Spring Street International School is hosting an Open House this Wednesday, January 29th from 5:30 – 7:00pm.

As the priority application deadline approaches, we want to give families and prospective students the opportunity to tour our campus and learn more about our income-based tuition.

Current students will offer tours and there will be different information booths set up. Meet us in the “quad” by the fire pit, where we will be serving hot chai. You will have the opportunity to explore the campus and talk with the Head of School, Director of Admissions, and a current faculty member.

Please feel free to share this information with anyone who may be interested in learning more about Spring Street.

Current Coverage Map

Patti Wickham and Dave Robison write to share this info with you about why Proposition 1 is so important for islanders…

As peaceful and serene as our island living is, there is a disaster looming right under our noses. The EMS radio communication system is limited, archaic and highly vulnerable to failure. This is the system that we depend on to send EMTs, fire trucks, sheriff and road crews out when we need them. The current system is 1960’s technology: when repairs are needed, parts are hard to find and often need to be modified to make them work in our system.

Currently there are only 3 transmitter-receivers, or base stations, in the county. This creates significant gaps in radio coverage producing numerous problems. For example, when a first responder needs backup or an ambulance, they radio to Dispatch. Often the call is garbled, and Dispatch wastes precious time deciphering what is being said.

If communication is needed between different agencies such as fire and EMT’s, Dispatch is the go-between and has to relay messages back and forth, not always with clear signals, again wasting precious time. There is also the possibility of errors being introduced this way. Another issue is the quantity of dead zones in the county where radio signals don’t get through. We’ve all experienced this with our cell phones, which utilize similar radio technology, just on a different set of frequencies.

This is not a new problem. County agencies have been discussing and researching this for over 20 years. It makes sense to act before we have a catastrophic failure with the system or a major disaster where lives are at stake and response time is critical. The different agencies affected have been working together to come up with a responsible proposal. They are required to use a State authorized vendor and they have found a qualified vendor and product that is a good fit for our island needs. Continue Reading

Coming soon to San Juan Community Theatre, Time Stands Still is a Tony and Pulitzer nominated play, written by Donald Margulies and directed by Brandon Cadwell.

The play focuses on Sarah and James, who are navigating recovery of their physical and mental health after spending time documenting the atrocities of war. Their partnership is based on telling tough stories and making a difference.

In the words of our director, Brandon Cadwell, when asked what drew him to the play, “As I turned the pages, I became enthralled by them-it felt so very real. Every single word felt like something I hear in conversation on a daily basis. I felt that I had been dropped into the living room of these characters and watched their lives unfold. It is a show that doesn’t have a nemesis, but the challenges that each of them is looking to conquer within themselves provides the tension.” Continue Reading

Construction has begun – Nancy DeVaux photo

By Louise Dustrude

The road through the gravel pit connecting Turn Point Road and Pear Point Road is under construction, more than 10 years after it was formally agreed to. The county is fulfilling a commitment it made to the town in 2009.

It will be called Missing Mountain Road, alluding to the actual removal of a hill by gravel pit operations over many years.

It is expected to be completed by the middle of March. The contractor is Williamson Construction out of Deming.

The road will be 30 feet wide overall, with 11-foot lanes and four-foot shoulders, wider than either of the roads it connects.

It is taking the eastern portion of the gravel pit, and the perimeter walking trail there has been moved to the west to accommodate it. Continue Reading

Photo by Jordan Vanderzalm

Join Island Rec for a series of off island teen trips. First up is the YMCA Climbing Wall in Bellingham on February 17th. First timers and seasoned climbers are welcome to join us as we head up to the Whatcom Family YMCA in Bellingham to take on the tallest indoor climbing wall in the Pacific Northwest! The early registration deadline is February 6th for $63.00, $10 more thereafter.

The adventure continues at the Summit Trampoline Park in Bellingham on March 13th. Trampolines are only the beginning. Basketball hoops, battle beam, wipeout, foam pits, dodgeball, and more make for an unforgettable day of fun. Early registration deadline is February 27th for $63.00, $10 more thereafter.

We keep the fun rolling with a trip to IFly indoor skydiving in Tukwila on April 4th. Learn to fly in an indoor wind tunnel! IFly indoor skydiving is safe and fun for all ages. You don’t need any special skills to fly. Register by March 26th for $150.00, $10 more thereafter.

All trips are for Grades 6-8

For more information and registration call 360-378-4953, visit www.islandrec.org, or stop by our office at 580 Guard Street, 11am-5pm, Monday through Friday.

