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Jammin' 'Company offers
glimpse at business world
By JUAN PABLO
Making jam is not the only
goal of the Boys and Girls Club-
sponsored Jammin' Comp.any.
Learning about life and the busi-
ness world are also important
goals for the young adult training
Program.
The first Jammin' Company
was Started six years ago in Napa
Valley, California. It too was
Sponsored by the local Boys and
Girls Club.
loth Jammin' Companys have
the Same tie: namely, Dave Ison,
the CUrrent director of the Boys
and Girls Club of Mason County.
"After the North Mason Boys
and Girls Club boa:dseeob:leS
witnessed the succ
Napa.Jammin, Company, they
Were excited to get a similar proj-
ect stared,- said Ison.
The Jammin' Company is set
p to help young motivated peo-
la, so.rn, e with special needs.
J mrnin Company provides stu-
dents with workplace skills. In
apa Valley, the program has
caeP ed more than 150 youths. Lo-
;Y, a dozen young adults are
rIcipating in the program.
j_ne Mason County version of
ammin,
• Comoanv receives assis-
tance from Mason County Youth
t r.ograrns and the Pacific Moun-
n Private Industry. Together
rn] :, ae guidance of Marcia Ha-
a", °n and Dave Ison of the Boys
aa Girls Club, the Jammin'
°rnPany officially opened for
°Usiness on July 1.
ACCORDING TO Hamilton,
nnin, Company is a result of a
ergence of community sup-
ca he program has a school-to-
reef format, meaning the
YOuths will work for wages and
receive school credit.
n The wages for the Jammin'
°Pany workers are provided
oy the Job Training Partnership
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
OF MASON COUNTY
Act (JTPA). JTPA will pay the
wages for up to 220 hours of work
training. For every 135 hours of
work the students do they will
earn one high school credit.
HAMILTON, THE Jammin'
Company Director, said that
"Some of these kids are working
for high school credit and some of
them are just working for the
money."
Nathan Hanson, 17, a North
Mason High School student, is
working for both money and high
school credit. "I think it is a great
opportunity to work in a real
working environment," Hanson
said. "I would also like to eventu-
ally join the military."
Mike Jacobsen of Allyn, who's
a senior at North Mason High
School said, "I think it's exciting
to know that I am helping start a
real business." One of his goals is
to save up for a car and start
driving.
In addition to local funding re-
ceived, the North Mason Cham-
ber of Commerce is offering a
$1,250 scholarship to a Jammin'
Company student.
One of the first major efforts of
the Jammin' Company is a coun-
ty-wide jar drive. This will be
Jammin' Company's first adver-
tising project. Jammin' Company
will be collecting 2,000 four- and
eight-ounce Kerr or Ball jars and
Potluck today
The community is invited
to the Jammin' Company
kick-off party today, Thurs-
day, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., on
Stretch Island.
Jammin' Company Direc-
tor Marcia Hamilton says
this is a potluck-style party,
so please bring a dish to
share. Members of the Boys
and Girls Club-sponsored
Jammin' Company will be
on hand to explain about the
program.
The Jammin' Company
site is just off of Grapeview
Loop Road oh Stretch Is-
land.
OTPA provides
Youth training
By JUAIN PABLO They will pick fruit from their
The Job Training Partnership
Act (JTPA) has been serving Ma-
son County for 14 years. JTPA is
a nationwide, federally funded
PrOgram that provides wages for
2hP to 150 hours of work trainin .
e..Program is open to youths 1 g"
ao meet specific guidelines.
- Ccording to Mark Kennedy,
Jnployment and Training Spe
alist with Mason Cou,,¢,Youth
frograms, explains that'thJere are
o programs available through
TPA. A summer internship that
runs from June through August;
and a year-round internship from
September to May The latter is
Only available on a one-time basis
While the summer internship is
Open every SUmmer as long as the
individuals qualify.
"The JTPA program will re
Vide fu P "
I_ .nds for various services,
,'.',e.childcare,,, says Kennedy.
.Anci, depending on the circum-
stances, it may also provide tem-
POrary shelter if needed The
sPr°gra_ m also covers an L&I m
ur,m . Y "
..... ce benefits if particivants
-'¢ hurt while on the job. -
JUST RECENTLY JTPA be
gan w-,-. .- ' "
Corn :lng with the Jammin'
ny'eaY. "The Jammin' Comps-
li^ "V provide a real business-
Marc:'°sphere for kids," says
, " rlamilton, Jammin' Com-
Pany director.
hiI :ddition, English and math
b " aool credits may be earned
Y Working at the Jammin' Com-
atY' The "company," says Ha-
--, Is strictly run by kids.
one-acre vineyard allotted them
from a Stretch Island family, cook
the fruit into jam, create labels
and then market the finished pro-
duct.
"JTPA provides funds for each
participant's food handler's per-
mit, protective clothes, and pay
for wages of up to 220 hours,"
says Hamilton.
One participant, Melissa Had-
win, says of the venture, "This
year our goal is to produce and
market 2,000 jars of jam."
IN RECENT YEARS, JTPA
has provided a formidable train-
ing ground for local youth. For ex-
ample, in 1995 Ramiro Camacho
Jr. of Belfair, successfully com-
pleted a JTPA summer internship
at the Morale, Welfare, and Rec-
reation Department at the Ban-
gor Auto Hobby Shop. After com-
pleting his internship, he applied
for the mechanic's job and was
hired full time. He's now been
working at Bangor for four years.
In Mason County there are 70
youths working with the JTPA
program. Kennedy says that 13
youths are currently working
with the Jammin' Company while
seven others are working in vari-
ous businesses in the Belfair
area. "It's good to see more pri-
vate businesses aware of our pro-
gram," says Kennedy.
JTPA of Mason County is oper-
ated by the Educational Service
District #113. The funds are ad-
mitted locally through the Pacific
Mountain Private Industry Coun-
cil and Job Training Consortium.
NM United Methodist
holds ground breaking
inA_l°ng'awaited groundbreak-
S. ceremony will be held this
e y, August 1, at noon, for
jni ers of the North Mason
A'cc .ethodist Church.
ini°rchng to the church's ad-
li-- rative il chairman
ob Ha- counc
afte, ger, members will gather
cle" regular services at the
d. ec[, 2V2 acre parcel north of
:-"OWn Belfair on Highway 3
"This has been a long process,"
said Hager. Building a church on
the grounds has been the goal of
the congregation since it acquired
the property in 1993 from the
Overton family.
The new church will measure
7,000 square feet and accom-
modate 220. Other amenities in-
clude a fellowship hall, kitchen,
daylight basement and office
space.
r
Serving Belfair -- Allyn -- Grapeview -- Tahuya -- Mason Lake -- South Shore -- Victor
00,Thursday, July 29, 1999
Section of the Shelton-Mason County Journal00
lids, which will eventually be
used for the canning of fruit.
THE BUSINESS aspects of
Jammin' Company include har-
vesting fruit, crushing and press-
ing the fruit into jam, designing
labels, and marketing and selling
the product. In addition to mak-
ing jam, Jammin' Company re-
cently started making wreaths
out of overgrown grape vines,
that were gathered from restoring
the vineyard.
The Jammin' Company pro-
gram is a three year pilot, so not
all of the youths will be doing the
same job. The first year students
will be working on restoring a
one-acre Concord grape vineyard,
provided by Bob Allen. The vine-
yard is located on Stretch Island
and has been abandoned since
1965.
The students will learn about
restoring and planting vineyards,
using pesticides, business man-
agement techniques, and comput-.
er graphics. Allen, the owner of
the grape vineyard said, "Every
one of these kids here has a spe-
cial spark of interest, and I think
they will have a leg up on any
other high-school graduate." He
added, "I hope to be working with
Jammin' Company for years to
come."
Grapeview
Water Festival
this weekend
The seventh annual Grapeview
Water Festival is scheduled for
Saturday, July 31, 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. The 1999 T-shirt sales will
begin at 10 a.m. Children's activi-
ties, including the fishing derby,
dinghy race and wooden boat
show will be from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m.
A silent auction will take place
from noon to 4 p.m., as will the
hole-in-one contest, aiming at a
floating hole in the bay. A full sal-
mon dinner will be offered for
sale, or hot dogs and soda pop for
those who prefer. Singer and gui-
tar player Carl Williquette will
add live music.
Mason Transit will provide free
shuttle service from noon to 5
p.m. to the Maritime Museum on
Stretch Island, if you'd like to
check it out.
The Grapeview Community
Club will receive all proceeds
from the festival. The action is at
the Fair Harbor Marina in down-
town Grapeview.
Summer school goes online
program is accessed via the Inter-
net, the both educational and
technical consultants may be any-
where they can hook in by com-
puter.
As one student had a computer
problem the teacher couldn't im-
mediately resolve, Taylor was
able to get online with someone
who could offer suggestions, and
the problem was easily overcome.
