Changing of guard at schools

Newly elected school board members Laura Wishik, Dan Chasan and Kathy Jones will be sworn in at the next regular school board meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 29.

After the swearing-in, there will be a reception to welcome new board members and thank outgoing board members.

Pt. Robinson holds tours

The Point Robinson park will hold a holiday open house from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9. All are welcome to tour the lighthouse or the keepers quarters available for rental, and tell the lighthouse Santa — a sailor himself — what they want for Christmas.

Land use group to meet tonight

The Vashon-Maury Island Community Council Land Use Committee will meet at 7 p.m. today, Wednesday, Nov. 28, at the office of Amiad & Associates, Inc., next to The Beachcomber. The group will discuss its response to a request from King County concerning the Comprehensive Plan. The public is invited to attend.

Gift fair offers alternatives

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, there will be an alternative gift fair in the McMurray multipurpose room.

At the fair, Islanders can choose from a variety of on-Island nonprofit organizations. Gift-giving opportunities range from donations for affordable housing to animal rescue to feeding the hungry — all on Vashon Island.

Alternative gifts are tax-deductible (cash or checks only). Those who make purchases on behalf of friends and relatives will receive a gift card with a description of their gift inscribed by a calligrapher.

The fair is based on a model by the Center for a New American Dream (http://newdream.org/holiday). For more information, contact Nadine Meeker at 463-1930.

Harbor School hires new head

The Harbor School has hired Steve Edele, most recently the head of a private school in San Diego, to replace outgoing head of school Toby Welch. Edele was chosen after a nationwide search and from a field of “six outstanding semi-finalists,” said David Vogel, a member of the school’s search committee. His selection followed a unanimous vote by both the search committee and the school’s board of trustees, he said.

Edele, who has 30 years of experience in education, has a master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in literature from Villanova University.