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

Clark College Theatre concludes its 2013-14 season with Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead by Bert V. Royal. A breakout hit when it debuted at the New York International Fringe Festival, this challenging work operates both as a comedic deconstruction of an American icon and as a poignant examination of the hurdles facing modern youth. The production is directed by Theatre Department Chair H. Gene Biby and runs May 2-17.

An “unauthorized parody,” Dog Sees God imagines characters from the popular comic strip Peanuts as teenagers. Drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion, sex and sexual identity are among the issues covered in this drama. Royal builds on the foundation of Charles Schulz’s iconic comic strip, creating a parody that’s also a stand-alone play apt to resonate even with those who belong to that small population segment unfamiliar with Peanuts.

“Using iconic cartoon characters as his basis, Royal examines the big questions about life, love and the pursuit of happiness,” says Biby. “Additionally, he takes a hard look at current societal issues including bullying, drug use, and sexuality. Royal provides a humorous yet often poignant look at our lives through the lens of these much-loved characters.”

The cast includes seasoned actors who are current or former Clark College students: James Martine, Elena Mack, Garrett Dabbs, JD Carpenter, Sam Ruble, Keren Garcia, Danielle Weddle, and Emily Wells. Production includes strong language and adult themes.

Show Dates: May 2, 3, 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17. All show times are at 7:30 p.m. May 10, there will be a 2:00 p.m. matinee.

Ticket Information: Students (with ID) $9; Alumni (with membership) $9; Senior Citizens $11; General Admission $13. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Clark College Bookstore in Gaiser Hall, online at http://www.clarkbookstore.com/site_theatre.asp, or call 360-992-2815.

If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP), or visit Gaiser Hall room 137, two weeks before the event.

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As he introduced the opening ceremonies of this year’s Sakura Festival, Clark College President Bob Knight called the 100 shirofugen trees whose blossoming the festival celebrates “a gift rich with symbolism.” As dignitaries from both Japan and Vancouver rose to speak, it became clear how rich that symbolism is.

Vancouver Mayor and Clark College alumnus Tim Leavitt said that here, as in Japan, the annual blossoming of the cherry trees has come to mark the beginning of spring, as well as of the historic bonds between Vancouver and Japan. “The City of Vancouver has long had an affinity with Japan,” he said. “We’ve hosted cultural exchanges, art exhibits, and have business relationships with firms headquartered here, including Kyocera and SEH America. We’ve also enjoyed our formal sister city relationship with Joyo for 18 years. For me, the annual Sakura Festival serves as a poignant reminder of our longstanding friendship and the meaningful opportunities that it provides.”

Guests from Japan–including America Kotobuki President John Kageyama, Joyo Mayor Toshiharu Okuda, Portland Consul General for Japan Hiroshi Furusawa, and SEH America Inc. Executive Vice President Tatsuo Ito–spoke movingly about the role that sakura (cherry blossoms) play in Japanese culture. The blossoms’ ephemeral beauty, often lasting just a week or two, symbolizes rebirth, transformation, and the importance of appreciating each moment of life. Additionally, as Consul General Furusawa pointed out, cherry trees have been planted in many prominent locations in the U.S. to symbolize friendship between this country and Japan.

“These magnificent cherry blossoms symbolize the close friendship between the cities of Joyo and Vancouver, as well as between the U.S. and Japan,” he said. “May they continue to grow and thrive.”

Also present at the event were members of the Rotary Clubs of both Vancouver and Joyo; Clark College trustees Sherry Parker and Jack Burkman; former Vancouver mayor Bruce Hagensen; Vancouver City Councilmembers Bart Hansen, Larry Smith, and Alishia Topper; and Vancouver City Manager Eric Holmes.

The opening ceremony included performances by Yukiko Vossen on the koto, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument, as well as by the Clark College Women’s Ensemble. Afterward, entertainment included a traditional dance performance by the Clark College Japanese Club, a drum performance by Portland Taiko, and a kimono fashion show with beautiful kimono modeled by Clark students and staff, as well as by children from Clark’s Child & Family Studies program.

Begun in 2006, Clark College’s Sakura Festival celebrates John Kageyama’s donation of 100 shirofugen cherry trees to the City of Vancouver. The trees were planted on Clark’s main campus in 1990; each year, their beautiful pink blossoms transform the campus and prompt a flurry of picnics and picture-taking. Due to rain, this year’s festival was held indoors in Gaiser Student Center.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

What makes one country develop into a democracy, and another into a dictatorship? That is the question at the heart of Clark College sociology professor Carlos Castro’s upcoming Faculty Speaker Series lecture, “Borderlines: Political and Economic Differences between Nicaragua and Costa Rica.”

Costa Rica is one of the richest countries in Central America while its neighbor, Nicaragua, is one of the poorest. Costa Rica has a liberal democratic system, while Nicaragua is more authoritarian. What led these neighboring countries to develop so differently? Castro will offer his interpretation of why two neighboring countries with strong cultural similarities can differ so dramatically.

