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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

View more photographs from the event on Flickr.

Photos: Jenny Shadley/Clark College

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 2017 Penguins volleyball team had its best season in program history. Photo: Clark College Athletic Department.

As fall quarter comes to a close, Clark’s Athletic Department has much to take pride in from the concluding sports season. More than one fall sports teams had their best performance in team history, and many made into the championships for the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). Individual team reports are below:

Women’s Soccer 

Women’s Soccer carried over their success from the 2016 season, extending their South Region dominance, finishing 11-0-1 in conference and 13-3-1 overall. The women reached the NWAC semi-finals after defeating Whatcom 6-1 at home in their quarterfinal game.  

The semi-final game was played in Seattle against Highline Community College. Clark would score first and go into half-time with a 1-0 lead. Highline answered in both the 60:00 minute and the 67:00 minute, taking over the lead. Freshman Sarah Teubner tied the game in the 86:00 minute, propelling the Penguins into what would be two high-energy extra periods. The extra periods would conclude with both teams still tied 2-2, forcing penalty kicks. 

The Penguins ultimately fell to Highline in penalty kicks, 4-3. Highline would go on to win the NWAC title. Clark’s third-place championship finish is the best in program history. 

Forward Facienne Graham was voted South Region MVP and teammates Rylee MacDonald, Sarah Teubner, Maddison Maffeo, and Maggie Higgins received All-Star recognition. 

Teubner finished the season second in the NWAC for assists, with 13. Graham finished fourth in the NWAC for points with 40, and fifth in assists with 10. Goal-keeper Higgins finished second in the NWAC for save percentage, with .864. 

Men’s Soccer 

Men’s Soccer found themselves in the playoffs this season following a 4-4-2 conference record and 4-8-2 overall record. The South Region saw an evenly talented pool of teams throughout the season, with playoff positions being decided in the final games of the conference season. Clark secured their third-place finish, which put them on the road up to Tacoma for their playoff game. 

Clark fell to Tacoma 3-0, with all of Tacoma’s goals coming in the last 17 minutes of the game. Freshman forward Eric Hernandez-Tavera received South Region MVP and teammates Colton Mannhalter, Kento Oudomphong, Vladimir Romano, and Miguel Martin received All-Star recognition. 

Volleyball 

Volleyball finished their season with the best record in school history: 34-8 overall, 11-3 in conference. With the top three spots in the South Region being up for grabs until the final matches of conference play, the Penguins secured the third-place position heading into the NWAC tournament. 

Clark defeated three NWAC opponents before falling to Chemeketa, 1-3, in the double-elimination tournament. They faced Bellevue in the elimination game, after defeating them 3-1 during the second-round of the tournament. 

The Penguins finished the first set in dominant fashion, defeating the Bulldogs 25-9. The Bulldogs answered in the second set 25-18, forcing a third set. The final set appeared evenly matched, but Bellevue ultimately defeated the Penguins 15-11. Clark would finish their season with a third-place standing in the conference. 

Freshman Dalaney Tuholski finished fourth in the NWAC in kills with 374. Freshman Mary Schorn finished fourth in digs per set with 4.71 and fifth in digs with 518. Freshman Olivia White finished second in the NWAC in blocks per set with 1.30. 

Men’s Cross Country 

Men’s Cross-Country finished the South region in third place. Sophomore Sam Andersen finished fifth with a time of 27.43; right behind him was freshman teammate Jarod Hulsizer, at 27.47. Freshman Javier Tavera finished sixteenth with 30.13 and freshman Jose Cruz-Solis finished thirty-fourth with a time of 33.293. 

The South Region meet was held at Umpqua Community College in what turned out to be a competitive course involving multiple hills for the athletes to climb. 

The NWAC championship meet was held in Lacey, Washington, on the campus of St. Martin’s University. The men finished fourth with seven runners completing the course. Freshman Jarod Hulsizer finished sixth with a time of 27:41.50, earning All-American status as a Top Seven finisher. 

Women’s Cross Country

Women’s Cross-Country saw much success at the end of their season. They finished in second place at the South Region meet, with four runners finishing in the top ten. Freshman Lizzye Rybalka finished third with a time of 21.37 and freshman Natalia Urtiaga finished fifth, 22.00. Sophomore Aislynn Hansen finished ninth, 23.04, and freshman Lulu Meksheneva finished tenth, 23.15. 

The women would carry that success into the NWAC championship meet, finishing in fourth, only two points behind the third-place finishing team. Urtiaga finished the course fifth, earning All-American status. Rybalka would finish ninth, followed by Hansen in fourteenth. 

