Left to right are John Hallead, strength and conditioning coordinator; Sean Ciemiewicz, Booster Club president; Steve Larsen, retired White Salmon school teacher and Lions Club secretary; High School Principal Craig McKee; and AJ Valencia, athletic director. The White Salmon Lions Club has donated $5,000 to Columbia High School, half earmarked for the community weight room project and the other half to the booster club’s general fund.
The White Salmon Lions Club has donated $5,000 to Columbia High School, half earmarked for the community weight room project and the other half to the booster club’s general fund.
Left to right are John Hallead, strength and conditioning coordinator; Sean Ciemiewicz, Booster Club president; Steve Larsen, retired White Salmon school teacher and Lions Club secretary; High School Principal Craig McKee; and AJ Valencia, athletic director. The White Salmon Lions Club has donated $5,000 to Columbia High School, half earmarked for the community weight room project and the other half to the booster club’s general fund.
WHITE SALMON — The White Salmon Lions Club is hoping a $5,000 donation to athletic programs at Columbia High School will prompt others in the community to follow suit.
Steve Larsen, a recently retired White Salmon school teacher and Lions Club secretary, said a letter he received from the CHS booster club helped get the donation process started. Booster Club President Sean Ciemiewicz was a guest speaker at a Lions Club meeting. Shortly after, the Lions decided to donate $5,000, half earmarked for the community weight room project and the other half to the booster club’s general fund. Larsen said the Lions are hoping the large donation will get the ball rolling and other businesses and clubs will join the effort to support the booster club.
In the past, each school sports program did its own fundraising. The goal of the new club, The Bruin Booster Club — or The Bruin Club — is to fundraise in support of all school athletics under one umbrella.
Ciemiewicz said the mission of The Bruin Club is to support all athletes at the school.
“One of the big projects that came to us first was redevelopment of the weight room,” he said. “A lot of the equipment is antiquated … it needs to be replaced, not only for people to enjoy and use, and to build for the athletes, but also from a safety issue.”
The goal is to make sure the equipment is available for the school, its athletes, and the community. Ciemiewicz said, “So, having that as a major project that will support all of the programs and not just one was a big mandate for us.”
CHS Athletic Director AJ Valencia has been working to rebuild the athletics department by creating a solid foundation for the school programs. He said he hopes the Lions’ donation will prompt others. “If our school sees it come together with donations, such as this donation from The White Salmon Lions, I think it gives our coaches more of a purpose to be bought in and say, ‘Hey, now we have community support, let’s do cool things for our athletes that we haven’t done before.’”
The White Salmon Lions Club has donated $5,000 to Columbia High School, half earmarked for the community weight room project and the other half to the booster club’s general fund.
Contributed photo
Building culture around athletics is a continuing goal of Valencia, who is hoping to see the Columbia Bruins logo throughout the school and the community. Valencia knows the impact that athletics can have on overall student success, whether helping student-athletes stay eligible by keeping up their grades or simply getting them to attend school.
Ciemiewicz said there are parallels with athletic success and success once students have completed school.
“It bleeds into the corporate world. You know, athletics, being a team player, team sports, having the dedication to persevere, even when you don’t win, and to keep fighting,” he said. “That bleeds into a lot of the business world opportunities.”
The cost of the weight room upgrade is estimated to be more than $60,000, Valencia said. The weight room is something Columbia High School administrators recently compared to those at other schools they compete against. Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn, Columbia High School Principal Craig McKee, Strength Conditioning Coordinator John Hallead, and Valencia attended a tour of competing schools to see how they support their athletes and programs.
Valencia said, “So, not really reinventing the wheel, but seeing what they’re doing, and how can we bring that back here. And I think that we have an amazing support system right now in the building administration, all the way up from the superintendent, down to the AD role, to our teachers, to our coaches.
“Mr. Larsen, who retired last year, is a longtime White Salmon school supporter. Now he’s coming back with the Lions Club to support us, as well. So, seeing it come full circle like that. We have a lot of positive momentum right now. We just need to keep going.”
One goal of The Bruins Club is team support that comes from community support, Valencia said.
“I think a big part of The Bruins Club is Bruins supporting Bruins,” he said. “Getting back to packing the stands even though your kids are not playing that day.”
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