Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
May 17, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 6     (6 of 22 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 6     (6 of 22 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
May 17, 2012
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




By KEVIN SPRADLIN Friends, faculty and support- ers of Olympic College Shelton gathered on May 9 at the Alpine Way institution to celebrate the school's 44th year in the city. The event, which lasted more than two hours, closed with a for- mal presentation with college of- ficials in the meeting room of the Wes Johnson Library. Carefully preserved copies of newspaper articles lined the li- brary's walls. Each article high- lighted the passage of college milestones or noted student ac- complishments. Many people who attended were touched by the school's abil- ity to establish a personal con- nection with each student. "It felt like humble begin- nings," said Carmen Hoover, an English department faculty member who started work right after graduate school with the opening of the current facility in 1995. Hoover said she began work without a dedicated computer and competed for time on a ma- chine located in a common area -- accessed by students and staff alike -- simply to complete her class syllabus. Things have changed dra- matically since those early days, Hoover said. She now has her own computer and students have access to an entire computer lab inside the library. "We have seen a lot of changes and growth," Hoover said. "It's really been an amazing journey." Olympic College Shelton, she said, "is a special place. Every student who comes here gets to be known as an individual." The college first offered class- es in Mason County in 1968 at Shelton High School.. Classes were later held on the Skokomish and Squaxin Island reservations for two years. In 1973, Olympic College Shelton opened up for business at Eighth Street and Railroad. Avenue in downtown Shelton. In 1976, the school moved its base of operations to Fourth and Cedar streets and, in 1980, relo- cated again to Olympic Highway North. A decade later,plans to build a new Olympic College Shelton be- gan. Simpson Timber Company donated more than 20 acres to the cause. The construction costs neared $1 million. The college agreed to kick in half if the community raised the other $500,000. Enter Betty Eager, former chairperson of the board of trust- ees, Mildred Warnaca and Ray Hanson. Together, they em- barked to complete the mission of raising the money. On May 9, Eager wasn,t so quick to take credit for any of her groundwork. The pride, however, she couldn't help but exude in her smile as she held up a photo- copy of a newspaper article that depicted the groundbreaking cer- emony in 1994. "It was a rainy day," Eager recalled. "When I look at today what this college has become, it's absolutely gorgeous." Said Sybil Jones, whose hus- band is a retired community college instructor: "It's quite a story." Steve Warner, principal at Ev- ergreen Elementary School, said he would continue to work to en- sure that Olympic College Shel- ton became and remained "the next logical step for the students of Shelton." College President David Mitchell built a verbal bridge between the school's early begin- nings in "Mason County and to- day. "How many people remember 40 years ago?," Mitchell asked. "We really want to grow here. I really believe this campus could be at least twice as large as it is, maybe three times (as large)." Mitchell focused on the continu- ing partnership between the school, local tribes, area high schools and the business community. "Workforce development is Journal photo by Kevin Spradlin Betty Eager, former chair of the Olympic College Shelton Board of Trustees,' shows a replica of a newspaper article on the groundbreaking ceremony for the college's current Alpine Way location. essential to economi~ develop- ment," Mitchell said. Cloud earns Officer of the Year honors By KEVIN SPRADLIN kevin@m,a.~mco~_~n(y,com. Many of the people who work at the Washington Corrections Center (WCC) prefer staying out of the limelight. Superiors and peers alike, however, feel that sometimes it's important to recognize quality and dedi- cation -- if those people don't ask for the attention. .... on May 10, more than 200 wCc 'staff, family ~'mbe~s and dignitaries gathered to honor five spe- cial people and one dedicat- ed team that distinguished itself with its work in the prison during the annual Corrections Pride event. Kristina Cloud served as an epitome of the hard- working professional who simply wanted to excel at her job. Cloud, 45, of Elma, was recognized for her efforts, however, twicefold. She first was named Correc- tions/Custody Officer of the Year. Given the chance to speak at the podium, Cloud almost declined. Then she spoke, with a muted voice, two words. TOO LATE TO CLASSI From routine maintenance service to complete overhauls, D&L has the know-how to treat you right. Pictured: Jason Banks, Dan Moldenhauer and Noel Longan, owner. AUTOMOTIVE 2033 Olympic Highway North • Shelto[ 426-1467 .Panasonic .,-nerglzer .Duracell Page A-6 - Shelton-Mason County Journal photo by Kevin Spradlin Veterans of Foreign Wars Post member Denis Leverieh presents Kristina Cloud with a plaque on May 10 at the Washington Corrections Center. Cloud was named Corrections/Custody Officer of the Year for 2011 during a staff awards ceremony. Cloud also garnered Office of the Year honors from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1694 in Mason County. Post officials said it's the first time a corrections officer has been selected for the award. "Thank you," Cloud said, before returning quickly to her seat. It was only a few min- utes later when Cloud ap- peared to be so overcome with gratitude she couldn't M U LTI- FAM I LY yard sale, Satur- day 7a.m.