mvb

The fifth-graders from Stevens Elementary have assumed near-total control of the fifth floor of Seattle Central Community College by the time I arrive. There are 42 of them, but it seems like more.

They really are in charge--they're visiting the Creative Academy at SCCC to play the role of creative directors on a team including a graphic designer and photographer. Each of the fifth-graders is in the catbird seat, directing the creation of a poster or ad or whatever. All feature a different Pez dispenser. They had one hour to brainstorm, and have three more to produce.

It's the idea of Marc Salverda, who runs SCCC's graphic design department. He has an in with Stevens Elementary--his wife teaches there. They have been collaborating the last few years on smaller projects; Salverda has visited Stevens a few times with PowerPoint shows.

Last year they were talking about careers. Each of the students got a letter of the alphabet corresponding to a profession, and Salverda got the idea to show them what a graphic designer and photographer actually do. Only a few had even heard of the terms, he explains, but even they didn't know what design involves.

Salverda proudly surveys the creative chaos. "We're supposed to print out the finished work," he says. "But it's 12:30 now...." He trails off. Creative work never arrives before the deadline, so this is par for the course. Besides sending prints to Stevens Elementary for display at parent/teacher conferences, he has plans to hang the works in a local cafe.

Down the hall, the college students and fifth-graders are taking snack breaks, painting ideas in the air before they return to the computer lab.

As CHS reported earlier, an arborist was sent to check out the condition of the sweetgum tree that dropped a huge branch across Aloha near 15th Avenue East, and the news was either not good (certainly for the tree) or good (if you prefer not having huge branches fall on your head). A tree removal notice has been posted, stating that the loss of branches has left the tree's trunk in a dangerous condition, and you can almost hear the chainsaws approaching. The sweetgum is a "soft" hardwood, so it's actually valuable. I don't know what the city does with saleable wood in cases like this. I hope it doesn't go to waste.

It's an old story, but a very real one--a cat that ran away as its owners were moving, and has now returned to meow pitifully from the shrubbery at people walking past 15th Avenue East and Aloha. Yesterday, three neighbors congregated to see what the source of the meowing was, and what could be done. I was one, and offered to help get the news out to CHS readers.

Neighbor Toni has been leaving food and water out for the kitty, so that it won't starve, but it's clearly not safe for a house cat to be out on the street like this. If anyone would like to adopt the cat and give it a new home, Toni asks you to please contact her at three two two, twelve ninety-one.

You'd also be improving the life of a cat next door, who has food allergies but nonetheless insists on eating the food Toni leaves out and develops itchy rashes that make him miserable. And besides, who can say no to a face like that?