Skagit Valley College awarded $2,107,806 in US Department of Education Title III funds

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — Skagit Valley College (SVC) has received a five-year, $2,107,806 Title III grant from the United States Department of Education. SVC received the grant under the Office of Postsecondary Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program.

“Skagit Valley College is dedicated to providing a learning environment throughout Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties that is focused on excellence,” said SVC President Dr. Tom Keegan.

“The Title III grant will allow us to develop new initiatives that respond to the needs of our students and to implement the support systems and resources they need to achieve their educational goals.”

Under the grant program, colleges and universities may use the money for a variety of purposes, including faculty development and improving academic programs. At SVC, the grant will be used to implement the College’s student success initiatives, including restructuring the student’s first-quarter experience, student support services and advising model, and integrating more student-centered instructional strategies and culturally responsive practices both inside and outside the classroom.

The grant will also focus on decreasing the achievement gap between Latino and non-Latino students while improving the retention and completion rates of all students. The money will go toward hiring more staff, including bilingual staff, to help students navigate the College, training faculty and staff, and upgrading the technology at the College.

Bob Myhr to Retire from OPALCO Board with nearly 30 Years of Service

Bob Myhr – Contributed photo

UPDATED 12-18-15: OPALCO Board Member Bob Myhr will retire at the end of the year. Myhr is currently serving as Vice President and represents District 3 (Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles islands). He joined the Co-op in 1967 and was elected to the board in 1986. The Board will appoint a new board member to fill the vacancy, in accordance with our bylaws (Article III, Section 4). The appointee will run for election in 2016.

President Jim Lett invites members to attend the December 17th board meeting (Eastsound) to honor Bob at his last meeting as a director. “Bob’s long-time commitment to the Co-op membership, his wisdom on the Board and his deep caring for the community will be missed,” said Lett. “Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.”

Bob and his wife Joyce aren’t going far – just a short hop to Bellingham – and they have promised to come back often for visits. “It has been an honor to serve our Co-op,” said Myhr.  “OPALCO is at the heart of our communities in the islands and I hold the utmost regard for my fellow directors, the OPALCO staff and especially our General Manager Foster Hildreth for their commitment to continually improving our quality of life in San Juan County.”

At the December 17th meeting, the Board decided that they will not appoint a temporary director to fill the vacancy because the District 3 election process begins early next year. Members who reside in District 3 and are interested in running for election may contact the Nominations Committee through Bev Madan ([email protected]). The nomination and election process is clearly defined in our bylaws, also posted online http://ow.ly/W5CsU.

Board meetings are open to the Co-op membership. The January board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 21st on Lopez Island.

For the latest information about OPALCO, visit: www.opalco.com.

San Juan Islands Museum of Art opens 2016 with a powerful set of exhibitions by Ai Weiwei, Dana Lynn Louis, and Francisco Goya

January 23 – April 11, 2016

The San Juan Islands Museum of Art is set to start its 2016 season with three extraordinary exhibitions, linked by the common thread of human rights: Ai Weiwei’s Ai Weiwei: Fault Line, Dana Lynn Louis’ site-specific installation, As Above, So Below, and Sleep of Reason: Selected Prints by Francisco Goya.

Ai Weiwei: Fault Line stems from Ai Weiwei’s investigation into the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, a magnitude 8.0 quake that killed over 5,000 schoolchildren when government-built schools collapsed. The government refused to release the names of the dead or even how many died. Ai Weiwei’s investigation determined these facts, also exposing the corruption at the heart of the building code violations. During his investigation, Ai Weiwei endured frequent and brutal clashes with authorities, including 81 days of being disappeared in secret detention. He persisted, and Ai Weiewei: Fault Line is the incredible result.

Dana Lynn Louis’ installation As Above, So Below also references social and political concerns. For over a decade, Louis worked in West Africa helping to create the Ko-falen Cultural Center in Bamako, Mali. That work had to end in 2012 due to the Mali Civil War. Since then, her work, including her upcoming installation, has been deeply informed by the loss of place. The site-specific response to the San Juan Islands re-places the self within this specific environment, an act in which she invites viewers to participate.

Sleep of Reason: Selected Prints by Francisco Goya presents images from Los Desastres de la Guerra (1810–20) and Los Caprichos (1797–8), produced in response to the atrocities of the Peninsular War and the breakdown of Spanish society. These prints of Los Desastres were so politically charged they couldn’t be printed in Goya’s lifetime, and were only printed posthumously several decades after his death. Famous for both impeccable technique and unwavering commentary of war and corruption of the human condition, the pieces articulate his despair and endure in the universal acuity of this vision. Continue Reading

Shane Merritt, Bert Momson, Ian Joujan, Kyle Dodd, Maclin Fuehr-Bush, Cy Scammell, and Rowan Reitan (not pictured are Bela Boyd & Dave Mountford) – Sheila Harley photo

Sheila Harley checks in with the final “Meet Your Volunteer Firefighter” column for 2015…

The young gentlemen pictured above are in the FireFighter recruit class which is nearing the end of its instruction period. They started class in September, working very hard all the way through, and are to take their final written and practical exams in the very near future.

