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Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
March 18, 1999     Shelton Mason County Journal
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March 18, 1999
 
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Serving Belfair - Allyn - Grapeview - Tahuya - Mason Lake - South Shore - Victor rsday, March 18, 1999 Section of the Shelton-Mason County Journal # MSON be clogged arterials, a by-pass in Belfair, are no heart troubles people were "all on aturday night at the lnd Girls Club dinner and Was the social event of the arid a VERY successful er for the Boys and Girls second annual "Gifts auction was held on March 13, at the Admi- in Bremerton. Ecstat- Vaernber Dr. Brian Peter- total income at above even the goal After expenses, the met $109,000 of that programs for the anks to the gener- nets $109,000 osity of many, many donors. Several Boys and Girls Club members were on hand to help the adults with the many tasks required to conduct a successful event. The focus was always on what the money would buy tbr the kids, more than on the money or the donors. THE CLUB started in June 1998, and saw 841 members by the end of the year. There was a summer fun program held in Shelton, and nearly 100 kids per day coming after school to the Belfair location. Students learned ceramics and photography, and used the club van to go on 75 field trips for bowling, to the science center, art museums, and other events. The high-school-age kids formed a Keystone Club, and the 25 members contributed over 2,000 hours of service to the club and the community. The middle school kids formed two Torch Clubs. They gave over 3,000 hours of service to the club and the community. Additionally, there were 27 participants in a drug and alcohol awareness program, and 17 mem- bers who participated in the "Hands are Not for Hitting" anti- domestic violence presentations. They had over 300 people pledge against violence as a result of see- ing those presentations. The income from the auction will cover nearly half of the an- nual operating budget, according to smiling board member Tim Wing. i ¸ BOYS AND GIRLS Club Auction, clockwise from left: silent auction table shoppers, Kellie Rodriguez singing, joyous B & G executive Dave Ison and board member Brian Petersen, helpers Kayley McNamara and Matt Speece, and auction chair Betty Wing in the center. abound in North Mason :ason students have themselves artis- and Girls Club auc- contained four pages each appearing in COver was done by sixth grader The silent auction Created by Breanna is a third grader at The live auc- by Joshua Gou- at Sand Hill Finally, the special page carried Pf/u, a ninth orth Mason High Was based on the enae, "Gifts from the "!enaentary students la the Smokey Bear- lOSter Contest spon- Washington State 'den Clubs and the e. WINNERS, Tyler Fordind, Ja- Scan Abbott and made posters Tyler Hoyt and also were rec- Brandan Hannock, Brandon Des- sart, Anna Heitstuman, David McConnell, Lonnie Hoover, Michael Durbin, Lacey Griffin, Justin Shellgren, Rebecca Gifford, Ashley Barnett and Michael Rit- zel. First graders at Belfair Ele- mentary who made Woodsy Owl posters included winners Candace Eastman and Jami Stutz. Also recognized was Micah Nelson. FIRST GRADERS who made Smokey Bear posters were the fol- lowing winners, in order: Marissa Davidson-Guy, Ryan Kuhn, Katelyn Kaye and Rylie Pugh. Certificates of appreciation went to first graders Sam Newman, Heidi Bonn, Joe Nys, Brittany Wood, Austin Hansen, Jacy Schwab, Shawna Rinehart, Cam- eron Eacrett, Cooper Thompson, Megan Weatherwax, Robert Van- dling and Anthony Eagan. Sand Hill Elementary has an- nounced the winners in their Bookmark Contest entitled "For the Love of Reading." School li- brarian Mrs. Cassidy said, "Thanks for all the great entries in this year's Bookmark Contest. It was really tough to pick winners." Kindergarten and first grade winners, in order, were Brigid Lohman, Fred Thaves, Devan Ho- skins and Erik McCullough. Second and third graders who designed bookmarks finished in the following order: Nicholas Auz- ston, Marissa Stevenson, Ramona Lohman and Ashton Alexander. Fourth through sixth grade winners were artists Jennifer Woodland, Morgan Rutter, Chris Cooper and Kevin Blackwell. graders who made posters placed in Erika Vandling, azel, Ben Jensen, fair Elementary third :°gnized for their were: Kylee g, Brenna ed Rinehart, Kyra Bell, Angeli- I(atelyn Stanley, THESE TWO ARTISTS made award-winning posters. Third graders Tyler Fordind and Erika Vandling hold their work. Behind them are two members of the Ever° green Garden Club: Tammy Byerly and Linda Britt. honor roll announced School has re- or roll tbr the first year. graders received an point average. Allen, Christi- DeGracia III, Fatemeh Fakh- us, Lisa Tiffany McDon- Andrew Peter- a