The Blessed Seelos Catholic Church, which braved winds of 96 mph two weeks ago as Hurricane Gustav tore through New Orleans, received “minimal damage” during the storm, according to Mercer Island resident and Pipe Organ Foundation President Carl Dodrill.
By Matt Phelps Mercer Island Reporter Many teams would have quit following a tough 0-3 preseason and finding themselves down…
As Mercer Island High School’s first graduating class of 1958 celebrates its golden anniversary, our first thought is how different life is 50 years later. Yet, in many ways, nothing has changed. Community members worried then as they do now about how to accommodate growth while maintaining the essence and values of Island life. Island lore, newspaper stories and even books reveal that early Islanders fought off most anything that threatened their way of life for years — even when changes were sorely needed.
Back to school is a special time. One million children filled their backpacks with new books, nervous energy and optimism and boarded yellow buses to return to school. Some are all but guaranteed to end the school year far ahead of where they are now. Too many will be less fortunate, experiencing less opportunity for growth, or worse yet, stagnation.
Bellevue Community College’s Willard Geer Planetarium will take viewers on a tour of the solar system during three public star shows on Friday, Sept. 19.
Children don’t come with operating manuals. So how, then, are parents to learn the essential skills and concepts they need to raise their children successfully?
The autumnal equinox is here. Labor Day may be the ceremonial finale to summer, but the equinox is the meteorological “so long, see ya next year.” Starting now, the days get shorter, the nights get longer. And your furnace gets busier.
Emmanuel Day School celebrated its first year as an independent preschool this week, after breaking away from the Emmanuel Episcopal Church. The move, which was official as of July 1, was the result of a congenial agreement between church administration and Emmanuel parents.
Sarah Bird, a columnist and published author, writes to us from Austin, Texas. She and Islander Tami Szerlip went to junior high and high school together in Albuquerque. After graduating from college in the early 70s, the friends went different ways. Szerlip moved out to the Northwest, eventually settling here on Mercer Island, where she raised two daughters and has been active in the PTA and working on children’s issues. Bird moved to Austin, where she raised a son and wrote seven novels, including a book about the former Texas governor, President George W. Bush, and his wife. She is also a columnist for Texas Monthly magazine.
Fifty years after leaving Mercer Island High School, alumni from the Class of 1958 — the first class to graduate from MIHS — walked the school’s hallways once again.
In an effort to save taxpayer money, the Mercer Island School Board agreed to refinance a portion of the district’s outstanding bonds, thanks to lower interest rates. In total, the move, which was approved on Sept. 11, will save Island taxpayers about $550,000 over the next six years. The savings are returned to taxpayers through reduced tax levies and are not eligible for district expenses. “This is a direct savings to our community members in the form of taxes they expected but will not have to pay,” Superintendent Gary Plano said.
Puget Sound Blood Center Drive: 1-7 p.m., Sept. 18, MI Presbyterian Church, 3605 84th Ave. S.E. 1-800-398-7888, www.psbc.org.
