Every year right around the time that the leaves begin to cover the streets and walking paths, the scarecrows begin to appear. These are not the scarecrows of the crow-scaring variety; these are quite another breed—big, beautiful, creative and literary. The 13th annual Island Wide Scarecrow contest kicks off this week and the grand prize this year is big: a brand new iPad. Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School's Development Director, Paul Karasik heads up this annual fundraiser and is thrilled with how the contest has grown. "Anybody from the community can build a scarecrow and every …

Today, as part of the Fall Festival, Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary has teamed up with Mt. Washington Observatory to bring you From Summit to Sea Level. Tonight at the Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven, the whole family will enjoy going from sea level to summit through an interactive program featuring a live virtual trip to the weather station at the summit of Mt. Washington. Few places on Earth experience the combination of high winds, heavy icing, and extreme cold as frequently as New England’s highest peak. Jeff DeRosa, the Outreach Coordinator at Mt. Washington Observatory’…

This Sunday is the 5th Annual Kites & Sundaes on Sunday celebration at Featherstone Center for the Arts. The day, which is the brainchild of Miss Lani Carney, founder and teacher of Featherstone’s young children’s Pre-School Arts Program, is a celebration of family, fun and gratitude. “I was in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico a few years ago with my daughter and my grandson.  It was a Saturday and we were walking down these beautiful cobblestone streets and up on a hill we saw this whole group of families flying kites. It was so simple, and such a real gathering of love, that I wanted to bring it …

If a weekend full of Halloween events is not what you’re hoping for, there is a very special event happening this Saturday night sure to please every member of your family. The Martha’s Vineyard Film Society will be presenting “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” at the Katharine Cornell Theater. This documentary, which uncovers the man behind everyone's favorite furry red friend, has already earned a number of prestigious awards including the Special Jury Prize Documentary at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.  And Jada Yuan of New York Magazine says, “It is impossible to come out of this …

There is no question that harvest time has hit the Island. There are harvest festivals, pumpkin festivals, apple festivals, popcorn festivals—you get the picture. But planning for harvest is not just a couple-weeks-of-the-year affair for many here on the Island. All summer long, folks have been putting up cans of beans and tomatoes and freezing peas and corn all in preparation for what is ahead: Winter. The people behind the Island Grown Initiative’s Island Grown Schools (IGS) are no exception. Through their organized gleaning and processing program, tens of thousands of pounds of fresh, …

Gone are the days of so many different options of what to do with your kids on Saturdays, but in their place are some of the Island's most wonderful events for families. One such event takes place today, Saturday the 24th at the Farm Institute. Back for another year is Pick Your Own Pumpkin day. Starting at 10 am, kids can travel through a maze of pumpkins until they find the perfect one. "It's actually a real pumpkin patch," said farm manager Julie Olson. "There are pumpkins scattered all over the place with vines."  And there are all different varieties and sizes. "You can really weave your…

This year marks the 34th year that Circuit Ave in Oak Bluffs gets blocked off from end to end for an easy-going street fair. Tivoli Day is a day to celebrate all the hard work of the summer and to welcome in the coming of the beautiful Island fall. If you’ve got kids, it’s also one of the most loved days of the year. The stores that line the street will open their doors, offering end of the year sales and outdoor dining from the local restaurants. There will be live music in two locations: near Post Office Square and close to Union Chapel at the top of Circuit Ave. Island favorites like Phil …

With Irene making her way up the coast, those of us here know that whether she is a full-fledged hurricane or a tropical storm, we've got at least a day or two of heavy rain ahead with all of us stuck inside. As a kid during Hurricane Bob 20 years ago, along with watching giant trees fall to the ground like twigs, my memories include hours of crosswords and cribbage, followed by two weeks without power—which meant even more crosswords and cribbage. It is my opinion that hurricane preparedness should include some options for what to do to keep your kids from going mad with boredom. My trip out…

On Friday, June 24, the 2011 Martha's Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative ended its week-long Summit for Sustainable Development with an awarding of certificates, presentations of hopes and dreams and some delicious ice cream provided by the one and only Ben & Jerry's. The students who took part in the summit spent the last five days putting their heads together with each other and members of the local and national community on important issues that affect the Island such as: Health, Sustainable Islands and Buildings, Sustainable Business, Cultural Sustainability and Sustainable Living for …

This Sunday, June, 12, the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) Class of 2011 will walk across the stage at the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association Tabernacle. All 166 of them. Each of them have met a crucial landmark and each have personal achievements to celebrate. Sunday's graduation festivities will open at 1:30 p.m. with the traditional Pomp and Circumstance. Alicia Oliveira will lead as Master of Ceremony; Superintendent James Weiss will be on hand to deliver the Superintendant's Outstanding Student Award; and Principal Nixon will pay tribute to the senior class. Among …

According to Erica Taylor, Class of 2011, the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School "gave me the freedom I needed to really find myself and what I wanted." This Sunday June 5, Erica will join her six other classmates and move on from their close-knit school community to take many paths. This year's graduates are: Hannah Grace Vanderlaske, Mattia Haylay Phaneuf, Brian C. Luce, Erica Taylor, Jessica Nicole Dupon, Sasha Marie Iammarino and Domonique Victoria Aaron. Each student spent their time at the Charter School pursuing a path of learning that they designed for themselves, along with the …

Every year the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School (MVPCS) celebrates its birthday, but this year it had something else to celebrate. This year, the Charter School turns 15, an impressive feat in and of itself, but it also celebrated receiving its renewal from the state that allows the school to continue to operate for the next five years. Marie Larsen, administrative coordinator at MVPCS, described the renewal process as "massive." That process consists of education experts coming into the school for three days and going through every detail of how the school is run. For sophomore Ruth …

Every month, Martha's Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) nominates a student whose accomplishments merit special recognition. They're dubbed the "spotlight student of the month." This month, the final student of the 2010–2011 school year is Madeleine Pénicaud, whose list of accomplishments go all the way back to junior high. "I've always been involved in a lot of sports and a lot of groups," said Madeleine. "I think the Island has a lot to offer. There's a real variety of things you can do." As the daughter of Margaret Mayhew Pénicaud, the founder of Fish Farm for Haiti, it seems that …

The Martha's Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative (MVYLI) has put out a call for nominations for young leaders ages 15 to 20 to serve as delegates to the 2011 Youth Leadership Summit for Sustainable Development. This year's Youth Leadership Summit will be held June 18 through 24. An orientation will be held on Wednesday, May 4 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School Library Conference Room. The mission of the MVYLI is to develop the next generation of leaders. Nominees to the Youth Summit attend week-long intensive leadership training, during which time they discuss …