Clark College student Petya Grozeva sings “At Last” to start the evening’s performances.

A multimillion-dollar gift of land, a matching grant for STEM, and a prestigious Presidential Award bestowed to a regional trust–these were all on the menu this year at Savoring Excellence, Clark College’s annual donor appreciation dinner and program.

President Robert K. Knight announced a $3.1 million gift of land from the Boschma family as the location of Clark’s next satellite campus during the May 21 event. When combined with private and state funding, the transaction consists of a $5.67 million land purchase by Clark College Foundation. The new campus will be located in Ridgefield, Wash., on 59.24 acres.

Knight said that future students and the North County community will reap the greatest benefits of the Boschma family gift.

“For our students, the door of opportunity and access will be opened wider. For the city of Ridgefield, this announcement is monumental,” he said. “Once built, the North County campus will be known as Clark College at Boschma Farms.”

Lisa Gibert, president and CEO of Clark College Foundation, who was instrumental in securing the gift and brokering the land purchase, said the gift sets the tone for the future of North County.

“This type of partnership demonstrates the overwhelming generosity that people of Southwest Washington have for Clark. Making education more accessible for people in the region means greater prosperity for the residents and a brighter economic future,” she said.

Meyer Memorial Trust

Clark College student Saeed Nasser sings “Bawadaak”

In addition to the land gift news, Gibert announced that Clark College Foundation received a $400,000 matching grant from Meyer Memorial Trust to outfit the college’s upcoming science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) building with equipment and furnishings.

Economists predict that there will be 18,700 STEM jobs in Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties by the year 2021. To meet the demand, Clark is poised to be a regional leader in STEM education and job training. The college will break ground on a new public/private-financed STEM building this summer. The more than 70,000 square-foot facility will house many of Clark’s STEM programs at its campus on Fort Vancouver Way. When completed in 2016, the center will serve in partnership with industry and other educational institutions to foster exploration, interactive learning and innovative teaching techniques for women and men.

Meyer Memorial Trust, funded through the estate of Fred G. Meyer, founder of the Fred Meyer supermarket chain, invests in people, ideas and efforts that deliver significant social benefit to Oregon and Clark County, Wash., through inspiring, innovating, partnering and leading to improve the quality of life in those regions.

Community Foundation for Southwest Washington

Also during the Savoring Excellence celebration, Gibert noted that a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington was awarded to Clark to benefit the college’s Pathways program. The grant will assist in helping break cycles of poverty through access to education, literacy training, mentoring and career services.

Murdock Charitable Trust

Clark College student Chris Crosland plays “Tears of the East”

Sandwiched between song and musical instrument performances by Clark students, Gibert presented her Presidential Award for Excellence during the event. M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, which provided $250,000 to Clark College in 2013 for new dental equipment, received the accolade. The money purchased modern technology to ensure student access to current advances in the industry and meet federal privacy regulations.

“The grant allows Clark’s nationally recognized Dental Hygiene program to meet rapidly changing technology advancements in the profession. Students must be trained in the use of modern tools in order for them to secure jobs. M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust is also directly affecting the wellness of residents in Southwest Washington because Clark students care for hundreds of underserved patients each year,” said Gibert.

The Firstenburg Family Dental Hygiene Education & Care Center opened earlier this year after undergoing renovations, adding paperless charting software and updating its digital radiography area. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust grant enabled the college to purchase instructional cameras, workstation computers, radiology computers, patient privacy materials and vacuum systems.

Savoring Excellence is a yearly event presented by the Clark College Foundation to honor major contributors to the programs and students of Clark College.

See more images from the event on our Flickr page.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley
Video: Clark College/Nick Bremer-Korb

May 14 was a particularly artful day at Clark College, as the afternoon saw both the unveiling of the 2014 Phoenix as well as the opening reception and awards presentation for the 2014 Art Student Annual.

Mike Shank read his poem “Small Things Cost the Most.”

