Heritage Christian kids lend a hand

They helped to salvage 7,000 pounds of donated food. They shoveled loose gravel. They did yardwork for those who cannot do it themselves. They washed vans, mowed lawns and visited retirement centers. These are a few of the things the Heritage Christian Academy junior-highers did during their “service day” April 28.

Students traveled to one of five locations in the greater Seattle area. One school van traveled to Special Delivery in Woodinville, a safe-haven for young women burdened by unplanned pregnancies, to help them with yardwork. A large group went to the Cristwood Retirement Community in Seattle to talk with senior citizens and to wash their cars.

The students who visited Northwest Harvest in Kent had no idea what they would be doing that day. Heritage students and chaperones were put to work sorting good produce from bad produce. This group ended up salvaging thousands of pounds of fruit, which will be distributed to those who are going hungry in our community. The kids had a wonderful time serving —let’s just say that no one felt like eating fruit for lunch that day, though!

Other groups served locally by lending a hand at Hopelink and the Northshore Family Center in Bothell.

Karl Karkainen, Bothell

Sports talk

I think that the Northshore School District has to find a way to keep the participatory sports listed (track, cross country, wrestling and tennis) yet find a way to modify the cut sports. Cutting players at a vulnerable emotional period in their life like seventh and eight grade probably weakens those varsity sports more than helps, and the players interpret a message of “I’m not good” when the reason might be more likely “I haven’t grown into my body yet” to compete with players two years more physically mature than them.

I favor keeping the participatory sports, but letting the high schools add a third team for the cut sports to enable the ninth-graders to play at the high school.

teachem, from the Web