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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
June 16, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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June 16, 2011
 
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Q Shelton-Mason County Journal ISLAND tery trip coming n The other day I was driv- ing our granddaughter, Madi- son, to school. As we crossed the bridge she counted three seagulls on the first light pole. She was ready for more but didn't see any until we got to the last light pole that also had three seagulls on it. She was excited about the unique ar- rangement. T h e Harstine Pointe Trav- el Club is busy plan- MIKE ning their CALI~GHAN second an- . , . 4, . * nual Mys- tery Trip on June 28. Members will be driven to their destina- tion by Motor coach. The club's trip coordinator, Carol Lettich, said the bus will pick members up at 9:30 a.m. at the Pointe Club House and they will be returning at 7 p.m. When aske tlle dbstination, she said somewhere in the Northwest. I wil| have an update on the trip in the July 7 article. The Harstine Island Com- munity Club will again pro- duce an island calendar. Pic- tures of scenes of the island should be e-marled to Bill Burrows at profb@myVBProf. corn no later than July 15 for the 2012 calendar. The Harstine Island Theater Club is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. on June 24 and 25 and 3 p.m. on June 26 the "Who's on First", a four person com- edy, put on for your enjoyment. Scott Newman told me Lorna Hink is the director of this nightmare comedy. Scott also said the play has nothing to do with baseball. Let's all go and support our talented islanders. On June 29 if you are at the community hall at noon you will be lucky enough to be served baked pork chops, stuff- ing with gravy, applesauce, green beans and sherbet. Can • you believ~ ,that. entire plus friendly people to eat with for a donation of $3. I received a newsletter called Shore Stewards News Mason County. The following infor- mation was written by Scott Chase, Shore Stewards Coordi- nator: Most parts of Puget Sound are expected to open for crab harvest on July 1, with the sea- son ending on September 5 but be sure to check regulations specific to your area. Refer to the Shellfish Rule Change tell free hotline at 866-880-5431, or go to http'J/wdfw.wa.gov. Explore Oakland bay June 18 and get a close-up look at marine life on the beach at Jacoby's Shorecrest County Park, guided by Washington Sea Grant's Teri King and sample tasty seafood by chef Xinh Dwelley. The free family event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 18 will include a.taste of delicious seafood at noon, a guided beach walk at 1 p.m. and fun exhibits all COOKIN' See Island on page B-5 OCS grad SteUa Heard shares her struggles and successes By NATALIE JOHNSON Students who graduated from Olympic College last Sunday have each had their own struggles, triumphs and heartbreaks on their way to their diploma, and every one has a story to tell. Olympic College Shelton (OCS) student Stella Heard got a chance to tell her story to her fellow graduates when she spoke as at OC's commence ment ceremony on Sunday. "I acknowledged their pain because we all have been through pain - we all have stories. I'm fortu- nate enough to be talking about mine,~ she said. After emigrating from Kenya about nine years ago, Heard worked hard to bring her two daugh- ters, Georgette, now 14 and Nancy now 13jnto the U.S. in 2007. Since then, she has been striv- ing to earn her Associate of Arts or AA degree in Business Management from OCS. "It was a workload, but I was determined - I wanted to get the AA out of the way," she said. "When I finished everyone was saying 'wow' but I just wanted to start my BA," she said. After finishing her degree and receiving top grades, she was invited to deliver a speech during her class's graduation. Although the invitation was an honor, Heard said she at first had no idea what to say. "I thought what do you tell people who have been throught so many lectures, who know more than me?" she said. "Then I thought, they're not here to learn from me so just tell your story." Whether Heard intended it or not, her class- mates did learn, about her, and about the strug- gles in her life and those in the lives of the family and friends she left behind in her poor village in Kenya. - ..... When she made her speech, Heard brought with her a jug that she once used to carry water in her village. See Honors on page 8-5 Stella Heard balances her water pot on herhead Hke she graduation speech to demonstrate how she used to carry lived in a village in Kenya. Journal photo by Natalie Johnson did during her water when she Shelton School District giving kid a Jump Start By NATALIE JOHNSON For the last school year both Olympic Middle School and Oak- land Bay Junior High School have had a new after school program called Jump Start for Success, which gives kids a chance to work on homework, or just have a safe place to stay after school. Willow Shanahan, who runs the program for the two schools, said that the program, which is funded by the federal 21st Cen- tury grant, lets kids stay for a few hours al~r school to participate in group activities like gardening, learn about nutrition or math, or just get help on a tough homework assignment. We just want to give them op- portunities to get their homework done, to give them opportunities just to be successful for school but also some students want a safe place to stay after school," she said. Shanahan said that some teachers stay after school to par- ticipate in the program. "They get paid through the grant, they help with homework, tutoring or they develop their own lessons and do pre-teaching or re- teaching," she said. One of the activities the Jump Start kids do, Shanahan said, is keep a bed in the Hope Commu- nity Garden at Mason General Hospital. "Tuesdays we focus on the gar- den," she said. "We made paper and tied it in with the garden. We do literacy activities along with that - we don't just garden." Representatives from the local WSU extension office also give Willow Shanahan lessons on nutrition on Mondays, she said. "The just learn the different healthy foods, easy snacks to make if you're at home by your- self," she said. "SO you start learn- ing about why we eat the foods we eat and healthier choices." Some days are focused on spe- cific tasks, like working in the garden, learning about nutrition, or are "mathacademf' days, Sha- nahan said, but some students just come in when they need help with a tough assignment. "With the junior high, we don't do quite as many student enrich- merit activities - it's more helping with homework," she said. Although the program has only been in effect for a few months, Shanahan said that teachers at the schools have already seen marked improvement in some kids. "I've gotten some feedback from teachers that it's just simple things like they're turning in their homework now because they're doing it here," she said. "Also at that a lot of juvenile crime hap- the junior high we've had some pens between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. students who maybe strtlggled so why don't we get the kids and buying in with school, buying into give them an opportunity to have the teachers ... some students a place to stay, and a productive have improved their behavior." place to stay." Shanahan said that her first School will be out for the sum- goal with the program is to make mer starting June 24, but Shana- the learning that students do han said that students could still there fun, to keep them coming sign up for summer Jump Start back. at either school. The summer pro- This goal works perfectly with gram runs from July 5 through the ideology behind the grant, she August 3. said. The grant aims to create pro- ""some kids don't need this pro- grams like Jump Start that keep gram - they hang out with their kids occupied between when they friends, they do their homework get out of school and when their on their own and that's fine,~ she parents get home from work. said. "Even our straight A stu- "That's really what this grant dents really like coming because is about," she said. "They looked we try to make it equal fun with into it when writing this grant learning.~ Thursday, June 16, 2011 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page B-1