The children who excel in school excel despite it not because of it. Now, there are those who will say that not all children come from healthy environments and the school is keeping them from falling off the cliff. If this is the case then let’s call it what it is, a glorified Children’s House, and quit pretending education is happening. IT IS NOT!

My son Oliver (who never attended a day of school, public or otherwise) got a GED after 30 days of study. His percentile ranking against all high school graduates nationwide on the five exams was, 93, 75, 66, 66, and 50.

My son Lennon (also school free) has just been accepted to the University of Washington.

My son Yonatan (also unschooled) has just graduated from The Evergreen State College.

Albert Einstein, perhaps the world’s most famous school dropout, commented that “It is nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry.”

(More famous dropouts here) http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/lists/dropouts.html

“We are students of words: we are shut up in schools and colleges and recitation- rooms for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a bag of wind, a memory of words, and do not know a thing.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

If the middle school was gutted and brought to standard by bidding, with local contractors, for each aspect of the work, demolition of interior walls, earthquake reinforcement, interior shear walls, sheetrock, painting and HVAC. No gigantic performance bond would be necessary.

This is too rational for dreamers.

Save your money and vote no. Education will not suffer.

Harvey Aldort

I’m writing to ask whoever has been taking down the “Kalb for Congress” yard signs to please stop doing that. It’s theft, and goes against our democracy. These signs have disappeared from three locations, while all other signs – Democrats and Republicans – were left in place. Please have respect for your neighbors’ right to know all the candidates.

Bill Griswold
314 Terrill Beach, Eastsound

Since the state did not send out printed Voter Guides for this primary election, I wanted to let people know that there is a Voters’ Guide online on the Washington Secretary of State’s website.

Just go to: www.sos.wa.gov

On the left side of the page, click on “Elections and Voting” and then click on “2010 Online Voters’ Guide”.

Then there are four choices: Federal, Congressional, Legislative, and Judicial.
“Federal” contains the candidates for U.S. Senate in our district, Congressional District 2.
“Congressional” contains all 9 congressional districts in the state. Click on “Congressional District 2″ to see the candidates for U.S. House of Representatives in our district.

Then you can click on any candidate’s name and a page about that candidate will come up.

I encourage people to share this link with others and to print out copies for people who don’t use the internet.

The candidates are not listed in any particular order or by any particular party preference – the listing of candidates is done at random. And the way they are listed in the online Voters’ Guide is the way they will be listed on the ballot.

For questions, the phone number for the Secretary of State’s office is (360) 902-4151.

Ballots can be mailed in anytime between the time they’re received and August 17, as long as they’re postmarked by August 17. There will also be ballot drop boxes at the Courthouse in Friday Harbor, the Orcas Senior Center, and the Lopez Fire District #4 Office on Fisherman Bay Road.

Happy voting!

Yours for a healthy democracy,
Sharon Abreu

Here on Orcas, the board, the superintendent, the teachers, and the Parent- Teacher Association,  through many meetings, have repeatedly told us that there are serious safety and maintenance problems as well as insufficient classroom design or space for certain courses in some of the school buildings.  Because these people have the most detailed knowledge about the needs of the school, I have faith in their judgment.

Furthermore,  the architectural plans they have worked out with the Mahlum group, who specialize in school design, seem sensible and well thought out.  If we can buy Turtleback, we can vote “yes” in August for the School Bond, and feel equally proud of ourselves for enabling a better life for future generations.

Rachel Adams

One adventure I’d missed since moving here was to go on a whale watch trip. I booked with Eclipse Charters when I had out-of-state friends visiting a couple of weeks ago, and we had a wonderful time! The whales, eagles and harbor seal sightings were plentiful and magnificent. Our guides answered our questions, pointed out what we might not have noticed and gave us ecological lessons in the process, which I appreciated.

My sincerest thanks to Capt. Dan and Denise Wilk for this terrific service they provide- and to our guides Deb and Mary. Everyone went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and would leave the boat with memories to last a lifetime. Here’s to “staycations” on the island!

Louise Carnachan

The Homeschool Book Exchange will be held again next year, second Friday of June. Mark your calendars, bring your wisdom and recycle your books. Hope to see more of you next year!

Michel Vekved

Orcas School kids, teachers, parents, alumni and friends fill the streets for the July 3 "Community in Action" parade

To all of our kids, teachers, parents, graduates and friends:

A huge round of thanks to you all for helping to make this a memorable Parade. You did a great job of showing support for, and pride in our School! Please enjoy this slideshow at the link below and feel free to share the photos with family and friends:

OrcasIslandSchoolsJuly3rdParade2010

Special thanks to Esther Doss, 10th grader, and daughter of our School Librarian, Maria Doss, for designing the cool banners; to Scott Lancaster of Orcas Island Hardware for the paint; to Maria and Ray Doss and Kelsey and Keith Whitaker for painting them; to Mandy Randolph for having the idea to have the kids carry flags with their grades on them, and for doing a wonderful job of getting kids and parents to come and organizing everybody that day; to Julian Glasser for coming back to Orcas for the Summer and jumping right in to helping organize friends for the Parade; to Justin Paulsen for thinking of the orange crane… how great was that?! and to the YES! Committee for its tireless work so we can PASS THIS BOND!

Marian O’Brien

Stan Matthews sent you an email with an attachment of a News Release from San Juan County called “Return the Grants for Odlin Park Improvements?”  What they failed to tell you is why so many people on Lopez are upset about the renovation plan for Odlin Park.

Two main points:

First, the Odlin Park Master Plan 2006 put out by the San Juan County Parks Department shows the elimination of the only baseball field in a park on Lopez.  Even teams from San Juan and Orcas have came over and played on this field.  Locals use this field as I have placed a couple of youtube links below.  Parks now has some new drawings that have the baseball field included.

Second, the San Juan County Parks Department wants to remove from Odlin Park an old cannon that was placed 63 years ago by the Lopez Island American Legion as a memorial for the war dead.   The origional Legion members used this cannon as a hands on display, they played on it,  they brought there children to play on it, and the children brought there children to play on it.

Parks says that it is a liability as someone could get hurt on it.  No one has be seriously hurt on it in 63 years but Parks says “they could” so the cannon must go.  This cannon is dear to most islanders and we do not want parks to remove it.

I am collecting signatures for an initiative petition to save the cannon in Odlin Park as is.  I need about 1600 signitures of registered voters from San Juan County to have it placed on the ballot in the general election.

I have 120 days to do this.  I am collecting no money and have been doing this myself.  I will travel to the other islands, so if you see me with a clipboard that says “Save The Cannon” please sign up.

youtube.com/watch?v=jR6K_eMKUVA

youtube.com/watch?v=MDSCNI1hhHs

youtube.com/watch?v=z-C_HdB4AFw

Dan Post
Lopez Island

For those of you who love libraries,  serve on  library boards in your hometown, or are simply curious, the meeting will take place on Monday July 12th at 9:00 AM in the library community meeting room. Come see how board members generate ideas and problem solve. Perhaps you can share some ideas from your own libraries.

Agendas will be available at the door and there is always time allotted for public comment.

Remember: The library is open every  Sunday from Noon until 3 p.m.

Rachel Newcombe,
Library Board Member, Community Relations Chair

The Lions would like to thank the following sponsors for helping with this year’s event: Coastal Cold Storage of Petersburg, Alaska (Fish), American Legion Post 93(Grounds), Orcas Senior Center (Ovens), Island Hardware and Supply (Parade Truck), San Juan Sanitation (Dump Bins), Country Corner (Ice), Kay’s Antiques and Cherri Lindholm Real Estate (Ticket Sales), and Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce, Islanders Sounder and Orcas Issues (Publicity). I would also like to thank all the Lions and the Spouses/Significant Others/Partners without whose help this event would never have happened. And lastly, to all of those who brought tickets to the event and helped the Orcas Island Lions Club to continue to give back to our island community.

For information on the Lions Club, and for an opportunity to join and give back to the community, visit our Web Site: http://www.orcaslions.org or call: 376-2488.

Jim Biddick