Shoreline Parks - Tree Board meeting Thursday May 28

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services / Tree Board Regular MeetingThursday, May 28, 2015
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 303

Agenda Highlights
  • Election of Chair and Vice-Chair
  • Aquatics Program Presentation
  • Fees and Charge/Cost Recovery Discussion #2
 Link to the Community Calendar for the full agenda.



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Watch your speed in Lake Forest Park - new school zone camera installed

Traffic camera in LFP
A new School Zone Traffic Safety Camera has been installed on 37th Ave NE in front of Brookside Elementary School and will become active beginning Tuesday May 26, 2015. Enforcement signs have been in place for the past three months in anticipation of the completion of this projects.

Traffic safety camera systems are a safety measure designed to reduce and prevent speeding and collisions. The goal of our program, since beginning in 2009, has been pedestrian safety in our school zones, and collision reduction on SR 522 (Bothell Way).

The program is used as a force-multiplier, adding to the good behavior of drivers and enforcement capacity of the department. The cameras enable police department staff, which is typically running at minimum levels, to perform other functions that address a wide range of public safety tasks.




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Early morning fire in Meridian Park neighborhood

Shoreline Fire reports a house fire near 180th and 1st NE early Thursday morning in a home under construction in the Meridian Park neighborhood.

911 was called at approximately 3:30am. Shoreline firefighters say it appeared to have started on a deck and then spread to the roof.

The blaze was extinguished in about 15 minutes. The home was unoccupied and under construction.

No injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation.



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Preregistration required for ‘Youth Mental Health First Aid’ free training


The Center for Human Services and the City of Shoreline will host a free workshop on Youth Mental Health First Aid, on Thursday, June 11, 2015, Shoreline City Hall – Council Chambers, 17500 Midvale Ave N., 9:00am – 5:30pm. Refreshments provided. Bring your own lunch.

Similar to ‘First Aid’ and CPR, ‘Youth Mental Health First Aid’ teaches individuals how to help young people in our community who are experiencing mental health challenges or crises.

The training is open to adults who live or work in the City of Shoreline and care about our community’s young people.

Mental health challenges – such as depression, anxiety, psychosis and substance use – are shockingly common among youth in the United States. In fact, more than one in five American adults will have a mental health problem in any given year.

Tanya Laskelle is certified by The National Council for Behavioral Health to provide Youth Mental Health First Aid courses to prepare communities with the knowledge and skills to help youth who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis.

The training helps the public better identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses. More information on Mental Health First Aid here
A young person you know could be experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis. You can help them. Sometimes, the best first aid is you. Take the course, save a life, strengthen your community. 

To register or for more information, call or email Tanya Laskelle 206-631-8836.



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Governor signs Kagi’s bill to improve mental health treatment for youth in foster care

Rep. Kagi was unable to be present for the
signing of her bill
Photo courtesy Legislative Support Services

Governor Inslee signed House Bill 1879 on Monday. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Shoreline, will give youth in foster care better access to health and mental health services by integrating physical and behavioral health together into a single care plan. Additionally, this bill will put some much needed safeguards in place regarding prescribing anti-psychotic drugs to youth in foster care.

“Youth in foster care experience trauma and many struggle to get their complicated physical and mental health care needs met,” said Kagi. “This bill will make sure that a single care plan can provide the full range of necessary services for children in foster care, giving them a better chance at achieving health and stability.”

Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-32
This bill requires integration of behavioral health services into a single managed health care plan for children in foster care by 2018.

Similar integrated care plans in Texas and Georgia have significantly improved the coordination and delivery of services to youth in foster care, decreased costs and improved overall outcomes, including reducing the number of children needing high levels of care and the use of antipsychotic medications.

Additionally, HB 1879 makes changes to the process for prescribing antipsychotic medications to youth in foster care. The bill requires a second opinion from a psychiatrist for antipsychotic medications. The bill also promotes the use of behavioral therapies first and in addition to prescription medications.

