Record South Whidbey
INSIDE
Wecloming the tokitae See...A3
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 47 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
GRADUATION DAY
Humor, home marks momentous day Ben Watanabe / The Record
South Whidbey High School seniors stand to recognize retiring art teacher Don Wodjenski during their graduation ceremony June 7.
By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record For such an emotionally charged day, a watershed moment for a hundred or so South Whidbey High School seniors, the dominant expression was humor. The four valedictorians and pair of student speakers worked plenty of jokes into their speeches Saturday, June 7, inside a packed Erickson Gymnasium. Jack Hood, a valedictorian, worked a set worthy of the Laff Hole in Seattle. In his soft, nearly monotone talking style, Hood spoke of being motivated by his younger sister who
would criticize him when he wasn’t studying. “Being called lazy does wonders for your work ethic,” he said, prompting the crowd to chuckle. His hearty laughter-inducing jokes came when he gave a peek into his family life. Hood said his speech would ramble, but it would be like a bag of trail mix, or in his case, homemade trail mix that replaced M&Ms with chocolate chips. The M&M simile was used throughout his speech in encouraging his peers to think in peace without distraction while walking in the woods, a practice in which he frequently engages. “Here comes my second piece of advice. Write it down or
you’ll forget it,” said Hood, letting the crowd lean in and wait several seconds for the next lesson. “That’s it: write it down or you’ll forget it.” Before Hood had the crowd laughing, valedictorian Sydney Ackerman used another simile of maturing like Frodo Baggins and his fellow Hobbits in “The Lord of the Rings.” “When we were freshmen, we were like Hobbits in the Shire,” she said, adding that by 10th grade they were like Frodo at the Council of Elrond realizing their journey had SEE GRADUATION, A14
Divers recover mystery anchor off Ledgewood, Vancouver link possible By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
Justin Burnett / The Record
Diver Joe Chang, a Mount Vernon resident, speaks with the barge crew following the raising of an ancient anchor on Monday.
First they cheered, then they wept. The long-submerged anchor believed connected with Captain George Vancouver and his famed exploration of the Pacific Northwest more than 200 years ago touched down on the deck of a barge off Ledgewood late Monday. It was a moment of joy, but also one of closure, as it marked the end of six years of
research, toil and obsession. “I’m pretty overcome right now,” said a teary-eyed Scott Grimm, moments after the anchor was recovered. “It’s been a long time.” The anchor was discovered in 40 feet of water by Doug Monk, a diver and ship captain, in 2008. Teaming up with Grimm, they have spent the years since trying to identify the relic, jumping through the hoops of establishing legal ownership and navigating the state’s lengthy permit process.
They contend it’s the stream anchor lost on June 9, 1792, from the HMS Chatham, the 80-foot survey brig that accompanied Vancouver and the HMS Discovery on the famed exploration of Puget Sound. Recovering the relic, exactly 222 years after the Chatham’s anchor was lost, was no easy task. Small teams of divers spent most of the day working in tough conditions. SEE ANCHOR, A10