Features
My favorite element of feature writing is connecting with interviewees. Almost everyone has a story to tell, and when I write a feature on someone, I not only provide them with the opportunity to share their story, but I meet and talk to an interesting person whom I most likely would not have interacted with if not for the article. Each one of the people I interviewed for the articles below showed gratitude and appreciation, and I was more than happy to engage with them.
How COVID-19 is Affecting Local Businesses
Shawns Cafe and Bakery owner Shawn Huffman stands outside his storefront, which remains open for takeout.
Photo by Alex Levin
I published this article in May of 2020, when COVID-19 most severely impacted local businesses. Since only "essential" businesses were allowed to remain open, many local businesses on Mercer Island were struggling financially. I interviewed a few local owners on how they were coping with these issues.
The COVID-19 outbreak has taken its toll on Mercer Island’s local businesses.
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Jay Inslee’s closure of all non-essential businesses has left book stores, coffee shops, gyms and other important businesses vying for financial relief and their employees craving any form of human interaction.
“[The outbreak] has been financially and emotionally devastating,” Mercer Island Athletic Club owner Ginny Pietila said. “Our team of trainers and instructors suddenly find themselves without each other’s daily support and without the regular interaction with their clients.”
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With in-store activities no longer prohibited, the pandemic has forced most businesses, including the MI Athletic Club, to rely on various virtual alternatives to stay afloat.
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“As with most fitness businesses right now, we quickly pivoted to online workouts,” Pietila said. “Everyone on our team is also checking in with their clients periodically to stay engaged and offer help if needed.”
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Even with online business generating reasonable profits, certain face-to-face aspects of business are difficult to replace. For Island Books owner Laurie Raisys, online sales cannot adequately deliver the satisfaction gained from customer interactions.
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“We’re not an online business, we’re in the business of experiences,” Raisys said. “We like people in the store, we like to talk to people, we like to tell people about the books that we like, and we can’t do any of that while this [pandemic] is going on.”
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While for the most part the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected businesses, some owners choose to look on the bright side.
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“[The outbreak is] actually forcing me to make changes that I have wanted to do that I’ve been procrastinating on,” Shawn Huffman, Shawn’s Cafe and Bakery owner, said.
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While Shawn’s is not supporting in-store dining, the cafe remains open for takeout given the public’s desire for baked goods.
“I guess I am pretty lucky,” Huffman said. “Because people always need breads and baked goods and things like that to eat.”
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Even with a significant demand, Huffman has still faced a few difficulties since the stay-at-home order was put in place.
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“I had just wanted to hire a couple people,” Huffman said. “But the first couple weeks of the virus were really slow, so I couldn’t really keep them.”
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Possibly the most troubling aspect of the pandemic is the uncertainty surrounding when businesses will be able to return to normal.
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“It is hard to predict what the economy will look like once we are allowed to re-open,” Pietila said. “For the time being we are staying positive, staying engaged and hoping that some financial relief will come through.”
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Nobody knows when businesses will fully re-open, but until then, the most important thing is for everyone to stay safe.
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“For all of us on the island, for all the small businesses, we appreciate the support and the patience the community has shown for all of us,” Raisys said.
MIGB Legend Mentors Youth in Return to Program
Anna Luce is no stranger to articles being written about her. Before playing basketball at Dartmouth University, Anna Luce broke 12 school records in her four-year basketball career at Mercer Island High School. Now that she has returned to Mercer Island in a coaching role, I wanted to write a human-interest story about her in a different context.
Flip to page six to read:
Photo Courtesy Anna Luce
Luce faces off against rival Bellevue High School.
MIHS Girls Basketball legend Anna Luce, who graduated in 2017, has returned to Mercer Island and will serve as an assistant coach for the Mercer Island Select seventh grade girls team.
After playing four years on varsity at MIHS and leading the team to a state championship during her senior year, Luce was recruited to play at Dartmouth University. While at Mercer Island, Luce bested 12 school records, including points scored in a single game (38) and total career points (1700).
Luce will now use her high school and college experience to further improve Mercer Island Girls Basketball.
“MIGB has just been such a big part of my growing up,” Luce said. “I have always been, in the back of my mind, hoping one day I could coach and be back in the program, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.”
While Luce has helped run a variety of basketball camps and one-on-one sessions before, this position will be her first time coaching in a full-team atmosphere.
“[Coaching is] a very different skill set,” Luce said. “The love for the game is still there… [but] I’m coming in with not a ton of experience.”
However, despite her lack of coaching experience, Luce will draw from her vast knowledge of the game and the lessons she learned while playing, such as the importance of hard work and collaboration.
“Our motto growing up playing basketball… was always ‘play hard and have fun,’ and that’s kind of what I want to instill in the girls,” Luce said. “No one is expecting any perfection, [and] you don’t have to be the best player out there to contribute, but everybody can bring a different aspect to the game.”
In addition to helping the team succeed, Luce will look to serve as a mentor to the younger players in the Mercer Island Girls Basketball program.
“I think there’s so many lessons you can take from athletics and apply to the workplace and to other aspects of life, and so I’m excited to be that mentor for them,” Luce said. “I know I looked up to my coaches so much growing up, and I want to be that in return.”
While not every young basketball player will continue in high school and beyond, Luce’s presence as a coach should provide her players with an example of how to play with dedication, while continuing to enjoy the game.
“Ultimately, basketball is a sport and people are playing it because they find enjoyment in it,” Luce said. “When you're starting from so young, it should never be a burden, so I just want them to go out and give their best effort, and have a good time doing it.”
Instructional coach Jamie Cooke skies in his free time from MIHS.
Photo Courtesy Jamie Cooke
MIHS Staff Take the Slopes
When my editorial staff was brainstorming winter-themed articles we could write for our December print issue, I suggested writing a piece on MIHS teachers who partake in interesting winter sports. And sure enough, I found a few teachers who love and are passionate about skiing and snowboarding.
The Pacific Northwest is home to a variety of cherished skiing and snowboarding areas, many of which are only a few hours away from Mercer Island High School.
To escape their ungraded essays and lengthy faculty meetings, many MIHS staff members venture to the mountains to hit the slopes during the winter.
“When I’m in the mountains and I’m skiing, I’m not thinking about anything else,” history teacher Tyson Peters said. “It's the fresh air, it's the mountains, it's gorgeous, I’m with my friends— anything else that is going on in my life or in the world, I just don’t think about it.”
Skiing can provide much more than just a break from the typical daily school routine. The sport offers teachers both an opportunity to connect with friends, and a chance to travel outside of their comfort zone.
“There is no other wonderful feeling I have ever had than just fresh tracked powder on a beautiful day with good friends,” instructional coach Jamie Cooke said. “It is exhilarating for me, and… no matter what, I can always challenge myself.”
To evade the crowded runs and lengthy lines at the popular ski resorts in the area, such as Stevens Pass and Crystal Mountain, Peters and Cooke have explored more uncommon types of skiing.
Both teachers have tried backcountry skiing, where skiers traverse far away from chairlifts, and helicopter skiing, where a helicopter brings skiers to an otherwise inaccessible location. Both of these variations take place in less-populated areas, allowing Peters and Cooke to further enjoy the outdoors.
“Helicopter skiing can get you to a lot of really remote locations and gets you to some really good locations where there is a lot of fresh snow,” Cooke said.
Peters not only finds joy in the activity of skiing, but combines the sport with his passion for travel by skiing in a variety of places like Canada, Alaska and even New Zealand.
“I’m a huge fan of traveling, and so over the years I have paired together my love for travel with also my love for skiing,” Peters said. “What I like is that you can travel to a cool place and experience that, but also get to do what you like to do.”
R&R counselor Chris Harnish and Spanish teacher Lara Fitzgerald also take trips to the mountains during the winter. However, instead of riding on two skis like Peters and Cooke, Harnish and Fitzgerald snowboard.
“I used to skateboard a lot as a kid, and snowboarding just came really natural to me,” Harnish said. “I fell in love with it and I have been passionate about it ever since [my first lesson].”
While there is typically a friendly rivalry between skiers and snowboarders, anyone on the mountain can feel the advantages of spending time in an alpine environment.
“It's beautiful everywhere you go; you are always getting beautiful scenery,” Fitzgerald said. “People you meet on the mountain and the lift are always friendly, [and just] happy being out there.”
While skiing and snowboarding are costly activities and can require significant time commitments, the benefits of trying them out could be long lasting.
“Skiing is something you can do your whole life, so I would say take the ski bus, go up on the weekends or go night skiing with your friends,” Peters said. “Just get out and get some exercise in the mountains, and it can become something much bigger.”