The Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation recently awarded $30,000 in scholarships to 15 area students for higher education degrees in visual arts. To earn the scholarship, students presented a portfolio of their work and were interviewed by a panel of judges on their academic work and goals. Students can reapply each year they are enrolled in an accredited visual arts program.

The 2019 scholarship winners were honored at a community reception on May 22. Two additional annual scholarships were awarded; Shelby Norton received a scholarship from the Sambataro Family and Kristen Walker received a scholarship from the Pamela Mummy Foundation. Every scholarship winner’s art was exhibited during the Edmonds Arts Festival, June 14, 15 and 16, in the Paintings Gallery at the Frances Anderson Center at 700 Main Street in Edmonds.

For additional information about the EAFF Scholarship Program, go to https://www.edmondsartsfestival.com/foundation/scholarships-and-grants. The Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation gives more than $80,000 annually for art scholarships, educational grants to schools, and community grants to area nonprofits; additionally it has given more than $1 million for public art installations and special projects throughout Edmonds. All profit from the annual Edmonds Arts Festival goes toward funding of the foundation’s programs.

Valley View students win NASA challenge

Eighth grade students Natalie Evans, Zoey Stein, Kenda Eder and Alana Flores of Valley View Middle School in Snohomish won a national challenge held by NASA to address modern issues. The challenge called for students to reimagine existing technologies in ways that would improve their communities.

The winning Valley View students designed a face mask that leverages NASA’s Particle Contamination Mitigation Methods to filter harmful pollution from the air. They also created a website for their project. The students are now invited to an awards ceremony June 18 and 19 at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland where they will meet NASA scientists, explore labs and see NASA facilities.

Arlington Garden Club awards $4,000 in scholarships

To celebrate its 85th anniversary, the Arlington Garden Club provided scholarships to two Snohomish-area high school students.

A $2500 scholarship went to Benjamin Dahlberg from Stanwood High School, who will attend Washington State University to study animal science.

Another $1,500 scholarship went to Isabella Scott-Fletcher from Lake Stevens High School, who will be attending Western Washington

In addition, the club donated to the city of Arlington for beautification projects and to the local high schools who have FFA clubs.

Information about the Arlington Garden Club and how to become a member can be found at www.arlingtongardenclub.org.

Community Transit drivers honored

Two Community Transit drivers were honored with the agency’s Million Mile Award for safe driving. The drivers qualified for the distinction by meeting strict National Safety Council guidelines for driving the equivalent of one million and two million miles without a preventable accident.

Million Mile Driver:

Allan Mehau reached one million miles of safe driving and has joined more than 50 drivers at Community Transit who have accomplished this feat. To join the elite group of safe drivers, it can take about 12.5 years of full-time driving without a preventable accident to reach the milestone.

Mehau has nearly 18 years of safe driving under his belt and says it’s important to look at the big picture. “I got this award by staying calm and putting safety first,” he said.

Mehau drives Swift Green Line and as a resident of Mill Creek, he takes pride in driving on a route that runs through his community.

“Swift Green Line is great because it’s quick, predictable and efficient,” Mehau sasid. “It’s really popular among commuters — the word is out.”

One million miles of driving is the equivalent of walking from Everett to Seattle on the Interurban Trail, and back again, more than 20,833 times.

Two Million Mile Driver:

Nicomedes Plantilla, of Everett, was honored for reaching two million miles of safe driving. He’s the ninth driver at the agency to reach this status. After nearly 26 years of safe driving, Plantilla has advice to pass long to newer drivers: “As a bus driver, it’s important to be just as aware and safe as you were in your first years of driving.”

Plantilla drives Route 222. “I especially enjoy this route because it’s along the backroads in Tulalip and I get to provide service to those that need it,” he said.

Driving two million miles is the equivalent of traveling on a bus from Blaineto Jacksonville, Florida, 644 times.

Million Mile Drivers are each presented a jacket, plaque, certificate and a pin, and have their name placed on one of the agency’s buses.

“The Million Mile Awards are among the most significant accomplishments we recognize because it represents safe driving skills,” Community Transit CEO Emmett Heath said. “There is no higher level of customer service than delivering our riders to their destinations safely.”

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