The Clark College Columbia Writers Series is offering a week of writers, readings, and events on the college’s main campus during its fourth annual Subtext Literary Festival. On May 14-17, the college will host well-known authors, as well as readings and events by Clark students and faculty. (See full schedule below.)

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.

Schedule

Monday, May 14

Poetry-To-Go Event
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. in the Cannell Library

In the tradition of poet Frank O’Hara’s Lunch Poems, Clark College writing professors will set up vintage typewriters and type personalized poems for passersby on their lunch hour in Cannell Library. Stop by for a hot-off-the-press poem, or if you’re feeling inspired, type a poem yourself.

Columbia Writers Series presents Roger Reeves
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., PUB 258 A-B:

Roger Reeves’s poems have appeared in journals such as Poetry, Ploughshares, American Poetry Review, Boston Review, Best American Poetry, and Tin House. He was awarded a 2015 Whiting Award, a Pushcart Prize, a Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University, and a 2013 NEA Fellowship. His first book, King Me (Copper Canyon Press, 2013), won the Larry Levis Reading Prize from Virginia Commonwealth University, the Zacharis Prize from Ploughshares, and the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award. He is an Associate Professor of English at The University of Texas at Austin.

Tuesday, May 15

Conversation with novelist Marie Bostwick
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., LIB 101

[NOTE: Space is limited for this event. Please register in advance by emailing anelson@clark.edu.] Marie Bostwick is a USA Today and New York Times listed bestselling author of uplifting historical and women’s fiction, including the popular Cobbled Court Quilt and Too Much, Texas series of books. She has been a featured speaker at the Paducah Quilt Festival and the Houston International Quilt Festival and has given keynote addresses at both the Florida Writers Association and La Jolla Writers conferences.

Phoenix unveiling
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., PUB 150

Clark College’s national award-winning art and literary journal, Phoenix, will unveil its 2017-2018 edition with readings from student authors and free copies available for guests. Additionally, Lacy Davis, writer of the graphic memoir Ink in Water, will share her work. An interview of Davis by a Phoenix staffer appears in this year’s journal.

Wednesday, May 16                                                                            

Lecture by Leni Zumas and writing awards ceremony
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., PUB 161

Leni Zumas’ novel Red Clocks, published in January 2018, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and a Publishers Weekly “Top 10 Literary Fiction” pick. She is also the author of the story collection Farewell Navigator and the novel The Listeners, which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Originally from Washington, D.C., Zumas now lives in Oregon and teaches in the BFA and MFA programs at Portland State University.

Thursday, May 17

Clark Crossings (student and faculty reading)
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., PUB 258A:

Clark College students, faculty, and staff will read original essays, fiction, and poetry at this annual event. This year’s theme is “time.”

Columbia Writers Series presents Kate Berube
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., PUB 258 A-B

Kate Berube (Bear uh bee) is a children’s book author and illustrator. Her book The Summer Nick Taught his Cats to Read was named the Best Picture Book of 2016 by both the Chicago Public Library and the School Library Journal, while her book Hannah and Sugar earned the Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children’s Literature from Literary Arts Oregon and was shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge Prize.

All events are free and open to the public, though pre-registration is required for the Marie Bostwick event. Directions and maps are available online 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 (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.

Clark College will host two events for lovers of native plants this May. Its fifth annual native plant sale will take place at the college’s greenhouse on May 3, 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m, and May 4, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Additionally, the college will host a talk on native plants on May 3, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., in Anna Pechanec Hall room 201.

About the Native Plant Sale

All of the native plants available for purchase were planted and grown by Clark College biology and environmental science students in the college’s Native Plant Center greenhouse.

Community members will be able to select from a wide variety of native plants, with an emphasis on flowering perennials, self-seeding annuals, and small shrubs perfect for any yard. Species available include Yarrow, Heal All, Mock Orange, California Poppy, Red Flowering Currant, Meadow Checker Mallow, Red Osier Dogwood, and more. Other products include student-made gardener’s soaps and seed balls for attracting pollinators.

Plant sales support the college’s Science Consortium Fund, which supports greenhouse operations and the costs of unique field studies class trips to places such as Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon and the Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California. Students who participate in the four- and ten-day trips pay $500 to $750. The fund offsets those expenses, making the experience accessible to more students.

The sale will take place outside the college’s greenhouse, located at on the east side of campus near the intersection of E. Reserve Street and McLoughlin Boulevard. Most plants are priced at $10 or less. Students will be available to assist customers with transporting plants to vehicles.

For more information about the plant sale, contact nativeplantcenter@clark.edu or visit www.clark.edu/cc/plantsale.

About the Native Plant Talk

Clark College STEM Coordinator and biology and environmental science instructor Erin Harwood answers the question “Why native plants?” in this informative lecture on the importance of native plants to our local ecosystem. Harwood will also cover how to select, plant, and care for native plants in your home garden. The talk will provide detailed information on approximately 10 native plants that will attract wildlife to your yard, along with other benefits. This event is free and open to the public.

Both events take place on Clark College’s main campus. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. 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 the Penguin Union Building room 013.

Photo: Clark College/Nova Gump

Children from the college’s Child & Family Studies program celebrate Sakura and the newly named Kageyama Path.

It was if the trees knew how special this day was. For the past week, the 100 shirofugen cherry trees that grace Clark College’s campus had held their blossoms tightly closed against the gray, chilly weather. But the morning of the college’s annual Sakura Festival, the newly emerged sun seemed to wake them up, and by that afternoon they had created the perfect, pale pink backdrop for the day’s opening ceremony near the Royce E. Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden.

“Look at the beauty of these trees,” said Clark College President Bob Knight during his opening remarks. “Three days ago, it was not like this.”

Knight added that the trees were full of symbolism. “Each year as these trees blossom, they signal new hopes, new beginnings, and the joyful arrival of a new spring,” he said.

Japanese Consul General Takashi Teraoka holds a parasol for John Kageyama.

This year, the trees also signaled a fond farewell, as John Kageyama—the man who, more than a quarter-century ago, had donated these trees to the City of Vancouver—announced that this would be the last time he made the trip from his home in Japan to Vancouver.

“We’re just very grateful that Mr. Kageyama decided to donate those trees back in 1990,” said Knight. “We know he will be here forever in spirit, and these trees will remind us of him.”

Vancouver mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle enjoys Yukiko Vossen’s koto performance with some of the Sakura Festival’s youngest guests.

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle noted in her own remarks that the trees were also symbolic of international friendship, including Vancouver’s sister-city relationship with Joyo, Japan. “John, it is my hope that the friendship between our countries lasts for many, many more centuries,” she said to Kageyama from the podium.

The 92-year-old Kageyama also addressed the guests, recalling what prompted him to make the generous donation to the city. At the time, he was serving as president of America Kotobuki Electronics, a subsidiary of Panasonic that was headquartered in Vancouver.

John Kageyama, third from right, and Japanese instructor Yoko Sato, far right, with students in Clark’s Japanese language program.

“The people in Vancouver were really friendly, hard-working,” he said. “I was trying to decide how to pay back these friendly, kind people. Then the newspaper said that the State of Washington will be celebrating its centennial, and that was my inspiration. Cherry trees in Japan mean everything—happiness, everything.”

In honor of Washington’s 100 years of statehood, Kageyama donated 100 cherry trees to the city, who decided to plant them on Clark’s main campus. Today, they are a signature element of the campus, a popular destination for family photos and picnics. Recently, the college was graced with a donation from SEH America of 200 cherry trees, some of which have been planted on the opposite side of the walkway from the original trees. Others will be planted at Clark College at Columbia Tech Center and at the future site of Clark College at Boschma Farms in Ridgefield.

International student Suzuka Hitomi, in kimono, with friends she’s met while studying at Clark through a scholarship.

Other speakers at the event included Takashi Teraoka, Consul General of Japan, and Suzuka Hitomi, a Japanese student studying at Clark College through a special scholarship program. Guests were also treated to performances by the Clark College Women’s Ensemble and by Yukiko Vossen on the koto, the national instrument of Japan.

After the official remarks, the festival continued with cultural displays and performances in Gaiser Student Center. But before guests made their way up the hill, there was one last announcement: The walkway that runs alongside the shirofugen trees through the southwest corner of the campus had been renamed the Kageyama Path. A stone marker that will be placed at the beginning of the path was unveiled.

“I hope this will help us to remember the path to peace, as demonstrated by Mr. Kageyama,” said Knight. “In the spirit of Sakura, Mr. Kageyama, this will always be in your name.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley. For more photos from the event, visit our Flickr album. 

Members of the Clark community help plant a Yoshino cherry tree at the 2018 Arbor Day celebration. Left to right: US Forest Service officer Dave Olson; International Programs director Jane Walster; Clark College president Bob Knight; and Clark College trustee Royce Pollard.

On April 11, Clark College celebrated tree planting and care at the annual Arbor Day celebration. Led by Clark College International Programs director Jane Walster, the ceremony took place on the northeast corner of Fort Vancouver Way and McLoughlin Boulevard.

The theme of this year’s event was “The Gift of Friendship.” At the ceremony, Clark trustee and former mayor of Vancouver Royce Pollard announced the gift of 200 new Somei Yoshino flowering cherry trees donated by Tatsuo Ito of SEH America, a Japanese manufacturing company in Vancouver. The new cherry trees—along with the 100 Shirofugen cherry trees donated more than 25 years ago—act as symbols of the college’s enduring friendship with Japan.

President Bob Knight accepts the Tree Campus USA award from U.S. Forest Service officer Dave Olson.

According to Tim Carper, a member of the Campus Tree Advisory Committee, 100 of the donated trees were planted prior to the ceremony, including 20 trees at Clark’s Columbia Tech Center location, and the college is determining where the remaining 100 trees will be planted.

At the ceremony Clark College was also awarded with the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus USA designation for the eighth consecutive year. Dave Olson of the U.S. Forest Service presented the award to Clark College president Bob Knight.

The Arbor Day celebration concluded with a ceremonial planting of one of the Yoshino cherry trees donated by Ito.

Photos: Clark College/Tim Carper

On Thursday, April 19, Clark College’s 2018 Sakura Festival will honor the historic ties of friendship between the sister-cities of Vancouver, Washington, and Joyo, Japan.

The festival will begin at 1:00 p.m. with opening remarks near the Royce E. Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden, which is located next to the Beacock Music Hall on Clark’s main campus. Dignitaries who are scheduled to speak include Mayor Anne McEnerny Ogle, John Kageyama, and Clark College Japanese Scholarship recipient Suzuka Hitomi.

The opening ceremony will include a koto performance by Yukiko Vossen and a performance by the Clark College Women’s Choral Ensemble. The koto, a stringed musical instrument, is the national instrument of Japan.

From 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., the Sakura celebration will continue in the Gaiser Student Center, where guests will enjoy family-friendly cultural activities including performances by the Clark College Japanese Cultural Club, traditional dancing by Takako Hara, a greeting from the college’s Child & Family Studies program, and drumming by members of Portland Taiko. Cookies and tea will be served. Information about the Sakura Ceremony is available at www.clark.edu/cc/sakura.

All events are free and open to the public. The Sakura Festival is sponsored by Clark College, the City of Vancouver, and the Vancouver Rotary.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. 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 the Penguin Union Building room 013.

Nan Henriksen at the 2018 Iris Awards.

On March 8, while people around the world celebrated International Women’s Day, members of the local community gathered in Gaiser Student Center to honor four women’s contributions to Southwest Washington at the 2018 Iris Awards.

Guests enjoyed refreshments and light fare provided by Beaches Restaurant as they celebrated the honorees. Ceremonies began with a greeting from Clark College President Bob Knight, after which the evening was turned over to emcee Kelly Love, public and community affairs representative at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. Love introduced speeches by both the honorees and their nominators.

This year’s Iris Award recipients were:

• Julie Bocanegra of Columbia Credit Union
• Juliana Marler of the Port of Vancouver
• Nancy Retsinas of the Retsinas Collaborative Law Center
• Nan Henriksen, former Mayor of Camas and chair of the Clark County Board of Freeholders

This annual ceremony has a long tradition in this community. The event began in 1985 as a photography exhibit during Women’s History Week, which later developed into a larger awards program and ceremony known as the Southwest Washington Women of Achievement Awards. In 2012, the event was reintroduced as the Iris Awards with the same core mission: honoring the women of Southwest Washington for their outstanding contributions in the categories of public, private, philanthropic, and civic service.

The 2018 Iris Award Recipients

Julie Bocanegra

Julie Bocanegra accepts her 2018 Iris Award from John Deeder.

The first honoree to take the stage was Julie Bocanegra, Vice President and Branch Manager for Columbia Credit Union, where she began her career as a teller in 1994. Since 2012, she has also served on the Evergreen School District Board of Directors, where she has been instrumental in leading the district’s student equity and technology learning initiatives. She is also the former Board Chair of the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce and is the former Board President for Evergreen Little League, along with many other volunteer commitments.

“She will volunteer till the cows come home because she wants this to be the best community in the world,” said recently retired Evergreen superintendent John Deeder, who nominated Bocanegra for the award and introduced her during the ceremony. “And because of people like Julie, I believe that it is.”

Bocanegra smiled as she took the podium, noting that this night reminded her of her first job as a teenager, sorting and packing flower bulbs and tubers, including those of irises. As a teenager, she said, she would never have imagined that one day she would be receiving an award named after that flower for her contributions to the community.

Bocanegra went on to describe her life’s unexpected trajectory, from a recent high school graduate trying to find her purpose to a bank teller to her current leadership position. Similarly, she recounted how a decision to coach her son’s Little League team led to greater and greater volunteer roles within her community, often focused around youth and education.

“What we want for our own children, we have to want for every child in our community,” she said.

Julianna Marler

Julianna Marler, right accepts her 2018 Iris Award from Lisa Lowe.

Next, an award was presented to Julianna Marler, the CEO of the Port of Vancouver USA. Marler is the first female CEO in the port’s 105-year history and one of just a handful of female port CEOs in the United States. In addition to her leadership role at the port, Marler serves on the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Great Portland Inc. Board of Directors, American Association of Port Authorities Board of Directors, and the Washington State University Vancouver Advisory Council.

“She has given women at the port a sense of pride and let them know that they can rise into position of leadership there,” said Lisa Lowe of the law firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt in introducing Marler. (Lowe was herself a 2013 Iris Award honoree.) “She applies a sense of humor to things that is intelligent and not always respectful—which is probably why I like her.”

Marler began her remarks by traveling back in time even farther than Bocanegra did. “Fifty years ago today, on March 8, 1968, my parents—who are here with me tonight—immigrated to the United States,” she noted. “They left Hungary because they wanted a better life and education for their children.”

Marler noted that the port is an important source of jobs and commerce in the region, and expressed pride in its vital place in Southwest Washington’s economy. “Fifty year ago today, my parents came to this country to provide a better future for their children, and today I get to be part of creating a better future for others,” she said.

Nancy Retsinas

Nancy Retsinas at the 2018 Iris Awards.

Nancy Retsinas was also introduced by a former Iris Award recipient, Lisa Schauer of PointNorth Consulting.

“Nancy has transformed the legal profession, aligning her practice to her values,” said Schauer.

Retsinas is a collaborative lawyer and family law mediator in Washington and Oregon, in private practice since 1991. She is co-founder and executive director of the Two River Institute for Dispute Resolution, a nonprofit educational organization. Retsinas currently serves as Northwest regional chair of the Global Collaborative Law Council, board treasurer of the Collaborative Professionals of Washington, board president for Cappella Romana Choral Ensemble, and board director for the Children’s Center.

Retsinas began her remarks by noting that she, like both Bocanegra and Marler, had attended Clark herself, and so “this place has always felt like home to me, so it’s really special to be receiving this award here.”

She went on to describe the arc of her career, which began in courtrooms doing traditional, adversarial law. “To swoop into court to defend the innocent or maligned—that felt pretty good,” Retsinas said, but added that eventually she became uncomfortable with this model of legal practice and “set out to find my superpower, so to speak.”

Through working with nonprofits, Retsinas said, she began to realize her purpose: to change the culture of conflict resolution in Southwest Washington. And, she added, she discovered that “true power lies in finding your purpose and expressing it to the world.”

Retsinas said that her current work at the Retsinas Collaborative Law Center, which she founded in 2015, allows her to do just that. And she offered this advice to young women in the audience: “Trust your gut, discover your own superpowers, harness them for good, and achieve your purpose.”

Nan Henriksen

Nan Henriksen accepts the 2018 Iris Legacy Award from Judie Stanton.

The final honoree of the evening, Nan Henriksen, was no stranger to awards ceremonies. Indeed, she had received a Women of Achievement Award (the original name of the Iris Awards) in 1995, and tonight was receiving the Legacy Award, bestowed on a previous awardee who has continued to make significant contributions to her community. Henriksen certainly qualifies: The former Camas mayor recently came out of retirement to lead the Clark County Freeholder Board formed to create the county’s first home-rule charter.

“She hasn’t slowed down a bit, probably because she gets up every day at 5:15,” said her friend Judie Stanton, herself the 2017 Legacy Award recipient. “She gets a lot done.”

Henriksen received the award with grace and humor, noting that she’d tried to force herself to start writing an inspirational speech for the evening, but instead became intimidated by the task and “ate my weight in popcorn and played solitaire on my phone for two hours.” Henriksen then pointed out the larger moral of that story: “Those of us working out in the community, we do the things we do in spite of these fears of inadequacy, not because we don’t have them.”

Henriksen also noted that people can contribute to the community in many different ways. While Henriksen is probably most known for her work in leading Camas through a difficult economic transition as one of its major employers began to shut down, she said that one of the accomplishments she is most proud of is becoming a foster grandmother to a girl who went on to successfully enter college.

“You can do it on a bigger scale or on a smaller scale,” she said. “What’s important is that you decide, ‘If I care enough and I’m brave enough, I can make a difference.’”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley. To see more photos from this event, visit our Flickr album. 

This article was updated March 29, 2018, to correct Lisa Schauer’s current position and to include a link for more photos.

Felicia Lewkowicz, front right, stands with her family before they were exterminated by the Nazis. Photo courtesy of the Holocaust Center for Humanity.

On March 13, Clark College hosts Matthew Erlich of the Holocaust Center for Humanity as he describes the journey of his mother, an Auschwitz survivor.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 1:00 p.m. in Gaiser Student Center on Clark’s main campus, located at 1933 Ft. Vancouver Way. For maps and directions, visit www.clark.edu/maps.

Matthew’s presentation begins with a slide of Felicia as a young girl surrounded by her large family. One at a time her sisters, brothers, and parents disappear, leaving only Felicia and one sister and connecting her family to the stories of millions during the Holocaust.
Felicia Lewkowicz was born in Krakow, Poland in 1923. In March 3, 1941, the Nazis established the Krakow ghetto and Jews were required to wear armbands.

Felicia and one brother were sent by the Nazis to the Krakow ghetto while her mother and other siblings were sent to Tarnow, 70 miles away. Conditions in the ghetto were terrible, with very little food. Illness and disease ranrampant. Luckily, Felicia was able to get work outside the ghetto, cleaning the offices of German officers. One day she did not return to the ghetto, escaping to a train that took her to Vienna, Austria. On the way, she stopped in Tarnow where she saw her family for the last time.

Erlich’s story travels with Felicia through her experiences during the Holocaust and ultimately to the United States, where she and her husband, also a Holocaust survivor, raised four sons.

“People need to see where hatred leads,” Erlich says. “Especially today with the rise of neo-Nazi groups, Holocaust deniers, and those who would attack others for their differences. My mother’s Holocaust experience shows what can happen – and offers ways to fight against it.”

This event is organized and sponsored by the Associated Students of Clark College. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/2thpmS5.

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.

About Clark College

Located in Vancouver’s Central Park and serving more than 12,000 students per quarter, Clark College is Southwest Washington’s oldest public institution of higher education. The college currently offers classes at two satellite locations: one on the Washington State University Vancouver campus and one in the Columbia Tech Center in East Vancouver. Additionally, its Economic & Community Development program is housed in the Columbia Bank building in downtown Vancouver.

About the Holocaust Center for Humanity

Connecting lessons of the Holocaust to a broad range of relevant themes for our time, from injustice and bullying to discrimination, the Holocaust Center for Humanity has been teaching students to become engaged citizens and to speak out against bigotry and prejudice since 1989. The Center works directly with teachers, students, and community groups across the Northwest to provide educational materials, curriculum,
and interaction with local Holocaust survivors who tell their stories to 20,000 students of all ages each year. In 2015, the Center opened its museum to the public. 15,000 students of all ages tour the Center’s exhibits during a school year.

Clark College Theatre continues its 2017-2018 season with the classic 1960s musical Hair.

This vibrant, trippy product of the hippie counterculture and sexual revolution features several songs that became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. With book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot, Hairbroke new ground in musical theatre by defining the genre of “rock musical.” It tells the story of the “tribe,” a group of politically active, long-haired hippies of the “Age of Aquarius” living a bohemian life in New York City.

The cast includes: Andrew Hallas, Jared Pengra, Tim Busch**, Zak Campbell**, Sammy Williams*, Breanna Kurth, Danielle Plesser, Kate Cummings, Christina Taft**, Moe Lewis, Tristan Colo**, Linda Owsley**, Ryan Larson*, Haley Phillips*. The director is Gene Biby and April Duvic provides vocal direction. (Note: Cast member names marked with a single asterisk are current Clark College students; double asterisks indicate Clark College alumni.)

Sets were decorated by the Clark Art Club.

Although the show premiered in 1968, it contains adult themes, language, and content. Brief nudity does occur. For more photos of the show, visit Clark’s Flickr album.

Show Dates: Feb. 23 and 24, March 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10. 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 $16; General Admission $20. 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.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

On Thursday, March 1, specialists from Clark College’s Financial Aid Office, as well as representatives from local nonprofits, will be on hand to answer questions from prospective students and parents about navigating the world of financial aid.

Clark’s annual Financial Aid Night and Funding Fair provides information about Clark’s admission process, scholarship opportunities, financial aid grants and loans, how to apply, and much more.

The event will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Gaiser Student Center on Clark College’s main campus. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA 98663. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

This event is free and open to the public; it requires no advance registration or reservation. Information is available at the Clark website at http://www.clark.edu/cc/fan. If you have any additional questions, please direct them to Clark College’s Financial Aid Office in Gaiser Hall at 360-992-2153 or finaidoutreach@clark.edu.

Along with helpful presentations and one-on-one assistance, the event will include a computer lab with experts to help complete the FAFSA (federal financial aid form) and/or WASFA (state financial aid form for Dreamers). Additionally, free pizza will be served to the first 150 guests and Clark College is waiving its standard application fee for anyone who applies to the college that night.

Organizers recommend bringing the following items to the event:

• 2017 tax information or return
• Social Security Number and/or Alien Registration Number
• Records of untaxed income
• Cash, savings, and checking account balances
• Investments other than the home in which you live

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.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Members of the Clark College Jazz Band watch for a cue from Band Director Rich Inouye during their performance at the 56th Annual Clark College Jazz Festival.

Every year during the last weekend of January, the Clark College Jazz Festival fills Gaiser Hall with swinging tunes from middle and high school bands. This year was no exception, with a total of 1,116 students from 55 schools flocking to the highly regarded festival–including some from as far away as Alaska.

But among the bright jazz tunes were a few bittersweet notes, for this festival marked the last to be helmed by music professor Richard Inouye.

Prof. Rich Inouye speaks during the 11th and final Clark College Jazz Festival that he will organize.

On Saturday night, at the conclusion of the AAA and AAAA Finals, President Robert Knight got on stage to recognize Inouye for his 11 years of service with Clark College as the Director of Bands. Knight praised his teaching in the classroom, his conducting skills with Concert Band and the Jazz Ensemble, his leadership of the Annual Jazz Festival, and his committee and leadership work across the campus.  President Knight presented Richard with a collage canvas print of the colored jazz festival covers which were directed by Inouye during his tenure.

Behind the scenes, Clark students decorated the festival’s “green room” with some of their favorite “Richisms,” including, “Own it, fix it,” “Results, not excuses,” “You set the tone,” and “Rhythmic resistance.”

The 56th Annual Clark College Jazz Festival’s Dale Beacock Memorial Sweepstakes trophy was awarded to Mead High School Jazz Band I from Spokane, Washington. Other honorees included:

Thursday Middle School Silver Division jazz ensemble finals results:

• 1^st place – Jane Addams Middle School, Seattle, WA
• 2^nd place – Beaumont Middle School, Portland, OR
• 3^rd place – Chief Umtuch Middle School Advanced, Battle Ground, WA

Blue Division Judge’s Award – Chief Umtuch Middle School Advanced, Battle Ground, WA

Outstanding Middle School Jazz Musician certificates were presented to:

• Parker Bruning – Hockinson Middle School, Hockinson, WA
• Adam Haunreiter – Hockinson Middle School, Hockinson, WA
• Connor Cuff – Liberty Middle School, Camas, WA
• Deitrich Vu – Liberty Middle School, Camas, WA
• Tai Beaulieu – Liberty Middle School, Camas, WA
• Mireia Pujol – Liberty Middle School, Camas, WA
• Mason Calaway – Wahluke Middle School, Mattawa, WA
• Isaac Moroshan – Laurin Middle School, Vancouver, WA
• Justus Jones – Carmichael Middle School, Richland, WA
• Shelby McCombs – Pleasant Valley Middle School, Vancouver, WA
• Dominic Mendoza – Chief Umtuch Middle School, Battle Ground, WA
• Reagan Speakman – Skyridge Middle School, Camas, WA
• Grady McHenry – Tukes Valley Middle School, Battle Ground, WA
• Chris Moore – Beaumont Middle School, Portland, OR
• Nate Moore – Beaumont Middle School, Portland, OR
• Parker Casazza – Jane Addams Middle School, Seattle, WA
• Lacy George – Jane Addams Middle School, Seattle, WA

Friday, January 26, 2018 A and AA division high school jazz ensemble finals results:

A Division:

• 1^st place – Northwinds High School, Port Angeles, WA
• 2^nd place – Petersburg High School, Petersburg, AK
• 3^rd place – Woodland High School, Woodland, Wa

Outstanding high school musician awards for the A Division were presented to:

• Jesse Weaver – Douglas High School, Winston, OR
• Noah Pratton – Mcloughlin High School, Milton Freewater, OR
• Ciaran Healey – University Prep, Seattle, WA
• Ursula Sargent – University Prep, Seattle, WA
• Adam Kennedy – Northwinds High School, Port Angeles, WA
• Tristan Lowman – Northwinds High School, Port Angeles, WA
• Isaac Hall – Woodland School District, Woodland, WA

AA Division:

• 1^st place – Hockinson High School, Hockinson, WA
• 2^nd place – Mead High School, Spokane, WA
• 3^rd place – Mt. Spokane High School, Spokane, WA

Outstanding high school musician awards for the AA Division were presented to:

• Kara Stella – RA Long High School, Longview, WA
• Saunder Borst – Mt. Spokane High School, Spokane, WA
• Elaine Scott – Mead High School, Spokane, WA
• Meggie Rodewald – Mead High School, Spokane, WA
• Kaylin Woods – Mead High School, Spokane, WA
• Grant Hobbs – Columbia River High School, Columbia River, WA
• Cade Lilley – Fife High School, Tacoma, WA
• Kaelyn White – Battle Ground High School, Battle Ground, WA
• Emily Johnson – Washougal High School, Washougal, WA
• Jack Broer – Hockinson High School, Hockinson, WA
• Riley Lyons – Hockinson High School, Hockinson, WA
• Erik Hawkins – Hockinson High School, Hockinson, WA
• Zeke Dodson – Hockinson High School, Hockinson, WA

Saturday, January 27, 2018 AAA and AAAA division high school jazz ensemble finals results:

AAA Division:

• 1^st place – Mead High School Jazz I, Spokane, WA
• 2^nd place – Prairie High School, Brush Prairie, WA
• 3^rd place – Mt. Spokane High School Jazz I, Spokane, WA

Outstanding high school musician awards for the AAA Division were presented to:

• Ashton Hemming – Battle Ground High School, Battle Ground, WA
• Dominic Mendoza – Battle Ground High School, Battle Ground, WA
• Jacob Khawaja – Lakeridge High School, Lake Oswego, OR
• Penelope Tharp – Lakeridge High School, Lake Oswego, OR
• Isaac Ford – Kelso High School, Kelso, WA
• Tony Brence – Prairie High School, Brush Prairie, WA
• Ericka Mecham – Prairie High School, Brush Prairie, WA
• Josh DeQuiroz – Mountain View High School, Vancouver, WA
• Ricky Gagliardi – Mead High School, Spokane, WA
• Connor Brennan – Mt. Spokane High School, Spokane, WA
• Chris Ramirez – VSAA Focus, Vancouver, WA

AAAA Division:

• 1^st place – Bothell High School Jazz I, Bothell, WA
• 2^nd place –Battle Ground High School Advanced, Battle Ground, WA
• 3^rd place – Lake Stevens High School, Lake Stevens, WA

Outstanding high school musician awards for the AAAA Division were presented to:

• Justin Foley – Heritage High School, Vancouver, WA
• Amy Boedigheimer – Heritage High School, Vancouver, WA
• Mairead Rising – Glacier Peak High School, Snohomish, WA
• Galin Hebert – Glacier Peak High School, Snohomish, WA
• Hannah Whitlow – West Salem High School, Salem, OR
• Cameron Roche – West Salem High School, Salem, OR
• Anthony Bolden – West Salem High School, Salem, OR
• Mario Esquivel – Chiawana High School, Pasco, WA
• Benito Ramirez – Chiawana High School, Pasco, WA
• Gabe Aldape – Lake Stevens High School, Lake Stevens, WA
• Manuel Aldape – Lake Stevens High School, Lake Stevens, WA
• Chase Williams – Union High School, Camas, WA
• Sean Grimm – Union High School, Camas, WA
• Gary Hobbs – Union High School, Camas, WA
• Gabe Bradley – Mountain View High School, Vancouver, WA
• Nick McClatchey – Bothell High School, Bothell, WA
• Preston Lee – Bothell High School, Bothell, WA
• Laney Pham – Battle Ground High School, Battle Ground, WA
• Shane Walz – Battle Ground High School, Battle Ground, WA

Shelly Williams contributed this article. Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley.