VASHON ISLAND — The greenhouse hums with excited chatter as each ninth grader picks up their assigned bone The 164 pieces once belonged to a gray whale that swam through Puget Sound they’re part of a scientific and educational project unfolding in the hands of teenagers In April 2024, a 39.5-foot male gray whale washed up near the high-tide line of Vashon Island, and instead of disappearing back into the sea, it found a new purpose. With guidance from the Vashon Nature Center students at Vashon Island High School and community members are working to study and reconstruct its skeleton turning a natural loss into an educational opportunity.  The project is designed to teach students about biology and anatomy up close using a whale that washed up in their backyard their sketches and measurements will contribute to a comprehensive scientific record being developed by the nature center helping expand scientific knowledge about gray whale anatomy — an area where detailed studies remain rare the bones the students are now illustrating and studying will be suspended in the atrium of Vashon Center for the Arts offering an up-close encounter with the life of one of Puget Sound’s migratory giants.  Before the students could begin their work When the gray whale washed up, he wasn’t close to homes, and the smell wasn’t bothersome, so the Vashon Nature Center saw a rare opportunity: to leave the whale in place and study its natural decomposition Phosphorescent marine creatures darted in and out naturally cleaning the bones before the nature center removed the rest “That’s an opportunity that isn’t presented a lot,” said Bianca Perla founder and science director of the nature center “We were curious — how long does it take to degrade With a salvage permit from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the nature center began recovering bones from the beach throughout the spring and summer By September, they had transported the skull — about 500 pounds — and the rest of the skeleton by boat to The Coop a local music venue where the bones were stored and monitored by nature center staff in the fall and early winter both for his species’ ability to vocalize and because he spent the summer at The Coop where he was stored simply because there was room Singer spent the summer surrounded by the sounds of live music and dancing an unusual presence in the island’s celebrations “We wanted to know how complete the skeleton was,” Perla said and said: ‘Put him together.’ They laid out the ribs even the vestigial pelvis bones — and realized just how close to complete Singer really is.” Singer is remarkably intact for a whale found in the wild All Vashon Island High School ninth graders — and a section of the marine science class — began sketching learning the structure of a whale one bone at a time The program is fully integrated into the ninth-grade biology curriculum The Vashon Nature Center collaborates with the high school every year on science-based field learning projects and when staff at the center proposed the whale project It was a perfect fit for their existing marine biology unit ecosystems and the impact of climate change leads the classroom in making some first-draft thumbnail drawings She teaches the fundamentals of taking field notes “Part of the measure for success today is whether you’re looking and spending time with your bone and just taking the time to take it in,” Brulé said to the class on a recent Thursday “Drawing is a great excuse to just slow down and take the time to look.” The room buzzed with conversation — some students were eager to trade bones others were visibly frustrated to still be in school A few were even grossed out by the idea of touching a bone But a sentiment shared among students was how nice it felt to get outside of the classroom and learn in a way that felt more hands-on “I think it’s really cool what we’re doing,” said student Kiran Rajaratnam “I feel like this actually prepares me for the real world Biology should be setting up experiments — not just giving us information you already know.” “I think it’s interesting to learn about the whales in our environment where we live,” said Landon Wettig “I also like to see the size comparisons of everybody’s bones It really gives you perspective of how big the whales are Student Bridget Simmons cradled a whale palm bone that she thought looked a little more like coral “We’re contributing to science!” Simmons exclaimed And many were consumed with their small pencil sketches excited to work so closely with the gigantic marine mammal I’m teaching them how to pay attention,” Brulé said and drawing is an excuse to spend some time looking and observing and paying attention to the natural world and what’s right in front of you.” who added that little has been documented since then “There’s a big blank gap in science,” Brulé said They’re contributing data to the scientific record.” Despite being among the most visible whale species along the Pacific Coast gray whales remain surprisingly understudied Their nearshore migration route makes them one of the few large whales observable from land Yet scientists still don’t know exactly how many bones a gray whale has or how skeletal structures vary with age or gender Gray whales migrate up to 12,000 miles annually, from breeding grounds in Baja California to feeding areas in the Bering and Chukchi seas. In recent years, between 2018 and 2023, scientists have documented unusual mortality events with many whales washing up emaciated along the West Coast These mortality events are raising alarms about changing ocean conditions shrinking prey availability and potentially broader impacts of climate change the anatomical and ecological data on gray whales remains limited That makes projects like the one on Vashon Island especially valuable the bones will be moved outside to cure in the sun work will begin on rebuilding the skeleton with help from metal workers and possibly a few excited students An installation celebration is planned for Earth Day when Singer will be suspended overhead at Vashon Center for the Arts with students’ drawings alongside him.  Brulé hopes what stays with students isn’t just the anatomy lesson but the way drawing deepens their connection to the natural world “It’s rare that it does not lead to feelings of curiosity wonder or sometimes awe,” Brulé said “It’s about forming connections between human beings and the natural world The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser Vashon Island Visual Artists will hold its Spring Studio Tour It will feature well-known local actors Cate O’Kane and Dedra Whitt Manages USPS Services for the Vashon-Maury Island Community Kiara Boyd was officially installed as the newest postmaster for Vashon on Nov She is the 18th postmaster to serve the Vashon-Maury communities She began her career 11 years ago as a clerk in Cincinnati Boyd also served as a carrier and supervisor in Mason a supervisor and officer in charge at the Carson City and postmaster of the Duvall Washington Post Office roughly 2,000 Post Office Boxes (PO Boxes) Three years ago the Postal Service implemented the “Delivering for America” (DFA) 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence Boyd is doing her part by creating a stable environment for new employees and customers as well as helping customers with their mail needs and questions “[I] use the motto every piece every day letting our customers know they are heard [and] creating a safe and trusting environment.” Boyd says the changes she’s noticed in her 11 year career include an increase of people shopping online which increases package volumes and the difference in management styles between the “new generation” of managers and postal veterans She says the most rewarding position in her career so far has been her promotion to postmaster because it allows her to “be able to take in the community and understand their needs but in the same frame being able to share the difficulties of the employees in each craft.” Prior to joining the Postal Service Boyd attended Missouri Valley College in Marshall Missouri where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry Being a postal employee runs in Boyd’s family and she had cousins who worked as mail clerks Boyd strongly believes in giving back through community service such as coaching and scouting She has also donated time and money to the March of Dimes and National Kidney Foundation since she was a teenager and is an avid fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Dodgers The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 169 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America restore long-term financial sustainability dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories and maintain the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage products and services to fund its operations Copyright© 2025 United States Postal Service I love exploring the many beautiful islands in Washington state one of the largest islands in the Puget Sound To get there, I booked a 20-minute ferry ride from Seattle on the Washington State Ferry Here's what it was like taking the ferry and exploring the island Unlike the area's Bainbridge Island Vashon Island isn't accessible via a bridge This means all visitors have to take a ferry ride and arrange their trip around the scheduled departure times Although the ferry can accommodate cars for an extra fee I didn't bring one with me on this journey To get to the Fauntleroy ferry terminal in West Seattle I took a couple of buses from the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport I bought a $6.50 ticket at a booth inside the tiny terminal Though only about a dozen of us boarded the 1,200-passenger ship I saw many cars waiting to get on the ferry The ferry had an open deck with no seats and an indoor sitting area with booths and wooden benches I admired evergreen-clad views of West Seattle and the Puget Sound area (a system of interconnected waterways off Washington's northwest coast) I also noticed a snack bar stocked with chips and beverages I caught a ride to my lodging about 4 miles from the terminal which offers a reservation-only llama happy hour for only $10 The 90-minute happy-hour experience allows visitors to enjoy their own snacks and drinks and I got to pet them and feed them treats told me about how she transported her herd of 14 llamas from Wyoming to Vashon years ago so even they have taken the Washington State Ferry a large wooden sculpture by Danish artist Thomas Dambo that was installed in 2023 I followed signs to the sculpture in Point Robinson Park and taking the ferry there was easy and cheap at only $6.50 The people I met were friendly — and one local I met even drove me back to the ferry terminal after my three-night stay Visiting the island and dining with the llamas was a priceless experience and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something to do in the Seattle area This story was originally published on December 14 by Jackie Kent — One person is in the hospital after a reported shooting on Vashon Island occurred Monday The suspect was taken into custody in connection with this case of domestic violence A Harborview Medical Center spokesperson confirmed the victim was shot in the arm He was still being checked out by medical staff Monday night and his injuries were considered non-life-threatening Sheriff's officials on Monday would not confirm how the suspected shooter and the victim know each other Neighbors told KOMO News they saw the massive response from the sheriff's office and were left wondering what exactly led to the gunfire A KOMO News viewer cell phone video shows what many ferry commuters witnessed on Monday King County Sheriff's Office Deputies were seen racing off a ferry and onto Vashon Island where someone called 911 to report shots fired at a house A sheriff's spokesperson told KOMO News one person was hurt in a domestic violence-related shooting and then was flown to Harborview Medical Center KCSO's Guardian One helicopter arrived within about 15 minutes as an extra set of eyes on the house as deputies on the ground were en route to track down their suspect A sheriff's office spokesperson said the SWAT team was not needed as the suspect walked out the front of the house and surrendered to deputies Neighbors off camera claimed it's unusual for anything like this to happen in the remote area There are many unanswered questions that neighbors want to know KOMO News directed those questions to law enforcement but a spokesperson would not provide those details at this point in the active investigation The department emphasized it believes there is no ongoing danger to the public It's likely the suspect will have a first court appearance on Tuesday It is never appropriate to commit someone to life in prison without trial and without recourse Monday (May 5) for more than 3,200 seats on city councils The book was produced by four classes of seventh graders supervised by English teacher Mandy Davis King County Sheriff’s Deputies found a deceased person in a car parked in the Mom’s Deli parking lot the afternoon… President’s standoff with China is expected to stifle the flow of goods Lowest numbers in first quarter since 2021 for shots fired The Vashon High School boys took on Charles Wright Academy Thursday The soccer players emerged from their spring break bouts still undefeated It is never appropriate to commit someone to life in prison without trial and without recourse.