“Nationally, youth in foster care are prescribed these very powerful drugs seven times more often than youth who are not in foster care,” said Kagi. “It is our hope that by creating an integrated care system to provide care for the whole-child, the need for antipsychotic medications will decrease. This bill takes the additional step of making sure that we are reducing reliance on antipsychotic drugs by taking a slower approach to their use.”


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District 3A track continues Friday at Shoreline Stadium

The Northwest District 3A track and field championships conclude Friday at Shoreline Stadium.

Events, including 12 boys' finals and 14 girls' finals, begin at 5:30pm Friday.

The top three finishers in each event qualify for the state 3A championships May 28-30 in Tacoma.

Host Shorewood stood fourth among 13 district boys' teams after five Wednesday finals and 11th among girls' teams after four Wednesday finals.

Teams competing are Arlington, Edmonds-Woodway, Everett, Ferndale, Glacier Peak, Lynnwood, Marysville Getchell, Marysville-Pilchuck, Meadowdale, Mountlake Terrace, Oak Harbor, Shorewood, and Stanwood.

Updated 05-21-2015 11:35pm



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Shorecrest and Shorewood march in Victoria Day Parade in Victoria, B.C.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Shorecrest band

Photos courtesy Shoreline Schools

The Shorecrest and Shorewood bands and drill teams marched in the annual Victoria Day Parade in Victoria, B.C. on Monday, May 18. Shorecrest was honored as the Best American Band with Shorewood second, and Best Drill Team, again with Shorewood second.

Shorewood band and drill on parade route


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Certified final results of April 28 special election

By Evan Smith

Final results of the April 28 special election showed no change in the margin of victory for the King County tax levy for the emergency radio network.

County officials certified final results May 12. Here they are:

King County Proposition No. 1 -- Property-tax levy for emergency public-safety radio replacement project

Approved-- 191,532 votes (65,41%)

Rejected--- 101,268 votes (34.59%)



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Shorecrest to meet Kingston in State 2A Soccer quarterfinal

Shorecrest will meet Kingston in a state 2A boys' soccer quarterfinal match Saturday after a  3-2 first-round victory at North Kitsap.

The Scots take an 18-2-1 record into the Saturday match with Kingston at North Kitsap High School. The Shorecrest-Kingston winner will play in a state semifinal May 29 in Sumner against the winner of a match between Archbishop Murphy and Liberty. Semifinal winners meet May 30 in Sumner.

Shorecrest reached the quarterfinal with a 3-0 victory over North Kitsap Wednesday.

In the Scots' victory over North Kitsap (18-4-1) Wednesday, Shorecrest senior midfielder Alex Day scored two goals. Senior forward Anton Resing assisted on one of Day's goals and scored one of his own. Jack Naffner and Nick Shively had assists. Goalkeeper Matt Wheaton recorded the shoutout.

Updated and corrected 05-21-2015 11:30pm



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Sketchbook Journaling workshop at Silver Kite Friday

Charlene Collins Freeman of Kenmore
will conduct the workshop

May 22: Sketchbook Journaling (visual arts) at Silver Kite, 4-6pm

This week’s invitation to be creative challenges us to record everyday life moments by sketching. 

"Sketching allows us to be creative daily and it can be as personal as we want," said this week's facilitator Charlene Collins-Freeman, who as a visual artist uses sketchbooking to spark creativity.

She encourages her students to make beautiful pages, ugly pages, to just keep making pages so that they may capture day to day life in beautiful and in mundane ways.

Collins-Freeman's journal sketches from her trip to Europe can be seen in this video

Workshops are held at the George Center for Community, 2212 NE 125th St, Seattle. $10 suggested for each workshop.

Register online. Open to participants of all ages.



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2nd Annual Auto Experience at Shoreline Community College on June 3

Hannah Lindquist midget racer


Shoreline Community College’s Sports and Event Marketing class is excited to announce the 2nd Annual Auto Experience to be held on June 3, 2015.

