The Blaze - March 2014 by Lafromboise Communications, Inc.

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A Publication of The Chronicle for Centralia College Since 2012 • www.centraliablaze.com

science center named for retiring president

By Courtney Simmons The Blaze At a meeting on Feb. 19, the Centralia College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name the college’s newest building, currently known as the Natural Science Center, for President James Walton, who is retiring this year. Though a date has not yet been set for the naming ceremony, the board agreed that it will

take place during the week of commencement, which begins June 9. Commencement itself will take place that Friday, on June Dr . James Walton 13. Opened in Centralia College 2009, the scipresident ence center is

the newest building on the Centralia College campus, as well as one of the two largest. It is just over 70,000-square-feet, and is home to the college’s science and nursing programs. The building also holds the largest lecture hall on campus, as well as the botany hot house, bachelor degree pro-

“This is truly a humbling and an extreme honor.” -Dr. Walton

pat kemp named 2014 distiNguished alumnus Award: Former Centralia College Student Is Now a Transportation and Public Facilities Leader in Alaska

‘‘I looked through the list of the people who have received this award, and the list is impressive. It’s an honor to be included.’’

By Courtney Simmons The Blaze Each year, one Centralia College alumnus is chosen as the best representative of the success that all students hope to achieve. Pat Kemp, the Alaska commissioner for transportation and public facilities, has been named the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus. Born and raised in southeast Alaska, Kemp graduated high school in Juneau. He came to Centralia to accept an invitation by George Gablehouse, a coach at the time, to play basketball for Centralia College. There he met his wife, Becky, and received his associate’s degree, with the intention of becoming a teacher. Soon after, however, he returned to the college to earn his Associate’s in Civil Engineering and trans-

grams, and faculty and administrative offices. “This is truly a humbling and an extreme honor,” Walton said. The science center is now one of several campus buildings named for prominent figures in the college’s history,

Pat Kemp

distinguished alumnus

ferred to the University of Washington. “I was young, and my time at Centralia College helped me get focused,” Kemp said. “I don’t think that as a 17-year-old freshman I could have made it going straight to the University of Washington from high school. Centralia College was important as a transition college. My time there helped me build a great foundation and prepped me well for the university. Among other things I learned how to study.” Once Kemp had earned his bachelor’s degree, he returned to Alaska and began full-time

employment with the Department of Transportation in 1977. Shortly thereafter, he became a licensed professional engineer. Kemp is Centralia College’s 37th recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus award, and he will be honored during this year’s commencement ceremony on Friday, June 13. “It is truly an honor to receive this award,” Kemp said. “I looked through the list of the people who have received this award, and the list is impressive. It’s an honor to be included.”

including Corbet Theater, Kemp Hall, and Kirk Library. Also considered at the meeting was the possibility of naming the college owned portion of Washington Ave. after Vice President of Finance and Administration Steve Ward, but the decision was postponed. The board has requested that the college administration develop a more comprehensive naming policy.

spring quarter at a

Glance “Quilters” 8 p.m. Wickstrom Studio Theatre

Monday, March 17 Winter Quarter - Last Class Day Wednesday, March 19, Thursday, March 20, and Friday, March 21 Winter Quarter FInals Saturday, March 11 - Sundayday, March 30 Spring Break Monday, March 31 First class day Tuesday, April 1 Last day to add classes without faculty signature Friday, April 11 Last day to add classes with faculty signature Tuesday, April 15 & Wednesday, April 16 Puget Sound Blood Center blood drive 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. NSC Lobby Saturday, April 19 Blazer Bot 2014 Lewis County Lego Robotics Competition 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. HWC Wednesday, April 30 Job Fair 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. HWC Thursday, May 8 Centralia College Theatre presents “Quilters” 7 p.m. Wickstrom Studio Theatre Friday, May 9 Centralia College Theatre presents “Quilters” 8 p.m. Wickstrom Studio Theatre Saturday, May 10 Centralia College Theatre presents

