by Darby Wright
Sounder contributor
Similarly as the flora and fauna of Eastsound bud and blossom, so do the youth of our small town.
As they gear up for graduation day and the new adventures that lie beyond the doors of Orcas Island High School, they prepare many gifts for the community. Whether musical, athletic, artistic or charitable endeavors, they all share one feeling: passion. An important part of being a senior is discovering and learning how to navigate becoming a young adult; senior projects are a perfect way to start that process. The class of 2024 has thoughtfully pursued many avenues for these final endeavors.
All are invited to attend the presentation of projects on Tuesday, June 11 at 11 a.m. at the Orcas Island High School.
August Moore has created two hand-carved stamps (featuring the art of a tree and an octopus), turning them into sellable prints. Money raised from the prints will be donated back to the OIHS art program.
Malia Martinolich encourages keeping our beaches green and clean by creating the “Take a Bag, Leave a Bag” system in which beachgoers will have recycled bags accessible to pick up trash off the shore.
Moose Kinsey takes us into the world of film and video. He aims to promote art education within the classrooms and has done so by crafting a video for the A*OK Art program.
Megan Heisinger will be hosting a presentation on mental health, continuing to shine the light on why exposure and advocacy to this topic are so important. In addition, she will be making an affirmation sign to hang in the school, giving students confidence in times of need.
Jefferson Freeman has built a barbeque from scratch to give to the culinary department. Students and staff alike will share it as they take on creative food adventures and endeavors.
Other senior projects include Adairis Quintero’s clothing drive, Ava Berge’s Tales to Tales program at the animal shelter, Ethan Moss’s bench for student use, Hannah Alexander’s community dodgeball event, Kella Orr’s American Sign Language classes, Theodore Vaccarella’s culinary lessons, Valeria Villarreal’s puppet show, John Hill’s fishing tournament, Seraphine Knapp’s post high school life seminars and many more.