Phoenix staff distributed free copies of the award-winning annual arts and literary journal to students in PUB 161. Clark student Mike Shank read from his moving poem, “Small Things Cost the Most,” which earned Editors’ Choice Award for literary work in the journal. Afterward, guests headed downstairs to Archer Gallery to view works by student artists, many of whom also had work published in Phoenix. Seventy-five students showed a total of 127 works in the show, in media as varied as watercolor, photography, welded metal, ceramics, and video. Awards were announced and presented during the reception.

For more photos of these events, visit our Flickr albums of the unveiling and art show.

2014 Art Student Annual Awards

Joy Margheim “Gate”, welded sculpture
Best Welded Sculpture award
Sponsored by Airgas and the Clark College Welding Department

Irina Burchak “Self Portraits”, photography
Excellence in Photography Award
Sponsored by Knight Camera

The 2014 Phoenix staff.

Erin Merrill, “Columbia River Series”, photography
Excellence in Photography Award
Sponsored by Pro Photo Supply

Shelby Warner “Drawing Room Chair”, photography
Photography Award
Sponsored by Pro Photo Supply

Garry Bastian “The Act of Characterization”, photography
Darkroom Photo Award
Sponsored by Blue Moon Camera and Machine

Anthony Abruzzini “There’s Nothing Wrong with Having Only One Eye…”, drawing
Works on Paper Excellence Award
Sponsored by Frame Central Framing

Sherrie Masters “Greys”, watercolor
Works on Paper Excellence Award
Sponsored by Frame Central Framing

Students at the Phoenix unveiling waited patiently until the end of the program to open the paper wrapping around the new publication.

Jenny Avens “Flour Effect”, photography
Holga Camera Award
Sponsored by Freestyle Photographic Supplies

Lauren Dwyer “Organic Free Form”, ceramic
Best Ceramics Award
Sponsored by Georgie’s Ceramic and Clay Company

Luke Entwistle “Puntitled”, painting
Muse Art Award
Sponsored by Muse Art and Design

Krista Zimmerman “Self Obstruction”, painting
Muse Art Award
Sponsored by Muse Art and Design

Liz Alexander “Out of Place”, video
Film and Video Award
Sponsored by the NW Film Center

Anni Becker “John”, video
Film and Video Award
Sponsored by the NW Film Center

Director of IT Services, Phil Sheehan was the asked to juror the student show this year. He has been a supporter of student work throughout his time at Clark.

Riley Donahue, “The Day I Became a Man”, installation
Best Contemporary Art Award
Sponsored by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art

Belinda Luce “Type in The City”, typography
Best Graphics Award
Sponsored by Intel

Filip Popa “Matches”, painting
Painting Award
Sponsored by Dick Blick Art Materials and the Clark College Bookstore

Jeremy Crane “Germ Evolved”, painting
Painting Award
Sponsored by Dick Blick Art Materials and the Clark College Bookstore

Elise Cryder “Thank Your Mother”, painting
Best in Show Award
Painting Award
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore and the NW Film Center

After the awards are presented, students had an opportunity to talk to each other about their work.

Mariah Lewis “Muse”, painting
Painting Award
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore

Martin Stone “Still Life #2”, painting
Painting Award
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore

Megan Ostby “30 Minute Pose”, drawing
Drawing Award
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore

Jason Cardenas “The Island”, drawing
Drawing Award
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore

Lauren Pucci “Botany”, watercolor
Special Recognition Award
Sponsored by Kiggins Theater and Anna Banana’s Café

Grace Edwards “Sun Color”, watercolor
Special Recognition Award
Sponsored by Kiggins Theater and Anna Banana’s Café

Sara Robison “Hipster George”, digital illustration
Special Recognition Award
Sponsored by Kiggins Theater and Anna Banana’s Café

Matthew Caravaggio “Abstract Revelation”, drawing
Special Recognition Award
Sponsored by Kiggins Theater

Michael Jasso “For the Glory of Rome”, ceramics
Special Recognition Award
Sponsored by Kiggins Theater

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley 

Washington State Supreme Court Justice Susan Owens, standing, answers questions from students in Clark’s Business Law class, which she visited with Chief Justice Barbara Madsen and Associate Chief Justice Charles Johnson.

In 2012, the Clark College Law Club took a field trip to Olympia, where they visited both the State Legislature and the State Supreme Court. While there, paralegal student Richard Thomas got the chance to chat with then-Justice James Johnson, who retired from the court last month.

“Justice Johnson and I were talking, and I asked him, ‘Does the court ever go out and visit places around the state?'” recalled Thomas. “And he said, ‘Yes! We love going on the road. The problem is, we have to be invited.’ So I came back here the next day and started trying to get this going.”

Clark Law Club member Richard Thomas helped make the Washington Supreme Court’s visit a reality.

Two years later, Thomas’s efforts—along with those of the rest of the Law Club and the college itself—resulted in the Washington State Supreme Court spending two days at Clark College. The nine justices visited classrooms, met with members of the community, and heard three cases during their time at the college. Justice Mary Yu, who had been appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee but not yet sworn in at the time of the visit, also attended many of the events, including an open forum.

Many students from Clark’s highly regarded Paralegal program attended the open forum, gaining career advice from the member of the highest court in the state. The justices were emphatic about the importance of paralegals in their work.

“A paralegal really is part of the team,” said Justice Mary Fairhurst, who spent 16 years working in the Washington Attorney General’s Office before becoming a judge. “We couldn’t do our job without them.”

“A good paralegal is a little bit like a fortune teller,” added Justice Yu. “Somebody who knows which deadlines are coming and makes sure everything’s taken care of to meet them. That is so helpful to the lawyers.”

The court heard three cases in Gaiser Student Center on the second day of their visit: one on whether or not drug court staffing should be presumptively open to the public; the disciplinary case of a lawyer; and a case questioning whether or not past acts of domestic violence were admissible evidence in assessing the credibility of an alleged victim. Joining the court to hear these cases was Justice Pro Tem Joel Penoyar, who was temporarily filling Justice James Johnson’s seat until Justice Yu was sworn in.

Clark paralegal student Becky Pomaville listens as Washington State Supreme Court justices answer her question about appellate law.

The justices took questions from the courtroom audience after two of the hearings. “There are hardly any lawyers in this area who practice appellate law,” said Clark paralegal student Becky Pomaville. “What is it that makes it so difficult?”

“That’s true, though of course there are some,” replied Justice Debra Stephens, who practiced appellate law for many years. “The beauty of being an appellate lawyer is that you don’t often have to go to court very often. You can do it from your deck chair, so to speak. … What makes an excellent appellate lawyer is a study of where the court is headed. If you’re interested in that, I hope you do pursue it.”

Afterward, Pomaville said she was heartened by Justice Stephens’ words. She hopes to continue on to law school after graduating from Clark, hopefully in spring 2015, and to specialize in appellate law. Surprisingly, just six months previously, Pomaville hadn’t even considered going to college. “When I graduated from high school, I got a bunch of scholarships, but I didn’t complete college,” she said. “I joke that I got my ‘MRS’ degree instead.”

But when the recently single mother of eight stopped by Clark’s Career Center for some job-hunting help, she noticed a poster for the college’s Eligibility Programs that mentioned tuition assistance for displaced homemakers.

“I hadn’t even thought of the possibility of coming here,” she said, but stopped by Eligibility Programs and quickly found herself enrolled for winter quarter. Now she is thriving in the Paralegal program. “I am learning a lot. Last term I took a criminal law course and it was really tough—and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

The justices heard three real cases during their visit to Clark.

For paralegal student Richard Thomas, whose offhand question during a field trip resulted in this visit, the event was a fitting way to end his time at Clark; he anticipates graduating this quarter and is hopeful that his current internship may turn into a full-time job. Looking every inch the professional in his suit and tie, he said he valued the opportunity to not only witness the justices hearing cases, but also to spend time socializing with them during private receptions organized by the college during the visit.

“When you have a chance to rub elbows with those who are at the pinnacle of your profession, I think it’s incumbent on you to absorb their experience and their wisdom,” he said. “But then at the same time, once you get to talk with them one-on-one, you realize they’re real people, too.”