Sunday., May 11 Centralia College Theatre presents “Quilters” 2 p.m. Wickstrom Studio Theatre Thursday, May 15 Advising Day No classes Centralia College Theatre presents “Quilters” 7 p.m. Wickstrom Studio Theatre Friday, May 16 Centralia College Theatre presents “Quilters” 8 p.m. Wickstrom Studio Theatre Saturday, May 17 Centralia College Theatre presents “Quilters” 8 p.m. Wickstrom Studio Theatre Monday, May 26 Memorial Day Campus Closed Monday, June 9 Last Class Day Wednesday, June 11, Thursday, June 12, and Friday, June 13 Finals

Friday, June 13 Commencement 4 p.m.

Spring Into Fitness

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Blaze 2 • The Blaze, Centralia, Wash., March 2014 Your Look at Centralia College Life

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Centralia College to Hold Bachelor Degree Information Session By Courtney Simmons The Blaze

On Thursday, March 13, Centralia College will hold an informational session to discuss the new Bachelor of Applied Science in Management program now offered at the college. It will take place from 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., and is being held in the Walton Science Center. “A strength of our Bachelor of Applied Science in Management (BASM) program is the retention rate,” said Larry McGee, associate dean of the bachelor degree program. “Everyone who started in our first year is on track to earn his or her degree this June. That means that serious students do reach their goal.” The program is offered eve-

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Just past noon on Thursday, March 6, a group of Centralia College students spotted a larger than average earthworm passing the Natural Science Center. Fully stretched out, the worm in question was roughly a foot in length. The incident has left students with many questions about earthworms. Why do earthworms come out of the ground when it rains? Contrary to popular belief, Learner.org has this to say

Send Newstips to: staff@centraliablaze. com Or Call: (360) 807-8250

Study: Program Sending Low-Income Kids to College

SEATTLE (AP) — Lowincome kids who participate in Washington's College Bound scholarship program are going to college at nearly the same rate as their richer classmates and well ahead of other poor children who did not sign up, according to a new report released Monday. The scholarship program seems to encourage higher than expected college enrollment and continued college attendance, according to a report by The BERC Group, which was hired by College Spark Washington and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to assess the effectiveness of the program. The program only requires low-income students to sign a pledge to stay in school, keep their high school grade point average at 2.0 or above, and stay out of trouble. Students get the scholarship if they meet those requirements and the lowincome threshold when they graduate. The researchers could not yet be certain, however, if this trend will continue or if it could be caused in part by other factors, because they were only studying the first group of students to

use scholarships from the program. They looked at students at 55 high schools across the state. Washington middle school students who are eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch are invited to sign up for the College Bound scholarship program before high school. The study found 73 percent of students in the class of 2012 who enrolled in the College Bound program in middle school went to college after high school. College attendance for students who did not qualify for free- andreduced-price lunch is 78 percent. About 60 percent of lowincome students who didn't sign up for College Bound went to college. A high school program that helps students make sure they are taking the right classes and doing other things to prepare for college, Navigation 101, also was found to have a strong influence on college attendance. And when College Bound students also benefited from Navigation 101, their college enrollment numbers were even higher. College Spark Washing-

ton, which supports both programs, was enthusiastic about the results. "I was really shocked and happy that it was that effective," said Heather Gingerich, senior program officer at College Spark Washington. From 2007 to 2013, more than 150,000 students have signed up for the College Bound program and participation as a percentage of eligible students has been growing. A representative of the Washington Student Achievement Council, which runs College Bound, was pleased with the study's results and promised further research on the program's effectiveness as more classes graduate. "There's some early indication that the program is quite successful," said Rochelle Sharp, senior director for student financial aid and support services at the Washington Achievement Council. Lawmakers are considering a bill to assess the scholarship program's long-term financial viability, and other researchers are taking a closer look at data on the graduates, Sharp said.

Large Earthworm Interests students

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nings in a hybrid format that allows student to obtain their degree on a flexible schedule. Students attend face-to-face classes only one or two days a week, and the rest of the program is done online. Students who qualify can earn their bachelor’s degree in two years. “You don’t have to quit your job or commute to class every day to get a quality bachelor’s degree,” McGee said. A study produced by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges showed that working adults with a bachelor’s degree had more job security during the past economic recession than those without. The college encourages anyone interested in a bachelor’s degree to attend the informational session.

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about earthworms: “Dr. Dennis Linden, Cindy Hale, and other worm experts say that worms do not surface to avoid drowning.” Why then? Since worms breathe through their skin, their bodies must remain moist for oxygen to pass through their skin. Rainy weather provides earthworms with a chance to travel safely above ground.

and environmental conditions, including moisture and soil conditions. According to the University of Illinois Extension in Urban Illinois, the largest earthworm ever found, discovered in South Africa, measured 22 feet from its nose to the tip of its tail.

What causes some earthworms to grow much larger than others? Biologyjunction.com explains that the size of an earthworm depends on its age, diet,

fun facts There are approximately 2,700 different kinds of earthworms. In one acre of land, there can be more than a million earthworms.

Facts are quoted from the University of Illinois Extension in Urban Illinois, and more facts about earthworms can be found at urbanext.illinois.edu/worms/facts.

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If a worm’s skin dries out, it will die.

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Search for Next President Continues

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Blaze 3 • The Blaze, Centralia, Wash., March 2014 Your Voice, Your Views

A Night With the Presidents

Got Skills? The Blaze is always accepting submissions from Centralia College students for the opinion page, photos of events, or even comics. Think you’ve got what it takes to write for The Blaze? Email Editor-in-Chief Courtney Simmons at editor@centraliablaze.com, or call The Blaze World Headquarters at (360) 807-8250.

By Centralia College staff

The search for the next president of Centralia College is in high gear, according to Julie Ledford, Centralia College vice president for Human Resources and Legal Affairs. A committee, appointed by the college’s board of trustees, has gone through an initial screening, whittling the applicant pool down to 12 candidates. Those in the pool are being asked to submit a video responding to questions and addressing their qualifications to hold the office. Ledford said that this process will narrow the field to six candidates who would be invited to campus to meet with college employees and members of the community. The new president will be announced later this spring and take office beginning July 1, following the retirement of Dr. Jim Walton. Walton has held the office for 12 years.

B THE BLAZE STAFF Former Centralia College President Nels Hanson, seated left, gives a response to a question asked by Arnie Guenther as former President Hank Kirk and current college President Jim Walton listen on during last month’s Class Act presentation at Centralia College’s Wickstrom Studio Theatre.

Lawmakers Consider Ways to Help Homeless Students cation Act. Districts must enroll homeless children — who often lack proof of residence, immunization records and other necessary documents — and transport them to and from school. If they are enrolled in a school, the district must allow them to stay there. The state receives federal funding to offset these costs — about $950,000 from the U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, DWash., is working to supplement McKinney-Vento to increase aid for Washington's growing population of homeless students, as well as for other states. The federal Educational Success for Children and Youth Without Homes Act would increase funding for McKinneyVento, and allow districts to use Title I funds — reserved for schools with high numbers of children from low-income families — for transportation. The bill — one of several measures Murray is sponsoring to benefit homeless youth — also extends some provisions to public preschools, provides training for case workers and educational opportunities for students. Dinah Ladd is the Seattle School District's McKinneyVento liaison, a caseworker who connects homeless students with services. Many of these students move around three or four times a year, Ladd says. McKinney-Vento "gives them stability in their education," she said. Her office also helps lowincome students pay for things such as field trips and caps and gowns for graduation.

