Review Bainbridge Island
Spartans soar: BHS brings Eagles back down to earth. A17
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014 | Vol. 114, No. 5 | www.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.com | 75¢ Finding a sense of place
Museum program offers supportive playtime for children with autism
John Willson
Ekberg, Willson named 2014 Island Treasures
BY LUCIANO MARANO Bainbridge Island Review
Allister Hazelton, 2, pushed his toy horse around the museum in a shopping cart while dressed as a pirate. He does not slow down, and if you are in his way you would be advised to move. Quickly. Other children, dressed more appropriately in white coats, played doctor in a hospital-themed room, while still more donned aprons to work the cash register in a grocery store room where they proceeded to charge way too much for plastic bananas. “You let them [the kids] take the lead,” said Myleea Spencer of the excited playtime activities. “You have to go with what they need. It’s all about helping them access the museum in a way that works for them.” Spencer, a board-certified behavior analyst with Magnolia Behavior Therapy, recently moved to Bainbridge Island from Chicago and has since been working monthly with the Kids Discovery Museum’s Sensory Sunday program. “It’s a fantastic program,” she said. “It’s all about making this fun.” The program, designed for children with autism and similar sensory processing disorders, works to make the museum and its hands-on learning exhibits more accessible while also ensuring a stimulating and positive social experience outside of the home, all under the guidance of professional therapists like Spencer and trained museum volunteers. “We want this to be a very positive experience,” said KiDiMu spokeswoman Krzysztofa McDonough. Sensory Sunday is offered on the fourth Sunday of every month from 10 to 11:30 a.m., before the museum opens to the general public. The quieter and less crowded atmosphere is critical to ensure that the children feel comfortable and enjoy the museum, something most of them would be unable to do amidst the chaos and noise of regular visitation. “It’s the only way that we can come here,” said Lauren Nordberg, mother of two. “They love it here,” she said of her children. “The people [staff] have our best interests in mind. I was able to connect with other parents who
Janie Ekberg
ARTIST PAIR EARN ELITE AWARD BY LUCIANO MARANO Bainbridge Island Review
Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review
Allister Hazelton, 2, a participant in the Kids Discovery Museum Sensory Sunday program, gives his toy horse a ride in a shopping cart. The program, designed for children with autism and similar sensory processing disorders, works to make the museum and its hands-on learning exhibits more accessible.
Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review
Elliott Nordberg, 4, plays with his father Josh and program volunteer Kendall Voget. understand and who aren’t judging. It was a lot like coming home. Those
things were almost as important as any therapy we could get.” Nordberg’s son Elliott, 4, is a participant in the program who avidly looks forward to visiting the museum, which is referred to as “the play place” when at home. “We’ve been here every month since we were diagnosed,” she said. “He wouldn’t look forward to it if it weren’t this calm, quieter experience.” Both Lauren and her husband Josh Nordberg agree that autism is an easily misunderstood disorder turn to museum | A24
Two new Bainbridge Island artists have joined the already impressive ranks of those who have been selected as Island Treasures. Janie Ekberg and John Willson are the 2014 recipients of the award, having been officially approved by the Bainbridge Island Arts & Humanities Council Board earlier this month, following an anonymous nomination and juried selection process. “It’s an electrifying experience,” Willson said of his selection. “I’m still absorbing it,” he said. “It’s a great honor, and I’m particularly proud to be sharing it with Janie Ekberg who has worked so long and been such a warm and vibrant presence in our community. I’m in very good company.” Ekberg agreed that the announcement had been a terrifically exciting experience. “It feels wonderful,” she said. “I was just flabbergasted.” Originally conceived in 1999, the Island Treasure Award honors excellence in the arts and/or humanities and is presented annually to two individuals who have made outstanding contributions in those areas in the Bainbridge Island community. Candidates for the award must live on Bainbridge, and have displayed an ongoing
commitment to their chosen field. Both awardees agreed that it was the loving support and participation of fellow community members that made possible the projects for which they had been given the award.
“It feels wonderful. I was just flabbergasted.” Jane Ekberg 2014 Island Treasure
“This fabulous honor only was given to me because of all the support I have received from my family and this community,” Ekberg said. “That’s the whole thing about Bainbridge Island, everyone’s here to support you. There’s always someone to help you make it work.” Ekberg began her professional life as a high school teacher and along the way extended her passion to fiber arts. She is the creator of the iconic “Janie Sweatshirt,” and the founder of the Camp Siberia project, an exchange program between Bainbridge High School students and Russian orphans which seeks to foster a sense of global community and friendship through annual summer camps. turn to TREASURES | A21