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

Not even an accidental fire alarm could stop the festivities at this year’s Día del Niño/Día del Libro celebration, held in Gaiser Student Center on May 9. Approximately 225 guests enjoyed the evening-long celebration of Latino culture and literature, which included a bilingual puppet show performed by Clark Spanish language students, dance performances by Olincalli Ballet Folklorico, free food from Panadería Cinco de Mayo, and hands-on activities for children. Oswald the Penguin was on hand to greet children and pose for pictures–even when the party moved outdoors temporarily after an inquisitive toddler managed to pull a fire alarm. The celebration quickly moved back inside to continue the festivities, which are held each year around April 30, the date of Mexico’s Día del Niño (“Day of the Child”) and the American Library Association’s Día del Libro (“Day of the Book”).

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Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Still from John, a short film by student Anni Becker to be shown at the Clark College Student Video Festival on May 29.

Clark College will hold its first public screening of student videos at the historic Kiggins Theatre on Thursday, May 29, at 6 p.m. in an event that will be free and open to the public.

The 90-minute program will feature more than two dozen short-form videos (between one and ten minutes long) produced by students in Clark’s Time-Based Art and Web Video Production classes, as well as a selection of work from students at other area educational institutions including the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland State University, Washington State University Vancouver, and the Northwest Film Center.

“This event will feature the best video and time-based artwork from Clark College students,” said Clark College art professor Lisa Conway. “These exciting art forms push the boundaries of traditional gallery or print-publication settings, and we are thrilled to have a venue like the Kiggins Theatre in which to showcase this work. Hopefully this is the start of an annual event for the college, our students and the larger community—one that will continue to grow as our course offerings in this area grow.”

Clark College has offered classes in Time-Based Art and Web Video Production for the past three and two years, respectively. The Web Video Production class was introduced two years ago when Clark transitioned its Graphics Communication and Printing program into a redesigned Computer Graphics Technology program, which teaches valuable modern-day skills like web design and computer animation. The Time-Based Art class was developed three years ago with the start of new Associate of Fine Arts degrees in Graphic Design and in Studio Art.

The students’ videos range from whimsical works of stop-motion animation to emotional mini-documentaries and personal stories.

Kiggins manager Dan Wyatt said he was pleased to host this event. “As a former student of film, I not only enjoy supporting other student filmmakers, but think it is important that their works be screened in the best possible environment conducive to evaluating film–a movie theatre,” he said. “Some of the best learning and growth as artists happens while screening your project and getting feedback from peers.”

The Kiggins Theatre is located at 1011 Main St. in downtown Vancouver, Wash. (Phone number: 360-816-0352.)

Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in these events 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.

Almost 800 people attended the 2014 Career Days job fair, which hosted representatives from 50 different employers.

The numbers are in from this year’s Career Days, and they show what many at the college and in the community already knew: Clark College’s week-long program for job-hunters is growing stronger every year. This year, more than 1000 job-seekers attended one or more Career Days events, which included workshops, clinics, job and transfer fairs, panel discussions, and expert presentations.

As always, events began before the official April 21 – 24 run of Career Days with the opening of the Career Clothing Closet the Thursday and Friday of the week before. This year, more than 200 students received free interview outfits of gently worn professional clothing donated by members of the community.

Officially, however, Career Days kicked off on Monday, April 21, with an employer panel featuring representative from Adidas, The Boeing Company, and Madden Industrial. The Ellis Dunn Community Room in Gaiser Hall was filled with students and guests ready for tips on what these employers were looking for. One key need: skilled technicians in fields like machining, welding, and carpentry. “There’s a shortage here in the Portland area,” said Randy Shelton of Madden Industrial.

Visitors at the 2014 Career Days job fair had a chance to speak directly with representatives from employers in the region.

Michael Lushenko of Boeing agreed. “There’s a shortage of people who know how to make parts,” he said. “Our engineers tend to have at least a bachelor’s degree, but machining is an area where we are happy to look at people with two-year degrees.”

Lushenko cautioned that the job market has become more competitive recently, in part because of the increasing popularity of the Pacific Northwest as a place where people from other parts of the country would like to move. “I’ve been hiring for 15 years,” he said. “It used to be a I got a lot of local residents applying. Now I’m getting a lot of applicants from the East Coast and the South.”

