King Elementary students enjoy their new books in 2015, donated through the Clark College Bookstore’s annual book drive.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know,” wrote Theodor Geisel (aka “Dr. Seuss”). “The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” It is with this idea in mind that Clark College has chosen Vancouver’s King Elementary School as the beneficiary of its tenth annual book drive, which runs Feb. 12-28.

Over the past nine years, the Clark College Bookstore has helped provide more than 1,100 books to local kindergartners. This year’s book selection is Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham, a favorite among children for six decades. Geisel wrote the book in 1960 after a publisher dared him to write a children’s story using no more than 50 words.

The community is invited to help purchase 85 copies of the Dr. Seuss classic to be given to kindergartners at King Elementary on Read Across America Day (March 2), a celebration to commemorate Geisel’s birthday. Books will be read aloud to students by volunteers from the Clark College Bookstore.

Research has shown that having age-appropriate books in the home promotes literacy in children. But according to the National Center for Children in Poverty, two-thirds of children from low-income families lack access to books. Clark College Bookstore Manager Monica Knowles, who has helped organize the book drive for many years, says that she often hears from her volunteers that this gift was the only book a kindergartner owned.

Copies of the selected Dr. Seuss books are available for purchase and donation Feb. 12-28 for $6.85 each (plus tax). Each book will include a nameplate with the donor’s name. Donors will be able to purchase books at the Bookstore or online via the Bookstore’s website at www.clarkbookstore.com, making it quick and convenient to participate in the book drive.

The Clark College Bookstore is located in Gaiser Hall on the northern end of Clark’s main campus. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Information about the bookstore is available at www.clarkbookstore.com. For additional information, contact Monica Knowles at the Clark College Bookstore at 360-992-2904.

Clark College Bookstore buyer Kaina Derwin reads to Crestline Elementary students during Read Across America Day 2014.

As Theodor Geisel (aka “Dr. Seuss”) once wrote, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Heeding those words, Clark College has chosen to make the beneficiary of its seventh annual book drive Vancouver’s King Elementary School.

The Clark College Bookstore is hoping that Book Drive supporters will purchase 100 copies of the Dr. Seuss classic The Cat in the Hat. The books will be given to kindergarteners at King Elementary on Read Across America Day, a celebration to commemorate the birthday of Theodor Geisel (aka “Dr. Seuss”). Books will be read aloud to students by volunteers from Clark College Bookstore.

Copies of the selected Dr. Seuss books will be available for purchase and donation Feb. 16-27 for $6.85 each (plus tax). Each book will include a nameplate with the donor’s name. Donors will be able to purchase books at the Bookstore or online via the Bookstore’s website at www.clarkbookstore.com, making it quick and convenient to participate in the book drive.

“The Clark College Book Drive is a wonderful opportunity for King students to hear another adult read a book to them,” says King kindergarten teacher Shari Perea. “The students treasure the book that they receive and, in some cases, it is the only book that they own.”

According to Clark College Bookstore buyer Marti Earhart, one of the organizers of the drive, “I’ve personally handed books to students nearly every year of the book drive. I don’t doubt for a moment that each one of the kids will be reading the book on their own in a few weeks!”

Bookstore manager Monica Knowles adds, “I delight in knowing the joy those books bring to our local community and I don’t hesitate to challenge my friends and family to join it!”

The Clark College Bookstore is located in Gaiser Hall on the northern end of Clark’s main campus. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Information about the bookstore is available at www.clarkbookstore.com. For additional information, contact Marti Earhart at the Clark College Bookstore at 360-992-2261.

Photo: 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.

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Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

February 26 marks the beginning of Clark College Bookstore’s sixth annual Oswald on Spring Break Photo Contest.

Customers, students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in the contest by simply stopping by our store to complete an “adoption form” and pay a $2.50 (plus tax)  entry fee. Participants will receive an official 2014 Oswald toy and can begin snapping pictures of Oswald on location immediately. Participants enter their best picture of Oswald enjoying spring break before April 9 to be eligible for one of three Bookstore gift cards awarded to the pictures with the most customer votes.

Contest rules are available at the cash registers and on the Bookstore’s website. Bookstore employees may not enter the contest, but they may vote daily.

Contest Dates

February 26 – April 9  (or until Oswald toys are gone) Customers may enter the contest

April 9                        Contest entries are due

April 16-24                 All qualifying entries will be displayed in-store for voting. One vote per person per day

April 25                      Winners will be announced  (This is also World Penguin Day!)

Brandi Roberts contributed this article. Photo: Clark College Bookstore

Faculty volunteer Carole Makewich helps student Tamika Taylor shop for textbooks.

For Alex Adrian, the thing he’s looking forward to most about taking classes at Clark College is something he won’t be doing–namely, rote vocabulary quizzes.

“I would finish them in, like, half the time provided,” said the Hudson’s Bay High School student. “It was really boring.”

Alex was one of 214 Running Start students to attend the Clark College Bookstore’s Running Start Open House on August 27. Running Start is a Washington state program that allows qualified high school students to take community college classes for credit during their junior and senior years, potentially earning an associate degree while still in high school.

Father-and-son duo Peter and Alex Adrian were getting ready for Alex’s first year at Clark by attending the Running Start Open House.

“It’s such a great opportunity, especially for bright kids like Alex,” said Alex’s father, Peter Adrian, who had brought his son to the open house to shop for textbooks. Peter added that, with two younger children at home, the opportunity to save on college tuition for Alex was also appealing. Running Start tuition is significantly lower than standard college tuition.

Some 1,771 Running Start students are expected to attend Clark during the 2013-2014 academic year–a record number. Each year, the Bookstore hosts an open house before fall quarter begins so that students and their parents can become familiar with college systems, including Tutoring Services, Clark College Libraries, and ASCC (student government). Additionally, Bookstore staff set up informational stations where visitors could learn about how to best use the Bookstore’s services.

“This is a three-quarter textbook,” Bookstore employee Ali Hallenbeck told a small crowd gathered at the “Affordable Textbook Options” station as she held up a massive, hardback tome with Japanese writing on it. “If you’re only taking one quarter of the language, it’s probably cheaper to buy this,” she added, holding up a thinner, soft-cover workbook.

“The main reason for the open house is to give students a chance to visit the bookstore and learn about how to find out what books and supplies will be needed for their classes,” said Bookstore Secretary Senior Leah Skeen, who organizes the event every year. “Students are taught how to use the book list and supply list. The secondary purpose for the event is to provide a fun, inviting atmosphere to welcome the students to Clark, help them feel comfortable starting a new school, and let them know the resources available to them. The open house is a time to build relationships and let students know were here for them. Hopefully, after attending the event, they feel more confident and prepared for their first day of class at Clark.”

Bookstore buyer Kaina Barba helps students out at the technology desk.

It seemed to be working for Fort Vancouver High School student Tamika Taylor. She decided to enroll in Running Start to accelerate her ability to join the U.S. Navy, where she hopes to become a cryptology technician, a field that appeals to both her love of math and her sense of tradition; both her grandfather and father served in the military. When asked what she was looking forward to most about her time at Clark, she unhesitatingly answered, “Math class.”

And did she feel at all nervous about taking on the challenge of college while still in high school? Taylor looked around the Bookstore for a second, then smiled and said, “Not really, no.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley