High school sophomores and juniors can learn how to take the next step in their education by attending one of three optional Running Start Information Night sessions at Clark College.

The identical sessions will be held 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24; Wednesday, Feb. 28; and Wednesday, March 7. All three events, which are free and open to the public, will be held in the Clark College gymnasium in the O’Connell Sports Center, located on the southwest side of Clark College’s main campus.

Running Start allows eligible juniors and seniors to earn college credit while they fulfill their high school graduation requirements. Running Start students attend Clark classes along with “regular” college students. They can choose from a full range of academic and professional and technical courses as long as the students meet the criteria and the classes are college-level.

The program, which can significantly reduce the cost of a four-year college degree, has proven popular in Southwest Washington. Some Running Start students are so motivated that they earn their associate degree from Clark at the same time that they earn their high school diploma. These annual information nights frequently attract hundreds of interested students and parents to the college, which is why the college is hosting three sessions this year. Fall Quarter 2017 Clark College welcomed 2,484 Running Start students, up by 2 percent from the previous year.

These information sessions are for students and parents who want to know more about beginning the program in fall 2018. While the sessions are completely optional, they are a good opportunity to hear current Running Start students candidly describe their experiences in the program and to learn about the eligibility criteria, deadlines, and more.

Running Start students pay for books, transportation, and some fees, but do not pay full Clark College tuition. Students can be part-time or full-time in Running Start. Fees are subject to change by the Washington State Legislature. A fee waiver is available for those demonstrating financial need.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way in Vancouver, Wash. Parking will be available in the college’s Red lots on the east side of Fort Vancouver Way and in the Purple Lot on the west side of Fort Vancouver Way. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building (PUB) room 013, as soon as possible.

For more information on Running Start, visit the Clark College website at www.clark.edu/runningstart. For information about Running Start Information Nights, call 360-992-2366.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Each year, the Clark College Jazz Festival brings young musicians from throughout the region to Clark.

The 56th Annual Clark College Jazz Festival presents three full days of exhilarating big band jazz on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, January 25-27, 2018 in Gaiser Student Center on Clark College’s main campus. Admission is $5 per day. Clark College students and children under 12 accompanied by an adult will be admitted free of charge.

Sixty middle and high school jazz ensembles from throughout Washington and Oregon are scheduled to perform in this year’s competition with trophies presented to the top three jazz ensembles for middle schools and A through AAAA division high schools. Individual outstanding musician awards will also be presented at the end of each division’s preliminary competitions.  At the end of Saturday evening, the Dale Beacock Memorial Sweepstakes Award will be presented to one outstanding band selected from the entire festival.

Preliminary competitions for the 2018 festival will start on Thursday with middle schools from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with middle school finals starting at 5:30 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, competition will begin at 8:00 a.m. with the A and AA division jazz bands performing on Friday and AAA and AAAA jazz bands taking the stage on Saturday. Finals competitions will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings ending with the trophies presentation.

The Clark College Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Festival Director Richard Inouye, will perform at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, noon and 8:30 p.m. on Friday, and at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday. The 2017 Sweepstakes Band, Garfield High School Jazz Band (Seattle, WA), under the direction of Clarence Acox, will hold the spotlight on Saturday evening at 8:30 p.m.

For complete information about the Clark College Music Department concerts featuring the orchestra, band, jazz ensemble, and choirs, please see http://www.clark.edu/campus-life/arts-events/music/index.php.

