Vineyard Youth Tennis

Establishes Scholarships

The Vineyard Youth Tennis Center has established a scholarship fund to send deserving and talented children to tennis academies in Florida.

Scott Smith, executive director of Vineyard Youth, came up with the idea.

There is a whale of a tale in Edgartown.

Marine mammal madness is what I call it. Earlier this week, I received a call about a few animals that have been swimming around Edgartown harbor. The caller thought that they were either dolphins or pilot whales. Either one would be a good sighting and would make for a nice article.

“Guyana — isn’t that where all those people drank Kool-Aid at Jonestown? Why would you want to go there?”

“New birds, new habitat, new country, that’s why!”

Guyana is a very small country located on the northern bump or eastern shoulder of South America. Very close to the equator, this small country that used to be called British Guiana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the north, Venezuela on the west, Brazil on the south and Suriname (Old Dutch Guiana) on the east.

By LYNNE IRONS

Last Saturday was one of those perfect winter days — cold and crisp — not a cloud in the sky. An impressive crowd turned out for the memorial service for Bob Flanders at the Abel’s Hill cemetery. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day to be laid to rest.

Blood stain patterns. Paint ball accuracy and temperature. Snail behavior and water acidity. These were just a few of the topics picked by students at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School for the ninth annual science fair, held at the high school cafeteria and library last Saturday. Over 200 students participated in this year’s competition with over 40 judges to decide the winners. Projects fell into one of two categories: investigative and engineering, and were divided in the areas of biology, chemistry, environmental science and physics.

Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School is proud to announce its 9th annual science fair winners:

Grand Winners of the Science Fair Dr. James Porter Award

First Place: Naomi Scott, Fruit Fly Don’t Bother Me — Study of Non-Organic and Organic Fruits’ Effect on Drosophila Melanogaster.

Second Place: Caitlyn Francis, How Much Mercury Is Really in a Can of Starkist Chunk White and Chunk Light Tuna.

Third Place: Shaelah Huntington, Plant Growth and Oil Pollution.

North Shore Walk

The Trustees of Reservations will sponsor a walk in Chilmark on a private parcel covered by a conservation restriction on Sunday, Feb. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The walk is free to members of The Trustees and $15 for non-members. No dogs are allowed. Reservations are required, as space is limited. To register and for directions, call 508-693-7662.

The Dukes County Health Council Youth Task Force has hired Theresa Manning, who long has worked with children and families on the Vineyard, as youth task force coordinator.

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office recently awarded the task force a one-year, $90,000 grant. The grant will be used to target seventh and eighth grade students and their parents as a first step toward mobilizing the Vineyard community in preventing sustained substance abuse.

Six students from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Visual Arts Department have been honored at the annual Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards, including one who earned a Gold Key, the highest honor.

“There are a ton of competitions out there, but this is the big one we focus on every year,” said Paul Brissette, chairman of the high school arts department. “For them to get recognition on this level is great.”

Sail MV Dinner