Spring Break, 2016
Aloha to on their return from Hawaii. Over Spring Break the St. Johns High School Redwing Marching Band performed at a festival, as well as a home for the elderly in Hawaii. They also were able to tour the USS Arizona Memorial, the Polynesian Cultural Center and other sights on Oahu. Congratulations and aloha, welcome home to these fine musicians.
Welcome home too to the 54 SJHS students who traveled to Spain over Spring Break as part of an educational trip organized by our Spanish teachers. Students traveled to Madrid, Segovia, and Toledo. They also had a few day stay with local families as part of the experience of being immersed in the culture. What a great experience for these amazing students.
From Trash to Treasures
by Maralyn Fink
We have all heard that term, Trash to Treasures, at some point. I decided to go to the Congregational Church to see what I could find. I waited until an hour after the starting time because I knew there would be a crowd and it would have been hard to get around.
I was amazed at all of the things that were there. You name it, they had it. Dishes, toys, linens, furniture, jewelry and things in between.
This is the 19th year that the Linda Scott Division of the church has put this on. It is a church-wide event and done by the members of the church. I spoke with Joann Martis, Director, and was told that this group also puts on other things at the church like funeral dinners.
I kept in mind that I was downsizing, so I told myself not to fall in love with anything. I did find that I had to fight that feeling.
The sale continued on Wednesday as well.
Joann said that by 9:30 a.m. of opening day the stairwells were filled and a few souls waited the start just outdoors or in the cars. From 19 years of experience the crew held firm on the barricades until full staff of volunteers were assembled and ready for the first wave.
Thanks, Joann and the volunteers, for letting me take the pictures and talking with everyone. Hopefully, see ya next year.
A night of Experimental/Punk coming to St. Johns – April 22
The Wilson Collective is presenting a night of local experimental and punk music, featuring Randie Strouse, with opening acts “Overnoble” and “The Jades.” This special show will take place on Friday evening, April 22 starting at 7pm at the historic Wilson Center Auditorium.
Opening the concert will be the mysterious experimental punk band out of St Johns called “The Jades.” They will be followed by the not so mysterious electronic duo “Overnoble”, which consists of St. Johns HS alumni Brendan Seyka and Brant Boettger who are now based out of Southfield where they attend Lawrence Tech. Their sound is described as electronic indie-pop.
The featured musician of the evening is Randie Strouse, an Ovid native now based out of Lansing. Randie has touched on a variety of genres in his three years as a solo artist. His music includes industrial, indie-pop-acoustic and lo-fi. He describes his live performances as “mood swings and tantrums, thriving on spontaneity.” Randie will be performing songs from his latest album “Comorbidity”, a special cover, along with debuting some new material from an upcoming project.
There will be a $5 admission charge at the door. The Wilson Center Auditorium is located at 101 W. Cass St. in downtown St. Johns, just south of the Court House. For more information about The Wilson Collective and/or upcoming concerts and events, please visit the Wilson Center Auditorium web site at www.wilsoncenterauditorium.org and/or the Wilson Center Auditorium Facebook page.
SJHS Alums in the News – Mike VanRooyen
In this Practitioner Profile, ATHA is joined by Dr. Michael VanRooyen, an emergency physician with a wealth of experience in humanitarian response. Michael has worked for a number of NGOs in over thirty countries affected by war and disaster. He is a Professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health as well as the Director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.
In an upcoming memoir entitled The World’s Emergency Room, Michael reflects on the evolution of the aid community over the last several decades and discusses what he considers to be today’s most pressing challenges in humanitarian assistance and aid delivery.
Below is an excerpt of our conversation:
Q: Let’s start at the very beginning of your career. How did you first get involved with humanitarian assistance, and what drew you to this field?
A: I first became really interested in the field as a physician. I was an emergency medical physician who really had a particular interest in emergencies and trauma and vulnerable populations. I also had an interest in global health that led me to look into the humanitarian field. Ultimately, after my residency training in emergency medicine, I went abroad and worked in Somalia and it was in Somalia in particular that I became really interested in conflict, the effect of conflict on populations, and the very difficult nature of serving populations in that setting.
Q: The success of humanitarian assistance depends directly on humanitarian actors’ ability to reach populations in need. Yet in some of the most complex environments, such as Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, delivery of aid is often obstructed. In your view, how has aid delivery in these unstable areas changed over the years and how are we navigating access in light of these new challenges?
A: I think the primary theme in changes in the humanitarian environment is the issue of “perceived neutrality.” That is, the degree to which humanitarian actors are seen as being beneficial to the population and neutral, so that they are not seen as warring parties, combatants, or party to the conflict. It’s been a palpable erosion that I’ve seen over the course of my career. Twenty years ago, an NGO t-shirt and a white Toyota land cruiser gave you some degree of access and safety because you were embedded in your community. Now, you become a target and a prevailing threat for aid actors is direct attacks.
Q: As a physician, you’ve written that emergency rooms in American cities like Detroit, Chicago, and Baltimore serve as a sort of “safety net” for overarching societal problems, such as drug use or violence. You’ve also observed that humanitarian medical relief in crisis zones provides a similar sort of safety net for the communities that are affected. Could you tell us more about the similarities and differences that you see in these contexts?
A: I would preface that to say that in no way am I equating emergency rooms in Detroit, Chicago and major American cities in the United States with being war zones or anything akin to or like war zones. The parallel I’m making is that emergency departments in America and around the world serve as the safety net for the community. They’re the 24/7 resource for things that go bad with people. Whether it’s trauma or injury or illness, emergency departments stand ready to take the population. Humanitarian aid is kind of like that in its philosophical approach. When things go wrong or unravel, populations face extreme stress and extreme vulnerability and the aid world is there for them.
I recently wrote a book called The World’s Emergency Room, which is really trying to draw that philosophical parallel between the emergency medical room being a safety net for the community and the humanitarian aid world being the safety net for populations in crisis. Again, very different settings, very different needs and vulnerabilities, but a similar philosophy in the way that we engage with communities.
Courtesy of ATHA
3rd Annual Superhero 5k Run, Walk, Or Fly – Saturday, April 30th
Location: St. Johns City Park
Registration Opens at 8:00 a.m.
Kids’ Super Dash: 8:30 a.m.
ALL Superheroes Take Off: 9:00 a.m.
Online registration is now open–click here.
Please note: Registration fees will increase Wednesday, April 6th at Midnight
Lots of Fun for all ages and abilities
– Registration Activities
– Chip Timing
– Free, Professional Race Photography
– Costume Contest
– Bubble Check Points along the route
– Age Bracket Medals
Costume Contest Categories:
1. Most Authentic Superhero
2. Most Creative Superhero
3. Best Group
4. Cutest Superhero
We look forward to seeing all the Superheroes for children. Don’t forget Your cape!