conduct a public hearing to accept comments on the 2009-2012 Area Plan.

The hearing will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, April 22, at Mendocino County HHSA's Big Sur meeting room, 747 S. State St., Ukiah.

The plan sets forth goals and objectives to address needs of seniors and people with disabilities in Lake and Mendocino counties.

The AAA is interested in receiving input from older adults, persons with disabilities, family caregivers, agencies and advocacy groups serving these individuals, and other interested parties.

Copies of the plan’s goals and objectives will be available at the hearings and the entire plan can be accessed at www.mcdss.org .

For more information, please contact AAA at 463-7775 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .