Bainbridge Island Review, April 17, 2015

Page 1

REVIEW BAINBRIDGE ISLAND

Friday, April 17, 2015 | Vol. 90, No. 16 | WWW.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.COM | 75¢

earth day 2015

inspire act educate

a

s p e c i a l

s u p p l e m e n t

t o

t h e

INSIDE: Earth Day special section b a i n b r i d g e n o r t h

i s l a n d

k i t s a p

r e v i e w

h e r a l d

Bainbridge students help seniors cross the digital divide Senior Center connects digitally via intergenerations BY SERAINE PAGE

Bainbridge Island Review

It may seem as though this generation of kids were born with cell phones in their hands. Place any tech gadget in front of them, and within minutes — if not seconds — they have it figured out. But not everyone is so savvy when it comes to learning how to use the latest iPhone, especially seniors trying to connect to the outside world. And with updated technology hitting the market at the speed of light, it may feel as though the constant learning process is as slow as dial-up for those who didn’t grow up with it. To remedy some of that disconnect, locals at the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center and middle- and high-school students meet twice a month for Tech Tutoring, a technology training program for those more familiar with Geritol than Google.

Seraine Page | Bainbridge Island Review

Lia Vasilikiotis, a Bainbridge High School sophomore, works with Sada Ross during Tech Turtoring at the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center. Twice a month, seniors at the center have an opportunity to sit down and ask any technology questions they may have and get specific one-on-one training. “It’s always one-on-one. I think that’s the beauty of the program,” said Cindy McGregor, organizer of the

Tech Tutoring program. “I always suspected intuitively anything that’s multi-generational is going to be bene-

ficial.” “They grew up with it,” she added of the youth who are taking part. “It’s amazing

they’re surprisingly good at realizing there’s a whole generation that wasn’t brought up using their thumbs.”

The program came to life in May 2014 after seniors from the center continued to ask for some type of tech training. After a collaboration of ideas and resources, the Bainbridge Island Rotary Healthy Youth Committee, Bainbridge Youth Services and senior center developed the Tech Tutoring program. On early release days, students meet with seniors for an hour to answer any questions they may have about their laptops, smart phones or tablets. Follow-up sessions allow seniors to practice the skills they’ve learned, or pick up new ways to do things. “No one ever said there’s more than one way to skin a cat,” said Sada Ross, one of the seniors who attends tutoring. “For years and years I was so confused on what I was doing wrong.” Ross finally figured out there may be multiple ways to get something done, especially on her purple Dell laptop. After one training session with Bainbridge High sophomore Lia Vasilikiotis TURN TO DIVIDE | A11

Reverend says goodbye to faithful flock BY SERAINE PAGE

Bainbridge Island Review

Bill Harper announced his retirement two years ago. After 20 years, it’s been a long time coming. But he won’t officially be done as the reverend of Grace Episcopal Church until April 26. Then, and only then, he will read his goodbye letter to the congregation. He will let go. Church parishioners wanted to make sure they got it right when selecting Tommy Dillon to take his place. It wasn’t an easy decision. After all, how does a congregation replace a reverend who loves the outdoors, preaches from the center of the room instead of behind a pulpit and

who has two pierced ears? “He’s very real and very approachable,” said Krista Webb, a second-term warden at the church. When she met him 15 years ago, he had long hair and “snowboarded and rock climbed — just all those cool things. He was just cool. He’s still cool,” Webb admitted. Although Harper will be gone — Episcopal tradition requires he cannot return as a member for a full year — his legacy of what he’s created will remain. Many believe the church will stay strong because of Harper’s work. “A lot of people have wondered aloud what’s going to happen when he leaves,” said Sophie Hill, a church member and co-parish life minister. “I

feel like it’s going to be fine. I think there’s a lot of excitement for what’s ahead, and, of course, sadness. I feel like he’s leaving when Grace is really strong and robust and healthy. I’m not worried about that, which is really nice.” Dallas Young, a church member since 1998, agreed. “Bill has many gifts and two stand out particularly to me,” said Young. “First, his ability to share leadership with lay leaders, which has contributed to the strength of the entire Grace community. Second, his amazing ability to establish and maintain relationships with seemingly hundreds of individuals, both active Grace members and many others in TURN TO FLOCK | A10

Seraine Page | Bainbridge Island Review

Grace Episcopal Church Rector Bill Harper sits near a garden on church grounds. Harper, 56, will retire at the end of April after 20 years at the helm of the Bainbridge Island church.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Bainbridge Island Review, April 17, 2015 by Sound Publishing - Issuu