March 2015

By Kyra-lin Hom

Easter is a surprisingly controversial holiday. No one's entirely positive where it – let alone it its rituals – come from. It's supposedly a Christian celebration of resurrection and rebirth, but some purist Christians refuse to celebrate it, citing its pagan origins. Those pagan origins could be Anglo-Saxon or they could be Sumerian. And then there's the whole evolving from the Jewish Passover thing, being tied to the vernal equinox instead of the Gregorian calendar we're all familiar with, and the 325 CE Council of Nicaea's final stamp of approval. It's no wonder hard core Easter critics have wound themselves a little tight.

As far as I'm concerned, these are all fascinating tidbits of history but not something to grind my teeth over. And yet to some people, they are. Perhaps this is because, while, for example, some Christmas traditions call back to the gift-giving pagan holiday Saturnalia, Easter's roots are a bit sexier.

By Gwen Davis

Think college is hard? The non-stop studying, demanding professors, student loans and crazy class schedules can make any undergrad question why they ever left home in the first place.

However, try saying that after you hear Shelby Hinton’s story. A West Seattle native and recent graduate of Western Washington University, Hinton went to college excited about working hard and receiving a degree, just like any other young person fresh out of high school would.

Additionally, Hinton was a first-generation student, meaning she was the first person in her family to attend college. Being first-generation can make the event of tackling college even more motivating and meaningful.

But Hinton’s experience was not like most others. During her sophomore year, Hinton got sick with the flu, which then seemed to turn into pneumonia. But after going to see the doctor, Hinton learned that what she actually had was a life-threatening liver disease.

“That was pretty shocking,” Hinton said. “No one in my family ever had a problem with it. Being a sophomore, I didn’t know what it really meant to have a liver disease.”

By Pat Cashman

A few months ago in this space I wrote about the side effects that come with certain medications and other products. This column is sort of a part two of that---although if this one seems even more incoherent than usual---and has some occasional werds that are misprelled---there is good reason.

I have taken a new medicine that my doctor prescribed yesterday---and it is loaded with possible side effects.

For one thing, it may possibly make me feel dizzy. Especially if taken while on a merry-go-round. It might also make me feel sleepy---particularly if taken while watching a televised Seattle City Council meeting.
It warns that I should not drive a car after taking the medication---but doesn’t say anything about driving a truck, motorcycle or bus---so I figure I’ll still be able to get around.

But beyond that, I’m supposed to avoid working with machines. So I’ve had to reluctantly tell my wife that as long as I’m taking this stuff, I won’t be able to operate a washing machine, clothes iron or vacuum cleaner.

Friday, March 27

Fastpitch
West Seattle 4, Fife 0
The Wildcats blanked the Trojans at Fife Friday.
Hazen 8, Evergreen 1
The Wolverines took a loss to the Highlanders in Friday action.
Foster 38, Tyee 7
Foster racked up 38 runs to overwhelm the Totems' seven on Friday.
Kennedy 8, Highline 7
The Lancers slipped past the Pirates on Friday.
Tahoma 10, Mt. Rainier 0
The Rams were 10-runned by the Bears Friday.

Boys soccer
SCS 2, Vashon 1
The Warriors were winners against Vashon Island on Friday.
Hazen 4, Foster 2
Hazen outgunned the Bulldogs in Friday's action.
Mt. Rainier 2, Decatur 1
Mount Rainier grabbed a close win over the Gators Friday.
Kennedy 7, Renton 1
The Lancers routed Renton in a Friday match.
Lindbergh 2, Evergreen 1
The Eagles edged Evergreen on Friday.
Ballard 2, Chief Sealth 0
Chief Sealth was blanked by Ballard Friday.
Eastside Catholic 4, West Seattle 0
The Wildcats also took a shutout loss Friday.

Baseball
Kennedy 8, Highline 2
The Lancers outslugged the Pirates on Friday.
Tyee 16, Foster 6
Tyee topped Foster by 10 runs Friday.

Sports Roundup

Thursday, March 26
Baseball
Kennedy 15, Foster 3
Kennedy Catholic cruised past the Bulldogs in Thursday's game.
TJ 5, Mt. Rainier 4
The Rams were edged by the Raiders Thursday.

Fastpitch
Kentwood 11, Mt. Rainier 1
Mount Rainier was swamped by Kentwood in Thursday's rain makeup game.

Tennis
Mt. Rainier 5, Kent-Meridian 0
The Rams swept all five matches from the Royals on Thursday.

Track and field
Foster-Highline-Renton
Foster posted a 72-63 boys victory over Highline this past Thursday, but the Highline girls emerged as 81-37 winners over the Bulldogs.
Foster also took a 106-39 boys loss compared to Renton and lost to the Indians, 91-37, on the girls side.
Evergreen-Tyee-Lindbergh
Lindbergh carried the day against the Evergreen/Tyee co-op team Thursday.
The Eagle boys defeated Evergreen, 102-42, and Tyee, 132-5.
On the girls side, Lindbergh edged Evergreen, 62-49, and won, 89-9, over the Totems.
Kennedy-Hazen
The Lancer girls won, 84-66, over Hazen, but the boys took an 84-53 loss.

Kyra passed away March 20, 2015 in her home in Port Orchard, WA. She was born September 8, 1956 to James Robert “Bob” and Katherine “Katie” E. (Kitchens) Penman in Bremerton, WA. Bob served in the Navy and was stationed at various ports in the US and Canada, which produced many fond memories of these locations. Bob retired in Bremerton, where Kyra graduated from West High School (Wildcats) in 1974. She was married in Port Orchard August 14, 1992.

Kyra held many service-oriented positions including clothing store sales, medical receptionist, and as a para-pro educator. Her favorite job was in education working with special needs students. She was also very active with church, reflecting her love for God.

She is survived by her husband of 22 years, J. Clinton Kelly III; children, TC Ann-Marie Shamra Bulger, Brynnen N.C. McIver, Alexander M.N. McIver, Kristopher D.J. McIver, James C. Kelly IV; and three grandchildren.

April is National Poetry Month so we should join in the fun by stepping out of our normal routine and surprising someone close to each of us with a bit of poetry.  Even if your not a poet, you can use something like this written by William Shakespeare or another fine author…
 
What hast thou then more than thou hadst before?
No love, my love, that thou mayst true love call—
All mine was thine before thou hadst this more.
 
Wouldn’t it be nice to receive something like that in a card or a special note?  Would it not also make sense to include a set of tickets to an upcoming show and plan a nice time out where you can enjoy time together over a meal and a glass of wine?  I am going to leave the poetry for my wife with tickets for her and my daughter to the upcoming Maroon 5 concert.  There will be screaming well before the concert!
 

By Patrick Robinson

U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon visited West Seattle Elementary school on Tuesday March 24, to observe successes the school has had with the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and a focus on local foods.

It was part of a trip to Seattle where he also visited Highline College in Des Moines, Wa., where he announced that Washington State will receive $22 million over the next three years to help unemployed food assistance recipients find well-paying jobs.

Under Secretary Concannon was joined by College administrators, state government officials, business leaders, and others in announcing that Washington, along with several other states, has been selected for a program designed to test innovative ways to help the unemployed or underemployed transition off of government food assistance programs and compete for positions in today’s job market.

CEP, a provision of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, allows schools in high-poverty areas to offer all students school meals at no cost. Benefits include:

Burien Bites is one of Burien’s most delectable events of the year. This is a community event, created to help raise money for local charities, where participants can get to know their neighbors, mingle and try specialty fare at local participating restaurants. People will have the opportunity to dine around town and taste different “bites”, all for only $2 a bite. Tickets for the $2 bites will be available for purchase before the event (at HomeTask or Discover Burien), or at the participating restaurants.  Participants then can redeem the tickets at the participating restaurant for their special bite. This event will allow people to experience new, different and fun restaurants that they may not have tried before. “We are always trying to find new ways to help the community and organizing Burien Bites is a fantastic way for people to have fun and be generous towards those who need our help,” said HomeTask CEO Jerrod Sessler and founder of the event. “It also brings our community together which is all about people building relationships.” You can support your community by helping raise money and tasting delicious food.