Jason Shull and daughter Keva recently were in Chicago, where Keva auditioned for college musical theater programs. A half-dozen schools participated in a “unified” audition there. In Los Angeles, Keva was auditioning for Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Jason said he’s looking forward to playing in the “M” bracket in the upcoming Gold Medal basketball tournament.
To help Haines High School student government leaders travel to an April conference, you can buy a valentine including four home-made cupcakes, a rose and a personalized message. Student council president Lydia Andriesen said the sweet messages cost $20 and sales will send students to the Alaska Association of Student Governments meeting in Sitka. To order, call the school or go to tinyurl.com/hbsd-2020-cupcakes. Deadline is Feb. 12. Pick up at the school is Feb. 14. Messages will be written in calligraphy by Hannah Boron.
Former Haines postmaster Bill Hartmann is still printing with his Wild Rose Press shop in Walker Lake, Nev. He also serves as back-up driver for the mail route from Hawthorne to Walker Lake, so printing and the postal service are still in his blood. The newspaper Bill co-founded with Ray Menaker, the Chilkat Valley News, celebrated its 54th birthday on Jan. 3.
Denise Adkins has been in town since fall, helping mom Aleta Adkins, who injured her right wrist in October. Denise lives in Bonnie Lake, Wash. Aleta hopes to be mended in time for her 60th high school reunion in Elma, Wash. She was valedictorian of her graduating class of 70 in 1960.
Upper highway resident Larry Beck and Klukwan’s Christopher Hotch attended the recent board meeting of the Inside Passage Electric Cooperative in Juneau. They lobbied legislators on behalf of Alaska’s Power Cost Equalization program, its Renewable Energy Fund and for improved ferry service. Beck is president of the 1,300-member utility’s board of directors. Hotch is its secretary-treasurer.
Carlee Heinmiller has been promoted to senior marketing executive at Madwire, a business marketing platform in Fort Collins, Colo. Carlee and fiancé William Young of Iowa are planning a June wedding in Haines.
Jimmy Buckley has been promoted to Army Chief Warrant Officer III at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. He is an instructor of Tactical Signals Intelligence for the 111th M.I. Brigade, 304th MI Battalion. He’s.married to Jamie Barlow, a yoga and fitness instructor at Cochise College. The couple has two sons, Luke, 12, and Elias, 10.
Joanie Snyder’s exercise routine and lifestyle were featured last month in a Fairbanks Daily News Miner story penned by Margaret Friedenauer. Snyder, a devoted Haines pool user and retired Haines public health nurse, is 91. Read the story at the News Miner’s website.
Haines High School senior Aurora Alten-Huber won honorable mention in 2020 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, a nationwide competition of students grades 7-12. Aurora submitted her story in the science fiction and fantasy category. Her 3,291-word tale, “The Labyrinth,” involves a cat unleashing ancient evil on the world.
Owen and Garrett Dixon have returned from a trip to Thailand. They traveled with former resident Sebabi Leballo and enjoyed touring the nation’s markets, temples, and beautiful beaches. Highlights included seeing elephants and tigers, traveling by motorized scooter and eating tasty Thai food. They also visited Tokyo and Singapore.
Donna Catotti capped a reception at the National Arts Club in Manhattan, where her painting “Circa 1703 – Elfreth’s Alley” was showing, by meeting up in New York City with several of her siblings. She also took in an art workshop at Studio Incamminati, where Yuko Hays is a third-year student and enjoyed dinner with Yuko, Ed Hays and teachers who have come to Haines in past summers for annual workshops.