January 2011

The combined swim teams of Chief Sealth International High School and West Seattle High School believe in the phrase "We Are Family".

Combining the teams is due to the small turnout for each school for which there is a total of 17 swimmers.

Every weekday morning the 2 swim teams start practice at 6:00 am at Southwest Community Center Pool. The dedication the kids have for swimming is truly amazing, especially with West Seattle's distance they have to travel to the pool.

At last Friday's meet against the combined team of Cleveland and Franklin, the home team swimmers did a warm up cheer. One swimmer yelled "Who are we?", the team replied "We are Chief Sealth, West Seattle". Next question yelled, "What do we do?", team reply "Swim fast and kick ass".

It's not coach Maari's favorite yell but the kids seem to like it.

There are no losers on Coach Maari's team. The Cleveland/Franklin team were the winners while Coach Maari tells her team they were the "second winners".

On Saturday, Jan 22, the Ballard High School music department held their 52nd annual Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser in the School's Commons and it was a packed house.

The music department relies heavily on this fundraiser, said Vocal director Courtney Rowley who was glad to see a good turn out.

The three hour Island-themed event featured performances by all the school's choral and instrumental groups, four students among which have been selected for the Washington Music Educators All State Orchestra and Choir.

Thousands of high school students across the state apply to receive this honor but it's a very selective process, said Rowley now in her fourth year at BHS. Four out of the twenty BHS students who submitted their recordings were selected for All-State Honor Group.

The four students are junior violinist Eva Gaertner-Johnston, freshman flute player Alina Kido, junior vocalist Marley Niland, and senior bass-player James Vitz-Wong.

The All-State Orchestra and Choir will perform on President's Day Weekend at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.

A small group of BHS gymnasts competed in the Sehome Invitational in Bellingham over the weekend.

Ballard won the seven team meet with Senior Molly Barnes placing first all around , on bars, on beam and on the floor.

Molly Barnes scored a 34,2 to place first all around, 7.75 on bars, 9.35 on beam, 8.96 on floor and a score of 8.15 placed her third on vault.

Shannon Donnelly was 3rd all around. She placed second on the bars with a 7.7, fifth on beam with 7.6, and second on floor with an 8.6.

Sarah Katsandres was seventh all around, ninth on vault with a score of 7.8, sixth on beam with 7.35, and ninth on the floor with a 7.85.

Miranda Eriksen was sixth on vault with a score of 7.95. Jaemi Salazar placed tenth on beam with a 6.8.

"The meet was a great experience and the small group of girls did a great job, some of them competing certain events for the first time all season," said Coach Stephanie Gundel in an email. "They all continue to improve with each competition."

The Ballard Beavers hosted the Issaquah Eagles over the weekend for one win and one loss.

The Lady Beavers faced the #6 ranked team in the state and struggled. The Beavers played tough the first and last quarters but allowed the Eagles to outscore them by 23 points in the second and third quarter.

Ballard lost with a final score of 27 to 48. The end score is six points below the Eagles' season average.

Senior Elena DeWeese lead the Beavers with 14 points. Freshmen Imani Bender had her season high 8 rebounds.

The lady Beavers' next game is Wednesday evening at Inglemoor.

The boys varsity team played the Eagles in the night cap on Saturday, January 22nd. They took a five point lead in the first quarter and increased it to a nine-point lead by half time. But Issaquah came strong in the second half cutting the lead to two points. The Beavers stepped up their defense and finished the game with a victory of 62 to 58,

Sophomore Seth Berger lead the scoring with 19 points. Senior Salem Gloyd had another double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

A crowd of more than 180 people gathered outside Royal Blue Tattoo in the Admiral District in a candlelight vigil to honor West Seattleite Jeremy Peck, whose body washed ashore on Bainbridge Island Jan. 19. Peck had been missing since Dec. 24, 2010. He was 24 years old.

Organized by friends Ben Doty, Cheryl Perry, and Kelly Crisp Irvine in cooperation with Jeremy's uncle John Peck, the event was centered around a makeshift display of photos as people in the crowd hugged, cried and shared memories of their friend. A collection was started to help offset the cost of services required for the final arrangements for Jeremy.

A P.A. system was set up on the sidewalk and a series of people spoke offering their memories.

Doty described some of the history he shared with Peck, their days playing youth basketball, leading to a City League championship and said of Peck, "It was always a whole lot of love every time I would see him. It was always a big old smile and a big hug. (…) I was never disappointed to see Jeremy. He always brought a smile to my face."

