By REBEKAH DENN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

The area's recent growth has been an issue for the Stanwood School District, where enrollment has doubled over the past decade to more than 5,000 students.

"The community has really stepped up and been very, very supportive," says schools superintendent Raymond Reid.

Residents approved a $25 million bond issue in September to renovate buildings and build new schools. For the first time in about 60 years, there will be schools on Camano Island, whose 13,000 residents make up a sizable chunk of the district.

At Stanwood High School, the enrollment jump has generally been a plus, allowing new electives and programs the school once couldn't have supported, says principal Gary Vegar.

"We've tried to strengthen all the programs," Vegar says. "We truly have tried to reach every kid."

The school district covers such a large region that friends from the same school might drive 45 minutes to each others' homes.

But it's still enough of a close-knit community, says senior Jenna Lahr, that she can go to the store one night and have three people mention to her mother by the next morning that they saw her there.

"It's like having 2,000 parents," she says.

Hunting and fishing are popular activities, with the school newspaper's "outdoors editor," Mike Thompson, detailing the ins and outs of winter trout fishing and duck hunting in his latest column.

The schools heavily emphasize extracurricular activities and athletics.

Participation in sports and school activities tops 70 percent.