Gymnasium to be dedicated SaturdayNASELLE – The Naselle High School gymnasium, the scene of hundreds of basketball games since it first opened in 1953, will be named the Lyle Patterson Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 8. Patterson is the famous longtime coach and educator for generations of Comets student-athletes.

Patterson coached Comets boys basketball for over 30 years, with his teams earning a winning record of 623 wins and 228 losses. During that span of time, the Patterson-coached Naselle teams had a district record of 117 wins, 38 losses and a State record of 58 wins and 43 losses. He coached 31 winning seasons.

Naselle teams qualified for district all 32 years, had 13 league championships, 15 district championships, and placed at state 18 times, including five second-place finishes, three thirds, four fourths, a fifth, two sixths, a seventh, and two eighth-place trophies. In addition, Patterson coached three league champion Comets football teams, with one team winning the honorary state B championship, as it was awarded in those pre-playoff years.

Patterson was inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002 in honor of his many years of achievement and success as a high school coach.

The dedication of the gymnasium will occur during a basketball double-header between the girls and boys varsity teams from Naselle and Cathlamet. The two girls teams will play in a game beginning at 6 p.m. The dedication will take place following the girls game. The two boys teams will square off in their annual K-M Trophy game, following the dedication ceremony, at approximately 8 p.m.

Comets Reading ClubNASELLE – The Comets Reading Club encourages students to read at home with their families. They keep track of every 15 minutes of reading time. When they reach five, 15, 30, 100, 200-plus hours, the students receive recognition at the monthly character assembly. So far, 18 students have read for five hours, five have read 15, and one has accomplished 30 hours of reading! As incentives, the reading club gives books as rewards for time spent reading. This has been a great way to put focus on reading and it has made students excited and motivated to read.

Class receives honorNASELLE – Mr. Bennett’s fourth grade class received a certificate of congratulations from Scholastic Book Club. The certificate reads as follows:

“Your class knows how to make a difference! You read 100 books by Dec. 31, 2004. Thanks to your hard work and love of reading, one hundred books will be donated to children who need them. You’re helping us get 1 million books into the hands of children across America!”

VFW essay winners NASELLE – Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5297, Wahkiakum County, announced that two students from Naselle were winners in the VFW’s youth essay competition. This competition gives students scross the country an opportunity to write an essay expressing their views on democracy. This year’s theme was “What Service to Our Country Means to Me.”

Ryley Queener, son of Jim and Susan Moten, was selected the winner of the grades 3-5 competition, which consisted of students from the Wahkiakum and Naselle School Districts. Risa Fletcher, daughter of Colleen and Hollis Fletcher, won the grades 6-8 competition among students in those two school districts. Each received a $100 savings bond from Bob Roche, the Post Commander.

Ryley and Risa’s essays were reviewed at the VFW District level in the next round of competition. Risa Fletcher’s essay was selected the winner at this level, competing with students from Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock, Toutle Lake, and Ilwaco. Risa’s essay now moves to statewide competition, where the winner will be announced in late January.