Yantis. Joining them on the 7th grade honor roll with a 3.2 or higher grade point average are: Joshua Baker, Leanne Baker, Autumn Bergeson, Michael Blair, Shana Blake, Aaron Brendehl, Skyler Brittner, David Burmaster, Jessi- ca Caubre, Shaydon Clinders, Chelsea Christensen, Noah Cof- fin, Crystal Ann Cole, Brianna Cook, Rian Creighton, Jannae Criss, and Amanda Curtis. Other 7th grade honor roll members are Carolyn Dixon, Brian Fry, Emma Fry, Joshua Fullington, Carmen Garcia, Jo- seph Gastineau, Angelina Geraci, Rachel Gibson, Joshua Graham, Kristina Gundersen, Destanie Hackiewicz, Stacie Henden, Christine Horton, Kristen How- ard, and Brett Hultberg. Joining the list are Sarah Is- (Please turn to page 3.) Student. suggestions no 'Fluke' YhelF1A:HOMSOiNon of Ever h:Yaser:d2:::gnlde:hl poftehs; u;e::l:dntPrrs2::ttei:in:;,ia department. Between the initial and final ett has partnered with North Ma- areas of responsibility in a pre- a high-tech company, you visits to Everett, the two teams son High School (NMHS) to assist young adults in learning job skills by allowing the students to work with industry professionals. Five NMHS students worked with the Fluke team for the first time this school year. The physics students who par- ticipated the first term were: Bree Whybark, Aaron Hendrickson, Willie Truemper, Eli Quinn and Derrick Speaks. Physics teacher Ed Koske, who has a brother working for Fluke, first came up with the concept, then shared it with School-to-Ca- reers Coordinator Leslie Nutt- man. The two of them worked out a proposal and visited the Everett Company last summer. "WHAT'S GREAT about this program is it is a chance for stu- dents to see the real world of work in practice. A big company like this is something that is not available for them to see here in Belfair," Nuttman said. The Fluke Corporation was founded by John Fluke, an inven- tor who made the machine that picks up bowling pins, Koske said. The business then evolved into an electronics company. It is now the world leader in the research and development of hand-held multimeters, which are used to measure electrical cur- rent. Multimeters are used by electricians, engineers, and by homeowners checking their cur- rent. The Fluke product is noted for its portability and reliability, Koske stated. Each student became a spe- cialist in one area as it related to their project. Bree was team chair and learned about business law, Quinn and Hendrickson did the engineering component of the project, and Speaks and Truemp- er became experts in marketing. WHEN THE STUDENTS met with the Fluke team to which sentation. They gave the kids sample ideas to work on, and they had to solve their chosen problem with ingenuity, creativity and teamwork, Koske said. Both Koske and Nuttman indi- cated the teamwork was the big- gest challenge to these students. "These are all bright, articulate, independent students who are very self-assured," Nuttman said. That was the difficulty. They had to set aside their individual ideas and goals for the common good. This involved compromise. According to Koske, they did not always function well as a team, but other times they really produced. "It functioned just like real teams do in industry," he said. Once they set aside their personal agendas, they were able to get the job done. The students surveyed the Ma- son and Kitsap County area busi- ness community, especially peo- ple who might use a multimeter. They sent out 100 surveys, get- ting a 20-percent response. THE STUDENTS analyzed one of the meters and made plans for improving it, based on the in- put from the area business folks. As the team focused on limit- ing its work, they came up with three proposals: --To upgrade the multimeter by adding a lighted display, since they are frequently used in the dark with the power out, and si- multaneously holding a flashlight can be awkward; --To add a battery power level display, which they referred to as kind of a "gas gauge;" --To develop a clip-on back for convenient access to batteries without having to use a screw- driver. Before taking their findings and proposals to Everett, the stu- dents spent time with Nuttman learning how to dress appro- priately, and how to make acom- shouldn't use charts or an over- head projector to share ideas," Koske explained. When they conducted their fi- nal presentation before the pro- fessionals, they shared the three ideas. Two had previously been addressed by the company. "The third concept they looked at real seriously, for it was an idea they had not considered before," Koske said. They were intrigued by the clip-on back for their product. DURING THE TEAM plan- ning portion of the project, Quinn had an idea which was not em- braced by the team. Since he had already established a connection with the engineers, he chose to pursue it on his own. His proposal was for a remote