Island kids began the week with a totally unnecessary but thrilling early dismissal from school. They spent the rest of Monday awaiting a blizzard that did not appear.

When I was a kid and flakes started to fall outside our classroom windows, I always hoped that just once, snow would accumulate so suddenly that everybody at the West Tisbury School would be trapped there overnight for a massive slumber party. I imagined that after we finished off the last of the little cartons of milk in the lunchroom, we’d spend the whole night running wild around the dark halls while Jon Harris pounded out “Great Balls of Fire” on the piano. Sadly, we were never stranded at school overnight.

But we usually at least made it through the day, even when it might have been prudent to head home early. Between climate change and over-caution, today’s kids might never get the thrill of waiting through several blizzard hours to slide home by bus, on roads slick with black ice, screaming like opera singers around every sharp corner until the driver loses all composure, cranks the wheel, and sideswipes a whole row of mailboxes to the cheers of everyone aboard.

Nomination papers for the annual town election can be picked up at the town hall. This year, after the death of Kent Healy, there is a one-year slot open on the select board. There are also vacancies on the board of assessors and the planning board. Nomination papers are due back by Feb. 24.

Town clerk Tara Whiting-Wells will be working limited hours next week, so if you need assistance please call Janice Haynes at 508-696-0100 between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. If you have a posting, please send it to Janice at thassist@westtisbury-ma.gov.

For those not especially familiar with the intricacies of town government, here is an attempt to describe the three important boards with vacancies in 2022:

The select board establishes town policy, calls town meetings, prepares warrants, makes appointments, issues licenses, signs warrants for payment of all town bills, and prepares the annual town report, along with other things.

The board of assessors provides fiscal stability by fairly determining the value of all property in town for the purposes of taxation, and keeping records of it. They also oversee motor vehicle excise tax, tax abatements and statutory tax exemptions.

The Planning Board oversees subdivisions of land, drafts zoning bylaws and reviews sites for homes and businesses, among other tasks.

If you would like to know the dimensions of the position for which you’re thinking about running, there are much more complete descriptions on the town’s excellent website.

This year’s First Congregational Church of West Tisbury Community Suppers Program begins this week and will continue through April. Ilona Metell says the Community Suppers team is offering curbside pickup as well as a delivery program. Participants are asked to register for their meal by emailing wtcomsuppers@gmail.com, phoning 508-693-2842, or through the online sign-up on their website: wtcongregationalchurch.org.

This program is funded in part by the Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation and powered by a devoted team of volunteers, who prepare, package and deliver the food throughout the lean winter months. They have a great, easy-to-use program for shift sign-ups, also through the church’s website. If you find yourself with a hankering to help out at the last minute, call Marjorie Pierce at 508-221-0314 to sign up. Also let Marjorie know if you’d like to be on a call list for emergency errands and other things that may pop up during the week.