Clark College honored its 86th graduating class at the 2022 Clark College Commencement ceremony held Thursday evening, June 16, at the RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater. The college conferred over 1,900 degrees and certificates for the next generation of our community’s workers, leaders, and scholars.  

The ceremony featured remarks written by President Dr. Karin Edwards and focused on the power of persistence and resilience, “It’s the power of persistence that builds resiliency. It’s a power that assures you can overcome any challenge.”  

Highlights from this year’s ceremony include:  

• Approximately 550 of the college’s 1,965 graduates participated in the commencement ceremony. 
• This year’s graduating class included 319 Running Start graduates.  
• The college conferred its first Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity degrees at the ceremony. This comes on the heels of announcing its 5th BAS degree program, the Bachelor of Applied Science in Teacher Education.  
• The ceremony honored students graduating with bachelor’s or associate degrees and those earning certificates, high school diplomas, and/or GED completion.  
• During the ceremony, Vice President of Instruction Paul Wickline announced the recipients of the 2022 Exceptional Faculty Awards: libraries professor Katy Anastasi; phlebotomy professor Dr. Amy Castellano; biology professor Steven Clark; surveying and geomatics professor Erielle Lamb; and English professor Gail Robinson.
• The student speaker was Associate of Arts degree recipient Alex Reid.  

2021-2022 Community College Presidents’ Award

Graduate Madelyn Hennerty was the recipient of the 2021-2022 Community College Presidents’ Award in Honor of Val Ogden. This annual scholarship is given to a Clark College graduate who demonstrates leadership potential, a commitment to community service, and academic achievement. The scholarship award provides full-time tuition at Washington State University Vancouver (WSUV) and is renewable for one additional year, essentially providing full tuition to complete a bachelor’s degree. Hennerty is an excellent example of the resiliency and tenacity of first-generation college degree earners. She worked throughout high school to help support her family and eventually saved enough to pay for her first year of tuition at Clark College.  

Photographs

Video of the Ceremony

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then consider this slideshow a year’s worth of diary entries, telling the story of Clark College in 2014. It was a year of growth for the college, seeing the introduction of its first bachelor’s degree, the groundbreaking for a new STEM building, and the expansion of the college’s international student population. It was also a year in which our faculty adapted a variety of tools–from puppets to petri dishes–to help students learn in new, innovative ways. Take a look back at the year that was, and look forward with us to what’s to come in 2015!

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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

Monday, March 3, four Clark College Bookstore employees visited Crestline Elementary School’s temporary location, which was created after the school was destroyed in a fire last year. Their mission: To distribute to the school’s kindergarten and first-grade students the 190 copies of the Dr. Seuss classic One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish that the Bookstore had gathered through its annual Seuss-a-Palooza book drive. They also read the book aloud to classrooms as part of Read Across America Day.

“The best part of the event is always seeing the look on the children’s faces when you hand them a book and tell them that it is their very own to keep and take home to share with their family and friends,” said Bookstore buyer Kaina Barba, who visited Crestline with his colleagues Michael Owenby, Ashley Anderson, and Michal Neubauer. Indeed, many children gasped when they received their books, peppering the Bookstore staff with questions like “how did you get all these books here?” and “I really get to take this book home?”

“The children were absolutely thrilled to receive books of their own,” said Crestline Budget Secretary Lori Boyd. “Many of our students come from homes where there is not extra money to purchase books, and having their very own, brand-new book to keep is a special treat.”

In addition to the Bookstore’s Crestline visit, 56 Clark students participated in Read Across America Day by reading to children at Harney and Fruit Valley elementary schools through Clark’s Volunteer & Service Learning program.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

 

Before we toss those 2013 calendars in the recycling bin, we wanted to pause for a moment to savor the year that was. Members of the college’s Communications and Marketing staff went through the Clark College Flickr site and pulled out some of their favorite images from the past year. Whether it’s a challenging Theatre production, a response to rural residents asking for more educational opportunities, or the proud smile on a scholarship recipient’s face, these photographs tell the story of the college’s ongoing mission to enhance the community through learning. We can’t wait to see where that story takes us in 2014!

On Friday, November 1, the aroma of fry bread wafted through Gaiser Student Center as Clark College hosted its annual “Educating for the Seventh Generation,” a celebration of Native American cultures and mini-powwow. The event included food, music, dancing, and socializing among the estimated 275 guests.

 

 

Native American flautist Isaac Trimble provided music as guests arrived. Then emcee Sande Allman and arena director Ed Goodell got the event started. Clark College President Bob Knight and Clark College Trustee Jack Burkman welcomed the assembled guests on behalf of the college and its trustees; Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt also offered a welcome from the city. Native American military veterans led the grand entry, after which there was an invocation and then an honoring of the recently passed. Clark College Facilities Services fiscal specialist Lori Jimerson spoke in memory of longtime Clark employee and supporter Bob Moser, who died in December 2012. Moser was a strong supporter of Clark’s Native American student group when it was first receiving charter in the early 1990s.

Much of the rest of the evening was given to dancing, including a “Tiny Tots” dance hosted by Child and Family Services and a series of exhibitions of the powwow dance styles of all the tribes in attendance. Guests also enjoyed “Indian Tacos” served in the adjoining cafeteria, while drummers provided music for the occasion. The dancing continued late into the evening, with a diverse range of dancers–from grandchildren to grandparents, some dressed in full regalia and others in jeans and T-shirts.

This is the fifth year that Clark College has coordinated and hosted an event in honor of Native American Heritage Month. It is one of four signature events hosted by the college annually to celebrate diverse cultures. According to organizers, the title references “a responsibility to pass on and teach the future seven generations to protect our resources, culture and heritage.”

A selection of photos are below. Click here to view the full Flickr album.

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On Saturday, November 2, Clark College’s main campus was fizzing like a lab beaker as hundreds of students participated in the Southwest Washington Elementary Science Olympiad. Almost 300 third-through-fifth grade students from 19 local elementary schools participated in the half-day event, which included five competitions: Green Eggs Go Bam!, Chopper Challenge, Tug-o-War Gunk, Benthic Bugs, and Buoyant Barges. (See complete results from the contest.) In addition to hosting the event, Clark provided more than 60 volunteers, most of them students. This was Clark’s sixth year of hosting the event, which helps promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) among young learners.
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Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

View photos from this event on Flickr.

On October 3, the Clark College community came together for an annual tradition, the Students vs. Staff softball game. One change to the tradition: After years of being held during spring quarter, this event was moved to fall quarter. (Expect another competition, possibly kickball, to take its place during spring quarter.) Another change: After many years as the underdogs, Team Staff (which also includes faculty) came away with the victory, trouncing Team Student 13-4. Team Staff owed some of their success to new softball coach Mandy Hill’s able leadership, as well as Health and Physical Education instructor Alan Wiest’s impressive tally of four home runs.

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