SOUNDS OF THE SEASON Jazz musicians put swing in Charlie Brown classics. Page 10
SPECIAL PULL-OUT SUPPLEMENT INSIDE!
Vashon’s 2014 Winter Ready Handbook
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2014 Vol. 59, No. 51
See Pages 11-18
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
75¢
A new approach to early education
Schools begin wide Preschool provides more than learning effort to prevent suicide By SUSAN RIEMER
District will hire consultant, spend $50,000 a year
Staff Writer
The sounds of English and Spanish filled the air last week at the island’s newest preschool as children gathered for a snack before heading out for a romp on the playground. “Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho,” para-educator Lisa Breen counted as she knelt at a table and talked with a young student about his Goldfish crackers. The bilingual preschool, called Mi Escuelita, opened Nov. 3 and is funded by Washington State to serve children from low-income families. Similar to Head Start, the preschool, funded by the Early Childhood E duc at ion a nd Assistance Program, is free and aims to ensure that all Washington children enter kindergarten ready to succeed.
By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
Susan Riemer/Staff Photo
Mi Escuelita assistant teacher Lilia Longworth helps Harold Little with his jacket, while Alonso Castellon waits patiently to go out to play. Those involved with Mi Escuelita, housed at Chautauqua Elementary School, say the program is a lifeline for island families, providing not only vital early child-
hood education, but other services related to child development, health and nutrition. Islander Alicia Cronin, a single mother and a familiar face
to many because of her job at the Vashon Pharmacy, is sending her son Zachary, 4, to the school this year. It SEE PRESCHOOL, 23
Following a string of suicides on Vashon, the school district is beginning a three-year project to increase suicide prevention efforts in island schools. “I want better support for grieving and compassion, but I also want better intervention for people contemplating suicide,” said Superintendent Michael Soltman, who announced the new project last week. He said he hopes the three-year effort will produce suicide-prevention programs the district is able to sustain, as well as a school environment where those who struggle get the help they need. “We have to interrupt it. We have to get in the way of it,” Soltman said. Beginning this winter, the Vashon Island School District will funnel about $50,000 a year into a variety of suicide prevention programs, including new classroom
curriculum, training for teachers and parents and the formation of a crisis response team. The effort will be coordinated by Yvonne Monique Aviva, who is well known on Vashon as a former parent educator at Vashon Youth & Family Services (VYFS). Aviva left VYFS last spring and moved to Seattle, where she works as a consultant in social and emotional education. She will now spend about two days a week commuting to Vashon to work for the district. The schools will pay $5,000 for her services through the end of January and then around $25,000 to $30,000 a year should the district secure funding. “She brings that great competence and a lot of experience in parent education, direct service to families and children and a real rock-solid experience in project management,” Soltman said. “I needed someone who could really lead in partnership with me.” Soltman and a committee that includes Aviva and the principals and counselors from all three schools have met several times to determine what the new project SEE PREVENTION, 25
A STAR SIGHTING FOR SEAHAWKS FANS Hundreds of people descended on the Vashon Thriftway last week for a chance to meet Seattle Seahawks linebacker and Superbowl MVP Malcolm Smith. Serious fans began lining up before lunchtime on Dec. 9, and at 2 p.m. Smith set up shop in the store’s lobby as part of a promotion for Proctor & Gamble, with whom he has an endorsement deal. A long line of blue-and-green-clad fans took turns shaking Smith’s hand, getting autographs and taking photos with him. “I’m still giddy over it,” said islander Karen Lindskog. Lindskog, who described her family as diehard Seahawks fans, took her daughter Madison Howard, 13, out of school an hour early to meet Smith. Howard, pictured at left, snapped a selfie with the linebacker, while Lindskog focused on getting signatures on some of her Seahawks memorabilia. “I blabbered like an idiot. I was star-struck,” she said. “I could walk by President Obama ... and not think anything of it, but a Seahawk, I was awestruck by the stardom of it.” Tim Marsh, a Thriftway manager, estimated that 500 to 600 people showed up for the event, including some from off-island. Proctor & Gamble chose to bring Smith to Vashon because of the large volume of P&G products the island Thriftway sells. He visited another Thriftway the same day. “He was a very nice guy. Everybody liked him a lot,” Marsh said. As for Smith, he said between signing photos that he enjoyed taking the ferry out to Vashon. “It’s a cool trip,” he said. “Everybody’s been friendly.” Natalie Martin/Staff Photo