Thank you
Mock crash sends a powerful message
We were in attendance at Tuesday’s mock crash. I was awestruck and tears rolled as I watched the blue tarps pulled back.
I am preparing to go home in July for my 20th high school reunion. Two of my friends I know for sure will not be there because the day following my 17th birthday, they and three other teens died in a horrible car crash. Drinking nor drugs were involved. In the end, high speeds and lack of seatbelts killed the five teenagers from my town.
I was not home that summer, instead, I was away with my aunt on the coast. Had I been home, chances are very high I might have been in that car.
We never had mock crash presentations when I was a young driver. I wish they had. I am happily married and have four children. My parents have a son-in-law and grandchildren they can see grow. My friends’ parents aren’t as lucky. Brent was the oldest in his family and left behind a baby sister and brother. Mike was the youngest of three boys. I began going to school with these two boys when I was only 5 years old. We hit all sorts of milestones together. We all were close.
I guess I was inspired to write this to encourage you to not just keep this as a seniors’ thing before prom. My friends weren’t seniors yet. Nor were they teens coming back from a special event such as prom or homecoming. I truly believe this is something that your entire student body should hear, see and partake in. My husband is a senior chief at the local submarine base and is strongly encouraging his sailors to attend one of the two remaining ones at the other high schools. We both strongly believe our community as a whole could benefit from quarterly staged mock crashes.
In the end, I want to say thank you. I pray that each student there was able to take this staged event to heart. As I mentioned, I am preparing for my 20-year reunion which means 21 years will have passed this July since I lose Mike and Brent that summer evening. The memories and the wounds are as if they happened yesterday. I pray no one else would ever have to endure the pain that I and the rest of my hometown community endured.
MICHELLE STEPHENSON
Poulsbo
Thanks a million
Earth Day event a success
What a week! Saturday, the crew from the Emory S. Land (AS39) and other community volunteers tackled scotch broom and blackberries at the Old Mill Site Park. What a group! What an improvement!
That afternoon, Leslie Bannigan of the health district spoke about water quality and Art Castle of the Home Builders Association spoke about Low Impact Development. They were stimulating and informative.
On Thursday, 80 students from Marie Crumb’s Central Kitsap High School classes came to the Clear Creek Trail for their annual Earth Day community event. This year, they put in 500 feet of trail and took out blackberries on the new trail in the north fields. Michele Sotelo helped coordinate the work. It is a wonderful new section of the trail in the north fields next to where the Silverdale Calvary Church will be built. We have a wonderful partnership with the church on this effort.
We had tremendous support again this year from many folks. Taco Bell fed all those hungry kids as they have for the last 15 years! Dori Lechner and her gang from county parks provided tools. Sid Williams and Thomas Hunter from Silverdale Water District also brought tools and helped direct the effort (Sid worked on the trail in high school). Roy Meyers and Dean Enebo from the Kiwanis club, Nadean Ross, Jon Day and Jim Rodman from our task force returned again this year to help direct the effort. Robert Taylor and Claudia Hunt coordinated the food and restroom facilities. Of course, Randy Peterson, Mr. Trail, orchestrated the entire event.
It is such a joy to be around these students! Our community can be proud of them. Their drive and spark keep us pumped up. The support from our friends in the county and business community is vital to their success. This shared community spirit is what makes this entire project so much fun.
For all of you that made this such a successful event — Thanks a million.
TEX LEWIS
Clear Creek Task Force
Silverdale
