West Homer Elementary principal got an abrupt wake-up call on Martin Luther King day when a section of the school was flooded. Principal Charlie Walsworth said a friend from the Faith Lutheran Church heard the school's alarm going off early Monday morning and called him at home. Walsworth found the source of the flood when he opened the doors of the school's north wing and found an estimated 2,000 of gallons of water pouring down the hallway. The flood was caused when an elbow in the 7-year-old school's sprinkler system failed. The pipe was in the school's outer wall, causing some to speculate that the pipe froze in Monday's chilling temperatures, though Walsworth said that wasn't known for certain. Borough maintenance workers toiled throughout Monday to sop up the mess, and were able to open the wing Tuesday for classes as usual. Walsworth said damage was minimal, though some books and shoes were drenched in the inch to inch-and-a-half of water on the floor.

Students learn to tie flies

About 140 students from Vosnesenka, Homer Flex and Homer High School will be taught how to tie flies today and Friday as part of their Salmonids in the Classroom curriculum. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game staff will teach the students to tie four patterns that mirror the stages of their classroom egg incubators. They also will hold similar sessions at Chapman Elementary in Anchor Point and all Central Peninsula Schools in March. For more information, call Patti Berkhahn at ADFG at 262-2943 or go to www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2.ie.flytie/html/flytie.stm.

Fishery meeting planned

The North Pacific Fishery Managment Council will meet Feb. 4 to 10 at the Anchorage Hilton. All meetings are open to the public. There will be sign-up sheets at the session's registration table for members of the public who want to address the council. Sign-up must be completed before public comment begins on that agenda item. Written commments and materials to be included in council notebooks must be received at the council office by 5 p.m. Jan. 28. All written comments must include a statement of the source and date of the information provided as well as a brief description of the background of the person submitting the statement. Comments can be sent via mail or fax, not e-mailed. A minimum of 25 copies should be sent for the council, 28 for the advisory panel, 18 for the scientific and statistical committee or extra for the public. Mail can be sent to the council at 605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 306, Anchorage, Alaska, 99501-2252.

Foundation receives donation

The Homer Foundation, a nonprofit providing grants and investment for endowments to area organizations, has received an anonymous donation of $153,888.

This is the largest amount donated since the foundation began in 1991.

Fifty thousand dollars has been directed to the New Library Project. The remainder will be used to establish a Donor Advised Fund through which the donor may choose how they would like the earnings of the fund to be distributed.

The new fund will be known as the Tin Roof Fund and will support an annual foreign language study/travel scholarship for a Homer High School graduate, as well as the Homer Foundation's Unrestricted Fund.

"This was certainly a high point for me," Steward said, "It is so satisfying to work with donors, to help them fulfill their philanthropic goals. This gift will be here to support the community forever. I hope the community appreciates and understands the value of their community foundation."

In addition, the foundation's year-end campaign, titled "The Homer Foundation Makes a Difference; You Can Too," raised $33,000. It culminated in a drawing for the opportunity to award a $500 grant to a qualifying nonprofit of the winner's choice. The Rotary Club won the drawing and has yet to determine the recipient of its award. For more information about the Homer Foundation contact Joy Steward, at 235-0541 or on the web at www.homerfund.org.