Fear Keeps Some Quiet But even when homeless students qualify for benefits, many don't come forward. Katara Jordan is an attorney for Columbia Legal Services, a firm that provides legal assistance to low-income families. She said some students are worried that if they identify themselves as homeless, they could be taken away from their parents. It's a risk, especially for families who are unsheltered or live in cars. But Ladd says the school district can help. "We'll get you out of that situation," she said. Most of these families qualify for emergency housing, food and other services. Lawmakers are working on ways to get these services to students who have not been identified. Columbia Legal Ser-

vices estimates 10,000 homeless students in Washington schools haven't come forward. The state Homeless Children Education Act, or Senate Bill 6074 and House Bill 2373, is aimed at better identifying homeless students to provide support. The measure would require OSPI to report data on homeless students to the state, including numbers of identified homeless students enrolled in public schools, test scores, truancy and dropout rates. It would also require OSPI to create a training video and instructions to help teachers and school employees identify homeless students. The Senate version is headed to the governor's desk.

Housing Aid Is Limited Most children from families who consider themselves homeless qualify for McKinney-Vento and education services, but far fewer qualify for housing assistance. The U.S. Department of Education defines homelessness as anyone who lacks a "fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence." Students who live in motels, hotels or share a single-family home with multiple families qualify for McKinney-Vento and other forms of educational assistance, but don't qualify for housing assistance. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's definition excludes families with any type of housing, even if it's substandard or crowded. "It's really important to understand that homelessness isn't a single thing," Murray said. Though students might have

shelter, she said, without a stable home environment, it can be difficult for them to succeed in school. Unlike most housing services, the McCarver Elementary program used the broader definition when searching for families in need. Lawmakers had been working to establish similar programs in other parts of the state, but none of the measures are getting through this legislative session. Sen. Bruce Dammeier, RPuyallup, tutored at the school before he became a lawmaker. He said he's impressed with the program's impact on students' educational success and, most of all, mobility. "You can't teach a kid who's not there," he said. He's sponsoring Senate Bill 6338, which would require the state Department of Commerce to give preference to projects involving collaborative partnerships between school districts and public-housing authorities that benefit children from low-income families. The bill

passed unanimously in the Senate, but it did not get a vote in the House. Also modeled after the McCarver Elementary program were companion measures to create a two-year pilot program to provide housing for homeless students and their families. Senate Bill 6365 and House Bill 2736 would allocate $300,000 to provide rental assistance for homeless families within a district to offset transportation costs, but neither made it past the deadline for legislation to pass out of a committee.

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OLYMPIA (AP) — Mary Kamandala worried about her children. Originally from Sudan, the mother of six moved into shared housing in Tacoma after her husband died. She spoke little English and had trouble finding work. "I'm from zero," she said, "so it was a really bad situation when I came here. It was just me and them, and no one could help me." Three of her children were attending McCarver Elementary in the city's Hilltop neighborhood when she found the program that could — and did — help her, to get a home, a job and improve her children's performance in school. In 2011, the Tacoma Housing Authority partnered with the school, which serves the poorest population in the district, to provide housing and support to 50 families with children enrolled in the school who were experiencing homelessness. They receive housing vouchers for five years — if they follow certain rules, like making sure students are on time to school — and the amount decreases by 20 percent each year. Most of all, they receive support. Case workers, who have offices at the school, helped Kamandala enroll in classes to get her home-care certificate, and later, helped her get a job at the Korean Women's Association. Michael Power supervises the program, which has motivated state lawmakers to push measures that would facilitate the creation of others like it. Students have improved test scores and better attendance, but Power said the program's most important development is that they're moving less. In 2006, the school had a turnover rate of 179 percent — meaning more than the total population of students were moving in and out of the school each year. It's down to 75 percent for the school and 13 percent for students in the program. It's a victory for this school, but the problem is not solved for the state. The state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) reports more than 30,000 homeless students were identified in public schools from September 2012 to June 2013 — that's about 12 percent more than the previous school year. Right now, the state provides support to homeless students and their families through the federal McKinney-Vento Edu-

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