Press Release:
Over 17,000 calls to the Washington Poison Center have been about children poisoned by medicines. Washington State needs a statewide take-back program to protect its children.

Teens use medicines to get high second only to marijuana, and they start as early as 12 years old. Washington needs a statewide take-back program so families can keep unwanted medicines out of the hands of our teens. 


White Center – South Delridge Community Safety Coalition
Invites you to hear the
Seattle & King County Public Health
Health & Environmental Investigator
Will Perry

at our Meeting on Thursday, January 27th 6 pm
White Center DSHS Building, 2nd Floor
9650 15th Ave SW

6 p.m. on January 17. 6th block of N.W. 48th St.

On Monday evening around 5 p.m. a woman (the victim) was approached by a female in her mid thirties asking for help with her vehicle, a green sports car from the 90's. The female was accompanied by two other males.
The female asked to use the victim's vehicle to jump start the car. While attempting to jump the vehicle, the female went inside the victim’s house to use the bathroom.
The victim had to leave the house at approximately 6 p.m. to go to a class. When she returned at 7:45 p.m, the subjects were no longer in front of the house and her house had been burglarized.
The office window had been removed from the frame and was lying on a table next to the window. The victim stated the window was only held in by the lock. She believed the female must have unlocked the window when she was in the house to use the bathroom. The victim stated the subjects had been in the neighborhood since the previous day.
The items stolen are: a Panesonic blue ray player and 37-inch TV and an Apple Mac-book.

Friends, family and neighbors of Jeremy Peck will gather for a memorial vigil this Sunday evening, Jan. 23 in front of the Admiral Pub in West Seattle (the last place Jeremy was seen) . Attendees will have an opportunity to get involved, show their support, and share memories and pictures of Jeremy.

Sunday Jan. 23 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. family, friends and neighbors of Jeremy Peck will gather in a candlelight vigil to remember Jeremy Peck.

Peck disappeared in the early morning hours of Dec. 24, 2010. Family and friends mounted an effort to locate him but his body washed up on the shores of Bainbridge Island on Jan. 19. It was positively identified as Jeremy Peck. The King County Medical Examiner has not yet determined the cause of death. That report will not be made public for the next 8 to 10 weeks.

The event will take place in front of the Admiral Pub at 2306 California Avenue s.w. and extend around the corner to Royal Blue Tattoo at 4215 s.w. College Street.

The center of the memorial will be closer to the corner of California Ave. s.w. and s.w. College Street. Approximately 100 to 250 people are likely to attend.

A new, edgy website run by two young West Seattleites offers frank, sober advice for single guys and gals into the bar scene, coffee shop scene, and even the supermarket scene, trying to meet, and, after that, trying to get along.

"Ask A Bouncer And A Blonde" is a daily column providing answers to life, love, work, sex, relationships and "anything else people have the nerve to ask" their website states. And you needn't be embarrassed as you will remain anonymous, say the site's creators, who themselves desire some secrecy. They admit West Seattle is a small town and articles like this might expose a bit of their identity.

Like film critic icons Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, the bouncer and blonde have opinions that sometimes clash. Generally they are more in sync than those bickering film critics used to be, and each seems uniquely qualified to offer sound advice based on personal and professional experience.

"We feel competent to give advice on anything anybody wants to ask," declared the bouncer. "People who work in my industry, especially security and bouncers, notice what goes on between guys and girls.

New and available at the area Farmer's Markets, the West Seattle Farmers Market and the University District Farmers Marker for the week of January 24 - 31, 2011

DOWNLOAD AND PRINT OUT THE SHOPPING LIST AT THE LINK ABOVE

Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance Markets:
University District (UD) – Saturdays, 9 am – 2 pm, YEAR ROUND –
West Seattle (WS) – Sundays, 10 am – 2 pm, YEAR ROUND

Locations, Hours, Vendor and Event Info: www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org

*****SOME OF THE NEW ITEMS IN ITALICS*****

Onions- Yellow and Red – Organically raised by Pipitone Farms at U-District and West Seattle

Tulips – First of winter season – From Alm Hill Gardens (Everson, WA). Gorgeous, fresh colorful tulips. Sure to cure the January blahs...in red, purple, pink, ivory, orange. Also ruffled “parrot” petal tulips. At West Seattle and U-District.

Stewing Hens – Stokesberry Sustainable Farm at UD and WS - $10.00 each – make wonderful chicken broth which is good for what ails you. At both markets!

VEGETABLES: