Same time, next year.

In the past two weeks, I have had three run-ins with an old friend. We seem to meet at the same place at the same time annually. I shouldn’t be surprised.

In a last-minute reversal of principal Stephen Nixon’s recent decision regarding appropriate graduation wear, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School district committee voted last night to allow seniors, Brazilian and otherwise, to wear personalized scarves over their graduation gowns.

The vote followed an impassioned speech from former high school student and recent Emory University graduate Alex Parker.

Shaelah Huntington is valedictorian for the class of 2010. Shaelah is the daughter of Susan and Peter Huntington of West Tisbury. She will attend Connecticut College in New London, Conn.

Tessa Permar is salutatorian for the class of 2010. Tessa is the daughter of Jane Dreeben of West Tisbury and Brad Permar of Vineyard Haven. She will attend Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Hayley Pierce is class essayist for the class of 2010. Hayley is the daughter of Tom and Bonnie Pierce of Edgartown. She will attend the University of Miami in Miami, Fla.

Strawberry Festival

The First Congregational Church of West Tisbury is gearing up for its always-anticipated Strawberry Festival on Saturday, June 19.

Last year over 50 volunteers worked all day providing fresh berries with shortcake, whipped cream or ice cream to more than a thousand eager Islanders. Smoothies, cold bottled water and lemonade are also available, as are, of course, berries to go.

Following on the success of the Island Grown Initiative’s mobile poultry processing unit, the organization has won a $40,000 federal grant to look at doing something similar with four-legged livestock.

The grant was announced on Friday, as officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture came to the Vineyard to school locals on how they might share in hundreds of millions of dollars available from the government.

Although it was completed and opened to motorists just last week, the new Big Bridge spanning Oak Bluffs and Edgartown at Joseph Sylvia State Beach has already caused concern among county officials, who worry the back railing of the wooden platform is too close to Beach Road, leaving pedestrians and sunbathers at risk of injury by oncoming traffic this summer.

Before a cheering crowd of parents, students and fans, the boys’ tennis team powered through the first two rounds of the state tournament at home this weekend with a pair of no-nonsense wins against Cohasset on Friday and Ashland yesterday.

The team is having one of its best seasons ever under head coach Ned Fennessey.

Barefooted and locked arm in arm, nine students from the Martha’s Vineyard Charter School graduated on Saturday under a tent of tie-dye drapes and floral-wreath crowns.

Krista Brown, Ava Castro, Joshua Crowther, Iris Grace, Rose Goff Maidoff, Chelsea Phaneuf, Oona Post, Marguerite Smith and Brianna Sosa graduated with praise from community members, teachers and parents, confident their choices in life would lead them to great accomplishments.

Due to a combination of climate change creating warmer water conditions and continued pressure from fishing, lobster stocks in southern New England have been badly depleted, and a five-year moratorium is needed for recovery.

This is the recommendation of a technical panel for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in a report discussed last week.

“Overwhelming environmental and biological changes coupled with continued fishing greatly reduce the likelihood of southern New England stock rebuilding,” the report said.

Alcoholics Anonymous

Information: 627-7084.

All meetings are nonsmoking.

Sunday, 6:45 a.m., open discussion meeting, First Baptist Church, William street, Vineyard Haven.

Sunday, 10 a.m., open discussion, State Beach, first bridge, Oak Bluffs, (weather permitting).

Sunday, 11 a.m., open discussion meeting at the Council on Aging on Wamsutta avenue in Oak Bluffs.

Sunday, 7 p.m., grapevine meeting at old Oak Bluffs School, School street, Oak Bluffs.