Because the teacher is a self-de-
scribed "tekkie," he can usually
take care of these problems on his
own.
However, there are some
quirky things that come up, like
when a student types in a correct
answer, but the specific form the
system is looking for is different.
For example, the "2" in H20 (the
scientific notation for "water") has
to be superscripted, and the stu-
dent failed to enter it in that
manner.
By LINDA THOMSON
One day in late July there were
10 students who were each work-
ing diligently at separate comput-
ers in the North Mason School
District's alternative classroom.
Teacher Jim Taylor was monitor-
ing the students, and giving as-
sistance as needed. "Most of the
kids are making good progress,"
the teacher indicated.
Because each one was working
online, they were all working on
different lessons, and even on
various subjects. Of those en-
rolled, several are ninth-grade
English students, two are study-
ing tenth-grade English, one biol-
ogy, two earth science, one
health, and one world history.
The school district subscribes
to NovaNET, the long-distance
learning network, at a cost of
$25,000 per year. Taylor is the
first teacher to use it in North
Mason, and is very excited about
the curriculum. "It's a deep pro-
gram," he said. There are 6,000
hours worth of studies in the sys-
tem now, with the possibility of
more being added. Taylor hopes
the system will be used by a di-
verse level of students nearly
'round the clock.
SUBJECTS INCLUDE such
diverse topics as aviation, medical
and dental, calculus, spelling, li-
brary skills, automotive tech, key-
boarding, preparation for college
entry tests, marketing and sales,
and even English as a second lan-
guage. And those are a small
sample of what is currently avail-
able in the system. Subjects range
from the grade-one level on
beyond high school.
The NovaNET company is
based in Arizona, but the educa-
tional center is in Champaign, Il-
linois. That is where all the files
on students are kept, as well as
the curriculum itself. Because the
MORE OFTEN, the student
needs educational help, and
Taylor is more than capable, as
an experienced teacher, having
started in the district in 1973. He
is back on the North Mason cam-
pus after several years of teach-
ing at the Mission Creek Youth
Camp.
The students studying with
Taylor this summer are nearly all
making up high-school credit,
having failed a course during the
previous school year. One boy in-
dicated that with Taylor's tutor-
ing, he now understands subjects
and verbs, so he is able to do his
grammar and writing assign-
ments with the computer more
easily.
Several students indicated
they like working at their own
pace. That can't be too slow, how-
ever. Taylor can see each comput-
er screen in the room, and if a
kids is playing solitaire, he'll ask
TEACHER JIM TAYLOR gives assistance to Bryon Ack-
erman for his English course in summer school.
if their assignment is done. A
brief break is okay, but dodging
work is not acceptable.
One girl is studying science, in-
cluding stars, planets, and her fa-
vorite, nebulas. She had a "cool
picture" of a nebula in her com-
puter she would use as an illus-
tration on a paper she was writ-
ing. Taylor said the system can
access photo images from the
Hubbell space telescope.
THE COMPUTER system
does not replace teachers,
although at least one student
would like to see it do so. It is de-
signed to be interactive, not only
with the students, but with the
teacher's presence, expertise, and
other teaching materials.
The teacher's computer shows
him the entire record of lessons
done by each student. That in-
cludes each attempt at tests, how
long that took, and what score
was achieved. Since it is based on
mastery learning (80 percent
must be achieved to move on), af-
ter two tries at not making that,
the student's computer monitor
will refer him or her to Taylor for
help.
Lessons build one upon anoth-
er, so students cannot move
ahead until they master the as-
signments one by one.
"I don't always comprehend
what a teacher tells me," said one
boy in the class, explaining why
he did not do well in school. "But
this way, I can read it for myself. ....
Most indicated they appreciated
the style of learning afforded
them via computer, and with
Taylor after them to keep on task,
they were making good use of
their summer courses.
However, most also pledged to
buckle down and work hard next
school year so summertime 2000
can be spent on more leisurely ac-
tivities.
Food bank needs donations
meeting we learned that just for
the month of June the food bank
provided food for 1,400 plus fami-
lies. This translates to 4,600 fam-
ily members.
Of this number, more than
2,000 were children. Included in
these numbers: 100 families were
either new families and/or fami-
lies who had not needed food
bank services yet this year.
Last month at the Belfair Sum-
merfest, the food bank held a raf-
fle to try to raise a few dollars to
By BEY WESTON
The North Mason Food Bank is
now operating under the director-
ship of long-time food bank volun-
teer Dorothy Wilkins of Belfair.
She is assisted by another long-
time food bank volunteer, Ann
Kiehn, also of Belfair.
Things are moving along very
smoothly, except for the fact that
at this time of year donations are
very low and clientele is much in-
creased. At our recent board
Lions Club raises $3,000
proceeds from the raffle went to
scholarships for four North Ma-
son High School graduates.
Students receiving the Lions-
sponsored $500 scholarships in-
cluded: April Allen, Ted Blahm,
Wes McDaniel, and Robert De-
Veny.
which helps sell tickets. The raf-
fle sales culminate with a draw-
ing at Allyn Days.
NOT ONLY ARE the Desem-
ples happy about winning the
garden arbor, everyone who pur-
chased a raffle ticket can feel a
sense of pride. A portion of the
DENNIS DESEMPLE, at left, is all smiles as he receives
a congratulatory handshake from North Mason Lions
representative George Chessum. Desemple was the
lucky winner of the garden arbor shown here. It was raf-
fled off at the Allyn Days Festival. Also looking on is Bob
Hayton and Margaret Chessum.
After more than 3,000 ticket
sales throughout Mason and Kit-
sap Counties, the North Mason
Lions Club held a drawing to give
away its garden arbor to one
lucky recipient.
Dennis and Deanna Desemple
of Port Gamble were the lucky re-
cipients in the drawing held at
the recent Allyn Days festival.
"I've never won anything in my
life," said a happy Dennis Desem-
ple.
HELD FOR THE eighth year
now, the annual North Mason
Lions arbor sale is one of the civic
organization's major fund-raisers
for the year. According to Lions
Club spokesman George Ches-
sum, the group also holds several
pancake breakfasts and a pecan
sale to bolster its operating fund.
With raffle tickets sold at $1
apiece, the North Mason Lions
Club netted more than $3,000 in
profits from its garden arbor raf-
fle.
"We've sold raffle tickets all
over Kitsap and Mason Counties,"
said Chessum. He explained that
each year Lions Club members
begin in the spring by building a
new arbor. They officially kick off
the raffle campaign at Grapeview
Day, held in early May.
Then the group transports the
brand-new arbor to stores, fairs,
and other public gathering places
around the area for display,
help buy supplies. We thank the
many donors and congratulate
the individual prize winners.
The North Mason Food Bank is
wishing for a Christmas in July
(or Augustl). We are in great need
of food and donations of money,
besides your large brown grocery
bags and the cash register re-
ceipts from the Belfair QFC.
We are also in hopes of increas-
ing the number of volunteers, as
the few we have are more than
busy. If you have a healthy back
and some time to share, we would
love to,hear from you. Even if you
are not physically strong, we cer-
tainly have areas where we can
use your help and would be de-
lighted to hear from you. There
are a lot of less strenuous jobs
that need to be done too.
The food bank hours are Mon-
days and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. till
noon, and Thursdays from 4:30 to
6:30 p.m. The food bank is located
., at 22471 Highway 3, and mailing
address is P.O. Box 421, Belfair,
98528. The telephone number is
275-4615.
If you would like to come by for
a visit and see our operation in
action, you are welcome on any of
the above days and times.
Empty Bowl project
raises money
The Empty Bowl project was The unsold bowls have been
brought to North Mason jointly donated to Harmony Hill of
by the Women's Forum and the Union for the Wellness Festival to
North Mason High School ceram- be held there on Saturday, Au-
ics class taught by Albert Van gust 21, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Troba. From this collaborative ef- The bowls will be placed in the
fort, the North Mason Food Bank silent auction.
has received a donation of $740.
Several community members
took advantage of the opportunity
for a delicious bowl of homemade
soup from one of three business-
es, the Allyn Inn, the Old Clifton
Deli and Bear Creek Country
Store. Customers not only had a
hearty bowl of soup, but got to
keep the bowl, made and painted
by the students and women. The
$10 price was all donated to the
food bank, thereby nourishing
others in the community.
According to Joni Cagwin of
the Women's Forum, the students
really enjoyed this opportunity to
work together as a group, rather
than in isolation. They were also
gratified to be able to donate to a SOUP BOWLS like the one
worthy cause using their newly .
learned skills. The women, from pctured brought in $740
for the North Mason Food
North Mason and Kitsap coun-
ties, felt the same way. "This Bank in a recent project
group effort was fun and unique," conducted in the commu-
Cagwin said. nity.
Jammin' 'Company offers
glimpse at business world
By JUAN PABLO
Making jam is not the only
goal of the Boys and Girls Club-
sponsored Jammin' Comp.any.
Learning about life and the busi-
ness world are also important
goals for the young adult training
Program.
The first Jammin' Company
was Started six years ago in Napa
Valley, California. It too was
Sponsored by the local Boys and
Girls Club.
loth Jammin' Companys have
the Same tie: namely, Dave Ison,
the CUrrent director of the Boys
and Girls Club of Mason County.
"After the North Mason Boys
and Girls Club boa:dseeob:leS
witnessed the succ
Napa.Jammin, Company, they
Were excited to get a similar proj-
ect stared,- said Ison.
The Jammin' Company is set
p to help young motivated peo-
la, so.rn, e with special needs.
J mrnin Company provides stu-
dents with workplace skills. In
apa Valley, the program has
caeP ed more than 150 youths. Lo-
;Y, a dozen young adults are
rIcipating in the program.
j_ne Mason County version of
ammin,
• Comoanv receives assis-
tance from Mason County Youth
t r.ograrns and the Pacific Moun-
n Private Industry. Together
rn] :, ae guidance of Marcia Ha-
a", °n and Dave Ison of the Boys
aa Girls Club, the Jammin'
°rnPany officially opened for
°Usiness on July 1.
ACCORDING TO Hamilton,
nnin, Company is a result of a
ergence of community sup-
ca he program has a school-to-
reef format, meaning the
YOuths will work for wages and
receive school credit.
n The wages for the Jammin'
°Pany workers are provided
oy the Job Training Partnership
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
OF MASON COUNTY
Act (JTPA). JTPA will pay the
wages for up to 220 hours of work
training. For every 135 hours of
work the students do they will
earn one high school credit.
HAMILTON, THE Jammin'
Company Director, said that
"Some of these kids are working
for high school credit and some of
them are just working for the
money."
Nathan Hanson, 17, a North
Mason High School student, is
working for both money and high
school credit. "I think it is a great
opportunity to work in a real
working environment," Hanson
said. "I would also like to eventu-
ally join the military."
Mike Jacobsen of Allyn, who's
a senior at North Mason High
School said, "I think it's exciting
to know that I am helping start a
real business." One of his goals is
to save up for a car and start
driving.
In addition to local funding re-
ceived, the North Mason Cham-
ber of Commerce is offering a
$1,250 scholarship to a Jammin'
Company student.
One of the first major efforts of
the Jammin' Company is a coun-
ty-wide jar drive. This will be
Jammin' Company's first adver-
tising project. Jammin' Company
will be collecting 2,000 four- and
eight-ounce Kerr or Ball jars and
Potluck today
The community is invited
to the Jammin' Company
kick-off party today, Thurs-
day, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., on
Stretch Island.
Jammin' Company Direc-
tor Marcia Hamilton says
this is a potluck-style party,
so please bring a dish to
share. Members of the Boys
and Girls Club-sponsored
Jammin' Company will be
on hand to explain about the
program.
The Jammin' Company
site is just off of Grapeview
Loop Road oh Stretch Is-
land.
OTPA provides
Youth training
By JUAIN PABLO They will pick fruit from their
The Job Training Partnership
Act (JTPA) has been serving Ma-
son County for 14 years. JTPA is
a nationwide, federally funded
PrOgram that provides wages for
2hP to 150 hours of work trainin .
e..Program is open to youths 1 g"
ao meet specific guidelines.
- Ccording to Mark Kennedy,
Jnployment and Training Spe
alist with Mason Cou,,¢,Youth
frograms, explains that'thJere are
o programs available through
TPA. A summer internship that
runs from June through August;
and a year-round internship from
September to May The latter is
Only available on a one-time basis
While the summer internship is
Open every SUmmer as long as the
individuals qualify.
"The JTPA program will re
Vide fu P "
I_ .nds for various services,
,'.',e.childcare,,, says Kennedy.
.Anci, depending on the circum-
stances, it may also provide tem-
POrary shelter if needed The
sPr°gra_ m also covers an L&I m
ur,m . Y "
..... ce benefits if particivants
-'¢ hurt while on the job. -
JUST RECENTLY JTPA be
gan w-,-. .- ' "
Corn :lng with the Jammin'
ny'eaY. "The Jammin' Comps-
li^ "V provide a real business-
Marc:'°sphere for kids," says
, " rlamilton, Jammin' Com-
Pany director.
hiI :ddition, English and math
b " aool credits may be earned
Y Working at the Jammin' Com-
atY' The "company," says Ha-
--, Is strictly run by kids.
one-acre vineyard allotted them
from a Stretch Island family, cook
the fruit into jam, create labels
and then market the finished pro-
duct.
"JTPA provides funds for each
participant's food handler's per-
mit, protective clothes, and pay
for wages of up to 220 hours,"
says Hamilton.
One participant, Melissa Had-
win, says of the venture, "This
year our goal is to produce and
market 2,000 jars of jam."
IN RECENT YEARS, JTPA
has provided a formidable train-
ing ground for local youth. For ex-
ample, in 1995 Ramiro Camacho
Jr. of Belfair, successfully com-
pleted a JTPA summer internship
at the Morale, Welfare, and Rec-
reation Department at the Ban-
gor Auto Hobby Shop. After com-
pleting his internship, he applied
for the mechanic's job and was
hired full time. He's now been
working at Bangor for four years.
In Mason County there are 70
youths working with the JTPA
program. Kennedy says that 13
youths are currently working
with the Jammin' Company while
seven others are working in vari-
ous businesses in the Belfair
area. "It's good to see more pri-
vate businesses aware of our pro-
gram," says Kennedy.
JTPA of Mason County is oper-
ated by the Educational Service
District #113. The funds are ad-
mitted locally through the Pacific
Mountain Private Industry Coun-
cil and Job Training Consortium.
NM United Methodist
holds ground breaking
inA_l°ng'awaited groundbreak-
S. ceremony will be held this
e y, August 1, at noon, for
jni ers of the North Mason
A'cc .ethodist Church.
ini°rchng to the church's ad-
li-- rative il chairman
ob Ha- counc
afte, ger, members will gather
cle" regular services at the
d. ec[, 2V2 acre parcel north of
:-"OWn Belfair on Highway 3
"This has been a long process,"
said Hager. Building a church on
the grounds has been the goal of
the congregation since it acquired
the property in 1993 from the
Overton family.
The new church will measure
7,000 square feet and accom-
modate 220. Other amenities in-
clude a fellowship hall, kitchen,
daylight basement and office
space.
r
Serving Belfair -- Allyn -- Grapeview -- Tahuya -- Mason Lake -- South Shore -- Victor
00,Thursday, July 29, 1999
Section of the Shelton-Mason County Journal00
lids, which will eventually be
used for the canning of fruit.
THE BUSINESS aspects of
Jammin' Company include har-
vesting fruit, crushing and press-
ing the fruit into jam, designing
labels, and marketing and selling
the product. In addition to mak-
ing jam, Jammin' Company re-
cently started making wreaths
out of overgrown grape vines,
that were gathered from restoring
the vineyard.
The Jammin' Company pro-
gram is a three year pilot, so not
all of the youths will be doing the
same job. The first year students
will be working on restoring a
one-acre Concord grape vineyard,
provided by Bob Allen. The vine-
yard is located on Stretch Island
and has been abandoned since
1965.
The students will learn about
restoring and planting vineyards,
using pesticides, business man-
agement techniques, and comput-.
er graphics. Allen, the owner of
the grape vineyard said, "Every
one of these kids here has a spe-
cial spark of interest, and I think
they will have a leg up on any
other high-school graduate." He
added, "I hope to be working with
Jammin' Company for years to
come."
Grapeview
Water Festival
this weekend
The seventh annual Grapeview
Water Festival is scheduled for
Saturday, July 31, 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. The 1999 T-shirt sales will
begin at 10 a.m. Children's activi-
ties, including the fishing derby,
dinghy race and wooden boat
show will be from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m.
A silent auction will take place
from noon to 4 p.m., as will the
hole-in-one contest, aiming at a
floating hole in the bay. A full sal-
mon dinner will be offered for
sale, or hot dogs and soda pop for
those who prefer. Singer and gui-
tar player Carl Williquette will
add live music.
Mason Transit will provide free
shuttle service from noon to 5
p.m. to the Maritime Museum on
Stretch Island, if you'd like to
check it out.
The Grapeview Community
Club will receive all proceeds
from the festival. The action is at
the Fair Harbor Marina in down-
town Grapeview.
Summer school goes online
program is accessed via the Inter-
net, the both educational and
technical consultants may be any-
where they can hook in by com-
puter.
As one student had a computer
problem the teacher couldn't im-
mediately resolve, Taylor was
able to get online with someone
who could offer suggestions, and
the problem was easily overcome.
Because the teacher is a self-de-
scribed "tekkie," he can usually
take care of these problems on his
own.
However, there are some
quirky things that come up, like
when a student types in a correct
answer, but the specific form the
system is looking for is different.
For example, the "2" in H20 (the
scientific notation for "water") has
to be superscripted, and the stu-
dent failed to enter it in that
manner.
By LINDA THOMSON
One day in late July there were
10 students who were each work-
ing diligently at separate comput-
ers in the North Mason School
District's alternative classroom.
Teacher Jim Taylor was monitor-
ing the students, and giving as-
sistance as needed. "Most of the
kids are making good progress,"
the teacher indicated.
Because each one was working
online, they were all working on
different lessons, and even on
various subjects. Of those en-
rolled, several are ninth-grade
English students, two are study-
ing tenth-grade English, one biol-
ogy, two earth science, one
health, and one world history.
The school district subscribes
to NovaNET, the long-distance
learning network, at a cost of
$25,000 per year. Taylor is the
first teacher to use it in North
Mason, and is very excited about
the curriculum. "It's a deep pro-
gram," he said. There are 6,000
hours worth of studies in the sys-
tem now, with the possibility of
more being added. Taylor hopes
the system will be used by a di-
verse level of students nearly
'round the clock.
SUBJECTS INCLUDE such
diverse topics as aviation, medical
and dental, calculus, spelling, li-
brary skills, automotive tech, key-
boarding, preparation for college
entry tests, marketing and sales,
and even English as a second lan-
guage. And those are a small
sample of what is currently avail-
able in the system. Subjects range
from the grade-one level on
beyond high school.
The NovaNET company is
based in Arizona, but the educa-
tional center is in Champaign, Il-
linois. That is where all the files
on students are kept, as well as
the curriculum itself. Because the
MORE OFTEN, the student
needs educational help, and
Taylor is more than capable, as
an experienced teacher, having
started in the district in 1973. He
is back on the North Mason cam-
pus after several years of teach-
ing at the Mission Creek Youth
Camp.
The students studying with
Taylor this summer are nearly all
making up high-school credit,
having failed a course during the
previous school year. One boy in-
dicated that with Taylor's tutor-
ing, he now understands subjects
and verbs, so he is able to do his
grammar and writing assign-
ments with the computer more
easily.
Several students indicated
they like working at their own
pace. That can't be too slow, how-
ever. Taylor can see each comput-
er screen in the room, and if a
kids is playing solitaire, he'll ask
TEACHER JIM TAYLOR gives assistance to Bryon Ack-
erman for his English course in summer school.
if their assignment is done. A
brief break is okay, but dodging
work is not acceptable.
One girl is studying science, in-
cluding stars, planets, and her fa-
vorite, nebulas. She had a "cool
picture" of a nebula in her com-
puter she would use as an illus-
tration on a paper she was writ-
ing. Taylor said the system can
access photo images from the
Hubbell space telescope.
THE COMPUTER system
does not replace teachers,
although at least one student
would like to see it do so. It is de-
signed to be interactive, not only
with the students, but with the
teacher's presence, expertise, and
other teaching materials.
The teacher's computer shows
him the entire record of lessons
done by each student. That in-
cludes each attempt at tests, how
long that took, and what score
was achieved. Since it is based on
mastery learning (80 percent
must be achieved to move on), af-
ter two tries at not making that,
the student's computer monitor
will refer him or her to Taylor for
help.
Lessons build one upon anoth-
er, so students cannot move
ahead until they master the as-
signments one by one.
"I don't always comprehend
what a teacher tells me," said one
boy in the class, explaining why
he did not do well in school. "But
this way, I can read it for myself. ....
Most indicated they appreciated
the style of learning afforded
them via computer, and with
Taylor after them to keep on task,
they were making good use of
their summer courses.
However, most also pledged to
buckle down and work hard next
school year so summertime 2000
can be spent on more leisurely ac-
tivities.
Food bank needs donations
meeting we learned that just for
the month of June the food bank
provided food for 1,400 plus fami-
lies. This translates to 4,600 fam-
ily members.
Of this number, more than
2,000 were children. Included in
these numbers: 100 families were
either new families and/or fami-
lies who had not needed food
bank services yet this year.
Last month at the Belfair Sum-
merfest, the food bank held a raf-
fle to try to raise a few dollars to
By BEY WESTON
The North Mason Food Bank is
now operating under the director-
ship of long-time food bank volun-
teer Dorothy Wilkins of Belfair.
She is assisted by another long-
time food bank volunteer, Ann
Kiehn, also of Belfair.
Things are moving along very
smoothly, except for the fact that
at this time of year donations are
very low and clientele is much in-
creased. At our recent board
Lions Club raises $3,000
proceeds from the raffle went to
scholarships for four North Ma-
son High School graduates.
Students receiving the Lions-
sponsored $500 scholarships in-
cluded: April Allen, Ted Blahm,
Wes McDaniel, and Robert De-
Veny.
which helps sell tickets. The raf-
fle sales culminate with a draw-
ing at Allyn Days.
NOT ONLY ARE the Desem-
ples happy about winning the
garden arbor, everyone who pur-
chased a raffle ticket can feel a
sense of pride. A portion of the
DENNIS DESEMPLE, at left, is all smiles as he receives
a congratulatory handshake from North Mason Lions
representative George Chessum. Desemple was the
lucky winner of the garden arbor shown here. It was raf-
fled off at the Allyn Days Festival. Also looking on is Bob
Hayton and Margaret Chessum.
After more than 3,000 ticket
sales throughout Mason and Kit-
sap Counties, the North Mason
Lions Club held a drawing to give
away its garden arbor to one
lucky recipient.
Dennis and Deanna Desemple
of Port Gamble were the lucky re-
cipients in the drawing held at
the recent Allyn Days festival.
"I've never won anything in my
life," said a happy Dennis Desem-
ple.
HELD FOR THE eighth year
now, the annual North Mason
Lions arbor sale is one of the civic
organization's major fund-raisers
for the year. According to Lions
Club spokesman George Ches-
sum, the group also holds several
pancake breakfasts and a pecan
sale to bolster its operating fund.
With raffle tickets sold at $1
apiece, the North Mason Lions
Club netted more than $3,000 in
profits from its garden arbor raf-
fle.
"We've sold raffle tickets all
over Kitsap and Mason Counties,"
said Chessum. He explained that
each year Lions Club members
begin in the spring by building a
new arbor. They officially kick off
the raffle campaign at Grapeview
Day, held in early May.
Then the group transports the
brand-new arbor to stores, fairs,
and other public gathering places
around the area for display,
help buy supplies. We thank the
many donors and congratulate
the individual prize winners.
The North Mason Food Bank is
wishing for a Christmas in July
(or Augustl). We are in great need
of food and donations of money,
besides your large brown grocery
bags and the cash register re-
ceipts from the Belfair QFC.
We are also in hopes of increas-
ing the number of volunteers, as
the few we have are more than
busy. If you have a healthy back
and some time to share, we would
love to,hear from you. Even if you
are not physically strong, we cer-
tainly have areas where we can
use your help and would be de-
lighted to hear from you. There
are a lot of less strenuous jobs
that need to be done too.
The food bank hours are Mon-
days and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. till
noon, and Thursdays from 4:30 to
6:30 p.m. The food bank is located
., at 22471 Highway 3, and mailing
address is P.O. Box 421, Belfair,
98528. The telephone number is
275-4615.
If you would like to come by for
a visit and see our operation in
action, you are welcome on any of
the above days and times.
Empty Bowl project
raises money
The Empty Bowl project was The unsold bowls have been
brought to North Mason jointly donated to Harmony Hill of
by the Women's Forum and the Union for the Wellness Festival to
North Mason High School ceram- be held there on Saturday, Au-
ics class taught by Albert Van gust 21, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Troba. From this collaborative ef- The bowls will be placed in the
fort, the North Mason Food Bank silent auction.
has received a donation of $740.
Several community members
took advantage of the opportunity
for a delicious bowl of homemade
soup from one of three business-
es, the Allyn Inn, the Old Clifton
Deli and Bear Creek Country
Store. Customers not only had a
hearty bowl of soup, but got to
keep the bowl, made and painted
by the students and women. The
$10 price was all donated to the
food bank, thereby nourishing
others in the community.
According to Joni Cagwin of
the Women's Forum, the students
really enjoyed this opportunity to
work together as a group, rather
than in isolation. They were also
gratified to be able to donate to a SOUP BOWLS like the one
worthy cause using their newly .
learned skills. The women, from pctured brought in $740
for the North Mason Food
North Mason and Kitsap coun-
ties, felt the same way. "This Bank in a recent project
group effort was fun and unique," conducted in the commu-
Cagwin said. nity.