Record South Whidbey
INSIDE
Falcons end season against Mountaineers See...A8
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2015 | Vol. 91, No. 13 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Studying a greener future ‘We have to start in our backyard.’ — Timmie Sinclair
Timmie Sinclair photo
Shona Enders, Adah Barenburg and Taylor Capiola, members of the InvenTeam of South Whidbey Academy, perform the prep work for soil samples in the control group of an experimental project. This portion of the experiment is set up to simulate a summer season in the Pacific Northwest.
KATE DANIEL South Whidbey Record A group of students at South Whidbey Academy may not be able to save the world, but they are striving to save the land, and the communities that rely upon it. The group, led by volunteer instructor
Timmie Sinclair, is participating in the MIT InvenTeam Initiative, a part of the LemelsonMIT InvenTeam program, in hopes of obtaining a grant. The program is student directed and project driven, and encourages students to delve into multiple disciplines and subjects in order
to foster positive change. For South Whidbey Academy’s InvenTeam, this change is the decontamination of Ecuadorian mangrove forests and other lands which have been polluted by runoff from shrimp farms. The problem is also prevalent in Thailand and India, Sinclair said.
“Basically anywhere there is a coastal area with poor folk, shrimp farms go in, obliterate the mangroves, drain the field and put in shrimp ponds,” said Sinclair during a recent class.
Ng selected for port By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record Jack Ng was appointed commissioner for the Port of South Whidbey’s district 1 seat Wednesday. He was selected over two other candidates to represent the Freeland area at a special meeting. He replaces Dennis Gregoire, who moved to Everett. “I’m honored,” said Ng, following the board’s vote. Ng, who described himself as a businessman rather than a politician, said he has a lot to learn about the port and is eager to get started. Also, he’s looking forward to making a positive contribution, which is why he sought the position. “To make the community better,” he
said. Ng was appointed by Commissioner Curt Gordon and Commissioner Ed Halloran. The two retired to executive session following a public interview process of all three candidates for about 30 minutes. They reopened the meeting with Gordon saying it was a difficult choice with three well-qualified candidates. He then asked for a motion. “Based on the candidates’ responses to questions and their qualifications, our decision is Jack Ng,” Halloran responded. Although the commissioners then voted on the appointment, their comments strongly indicated they’d already SEE NG, A16
SEE ACADEMY, A9
School letter runs afoul of state law By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
Justin Burnett / The Record
Jack Ng is sworn in as the new Port of South Whidbey district 1 commissioner by board Chairman Curt Gordon. Ng replaces Dennis Gregoire, who moved to Everett.
In trying to swear its commitment to transparency with a recent letter to the editor, the South Whidbey school board may have SEE BOARD, A9