Sehome High School's Bring Joy to a Child community service project has supported hundreds of families in the last 24 years with donations of clothing, food, money and other basic necessities. Earlier this fall, 42 families in need (with 112 children) were helped and monetary donations alone exceeded $13,000, according to a school district press release.
Sehome's leadership class, with teacher Kevin Johnson, coordinates the project that involves about 90 percent of the school in some way.
Squalicum's leadership class and teacher Jason Bergman assisted with donations along with several Bellingham High School staff members who helped a particular family and child that is headed to Bellingham High, dropping off bags of donations for the project.
They were distributed in November by the leadership class with truck-driving support from retired staff members John Goodman and Jack Davis.
At Sunnyland Elementary School, first-grader Grayson Stone organized a food drive after watching a television program that challenged children to organize a drive at their school. With his parents' support, Grayson coordinated a two-week food drive bolstered by a competition between grade levels with the grade collecting the most food winning a pizza party.
Grayson got the manager of Hardware Sales to use six of its large trash barrels to collect the food. He created all the flyers and school announcements and a bar graph in the school lobby that measured the level of competition. Another family brought a large scale to weigh the barrels.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, the food drive ended Nov. 18 with 1,456 pounds of food delivered to the Bellingham Food Bank.
BELLINGHAM STUDENT MUSICIANS HONORED
Twenty students from Bellingham Public Schools were among the outstanding music students from across Washington selected by audition to participate in a 2012 Washington Music Educators Association All-State performing group, according to the district.
The students will join other high school bands, orchestras and choirs in Yakima Feb. 17-20.
Representing Bellingham High School, led by teachers Matt Kenagy, Linda Short and Nick Strobel, are concert band students Tess Fries and Foster Robertson; symphonic choir students Brad Anderson, Candice Lundy, Daniella Smith and Kaleb Van Rijswijck; treble choir students Abrah Friberg and Serena Viens; and symphony orchestra student Hannie McGarity.
Representing Sehome High School, led by teachers Kristin Doud and Jessica Schlichting, are symphony orchestra student Liam Horner, symphonic choir student Jasmine Minke and treble choir students Katie Sanford and Kiana Tannehill.
Representing Squalicum High School, led by teachers Andy Marshall and Kay Reilly, are treble choir students Audrey Bochsler and Gina Flint; symphonic choir students Natalie Maeda, Willy Ohana and Aidan Woods; and concert band student Anthony Goo.
SHUKSAN STUDENT APPEARS AS SOLOIST
Shuksan Middle School eighth grader Maya Enstad was selected as the featured soloist for the North Sound Youth Symphony Dec. 5, 2011, at Western Washington University. Maya received the honor by winning the group's concerto competition.
Maya has played the cello since the sixth grade and will join the Washington Music Educators Association Junior All-State Orchestra in 2012.
SHOP FOR A CAUSE AT THE CO-OP
The Community Food Co-op has selected recipients for its 2012 Community Shopping Day. Local organizations receive two percent of the grocery stores' sales from the third Saturday of their designated month. The program donated approximately $18,000 in 2011, according to a press release.
From 55 applications, the Co-op board selected: Bellingham Books to Prisoners, January; Ferndale Other Bank, February; Whatcom Family and Community Network, March; WSU Cooperative Extension Community First Garden Project, April; Grizzly Bear Outreach Project, May; Bellingham/Assumption Community Meal Program, June; Friends of the North Fork Community Library, July; Brigadoon Service Dogs, August; Assistance League of Bellingham, September; Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center, October; Friendly Visitors - a Visiting Nurse Home Care program, November; and Whatcom Food Network, December.
Applications for the 2013 program are posted in July and due to the Community Food Co-op by Sept. 1, 2012. For information and applications, go to communityfood.coop.
BIKE RIDE RAISES MONEY FOR FOOD BANK
Scott Slaba reports that his son Nathaniel Allen-Slaba's "24 Hours For the Food Bank" fundraiser ride resulted in more than $1,100 for the Bellingham Food Bank. He rode 273 miles in the 24 hours.
