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Wrestling family pins down many top achievements

Led by the Sanderson family, Wasatch High School in Heber City, Utah, dominated the 3-A wrestling tournament in February. With individual state championships, Cody, Cole, and Cael, helped their dad, Steve, win Utah Wrestling Coach of the Year honors for the second time in a row. He also was named USA Wrestling magazine's "Man of the Year."

Wasatch won its second consecutive team title.Cody, a junior 112 pounder, won his third straight state gold medal. Sophomore Cole took first at 125 pounds, and Cael, a freshman, won a title in his first year of high school competition. The three boys' combined wrestling record for the past six years (including national tournaments) is 1,385-36. Between them, they have 31 Utah state titles in free style and Greco-Roman, and 13 Utah state collegiate-style titles including high school and junior high. They have also won tournaments around the nation and Cody was the first Utahn to win a junior national championship - in Greco-Roman. He was also the first Utahn to be named first-team all-American on a team sponsored by the Ascis Corporation.

In the classroom, Cody carries a 4.0 grade point average while Cole has a 3.98 GPA, and Cael, 3.9. Cody is a priest, and Cole and Cael are teachers in the Heber 1st Ward, Heber City Utah East Stake.

Education

Laura Wakefield of the Kissimmee Ward, Orlando Florida South Stake, a geography teacher, recently won first prize in the Delta Airlines/National Geographic GeoGuide Contest for a lesson plan she created using an article from National Geographic. She was also one of 25 teachers in North America to receive the Distinguished Teaching Award from the National Council for Geographic Education. Last summer, she was one of two teachers from Florida chosen by the National Geographic Society to participate in Project Marco Polo. She and two of her students spent three weeks in the Mediterranean visiting Italy, Malta and Tunisia.

Ireta B. Wolfley of the Ammon 11th Ward, Idaho Falls Idaho Ammon West Stake, has been chosen runner-up for the 1994 Idaho Teacher of the Year award. The Idaho State Department of Education, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the teaching profession and the community, conferred the award upon her at a special reception in February honoring Teacher of the Year finalists. Sister Wolfley is best known for her outstanding service to reading and literacy programs wherein she has taught numerous boys and girls how to read. A veteran of 30 years of teaching in Utah and Idaho, she currently teaches at Hillview Elementary School.

Academics

Tyler Thomson, a sophomore at Spanish Fork (Utah) High School, earned fifth place in the 12th annual Duracell National Science Teachers Association Scholarship Competition. He emerged from 815 entrants to become a national finalist with his creation - the Arachnid Explorer. The working device moves on eight legs without a motor, utilizing the expanding/contracting characteristics of nitinol, a nickel titanium alloy. It is powered by eight AA batteries and could lead to a model utilized for under-sea or outer-space exploration. Tyler is teacher's quorum president in the Wolf Hollow Ward, Spanish Fork Utah South Stake.

Andrew Andersen, Amy Harrison, Whitney Jenkins, and Michael Lowry were selected to participate in The National Young Leaders Conference at Washington, D.C., in March. The conference was for high school students who have demonstrated leadership potential and scholastic merit. There were 350 young leaders from across the nation at the conference where they interacted with newsmakers from the three branches of government, media and the diplomatic corps. Andrew is a senior at King City High School and a member of the Greenfield Ward, Monterey California Stake. Amy is a member of the Long Beach Ward, Rainier Oregon Stake and attends Ilwaco High School. Whitney is president of the junior class at Troy High School and is a member of the Troy Branch, Sandpoint Idaho Stake. Michael is a junior at Medina High School and a member of the Medina Ward, Akron Ohio Stake.

Athletics

Amy Budge of White Pass (Washington) High School was recently named to the state basketball all-tournament team. In the tournament played at Tacoma, Wash., Amy scored 29 points. She also received the Sportsmanship Medallion. Amy is the Laurel president in the Issaquah 2nd Ward, Bellevue Washington Stake.

Military

Todd N. Cole, teachers quorum adviser in the Bossier Ward, Shreveport Louisiana Stake, was named the U.S. Air Force 458th Operations Group Airman of the Year for 1993. The senior airman has won several other awards including Airman of the Month (twice) and Airman of the Quarter. He joined the Air Force in December 1988 and after initial training became a boom operator for KC-135 aircraft and was transferred to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

Centenarian

Ruth E. Carter Camp Tanner of the Bishop Ward, Ridgecrest California Stake, celebrated her 100th birthday on March 23. She was born at White Plains, N.Y., to Horace Hudson and Rachel Wright Sypher Carter. She has lived in Montana, California, and New Mexico through the years, and currently resides in Bishop, Calif. Sister Tanner was introduced to the gospel in 1977 and was baptized in May of that year at age 83.

Business

Rick Woodland, owner of a shoe repair shop, has been honored by his peers with the Grand Silver Cup award in Shoe Service magazine's 1994 Silver Cup Contest. The Silver Cup Contest is an international competition. Brother Woodland of the Campbell Ward, Saratoga California Stake, includes making clown shoes among his skills and is an orthopedic shoe technician.

John Ross, ward mission leader in the Chamblee-Dunwoody Ward, Roswell Georgia Stake, recently won a Business Achievement Award from Success Magazine. He and his wife, Kelly, are founders of The Inside Corporation, a non-profit organization devoted to education in prisons and mentoring programs in adult and juvenile correctional facilities and systems. Brother and Sister Ross are also producing a children's television program for an Atlanta station. It teaches family values and ethics and addresses contemporary issues in a format designed to entertain.

Poetry

Rubie L. Andrews and Merle Eggleston have been awarded Editor's Choice Awards for poems judged to be among the top 3 percent of those entries judged by The National Library of Poetry. Sister Andrews of the Anaheim 1st Ward, Anaheim California Stake, won the 1994 award for her poem entitled "Drums." She also earned a 1993 award. Sister Eggleston of the Indian Hills Ward, Pocatello Idaho Stake, earned the award for her poem entitled "Sara's Turn."

Art

Troy Biggers, 16, has won the Florida Sixth District Congressional Art Compeition and Show for 1994. His work will be displayed along with other winners from across the nation in the Capitol's Sam Rayburn Room in Washington, D.C., where it can be viewed by members of Congress. As part of his award, Troy will be flown to Washington, D.C., for a reception and to see his painting on display. Troy is a priest in the Leesburg Ward, Lake Mary Florida Stake.

Service

Tamara McKeon Morrison began her term March 1 as president of the American Women's Club of Korea. The club promotes friendship and unity among members and good relations with the Korean people, and supports welfare and service projects. Sister Morrison's husband, John W. Morrison Jr., was transferred to Korea by his employer in 1992. She is a BYU graduate and Young Women president in the Yong San Servicemen Branch of the Servicemen District-Korea District, and is the first counselor in the district Young Women presidency.

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