The Outstanding Youth of the Year Award was taken home by Tyler Venneri who is currently a senior at Battle Ground High School. In addition to his high school classes, Venneri attends Cascadia Tech Academy for Fire Cadets, works part-time at Battle Ground Cinema and is a part of JROTC, where he holds the highest position in his unit as the Corps Commander.
Other nominees were Victoria Crossland and Brooke Walling.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Mavis Nickels. Nickels was a Battle Ground Public Schools teacher from 1976 to 1999, and in the early 1990s she was on the state superintendent’s committee to write assessment math standards and exams. Nickels has also served on the Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors, announcing her resignation earlier this month.
Also nominated was John and Lynda Idsinga.
Daniel Hidden was overjoyed when he found out he won the Teacher of the Year Award. Hidden taught in the Evergreen District for six years before transferring to Battle Ground where he currently teaches 10th-grade English. Hidden grew up near the East Fork of the Lewis River and graduated from Battle Ground High School.
Other nominees included Alison Pierce and Mary Sorenson.
Rob Smith took home the Coach of the Year Award. Smith is the wrestling coach for Prairie High School. Three Falcons grapplers placed at the 3A state tournament earlier this month under Smith’s watch. Smith also teaches welding at Prairie.
Other nominees were Manny Melo and Bradford Batten.
Kendra Laratta won Business Person of the Year. Laratta runs Ink Ability, a print shop, with her husband Russell.
Also nominated was Steve Niemi and Dr. Dino Ramzi.
Lydia Sanders was awarded Citizen of the Year for her work in the Battle Ground School District. She leads a team that develops programs for underserved students across all 18 schools.
Also nominated was Marcy Sprecher and Tyler Castle.
Denny Waters, the deputy superintendent of Battle Ground Public Schools, presented Dr. Jason Egbert with the Business of the Year Award. Egbert is the owner of First Sight Family Vision.
Also nominated was Columbia Credit Union and Emanar Cellars.
The Battle Ground Annual Recognition Banquet was held Feb. 21, shining a light on the organizations and individuals who supported and worked to improve the community in 2018. It was hosted by the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (GVCC). The now-dissolved Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce, which has historically hosted this event, last year merged with GVCC. GVCC has since started a Battle Ground Chamber Council for guidance on its Battle Ground-area operations. The banquet again took place at the Battle Ground Community Center on Feb. 21.
