“Lance Corporal Stanley Brown (at left) helps a kindergartner at Wolfle Elementary School in Kingston get his name tag all squared away on his very first day in a classroom. Brown was one of several volunteers from the U.S. Marine Corps to assist the young students in preparing for the new school year. In the parking lot, Marines took turns escorting the kids to class and seeing some young patriots in distress, Lance Corporals Butler, Robert Kaminski and Thomas Decker even helped raise Old Glory high above the school yard. “
“Ask sophomore Christina Miglino about her experiences at West Sound Academy and her face lights up. Ask her what she likes better about this school than her previous one and she’ll launch into a series of reasons, but ultimately settles on single theme – the faculty. They are really inspiring… My goal in life is to do something to help others and I really feel that the staff here is here for the kids, she says, noting that the smaller class size helps contributes to a more inviting atmosphere for one-on-one learning, You get all your questions answered in class. At a school where class size ranges from three to 15 students per class, this is more than a ringing endorsement, it is a fact. What makes Miglino’s endorsement even more notable is that she’s been at the school for less than a week. “
“We’re big on recycling in North Kitsap, we recycle more than 2,000 tons of resources every year. When we lost our former recycling center on Little Valley road, many city and county officials worked together to provide an effective interim site, then a permanent site that is appropriate for today’s needs and anticipates future growth. “
“POULSBO – All the hard work paid off. Jim Robson and Divina Ormsby both worked this summer to improve themselves. They ran and practiced to make sure they would be ready for North Kitsap High School’s first cross-country meet. The work showed Thursday, as Ormsby and Robson were the two top finishers for the North squad, who faced Port Townsend and Bremerton High Schools. The meet was held at Poulsbo Junior High, and the athletes ran through a winding track more than a mile long. Ormsby finished sixth overall in the girls’ division with a time of 22:19. Robson was sixth in the boys’ with 16:58. It was a pretty good time for a first meet, Robson said. It was a good first meet for me. “
“POULSBO – The North Kitsap High School girls’ soccer team opened their season with a win Thursday night, shutting out Central Kitsap 1-0. The Lady Vikings struck early in the game. In the second minute, North Kitsap’s Brandy Madle and Chelsie O’Neill-Dewing were flying down the field on a break. Madle passed to O’Neill-Dewing, who was running down the wing. O’Neill-Dewing’s pass back to Madle found her right in front of the net. When her shot was deflected by the Cougar keeper, the ball rolled to Lindsey Ross, who kicked it into the left side of the net. It was 1-0 North Kitsap, and would stay that way for the rest of the game. “
“Washington will face a job crisis unless schools start teaching technological skills earlier in their curriculum, according to Rep. Jay Inslee. It’s going to be the great bombshell that will explode on this country, Inslee said. Inslee met Sept.1 with vocational school administrators from districts comprising the West Sound Consortium. They discussed how Washington schools can increase the number of students leaving high school with high-tech skills. Consortium members, citing a study by the American Electronics Association, said the state and nation are falling behind the demand for high-tech workers. Although the number of high-tech jobs grew 21 percent between 1990 and 1998 in the U.S., the number of high-tech degrees dropped five percent. The study said Washington schools should hope to supply at least technical workers a year by 2008 to keep up with the number of jobs available.”
“SUQUAMISH – At first, Colin McDonald wasn’t sure about the senior trip his older brother Ross suggested. Colin, who is now 19, was about to graduate from North Kitsap High School, and his brother kept talking about this trip, a bike ride. But Colin was hesitant. I said no, he said. Then after that I said nothing, then at Christmas, our aunt bought us some tents. The boys’ mother, Bethany McDonald, explains, The family had invested in it. So Colin agreed, and the boys starting planning for this trip: a bike ride across the United States. It seemed like a fun ride, Ross, 21, said. He graduated from Western Washington University and will begin graduate studies at the University of Washington in the fall. I had been at school a long time, and wanted something to do before I returned for more schooling. The trip, which was to wind through the northern United States, soon became a family affair in more ways than one. “
Twenty reasons junior and high-school sports are better than the pros…
“County provides some, but admits to not knowing everything yet. “
If you speed down Caldart or Finn Hill or Miller Bay or Lincoln or Kingston Rd. or any of your other favorite short cuts-there’s a good chance your speeding could kill a kid.
“POULSBO – It wasn’t quite football. Sure, players crunched into each other in the trenches. And receivers stretched themselves out for fingertip catches. And when flags flew, some eyes rolled. But Saturday’s jamboree, held at the North Kitsap High School field, was just for practice. North Kitsap was one of the four teams that participated. They joined North Mason, Klahowya and Bainbridge Island. An offensive and defensive team of each school occupied one-fourth of the field, so two games could go at once. So while North Mason’s defense may be facing Bainbridge’s offense on one end, North Mason’s offense may be facing North Kitsap’s defense on another. The purpose was for each team to get in some practice before the games start for real next week. Each match would continue for a specific number of plays. “
Long-awaited facility to start crunching on Viking Way.
“POULSBO – When rain threatened their instruments, the participants in North Kitsap High School’s band camp marched across the field anyway, fingers curled around imaginary flutes and arms encircling invisible tubas. And when they couldn’t play their instruments – dark clouds still gathered overhead – they sang the parts instead, the drummer laughing as he shouted, Boom-BOOM! Boom-BOOM! It’s that kind of imagination and dedication that Sara Weyrick stepped into. Weyrick is the new band teacher and director at North Kitsap High School, replacing John Werth. Weyrick has shown her share of dedication, commuting from and to Issaquah until the sale of her new home in Poulsbo closes. It’s a four-hour trip every day, she said. “
Planning commission to continue public discussions Sept. 26.
“KINGSTON – The players aren’t loud enough for Tony Chisholm. So Chisholm, the head football coach at Kingston Junior High, holds one hand into the air, four fingers aloft, and asks the question again. What do four fingers stand for? He asks, and this time the response comes thundering back: Four quarters! Chisholm smiles at the sea of helmeted athletes in front of him. Chisholm has been with the KJH football program since its creation six years ago. For four years he served as an assistant under head coaches Tom Wiley and Scott McKay. The last two years he has been on his own, and the Cavaliers have tallied 6-1 and 5-2 records in those years. “
“POULSBO – I think it is almost like a swan with their long curved necks, said Mussie Gebre, describing one of the star attractions at Llama Rose Farm and Gardens Thursday afternoon. The analogy was fitting, but also truly amazing because Gebre doesn’t speak, hear or see. Instead, he senses his surroundings. The young native of Eritrea (a small country in Africa) was very inquisitive, asking questions and providing input on what he had witnessed during the day. His interpreter, Anita Harding, who is hearing impaired, assisted Gebre in answering questions via a three-way sign language conversation with Karen Carlson. The trio was part of a 44-person group from the Seattle Light House for the Blind which visited the llamas, camels and garden at the farm on Big Valley Road. Gebre explained that, from what he learned, llamas’ fur not only protects them from the sun, but also keeps them warm in the winter. When asked what types of animals flourished in his native country, he signed, I grew up here in America. But in Eritrea, we have lots of horses. “
“The summer predicted to have so many problems in North Kitsap ended up to be one of our very best. Back in May, when gas prices soared, local businesses were openly worried that the tourists who fuel downtown Poulsbo and neighboring economies with their dollars might stay home. It turned out not to be a problem. Visitors who may have gulped hard at the gas pump total, nonetheless came in large numbers to enjoy the balmy, sunny days. “
State grant will cover OT for traffic patrols.
‘Help wanted’ ad campaign comes up short.
“Long lines of parked cars have been a frequent sight in Kingston and Bainbridge this summer as ferry overflows have forced drive-on travelers to park on the highway shoulder and wait for the next Because of bridge construction, a two-boat schedule, and just plain gorgeous summer weekend weather, the lines of cars along the highways have become longer than ever. People frequently wait in their cars for hours, especially on Sunday afternoons and evenings. “