test lead to take voltage measure- ments without being connected to the electric wire. This would be for both safety and ease of use, he indicated. Quinn drew the sche- matics and made up a detailed list of each piece of his proposed product, and how it would work. That idea has also been passed along to the Fluke engineering stayed in contact primarily by e-mail. NUTTMAN INDICATED her excitement in seeing these kids talk with people and find out the skills that are important for success if they hope to find work in that type of job. "They have be- gun to develop skills such as teamwork, meeting deadlines, and being flexible with new input, that are important anywhere," she said. "I hope this will be a model for future partnerships," said Nutt- man. "Kids need to know what the world outside of Belfair looks like before planning for their future." She saw the value in the proj- ect for the company, as well. Most of them had not been in a public school in years, and this gave them an opportunity to "see edu- cation as it really is, and to work in unison with educators to im- prove it through various means." This project was jointly funded by the North Mason School Dis- trict and the Washington Educa- tion Association. THE PHYSICS students who did a project with the Fluke Company are Bree Whybark, Aaron Hendrickson, Derrick Speaks and Eli Quinn. Not pictured is Willie Truemper. Firefighters climb stairs to benefit leukemia By LINDA THOMSON Six members of Fire District 2 in Belfair will be participating in the eighth annual Safeco Fire- fighter Challenge on Sunday, March 21, in Seattle. The event is a fund-raiser for the Leukemia Society of America (LSA). Team captain Lieutenant Andy Graham said he, Firefighter Lau- ra Grayum, Lieutenant Keith Langhorn, and Firefighter Taska Gibson are all experienced at the event and look forward to tack- ling it again this year. New to the gruelling competition will be fire- fighters Ben Sande and Ryan Cloud. They will don full firefighting gear and climb the stairs of the 69-floor Columbia Seafirst Cen- ter. They are required to wear their boots, pants, coats (with the liners intact), helmet, and gloves. THEY MUST HAVE their breathing apparatus on and in use at all times. Participants will change air bottles on the 40th floor, and must still be breathing from the air bottle on the 69th floor to successfully complete the event. The stated goals of the climb are to "encourage a high level of physical fitness among firefight- ers, encourage friendly competi- tion, foster camaraderie between fire departments, shine a spot- light on our profession and raise money to help fight leukemia," ac- cording to David Engler of the Shoreline Fire Department. Graham indicated he last did the challenge two years ago. "I had just been on vacation in the 12,000-foot-high Andes Moun- tains, but I was still huffin' and puffin' at the top," he said. "It's a workout!" The bunker gear doesn't breathe, he explained, so a per- son's body heat builds up and is retained during the climb. The to- tal ensemble weighs about 60 pounds. THREE YEARS AGO, ac- cording to Graham, one partiCip- ant suffered cardiac arrest and died. There will be paramedics staged at several levels of the building to evaluate participants who look like they're having a tough time. All of the Belfair group have been working out diligently in the past couple of months. They have entered this competition in honor of Kevin Wolle, a youngster who lives on the South Shore, and has leukemia. Laura Grayum puts in two miles daily on the department treadmill while wearing ankle weights and the breathing appar- atus, she said. This year's event will be a special one for her, as she just turned 40 years old. She made it in 48 minutes two years ago, she said. Last year there were over 460 firefighters from 75 departments who took the challenge. Dona- tions to LSA of $64,000 went to support research, patient aid, public and professional education, and community service. The $120 entry fee for the Belfair crew has been paid by the International Association of Firefighters, Local 3876. TO SUPPORT THESE peo- ple who are training for life-sav- ing work in North Mason, you can make out a check to the Leuke- mia Society and drop it off at the fire station on the Old Belfair Highway. You may want to in- dicate a specific firefighter for credit on the donation, Graham said. FIREFIGHTER Laura Grayum works out at the Belfair Fire Station as she prepares for the Safeco Firefighter Challenge. Laura is part of a team of six from Belfair who will participate while raising donations for the Leukemia Society. Theler Center offers spring classes Mary E. Theler Community Center offers a variety of spring quarter classes beginning next month. Dog Obedience classes will begin April 12 and run through May 31. Classes will be held out- doors in the Theler Day Park on Thursday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. The instructor will explain various tools of the trade as well as review the equipment list. If you have equipment, bring it to the first class but do not buy new items until you have heard the discussion at the first class. You're also requested NOT to bring dogs to the first class. The instructor is Laura Veach. Class fee is $35 plus a $3 registration fee, payable to the instructor. Pre-registration is required at the Theler Center. Beginning Computer class- es will be held on Monday even- ings from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the North Mason High School Annex beginning April 12 and ending May 10. Here, you can learn the basics of a computer, like how to turn it on, how to load software, practice word processing and graphics, and learn other programs as well. No experience is necessary, says instructor Art Wightman. You will learn everything you need to know to be a reasonably profi- cient computer user. The class fee is $55 with a $3 registration fee, payable to the in- structor. Pre-registration is re- quired at the Theler Center. Karate classes will kick off at the Theler Center, Conference Room 1, on Mondays and Wed- nesdays beginning next month. Here, you can learn traditional Shotokan karate from experi- enced, certified black belt instruc- tors John and Debra Risko. You can learn to develop confidence, coordination and discipline. For more information on dates and times, please call the instructors at (360) 898-3680. Kick Box and Step Aerob. ics will be offered beginning next month at the Theler Center. Learn a variety of kicks and punches aimed at improving car- diovascular endurance and over- all body training with certified in- structor Andrea Heay. Kick box aerobics is a low impact, fun workout for the large muscle groups. Step aerobics is an excel- lent cardiovascular workout and an outstanding lower body strengthener, says Heay. Classes are designed for all fitness levels. Kick box aerobics will be held on Tuesday evenings, 5:30 to 6:30. Step aerobics will be held on Thursday evenings, 5:30 to 6:30. Combination step and floor aero- bic classes will be held on Satur- day mornings, 10 to 11 a.m. All kick box and step aerobics classes will be held at the Theler Center, Conference Room 1. Fee is $2.50 per class paid to the instructor, plus the $3 registration fee. Reg- ister at the Theler Community Center office. For information on starting dates for these events, please con- tact Janis McNeal at the Theler Center, 275-4898. Serving Belfair - Allyn - Grapeview - Tahuya - Mason Lake - South Shore - Victor rsday, March 18, 1999 Section of the Shelton-Mason County Journal # MSON be clogged arterials, a by-pass in Belfair, are no heart troubles people were "all on aturday night at the lnd Girls Club dinner and Was the social event of the arid a VERY successful er for the Boys and Girls second annual "Gifts auction was held on March 13, at the Admi- in Bremerton. Ecstat- Vaernber Dr. Brian Peter- total income at above even the goal After expenses, the met $109,000 of that programs for the anks to the gener- nets $109,000 osity of many, many donors. Several Boys and Girls Club members were on hand to help the adults with the many tasks required to conduct a successful event. The focus was always on what the money would buy tbr the kids, more than on the money or the donors. THE CLUB started in June 1998, and saw 841 members by the end of the year. There was a summer fun program held in Shelton, and nearly 100 kids per day coming after school to the Belfair location. Students learned ceramics and photography, and used the club van to go on 75 field trips for bowling, to the science center, art museums, and other events. The high-school-age kids formed a Keystone Club, and the 25 members contributed over 2,000 hours of service to the club and the community. The middle school kids formed two Torch Clubs. They gave over 3,000 hours of service to the club and the community. Additionally, there were 27 participants in a drug and alcohol awareness program, and 17 mem- bers who participated in the "Hands are Not for Hitting" anti- domestic violence presentations. They had over 300 people pledge against violence as a result of see- ing those presentations. The income from the auction will cover nearly half of the an- nual operating budget, according to smiling board member Tim Wing. i ¸ BOYS AND GIRLS Club Auction, clockwise from left: silent auction table shoppers, Kellie Rodriguez singing, joyous B & G executive Dave Ison and board member Brian Petersen, helpers Kayley McNamara and Matt Speece, and auction chair Betty Wing in the center. abound in North Mason :ason students have themselves artis- and Girls Club auc- contained four pages each appearing in COver was done by sixth grader The silent auction Created by Breanna is a third grader at The live auc- by Joshua Gou- at Sand Hill Finally, the special page carried Pf/u, a ninth orth Mason High Was based on the enae, "Gifts from the "!enaentary students la the Smokey Bear- lOSter Contest spon- Washington State 'den Clubs and the e. WINNERS, Tyler Fordind, Ja- Scan Abbott and made posters Tyler Hoyt and also were rec- Brandan Hannock, Brandon Des- sart, Anna Heitstuman, David McConnell, Lonnie Hoover, Michael Durbin, Lacey Griffin, Justin Shellgren, Rebecca Gifford, Ashley Barnett and Michael Rit- zel. First graders at Belfair Ele- mentary who made Woodsy Owl posters included winners Candace Eastman and Jami Stutz. Also recognized was Micah Nelson. FIRST GRADERS who made Smokey Bear posters were the fol- lowing winners, in order: Marissa Davidson-Guy, Ryan Kuhn, Katelyn Kaye and Rylie Pugh. Certificates of appreciation went to first graders Sam Newman, Heidi Bonn, Joe Nys, Brittany Wood, Austin Hansen, Jacy Schwab, Shawna Rinehart, Cam- eron Eacrett, Cooper Thompson, Megan Weatherwax, Robert Van- dling and Anthony Eagan. Sand Hill Elementary has an- nounced the winners in their Bookmark Contest entitled "For the Love of Reading." School li- brarian Mrs. Cassidy said, "Thanks for all the great entries in this year's Bookmark Contest. It was really tough to pick winners." Kindergarten and first grade winners, in order, were Brigid Lohman, Fred Thaves, Devan Ho- skins and Erik McCullough. Second and third graders who designed bookmarks finished in the following order: Nicholas Auz- ston, Marissa Stevenson, Ramona Lohman and Ashton Alexander. Fourth through sixth grade winners were artists Jennifer Woodland, Morgan Rutter, Chris Cooper and Kevin Blackwell. graders who made posters placed in Erika Vandling, azel, Ben Jensen, fair Elementary third :°gnized for their were: Kylee g, Brenna ed Rinehart, Kyra Bell, Angeli- I(atelyn Stanley, THESE TWO ARTISTS made award-winning posters. Third graders Tyler Fordind and Erika Vandling hold their work. Behind them are two members of the Ever° green Garden Club: Tammy Byerly and Linda Britt. honor roll announced School has re- or roll tbr the first year. graders received an point average. Allen, Christi- DeGracia III, Fatemeh Fakh- us, Lisa Tiffany McDon- Andrew Peter- a Yantis. Joining them on the 7th grade honor roll with a 3.2 or higher grade point average are: Joshua Baker, Leanne Baker, Autumn Bergeson, Michael Blair, Shana Blake, Aaron Brendehl, Skyler Brittner, David Burmaster, Jessi- ca Caubre, Shaydon Clinders, Chelsea Christensen, Noah Cof- fin, Crystal Ann Cole, Brianna Cook, Rian Creighton, Jannae Criss, and Amanda Curtis. Other 7th grade honor roll members are Carolyn Dixon, Brian Fry, Emma Fry, Joshua Fullington, Carmen Garcia, Jo- seph Gastineau, Angelina Geraci, Rachel Gibson, Joshua Graham, Kristina Gundersen, Destanie Hackiewicz, Stacie Henden, Christine Horton, Kristen How- ard, and Brett Hultberg. Joining the list are Sarah Is- (Please turn to page 3.) Student. suggestions no 'Fluke' YhelF1A:HOMSOiNon of Ever h:Yaser:d2:::gnlde:hl poftehs; u;e::l:dntPrrs2::ttei:in:;,ia department. Between the initial and final ett has partnered with North Ma- areas of responsibility in a pre- a high-tech company, you visits to Everett, the two teams son High School (NMHS) to assist young adults in learning job skills by allowing the students to work with industry professionals. Five NMHS students worked with the Fluke team for the first time this school year. The physics students who par- ticipated the first term were: Bree Whybark, Aaron Hendrickson, Willie Truemper, Eli Quinn and Derrick Speaks. Physics teacher Ed Koske, who has a brother working for Fluke, first came up with the concept, then shared it with School-to-Ca- reers Coordinator Leslie Nutt- man. The two of them worked out a proposal and visited the Everett Company last summer. "WHAT'S GREAT about this program is it is a chance for stu- dents to see the real world of work in practice. A big company like this is something that is not available for them to see here in Belfair," Nuttman said. The Fluke Corporation was founded by John Fluke, an inven- tor who made the machine that picks up bowling pins, Koske said. The business then evolved into an electronics company. It is now the world leader in the research and development of hand-held multimeters, which are used to measure electrical cur- rent. Multimeters are used by electricians, engineers, and by homeowners checking their cur- rent. The Fluke product is noted for its portability and reliability, Koske stated. Each student became a spe- cialist in one area as it related to their project. Bree was team chair and learned about business law, Quinn and Hendrickson did the engineering component of the project, and Speaks and Truemp- er became experts in marketing. WHEN THE STUDENTS met with the Fluke team to which sentation. They gave the kids sample ideas to work on, and they had to solve their chosen problem with ingenuity, creativity and teamwork, Koske said. Both Koske and Nuttman indi- cated the teamwork was the big- gest challenge to these students. "These are all bright, articulate, independent students who are very self-assured," Nuttman said. That was the difficulty. They had to set aside their individual ideas and goals for the common good. This involved compromise. According to Koske, they did not always function well as a team, but other times they really produced. "It functioned just like real teams do in industry," he said. Once they set aside their personal agendas, they were able to get the job done. The students surveyed the Ma- son and Kitsap County area busi- ness community, especially peo- ple who might use a multimeter. They sent out 100 surveys, get- ting a 20-percent response. THE STUDENTS analyzed one of the meters and made plans for improving it, based on the in- put from the area business folks. As the team focused on limit- ing its work, they came up with three proposals: --To upgrade the multimeter by adding a lighted display, since they are frequently used in the dark with the power out, and si- multaneously holding a flashlight can be awkward; --To add a battery power level display, which they referred to as kind of a "gas gauge;" --To develop a clip-on back for convenient access to batteries without having to use a screw- driver. Before taking their findings and proposals to Everett, the stu- dents spent time with Nuttman learning how to dress appro- priately, and how to make acom- shouldn't use charts or an over- head projector to share ideas," Koske explained. When they conducted their fi- nal presentation before the pro- fessionals, they shared the three ideas. Two had previously been addressed by the company. "The third concept they looked at real seriously, for it was an idea they had not considered before," Koske said. They were intrigued by the clip-on back for their product. DURING THE TEAM plan- ning portion of the project, Quinn had an idea which was not em- braced by the team. Since he had already established a connection with the engineers, he chose to pursue it on his own. His proposal was for a remote test lead to take voltage measure- ments without being connected to the electric wire. This would be for both safety and ease of use, he indicated. Quinn drew the sche- matics and made up a detailed list of each piece of his proposed product, and how it would work. That idea has also been passed along to the Fluke engineering stayed in contact primarily by e-mail. NUTTMAN INDICATED her excitement in seeing these kids talk with people and find out the skills that are important for success if they hope to find work in that type of job. "They have be- gun to develop skills such as teamwork, meeting deadlines, and being flexible with new input, that are important anywhere," she said. "I hope this will be a model for future partnerships," said Nutt- man. "Kids need to know what the world outside of Belfair looks like before planning for their future." She saw the value in the proj- ect for the company, as well. Most of them had not been in a public school in years, and this gave them an opportunity to "see edu- cation as it really is, and to work in unison with educators to im- prove it through various means." This project was jointly funded by the North Mason School Dis- trict and the Washington Educa- tion Association. THE PHYSICS students who did a project with the Fluke Company are Bree Whybark, Aaron Hendrickson, Derrick Speaks and Eli Quinn. Not pictured is Willie Truemper. Firefighters climb stairs to benefit leukemia By LINDA THOMSON Six members of Fire District 2 in Belfair will be participating in the eighth annual Safeco Fire- fighter Challenge on Sunday, March 21, in Seattle. The event is a fund-raiser for the Leukemia Society of America (LSA). Team captain Lieutenant Andy Graham said he, Firefighter Lau- ra Grayum, Lieutenant Keith Langhorn, and Firefighter Taska Gibson are all experienced at the event and look forward to tack- ling it again this year. New to the gruelling competition will be fire- fighters Ben Sande and Ryan Cloud. They will don full firefighting gear and climb the stairs of the 69-floor Columbia Seafirst Cen- ter. They are required to wear their boots, pants, coats (with the liners intact), helmet, and gloves. THEY MUST HAVE their breathing apparatus on and in use at all times. Participants will change air bottles on the 40th floor, and must still be breathing from the air bottle on the 69th floor to successfully complete the event. The stated goals of the climb are to "encourage a high level of physical fitness among firefight- ers, encourage friendly competi- tion, foster camaraderie between fire departments, shine