Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020 - Week 32
ALL SMILES AT HOLE NO. 1
Lauren Kerlee of Olympia watches her frisbee land in the net at Shelton Springs Disc Golf Course near Shelton High School Monday morning. See pages A14-15 for more disc golf photos. Journal photo by Isabella Breda
MMK plans for students to return to classroom
By GORDON WEEKS
gordon@masoncounty.com Mary M. Knight is the first school district in Mason County planning to allow students in the classroom in the fall, with an in-person/online hybrid learning plan. Under the plan passed July 30 by the district’s school board, the Matlock school’s 150 students in kindergarten through 12th grade will be divided into two groups. Students in A Group will attend school in the buildings Mondays and Thursdays, the students in Group B on Tuesdays and Fridays; on the other days, they are distance learning. All students will study at home on Wednesdays. The students will be divided into the two groups based on geography. Students in the same family will have the same schedule. The pandemic could alter that plan. The district has a backup plan in case the coronavirus forces all students home. “The goal posts keep moving back and getting higher,” said Matt Mallery, superintendent of the Mary M. Knight School District. Shelton, North Mason, Hood Canal and Pioneer school districts will start the school year with all students learning online from home. Grapeview and Southside school districts state they will announce their reopening plans next week. For more of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, subscribe to our weekly edition. |
Six fire districts assist in ‘erratic and intense’ weather conditions
By ISABELLA BREDA
isabella@masoncounty.com A Mason County strike team helped quench a nearly 800-acre wildland fire south of U.S. Highway 2, near Ephrata over the weekend. “It was 102 degrees with low humidity and high winds — at that point our heads are on a swivel because that weather creates erratic and intense fire behaviors,” Central Mason firefighter Mark Frazier said. State assistance was mobilized when the Coulee Meadows Fire was 250 acres and rapidly growing early Friday morning. The Mason County strike team — including firefighters from North Mason Regional Fire Authority, Central Mason Fire, West Mason Fire, Fire Districts 11, 3, 1 and North Kitsap Fire and Rescue — headed east in five brush trucks and a water tender at about 12:30 a.m. Strike teams are made up of a few wildland firefighters from each agency who sign up to be “up” for dispatch in the case of a large wildland fire. For Gavin Rightmeyer and Gary Thomas of North Mason Regional Fire Authority, this 100-plus degree, fast-moving fire was their first wildland fire experience. Rightmeyer said that while working the line and mopping up, the team stayed awake for 40 hours straight. For more of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, subscribe to our weekly edition. |
Shelton High School’s Kamie Nicklaus takes a free kick during a nonconference high school girls soccer match against Elma last season. Girls soccer, like most traditional fall sports in Washington, is scheduled to compete in the spring due to the pandemic. Journal file photo by Justin Johnson
WIAA sets dates for prep season
By JUSTIN JOHNSON
justin@masoncounty.com
While the picture of what high school athletics in Washington will look like during the upcoming school year is still cloudy, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association in a July 29 meeting in Renton took steps to provide a clearer picture.
The WIAA — the state’s governing body over high school sports — previously announced that the 2020-21 prep sports calendar will consist of four seasons with most traditional fall sports moving to the spring. In its most recent meeting, the WIAA unveiled start dates for each sport. In addition, it said that all Season 1 competition will be alternate season competition, meaning the state championship events for those sports will occur later in the year.
The 2A Evergreen League, which includes Shelton High School, met earlier this week to determine if the league’s members would compete during the alternate season or traditional season of boys and girls cross country, tennis and golf. A decision had not been reached by the Shelton-Mason County Journal’s deadline.
The Shelton School District announced last week that classes would be online only when the school year begins Sept. 2. The district did not set a date for returning to in-person learning, but will evaluate the status of the pandemic every two weeks to determine when it’s safe to return to campus.
North Mason High School also will begin the school year online for at least the first nine weeks and will not compete during the WIAA’s Season 1. The Bulldogs intend instead to compete in those sports during Season 3.
For more of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, subscribe to our weekly edition.
justin@masoncounty.com
While the picture of what high school athletics in Washington will look like during the upcoming school year is still cloudy, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association in a July 29 meeting in Renton took steps to provide a clearer picture.
The WIAA — the state’s governing body over high school sports — previously announced that the 2020-21 prep sports calendar will consist of four seasons with most traditional fall sports moving to the spring. In its most recent meeting, the WIAA unveiled start dates for each sport. In addition, it said that all Season 1 competition will be alternate season competition, meaning the state championship events for those sports will occur later in the year.
The 2A Evergreen League, which includes Shelton High School, met earlier this week to determine if the league’s members would compete during the alternate season or traditional season of boys and girls cross country, tennis and golf. A decision had not been reached by the Shelton-Mason County Journal’s deadline.
The Shelton School District announced last week that classes would be online only when the school year begins Sept. 2. The district did not set a date for returning to in-person learning, but will evaluate the status of the pandemic every two weeks to determine when it’s safe to return to campus.
North Mason High School also will begin the school year online for at least the first nine weeks and will not compete during the WIAA’s Season 1. The Bulldogs intend instead to compete in those sports during Season 3.
For more of the Shelton-Mason County Journal, subscribe to our weekly edition.
Lobby Hours Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-12:00pm
With Social Distancing. 6’ and mask requested please. Be safe. We care.
With Social Distancing. 6’ and mask requested please. Be safe. We care.