Fortunately, Career Days offered local job-hunters many opportunities to gain an edge over other competitors. One popular presenter was Bobby Castaneda, director of business development at the Vancouver-based ACS Professional Staffing. “He was a participant on our employer panel last year,” said Career Services Program Specialist Sarah Weinberger, who chaired the Career Days committee. “Attendees enjoyed his role on the panel, so we brought him back this year to present his own workshop.”

Attendees also flocked to hear Joshua Waldman, author of Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies. The biggest draw of the program, however, remained the job fair, held April 23. Nearly 800 job-seekers attended the event, which for the second year in a row was at full capacity with 50 employers represented; employers included Boeing, Columbia Machine, C-Tran, EarthLink, and Evergreen School District 112. The fair also included a photo booth where job-hunters could get a professional photo taken to use on their LinkedIn profiles. This feature was back for the second year in a row, as was the Penguin Passport, an incentive for visitors to attend multiple events. Passport prizes this year included an iPad Mini, a Fit Bit Flex, free pizza for a year from Papa Murphy’s, and gift baskets from local companies.

Vancouver resident Patti James stands in the Career Center after receiving advice on her resume during Career Days 2014.

The program also included a drop-in resume clinic, during which job-seekers could have their resumes reviewed by trained human-resources professionals. Anne-Marie Rupert, a human resources professional who is currently a stay-at-home mother, was one volunteer reviewing resumes at the clinic. She said one of the key mistakes many job-seekers made was not understanding how much experience they actually have.

“What I’ve realized is that their resumes are brief, but what they’ve actually accomplished is impressive,” she said. “So helping them to get their accomplishments on paper has been the key thing I’ve been doing.”

Patti James, a Certified Nursing Assistant who was looking to change careers, said she came to Career Days specifically for help with her resume. “I haven’t done a resume for so long,” said the mother of five. “I was in my last job for 19 years.”

James said she had a completely new resume after speaking with Rupert. “She actually helped me to create a resume with the right keywords,” she said. “I didn’t realize you could create a resume that talked exactly about the skills an employer was looking for. And she made me realize I had more experience than I thought.”

While the majority of Career Days attendees are Clark College students, the college hosts the program as a service for anyone in the community who could use help in finding a job. James, who lives in Vancouver, is not a student; she saw an ad for the event on Craigslist and decided to visit.

“I think it’s wonderful that they have this event for all of us who are looking for work,” she said. “I was scared they’d throw me out when I said I wasn’t a student. I said, ‘I’m nobody, can I still be here?’

“Instead they just laughed and said, ‘You’re somebody! Come on in!'”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Author Karen Russell will appear in the spring 2014 installment of the Columbia Writers Series on May 29. Photo credit: Michael Lionstar

During the spring installment of its renowned Columbia Writers Series, Clark College will welcome writer Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, and St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.

This event is part of “Subtext,” a three-day festival of words and literary arts. Other events include a free book exchange and a reading by students and faculty, including Clark County poet laureate Christopher Luna. All of these events are free and open to the public.

Karen Russell, a native of Miami, won the 2012 National Magazine Award for fiction, and her first novel, Swamplandia! (2011), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She is a graduate of the Columbia MFA program, a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow, and a 2012 Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. In 2013, she was a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” Her short stories have been featured in The Best American Short Stories, Granta, The New Yorker, Conjunctions, Oxford American, and Zoetrope.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to host Karen Russell for our spring reading since she is not only a fabulously talented fiction writer, but has been nationally recognized by critics as an American author of true significance,” said Clark College English professor James Finley, director of the Columbia Writers Series. “It is not every day that we can bring a writer of this stature to Clark. Her writing–with all its cleverness, jaunty energy, and searing insights into the human condition–are a perfect match for college-age audiences, and I hope Clark students and the community at large take advantage of the opportunity to hear Russell read from her work in a live setting.”

Russell will read from some of her works and discuss her writing process from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, in Foster Auditorium. The book exchange takes place in the Cannell Library commons area on Wednesday, May 28, 10 a.m. to noon. Crossroads, the student/faculty reading, takes place Friday, May 30, noon to 1 p.m. The theme for this year’s Crossroads is “Plants and Animals.”

Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in these events 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.

The Columbia Writers Series was launched at Clark College in 1988, bringing local, national and international authors to the college and the region.

Television journalist Byron Pitts will deliver the keynote speech at Clark College’s 2014 Commencement. Photo courtesy of Greater Talent Network.

Byron Pitts, who overcame a childhood marked by illiteracy and poverty to become an award-winning television journalist and book author, will be sharing his story with the Clark College Class of 2014 as the college’s Commencement keynote speaker on June 19.

Appropriately for an event that celebrates academic accomplishment, Pitts’ life story is a testament to the power of education. As a child, Pitts suffered from a debilitating stutter that made him so quiet and shy that the adults in his life never discovered his other obstacle: He was functionally illiterate. Only in his teens did he learn to read and write, but with the help of his mother and several kind strangers, Pitts entered a field that requires strong written and oral communication skills: broadcast journalism. Today he is Chief National Correspondent for ABC Evening News.

“Byron Pitts has a powerful story of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to get to where he is today,” said Clark College President Robert K. Knight. “It was through education that his life was turned around. I believe he will make a strong connection with our students.”

Pitts was originally scheduled to speak at Clark’s 2013 Commencement ceremony, but had to decline in order to cover the illness of South African leader Nelson Mandela.

About Byron Pitts

Known for his thought-provoking coverage and his commitment to exceptional storytelling, Byron Pitts is a multiple Emmy Award-winning journalist. He has been recognized for his work under fire as an embedded reporter covering the Iraq War and was CBS’ lead correspondent at Ground Zero immediately following the September 11 attacks. A news veteran with over 20 years of experience, other major stories he has covered include the war in Afghanistan, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the military buildup in Kuwait and the refugee crisis in Kosovo, to name but a few. Pitts was named a Contributing Correspondent to CBS’ 60 Minutes in 2009. In 2013, Pitts became an anchor and the Chief National Correspondent at ABC Evening News. He is also the author of a memoir, Step Out On Nothing: How Family and Faith Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges.

Pitts’ many achievements are all the more extraordinary when he tells of the many obstacles he faced as a child. Raised by a single mother in a working-class neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, Pitts was illiterate until the age of 12 and had a persistent stutter. Capitalizing on his desire to play football, his mother mandated he receive B’s or above in school in order to play. With that focus, Pitts learned to read and went on to attend Ohio Wesleyan University. With the help of his roommate and a professor, Pitts found the support and encouragement necessary to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. Overcoming both his odds and his disability, he graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Speech Communication.

Pitts’ grit and determination shone throughout his illustrious career, garnering him several prestigious awards, including a national Emmy Award for his coverage of the Chicago train wreck of 1999, a National Association of Black Journalists Award, and a second national Emmy Award for individual reporting of September 11. He is also the recipient of four Associated Press Awards and six regional Emmy Awards.

Pitts lives with his wife in Upper Montclair, New Jersey.

The Washington State Supreme Court is coming to Clark College for a two-day visit in May to hear oral arguments and make itself available to the public. Chief Justice Barbara Madsen and Justices Charles W. Johnson, Susan Owens, Mary Fairhurst, Debra Stephens, Charles Wiggins, Steven González, and Sheryl Gordon McCloud will also tour Clark’s main campus, visit Clark classrooms, and meet informally with students, faculty, and other members of the Clark College community. Either pro tem justice Joel Penoyar or newly appointed Justice Mary Yu will also be in attendance, depending on whether or not Yu’s swearing-in occurs before the visit.

The visit is scheduled for May 12 and 13. Oral arguments on May 13, as well as two other events held May 12 (see below) are free and open to the public.

“The Supreme Court’s arrival is a wonderful occasion for students in our Paralegal program to gain insight from the top legal authority in our state,” says Layne Russell, director of Clark’s paralegal program. “We’re honored to host such an educational and inspiring visit.”

Since 1985, the state’s highest court, which is located in Olympia, has heard cases “on the road” in an outreach effort allowing citizens to see the court in action in their local communities. The Court also travelled to Everett Community College in February.

“The Court enjoys visiting our state’s colleges in local communities,” says Chief Justice Barbara Madsen. “In addition to the students, we encourage anyone interested in learning more about the judicial branch of government to see the workings of the highest court up close and personal.”

The full roster of public events are:

Monday, May 12
Open Forum
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Gaiser Student Center

Community Reception
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Penguin Union Lounge, PUB 161

Tuesday, May 13
Hearings
Case 1: 9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Case 2, followed by Q&A: 9:55 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.
Case 3, followed by Q&A: 1:30 p.m. – 2:35 p.m.
Gaiser Student Center

All Washington Supreme Court oral arguments are open to the public, and are broadcasted at a later date via Washington’s Public Affairs network, TVW. Written opinions are rendered approximately three to six months after oral arguments.

Professor Betsy Ubiergo takes a moment from putting the finishing touches on some of the puppets she helped create at the Olde World Puppet Theatre studios during her sabbatical.

In a strange way, Spanish professor Betsy Ubiergo has the cruelty of children to thank for inspiring her sabbatical project, which will be unveiled at Clark College’s Día del Niño/Día del Libro festival, held May 9 in Gaiser Student Center.

Ubiergo and her Spanish-born husband are raising their daughter, Mar, to be bilingual in both English and Spanish. But Mar began refusing to speak Spanish at home after classmates at her elementary school told her she was “too blonde to speak Spanish.”

“She’d come home from school and say, ‘Mom, I can’t speak Spanish,'” Ubiergo recalled. “But then she’d grab a doll and make the doll speak in Spanish. She’d relax once it wasn’t her on the spot. The doll would speak great Spanish.”

Ubiergo began wondering if this same technique could be used to help her students at Clark, who often seemed to forget their language skills as soon as they had to use them in front of other people. “There’s a lot of research going on right now regarding performance-based language learning,” said Ubiergo. “I thought, maybe if my students had something to hide behind, they could relax and get more from the experience.”

Steven Overton and Martin Richmond of the Olde World Puppet Theatre Studios said they designed the puppets to be both easy for students to use and respectful of the source material’s cultural aesthetics.

Ubiergo applied for and received a two-quarter sabbatical to spend creating a series of large puppets based on works of Spanish literature, as well as the training to be able to help her students use them. To help craft the puppets, she turned to Steve Overton and Marty Richmond of Portland’s Olde World Puppet Theatre Studios, who spent hundreds of hours working to design, craft, and coordinate the 33 puppets.

“We just really loved what Betsy was doing,” said Overton. “It’s promoting literacy, and language, and the classics. We were really happy to be part of it.”

The puppets are based on three different children’s stories, each by a major figure in Spanish-language literature: El Elefante y Su Secreto (The Elephant and his Secret) by Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral; Platero y Yo, by Spanish poet and writer Juan Ramón Jiménez; and Jaco by André Dahan, a French writer and illustrator whose children’s books have been translated into numerous languages. Ubiergo has created scripts from each story; students in her spring quarter Spanish 123 class are currently learning the plays and will be performing them at Clark’s annual Día del Nino/Día del Libro festival, an evening celebration of Latino culture that always includes food, music, dance and a host of other family-friendly activities.

Jaco the Bird is the star of one of the bilingual puppet skits created by Spanish professor Betsy Ubiergo.

“It will be nice because everyone can get something different from this,” said Ubiergo. “For my students, they’ll have a chance to learn Spanish in a new and non-threatening way, and to interact with native Spanish speakers. For the children there who speak Spanish, this may introduce them to some important examples of Spanish-language literature that they may not have been familiar with—and because they’ll be able to help my students out if they forget a word, it validates their experiences as Spanish speakers. And for English-speaking children, the plays are bilingual, and the puppets make it engaging even when they don’t recognize the language.”

Ubiergo added that since the puppets were part of her sabbatical project, they are now Clark College property and will be available for future productions and lessons. In fact, she made sure to request that Overton and Richmond make the puppets easy to disassemble and pack for traveling, because she already has plans to use them in a service learning project during the college’s next study abroad trip to Mexico during Spring Break 2015.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley