News-Times Whidbey
SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 26 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢
SPORTS: Wildcats shine at meet. A9
Six candidates considered for parks director Board to hold closed sessions for interviews By NATHAN WHALEN Staff reporter
Rebecca Olson/Whidbey News-Times
Olympic View Elementary students Luke Child and Dawsyn Hammer get excited about the animals in Janet Sodano’s firstgrade classroom. The class presented their habitat project to their families last Wednesday.
Frogs, newts and a lot of learning By REBECCA OLSON Staff reporter
First-grade students at Olympic View Elementary School pulled their parents along by one hand last Wednesday, and used the other hand to point out fire-bellied newts, firebellied frogs and a leopard gecko in their own classroom. Even better than showing their parents and siblings their latest school project is that they get to take part of it home. Brian Knoll, owner of Island Pet Center, made mini aquariums for each of the students and they will bring home their own pet fish. “When we were talking about fish today, a couple said really excitedly, ‘My first pet!’ and I think that’s really cool,” said Janet Sodano, first-grade teacher. Sodano applied for a $1,500 grant from the Oak Harbor Education Foundation to fund this habitat project, a hands-on approach to teaching the state standards of science. All three first grade classes joined in, totaling nearly 75 students. “Every penny of it is going to Island Pet Center, so we’re doing our part supporting the local economy,” Sodano said. Knoll built three unique habitats and supplied the corresponding critters, which rotated between the three
Rebecca Olson/Whidbey News-Times
Olympic View Elementary student Adrionna Ferrara was among first-graders who learned about habitats with the help of animals from Brian Knoll, owner of Island Pet Center. classrooms over seven weeks. Knoll will bring them back year after year so each class can benefit. The purpose of the project is to teach students why different animals need to live in different habitats, and also to educate children about having pets. But the learning doesn’t stop there. As the students take home their new pet fish, they are required to keep a journal about what the fish does, a task especially important as spring
break approaches. “It’s something really hands-on,” Sodano said, adding that it’s a way to integrate science and writing. “I think it’s important for them to learn education isn’t just something that happens out of a book,” Sodano added. Another important aspect was that parents and siblings were invited into the classroom to learn about See Habitat, A3
Months after its director retired, the North Whidbey Parks and Recreation District leaders have winnowed the pool of candidates being considered for a replacement. The five-member elected board will hold two executive sessions in mid-April to interview six candidates for the position previously held by Craig Carlson, who resigned his position Dec. 31. Ron Rhinehart, president of the North Whidbey Park and Recreation District board of commissioners, said approximately 20 people applied for the job and he was pleased with the strength of the pool of candidates who submitted applications. The elected board met in executive session in midMarch to reduce the number of candidates who will be interviewed next month. Rhinehart declined to name the candidates, but said they all have experience leading parks districts as well as possessing skills in financing and grant writing. The search drew candidates from Whidbey Island along with candidates from across the country. Carlson, who had planned to retire in the spring, pushed the date up to the end of December citing personal and medical reasons. He had been director of the North Whidbey Parks and Recreation District for more than eight years. The taxpayer-support-
ed district primarily supports the John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool, which has enjoyed success during Carlson’s tenure with leaders seeing the number of swimmers using the pool more than double. The elected board can meet in executive session to interview and discuss the qualifications of candidates for appointed positions. The elected officials are required to open the meeting to the public when they vote on who to hire. If the position had been an elected seat, then the commissioners would have to conduct interviews and make a decision in a public forum, according to the Washington State Attorney General’s website. Rhinehart said that, should the two days of interviews go well, the commissioners will go into open session and vote on who to hire for the job. He said that the past several months have been bumpy for the North Whidbey Parks and Recreation District as they continue to operate without a permanent executive director. He complimented the efforts of Neil Romney, who is the coach of the Aquajets swim team, for his work as interim director. The executive sessions will take place April 11 and 12 at the pool. The earliest a decision could be made would be the evening of April 12.