News Briefs | November 14 edition

Local groups team up to donate sports gear; also, an incident at McMurray Middle School.

By Beachcomber Staff • November 15, 2024 10:30 am
Back row, from left to right: Nicky Wilks, from Journeymen One Village; John Bean, the community outreach chair of the Church of the Holy Spirit; Dustin Laundry, of Vashon Boards; and Judith Neary, of Rjs Kids. In front: Reverend Meredith Harmon, the rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit. (Courtesy photo)
Back row, from left to right: Nicky Wilks, from Journeymen One Village; John Bean, the community outreach chair of the Church of the Holy Spirit; Dustin Laundry, of Vashon Boards; and Judith Neary, of Rjs Kids. In front: Reverend Meredith Harmon, the rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit. (Courtesy photo)

Safety incident at McMurray

On Thursday, Nov. 8, a safety incident took place at McMurray Middle School.

According to a Nov. 8 email sent to school families by Superintendent Slade McSheehy, an 8th-grade student exhibited escalated behavior and made a threat toward another student, initially refusing to follow directions to leave the building. With the support of the staff and Principal Greg Allison, the student ultimately exited but continued to make threats to the principal before leaving campus.

Following the district’s safety protocols, 911 was called, and King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) deputies and Vashon Fire & Rescue responded and addressed the situation off-campus on Cemetery Road. According to Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) Fire Chief Matt Vinci, a youth was transported by VIFR crews to an off-island hospital.

A KCSO spokesperson, Brandyn Hull, said that KSCO’s response included calling family members of the student who made the threat. KSCO also coordinated with the police department in an off-island community, who also visited the family’s home. The student’s threat had been determined to be non-credible, Hull said.

On Friday, Nov. 8, McSheehy and Allison fully detailed the district’s response to the incident in another email to families. They wrote that teachers had held discussions with students to address students’ concerns, and outlined steps being taken to enhance the district’s safety and security measures.

These include requesting additional support from KCSO and monitoring an expanded array of security cameras. Exterior doors of the school will be secured during the school day, they wrote, with access only through the main entry doors.

The email also detailed the district’s rigorous threat assessment process, which includes collaboration with local law enforcement and Puget Sound Educational District to review security plans. The collaboration with PSESD is detailed at tinyurl.com/4d4wdm74.

The district will continue and enhance safety drills for both students and staff, focusing on lockdown procedures and emergency response as outlined in the district’s protocol system, which can be found at tinyurl.com/bde6sjwp.

Counseling services are available to both students and staff, McSheehy and Allison wrote, and any concerns about student well-being will be immediately addressed.

They urged parents to talk to their children about the importance of reporting any concerns they might have related to bullying, suspicious activity, or any other type of threat; to stay informed by reading school communications and encouraging their children to participate in safety drills; and to remain vigilant and immediately report anything unusual to school authorities.

The district’s reporting system for students and staff to report any safety concerns can be found at tinyurl.com/5cs38498.

“We remain dedicated to providing a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment for our students,” they wrote. “While we cannot predict every situation, we can be prepared, and your partnership in these efforts is invaluable.”

Collaboration brings skateboards, disc golf to BARC youth

Five families have been gifted skateboards and disc golf kits thanks to a recent collaboration between the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, Rj’s Kids, Journeymen One Village and Vashon Boards.

The project is intended to encourage youth and group activity at the Burton Adventure Recreation Center, or BARC.

The gift, according to church spokesperson John Bean, honors the work of Judith Neary and Ramon Ontiveros, the couple who founded Rj’s Kids following the death of their son Rj Ontiveros in 2014. Rjs Kids pursued the creation of a community center for Vashon youth, and their work was instrumental in achieving grant funding that funded the new concrete pump track at the BARC.

The Church of the Holy Spirit’s outreach committee has now provided funding for five skateboard packages (including the skateboard components, helmets and padding) and five starter sets for disc golf. The church worked with Neary; Nicky Wilks, executive director of Journeymen One Village; and Wilks’ assistant Ellie Arellano to identify five young island residents as recipients of the skateboards and disc golf sets.

Church spokesperson John Bean championed the project after visiting the BARC and being inspired by skaters he saw there, Neary said.

Dustin Landry, owner of Vashon Boards, provided the skateboards for the project at a reduced price, according to the church.