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WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2015 VOL. 48, NO. 18 75¢ islandssounder.com
Orcas seniors finish final projects of the year Contributed photo
Left: The Orcas Island High School senior class.
by CALI BAGBY Assistant editor
Orcas High School students are taking learning out of the classroom and into their hands as they complete their senior projects. From dog training to building sustainable housing to documentary film making, these seniors are learning life lessons through this year-long enterprise. They will present their project June 9 at the Orcas Island High School.
Hailey Crowe’s project is training her dog Sullie, as a service dog. Crowe takes Sullie with her to school, public places, and has participated in dog training classes. “I’ve also been training to be able to become a certified therapy dog handler, and I am trying to certify Sullie as a therapy dog,” said Crowe. Kyle Zbornik is constructing a small cabin using ordinary wooden shipping pallets as the primary building material. “My aim is to
show the simplicity and environmental sustainability of alternative housing,” he said. Jay Zier is working on a similar project of building a camper using recycled and/or repurposed materials. The idea is that reusing materials keeps costs down and is better for the environment. Mason Brown is rebuilding a cabin top and rails for a 20-foot “Friendship Sloop” sailboat. Braden Smith is working on a short documentary film relat-
ing to the discovery of an ancient bison skeleton on the island several years ago. It includes in-depth interviews with parties involved and new information related to the find. Juliana Rose is learning twodimensional animation on the program Adobe Flash. So far Rose has learned to animate a stick figure and bouncing ball. Taj Howe is focusing on conceptual automotive design. “This senior project utilizes my skills and interests in art, design, mathematics, engineering and, of course, beautiful cars,” said Howe, who has been mentored by Oakley designer, Lek Thixton, in sketching and clay modeling. His project will culminate with a portfolio of car design sketches, a power point on the process of learning a complicated computer modeling program and the creation of a clay hyper car that is exactly one tenths the size of an actual car. “Working independently and side by side with Lek has given me insight and knowledge about the precision, focus and endurance it takes to be a highly skilled professional designer,” he said. Hannah Brunner-Gaydos has
Adams, Cornelius win OPALCO Submitted by OPALCO
OPALCO members boarded the ferry on Saturday for the 2015 Annual Meeting and Board of Directors’ election after the co-op received a record 2,824 absentee ballots (2,687 absentee, plus 71 on the ferry) representing 24 percent of the membership. The successful candidates were incumbent Winnie Adams and former Opalco General Manager, Randy J. Cornelius, for District 2, representing Orcas Island. The member-initiated by-law amendment was unsuccessful by a small margin, with 1,324 voting no and 1,191 voting yes. Guests joined the 228 members present aboard the Washington State Ferries’ Hyak for a total of 337 people in attendance. OPALCO members enjoyed a healthy and delicious bag lunch by Asher and Olive of Orcas Island. The 2015 Nourdine Jensen Cooperative
Youth Scholars were announced. Students Ray Doss (Orcas Island) and Robby Miller (San Juan Island) were recognized at the meeting and the three other students, Seda Guckian (San Juan Island), Michaella Marebe Ibambasi ((San Juan Island) and Anthony Kaskurs (Orcas Island) were unable to attend because of SAT testing. Each will each receive a $500 scholarship and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Youth Rally Co-op Leadership Camp at the College of Idaho this summer. General Manager Foster Hildreth acknowledged this difficult year of transition and the impact that the rate increase has on all members. “I’m committed to assessing the needs of our most vulnerable members and will propose a rate relief program in time for the next budget cycle.” He expressed his enthusiasm for the new Internet entity, Rock Island Communication,
and shared his vision for a connected and vital community that includes “a healthy economy and environment, access to jobs, education, health care and emergency services.” Quickly recapping the previous big decades of OPALCO – the 60s as the first era of submarine cable installations, the 90s as the era of undergrounding our system – Hildreth called for the membership to step up this generation’s task and “join forces to build out our grid in preparation for the future while ensuring our financial sustainability and system reliability.” Hildreth praised the work of the OPALCO board and staff during this challenging time of navigating significant change. He concluded his remarks by answering many of the questions we are hearing from our membership, especially those concerning rates and the Rock
SEE OPALCO, PAGE 6
fundraised for Hearts in Motion, which is an organization that provides care and medical treatment for children, families and communities. She traveled to Guatemala with a group of surgeons who performed cleft palate surgeries. “I got to spend a week learning from amazing dentists and surgeons while helping improve the quality of life for many children and adults alike,” she said. Arianna Dean is focusing on the negative environmental impacts of industrial farming, and possible alternatives to industrial farming. She has met with local farmers to learn what it takes to run a small, organic farm. “I am compiling research to calculate the possibility of abolishing industrial agriculture altogether, and figuring out what it would take to do so,” she said. Daria Stankevich is focusing on the social development of first to fourth-graders at Orcas Island Elementary School. Primary Intervention Program Coordinator Margie Sabine and Stankevich hosted focus groups on an anti-bullying, confidencebuilding, friendship and anger management curriculum. “Our goals are to help children better communicate with each
SEE SENIORS, PAGE 6
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