Orcas Fire and Rescue is worthy of thanks

Steven Siler’s letter in the June 10th Sounder was right on the mark, with his deep appreciation for Orcas Fire and Rescue. This group of dedicated employees and volunteers deserves all the accolades we can bestow upon them.

The awareness of their extraordinary value to our community comes from personal knowledge. Nine years ago, I had an unfortunate experience with a heart problem at 2 a.m. A 911 call brought to our home several of the finest and most caring individuals I shall ever hope to encounter. After assessing the situation, they arranged for a helicopter flight to St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham. Their care and professionalism was exceptional.

More recently, I managed to damage my wrist on a Saturday when the Medical Center was closed. I was able to go to the fire station, where they immediately took care of the problem, and my hand was treated and bandaged.

The concern these wonderful individuals have for our citizens is heart-warming, and deserving of our deepest respect and admiration.

Grace Muse

Eastsound

Guimond protects tax dollars

I would like to address the letter written by Steven Siler last week, in which he railed against Pierrette Guimond for her “complaints” against our Fire Department. While I appreciate and echo Mr. Siler’s admiration for our largely volunteer department, I am disappointed that he is unaware of the tireless efforts of Ms.Guimond, who is also a volunteer, and quite an extraordinary one.

Pierrette has given countless hours toward our community’s gardens, our public and school libraries, our cemetery district, noxious weed removal, and many other community projects. Twice the citizens of Orcas have elected Pierrette to be a Cemetery District Commissioner. She was an appointed Library Board member for four years. Pierrette was a Fire Department volunteer for five years, handling the landscaping and watering at the department.

She has also been a rescue volunteer. Several years ago, she found a man with Alzheimer’s who had been missing in the woods on Orcas for four days, and just last year she revived a heart attack victim at a party she was attending.

I commend Pierrette’s requests for accountability from the Fire Department, the Public Library, and any other public institution on the island. That she is willing to devote immense time and effort to ensuring that our tax dollars are spent in the most responsible and appropriate fashion is of great comfort to me. As a busy working parent, I appreciate that Pierrette volunteers her time when I cannot. Her questioning of the department’s expenditures does not mean she is denigrating the efforts of the volunteers who populate it. Pierrette does not operate from a sense of entitlement. Rather, she is motivated by the desire to protect the taxpayer from districts’ overspending and mismanagement of public funds.

Please check your facts before you publicly attack someone about which you know very little, in a community with which you are just becoming familiar.

Ann Lister

Orcas Island

Thanks for help with kindergarten transition

Through the month of May, Orcas Family Connections and ECEAP hosted the Kindergarten Transition Program to ensure that all families with children entering kindergarten are ready to make one of life’s first major steps. The program served 27 families and would not have been possible without the help of many volunteers.

The first event was a bus ride from each preschool to the public school for a tour. OFC would like to thank The Orcas Island School District teachers, cafeteria staff, and a special thanks to Joyce Nigretto.

The second event was a kindergarten banquet where families were provided with a free and nutritious meal served family style. After dinner, each family was invited to participate in six educational activities hosted by our community’s experts in early childhood education. The activity centers included literacy, writing, motor skills, math, nutrition and kindergarten readiness. Each child went home with a free bag of educational goodies to practice over the summer.

OFC would like to thank Pam Jenkins, Mandy Randolph, Sherry May, Amber Paulsen, Teresa Chocano, Tom Rubottom, Catherine Laflin, Nita Couchman, Kathi Ciskowski, Suzanne Mcclure, Rita Bailey, Beverly Leyman, Beth Smith, Margaret Doyle, Sue Stolmeier, Judy Worley, Jenny Hovelman, Robin Freeman, Tom Gobeske, Jana Albright, Sage MacLeod, Ethna Flannagan, Bridget Wright, Key Club Volunteers, Orcas Christian School veggie volunteers, Kaleidoscope for sibling care and the public library for the book donation.

The event was an enormous success because of these talented, dedicated, caring people. Thank you all!

Erin O’Dell

Orcas Family Connections

Family Advocate

Thank you to Orcas Fire and Rescue

We would like to thank Aaron Patten, Seth Ybarra, Captain Maxx Jones and her crew from the Orcas Island Fire Department for saving our pets and home here in Olga. Aaron’s dialing 911 after seeing trouble from the water and persistence in locating our home, Seth’s close proximity and quick response and Maxx’s crew’s attention to the job at hand all played a part in our fortunate outcome. We are eternally grateful. Orcas is blessed to have such conscientious and professional citizens willing to give of themselves and help others in need.

David and

Ginger Ridgway

Olga

OIEF seeking donations

Amidst challenging times, it is heartening to focus on the good so apparent in our community. Last year, private donations underwrote funding for High School British Literature, Writing, Film as Literature, Literature 2, and AP Calculus. Funding the middle and high school this way helped to minimize program cuts in the elementary school and allowed a part of elementary school music to continue. The excellent academic opportunities available at Orcas Public Schools were recognized by U.S. World and News Reports magazine as the high school was awarded one of “America’s Best High Schools – Silver medal winner.” Coach Dennis Dahl received a lifetime achievement award from the Washington State Football Coaches Association.

Looking to the next school year, we anticipate the need for private donations to be even more essential. State funding for public education is directly impacted by our state’s economy. The cuts to public education in next year’s state budget are substantial and will affect our district profoundly. While our School Board has been engaged with Legislators this year to look for local and state solutions to fully fund basic education, in the face of an 8.5 billion dollar state deficit, it does not look this will be a reality any time soon.

While we may see additional Federal funds directed towards education through the Stimulus Package, it is anticipated that they will not be sufficient to make up the anticipated drop in state funds. If anything, any donations you are able to make will have a more critical impact than ever in making quality education available for all Orcas children.

In the past two years, Orcas Island Education Foundation has been able to donate at least $100,000 directly to the school district for academic programming. This year we are about $30,000 shy. Please help us to reach our goal by donating what you can. To donate, we have several options. You can go to www.oief.org or you can check out our new national site at www.change.org/orcas_island_education_foundation. The change.org site features a bar that moves as donations come in. (Change.org is a social networking site, so if you would like to donate anonymously, please do that via OIEF’s web-site or by mail.) Tell your friends and families! We look forward to seeing that bar move! Of course, people can still send money by check or credit card to PO Box 782, Eastsound, WA, 98245. Or donors can give to the Education Initiative held by the Community Foundation by contacting Hilary Canty at 376-6423. Tell your friends and family – an Orcas public education is too valuable to lose!

The Orcas Island Education Foundation Board

Two teachers receive M. Baggaley Memorial Award

At the recent Celebration of Success program at the high school, we were pleased to present the Gladys M. Baggaley Memorial Award for 2009 to Maurice Austin and Kari Schuh. This is the second year this award has been given to a teacher or counselor at Orcas High School. The award is made on the basis of written nominations from students, parents and staff, and it was wonderful to read the submissions describing many of the talented and dedicated teachers at Orcas High School.