a spot- light on our profession and raise money to help fight leukemia," ac- cording to David Engler of the Shoreline Fire Department. Graham indicated he last did the challenge two years ago. "I had just been on vacation in the 12,000-foot-high Andes Moun- tains, but I was still huffin' and puffin' at the top," he said. "It's a workout!" The bunker gear doesn't breathe, he explained, so a per- son's body heat builds up and is retained during the climb. The to- tal ensemble weighs about 60 pounds. THREE YEARS AGO, ac- cording to Graham, one partiCip- ant suffered cardiac arrest and died. There will be paramedics staged at several levels of the building to evaluate participants who look like they're having a tough time. All of the Belfair group have been working out diligently in the past couple of months. They have entered this competition in honor of Kevin Wolle, a youngster who lives on the South Shore, and has leukemia. Laura Grayum puts in two miles daily on the department treadmill while wearing ankle weights and the breathing appar- atus, she said. This year's event will be a special one for her, as she just turned 40 years old. She made it in 48 minutes two years ago, she said. Last year there were over 460 firefighters from 75 departments who took the challenge. Dona- tions to LSA of $64,000 went to support research, patient aid, public and professional education, and community service. The $120 entry fee for the Belfair crew has been paid by the International Association of Firefighters, Local 3876. TO SUPPORT THESE peo- ple who are training for life-sav- ing work in North Mason, you can make out a check to the Leuke- mia Society and drop it off at the fire station on the Old Belfair Highway. You may want to in- dicate a specific firefighter for credit on the donation, Graham said. FIREFIGHTER Laura Grayum works out at the Belfair Fire Station as she prepares for the Safeco Firefighter Challenge. Laura is part of a team of six from Belfair who will participate while raising donations for the Leukemia Society. Theler Center offers spring classes Mary E. Theler Community Center offers a variety of spring quarter classes beginning next month. Dog Obedience classes will begin April 12 and run through May 31. Classes will be held out- doors in the Theler Day Park on Thursday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. The instructor will explain various tools of the trade as well as review the equipment list. If you have equipment, bring it to the first class but do not buy new items until you have heard the discussion at the first class. You're also requested NOT to bring dogs to the first class. The instructor is Laura Veach. Class fee is $35 plus a $3 registration fee, payable to the instructor. Pre-registration is required at the Theler Center. Beginning Computer class- es will be held on Monday even- ings from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the North Mason High School Annex beginning April 12 and ending May 10. Here, you can learn the basics of a computer, like how to turn it on, how to load software, practice word processing and graphics, and learn other programs as well. No experience is necessary, says instructor Art Wightman. You will learn everything you need to know to be a reasonably profi- cient computer user. The class fee is $55 with a $3 registration fee, payable to the in- structor. Pre-registration is re- quired at the Theler Center. Karate classes will kick off at the Theler Center, Conference Room 1, on Mondays and Wed- nesdays beginning next month. Here, you can learn traditional Shotokan karate from experi- enced, certified black belt instruc- tors John and Debra Risko. You can learn to develop confidence, coordination and discipline. For more information on dates and times, please call the instructors at (360) 898-3680. Kick Box and Step Aerob. ics will be offered beginning next month at the Theler Center. Learn a variety of kicks and punches aimed at improving car- diovascular endurance and over- all body training with certified in- structor Andrea Heay. Kick box aerobics is a low impact, fun workout for the large muscle groups. Step aerobics is an excel- lent cardiovascular workout and an outstanding lower body strengthener, says Heay. Classes are designed for all fitness levels. Kick box aerobics will be held on Tuesday evenings, 5:30 to 6:30. Step aerobics will be held on Thursday evenings, 5:30 to 6:30. Combination step and floor aero- bic classes will be held on Satur- day mornings, 10 to 11 a.m. All kick box and step aerobics classes will be held at the Theler Center, Conference Room 1. Fee is $2.50 per class paid to the instructor, plus the $3 registration fee. Reg- ister at the Theler Community Center office. For information on starting dates for these events, please con- tact Janis McNeal at the Theler Center, 275-4898.