It’s the 250th birthday of the United States of America and how better to celebrate than with a big-screen hagiography of America’s first president, George Washington? “Young Washington” arrives in theaters just in time for the Fourth of July with a chiseled, hot young actor in the lead role and the sheen of a prestige HBO drama, though the result isn’t really big-screen spectacle or appointment television. It feels more like something to be watched on the AV rig in a middle school social studies class. At least there won’t be a quiz at the end.

But there could be, because the plot of “Young Washington” plays out with all the thrill of a textbook chapter. It takes place mostly around 1753-55, at the advent of the French and Indian War. We open in medias res when the 23-year-old Col. Washington (William Franklyn-Miller) lurches from a dysentery-riddled nap directly into battle in the Pennsylvania woods, his battalion on the back foot, surrounded by gore and gunpowder. Another officer describes how dire the situation is while George ponders saving his men and asks, “What could be worth the risk?” Washington steels his gaze and we cut to black. You can almost hear the eagles scream, guitars riff and engines rev.

“Young Washington” is produced and distributed by Angel Studios, the faith-based movie studio that churns out films based on true stories that either feature freak accidents, strange illnesses or, more recently, unique stories from the past in which faith in God is a factor. Apparently, our nation’s founding also falls under this umbrella.

The film is directed by Jon Erwin, one of the in-house Angel Studios mainstays, who also helmed “Jesus Revolution,” “I Still Believe” and “I Can Only Imagine.” Erwin gives the whole project a kind of gritty, visceral approach — very “Game of Thrones” in red coats. It’s violent, muddy, the contrast is high and too many drone shots soar over the forest treetops.

Though it opens with a bang, this 1755 battle framing device gives way to the George origin story, starting with his father’s death 12 years earlier, when the 11-year-old George is bereft that he’ll have to sacrifice his education in order to become a tenant farmer and provide for his family including his mother, Mary (Mary-Louise Parker, doing a bizarre accent).

His older half-brother Lawrence (John Foss) takes him under his wing and teaches him, and the young George grows into a smart, bright, ambitious young man, whose dreams of becoming a British officer are dashed because he doesn’t have formal education, a fortuitous marriage or his own land. But he’s bootstrapped himself into intelligence and with savvy networking and know-how, he becomes indispensable to the British, volunteering as a major to survey land and negotiate treaties with the Native tribes and French army. It’s all a bunch of politicking and petty disputes until it escalates into all-out war thanks to an ill-advised ambush.

Sir Ben Kingsley, Kelsey Grammar (who starred in “Jesus Revolution”) and Andy Serkis play the British officers who begrudgingly, at times, believe in George and his capabilities, though a lot of the film is about a young man getting rebuffed by snobbish British officers.

He’s the kind of character who always makes the noble choice, does and says what’s right, and sees everyone as equals (including enslaved African men and Native American allies). He inspires his brother and others that the world can change and takes inspiration from his mother, who encourages him to continue his path and do it as God’s servant.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t make for a character that’s in any way complex or interesting at all. Franklyn-Miller is certainly pretty, serving as a fine face for this story, but the screenplay (by Erwin, Diederik Hoogstraten and Tom Provost) flattens his character into a basic cookie-cutter hero. Audiences, including the middle school social studies students, deserve better and more nuanced stories about this country and the values it was built upon.

“Young Washington” is propaganda in the form of a history lesson wrapped in a summer blockbuster. If only it were even slightly entertaining — maybe they’ll tackle that in the inevitable sequel.

Mathematicians and statisticians from around the world descended onto Pullman to attend the regional conference of the International Biometric Society (IBS) in early June. Joining leading experts in data science and biometrics were several special guests: high school students from the Kalispel Tribe in northwestern Washington.

The eleven students from Cusick are participants in a collaborative tutoring program between the WSU Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the Camas Learning Center (CLC), an in-school and after-school program managed by the Kalispel Tribe. They were invited to the IBS conference by Regents Professor Jan Dasgupta, department chairperson and the current president of the IBS western North American region. Dasgupta saw an opportunity to share the Pullman academic experience with both leading researchers and the students tutored by her undergraduate students. 

“The IBS conference includes an Access and Opportunity workshop focused on engaging local students, and we wanted them to experience WSU and see the possibilities that exist in STEM education and careers,” Dasgupta said. 

Undergraduate students from the WSU “Future Teachers of Math” club typically tutor the high schoolers via one-on-one Zoom consultations, supported by CLC staff. The tutoring program has evolved since 2023, but the focus has always remained on student math preparation, for those learning and those teaching the subject. The partnership creates stronger pathways to both higher education and STEM opportunities for students in rural and tribal communities across Washington.

Integrating high school students into the IBS conference proceedings is not a new concept. In 2024, the annual conference’s Access and Opportunity Workshop invited community college students from the Denver area to network with attendees and participate in a data skills seminar. The next year, the workshop invited students from around Whistler, B.C. to the conference proceedings. This year, it was time for the students from Cusick. 

Eleven students and four chaperones made the trip from Pend Oreille County to Pullman, where they stayed in Stimson Hall as an on-campus dormitory experience. While the students’ conference activities included hands-on experiences with biostatistics, data science, and biometry analysis, they were also treated to a campus facilities tour. Physics professor Guy Worthy provided a tour of the WSU Planetarium, and Squeak Meisel from the Department of Art led students on a tour of the art facilities and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at WSU. Other tour locations included the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the University Recreation Center for some earned relaxation time in the pool. 

Cross-discipline researchers also sat down for a panel discussion with the students, discussing their education, career, and life experiences. The speakers included Denise Dillard, director of the Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH); Mikaela Nishida, PhD scholar in statistics from University of California, Irvine; and Courtney Meehan, Dean of the WSU College of Arts and Sciences. 

“One of the most important things we can do as a university is help students see new possibilities for themselves,” said Dean Meehan. “Hosting international conferences like this on our campus creates powerful opportunities for students to interact with researchers and explore potential career paths firsthand. These connections can have a lasting impact long after they leave Pullman.”