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Fayrene Sherritt /Turnagain Times |
By Fayrene Sherritt
Turnagain Times
Hope Correspondent
Hope’s very popular annual Christmas Potluck was held at the Hope Social Hall Dec. 22. The table was full of wonderful things to eat. There were over 90 people who turned out to enjoy good food, Christmas carols and a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. Many of the visitors who came for the celebration were family or friends of Hope residents or their grandchildren. The Hope Social Hall was in full Christmas décor with spruce boughs and beautiful ribbons around all the windows, lights hung everywhere and a full moon over head to light the way for Santa’s visit.
Both Mr. & Mrs. Claus sat by the tall Christmas tree that Chuck Graham and Gordon Wisdorf cut down for the hall. Mrs. Claus had the full attention of all the children as she read a Christmas story to them and then Santa played his guitar as everyone joined in to sing the songs of the season. Before heading back to the North Pole, Santa passed out bags of goodies to each child there. Many thanks to Shirley Wisdorf, Lynne Skogstad and Bonnie Bdzok for the countless hours it took to decorate the hall and special thanks to Mike and Cindy Childress for their visit to Hope.
There will be a very important community meeting at the Hope School Gym Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. to discuss the potential closure of the Hope Elementary/High School. Dave Jones, Assistant Superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will lead the meeting. Hope School Principal Ken Halverson will also attend. This public meeting is to gather information, and obtain a projected student count for the 2008-2009 year. Due to a drop in enrollment earlier this fall, and an early graduation at the end of first semester, the student count is down to seven students at the Hope school. Ten students are needed to keep the school open. All this information will be presented to the KPB School Board on Jan. 14 regarding the pros and cons of keeping the school open beyond this school year.
A School Board decision regarding the status of the school could be forthcoming as early as a scheduled meeting on Feb. 2008. This fall, the Hope School lost state funding and currently the School District is paying the full operating costs of $235,000 needed to keep the school open.
Donna DeFrance, at the end of the first semester, has graduated from High School leaving the student count at seven students attending the Hope School. There will be a graduation celebration on Feb. 7 at the school to celebrate her accomplishments. There will be more information provided regarding the graduation presentation closer to the program after it is planned.
The Hope School staff and students are excited to announce that their annual Silent Auction Fundraiser will be held March 8 at the school. Traditionally this event has been their biggest fundraiser and has always generated lots of community interested and participation. Please consider contributing an item for the silent auction. All the proceeds will go directly to the PTA and ultimately to the students through sponsoring students on field trips, purchasing supplies, healthy snacks and other class materials. Please contact Angie Motoyama at 782-3202 if you can help or can donate items to the auctions.
Friday nights at Bowman’s Bear Creek Dinner House will feature fine dining along with microbrew draft beers and fine wines. Call Kent or Melanie at 782-3141 for dinner reservation or for more information on special dinners planned for later during the winter.
Hope and Sunrise Historical Society will hold a board meeting Jan.19 at 1 p.m. at the Hope Museum. The agenda will include under Old Business a discussion on endowments, an oil stove, the 1904 school project, Smokey’s cabin, a Forest Service inter and landscaping of the museum grounds. New Business will include designs for Main Street interpretive signs, Sunrise Cabin Miniatures interpretation along with other items. Board members are encouraged to attend this meeting.
February 2 the Hope Social Hall will be the place for “Lets Dance.” Everyone is welcome to join in for dance lessons beginning at 6:30 p.m. There will be lessons for approximately one hour and then the floor will be open for just dancing. Have fun while you learn the “Swing” and the “Two-Step.” Don’t have a partner? No problem, just bring yourself. For more information call Shawn Butler at 782-2233.
The Girdwood Clinic will be open Saturday, Jan. 14 from 9 a.m. to noon in Hope. Please call 783-1355 for an appointment so health records can be brought to Hope. The Public Health Nurse has also scheduled a visit to Hope Friday, Jan. 25 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hope School.
Wednesday morning breakfast, at the Hope Christian Church, provides a free breakfast to anyone in our community who would like to attend. Doors of the church will open every Wednesday morning at 8:00 am for coffee and breakfast served until 10 a.m. All are welcome to come.
The Food Bank is open Wed. 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Any folks needing to take advantage of the food pantry outside the regular hours, please contact either Tom Burgin (350-1318) or Joyce Burgin (830-5307). If you are in need of food, you are encouraged to utilize this free service.