SMART Tongue Twister Tournament returns Feb. 27

Noah Tauscher will defend his title against four other students and five local educators. Along with Tauscher, a senior at Hood River Valley High School, will be eighth graders Kelsey Stewart of Wy’east Middle School, Zane Yinger of Hood River Middle, fifth grader Sean Counihan of May Street, and HRVHS sophomore Morgan Graves.

In the educator line-up is Morgan’s mother, Jennifer Graves, a Wy’east teacher, which sets up the Tongue Twister’s first parent-child matchup.

Also competing are May Street teacher T Dalbey, Superintendent Dan Goldman, Heather Laurance of New Vision School in Mt. Hood, and HRVHS principal Rich Polkinghorn.

Local businesses and SMART volunteers have donated prizes for the annual “chance auction.” Attendees can buy tickets to be placed in a bucket with each prize, and later in the evening one ticket will be drawn for each. The more tickets you place in a bucket, the better your chance of winning.

The open mic portion of TTT is back, too. For a $5 donation, try a tongue twister and gain another raffle ticket.

SMART officials will present details about the program and ask for further financial support via sponsorship of book packets that are provided to schools. The SMART readers get to use those books in their weekly sessions, and to take them home. SMART participants get to take home two books to keep each month.

The Hood River SMART chapter provides services to all five elementary schools and, new this year, the Hood River Head Start program. SMART programs are located around the state, and the organization is now in its 26th year.

Judges will include Circuit Court Judge Karen Ostrye and Bruce Ludwig, the 2013 champion, both of Hood River. The 2011 and 2012 victors Buzzy Nielsen and Kim Vogel will also be on hand.

If you have questions about the event or SMART, call Kirby Neumann-Rea at 541-386-1234.