-3:30p.m. Worth the drive. 5375 S.E. Arcadia Road. M5/17 help but speak. That's when she learned she also had been selected Veter- ans of Foreign Wars Mason County Post 1694's Officer of the Year. VFW officials said it's the first time anyone from the corrections profession had won the award, which has been given annually for at least 20 years. "I feel honored," Cloud said. Chuck Korus, 52, of Mc- Cleary, earned Counselor of the Year honors while three others also earned distinction in their divi- sion: Jeanne Thietje, 40, of Shelton, Employee of the Year; Becky Hoage, 36, Elma, Supervisor of the Year; and Halley Burgess, 35, of Elma, Support Staff of the Year. The 16-member records staff earned Team of the Year honors. And the fa- cility's Critical Incident Stress Management team, comprised of Amy Czer- winski, Corey Clark, Don MacWilliam, Greg Garrin- ger, Jean Anderson and Jonathan Bishop, earned the Statewide Team Excel- lence award. Dan Pacholke, director of prisons fDr the Wash- ington State Department of Corrections, emphasized the importance of stop- ping in the middle of an important mission -- that of securing and maintaing a safe environment for co- workers, inmates and the community. "I'm glad to see you take a rare break," said Pa- cholke, who praised staff for working through three consecutive years in which the budget required a re- duction in force and had an adverse impact on salaries. The budget issues cre- ated a situation, Pacholke said, "the likes of which we YARD SALE - SUNDAY, May 20, starting at 10am. 581 Fireweed Rd., Shelton, off Arca- dia Rd. Furniture, baby clothes, adult clothes (men's and women's), kitchen appliances, etc. G5/17 ., GARAGE SALE. Piano, household items, car parts, drill press, engine stands, 1956 Chevy truck parts, chain- saw, shop stuff. May 19, 9am-2pm. 680 Golden Pheasant Rd. G5/1 7 By NATALIE JOHNSON natalie@ma.~oncou~ty,com The twelfth annual Shelton Busi- ness Expo and 2012 Bite of Shelton is scheduled for today and offers dozens of opportunities to grab a bite to eat or check out a local business. The event, put on by the Shelton Mason County Chamber of Commerce, runs from noon to 7 p.m. today at the Pavilion at Sentry Park. The event is free to the public. Chamber Executive Director Heidi McCutcheon said a total of 67 busi- nesses, not counting the chamber, will have booths at the event. Last year, she said the total was 65. While the total number of business- es is similar, McCutcheon said this year's expo will have a wider variety of businesses. "I think it's a better showing of the different businesses that Mason Coun- ty has," she said. "We have everything from hair salons to ... there's an acu- puncturist that's going to come this year." Also, 12 restaurants are signed up to compete in the Bite of Shelton, twice as many as last year. "Little Creek is new, and Alderbrook Resort hasn't been there in the past," she said. "It's looking up as far as hav- ing a much fuller bite than we've had in recent years." Between 700 and 1,000 people usu- ally come to the expo and bite, said Mi- chelle Corral, Business Expo and Bite of Shelton Committee chair. "I'm just excited to see all of the dif- Journal- Thursday, May 17, 2012 have never seen before." Yet, Pacholke said, the staff at WCC passed a sig- nificant test of character during that time. He said the prison continues to op- erate safely -- and more ef- ficiently. "We emerged a better prison system," he said, one with "more focus on good, fundamental correc- tions." WCC employs more than 600 people at the Shelton facility. The average daily inmate population runs at approximately 1,700. It can hold up to 2,000 inmates. Every man sentenced to prison in Washington, but not sentenced to death row, is processed through the Shelton institution. He, one of WCC's coun- selors charged with help- ing inmates throtlgh the processing center, said he believes his work has meaning. Korus said he appreci- ated working in a place where the environment, and the people in it, "does not think it is trite to try and make a difference." Prison officials also rec- ognized seven employees who had reached a signifi- cant milestone with WCC or with state government employment. Those recognitiOns in- cluded: Kathy Cordle, corrections officer, for 30 years in state government; Carla Cox, corrections of- ricer, for five years of ser- vice at WCC; Derek Ken- nedy, corrections officer, for 10 years with the state and at the prison; Teresa Schmidt, support staff, for five years at the state and at the prison; Mark Stigall, counselor, for five years with the state; Gwen Malham, counselor, for 15 years with the state; and Mick McCartney, coun- selor, for 20 years with the state. ferent representation of businesses that we have in our county," she said. "(I am) anxious to taste all of the food that has been provided as well." Last year, Steven's on Railroad took home the Golden Fork, the top prize in the Bite of Shelton. "I save" up in the week prior so I can have a completely empty belly," McCutcheon said. "We see everything from people coming by on their lunch break for 20 minutes to grab at bite to people spending a couple of hours." Corral said locals who haven't been to the expo before should come check it out on Thursday. "If they haven't come before [they need] to really make an effort to come this year to support our local busi- ness," she said. "Now more than ever they need our help."