Join San Juan Community Theatre for the Ridgeline Trilogy

Ridgeline premiered under Merritt Olsen 11 years ago. This is the continuation of the story, which has since become a trilogy:

1. A Proper Slater: The story visits Matt Slater, from ages 5-50. It tells the tale of his family history and how he came to be the person he was. 
2. Send Me A Dream: Lead character, Matt Slater, now pushing 70 years old, goes back in his dreams to try to change things that happened in Vietnam.
3. Ridgeline: The story of two old Vietnam vets, life long buddies since the Vietnam War, now residing in an old soldiers’ home.

Performance dates: Continue Reading

Monkey is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed photo

Is it my eternal optimism or am I sensing spring in the air?  Oh, those fabulous days ahead! I can see it now… Walking on the beach, running at the dog park, sniffing other dogs… Oops, that was my joke of the late-night audience.  

So, moving quickly on, let me tell you a little bit about my fine self.  My name is Monkey. I was brought up in rural Washington state by a guy who liked to sit in his Lazy Boy all day watching comedy central and eating hot wings.  He kept leaving me out at night, I think he was trying to tell me it was time to make it on my own, so I made my way to the big city hoping to try my paw at some standup but I was too short to reach the mike… Just two inches short of stardom, man what a dream killer!  

Hop it forward 3 weeks and I’ve landed on my feet with this cushy new gig here at the animal shelter; giving out free kisses and trying out one-liners for 2 square meals a day, a place to sleep, and a captive audience.  Drop in and say hi, I live to entertain, and you never know… your couch might be my forever venue.

Higher-wage employment can be open to many who learn the skills of business management and leadership.  The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) invites workers in the San Juan Islands to join in a Business Management & Leadership Skills course; business owners and managers are also encouraged to enroll employees. 

This for-credit course will be offered at greatly reduced cost thanks to generous grants from our funders including the Town of Friday Harbor, and is offered in partnership with Skagit Valley College.

Classes will run from February 19^th through March 18^th.  Employees working in hospitality and the trades are particularly encouraged to attend and a special focus toward these industries will be included in the course.

The benefits of studying business management are plentiful – employees may be eligible for satisfying, higher-wage employment and business owners and managers find that management-trained staff can be more understanding of the demands and processes of running a business. Continue Reading

Mike Vouri – Contributed photo

Don’t forget – this is happening today –

The first Know Your Island Walk of the new year will be on Saturday, January 25, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, starting at American Camp’s Redoubt.

Mike Vouri, retired National Park historian, will lead this walk — as he did the very first walk in the series in January 2011.

The Redoubt, a military defensive earthwork dating from the Pig War, is considered to be the most significant human construction in the park and it is the most intact redoubt in the nation. The walk will include the South Beach Trail which goes across the prairie to Packers Rock at the west end of South Beach, the Parade Ground, and Grandma’s Cove, but not the area near the former Visitor Center, which must be avoided as a construction area at this time.

From town, drive out Cattle Point Road into the park, turn right on Picketts Lane (toward South Beach), then immediately turn right again and drive to the Redoubt parking at the end.

Dogs on leash (with pickup bags) welcome. Rain or shine. Sponsored by the San Juan Island Trails Committee.

L-R: Rachel Lucy, PeaceHealth director community health NW; Jackie Pitman, caregiver and current health coach program participant; Meghan McCarthy, PeaceHealth system director community health; Jennifer Armstrong, member Peace Island Community Health Board and SJI Family Resource Center; and, Delphina Liles, community scholarship recipient, SJI Family Resource Center – Contributed photo

FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash., Jan. 21, 2020– PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center recently recognized the first group of caregivers earning health coach certification as a result of its Integrated Nutrition Pathways Scholarship program.

The program, which awards scholarships to PeaceHealth caregivers to become a certified health coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), is the first of its kind to be offered by a health system in the United States.

Through IIN’s advanced online learning platform, caregivers spent six months to a year completing a comprehensive program focused on nutrition and holistic health.

Included in the celebration at PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center were current Health Coach program participant and caregiver Jackie Pitman. At the event, PeaceHealth also gifted one health coach scholarship to local community partner The San Juan Island Family Resource Center. This organization offered a full scholarship to employee Delphina Liles, coordinator for Youth Mentoring and Enrichment programs. Continue Reading

Orpheus by Susan Williams

“What fun – to study each piece of art, then circle around and pick the ones I like best,” a common refrain in the galleries during recent visits to SJIMA.

View the art that the community voted as their favorites before the Artists’ Registry Show closes on February 21. The public was invited to mark their ballots in December and early January and the votes were tallied in time for all to see them on display.

The annual countywide exhibition of Artists’ Registry participants is at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA). Cash prizes and ribbons were awarded courtesy of the sponsorship of Suzy Wakefield. The art media of choice range from acrylic painting to encaustic and from bronze to mixed media.

The winners for 2-dimensional art are:

• 1st place Debbie Daniels for Fluid Motion – $300
• 2nd place Kim Bruder for Gratitude – $150
• 3rd place Laura Bauer, Untitled – $50.

In the category for 3-dimensional artwork the winners are:

• 1st place Susan Williams, Orpheus – $300
• 2nd place Eben Shay, Supernova – $150
• 3rd place Lloyd Thompson, Demon on the Dance-floor, In Memorium – $50.

The art is part of a 70+-piece art show featuring the best of each artists’ work for the community to enjoy. The show was sponsored by Malinda Dreyer, Town of Friday Harbor, Printonyx, Harbor Rental and Browne’s Home Center.

Showing in the atrium gallery is Cathryn Mallory’s Tide of Transition, a vision of under the Salish Sea. The Artists’ Registry Show is open Friday-Monday until February 21 from 11-5. Admission is $10 with AJIMA members and those18 and under admitted free of charge. Mondays are Pay As You Can Days.

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning we find a letter to you from Summer Clark…

On February 11^th our community will be voting on a replacement capitol & technology levy for our schools. Vote YES for our schools! This is NOT a new tax, but a renewal of the one that has existed for many years. Our community needs this levy!

This levy comprises 17% of our schools’ budget and covers a host of things that the state does not fund. The levy has funded vital projects like major building upgrades. It has funded our high quality food service program and it has afforded the school the ability to upgrade technology for teachers and students. The school levy funds many other things as well, all of which directly benefit our students in our community.

As a community member that was not only raised here, but now has the fortune to raise my own family here, I have a major stake in this community. Voting YES on the school levy ensures we are all doing what we can to strengthen our community and fund a brighter future, by way of our public school system. I would like to encourage all of you to vote YES for our local school levy!

Thank you, Summer Clark

First, we extend our sincere appreciation for the attentive and engaged turnout at the Mullis Center on January 12! 
A quiet Sunday afternoon among busy families, threats of snowy roads and of course the Seahawks playoff game notwithstanding, about 65 of you responded to our invitations. 

We were enthused by our smiling friends from Lopez Transition making the significant effort to support our emergent form of Transition.  Each of you made progress possible by elbowing up with neighbors and new friends to share your experiences and views on issues important to our island community.

We trust that you will find the “report outs” of the initial action groups to be a reasonable summary of the summarized comments by your group representative.

We are considering you all to be the first wave of Core Group members who will carry forth in action groups as this movement unfolds and takes on a unique functional form for San Juan Island.  You are key to helping us invent this movement and attract others to the idea. Continue Reading

Fish for Teeth – Fish Taco Fundraiser Friday, January 24th from  11:00 am to 1:30 pm at the San Juan Community Theatre. $8 suggested donation

Fish for Teeth is continuing its tooth-fixing mission with another Fish Taco Fundraiser on Friday, January 24, 11-1:30 at the San Juan Island Community Theater. An $8.00 suggested donation lands you a full-on burrito-sized “taco,” filled with sustainably-harvested Washington Coastal Rockfish, Pablito’s salsa, Tillamook cheese, zesty greens, and a squeeze of lime. Absolutely delicious.

Fish for Teeth is brings the Medical Teams International Mobile Dental Van to San Juan Island for four two-day clinics. Fish for Teeth also funds special cases that are too complex for the Dental Van. Regardless of income, people suffering from tooth pain and don’t have the funds to see a dentist have the opportunity to live pain free. Continue Reading

John “Burk” Gossom, MD – Tim Dustrude photo

Dr. Burk Gossom is retiring after 40+ years of service and dedication to healthcare on San Juan Island.

Please join your friends and neighbors in saying Thank You! January 25 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the SJI Grange

Let’s show our appreciation to Dr. Gossom

and say hello to Dr. William House. Bring your stories and memories to share. Light refreshments will be provided.

For more information, please call 360-378-1338 or visit us online at sanjuanhealthcare.org

Announcing – Kitchen Sink Dinners – Feed the Island

We are back after our beautiful week of snow!  Kitchen Sink Dinners. This Thursday, January 23rd from 4:30 to 6:00 pm at Cynthia’s Bistro – 65 Nichols Street, Friday Harbor

Cynthia’s Bistro is offering free take-away meals to anyone who needs a meal or wishes to have a home cooked meal. No questions asked, just free food.

You may pick up 2 meals per person. When we run out of food, we will close the doors until next time. We will be stationed on the front porch and handing out the meals at Cynthia’s Bistro – 65 Nichols Street in Friday Harbor.
Basic Home Cooking made with everything but the Kitchen Sink.

Come by and say hello. If you care to join us and donate time or money to the cause, feel free to contact Cynthia at Cynthia’s Bistro or email me at [email protected].