In this vibrant community, putting out a newspaper each week is an extremely interesting job, full of countless challenges and rewards. We are keenly aware that we rely on many islanders, who are part of our extended team in ways both large and small. At year’s end, we want to take the time to thank everyone who supported the paper over the last 12 months.

If we could give a most-valuable-player award, it would go to Bruce Haulman. Unfailingly kind and insightful, for years Bruce has provided frequent looks at the history of the island with Time & Again features. We also turn to him with countless questions about the island of days gone by. It is rare to stump him, no matter the question.

Each month, Chris Woods writes the Field Notes page, providing important information about the wild world around us. We relish her work; our favorite Field Notes articles this year focused on bird migration (Did you know more than 10,000 birds an hour fly in the air above you?) and a laugh-out-loud piece about blackberries. We look forward to what is coming next year.

And Tom Conway. Starting last spring, Tom has provided us with recipes and his ruminations about them, along with gorgeous photos of the food he creates at his Vashon Island farm. From peach pie to Free- Range Fruit Cake, his recipes have delighted us, and we hope they help islanders make the most of the seasons as they change.

Our list of people to thank also includes those who write op-eds and columns for the paper. We value those pieces tremendously, and we are thankful every time a person expresses interest in writing for our opinion pages — or says yes when we call and inquire. Similarly, we welcome letters to the editor about almost any issue. In the age of Facebook, it is easier just to post opinions there, but we believe letters to the paper fill a different niche and over time reflect the thoughts and changes of this community.

A picture is worth 1,000 words, of course, and we are thankful for the many talented photographers who have contributed to these pages, among them Kent Phelan, Pete Welch, John de Groen, Terry Donnelly and Ray Pfortner.

Our sports pages exist because of the kindness of parents and coaches willing to write about games and share the highlights with the wider community. We appreciate everyone who takes on this role. If there are any would-be sports writers out there, we have the perfect boys’ basketball team for you to cover.

We’re also deeply grateful to our advertisers, many of whom support this paper week after week. Our newspaper couldn’t exist without you.

Finally, we’re grateful to our readers. Your loyalty helps the paper thrive, and you often help shape the paper with news tips, snapshots of island happenings and inquiries about topics we might cover. Thank you for your support.