Students from The Island School got a bit of a treat on Friday, Feb. 17 when an old classmate, Charlie Vanover, came to read his book to them.

Charlie authored and illustrated his book, titled “Fred the Giant,” in 2011. Dr. Frank Downing, a visiting poetry teacher to The Island School, was his inspiration.

Charlie, who is now a sixth grader at Punta Gorda Middle School, had his book published through Nationwide Learning, LLC. The company can be found at nationwide-learning.com.

Charlie thanked the teachers and Mrs. Rosa Ramos for giving him a solid learning foundation when he was a student there.

“Charlie explained how they could be published, too. ,” Dr. D. said. “What more motivation could there be than to see your own words and art in print? Isn’t that a wonderful thing?”

The Hughes Gallery will be presenting the 2012 Invitational Group Show on Feb. 27 and 28. This year’s selected artists are all masters at the representation of light.

Lois Griffel has a long history as both an artist and an art teacher. The former Director of the Cape Cod School of Art has continued to teach through a series of lectures and books highlighting her own Impressionist style and how it relates to other styles.

Joining her are landscape and nautical artists Val Sandell and Michael Budden.

Sandell, who lives in Florida, works in a mix of Impressionism and Naturalism. Her work has been seen in shows across the country, and she has an impressive list of awards to her honor.

Michael Budden, a New Jersey artist, once painted wildlife but has now turned to landscapes from across the country. Mr. Budden has won many awards for his paintings, and among his work is the 2006 White House Easter Egg for New Jersey.

Join Hughes Gallery and the artists from noon until 5 p.m. on both Monday and Tuesday and enjoy the light that each brings to the show.

Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk will be giving a presentation on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at the Boca Grande Community Center.

“Yellowstone: Preserving America’s Park for the Next Generation” is part of the Yellowstone Park Foundation’s celebration of 15 years of service to the national park.

Seven members of Coastal Wildlife Club attended the inaugural meeting of the Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Network held earlier this month on Jekyll Island in Georgia.

The CWC group joined more than 400 other conservationists, researchers, veterinarians, academics, fishery managers, representatives of conservation organizations and government agency staff from states on the gulf coast, and along the lower eastern seaboard.