In fall 2014, Clark College welcomed its largest-ever class of international students, many of whom will be participating in International Education Week.

On November 17, Clark College hosts its seventh celebration of International Education Week. But in many ways, Clark’s celebration began months earlier, with the launching of its new Intensive English Language Program (IELP) at the beginning of this fall quarter.

This program replaces the college’s former English as a Non-Native Language program, which focused solely on the upper levels of pre-college English. The IELP offers intensive English-language instruction, but broadens the curriculum to also include lessons about American culture and U.S. educational expectations. This approach better prepares international students to succeed at Clark and other American institutions of higher education. It also allows them to be admitted at Clark without submitting an English-proficiency test, as was previously required. As a result, 90 new international students enrolled in the IELP for fall quarter, bringing Clark’s total international enrollment to a record-setting 213 students from 29 different countries.

“Instituting an open admission policy that does not require the submission of a standardized English proficiency test allows Clark to compete with other community colleges and English language programs in the region that also offer open admissions,” says Director of International Programs Jane Walster. “It also allows the college to recruit from a larger pool of prospective students around the world, not just those students with specific standardized test scores.”

International Student Recruitment & Outreach Manager Jody Shulnak says Clark’s adaptation of the IELP has helped her attract students during her international recruitment trips, which have included countries like China, Vietnam and Japan in the last year alone.

International students enjoy strong support at Clark, as well as field trips to local attractions like the Vista House in the Columbia Gorge.

“Clark offers comprehensive support services for international students, which I believe really sets us apart in the region,” says Shulnak. “We also have strong university partnerships that provide students with a seamless pathway to earn their bachelor’s degree in the U.S.”

Brazilian student Paulo Giacomelli says he has appreciated his experience at Clark. “The atmosphere at Clark College is great,” he says. “It made it easier for me to attend classes, get involved in activities, and be successful.”

With its strengthened support for international students and frequent events that, like International Education Week, allow those students to share their respective cultures with the Clark community, the college is growing more and more global with each year. Currently, the college’s goal is to achieve an international student population of 300.

“When students from other countries decide to study at Clark, the entire community benefits,” says Shulnak. “It is an exciting learning opportunity for everyone.”

“As global and local become more intertwined, we must all engage in the process of understanding our own culture and those of our neighbors at home and abroad,” adds Walster.

This year’s International Education Week events include presentations by international students about their home cultures, an exhibition by international students and international nonprofits, and screenings of films with international flavor. Visit the event’s web page for a full schedule of events.

Students compete in the Rocket Boat Rally during the 2014 Elementary Science Olympiad.

Normally, you wouldn’t encourage kids to drop eggs on your floor. But this Saturday, all the rules got bent (or possibly refracted) at Clark College’s seventh annual Elementary Science Olympiad, where third-through-fifth graders tested the limits of physics with egg drops and challenged their engineering skills with rockets powered by vinegar and baking soda.

Students from Eisenhower Elementary celebrate an unbroken egg after dropping it from the balcony of PUB 161.

Twenty-four teams from 22 different schools in 10 different districts (including one team each from Cowlitz and Pacific counties) participated in this year’s olympiad, making for a total of 328 elementary students participating–Clark’s largest-ever attendance for the event.

“Interest level this year was amazing and meant we had to work just to squeeze all the teams in,” says Clark STEM Coordinator and biology instructor Erin Harwood, who coordinates the event. “We couldn’t say no when there was so much enthusiasm!”

The event’s size meant the need for even more support from the college community–which, as in years past, stepped in to volunteer. In all, 67 members of the Clark community–including students, faculty, staff, and even a dean–spent their Saturday morning helping young scientists compete in five different event categories. “Four out of five events were new this year, making for an exciting and challenging year,” says Harwood.

Engineering instructor Carol Hsu gets participants excited at the 2014 Elementary Science Olympiad.

This year, Chief Umtuch Middle School (Battle Ground) and CAM Academy (Battle Ground) vied for top honors in each competition (see PDF for full list). But as pictures from the fun-filled event show, when young people gather to celebrate science, everyone’s a winner.

Pictures: Clark College/Jenny Shadley. See more pictures in Clark’s Flickr album.

Don Appert (Tom Seeman)

This fall marks music professor Don Appert’s 25th year teaching at Clark College, and as befits the director of the college’s orchestra, he’s celebrating the occasion with plenty of fanfare–winning three prestigious music awards in less than a month.

Last month, Appert received third place the American Prize in the national The American Prize in Orchestral Programming competition. He recently also earned a 2014 ASCAP Plus Award in recognition of performances in Romania, Japan, and the US of his musical compositions. And on November 18, he is receiving a the Clark County Arts Commision’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

“It is a great honor to receive the 2014 Clark County Arts Commission Lifetime Achievement Award,” says Appert. “In fact it is a bit overwhelming and somewhat difficult to adequately express my feelings in words. To be recognized for one’s work is always deeply satisfying. Concurrently winning Third Place in The American Prize for Orchestral Programming and also another ASCAP Plus Award for my musical compositions makes this a truly significant 25th anniversary of my teaching at Clark College.”

Appert, 61, chairs the college’s music department and conducts its orchestra. He also serves as the music director/conductor for the Oregon Sinfonietta and Jewish Community Orchestra in Portland, as well as the Sanctuary Choir Director for First United Methodist Church of Vancouver, and has been a guest conductor for the Vancouver Symphony. Appert has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in trombone from the New England Conservatory of Music and a doctorate in orchestral conducting at the University of Kansas.

Clark County commissioners and the arts commission will present the Lifetime Achievement Award at 9:45 a.m. at the Clark County Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. Appert will also be featured in a CVTV “Clark County Close Up” program that will begin airing November 16 on Comcast channels 21 and 23 and online.

Clark College Director of Choirs April Duvic nominated Appert for the award, according to a news release issued Friday by the county.

“Don has always been a champion of promoting music by and for the community,” she wrote. “The Clark College Orchestra is an amazing connection for players from all walks of life. The community members serve as examples and mentors for the students as well. Don composes music for the college choirs and the students are eager and honored to perform his works. It’s rare to have a composer of his excellence and renown at a community college.”

“It has been a great pleasure to watch the ongoing growth and development in size and quality of the Music Department, the Clark College Orchestra, and my own creative efforts as educator, conductor, and composer,” says Appert. “My thanks and deep appreciation go to my colleagues in Clark College’s faculty, staff, and administration, as well as to the student and community musicians who have encouraged and supported me these past 25 years.”

Photo courtesy of Clark College Music Department

Clark College Veterans Club member Steve Mitchley hangs a ribbon from the Honor Tree that will be displayed during this year’s Veterans Day celebration.

Members of the Clark College Veterans Club and Associated Students are staffing a table outside of Gaiser Student Center from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. all week in advance of the college’s Veterans Day celebration on November 10. Members of the college community are invited to write holiday cards to be sent to members of the military serving overseas. They can also add ribbons to an Honor Tree that will be displayed during Monday’s celebration.

Ribbons are color-coded.

• White ribbon: in memory of a loved one who gave/lost their life in service
• Blue ribbon: in honor of a loved one who is serving
• Red ribbon: you are currently serving or have served
• Yellow ribbon: general support and thanks to all veterans and service members
• Black ribbon: in recognition of someone who was a POW/MIA
• Purple ribbon: in honor of Purple Heart recipients

A Clark College student hangs a ribbon on the Honor Tree and fills out a holiday card to be sent to a servicemember overseas.

This is the second year that the college is hosting a Veterans Day celebration. Last year, the event included the presentation of a grant from the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington that helped start and staff the college’s Veterans Resource Center, which opened earlier this year.

The college is always closed on Veterans Day, so each year the celebration takes place on the day before or after the official holiday. This year’s Veterans Day celebration takes place 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Gaiser Student Center. In addition to the honor tree and card-writing station, it will include a Presentation of the Colors, guest speakers, free food and refreshments, and kid-friendly activities. It is open to the all members of the Clark College community, regardless of military status, and to the greater Southwest Washington community as well.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Clark College Trustee Michael Ciraulo

Michael Ciraulo has been appointed to the Clark College Board of Trustees by Gov. Jay Inslee. His five-year term will begin Nov. 1, 2014. Ciraulo takes over for Trustee Sherry Parker, whose term expired this summer.

“Mike Ciraulo brings a long history of public service to the board and we are happy to welcome him,” said Clark College President Robert K. Knight. “As a graduate of a community college, a community leader, and a professional firefighter, he brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the college.”

A 20-year veteran of the fire service, he is currently the Division Chief in charge of Training and Education at Clark County Fire and Rescue. He earned his associate degree in fire protection from Portland Community College, a bachelor’s degree in business management and communications from Concordia University, and is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program through the National Fire Academy.

A dedicated public servant, Ciraulo has previously served as both Mayor and City Council member in Battle Ground, where he resides. He has given his time to many public causes statewide and in Southwest Washington, including the Washington State Higher Education Facilities Authority, President of the Clark County Mosquito Control District, Board of Directors for the North County Community Food Bank, Chairperson of the North Clark County Steering Committee for Loaves and Fishes, Larch Corrections Community Advisory Board, and the Lewis River Rotary.

The Clark College Board of Trustees consists of five members who are appointed by the Governor of Washington. Members serve a five-year term and must live in the college’s service district. The Board seeks to ensure the quality and relevance of college programs and to provide stewardship of public resources. In this role, the Board is responsible for strategic planning; development and approval of college policies; and approval and oversight of the operating budget.

Ciraulo’s first meeting will be November 19 at 5 p.m. in Gaiser Hall at Clark College.

Photo courtesy of Michael Ciraulo.

In its 2014-15 season, Clark College Theatre takes its audience on a wild trip across the border—whether that’s the border between two countries, between propriety and hedonism, or between reality and art. With the announcement of its three productions—Night of the Iguana, The Rocky Horror Show, and bobrauschebergamerica—the college’s Theatre Department continues its push to provide work that challenges, entertains, and provokes.

The season opens with Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams. Often considered the last great play written by that classic American dramatist, this provocative exploration of sin and virtue is set in the dusty swelter of a ramshackle Mexican resort, where defrocked minister T. Lawrence Shannon has come to escape both the law and his own inner torment. He’s seeking solace, but instead finds the sultry widow Maxine and the quiet artist Hannah—a gathering of lost souls that quickly ignites into scenes of passion, despair, and surprising poignancy. Nominated for a 1962 Tony Award for best play, this is a major work by one of theatre’s most respected and celebrated writers. The production is directed by Mark Owsley and runs Nov. 7 – 22.

Cast includes: Garrett Dabbs (Pancho), Linda Mathews Owsley (Maxine Faulk), Steven Koculis (Pedro), H. Gene Biby (The Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon), Philip Graves  (Wolfgang), Rianna Workinger (Hilda), Nathan Willbanks (Dorph), Sam Ruble (Herr Fahrenkoph), Madison Harris (Frau Kahrenkoph), J.D. Carpenter (Hank), Emily Wells (Miss Judith Fellowes), Elana Mack (Hannah Jelkes),  Kiara Goulding (Charlotte Goodall), Zak Campbell (Nonno), and Wayne Yancey (Jake Latta). Production includes strong language and adult themes.

Show Dates: November 7, 8, 14, 15, 20, 21, and 22. All show times are at 7:30 p.m. November 15, there will also be a 2:00 p.m. matinee.

Ticket Information: Students (with ID) $9; Alumni (with membership) $9; Senior Citizens $11; General Admission $13. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Clark College Bookstore in Gaiser Hall, online at http://www.clarkbookstore.com/site_theatre.asp, or call 360-992-2815. If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at or (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building room 013, two weeks before the event.

“Educating for the Seventh Generation” is a night of sharing music, dance, and traditions.

On Friday, November 7, Clark College will welcome the community as it hosts “Educating for the Seventh Generation,” a celebration of indigenous cultures.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Gaiser Student Center on Clark College’s main campus. The event will begin at 5 p.m., with free food and refreshments served. A performance by Native American flutist and flute-maker Isaac Trimble will begin at 5:45 p.m. The Welcome Address and opening ceremonies for a powwow will begin at 6 p.m. Closing ceremonies will take place at 10 p.m. Vendors and informational booths will be present 5:00 – 10:00 p.m.

This is the sixth year that Clark College has coordinated and hosted an event in honor of Native American Heritage Month. It is one of four signature events hosted by the college annually to celebrate diverse cultures.

This year, the celebration will include the announcement of an effort to create a new scholarship. Entitled the Dream Catcher Scholarship, this fund would go toward the tuition of a Native American student studying at Clark.

“Studies show that Native Americans experience some of the highest poverty rates of all racial groups in the U.S.,” said Anna Schmasow (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota Oyate Tribal Member), an office assistant at Clark College who has been integral to the organization of Educating for the Seventh Generation. “I believe that education is the most effective tool in escaping poverty. A scholarship fund can help students who are in need attain a successful career.”

Longtime community organizer and celebration committee member Becky Archibald (Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Member) said she hoped the Dream Catcher Scholarship would make college more accessible to Native American youth, many of whom have historical and cultural reasons to distrust educational institutions. “It helps to soften that step, to create that sense of inclusion,” she said. “The scholarship fund would promote the idea that college is possible for the Native American youth in today’s world. It would assist students in bringing their dreams and goals together through higher education.”

According to organizers, “Educating for the Seventh Generation” references “our responsibility to teach the future Seventh Generation to maintain our resources, traditions and customs. It is the way of caring and preserving for the Seventh Generation, which is a true sustainable practice.”

See images from last year’s celebration in Clark’s Flickr album or watch the following video to learn more about this annual event.

Phil Sheehan, center, endures some light roasting with characteristic aplomb during his retirement party.

Is there anyone at Clark College who can remember the college without Phil Sheehan? Not likely—the Director of Information Technology, who retired on September 26 after 38 years of service, was walking the campus long before he began working here. In fact, he was a regular presence even before he started taking classes here in 1966: His father, Bill Sheehan, taught psychology at Clark for 24 years, and young Phil was a frequent visitor as a child.

One way or another, Clark College has been part of Phil Sheehan’s life—and vice versa—almost since he was born. So it’s no wonder that PUB 161 was filled with people wishing him a fond farewell during a retirement party held September 24. The crowd included not just current colleagues, but also former colleagues who had preceded Sheehan into retirement or moved onto other workplaces–a testament to the connections he had forged with so many people at the college over the past four decades.

The speeches began almost immediately, and were long and heartfelt. Clark College President Bob Knight, who often composes “odes” to outgoing employees, recited a truly epic one in honor of Sheehan. “There aren’t too many in Penguin Nation history,” it read in part, “who have the makings of Phil’s pedigree.”

After graduating with his Associate of Arts degree from Clark in 1968, Sheehan earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Washington in 1970, then returned to Clark to earn an Associate of Applied Science. He began teaching Electronics at Clark in 1976; in 1992, he took on the newly created position of Director of Computing Services at the college, which eventually became Information Technology. He earned an M.B.A. from Marylhurst University in 2002. In 2006, he was tapped to serve as Interim Vice President of Administrative Services, a position he held from for more than two years.

“I just can’t think of anyone who has had more of an impact at the college,” said Associate Vice President for Planning & Effectiveness Shanda Diehl before presenting Sheehan with a handmade quilt made of Clark College T-shirts. “In 1992, technology didn’t rule our world. And now it does. I know we all appreciate how meticulous you’ve been.”

“You go into a classroom here and expect the technology to work, and work well,” added Vice President of Instruction Dr. Tim Cook. “And I know that’s in large part because of Phil.”

Sheehan was characteristically soft-spoken and matter-of-fact when taking over the mic. “Clark has been a great place to work,” he said to the room full of well-wishers. “When we started out, we just were using mainframe computers. Personal computers hadn’t even come on the scene. And then we started having networks. So it’s been a real roller coaster. It’s been a great job—never a dull moment.”

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Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Members of Facilities Services proudly display Clark College’s Tree Campus USA award during the college’s 2013 Arbor Day event.

Clark College is one of 10 finalists in the national Arbor Day Foundation’s annual Tree Campus USA “Celebrate Arbor Day Event Contest,” large school division. The contest, which includes college campuses from across the United States, will reward five colleges in each division with materials, funding, and support for a special Arbor Day celebration in 2015.

Winning colleges will be determined by the number of votes received at the contest’s website. Public voting begins October 15 and runs through October 22. Every person is allowed to vote once per day. As of noon on October 15, Clark was leading in number of votes in its category, outpacing much larger schools like Colorado State University and the University of South Carolina.

Clark College has earned Tree Campus USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation for the past four years in a row. If the college is a winner in this contest, it plans to use the prize to host a tree-themed geocaching scavenger hunt.

Clark students and Oswald reveal the total amount raised for Clark’s Ensuring A Bright Future fundraising campaign during a campus celebration September 30.

A burst of sunshine lit up the stage on September 30 as Clark College students lined up to reveal the final amount raised for the college’s five-year Ensuring a Bright Future fundraising campaign. More than 150 guests were in attendance as the Columbia River High School marching band, bedecked in black and gold uniforms and high-crowned shakos, made their way up the campus’ mall and positioned themselves behind the line of students holding blank placards.

Clark College Foundation President/CEO Lisa Gibert and Clark College President Bob Knight called out the numbers, one at a time, as students turned their placards to reveal another digit in the figure. When it was done, the band’s drums pounded, the horns blew, and the crowd erupted in cheers to see $26,593,789 raised for student success at Clark.

“The Ensuring a Bright Future Campaign has been instrumental in bridging the challenges facing our community,” said Gibert. “The funds raised have made it possible to offer relevant and accessible education and training for people in tandem with industry workforce needs.”

The festivities were a culmination of five years of fundraising spearheaded by Clark College Foundation. More than 4,000 donors contributed to the successful campaign that included raising money for scholarships, programs, facilities, endowments and faculty development.

Rain dampened the lawns as the afternoon celebration began, but didn’t dampen the spirits of the people who gathered under large, peaked carnival tents to explore interactive demonstrations at a variety of tables. There were microbes in Petri dishes being tested for antibiotic properties, mini-catapults made with tongue depressors and cotton balls, body composition testing, network cable making, and more. Guest also enjoyed complimentary hot dogs, rice-and-vegetable bowls, and sweet desserts such as funnel cupcakes and strawberry shortcake cups.

Bryce Ruppe, a business major at Clark, stood at the microphone to describe how Clark’s faculty are invested in his success. He also thanked the foundation and the audience for supporting him financially through a scholarship.

“Having access to scholarships is life-changing,” said Ruppe. “It’s great comfort for me to receive a scholarship that helps relieve the pressure of paying bills while I’m in college. Thank you so much for helping me.”