“Nicaragua and Costa Rica pose an interesting case study,” says Castro. “They are so close and yet so different. The lessons to be drawn from them could apply to many nations and regions of the world wrestling with issues related to social, political, and economic development.”

A native of Nicaragua, Carlos Castro graduated cum laude from the University of Oregon with Bachelor of Arts degrees in sociology and economics. Continuing his studies at the University of Oregon, Castro earned a master’s degree in public affairs (MPA), master’s degree in community and regional planning (MCRP) and a PhD in sociology. He began teaching at Clark College in 2006 and received tenure in 2009. An essayist and poet as well as an academic, Castro’s work has appeared in such publications as Organization and Environment, El Nuevo Diario, The American Poetry Review, La Prensa Literaria, Confidencial, and Nuevo Amanecer Cultural. He is currently working on a book comparing and contrasting the development of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, research for which will be the foundation of his Faculty Speaker Series presentation.

This event, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled to take place Thursday, May 8, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., in the Ellis Dunn Community Room (GHL 213). It is being held in conjunction with Clark College’s Celebración de mi Gente.

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.

About the Clark College Faculty Speaker Series

Established by Clark College with support from the Clark College Foundation, the Clark College Faculty Speaker Series honors individual faculty members and celebrates academic excellence. The series showcases recent experiences that have enriched both the life and teaching of a Clark faculty member. Faculty members share their developmental experiences with the college community—and with members of the community at large—while addressing some of today’s most intriguing issues.

President Bob Knight receives Clark’s Tree Campus USA award from Ben Thompson of the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

On April 9, Clark College celebrated both the natural and digital worlds at its annual Arbor Day event, as it added two new trees to the campus’s beautiful arboretum and unveiled a new, student-designed website that uses digital technology to catalog that arboretum. The new online map allows visitors to instantly access descriptions of most trees on campus through their mobile devices.

“This website is a great testament to the value of service learning here at Clark,” said Computer Technology Department Chair Robert Hughes at the ceremony, which took place under sunny skies just south of the Chimes Tower. “It showcases the talent of our students, the value of our instruction, and a great part of Clark’s visual landscape.”

The mobile-friendly online map is the product of work done by students in instructor Gus Torres’s spring 2013 Web Design II class. The students worked with the college’s Campus Tree Advisory Committee to identify trees in the campus’s extensive arboretum, which includes such notable trees as a six-decade-old Scarlet Oak and 100 Shirofugen blossoming cherry trees donated to the campus by Japanese businessman John Kageyama in 1990. Students then GPS-tagged each listed tree and added it to the map with information about its genus and species. Additional students contributed to the project in subsequent quarters. Hughes was one of the faculty members who helped support the project, along with Torres, Computer Graphics Technology professor Kristl Plinz, and Computer Technology instructor Bruce Elgort.

The online map documents Clark’s extensive arboretum.

The event also featured the official bestowing on Clark of Tree Campus USA designation by the Arbor Day Foundation for the fourth year in a row. Tree Campus USA colleges must meet rigorous standards in five separate areas to earn this designation. The award was presented by a Washington State Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Specialist Ben Thompson and received by Clark College President Robert K. Knight.

“It’s very exciting that Clark College has such enthusiasm for urban forestry,” said Thompson, who noted that Clark was helping Vancouver earn a “trifecta” by being a Tree City USA with both a Tree Line USA and a Tree Campus USA. He also noted that Clark’s arboretum might benefit students in unsuspected ways.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that so many colleges are located on beautiful campuses filled with trees,” he said. “It puts us at ease, at rest. It makes us ready for learning.”

Clark College Bob Knight agreed. “If our students feel comfortable and our faculty feel comfortable, then it opens up their minds and creativity more,” he said, adding that the new arboretum map was a perfect example of that. “It’s exactly what we want to encourage here at Clark College.”

Children from Clark’s Child & Family Studies program get help on their tree-themed scavenger hunt from, left to right, Dean of STEM Dr. Peter Williams, President Bob Knight, and Campus Tree Committee members Tim Carper and Melissa Favara.

Other speakers at the event included Dean of STEM Dr. Peter Williams and Zahid Chaudry, GIS Program Manager of the U.S. Forest Service Region 6. Additionally, two trees were added to the campus arboretum:  an Eastern Hemlock and an Eastern White Pine. These are the official state trees of Pennsylvania and Maine, respectively, and are part of an effort by the college to include all 50 state trees in the campus arboretum; with these two additions, the arboretum contains 39 state trees.

Also present were two classrooms of children from Clark’s Child & Family Studies program, who participated in a tree-themed scavenger hunt and received “seed bombs” filled with seeds of indigenous plants.

Photo: Clark College/Hannah Erickson