Friday, April 25, 2014 | North Kitsap Herald
NorthKitsapHerald.com
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Five district schools awarded state’s highest honor School will be awarded for “high progress.” Kingston High School will receive special recognition in math growth. And the middle school Options program will receive special recognition in reading growth. “I am thrill with this recognition,” Superintendent Patty Page said in a district statement. “All of the staff in North Kitsap work hard
Concerned Kingston residents filled the Port of Kingston office during the April 23 meeting. Richard D. Oxley / Herald
Float
Continued from page A1 program. The move has prompted a local pushback, pressing the Port of Kingston to return the float for Kingston Adventures to use. The pressure places the port in an awkward position; between a local business and the City of Poulsbo. The City of Poulsbo actually owns the float in question. The city has operated a sailing program out of Kingston for 19 years, according to Mary McCluskey, Director of Poulsbo Parks and Recreation. “We own the larger of the floats down there,” McCluskey said. The float was built by volunteers for the city to use for its Kingston sailing program. The city “took a break” from its program, McCluskey said, in 2011 to restructure it. This was right around the time that Kingston Adventures began using the float. Beth Brewster, owner of Kingston Adventures, noticed the float was gone about two weeks ago when she brought a group of kayakers down to the shore. “Two weeks ago, while walking a few customers (kayakers) down to the water, I noticed the float
was gone,” Brewster said in a statement that was handed out to her supporters. “I ask the Port of Kingston if it would be moved back and I was told that it was part of an interagency agreement with the City of Poulsbo and was moved to provide more space for their sailing program here in Kingston. We were given no notice, no time to prepare and no chance to provide input.” The statement was handed out to people that met at Kingston Adventures, shortly before the Port of Kingston’s April 23 meeting. The group planned to bring their concerns to the port that evening. “Two years ago the Port of Kingston attached a float to the kayak float and told us that is was ours to use and even asked if there was anything additional they could do to it to make it even more useful,” Brewster said in the statement. “This new float offered us quite a bit of room, allowing us to work with larger groups.” The statement goes on to say that the float proved beneficial to the business which serves adults, children and corporate events. With the additional float, Kingston Adventures doubled its overhead, according to the statement. It also said that Kingston Adventures “absolutely needs the float back.”
every day, and our students are reaping the benefits. North Kitsap has much to be proud of. A total of 413 schools statewide will be recognized. Of the achievements, “overall excellence” for Pearson means the school is among the top few percentile based on three years of data.
“High progress” for Vinland and North Kitsap means they are in the top 10 percent of schools making the most progress in the performance of all students for three years. Special recognitions for KHS and Options in math and reading show that the schools are in the top 5 percent of median growth in their respective categories.
After the crowd of residents and business owners left Kingston Adventures, it went to the port’s meeting and filled the room. The crowd flowed out the door and onto the deck outside. One by one, 11 people rose to speak, asking the port to return the float, or find a remedy to the situation. The meeting was polite and to the point. Attendees requested the the port find a remedy that benefits all parties, and overall, expressed a local admiration for Kingston Adventures. “Being involved in business all my life, I understand that business decisions need to be based on facts, not emotion. Tonight I implore you to set aside the facts and feel the emotion in this room of people who support Beth and Kingston Adventures,” said Siri Reinbold at the meeting, further noting that Kingston Adventures has become an essential contributor to the local economy and culture. “We have a family in this community who is busting their ass to help us, to have something for our children,” Reinbold said. “They have given the economy in this area the biggest shot in the arm over the past three years, more than anyone else has. They have done a great job bringing this community together. I ask the port to really think about that.” Port Commissioner Pete DeBoer said that the commissioners heard the people, but that the commission could not speak on the matter just yet. An attorney for Brewster had contacted the port about the issue. The action set a process in motion that requires commissioners to go into executive session to review and discuss the matter, before speaking on it. Port Commissioner Walt Elliott said that the port may issue a statement after it met in executive session
later that night. In the mean time, McCluskey said that she is willing to work something out with the Kingston business. “We are willing to share, but we can’t be on there at the same time,” McCluskey said.
The Of fice of Superintendent of Public Instruction uses the Achievement Index to assess schools. Those with top performance, such as the ones listed above, are identified.
“These awards shine the light on what is working well in schools across Washington, Education Chair Dr. Kristina Mayer said in a prepared statement.
Marcy Johnson 360-297-3700 No one knows the local community like a local.
Father © 2014 Allstate Insurance Co.
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POULSBO — A mix of schools within the North Kitsap School District received the Washington Achievement Award April 24. Of the five schools receiving the award, Pearson Elementar y School will receive an award for overall excellence. Vinland Elementary and North Kitsap High
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