Lynnwood Honda, Carter Subaru, and Campbell Nelson Volkswagen dealerships will bring sustainable vehicles to the campus.

Shoreline Community College’s own Hannah Lindquist will bring her Ford Focus Midget race car. 

All are invited to attend this event in front of the PUB from 10am-2pm. The event will be a hands-on learning experience, with those in attendance having the opportunity to look inside the cars and to see their unique features. Those who provide feedback on the cars will be treated to food and drinks.

Last year’s Auto Experience produced more than double the expected attendees. Among those in attendance were a group of special education students from Edmonds Middle School. Teacher Janice Maxson said “the event was the high point of all of our college prep work with my students.” 

The Sports and Event Marketing class hopes to build on the success of last year’s Auto Experience in order to make it a community building event at Shoreline Community College.


Wednesday, June 3, 2015 come out in front of the PUB to see the 2nd Annual Auto Experience with sustainable cars, free food, and a chance to meet and take photos with race car driver, Hannah Lindquist. Come for fun, food, and fabulous future insights!

A special thanks goes out to our sponsors: Lynnwood Honda, Campbell Nelson Nissan Volkswagen, Carter Subaru, Lindquist Racing, and Shoreline Community College.

Shoreline Community College, 16101 Greenwood Ave N, Shoreline 98133. Campus map and parking information.



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Open a GET account before May 31



Parents wanting to save for college have until midnight on May 31 to open a Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) account before the state program closes for this enrollment year. GET is Washington’s 529 college savings plan that is guaranteed by law to keep pace with tuition at the state’s highest priced public university. The program provides tax-free growth and withdrawals for qualified higher education expenses.

In Washington, more than 160,000 GET accounts have been opened since the program began in 1998. In its 17 years of operation the program has paid out more than $678 million to cover higher education expenses on behalf of 40,000 students attending college in all 50 states and 15 foreign countries. 

“The goal of our program is to increase access to higher education and to make it more affordable, especially at a time when student loan debt in our country is at an all-time high,” said Betty Lochner, Director of the GET program. 
“We are trying to switch the personal financing of college from a debt-driven model to a savings-driven model,” Lochner said. 


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Book Review by Aarene Storms: Erebos: It's a game. It watches you.

Erebos: It's a game. It watches you. by Ursula Poznanski
translation from the German by Judith Pattinson

Like most of his friends, Nick Dunsmore enjoys playing video games. But he's never played anything like Erebos. The rules are strange: 
*  Always play alone.
*  Do not talk to anyone about the game.
*  Don't copy the disk unless instructed by the game.

and strangest of all:
*  You have only one chance to play. If you break the rules, or if your character in the game dies, the game is over and you can never play again.

Strangest of all, the game itself seems to know when players break the rules. But how?

As more of Nick's classmates join the game, things get even more bizarre, especially when the game insists that players conduct "missions" in the real world. Some missions seem quite innocent, like picking up a box hidden in a park and hiding it in a different park. But soon enough, the missions become sinister.

The story is nearly as compelling as the game itself. Players quickly become addicted to the adventure, and many are willing to do anything to gain status within the world of Erebos. 

Yes, anything....

More dire than Ready Player One (Cline, 2011), with less gore and fewer technology details than REAMDE (Stephenson, 2011), this game-gone-bad novel will appeal mostly to teen gamers.  

Sophisticated readers may trip on some of the setting details, some politically incorrect racist and sexist statements which may or may not be a result of translation into English from German, and the distinctly Scooby Doo ending: "foiled by those meddling kids!"

Rating:
Recommended for ages 13 to adult.
Action, bullying, cussing (mild), death, fighting, friendship, guys, kissing, longing,multi-ethnic, mystery, parents, suicide, video games

The events may not have happened; still, the story is true.  --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian
Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS



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Olmsted Designs: Curation of the Dunn Gardens Tuesday at Kruckeberg

Dunn Gardens
Photo by Eric Shallit

KBGF and Dunn Garden Joint Lecture - Olmsted Designs: Curation of the Dunn Gardens
Tuesday, May 26, 2015, 7:00pm 8:30pm
Shoreline City Hall, 17500 Midvale Ave N, Shoreline 98133

Doug Bayley, the first curator of the Dunn Gardens, will speak about how his experience at the Olmsted-designed Dunn Gardens led him to discover the work and philosophy of Frederick Law Olmsted, which, in turn, led him to the current restoration work he is doing on the Volunteer Park Trust in Seattle.  

Cost:
Free to Dunn Gardens Trust and KBGF Members
$5 suggested donation for nonmembers



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Death Cafe meets May 29 in Richmond Beach

Death Cafe Seattle North, offers an opportunity to meet with other people in an informal setting for an open discussion on death and dying.

The next meeting will be Friday, May 29, from 2-3:30pm at the Richmond Beach Library, 19601 21st Ave NW, Shoreline 98177.

The host says, "I'll bring a relish cake, you bring your own beverage and we will talk about death and dying in a comfortable, easy fashion with no agenda except to hear from everyone attending."



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Housing Development Consortium presents Municipal Champion Award to Shoreline City Council

Kayla Schott-Bresler, HDC Policy Manager presents the award to Council.
Photo courtesy City of Shoreline

On Monday, May 11, the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County awarded the City of Shoreline the Municipal Champion Award for its leadership in supporting affordable housing opportunities in Shoreline and across the region.

The award recognizes the City’s efforts to create an equitable community through tools like incentive zoning and impact fee exemptions for affordable housing around the 185th Street Light Rail Station Area; partnerships with local affordable housing developments and nonprofits, such as the Ronald Commons project; and through efforts to raise awareness of affordable housing needs and solutions.

“Creating incentives and opportunities for more affordable housing in Shoreline is something all of us on the Council take very seriously,” stated Mayor Winstead. “Nearly 20% of Shoreline’s households are paying more than half of their income on housing costs. Encouraging the construction of more affordable housing will help alleviate some of that burden on our neighbors.”

Shoreline City Manager, Debbie Tarry, said, 
“We are honored to be recognized for our efforts at creating more affordable housing opportunities in Shoreline. Shoreline is committed to creating a community that is open and available to people of all economic backgrounds. As such, we are working hard to create more housing choices, which includes affordable housing, to meet the needs of our diverse, vibrant, and growing community.”

Housing Development Consortium Seattle-King County (HDC) is a nonprofit membership organization representing represents more than 100 private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public partners who are working to develop and preserve affordable housing in King County. Through education, advocacy, and leadership, HDC supports and inspires its members as they work collaboratively to meet the housing needs of limited-income residents throughout King County.

Planning staff and planning commission members accepted the award on behalf of the City at the banquet held Friday, May 1 (see previous article), but this was the formal presentation to the City Council.



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Shoreline City Council meetings cancelled for holiday

The Shoreline City Council regular Workshop Dinner Meeting and Business Meeting on Monday, May 25, 2015 have been cancelled due to the Memorial Day Holiday.

The next meeting of the Shoreline City Council will be held Monday, June 1, 2015.



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‘Rolling closures’ for work on Burke Gilman trail

Burke-Gilman Trail
Photo by Jerry Pickard

Annual vegetation maintenance alongside King County Parks’ Burke Gilman and Sammamish River trails will require several weeks of “rolling closures” with delays of up to 15 minutes for trail users as crews perform the work.

Beginning Tuesday, May 26 at approximately 7:30am, crews using tractor mowers will start clearing vegetation along the Burke Gilman Trail at the Seattle-Lake Forest Park boundary near Northeast 145th Street.

Working Monday through Thursday from 7:30am to 3pm, crews will continue their work until reaching King County’s Marymoor Park in Redmond. The clearing is expected to be completed by June 19.

Trail traffic will be controlled by flaggers in both directions through the active work area to ensure safety while the work is underway.

The mower will be operated in 15-minute intervals, then driven off the trail and shut down to allow traffic to pass, before resuming for another 15-minute stretch of work.

