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

Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016 is one of a series of paintings from Stephen Hayes’ project In the Hour Before, for which he received a 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship. Image courtesy of Stephen Hayes/Elizabeth Leach Gallery.

Clark College is proud to announce that adjunct art instructor Stephen Hayes has been named a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow in Fine Arts. Hayes is one of 175 scholars, artists, and scientists from the U.S. and Canada to receive this honor from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

“As one of the few community colleges in the state to offer an Associate in Fine Arts degree, Clark College takes pride in the high level of quality of the faculty members who teach in our studio arts programs,” said Professor Lisa Conway, chair of the college’s art department. “We are thrilled, though in no way surprised, by Stephen’s latest accomplishment.”

Hayes has taught classes including drawing, color design, and two-dimensional design at Clark since 2012, shortly after he presented a lecture during the college’s popular Clark Art Talks series. Besides Clark, his teaching experience includes Oregon State University and Yarmouk University. As an artist, Hayes has held over 35 solo exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, and his works are housed in the collections of the New York Public Library, the Frans Masereel Centrum voor Grafiek in Kasterlee, Belgium, The Portland Art Museum, The Hallie Ford Museum, The Gates Foundation, Lewis and Clark College and more than 100 private and public collections in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Hayes, who lives in Portland, will use the fellowship’s funding to pursue a project titled In The Hour Before, in which he uses Google Earth to view places that have been affected by gun violence and paints them as they would be seen in the hour before the violent event took place.

“It is both exciting and humbling to be awarded this fellowship,” said Hayes. “So many artists are as deserving of this kind of recognition. I have worked with focus for a long time and have gotten a few breaks over the years with exhibitions, grants, and awards. This one feels as if it can not only be a recognition for past efforts, but also can open doors to new possibilities.

More information about Stephen Hayes is available at www.gf.org/fellows/all-fellows/stephen-hayes/ and at his website, www.stephenhayes.net.

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.

Clark College Vice President of Instruction Dr. Tim Cook with 2018 All-Washington Academic Team members Madysen Saucedo and Carlos Hunt.

On March 22, three outstanding students represented Clark College at the 23rd annual All-Washington Academic Team ceremony, honoring 78 students from Washington State for their academic excellence and community service.

The All-Washington Academic Team is a program of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges. Top students from each of Washington state’s 34 community and technical colleges were honored at the annual ceremony, which was held at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia; each received a medal and a $250 scholarship from KeyBank, and will become eligible for additional transfer scholarships from in-state colleges and universities.

The three Clark College team members are:

Carlos Hunt

After many years of working in construction, Carlos Hunt realized that he wanted to find work that was less physically taxing and more intellectually stimulating. Since coming to Clark College, he has developed an interest in social justice and public administration. “I want to help people in an empowering way which inspires them to share whatever talent they have with others,” he says.

Diane Hurst

Diane Hurst

After many years of staying home with her children to home-school them, Diane Hurst came to Clark College to learn skills that would help her financially support herself and her family. She is now completing an Associate of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design, which she says allows her to explore her creativity. Outside of school, she volunteers at her church and is working on marketing her own line of greeting cards.

Madysen Saucedo

Madysen Saucedo was 15 years old when she began taking classes at Clark College through Running Start. While it was an adjustment to sit in classrooms with students older than her own parents, she says she has appreciated the academic challenge she experienced at Clark. She plans to transfer to Arizona State University, where she will continue studying mathematics to pursue her goal of becoming an actuary—and becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college.

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.

Members of the Clark College Independent staff show off their Associated Collegiate Press award. Photo: Bradley Wilson

Clark College’s student-run newspaper, The Independent, again placed in the Top 10 in a national contest of two-year colleges, earning fourth place in the annual Best of Show competition in Long Beach, California.

The award from the Associated Collegiate Press honored overall excellence among teams of students who attended the Midwinter National College Journalism Convention on March 1-4.

The Indy, which is funded by the Associated Students of Clark College, has taken home this award for several years under the direction of former student-media advisor Dee Anne Finken. Finken retired in January but oversaw the publication of the Oct. 18, 2017 edition that judges singled out for national recognition.

The Indy won fourth place in 2017, as well.

“Receiving this award for the second year in a row really brought home how much my staff have invested in this program,” said Riley Clarke, editor-in-chief. “It’s been a year full of change, and I couldn’t be more proud to work with such dedicated, passionate people.”

This article was contributed by Beth Slovic.

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