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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