Clearing vegetation from the trails’ shoulders and ditches helps keep these popular routes safe for the public by maintaining open sightlines and improving drainage. 



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Rep. Kagi honored for her work to reduce gun violence

Rep. Kagi receiving Ancil Payne Civic Leader of the Year Award

Tuesday, Washington CeaseFire, a statewide organization dedicated to reducing gun violence, honored Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Seattle, with their Ancil Payne Civic Leader of the Year Award for her work as a legislator to reduce gun violence, especially among children.

“Since coming to the legislature in 1999, I have worked closely with CeaseFire and other gun safety advocates to improve responsible gun ownership in Washington,” said Kagi. 
“Having easy access to guns is a common thread running through most of the tragic events involving kids and guns. In order to reduce accidental gun injuries, shootings by youth in schools and other settings, and youth suicide, gun owners must safely store their firearms. 
Washington ranks number four in the nation for the number of youth suicides. When youth are despondent and have access to a gun, a tragic and preventable death is too often the result.”

For the last three years, Rep. Kagi has introduced legislation to require safe storage of firearms. This session, House Bill 1747, would not only have required safe storage of firearms, but would have required gun sellers to inform purchasers of the criminal penalties of improper storage and offer to sell or give a safety device at the time of sale. The bill did not receive a committee hearing and will therefore not be moving forward this year.

“I have lost count of the number of tragic events involving kids and guns in the news recently. Reducing children’s access to guns is one of the most important things we can do to preventing injuries and deaths of children and youth from gun violence,” said Kagi. 
“While I am disappointed that HB 1747 did not pass this year, I will return next year along with gun safety advocates, like CeaseFire, to keep working on safe gun storage and other changes that will reduce gun violence in our state.”

According to research compiled by the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, in the vast majority of unintentional gun injuries and intentional shootings involving young people, the gun was obtained from the residence of the child, a relative or a friend. Research shows that reducing access to firearms can effectively reduce the incidence of gun deaths among children.

States that have child access prevention laws have shown that these laws work to reduce unintentional firearm deaths among children. Washington needs to join the growing list of states taking action to protect our kids.



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Shoreline resident graduates with honors

Victoria Lewis, the daughter of Robin and David Lewis of Shoreline, graduated from Macalester College during a ceremony held on campus on May 16.  Lewis received a liberal arts degree in Geology and American Studies. Lewis is a graduate of Shorewood High School.

Lewis received the following honors/awards:

PHI BETA KAPPA
Election to Phi Beta Kappa recognizes outstanding scholarship in the liberal arts and sciences. Election is usually limited to the top 12 percent of the senior class. All candidates must have demonstrated a knowledge of mathematics and of a foreign language at least minimally appropriate for a liberal education.

CUM LAUDE

Macalester College President Brian Rosenberg presented diplomas to 443 graduating seniors. The ceremony also featured an academic procession led by the Macalester Pipe Band, flag bearers representing 34 countries of the 62 graduating international seniors plus the U.S. and U.N. flags, and faculty in academic robes.

Former Vice President Walter Mondale delivered the commencement address at the 2015 Macalester College graduation ceremony.

Macalester College, founded in 1874, is a national liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 2,045 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, multiculturalism, and civic engagement.



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Shoreline’s Million STEP Challenge

Tuesday, May 19, 2015


The City of Shoreline’s 2nd Annual Million Step Challenge at Paramount School Park is half way over but there still are plenty of steps to go to reach the 2015 goal of walking 2,600 collective miles during the month of May.

That’s the same distance it takes to walk from Mexico all the way to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail. The community is encouraged to walk as many laps as possible around the loop path at Paramount School Park (8th Ave NE and NE 155th St.) and log them on the tracking sheets out at the park or online 

“As of May 18th, we've made it 840 miles which is amazing progress.  But we still have a long way to go and need everyone’s help,” says Patty Hale, board member for the Ridgecrest Neighborhood Association.

Along with helping build a healthy community, the event is also a competition with great prizes that will be awarded at a community potluck on Sunday, May 31st at 6pm.

Top prizes include a 2 month membership to Crossfit Hailstorm. More information can be found online or call Marianne Johnson, Recreation Assistant at 206-801-2638. 



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Vacation Bible Adventure at LFP Church



Lake Forest Park Church Vacation Bible Adventure Registration is open now. Our Super Hero G Force team will show kids how to Move, Act, Care and Share to put their faith in action for the good of others!

We are also looking for kids with MOTION skills to share just for fun (skateboard, BMX, jump rope, basketball, hula hoop etc.) Please contact Director of Ministry to Children, Cordelia Scheuermann at 206-364-2712 if you have a skill to share.

Our VBA is July 27-31 from 9-12:15 for kids age 4 through entering 6th grade. Please register online.

Our mission service project will be collecting food for Friday Food Packs for low income kids at LFP and Brookside Elementary.



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Chamber of Commerce Member of the Month - Washington Energy Services


Washington Energy Services is a family owned business that has exclusively served the Puget Sound region since 1957. 

The company specializes in tailored solutions for homeowners looking to create a more comfortable, energy efficient home. 

Recognized by Puget Sound Energy as an Energy Efficiency Leader, Washington Energy Services provides a broad range of home energy solutions including home energy audits, heating and cooling, plumbing services and window and door installations. 

The company is committed to the region and giving back through its WESCare program that provides support to veterans in need and local nonprofit organizations. 

The company headquarters and showroom is located in Lynnwood, Wash. More information on its products and services can be found on their website.



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Round Table Friday: Time and Place for Work at Home

From Fortune 500 companies and government agencies, to ad agencies, marketing firms and everywhere in between, there really are plenty of home based job and start up business opportunities. 

Author, blogger, and podcaster, Ariele Huff will present: “Time and Place for Work at Home.”

Home businesses are growing fast. According to Shoreline Director of Business Development, Dan Eernissee, close to 2,000 home business licenses were issued just in 2014. If your eventual goal is to gain income from home, this Round Table is not to be missed!

Friday, May 22, 1:00-2:30pm, Shoreline Community College, Room 5116, Building 5000 (ground floor). SCC Campus MapParking information


All who are looking for work or looking to change their work are invited to attend this free session.

Ron Casrnell, Program Coordination, SCC Workforce and Continuing Education



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Shoreline Firefighters open house May 30





Shoreline Firefighters want YOU to attend their Annual Open House!

Saturday, May 30 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.
17525 Aurora Avenue North


Hands-on activities, watch firefighters work, hot 

dogs from Hot Dog King!



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Shorewood tennis results from District 1 tournament

Shorewood’s doubles team of juniors Ellie Allen-Hatch and Emily Wright shocked the first place team from WesCo North in the first round of the District 1 tennis tournament. After losing the first set 2-6 to the North Champions from Ferndale the T-Birds won the next two sets 6-2, 6-2.

The win moved them into a very close match versus the number two team from WesCo South, the Mountlake Terrace team. The two seniors from Terrace were 4th place at state two years ago.

The T-Birds lost 4-6, 5-7. They will face the number two team, Stanwood, from WesCo North in the consolation semi-finals with the loser out. Allen-Hatch and Wright need to win in order to have a chance at playing for the third and final spot to the state tournament.

The tournament is being held at Arlington high school with all matches starting at 1pm. 

--Arnie Moreno



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Richmond Beach Garden Tour: beautiful inspiration for sunny months

Marilyn Heinemann's garden 2013

Inspiration. Where does it come from? Is it a whimsical piece of art that leads one to think, “Oh, I should plant THOSE particular perennials!”

Or is it a vacation in the mountains with particularly good memories?

For more than one garden owner on this tour, it was the experience of having lived in Asia. Whatever the inspiration, you will enjoy experiencing these gardens and meeting the owners to learn more about their stories.

These gardens represent passion, creativity and stamina whether they are long established, working with problem areas or new and waiting to fill in.

The 23rd annual Garden Tour is fast approaching! On Saturday, June 6, the Richmond Beach Community Association will sponsor its annual self-guided tour of local gardens.

Maps for the tour will be available after June 1 at Richmond Beach Library, Richmond Beach Coffee Company, Sky Nursery and on the website.



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Shoreline artist designs bright symbol for African Union flag

Yadesa Bojia and his African Unity flag
Photo by Hewan Gebremichael

By Agazit Afeworki

Shoreline-based artist Yadesa Bojia flipped on his TV one evening to discover his flag submission to an African Union competition behind Muammar Gaddafi in a 2009 Larry King interview.

Unbeknownst to him, the flag he designed in 2007 in response to a competition call by the African Union, an organization of 53 African states -- was selected from 110 entries.

And so the artist, painter, graphic designer, and reggae musician thought he was looking at another screen.

“I felt like I was watching my computer so I didn't even pay attention to it,” he said.

The flag had been his desktop wallpaper so it didn't immediately register when he was watching TV, but when the realization hit him he started screaming from joy, he said.

“Then I looked and I'm like god damn that's mine.”

In his creative process, however, Bojia had more composure. After reading the guidelines he knew exactly what the AU would be looking for.

“When I saw the submission, I didn't focus on the design at all. I focused on the message,” he said.

Comparing his design to the last AU flag, they are symbolically unalike. In the old flag, pride was depicted by the color red, reminding Africans of the blood-shed from years of war. But in the new flag, Bojia saw an opportunity for redemption. The Ethiopian-American artist designed Africa’s future, not the past.

“They came from a colonization time, so their logo and their flag symbolized that defensive African mentality because of the struggle they had to come out from,” Bojia said.

The flag he designed features a green background, a requirement from the AU to highlight Africa’s land as their main resource. Against the land motif, Africa beams sun rays and 53 stars encircle the continent.

Artist Yadesa Bojia stands in Red Square at the University of Washington.
Photo by Agazit Afeworki

Having grown up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the AU’s original organization was established, Bojia was knowledgeable about the organization’s history and used that to his advantage. He thoroughly explained his design to those members of the AU board who would debate about the submissions over the course of three years.

The politically minded designer considers art and activism interchangeable, he said, and he submitted a very long design brief to accompany his work. In it he expressed the welfare state of Africa. 

“It [design brief] was about Africans deciding their own fate and trying to stop basically the welfare state mentally: ‘well Africans always need Western help,’” he said.

Bojia’s former design teacher at Seattle Central College sees him as exceptional. Michelle Dunn Marsh, who is the executive director of Photographic Center Northwest and founder of Minor Matters Books, said he is a combination of both respectful to other people’s viewpoints, while being clear and forthright in his own.

When her class was examining the history of design, which per textbook was limited to American and European graphic design, Bojia raised his hand.

“Where is my country in this conversation?” he asked.

“He is both accessible and confrontational, his work is accessible but the man is confrontational,” she said.

Yadesa Bojia holding a miniature version
of the flag he designed for the African Union.
Photo by Agazit Afeworki 

At first glance his flag design is simple, but that’s what Bojia was shooting for. He knew that designers incorporating religious symbols or other specific imagery wouldn’t represent the diverse continent well. It had to be inclusive, he said.

“I was basically thinking, if a person in Togo or a person in Cairo can look at it and say that’s my flag, that’s a requirement for me.”

This wasn't only true for Africans. His work also lured Ellenore Angelidis, the director of Diversity at Amazon who came across Bojia on Facebook. Angelidis is especially connected to Bojia’s homeland having an adopted Ethiopian daughter and a passion to meld American and Ethiopian cultures. She requested to take one flag and inspirational letter from Bojia back to a school in Mercato, an area in the country’s capital, where she helps fund an organization called Ethiopia Reads

Bojia grew up in this very region and agreed to help encourage kids to strive in school.