Each one is a resident of San Juan Island and are from all walks of life. They all have one goal in common:

To protect life and property.

Good luck to them all during the last weeks of their training. We hope to see their smiling faces under yellow helmets in the future.

San Juan Island Fire & Rescue welcomes all interested men and women ages 16 years and above to drop by the Mullis Srreet Station and make an appointment to learn what we are all about. We offer some fun ancillary positions as well. Look on-line at www.sjifire.org for lots of good information. Or, you could view our Facebook page: San Juan Island Fire & Rescue. Our phone # is (360) 378-5334. We would be pleased to talk with you.

All the San Juan Island Fire & Rescue team wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Mike Adams of Friday Harbor has kidney failure.  There are over 100,000 people all over the country that live with the need of a kidney transplant while they suffer in silence, waiting for their call.  Mike wants to open your eyes and your heart and thoughts to the life-giving gift of organ donor transplant.

Please view the pages on his website or contact the Organizers if your heart leads you in that direction. At the very least, elevate your knowledge so you might help someone in the future with better understanding of this important need.

One meaningful way to do this, is to add donor information on your driver’s license. This is a huge thing you can do, and many Americans have already done. There is still a large national shortage however. Below is a link to the Department of Motor Vehicles website for more on this very important life saving gift. Registering your wishes is easy and the greatest gift of all.

Please click the “how you can help” button on the website to contact Virginia Mason Seattle Wa. for more info on this life saving gift and the requirements for kidney transplant donors. Thank you so much… M.A. 

OLYMPIA – The Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board and the Puget Sound Partnership today announced the award of $44.3 million in grants to organizations around the state for projects that will restore salmon habitat and conserve pristine areas, all targeted at bringing salmon back from the brink of extinction.

Projects in San Juan County were awarded $952,319

“Salmon recovery is an important priority in Washington,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “These efforts help ensure that our grandchildren will be able to see this iconic species return home every year. We are preserving salmon for the families and businesses that rely on them for their livelihoods, their recreational pursuits and their culture or sustenance. We also are helping our communities restore lands that will yield other important values like resilience to flooding or habitat for a variety of other species. It’s a smart investment any way you look at it.”

The Salmon Recovery Funding Board awarded grants to organizations in 28 counties for 141 projects. The grants will be used to remove barriers that prevent salmon from migrating, increase the types and amount of habitat for salmon, conserve pristine areas and replant riverbanks so there are more places for salmon to spawn, feed, rest, hide from predators and transition from freshwater to saltwater and back again.

Grants were given to projects in the counties below: Continue Reading

San Juan Island Grange #966 and 3rd Saturday Contra Dance announce a Solstice Celebration at the Grange Hall on Saturday, December 19th, as a fundraiser for the Grange

The band Continental Drift and caller Bob Nicholson, fresh from conducting traditional dances in Seattle, will be donating their talents for the evening.

Bob Nicholson has earned a reputation for calling wonderful dances for both beginners and experienced dancers, making everyone feel at home and part of the dance community.

Continental Drift is comprised of Eric Anderson of Seattle and Eileen Nicholson of Syracuse NY. One listener at a recent show asked: “Do you believe only two people are making all that music?”

Eileen grew up contra dancing along the East Coast, from Pennsylvania to New England, so knows how to keep feet moving. Eric leads a busy schedule, taking the piano stool for such bands as Bandemonium, Fiddle Rats, Celticladda and Triangularity. He even played in a Friday Harbor band called Island Time. “But that was a looong time ago”, he says.

Liz Francis, 3rd Saturday Contra Dance organizer, said, “This band is remarkable. I can’t wait!” The dance will start at 4:30. Folks can dish up from the array of potluck offerings in the kitchen starting at 6:30.

After dinner, the band and caller will teach the fundamentals of contra dancing to those who have never danced. A suggested donation for adults of $10-20, (for students $5-10) will be asked at the door. And of course, potluck means bring a dish to share.

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

Good Morning. Might I interest you in a set of encyclopedias? How about a vacuum cleaner? Perhaps some Girl Scout cookies? What I’d really like to do is find a way into your heart….

My name is Rosie and I’ve just arrived in Friday Harbor after a very long journey, from a life that wasn’t very good. My previous owners used me to make puppies. Lots of puppies. Thankfully, I’ve retired from that job and hope to find a position in the field of lap-warming or dog treat testing.

I’m only about five years old and have the gentlest, sweetest soul ever. I’m very lady-like and quiet and just wait until you feel my fur! It’s like velvet!

Here at the animal shelter they tell me I’m a Pug-Chihuahua mix, if that matters to you. All I know is that I’m hoping you’ll come to meet me soon!

