When Alex Miller and two other local teens shared the news two weeks ago that they would be competing in the international Marine Advanced Technology Education Remotely Operated Vehicle (MATE ROV) competition, we asked if he would check back in after they returned home. He obliged with this report (and the photo above) – take note of the fundraising they’re planning!

The international MATE ROV competition was put on the weekend of the 23rd in Orlando, and we were very grateful to participate in it. This was a great educational experience for us, because it allowed us to gain a perspective on the maritime=technology industry. For example we had conversations with representatives from many of the industry’s leading companies. Overall, we finished 19th out of 32 teams at our level. We were also one of three primarily middle-school-age teams, the smallest team attending (with only three team members), and the only team not affiliated with a school or organization. In addition to these accomplishments, our CEO (Clara Orndorff) won an award for being helpful towards other teams. We are already considering improvements for next year. To finance these expenditures, we will be holding bake sales throughout the summer at the intersection of 59th Avenue SW and Alki Avenue.

Clara is 15; Alex and their teammate Nicholas Orndorff are 13. Congratulations to them for their achievement!

The legacy of a couple who spent their retirement years in West Seattle will live on, thanks to more than $1,000,000 in donations announced by their family today.

The donations from the estate of William C. Sanders and Mildred Krahmer Sanders, both longtime Boeing workers, include money for the Seattle Fire Department to buy two new medic units, and for Research to Prevent Blindness to build a lab for advanced eye research.

Read on for more about the couple and their gifts:Read More

Big event at the nearby Museum of Flight in two weeks – and a former West Seattleite plays a big role. West Seattle High School alum astronaut Gregory Johnson is flying NASA‘s “Super Guppy” cargo plane to bring a shuttle-trainer section here. The full announcement, received from the museum this afternoon, with details on the celebration that will ensue, is ahead (along with an image of the unusual-looking plane):Read More

We are always thrilled to be able to share news about local people – of all ages – achieving great things. Today – meet the team of local youth headed to an international technology competition! As part of it, they needed to do “media outreach” for bonus points – and even wrote their own story, which we’re happy to publish. First, Alex Miller‘s introduction:

We are participating in the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Competition. An ROV is an underwater vehicle that is controlled from the surface. We built this ROV throughout last year and recently participated in the Pacific Northwest regional competition and placed 2nd. This qualified us for a place at the international competition in Orlando, Florida. We are really looking forward to going. In addition to building our ROV, we made a poster about our ROV, we wrote a technical report, and we have prepared an engineering presentation to give to a panel of judges.

Alex is 13. He’s on the AMNO & CO ROV team with 13-year-old Nicholas Orndorff and 15-year-old Clara Orndorff. Read on for their full report, and a photo of their ROV:Read More

One year ago this week, Steve John and family in West Seattle raised money to help his aunt and uncle who were affected by the May 22, 2011, tornado that killed more than 150 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Joplin, Missouri; two of Steve’s neighbors organized a benefit garage sale, and many friends and neighbors donated items to sell. This week, Steve e-mailed WSB to say he wanted to publicly thank everyone again: “I’ll never be able to repay everyone, both here and at my place of work, who pitched to help far away strangers in their time of need” – and to share then-and-now photos of his relatives’ neighborhood. Above, their house post-tornado; ahead, their house now, plus the then-and-now views of their neighborhood:Read More

A productive morning around West Seattle so far – here’s just a few reasons why:

Thanks to Admiral Neighborhood Association vice president Karl de Jong for the photo of ANA president Katy Walum and children Olivia and Henry at this morning’s Adopt-A-Street cleanup (as previewed here). They were among the volunteers who spent three hours out cleaning up Admiral District streets – just one of ANA’s community-enhancing activities; if you live in the area, check out their next monthly meeting, this Tuesday, June 12, 7 pm, at Admiral Congregational Church (California/Hill).

Not far away, at Alki Bathhouse:

Thanks to Anita Lavine for sharing that photo from the Junior Carpenters’ Workshop presented by Niederberger Contracting this morning. Anita says the kids built birdhouses for chickadees to nest in! Anita explains, “The guys are doing it as a way to say ‘thank you’ to the supportive community here in the neighborhood, and provide all the materials and instruction free of charge.”

In February 2011, much concern was expressed when KUOW reported on the Beloved Mexico food truck that has been a fixture next to West Seattle Produce, saying its owner Christian Guerrero had lost his day job, and the truck was struggling. Reporter Deborah Wang e-mailed us to let us know she followed up, and the story is airing on their station today – but you can listen to/read it here now. Things, she reports, are looking up.

While we have been publishing obituaries on WSB for a while, this is a first – a request to publish a tribute on the anniversary of someone’s passing. It is also shared as a message of gratitude to the community, so here’s what Barb Fuda‘s widower Bob and his family want to say:

In Memory of Barb Fuda

Today marks the one-year Anniversary of the passing of my wife Barb. It’s hard to believe she has been gone a whole year. She is truly missed by all who knew her and loved her so much, but we all know she is in a better place knowing all the pain she was in during her final days.

My family and I would like to take a moment to say Thank You for all your kind words and all the love, support and prayers that have been given to us over the last year. It lifts our hearts whenever we see Barb’s Bench at Safeway or the Lafayette playground because we know her spirit lives on.

Our love and thanks goes out to you all,
Bob, Melissa, Tim, Whitney, Luke, Little Conner, and the rest of my family

The little photo shows little Conner on “Barb’s bench,” which is inside the new Admiral Safeway, as shown in our coverage from its opening day last August. That was two months after Ms. Fuda’s life was cut short by cancer; she had worked at the old Admiral Safeway for more than 40 years.

Tomorrow (Monday, June 4) is the last day for teens to apply for the RecTech summer Youth Media Internship program — you’ll find forms and info here. The program is increasingly more prestigious and accomplished, as some of its current and past members have just received major honors – adviser Leslie Howle shares the story (and photo!):

On Friday, May 11, eight high school students who participated in the RecTech Youth Media “24-Hour Film Challenge” at Delridge Community Center attended a Gala Awards Presentation event at the Museum of History and History, better known as MOHAI. Three of our film teams walked away with honors.

“History Is… Repetition,” created by Bryan Shickley, Thien Vo, and Liban Mohamud won the MOHAI History Award. Film makers Bryan and Liban were winter quarter students at the RecTech Youth Media Interns program located at Delridge Community Center. Thien is a current RecTech Youth Media intern who has been working with us since the beginning of this year. All three students signed on for the Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon 24-hour film challenge this spring and their team received the $1000 MOHAI History Award, which they split three ways.

Bryan Shickley is 16 and attends Big Picture High School. Liban Mohamud is 14 and attends Chief Sealth International High School. Thien Vo is 16 and attends Evergreen High School’s Technology, Engineering & Communications School. (They’re in the photo above.)

“History Is…Invention” took the Best Youth Group Project award, and Samira Hussein and Hibo Mohamad received a $500 prize which they split two ways. Samira has been working with the RecTech Youth Media program since January 2012. She is 17 years old and attends Chief Sealth International High School. Hibo Mohamed, a 17 year old student at West Seattle High School, was a first time RecTech Internship participant with the 24 hour film challenge.

“History Is…Basketball”, by Issa Mohamed, Evan Williams, and Sterling Espinoza, received an Honorable Mention. Issa is a 15 year old student at West Seattle High School. Evan Williams joined the Youth Media Interns for the first time to participate in the 24 Film Challenge. He is a student at Franklin High School. Sterling Espinoza is a 16 year old high school junior who has been with the RecTech Youth Media Internship for one year.

All of our winning interns came away with a great “swag bag” that included a SIFF short film festival weekend pass and a MOAHI membership. Congratulations to our RecTech Youth Media Filmmakers, and many thanks to our partners, SIFF and 911 Media Arts!

For more information and an application for this summer’s paid RecTech film-making internship being offered in partnership with SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival) Futurewave, go to rectech.seattle.gov and click on the internship tab.

If you hear someone say “Seafair” and “Alki” in the same sentence, you might think “Pirates.” This afternoon, however, those words went along with “royalty” – and “admiralty.” The Alki Point Lighthouse was the setting as this year’s candidates in the Seafair Scholarship Program for Women – along with the woman one of them will succeed, reigning Miss Seafair Veronica Quintero – enjoyed their first official group outing, the annual Admiral’s Tea reception. Above, that’s Veronica with U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Keith A. Taylor, the USCG’s 13th District commander, and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Douglass T. Biesel, Navy Region Northwest commander. We also photographed her with West Seattle’s representative in this year’s Miss Seafair competition, last year’s Hi-Yu Senior Court Queen Kelsey Bills:

Other West Seattle ties: At the lighthouse, we talked with Ruthie Waid, a WS resident who’s a new member of the Scholarship Program committee (and mother of 2006 Miss Seafair Erin Waid), and met JoAnne Ludwig, the former West Seattleite who is longtime chair of the program. The next Miss Seafair will be crowned July 28th, right before the Seafair Torchlight Parade. One week before that, the candidates will be back in West Seattle, for the American Legion Post 160 Grand Parade down California SW on July 21st. (As for the Pirates – they land at Alki Beach on July 7th.)

P.S. One other big event today at the lighthouse – the first day in 2012 that it was open for the public to visit! June through August, it’s open Saturdays and Sundays, 1-4 pm.

Last month, during the West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) customer-appreciation celebration, the store raffled off a $500 Western Family shopping spree, with ticket sales benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank. Not only did that bring in $400 for the food bank, says Michele from Thriftway, there’s a winner, and she says they’re hoping for a cheering section – 10 am Tuesday (May 29), just show up at the store (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan).