Nichols brings history to Firehouse Arts
Ferndale football returns to action
Ferndale musician Mark Nichols will perform at the Firehouse Arts & Events Center.— News, A6
Locker back as OC, first game against Lynden at 7 p.m., Sept. 6. — Sports, B1
SEPTEMBER 4, 2024
SINCE 1885
FERNDALE, WASHINGTON • $1.50
Ferndale School Board adopts new cell phone policy By Luke Seymour Staff Reporter
On Aug. 27, the Ferndale School Board adopted a new cell phone policy district wide. (Luke Seymour/Ferndale Record)
See Cell phones on A6
By Bill Helm Editor
The Ferndale Heritage Society hosted Oscar Night in Fernwood on Tuesday, Aug. 27. The event was a celebration of the completion of a huge video project the Society undertook at Pioneer Village. Berzenji Productions of Lynden filmed the society’s Fred Sutcliffe in each of the village’s log cabins. Sutcliffe “was the lead on bringing pretty much all of these log cabins into Pioneer Village over the years,” said Linda Harkleroad, vice president of the Ferndale Heritage Society. “Fred grew up in Ferndale and personally spent time as a youngster in the Barr Barn (belonged to his family) and with Mrs. Parker who lived in the Parker house and babysat Fred at times. He remembers she made wonderful cookies,” Harkleroad said. According to Harkleroad, this project was made possible because of an ARPA grant awarded to the society. More information and videos from Oscar night in Fernwood at ferndaleheritagesociety.com.
Rena Priest, a member of the Lummi Nation was nominated for a Washington Book award. (Photo courtesy/Rena Priest)
LUMMI — The Washington Center for the Book has announced 39 finalists for its Washington Book Awards. Among the finalists in the poetry category is Rena Priest, a member of the Lummi Nation and a Whatcom County resident. Priest has been nominated for a book of poems that she wrote in April of last year titled, I Sing the Salmon Home: Poems from Washington State. According to the book’s website, I Sing the Salmon Home is “a unique collection celebrating salmon, Washington State Poet Laureate and Lummi tribal member Rena Priest gathered poems from more than 150 Washington poets ranging from first graders to tribal elders, all inspired by the Northwest’s beloved, iconic salmon.” Priest said when she initially began putting the call out for poems around the community, she thought the project would be limited to a handful of poems and writ-
punishments for students who record, “physical or sexual assault, threats, bullying, harassment or academic content related to tests, quizzes, grading or state testing.” It adds that those who are guilty of using their device in such a manner “will be subject to disciplinary action, as well as referrals to law enforcement when appropriate.” The update comes at a time where schools across the country are reevaluating their cell-phone policies as parents, teachers and mental health experts have begun to sound the alarm on the negative effects prolonged screen
Ferndale Heritage Society hosts Oscar Night In Fernwood
Priest nominated for Washington Book Award
By Luke Seymour Staff Reporter
FERNDALE — On Aug. 27 the Ferndale School Board adopted a new cell phone policy district wide. Much of the changes to cell phone policy in schools involve updates to the communication devices mentioned in the policy, namely removing all references to pagers, cell phones and beepers while adding references to newer devices such as smartwatches, non-medical listening devices and headsets. The policy also differentiated between the amount of screen time allowed to different grades
and age groups. According to the newly amended phone policy, Ferndale students in grades 9-12 will only be allowed to “turn on and operate their telecommunication devices before and after the regular school day and during their lunch break.” Students in preschool through eighth grade, however, must keep their phones off throughout the whole school day, “except in cases of emergency situations, imminent physical danger, or for medical needs that are previously documented with the school administration.” Another amendment to the district’s cell phone policy includes a passage that specifies
The Ferndale Heritage Society hosted Oscar night in Fernwood on Tuesday, Aug. 27. (Photos courtesy Ferndale Heritage Society)
ings. However, when Priest closed the deadline for submissions, she was surprised to see an overwhelming number of poems sent to her inbox. “I planned to make an announcement in June and keep the submission call open until October,” Priest said. “But I ultimately didn’t end up making the call until August and so initially I didn’t think I was going to get enough poems sent in. So, I started soliciting poems and asking from friends and digging them out of archives and asking permission from authors of poems I really liked. However, in the two months that submissions were open, I received over 700 poems from 300 poets from across Washington State.” From there, Priest sorted the poems by theme and by narrative. “Sorting through the poems was a very special process,” Priest said. “I put little note cards on top and sorted them by their themes: Okay, this one is about the salmon’s See Priest on A6
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