Summer plants that bring wow-factor
9 Ferndale athletes finish first at May 1 track meet
David Vos writes that folks garden for the joy plants bring the soul. — Country Life, A6
Golden Eagles competed against Lynden Christian, Burlington-Edison. — Sports, B4
MAY 8, 2024
SINCE 1885
FERNDALE, WASHINGTON • $1.50
Lenssen, Ledbetter offer student perspective
Gabrielle Lenssen, above, and Kwabena Ledbetter, below, are the Ferndale School Board’s two student representatives. Lenssen, a junior, will continue on the board for her senior year. Ledbetter, however, is a senior and will graduate in June. (Luke Seymour/Ferndale Record)
Ferndale School District’s student board representatives say more dialogue needs to happen when addressing controversial issues By Luke Seymour Staff Reporter
FERNDALE — Gabrielle Lenssen and Kwabena Ledbetter are the two student representatives on the Ferndale School Board. Although the role of student representative requires the two of them be outgoing and communicative, according to Lenssen, their extensive communications skills thoroughly failed them after they met in middle school. “We were both on the same cross country team,” Lenssen said with a laugh. “He was in eighth grade and I was still in seventh and I guess we weren’t really on speaking terms yet, just because he seemed really cool
and popular and so I was a little intimidated there. Also he was a really great runner and I no longer do cross country.” The two said that they hadn’t really started connecting until they were both in a leadership class in high school when Ledbetter was a sophomore and Lenssen was a freshman. “This may sound a little negative but I don’t mean it that way,” Ledbetter said. “But we hadn’t been forced by any institution to collaborate with each other yet and so when that finally happened we just clicked.” Although they said that their jobs as student representatives are not particuSee Perspective on A2
Candidate filing week through May 10 The opportunity to become a candidate for office during Washington’s 2024 elections opened Monday. During candidate filing week, candidacies can be declared until 5 p.m. Friday, May 10, for any of the more than 400 federal, state, judicial, legislative, county, and other offices scheduled for 2024 elections. Candidates are encouraged to file online at sos.wa.gov, if possible, but may also register their candidacies online or in person. To file by mail, print a and send it, along with a check payable to the Office of the Secretary of State for the filing fee, to P.O. Box 40229, Olympia, WA, 985040229. This year for the first time, candidates for Superior Court and all legislative districts must file with the Office of the Secretary of State, which can be done via the office’s website, by mail, or in person at the Legislative Building in Olympia. For a complete list of FAQs, deadlines, and instructions on submitting a filing fee or petition, visit the Candidate Filing FAQ page. For filing questions, contact the Office of Secretary of State’s Elections division at 800-448-4881 or elections@sos. wa.gov. Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office also operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program to provide incentives for efficiency improvements. The Secretary of State also oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime. -- Office of the Secretary of State
Heritage society offers Pioneer Education Program
Each spring, Ferndale Heritage Society volunteers put on the Pioneer Education at Pioneer Village with students coming from public and home schools all over Whatcom County. Students learn about local pioneer living with hands-on experience. “This program is so popular they are turning away schools,” said Linda Harkleroad, vice president and publicity at the Ferndale Heritage Society. “We can only accommodate students based on how many volunteers we can get, and we are always needing more volunteers.” (Photos courtesy Linda Harkleroad)
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24 pages • Volume LIII • Number 11
Thursday 49°/69° Friday 51°/73° Saturday 51°/72° Sunday 50°/67°
Calendar • A3 Classifieds • B6 Forum • A4
Legal Notices • B5 News • A2 Obituaries • A5
Puzzles • B7 Sports • B1
Encore: Guide to a fulfilling senior life: Special Insert www.ferndalerecord.com