Wednesday
families today PENINSULA
April 2016
volume 6, issue 2
A publication for families living on the North Olympic Peninsula, and an advertising supplement produced by the Peninsula Daily
Variety of summer camps offered — Page 8 Museums the family will love — Page 12 Great Outdoors Photo Contest winners announced; see the photos — Page 14 And much more inside
Sun is forecast to share the stage today B10
Thoughts of summer Never too early to plan for when school’s out INSIDE
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS April 20, 2016 | 75¢
Port Townsend-Jefferson County’s Daily Newspaper
Brinnon PT housing group to receive at work on finance grant of $199K School funds will go to kitchen remodel BY CHARLIE BERMANT PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
BRINNON — A $199,987 state Healthy Kids-Healthy Schools grant will allow this small South County school to remodel a kitchen that has been in use for 40 years. “When we applied for the grant, we didn’t think we’d get much,” said Patricia Beathard, the school’s superintendent and principal. “We expected that all the money would go to large systems like the Seattle School District and didn’t think itty-bitty Brinnon would get anything.” The allocation is part of a $5 million grant approved by the state Legislature this year that will help 466 schools from 93 districts promote healthy meals, physical activity and water consumption. The Brinnon award was the second highest in the state, exceeded only by a $200,000 allocation to the Franklin Pierce School District in Tacoma for garden structures and greenhouses. Five Port Angeles schools — Dry Creek, Hamilton and Jefferson elementary schools and Port Angeles and Lincoln high schools — each received $1,600 to finance water-bottle filling stations. The grants were administered by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, which received $17 million in requests from 150 school districts.
CHARLIE BERMANT/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Bob Bates and Sonny Wargo are two of the 10 residents currently staying at the Affordable Housing Action Group campsites at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Port Townsend.
Negotiations aim to support homeless camp
Brinnon kitchen
BY CHARLIE BERMANT
The Brinnon grant will fund replacement of all kitchen appliances — expanding the two cooking burners to a six-burner range — as well as expand the kitchen area, replace the floors and replace the old fold-down cafeteria tables, Beathard said. Under a separate grant, the district installed a new walk-in refrigerator-freezer earlier this year. Beathard said the district must complete additional paperwork. Once done, it will receive the funds that will allow the project to be put out to bid.
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
TURN
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PORT TOWNSEND — The Affordable Housing Action Group is attempting to raise funds to support a homeless community at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds and negotiate an agreement that is favorable to all parties. As of Tuesday afternoon, the group had raised $615 toward a $4,200 goal. The goal would be enough to subsidize fees until the end of June, organizers said.
Ten people are living in 11 tents in five designated camping sites now. “It’s going pretty good,” said Bob Bates, one of the camp hosts. “We have this little square area and are pushing to stay here for three months, which depends on us keeping the place up, not being obnoxious and using general common sense.” According to a statement on a GoFundMe site, the housing groups says it has negotiated an agreement with the Jefferson County Fair Board and management, although Julia Cochrane, who
represents Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on the housing organization’s board, said some details are still being worked out. “The group won’t have to move every 10 days this year, and will get a chance to coalesce and support each other,” it reads. “A cooperative group of campers supported in part by the Affordable Housing Action Group and other local agencies will create a structured community on designated campsites.” TURN
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FUNDS/A8
KITCHEN/A8
Jefferson School is reaching beyond PT Kids from Clallam, China on board BY MICHAEL DASHIELL OLYMPIC PENINSULA NEWS GROUP
mission is one of the smaller schools in the area. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in geographic vision, staff members say. “It’s a cool school. The education is individualized, to a large extent,” said Craig Frick, a Sequim resident who teaches history and civics and works as assistant head of school. “There’s a lot of free choice in their education, which empowers them,” Frick said.
PORT TOWNSEND — Small school, big dreams. Nestled in downtown Port Townsend among the boutique shops, cafes and bistros, in a three-story building once used as a Templar Hall, is a gateway to the world. Founded in 2004, Jefferson Community School at 280 Quincy St. has grown in recent years and now boasts about 35 students. Annual gala With a staff of less than 10, The school will host its annual the independent, private nonprofit school accredited by the dinner and auction fundraiser Northwest Accreditation Com- from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. April 30.
The Year of the Monkey Gala will be at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St. Tickets are $80 and are available in advance on the website at www.jeffersoncommunityschool. com. They also will be offered at the door. Head of School Rita Hemsley, who has a doctorate, came to the school three years ago to oversee a program that had seen enrollment drop to 17 students and was in danger of closing. Through reaching out to outlying communities and countries — three of the three dozen students this year are from Sequim and two are from China — that MICHAEL DASHIELL/OLYMPIC PENINSULA NEWS GROUP number has grown each year. History teacher Craig Frick of Sequim, right, leads a TURN TO SCHOOL/A8 current events discussion at Jefferson Community School.
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