Coming up: Basketball 

With the conclusion of the fall sports season, both men’s and women’s basketball programs are in the middle of their non-conference schedule. The men will be hosting an NWAC crossover tournament December 15-17, which will include a round-robin tournament with Centralia, Olympic, and Spokane. Both the teams will open their conference play in January, with their first home conference opponent, Lane, coming into town on Saturday, January 6, at 2:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. for the women’s game). 

For all upcoming schedule and events, visit www.clarkpenguins.com 

Long-time art faculty member and gallery director James “Jim” Archer passed away on Tuesday, November 28. He was 75 years old.

Archer grew up in Vancouver and received his Associate of Arts degree from Clark College before going on to earn his Bachelor of Arts in graphic design from Portland State University and his Master of Fine Arts from Washington State University. Afterward he returned to Clark College to teach. In addition to serving as gallery director, Jim taught art and art history at Clark College for 23 years.

Archer originally became curator of Clark’s art gallery in 1982, when it was still located within the Clark College Bookstore and was called the Index Gallery. Successful in attracting well-known Northwest artists, the Index Gallery became known as one the region’s top alternative venues for contemporary artists. Archer announced his retirement in 1995. That same year, the gallery—which by then had been relocated to a larger space within Gaiser—was renamed in Archer’s honor. It moved to its current location in the lower level of the Penguin Union Building in 2005.

In 2016, Archer donated much of his private art collection to Clark College; selected works from the collection were shown in the gallery that bears his name, in an exhibit called “Archer @ Archer.”

Current and retired art faculty joined together to issue the following statement about their colleague’s passing:

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jim Archer. Jim was the first director of the Archer Gallery, a position he held from 1982 to 1995. He established the traditions and mission that are central to the Archer Gallery. Under his direction, the gallery quickly gained a regional reputation for exhibiting emerging Northwest artists due to his prescient eye for recognizing young talent. Through the next several decades, significant regional artists could point to their initial exhibition in the Vancouver-Portland metro area at Clark College’s Archer (formerly Index) Gallery.

Jim was a passionate, sometimes fierce, man with strong opinions. The gallery exists in its present form because of the battles that Jim fought to shape it. All of his strength and determination was needed for his struggle with AIDS. Jim was diagnosed with HIV in 1987 and AIDS in 1994 before medications had been developed to manage the disease. In the winter of 1995 Jim became dangerously ill but survived and became an early successful recipient of the AIDS drug cocktail. The dignity, resolve, and humor with which he handled the treatments and advancing illness was inspiring. He never yielded to his illness and continued to live and enjoy life fully.

After his retirement from Clark in 1995, Jim continued to champion young artists: collecting work, visiting studios, and curating exhibits – including “Next/Now” (Littman Gallery, Portland State University) and “Modern Zoo” (St. Johns, Oregon).

Jim returned to his own studio work after retirement creating and exhibiting collage and painting on paper. Both his work and his art collection (much of which was donated to Clark College and the Hallie Ford Museum at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon) were featured in “Archer@Archer” in 2016.

Jim was a great friend, father to Stephen and Peter Archer, and Grandfather to Isabella (Bella) Archer.

There will be a memorial service on December 16 at 6:00 p.m. Holladay Park Plaza (1300 NE 16th Ave., Portland, Oregon), the retirement community where Archer lived until shortly before his death. Time and details are still being determined by the family; this article will be updated as details become available. The Archer Gallery is collecting cards and letters to give to the family during the service.

This article was updated 12/6/17 to reflect the new date of the memorial service. It was updated again on 12/11/17 to include the time of the service.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

On Tuesday, November 28, Clark College will launch a new era in the region’s culinary scene as it hosts the ribbon-cutting ceremony for its Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute.

The modern, 20,615-square-foot facility provides a variety of fast, fresh, and healthy dining options for students, faculty, staff, and the community. The space features three kiosks, a full-service baking retail store and barista bar, and grab-and-go items. Next year, a fourth kiosk and student-run restaurant will open. The space also offers indoor and outdoor seating.

The McClaskey Culinary Institute is also home to the college’s completely redesigned Cuisine Management and Baking and Pastry Arts programs, which restarted this fall after years on hiatus. The design of the space allows visitors to see and interact with students, bringing food preparation and learning to the whole college.

“We are so excited to be opening the McClaskey Culinary Institute and bringing food service back to the college,” said Genevieve Howard, dean of Workforce, Professional & Technical Education. “The institute provides education for students, nutritious meals for students, and a great place for the community to come in and be part of Clark College.”

The McClaskey Culinary Institute will officially open to the public with the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and will include a thank-you to donors, cooking and baking demonstrations, and tours of the $10.5 million facility. The event is free and open to the public.

“Opening the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Culinary Institute is the realization of many years of effort on the part of the college and our community partners,” said Clark College President Bob Knight. “It will not only help us to prepare our students for jobs in the food and hospitality industries, but also establish Southwest Washington as a hub of culinary innovation. It is also the only public culinary program within 120 miles.”

For more information about food service and hours, visit www.clark.edu/cc/dining.

Photo: Clark College/Wei Zhuang

This 14-foot skiff, which was built by Clark welding students in 2017, is being auctioned off to raise funds for the program’s 2018 student project.

For three months this spring, students from Clark College’s welding classes worked tirelessly to create a 14-foot aluminum skiff from scratch. Now the welding program is selling the skiff online to raise funds for future class projects.

As part of the college’s commitment to hands-on learning, welding students complete a completely functional welding project before graduation in the spring. Three years ago, it was a pressure vessel; last year, it was an aluminum skiff. That project proved so popular with students that Professor Caleb White decided to bring it back for 2017, albeit with many improvements over the original design.

This year’s boat is 14 feet long and features storage under each seat, an anchor locker, a drain plug, fore and aft tie-downs, handles for lifting the aft end, and a bow tie-down for anchoring to a trailer. The boat was tested this spring on Lake Lacamas and found to be completely sealed and usable.

“It’s a small boat that is versatile enough to be used on lakes or rivers, and is very stable for a boat of this size,” said White, who worked at Christensen Shipyards for a decade before coming to Clark to teach. “It doesn’t currently have an outboard motor, but it is designed to use up to a 25-horsepower outboard.”

Anyone interested in purchasing the boat may bid for it online at https://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/all,wa/auction/view?auc=1977227. Proceeds from the sale will go toward purchasing raw materials for the welding program’s 2018 spring project. Materials for this year’s boat cost approximately $1,500, and some 20 students contributed more than 1,000 hours of labor to complete it.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

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

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

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

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

Ticket Information: Students (with ID) $10; Alumni (with membership) $10; Senior Citizens $12; General Admission $15. Season ticket packages are also available. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.clarkbookstore.com/site_theatre.asp, or call 360-992-2815.

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

Author Aimee Bender. Photo: Mike Glier/USC Dornlife

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 2017 Clark College Women’s Soccer team

With its 2-0 road victory over Southwestern Oregon this past Saturday, Clark College Women’s Soccer clinched the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) South Region title.

Led by Head Coach Sean Jansen–who received a Presidential Coin in September for his service to the college–the team has racked up some impressive statistics.The Penguins have scored 45 goals and allowed only 4–the biggest spread in the South. Penguins stat leaders include Facienne Graham with 10 goals, Sarah Teubner with 9 assists, and goalkeeper Maggie Higgins with 38 saves. The Penguins have a South Region best 9-0-1 conference record. The Penguins have 28 points in the region standings with two matches to play. They will be the No. 1 seed from the region and receive a first-round bye in the NWAC playoffs. Clark will host the first round of playoffs on Nov. 4 against a team yet to be determined.

The Penguins finish out their conference schedule at home, taking on Portland Community College at home on Saturday, October 21, at Kim Christensen Field, followed by playing Rogue Community College on Wednesday, October 25.

In other sports news from the weekend:

Men’s Soccer

The Penguins beat Southwestern Oregon 3-0 at Coos Bay.

Eric Hernandez, David Garnica and Mark Fabyanchuk scored goals. Nick Henry assisted on Hernandez’s goal, and Chikuru Balekeassisted on the other two.

Joseph Miguel Martin recorded the shutout in goal.

Clark (4-6-1, 4-3-1) is in second place in the South Region with 13 points, two in front of Portland. Clark and Portland meet next Saturday at Vancouver.

Volleyball

Clark rolled past Southwestern Oregon with a 3-0 win at the O’Connell Center. Scores were 25-18, 25-11, 25-14.

Madison Swanson had six kills, Dalaney Tuholski had five kills, Mary Schorn had 12 digs, and Megan Hess had 12 assists.

Clark (22-4, 7-2) is third in the NWAC South, one game behind Linn-Benton and Chemeketa, which are tied for first at 8-1.

Next for Clark is a crossover tournament at Aberdeen next weekend.

Cross Country

The Clark women placed fifth out of nine teams at the George Fox Classic, held at Willamette Mission State Park in Gervais, Ore. The Clark men were seventh out of 11 teams.

Battle Ground High grad Lizzye Ribalka was the top women’s finisher for the Penguins. She was 20th out of 90 runners in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 19:40.8.

Ridgefield High grad Sam Andersen was the top men’s placer for the Penguins. He was 31st out of 123 runners on the 8K course with a time of 26:34.0.

Athletics intern Davis Young contributed to this article. Photo: Clark College Athletics.