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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 6, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 6, 2012
 
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Shelton-Mason County Journal I .I Hernandez provides leadership to teens By NATALIE JOHNSON natalie@rnasoncounty.com On Nov. 21, Sgt. Major Dan Hernandez, naval science in- structor at Oakland Bay Ju- nior High School, learned that he had received an honor from his peers. Last month, he was named Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) Instructor of the Year for the organization's Area 13, which includes Washington, Idaho, Ore- gon, Northern California, Nevada, Mon- tana, Wyo- ming, Utah, Colorado, North Da- Dan kota, South Hernandez Dakota, Alas- ka, Hawaii, Guam and Japan. "It was a total surprise to me because I didn't know it was coming," he said. "It took the wind out of my sails. I dug my toe into the linoleum and blushed." time, he found that he enjoyed Hernandez joined the Ma- teaching. rine Corps at age 17 on Dec. Hernandez also helped write 23, 1968, and was quickly sent correspondence courses for Ma- through his training to prepare fines out of the Marine Bar- to go to war. racks in Washington, D.C. "Before I could blink, have "That was a different side of ... regrets or buyer's remorse, teaching," he said. I found myself in Vietnam," he Before retiring from the Ma- said. rine Corps, Hernandez became Hernandez spent 31 years certified through both the Navy in the Marine Corps, during and the Marines to teach naval which he did three tours of science courses in high school. duty as a drill instructor, the After teaching naval sci- first on a dare. ence to freshmen at Oakland "My friend said, 'I don't Bay Junior High School for 12 think you can do it,'" he said. years, Hernandez, 61, said he While Hernandez said he still finds teaching rewarding. didn't know whether instruct- ing was right for him at the See Instructor on page B-6 HELPING SHELTER FAMILIES HAVE CHRISTMAS Journal photo by Gordon Weeks Terresa Morris is the program coordinator at Turning Pointe Domestic Violence Services in Shelton, which is seeking individuals, businesses and organizations to 'adopt' shelter families for Christmas. Donations sought for Adopt-A- Family program By GORDON WEEKS gordon(~asoncounty.com tually came courtesy of local individu- als, businesses and groups that made donations of gifts and money through the nonprofit organization's Adopt-A- Family program. The mother fights tears when she recalls last Christmas' "awesome blessing." "It made me amazed with the fact "They come in that people who you don't know would shop for your family Escaping domestic violence, a moth- and give you a Christ- er and her three young children last mas," she said. Christmas found themselves residents Last Christmas, 36 of the shelter operated by Turning families were adopted Pointe Domestic Violence Services in for the holiday, said Shelton. Turning Pointe pro- The mother had no money for pres- gram coordinator Ter- ents for her 9-year-old daughter or her resa Morris. All are sons ages 5 and 7, nor did she expect survivors of domestic violence. anY gift. Many are Mason County families, % didn't have anything to provide and some are from out of the area (for) Christmas," said the woman, who and state, forced to flee far from their asked to remain anonymous, homes, she said. They left behind jobs But on Christmas morning, the gifts and schools. included a pottery wheel for her daugh- "They come in with nothing, and ter and remote-controlled cars for the we have to help them rebuild," Morris boys. The kids were told the presents said. came from Santa Claus, but they ac- Sponsors who adopt a family will re- with nothing, and we have to help them rebuild." ceive a list identifying each family mem- ber's age and sex, as well as needed food items, clothing sizes, and a "want" and a "need." Anyone who wishes to partici- pate can contact Morris at 426-1216, or go to Turningpointe.org and fill out a short form to be matched with an ap- propriate family. Participants don't need to adopt an en- tire family. They can also donate individu- al gifts, or items such as grocery store gift cards. All donations are tax deductible. Along with indi- vidual donations, the program received large donations from businesses such as Hood Canal Communications and Curves, she said. If all the families in the shelter are adopted, additional donations will be made available to other clients, she said. As for the family adopted last Christmas, the mother is attending school and working at a job. She said she hopes to adopt a needy shelter family next Christmas. Thursday, Dec. Shopping for local trees has benefits "erve wracking. Judy and I had our computer hacked. Our So- badog account was, we think, hacked while we were in New Jer- sey. So, when I went to write this arti- cle, there was no email in our Sobadog account. We understand the hacker changed our password and got in and wouldn't let us back in -- scary. We tried for two days to get this fixed, and just as I was getting ready for plan B, we were able to get it working. Now onto better things: We went shopping for a Christmas tree Thurs- day. Several places on the island sell trees -- you can see their signs right after you cross the bridge. We bought a 10-foot noble fir for a great price and didn't have to drive into town. Plus, they cut it down right there, so this tree is as fresh as you can get. Shopping local has its benefits. Now for the finale: the 2012 Person of By MIKE the Year for Harst- ine Island. I've used CALLAGHAN the notes from the speakers who intro- duced the Citizens of the Year and I will do the same for this person. Again, thanks to Bill Burrows for sending me these. We've had introduc- tions to Billie Fish, Judy Moore and Joye Robinson. The Person of the Year guidelines include several factors that would qualify an individual, including participating in many island activi- ties, making continuing contributions and providing service and personal efforts to benefit others. This year's Person of the Year meets and exceeds each of these factors. This is a person who has been very active within the community club, including being a board member, helping out with club meetings and special events, contrib- uting time and effort to help maintain the hall, and just keeping an eye on the hall and its operations. As the community club transitioned into its status as a nonprofit corporation, the financial issues became more complex. In addition, the receipt and manage- ment of the Chase donation to the women's club added to this complex- ity. Our Person of the Year took on the responsibilities to manage these complexities. In the summer you might find our honoree zigzagging around Jarrell's Cove often with a youngster on board. During the winter, our honoree might be found in a workshop restoring a boat. Regardless, if someone needed help, our person would likely drop those activities and respond to the call. It is my privilege to present this year's Person of the Year award to Jim Irving. Congratulations Jim! Christmas play scheduled This is short notice, but the theater club will be putting on a free Christ- mas play. It is called "The Reform of Benjamin Scrimp." The play is a take- off on the story, "A Christmas Carol." There will be three performances at the community hall on Dec. 7, 8 and 9. The curtains will open at 7 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 8. Then, there will be a matinee performance at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The play will be a comedy and will feature some 18 children and only two old grouchy adults. There will also be a second short play put on by the children and it is called "Christmas Count Down." From the opening strains of"Adeste Fideles" to the closing notes of"Joy to the World," Harstine Island Com- munity Choir's festive Christmas con- certs are one of the highlights of the season. Vibrant American hymns and timeless carols serve as the center- piece for this year's Christmas musi- cal celebration. Add in a few energetic Wassail and West Gallery songs of England -- why there's even a song written by Henry VIII -- and the re- sult is a holiday kaleidoscope of sound that transports the listener See Harstine on page B-6 6, 2012 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page B-1 r I i