It’s too early for The Beachcomber to weigh in on the merits of the three proposed renovations to the school district’s aging campus — different options that the district plans to take before voters over the next several months. It’s not too early, though, to take note of the sorry state of Vashon High School (VHS) and urge others to do so as well.
When I arrived at Sunrise Ridge the other evening for a meeting at the conference room, I was greeted by the “thwack” of baseballs being hit by little bats and the usual encouragement voiced by families and friends out to support the kids.
There’s a lot of activity in our school district right now. We are nearing the end of a very successful year. However, because the budget continues to be a problem to solve, I want to take some time to share what is happening with next year’s funds.
It was 22 years ago that I gave it to him for Father’s Day. I wrote it and framed it of my own accord.
We at The Beachcomber are going to take a moment to indulge in shameless self-promotion. Under the heading that we buy the ink and every now and then get to use it to call attention to ourselves, we want to highlight the three “special sections,” as we call them, that have been published almost back to back by our small, hard-working staff.
It’s a cold, dreary, rainy “June-uary” Friday, and I’m sitting here obsessing about summer water limits in Vashon’s Water District 19. I suppose I’m one of the few Islanders who appreciates June rainfall. I like rain even more in July, August and September. Because when it rains in the summertime, Islanders don’t water their grass, landscaping or crops as much. And that means your water district is more likely to be able to come up with enough water to meet your peak day demand.
We have found ourselves in an exciting position — adjacent to the future Vashon Allied Arts (VAA). With the promising development of the purchase of the McFeed’s property, VAA, it seems, is poised to grow into the physical manifestation of its ongoing role as the center of the Vashon arts community.
Most of us are aware of Cindy Sheehan’s activism against the war in Iraq and the very public stand that she took in Crawford, Texas, camping out next to President George Bush’s ranch and confronting the president’s support for the war.
I grew up in a suburb north of Chicago where one could find every kind of restaurant, from the noisy hustle and bustle of Andy’s Hamburgers to the elegant and music-filled atmosphere of San Pedro’s at Theatro de Lago.
I’m not going anywhere this summer! Every year at about this time, I pledge that I will not leave the Island for the next three months.
There are many compelling reasons to close the Vashon High School campus, putting an end to a senior ritual that administrators say is often abused. Thirty minutes is hardly time to get into town and back with a Subway sandwich. Why should kids be burning up fossil fuel for a jaunt like that anyway? And then, of course, some are doing more than grabbing a sandwich. In light of the Healthy Youth Survey that found teen marijuana use higher on Vashon than the rest of the state, administrators have legitimate reasons for concern.
I am writing in response to a letter in last week’s paper rebuking Vashon Isalnd Pet Protector’s (VIPP) request for Vashon residents to adopt dogs. To ask that responsible animal-loving citizens of Vashon Island not adopt homeless dogs simply because Thorne is afraid of them and doesn’t like their poop seems ignorant to me.
Everyone’s talking about eating local in-season produce as the healthiest food to nourish their bodies. More and more people are supporting local farms in their quest to achieve the most wholesome diet. An excellent adjunct is to add a daily dose of the whole assortment of wild edibles available for foraging in copious amounts this time of year. Foliage, flowers, roots and berries of a variety of wild plants are in season on Vashon. Supplementing your diet with these foods is a potent source of raw natural vitamins, minerals, amino acids, bioflavinoids, and a host of other beneficial nutrients. It is the ultimate in food empowerment.