Josh Heard has been appointed director of Whatcom Folk School, which connects people who want to learn skills for a more sustainable life with instructors who can teach those practical skills.

Founder Cindi Landreth will continue on as board president, according to a press release.

After spending many summers in Bellingham, Josh moved here in 2000 to earn his bachelor's degree in environmental geology at Western Washington University. After earning his master's degree in glacial geology at Portland State University, he and his fiancée returned to make Bellingham their home.

In its first year, the school offered more than 300 classes taught by more than 100 local instructors.

A reincarnation of Northwest Freedom University, which offered community classes in Bellingham from 1968 to 2004, the Folk School started in 2011 offering 65 community-taught classes, including gardening and food preparation, arts and crafts, and personal development. For information and fees on the more than 50 classes now being offered, go to WhatcomFolkSchool.org.

WECU SUPPORTS HABITAT HOUSE

Habitat for Humanity broke ground April 22, Earth Day, for its second Women Build project, which consisted of a mostly female volunteer labor force working to build a new home for a local Ferndale family.

Through its booth at the BIA Home and Garden Show in Lynden, and a fundraising drive at its Ferndale branch Whatcom Educational Credit Union raised $1,193 and more than 100 volunteers for the project, according to a press release.

LUMMI ISLAND STUDENT WINS ESSAY CONTEST

High school senior Simone Prince-Eichner from Lummi Island won $10,000 as winner of "The Fountainhead" national essay contest held annually by the California-based Ayn Rand Institute. Simone, who is homeschooled, placed first out of more than 4,000 entrants from around the world.

Open to 11th- and 12th-grade high school students, the contest requires contestants to pick and write about one of several topics dealing with characters and themes in Rand's novel "The Fountainhead." The contest is designed to promote critical thinking and writing skills, and essays are judged on style and content, according to a press release.

Her essay is online at http://aynrandnovels.org/essay-contests/winners/the-fountainhead-2012/essay.html.

BELLINGHAM CLASS OF 1940 REUNION

The Bellingham High School class of 1940 is organizing a luncheon reunion for Aug. 22. For more information, call Betty Collings by Aug. 17 at 360-738-2914.

Reach JULIE SHIRLEY at julie.shirley@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2261.