The History of the Clark College Jazz Festival

The heritage of the Clark College Jazz Festival dates back to 1962 when Hud­son’s Bay H.S. band director, Don Cammack, began organizing a one-day high school stage band invitational for schools from Clark and Skamania coun­ties. Organized by the Vancouver and Evergreen public schools, Fort Vancou­ver H.S. and Evergreen H.S took turns hosting the festival each year. Sponsors of the festival included Southwest Washington Music Association and Lower Columbia River Music Educators Association. In the early years, the trophies were made by middle school band director, Jack Ager, creatively construct­ing musician figures from miscellaneous hardware and car parts! In 1970, Dale Beacock, then the band director at both Fort Vancouver H.S. and Clark Col­lege, held the invitational “Clark Stage Band Contest” for the first time at its current home, Clark College. This inaugural event hosted 17 high school jazz bands with preliminary competitions held in what was then known as the Gaiser Hall dining area, with finals in the gymnasium. Dale’s vision of a competitive jazz showcase for schools throughout Washington and greater Portland pro­moted the growth of the festival and in 1971 the festival grew to 32 bands held over two days on Friday and Saturday. In 1976 the number of participating bands grew to 52, welcoming bands from Oregon and Idaho. In 1985, Chuck Ramsey took over the reigns as Festival Coordinator successfully organizing the festival for the next 22 years. Chuck’s achievements bringing consistency in the operations of the festival and increased student involvement set the ground­work for the educational enhancement, leadership, teamwork, and a sense of ownership the Clark student volunteers experience today. In 2008, Richard Inouye came onboard as Festival Director. His professional and educational experience has brought a new dynamic to the festival by encouraging a focus on jazz education and utilizing technology to promote community awareness, public support, and streamline festival operations. In 2012, the Clark College Jazz Festival celebrated its 50th Golden Anniversary. Highlights of this milestone included the Clark College Alumni Band directed by Chuck Ramsey which fea­tured Clark band alumni from three generations of Clark band directors. Dale Beacock and Chuck were also presented Legacy Sweepstakes Awards for their historic contributions to the festival. Today the Annual Clark College Jazz Fes­tival welcomes 60 middle and high school jazz ensembles, over 1,200 student jazz musicians to the campus, and over 3,000 people to the Vancouver com­munity throughout the three-day event. In 2013, the festival went international welcoming two bands from Tsawwassen, British Columbia!

About the Clark College Music Department

Clark College offers a two-year Associate in Music Degree (DTA/MRP) that includes music theory/ear training, instrumental and vocal performance training, and ensemble experience. Classes are designed to prepare the music major for advanced studies at a four-year institution while providing the non-major with the skills and background to fully enjoy music as a cultural pursuit. Ensembles on campus include three choral groups, orchestra, concert band, and jazz ensemble. Three tenured and several adjunct faculty, provide professional instruction to the 500+ students that pass through Beacock Music Hall each year.

Efforts to create ecotourism and protect two monkey species in West Africa are the subject of Dr. Robert Schubert’s STEM Seminar Series lecture.

Clark College is inviting the public to come back to school for a series of free lunchtime seminars that explore the lighter side of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Begun in 2015, the Clark College STEM Seminar Series launches its 2018 Winter season with yet more fun, informative presentations geared toward anyone with an interest in science—no Ph.D. required!

The winter quarter events in this series include:

• January 19: The Aka and Bofi Foragers of the Central African Republic with Dr. Jay Fancher, Clark College anthropology faculty. Join Dr. Fancher as he recounts tales of his doctoral field research with the Aka and Bofi foragers of the Central African Republic. Learn how studying—and sharing—their meals helps researchers better understand archaeological findings from the area.
• February 16: Human Culture and Primate Conservation with Dr. Robert Schubert, Clark College anthropology faculty. When balancing modernization with protecting wild species, creating local control of conservation efforts is crucial to their success. Dr. Schubert shares stories of how local beliefs help preserve two West African primate species and of the challenges posed in developing successful ecotourism initiatives.
• March 9: It’s All About Mud! with David Kluesner, geologist and Florida Gulf Coast University faculty. When oil and other pollutants spill into water, how can scientists predict where they’ll wind up? With more than three decades of experience in the field, this geologist shares his study of pollutants in the mud of a Florida estuary—and what that mud can tell us about how to track and contain future spills.

All events are held on Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. in the STEM Building room 151 on Clark’s main campus. All are open to the public. Light snacks will be available and guests are welcome to bring their own lunches with them.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Anyone needing accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at (360) 992-2314 or (360) 991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building room 013, as soon as possible.

This article was contributed by STEM Outreach Program Coordinator Nadia Kluesner.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Schubert.

Clark College President Bob Knight cuts the ribbon at the opening of the McClaskey Culinary Institute. Student Leslie Krawchuk, front row in chef’s hat, said she was excited to begin studying in the new institute.

If there was one theme to the mood at the ribbon-cutting of the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute this November, it might have been best summed up in the opening remarks of Clark College President Bob Knight: “This has been a long time coming.”

Knight added, “Thirteen and a half years ago, when I came to the college, we were having these conversations back then.”

Indeed, there has long been an understanding at the college that its culinary program needed modernizing, both in terms of curriculum and its 40-year-old facilities. But doing so required making the tough decision to put the popular program on hiatus, redesigning the entire curriculum, hiring new faculty, raising funds for a new facility, designing it, and building it from the ground up. All told, the culinary program—now renamed cuisine management—had been on hiatus for five years, and the college had been without its primary food-service venue for just as long. Today, that long wait was finally over.

Guests try vegetarian yakisoba stir-fry during the ribbon-cutting of the McClaskey Culinary Institute.

By all accounts, the end result was well worth the wait. The new facility boasts outdoor seating and garage-door windows to let natural light into the comfortable interior; an espresso and bakery kiosk; a soup and salad bar; a grill for made-to-order meals; a kitchen kiosk for special demonstrations and events; and windows looking into the bakery’s workspace to give an “open kitchen” feel to the facility. Additionally, a full-service, sit-down restaurant run by second-year students will open next year.

And that’s just what can be seen from the dining area—the kitchen boasts state-of-the-art equipment for making everything from chocolate croissants to vegan stir fries. Students in both the cuisine management and the bakery and pastry arts programs are now learning their trades in a fully functioning, industrial-sized kitchen that mirrors what they might encounter in their professional careers.

Clark College cuisine instructor Earl Frederick gives guests a tour of the McClaskey Culinary Institute’s kitchens.

According to local employers, those careers are waiting for them. “I can tell you this program is much needed in our area,” said Rick Takach, who donated funds toward the facility’s $10.5 million cost and served on the Culinary Campaign Advisory Committee. “Though it wasn’t my intention, there’s a return on my donation. That return is the qualified staff I will need for my businesses, including the new waterfront hotel I’m opening.”

“There is a huge demand,” added restaurateur Mark Matthias, who also contributed funds to the facility. “We need professionals coming out of this program ready to go, ready to start their careers.”

There is also a need for an affordable, high-quality program for local high school students who have begun studying culinary arts and want to continue their educations, said David Finnie, who teaches culinary arts at Fort Vancouver High School and helped advise the college on the facility’s design. He, too, felt the institute was worth the wait.

The new culinary institute has an “open kitchen” feel, with a window looking into the bakery program’s facilities.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “The facility—I got to tour it last week and my jaw hit the floor. We already have a student from our program in here, and she loves it.”

So does Leslie Krawchuk, who joined the college’s inaugural class of the new baking and pastry arts program. For Krawchuk, too, this moment was a long time coming. She had spent almost 15 years in health care management, but always harbored a dream of starting her own bakery. “When my husband and I moved here from Savannah, Georgia, I decided it was time to chase my dreams,” she said. “I researched quite a few schools, and Clark has it all. With the McClaskey Culinary Institute opening, and after speaking to Chef Alison [Dolder, head of the bakery and pastry arts program], I knew this was the right place.”

Krawchuk said she was attracted to Clark’s focus on hands-on learning. “The focus here is on production,” she said. “Other schools seemed more demonstration- or lecture-based. But with baking, you need to be able to touch and feel the dough.”

Students passed out tasty treats during the McClaskey Culinary Institute ribbon-cutting.

Krawchuk said she hopes to open her business in downtown Vancouver, and that she expects many Clark graduates to contribute to an expanded and enriched food culture in her new hometown. “I have some classmates who are doing this to start their own businesses, and others who have all kinds of interesting career paths in mind,” she said. “We’re all already talking about banding together, creating connections. I’m excited to see where we go next.”

View more photographs from the event on Flickr.

Photos: Jenny Shadley/Clark College

Clark College will honor the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Wednesday, January 17, with two events—a traveling museum exhibit and a guest speaker—focused on African-American history and art. The theme this year is “1968,” in reference to the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King, and the day’s activities will focus on how the events of 1968 shaped American history and culture. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Black History 101 Mobile Museum will be on exhibit in Gaiser Student Center on Clark’s main campus from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Founded by Khalid el-Hakim, this is an award-winning collection of over 7,000 original artifacts. The selection on display will focus on the major events and personalities of 1968, including artifacts related to the 1968 Olympics, Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, the Black Panther Party, Shirley Chisholm, and numerous musical artists who were performing during that time. Supporting material from the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the Jim Crow era will provide additional historical context.

Additionally, there will be a multi-media presentation delivered by Professor Griff, one of the founding members of the hip-hop group Public Enemy, about how the events of the late 1960s helped shape that group’s art. Griff will speak from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., also in Gaiser Student Center.

In honor of Dr. King’s legacy and his call for service, the college is asking guests to bring a non-perishable item for the Clark College Penguin Pantry and the ShareHouse Backpack Program.

Clark College will be closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day itself (Monday, January 15) in observance of the official holiday.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2018 Iris Awards, which honor outstanding women in Southwest Washington. The winners will be announced at the end of January, and the recipients will be honored at a reception and ceremony on Wednesday, March 8, 2018, from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. in Clark College’s Gaiser Student Center. Tickets will go on sale in January.

Award criteria and nominations forms are available at www.clark.edu/cc/irisawards. Nominations must be received by January 12, 2018. A list of past award recipients can be found at http://www.clark.edu/campus-life/arts-events/iris/iris-award-honorees.php.

The Iris Awards follow in the tradition of the Southwest Washington Women of Achievement Awards, which began in 1985 at Clark College. In 2012, the event was reintroduced as the Iris Awards, still celebrated on or around International Women’s Day (March 8) and with the same core mission: honoring the lasting and far-reaching contributions of women in Southwest Washington and beyond.

One Iris Award recipient may be selected in each of four areas: service in the public sector; service in the private sector; philanthropic leadership; and leadership in the promotion of civil discourse, teamwork, collaboration and cooperation. This last category is a new addition to the Iris Awards, sponsored by H-RoC, a non-partisan political action committee dedicated to the advancement of elected and appointed women leaders in Southwest Washington.

Anyone may submit a nomination, and more than one person can fill out a nomination form or provide letters of recommendation for the same nominee.

This year’s awards are sponsored by Clark College, the Clark College Foundation, the Vancouver Business Journal, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, and H-RoC.

Clark College Theatre opens its 2017-2018 season with A View from the Bridge.

Arthur Miller, who wrote Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, brings us this classic tragedy of life, love, and loss. Brooklyn longshoreman Eddie Carbone welcomes his immigrant cousins to America, but when one of them falls for Eddie’s young niece, Eddie’s jealous mistrust exposes an unspeakable secret—one that drives him to commit the ultimate betrayal.

Cast includes: JD Carpenter* (Louis); Aron Howell** (Alfieri); Zak Cambell** (Eddie); Sammantha Williams* (Catherine); Christina Taft** (Beatrice); Sterling Buck* (Marco); Austin Woodard* (Tony); Stevie Riepe* (Rodolpho); Liam Arthur* (First Immigration Officer); and Alex Pearman* (Second Immigration Officer).  The director is Mark Owsley. Note: Cast member names marked with a single asterisk are current Clark College students; double asterisks indicate Clark College alumni.

Show Dates: Nov. 10, 11, 16, 17, and 18. All show times are at 7:30 p.m. in the Decker Theatre, Frost Arts Center, on Clark College’s main campus.

Ticket Information: Students (with ID) $10; Alumni (with membership) $10; Senior Citizens $12; General Admission $15. Season ticket packages are also available. Tickets may be purchased 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 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP), or visit Gaiser Hall room 137, as soon as possible.

Author Aimee Bender. Photo: Mike Glier/USC Dornlife

Clark College welcomes award-winning novelist Aimee Bender, author of The Girl in the Flammable Skirt and The Color Master, as part of the college’s Columbia Writers Series.

Bender will read from and discuss her writing from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Monday, October 30, in the Penguin Union Building (PUB) room 258 on Clark’s main campus.

Aimee Bender is the author of five books:The Girl in the Flammable Skirt (1998), which was a NY Times Notable Book; An Invisible Sign of My Own (2000), which was a Los Angeles Times pick of the year; Willful Creatures(2005) which was nominated by The Believer as one of the best books of the year; The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (2010), which won the SCIBA award for best fiction and an Alex Award; and The Color Master, a New York Times Notable book for 2013. Her books have been translated into 16 languages.

Her short fiction has been published in Granta, GQ, Harper’s, Tin House, McSweeney’s, The Paris Review, and more. It also has been heard on PRI’s “This American Life”and “Selected Shorts.”

She lives in Los Angeles with her family and teaches creative writing at USC.

The event is free and open to the public. Directions and maps are available online. Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services (DSS) Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP) or visit room PUB 013.

The Columbia Writers Series was launched at Clark College in 1988, bringing local, national and international authors to the college and the region. Information about the Columbia Writers Series is available at www.clark.edu/cc/cws.

Clark College is inviting the public to come back to school for a series of free lunchtime seminars that explore the lighter side of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Begun in 2015, the Clark College STEM Seminar Series launches its 2017 Fall season with yet more fun, informative presentations geared toward anyone with an interest in science—no Ph.D. required!

The fall quarter events in this series include:

• Oct. 20: Terrific Telescopes—Windows to Our Universe with Dr. Duane Ray, Clark College Economic & Community Development instructor

  Join Dr. Ray as he reviews the amazing technology of today’s telescopes and how they work. He will then take us on a tour around the world, showing the latest equipment now installed or being installed, including light, infrared, microwave and X-ray telescopes.

• Nov. 17: Cave Curiosities with Eddy Cartaya of the U.S. Forest Service

  As a ranger in the Deschutes National Forest, Cartaya has the opportunity to investigate many caves while solving crimes. His work on glacier caves in Mt. Hood has provided valuable information about these fragile and ever-changing ecosystems.

• Dec. 1: Telling Science Fact from Fiction with staff from Clark College Libraries

  Information is moving fast and furious these days, and it can be difficult at best to tell what is and isn’t high-quality scientific information. Join a team of Clark librarians for some ideas about how best to tell scientific fact in the media from fiction. This promises to be a fast-paced and fun romp through scientific literacy!

All events are held on Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. in the STEM Building room 151 on Clark’s main campus. All are open to the public. Light snacks will be available and guests are welcome to bring their own lunches with them.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Anyone needing accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at (360) 992-2314 or (360) 991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building room 013, as soon as possible.

Kenny Fries. Photo: Michael R. Dekker

The Clark College Columbia Writers Series kicks off its 2017-2018 season with renowned poet, memoirist, and critic Kenny Fries. This event, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Tuesday, October 10, from 11:00 a.m. to noon in Penguin Union Building (PUB) room 258A on Clark College’s main campus.

Fries is perhaps best known for his memoir Body, Remember: A Memoir, which recounts his experiences as a disabled child growing up in an abusive Orthodox Jewish home and slowly coming to terms with his identity as a gay, disabled man. He has written two other memoirs, In the Province of the Gods and The History of My Shoes and the Evolution of Darwin’s Theory, this last the winner of the Outstanding Book Award from the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights.  He is the editor of Staring Back:  The Disability Experience from the Inside Out and the author of the libretto for The Memory Stone, an opera commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera.  His books of poems include Anesthesia, Desert Walking, and In the Gardens of Japan. He teaches in the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Goddard College.

The Columbia Writers Series was launched at Clark College in 1988, bringing local, national and international authors to the college and the region. This year’s lineup of authors includes, besides Fries:

Fall

• October 30: Aimee Bender, author of The Girl in the Flammable Skirt and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

Winter

• February 15, 2018: Cheston Knapp, editor of Tin House magazine and author of Up Up, Down Down, which will appear in February 2018

Spring

• May 14, 2018: Roger Reeves, Pushcart Prize-winning poet
• May 17, 2018: Kate Berube, children’s book author and illustrator

Information about the Columbia Writers Series is available at www.clark.edu/cc/cws.

This event is held on Clark College’s main campus at 1933 Ft. Vancouver Way. Directions and maps are available online. Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services (DSS) Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP). The DSS office is located in room 013 in Clark’s Penguin Union Building.