Port Town in a Storm

A Daunting Task

While Island seniors and their families are planning their graduation parties, parents of Island middle schoolers are discovering ways to make sure their kids reach graduation, happy and healthy. The Martha’s Vineyard Youth Task Force hosted dinners at all Island schools in the past week, to communicate with parents about communicating with teens on the subject of drinking and drugs. Their message is at once sobering and promising.

The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life sets up at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School next week for its sixth annual event. Teams of walkers and runners will gather at 3 p.m. on Friday, June 5 and most will camp overnight so they can continue taking turns on the track until the event ends at noon on Saturday.

Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard and the Town of West Tisbury have extended the deadline for applications to buy and help build one of eight houses at Eliakim’s Way at 250 State Road in West Tisbury.

The three-bedroom, affordable, energy efficient house will include solar panels to approach zero net energy use.

Information is available at habitatmv.org, all local bank branches, libraries, post offices, town halls and at the Habitat office at 346 State Road in Vineyard Haven. For details, call 508-696-4646.

Tisbury School has announced the third quarter honor roll for 2009.

Fifth grade high honors go to Benjamin Davey, Olivia Jacobs, Nelly Katzman and Casey McAndrews.

Fifth grade honors go to Matthew Barton, Gabriel Canham, Elissa DeCosta, Celena Guimaraes, Karem Guimaraes, Edwin Gould-Hatt, Mya Houston, Jacob Janak, Jacob King, Evan Kristal, Megan Piche, Michaela Piche, Dayanna Middleton, Maxwell Santos, Zachary Stevenson and Kayla Vecchia-Zeitz.

Sixth grade high honors go to Olivia Jardin, Grant Santos, Liam Smith and Ashlyn Tattersall.

There’s nothing like a piping hot cup of New England’s finest potage to warm parents to the idea of talking to their kids about drugs and alcohol.

The Martha’s Vineyard Youth Task Force welcomed its highest turnout yet of seventh and eighth grade parents to this season’s final Chat and Chowder event at the West Tisbury School on Tuesday night. The dinner and discussion were held the previous week at four other Island schools.

Calling All Poets

The Island Voices poetry performance series continues at Che’s Lounge on Wednesday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m. All Island poets are invited. The event is slated to continue weekly through the summer, with a roster including spoken word performers, rappers and freestylers, slam poets, singer-songwriters, and free verse and traditional form poets.

The Vineyard boys’ tennis team this week earned a number three seed and a bye in the first round of the MIAA tournament, and will play at home on Monday; meanwhile the boys’ lacrosse team lost to Sandwich in the first round of the state tournament on Tuesday.

The boys’ tennis team finished the season with a 14-4 record, and unofficially won the Eastern Athletic Conference with a league record of 7-1 — unofficial because the Vineyard does not become a full member of the conference until next year.

It all began as a quest for a swimming pool.

Cindy Doyle spent five mornings a week swimming at her local YMCA in Providence. The only downside of her decision to make the Vineyard her year-round home in 2001 was the absence of a pool for her daily workout. “I found out about this group that was trying to build a pool here. And I thought, well that’s something I could get behind,” explained Mrs. Doyle.

Tomorrow, flyfishermen from around the Island and beyond will gather for the 18th annual Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club flyrod catch and release tournament. Registration is at the regional high school cafeteria from noon to 3 p.m. Entry fee is $35. Fishing begins at 7 p.m. and continues until 2 a.m. Sunday.

In years past as many as 200 fishermen have participated in the one-night contest and caught and released hundreds of striped bass.