Editor,

A very special thing happened this past Saturday. People of all ages streamed into our local movie theater for a free screening of the acclaimed documentary, “Screenagers: Grow-ing Up in the Digital Age.”

We spent an hour fascinated by the latest science around the effects of technology and “screen time” on brain development and function. We learned important things about the value of balance and interpersonal communication — timely and important lessons more relevant today than ever.

This event would not have been possible without a collaborative community effort. Special thanks to Dr. Daniel Warren and Trish Rose from Naval Hospital Oak Harbor, Rita LaBelle at Oak Harbor Cinemas, reporter Debra Vaughn at the Whidbey News-Times and to Brenda Kovach and Roosevelt Rumble.

Finally, many thanks to all who took time out of their Saturday morning to come see what this film had to offer. The level of attendance and community response exceeded our wildest expectations.

We hope you all enjoyed the movie as much as we did.

Tara Hizon

Staff coordinator

Island County Human Services

Oak Harbor Youth Coalition