A standing ovation welcomed the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School’s class of 2013 to the stage at their commencement ceremony last Sunday afternoon. The crowd cheered excitedly as the graduates, wearing wreaths of purple flowers in their hair, entered the white tent.

The American Cancer Society held its Relay for Life benefit walk yesterday and last night at the MVRHS track.

The Windemere Nursing and Rehabilitation Center hosted its seventh annual fundraiser auction Friday night at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury. The proceeds of the evening will benefit Windemere’s recreation department, which provides residents with opportunities to take part in activities around the Island, including yoga classes, concerts and dinners.

“I’ve never had a pantry!” Geneva Corwin said as she toured her newly finished kitchen for the first time. “I have cupboards now, it’s amazing.”

The pantry itself was still empty, but “it won’t be for long,” husband Calvin Corwin said.

The data is clear: like the rest of the country, Martha’s Vineyard is bracing for a sharp increase in the population of older residents. The number of Vineyard residents 60 and older is growing at a faster rate then the rest of the state, and that demographic is expected to grow as the baby boomer generation gets older. Some estimates show that Island residents between 60 and 70 years of age will triple by 2020.

It’s hard to miss the Astros. Dressed in blazing orange uniforms, the players would stand out in nearly any environment, but against the bright green grass of the regional high school field, the contrast seems all the more dramatic. The Astros, a squad of 14 and 15 year olds, are a bridge, the final stop in Island youth baseball on the way up to the big leagues of high school ball.