Angelidis and Bojia have since collaborated through her non-profit, Open Hearts Big Dreams, which fundraises for literacy programs in Ethiopia.

“His personal story is super compelling. Yadesa is a perfect example of how one person can make a difference, it really just takes people,” Angelidis said.

His story as an artist began in sixth or seventh grade when his school asked him to draw a mural. He painted a little boy wearing his father’s war helmet. A young boy expressing his desire to be like his dad, he said.

All of his work continues to be message-oriented. Whether he’s creating a piece challenging the cracks in Ethiopia’s adoption laws, or advocating against police brutality in his recent exhibit “Black Lives Matter” at Columbia City Gallery, he uses his art as a soap-box to speak on pressing social issues in all the communities he occupies.

Marsh noted the lyricism in his earlier work and a penchant to create art on relationships. Design is problem solving and for a Shoreline artist to create a new visual solution to Africa’s growth is rare, Marsh said.

Bojia is certainly not boastful, but he saw evidence of his flag’s impact during his last visit to Addis Ababa for the AU flag launch.

He stopped to try to buy some things from a street vendor, but the man refused. The vendor wouldn’t take his money because he recognized Bojia as the Ethiopian artist who designed the AU flag. He was filled with nationalistic pride.

“And I know what that meant for him,” Bojia said. “This guy was poor, but he wanted to say thank you to me and I was really touched by that. Seeing what it means to people, that’s the biggest reward.” 


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In The Garden Now….Snowballs In May

Common Snowball Bush
Photo by Victoria Gilleland

By Victoria Gilleland

They're out there right now ... Snowballs hanging on the branches of shrubs all over the area! Of course they aren't really snowballs but they certainly look like them.
  
This showy shrub is a member of the viburnum family which includes dozens of plants that grow well in the Pacific Northwest. The snowball-like flower clusters are typically 2 to 2 1/2 inches across. Shrubs can reach anywhere from 8 to 14 feet high and wide. Branches tend to weep when the heavy flower clusters are in full bloom and particularly so when it rains.

If you didn't notice this year, watch next year to see the flowers of this shrub start out lime green and gradually turn to bright white. Another of Mother Nature’s clever tricks!

My Snowball Bush is near the street, growing under some tall Douglas fir trees. It only gets a few hours of morning sun, but that seems to be enough to produce plenty of blossoms. 

If pruned right after blooming, the Snowball Bush will have time to set buds for next year’s flowering. Flowers form on the previous year’s growth. 

You'll probably find one of these showy shrubs in your neighborhood. Take time to enjoy the unique flower show offered.

Botanical Name:  Viburnum opulus ‘Sterile’

Victoria Gilleland is the owner of Cottage Garden Designs, a Garden Design company specializing in Redesign of Residential Gardens, Garden Consultation and Coaching. She has been designing gardens in the northwest for over 20 years.



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Join The Arts Council's small army of volunteers


Want to take pART in your community? Join the veritable army of volunteers who make the Shoreline Arts Festival possible. Get a backstage glimpse into what it takes to entertain 10,000 community members over two days. Volunteers are needed for a wide range of tasks, and time slots range from 1 hour to all-day, there’s something for every skill and ability level. Sign up now on Volunteer Spot.

Here’s a short list of just a few volunteer jobs available

  • Help artists move art and set up tents.
  • Set up the Hands-on Art section and make art with the kids.
  • Be a stage manager: facilitate stage transitions between acts.
  • Stage Emcee: Take the mic and introduce our fabulous performers.
  • Juried and Youth Art Room Sitter: Enjoy the art while making sure nothing grows legs and walks away.

The Shoreline Arts Festival provides two extraordinary days of music, dance, theatre, literary arts, visual arts, and food, plus the Shoreline Philippine Festival. This creative community event, sponsored by the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council, will be held June 27 and 28 at the Shoreline Center, 18560 1st Ave NE. Visit the website for applications, deadlines, or additional information or call the Arts Council at 206-417-4645

The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to cultivate creativity and inspire our community through the arts.



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