Animal Protection Society of Friday harbor
111 Shelter Road
(360) 378-2158

Contributed photo

The Animal Shelter is looking for someone who can help out by transporting a litter of 9 Chihuaha puppies from the Seattle area next Saturday, December 19 back to Friday Harbor, preferably on the 2:40 ferry.

Please contact Jan Murphy at 378-2158 if you plan to be off-island next Saturday and can help.

The San Juan Singers – Contributed photo

San Juan Island’s community chorus leads us on a magical, musical journey through time during their annual holiday concert at San Juan Community Theatre on Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, December 13 at 2:00 p.m.

From the Baroque world of Vivaldi and Palestrina, to traditional Celtic folk tunes and modern American carols, the program reflects a multitude of traditions surrounding this joyous winter celebration. The music also features a performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria (RV 589). Written in the early 1700s, this beautiful, lively and lyrical setting of the prayer, “Gloria in excelsis Deo,” continues to inspire and delight music lovers of all ages world-wide.

Accompanied by the Island Orchestra and under the direction of Angel Michaels, the Singers will also have guest vocal appearances from the island women chorus, Sound Vibrations.

The evening’s Business Partner is Lake Kennedy McCulloch CPAs. Concert tickets are $18 for adults, $9 for student reserved, with $5 student RUSH one hour before the show. The Box Office is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or tickets may be purchased on-line at www.sjctheatre.org

The arbor in Memorial Park, with its welcoming sign, at the foot of Spring Street in Friday Harbor – Aaron Shepard photo

Frequent Update contributor Aaron Shepard has launched a photo blog, An islander’s Eye, to offer his photographic views of Friday Harbor and the San Juan Islands — including many of the shots you first see here.

Fittingly, the blog’s premier article is “Welcome to Friday Harbor,” a photo essay overview of the town and the island. If you ever need to send someone to one Web page that sums up our community, this could be it!

An Islander’s Eye
http://islanderseye.blogspot.com/

“Welcome to Friday Harbor”
http://islanderseye.blogspot.com/2015/11/welcome-to-friday-harbor.html

Mike Wallimann, Ayla Ridwan, Olivia Meenan, Leah Black, Darcy Ayers, Finnoula Bourne, Marcella Kirkland, & Allison Fleming – Contributed photo

It is time to register for Island Rec’s Girl’s Basketball League, open to all girls in grades 3 through 8. The focus of this league is for the development and improvement of individual and team skills. Previous basketball experience is not required. All games are played on San Juan Island on Sunday afternoons in Turnbull Gym. Participants practice twice per week beginning the week of January 11th.

Register online at www.islandrec.org or stop by the Island Rec Office. If registered by January 1st, $40; $45 Thereafter. Final deadline to register is January 4th. Call 378-4953 for more information about the league or if you are interested in volunteering as a coach.

Town accepting applications for open position on Friday Harbor Arts Commission.

The Friday Harbor Arts Commission (FHAC) is seeking one new member for a three-year term commencing January 1, 2016. The person filling this unpaid, volunteer position is expected to represent the interests of the Town, community and local artists as they advise the Town Council on the cultivation, selection, acquisition and placement of public art.

The FHAC was formed in February of this year with Mayor Carrie Lacher’s appointment of eight commissioners, including one non-voting youth member. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month.

Those with experience, background or involvement with visual, performing or literary art should provide a Letter of Interest to Mayor Lacher. Applicants may choose to include examples of their art or experience.

Application review will continue until the position is filled. For specifics on the responsibilities of the commission, applicants are advised to review the ordinance and policies posted under “Arts Commission” in the Agenda tab at the Town of Friday Harbor web site: www.fridayharbor.org.

Questions and application letter should be directed to:

Town of Friday Harbor, ATTN: Julie Greene
60 Second Street / PO Box 219 / Friday Harbor, WA 98250

julie [@] fridayharbor.org

(360) 378-2810, ext. 229 or (360) 622-2035

Contributed photo

It’s the San Juan Island Trails Committee doing a Holiday Party at Cask n Schooner – Upstairs by the fireplace. Everyone is welcome.

Come and share tall tales of trails remembered…and a cup of cheer with friends.

Thursday, December 17th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. No host, Drop in.
Call Theresa if you have questions… 378 8332

Click to see enlarged poster

This will bring you joy, and you’ll laugh really hard.

5th, 6th, an 7th graders present short excerpts from their chapters in Spring Street International School’s forthcoming book, in which they reflect philosophically on youth.

December 13th at 6:30 pm at the Presbyterian Church.

Paula West shares this invitation with you…

Hi Tim, here is an event that your readers may be interested in:

• What: Holiday Pop Up Shop
• When: Saturday, December 12, Noon-6
• Who: Wild Roots Linens, Paula West Pottery, enamora
• Where: Surina Business Park, Suite #501-enamora studio
• Why: Handmade gifts, snacks and holiday cheer

Thank you!

Happy Holidays,
Paula West

(Note: Click to see sample images)  Continue Reading