Mercer Island Reporter, May 06, 2015

Page 1

REPORTER

Mercer Island

Jorgenson chosen for School Board

Clean water for Nepal

Congressman Adam Smith at Chamber lunch tomorrow Representative Adam Smith, 9th District Representative to the U.S. House of Representatives will speak at the Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce monthly membership luncheon at noon, May 7, at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. Reservations are now closed. Call 232-3404 to find out if space is available.

Board votes to appoint Jorgenson to fill open school board seat By Reporter Staff

A blood drive at Northwest Yeshiva High School is between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with a break between 11a.m. and noon, May 12 in the bus at the parking lot at 5017 90th Ave. S.E. For more visit Blooodworkesnw.org.

Restore Clarke Beach A Mercer island Parks and Recreation Forest Stewardship event iis between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., May 9, at Clarke Beach on Mercer Island. Meet in the parking lot. Register at www.earthcorps. org. Saturday, May 9. 10 am - 2 pm. For a complete list of volunteer opportunities, visit http://www.mercergov.org/.

life Have the ! you want

Students say less bullying at school Survey shows smoking down, vaping up, more seniors binge drinking By Katie Metzger

kmetzger@mi-reporter.com

Results of the Healthy Youth Survey, taken by students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 across Washington State in Fall 2014, show “areas of celebration and areas of concern” for the Mercer Island community. Jennifer Wright, director of Learning and Technology Services for Mercer Island School District

(MISD), presented highlights of the survey results at the joint City Council-School Board meeting on April 30. The survey, administered in the fall of even numbered years, collects data from Mercer Island youth to compare to previous years and statewide averages. The survey asks 250 questions related to students’ increased risk of injury, poor health outcomes and alcohol and drug use. Results are used by schools, communities, state and local health departments and other agencies, such as Mercer Island’s Youth and Family Services (YFS), to plan programs to support youth and reduce their risks. About 65 percent of students

participated in the survey. The data is self-reported, but “representative,” Wright said. Smoking is down, but binge drinking is up, according to survey results. “Students don’t smoke at this point in time … in what we think of as traditional smoking,” Wright said. This is the first year e-cigarette and vape pen use was reported. It is an area of concern at the middle school and high school, and will be tracked closely, Wright said. Current cigarette use remains at or below state averages, which Wright said is fairly low, though concern remains about the passage of I-502 allowing for the legalization of possession marijuana by adults over 21 in Washington State. Results didn’t show an increase marijuana use among any grade level, but the perceived risk associated with use decreased, as did

Registered Financial Advisor

JORGENSON | PAGE 8

REPORTER

Blood drive May 12

Gavin Gough / Special to the Reporter

People in Bhaktapur, Nepal gather around a Splash drinking station at Kanya Co-Education Secondary School after the recent earthquake. Splash is a international nonprofit committed to providing clean water and economic opportunities to the poor. A representative of the Seattle-based nonprofit spoke to Mercer Island High School students just three days after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake.

Mercer Island

Community members are invited to learn more about the Town Center code update at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 11. The new code should yield larger, better designed plazas, more mid-block pedestrian connections, increased building setbacks, more public parking and more affordable housing. Call Kirsten Taylor, assistant city manager, at 275-7661 for more information.

At a special Board of Directors meeting Saturday, May 2, the Mercer Island School Board selected and appointed Ralph Jorgenson from a field of four applicants. He will complete the 2015 term for Board Position No. 5, which will be vacated by Janet Frohmayer on May 14. Jorgenson and his wife have two daughters, in grades 7 and 10, who have been students in

STARTING AT $39/YEAR

Town Center open house is May 11

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