Nuthin' graduated about it

No, elation finds full expression Friday night as commencement arrives for the Climber Class of 2004. Flashing her pearly whites at the fore, center, is Jessica Kent, and flanking her are Rebecca Cadle (left) and Sara Shintaffer. High above the crowd behind them is six-foot-six grad Tyler Schlauderaff, and at far right is classmate Kyle Schmidt. For a peek at all of the grads and more, see the Journal's special graduation section this week.

RANDY NEATHERLIN of Belfair has declared his candidacy for the Mason County Commission.

ROBERT BENZE, Republican from Silverdale, has declared he's running for the House seat now held by Bill Eickmeyer.

Billboard art winner

Mountain View Elementary School fifth-grader Jessica Lanman poses with her teacher, Robin Gagnon, after receiving the grand prize recently in the second annual Forest Festival Field Day billboard contest.

Ten seniors graduate from Mary M. Knight

GRADUATES OF Mary M. Knight High School include, back row from left, James Smith, Joel Puderbaugh, John McCoy, Steven Spaulding and Jerry Shumate. In front are Kami Kingman, Michelle Iversen, Theresa Brown, Cassandra Brehmeyer and Alison Goldy. Commencement ceremonies were held last Saturday afternoon. The valedictorian was Michelle Iversen. Salutatorian was James Smith. Brehmeyer and Kingman are also graduating with associate's degrees from South Puget Sound Community College.

'I have found there is nothing more wonderful than children with a kid.'

SCULPTOR ROBIN LAWS, left, loves it when children, like Beth Snider, beam as they meet a young goat face to face. Laws, internationally known sculptor who is the sister of Evergreen Elementary second-grade teacher Merrie Sims, came to Evergreen to work with children in a special art project.

Wild man of Borneo?

Nah, just Shelton High School woodshop teacher Roger "Mister Mac" McCausland yielding to the scissors last week in keeping with a sometime tradition in the name of charity. His shorn locks will wind up in the hands of folks who turn such donated excess into wigs for young cancer patients temporarily balded by radiation treatment. Mac's pictured accomplices? They're SHS senior (and student representative on the school board) Scott Glenn and TGF Cuts hair stylist (and '00 Climber grad) Bobbi Cullen.

STUDENT DANE Carlson's design for a salmon center calls for the establishment of a "campus" style layout where spaces for research labs, offices and exhibits are housed in different buildings. A group of graduate students from the University of Oregon were at the Mary E. Theler Community Center last week to share their design ideas for a new Pacific Northwest Salmon Center.

Young people team up for cleanup

Maegan Hunt, an AmeriCorps worker with the Mary E. Theler Organization, peeks through the bushes with a full smile on her face while working with several of her co-workers on a cleanup effort on Roy Boad Road in Belfair recently. Also helping out in the effort were a handful of students from the North Mason School District's HomeLink program.

Mother and son show dino-might

Westly Harrison showed up with his mom and an interactive dino-rama when teacher Suzanne Jackson had "Dino Day" for her class at Pioneer School. Students made models of dinosaurs and read poems dedicated to various species of the now-extinct "thunder lizards." This display by Westly and mom Jane Metzger had a volcano with an orange-colored seltzer substance looking like hot lava flowing into the prehistoric dawn.

PRESENTING THE PRESIDENT'S "Call to Service" award to Wally Barker is Mayor John Tarrant. The award recognizes exceptional achievement as a community volunteer.