May 30, 2007

Zero Energy House Dedication and ribbon cutting

On Thursday, May 17th, President Lee Lambert welcomed guests to the dedication of the Washington State University/Shoreline Community College Zero Energy House (ZEH). The event marked the opening of the ZEH, which has been in construction at SCC since September of last year. The speakers recognized all the people who were involved in the project.

"We want especially to thank the Washington State University (WSU) students who designed and constructed the ZEH for the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon held in Washington D.C. in 2005," said Lambert. "SCC will be the permanent "home" for this project. We are grateful that we can show this house to the people of our community who are interested in seeing how solar energy can be used in their own homes."

Joining President Lambert at the dedication were Washington State Representative Maralyn Chase, Dr. Candis Claiborn, Washington State University Dean, WSU Prof. Mat Taylor, Architecture, and Northwest Solar House Executive Director Mike Nelson. Each speaker expressed his opinion regarding the importance of this facility for our community.

Washington State Representative Maralyn Chase shared information on current state initiatives that promote environmental sustainability and a vision of economic development in Shoreline that will support solar energy. Chase, a proponent of education and environmental health, was the driving force behind the placement of the solar house at SCC, and the relationship between SCC and the university are the result of her work. Rep. Chase was also was instrumental in getting funding for the project from the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.

Dr. Candis Claiborn, advisor to the project, and WSU Asst. Professor, Architecture and Construction Management, Matt Taylor expressed unified support of both institutions for environmental sustainability. Claiborn shared the history of the project and Prof. Taylor spoke respectfully about the team of WSU architecture and engineering students who designed and built the solar facility.

Executive Director of the Northwest Solar Center, Mike Nelson, gave a brief presentation on the merits of solar energy and future goals of the center. Nelson is considered "the Godfather" of solar energy in the state, having lived off the grid since the 1970s.

The Ebbtide wins several awards

The student newspaper, The Ebbtide, recently won a number of categories in a statewide journalism contest sponsored by the newly formed Washington Community College Journalism Association. The team received nine awards, including two special trophies. One trophy was for general excellence, the other for its multiple winnings in several contest categories. Thirteen colleges participated in the contest.

“Competition was fierce in many categories, so winning was a great accomplishment,” said Jonathan Lavigne, the Ebbtide’s editor in chief for 2006-2007. “The staff worked really hard this year.”

Members of the Ebbtide attended the association’s awards ceremony Saturday at Seattle Central Community College. There, they listened to keynote speaker Mike Fancher, editor at large of The Seattle Times, who talked on the dangers of media monopolies and the opportunities presented by the Internet. They also swapped newspapers with students from other colleges, lunched on Thai food, and accepted their awards.

Individual winners from the Ebbtide included: Lydia Sprague (General News) for an article on the college’s land use, Alison Huang (Features) for a profile on a campus security officer, Andrew Ivanhoe (Critique) for a review of Dreamgirls, Joe Louie (Critique) for a review of the Trauma Surgeon video game, Daniel Gayle (News Photography) for a shot of Sigur Ros in concert, Daniel Berman (Feature Photography) for a portrait of a school basketball player, and Scott Pendergraft (Page Design) for a two-page spread on local restaurants.

“I’m pretty happy,” Lavigne said after the ceremony. “I entered the contest hoping to maybe win one award, but we walked out of there with several awards, including two special trophies. So, yes, I’m feeling proud.”

Commencement 2007
Commencement is drawing near. On Sunday, June 10th, approximately 300 students will walk in the 43rd Shoreline Community College Commencement Ceremony.

Speech communications professor, Kathleen Lynch will give the faculty address this year. Lynch began teaching here as a part-time instructor in 1993, moving into a full-time role in 1994. Lynch has taught or currently teaches classes on basic communication, inter-personal communication, public speaking and communicating in a diverse workplace. Two of her favs are From Honky Tonk to Hip Hop and The Zoo is You. She received her tenure in 1997.

Lynch has not only provided academics to our students, but has been an advisor to many College clubs, including the Hong Kong Club, Hip Hop Club, Japan Club.

Lynch has given many workshops to campus employees on diversity, conflict and communications. "It's all about relationships and connecting, and communicating is the driving force. When directed, we can go to wonderful places." K. Lynch

Jonathan Kuhn will give the student address this year. He is a student in the CEO Program at SCC.

The 20 year -old fell in love with acting at a very young age. He began taking acting classes at the age of six at Seattle Children's Theatre and at Hooray for Me School in Richmond Beach.

In 1997, Kuhn performed in his first semi-professional show, Children of Eden, at the Civic Light Opera, and Damn Yankees the following year. He was six years old. He acted in the title role of Ojo in Ojo, the Unlucky and his Magical Adventures in Oz at the Seattle Children's Theatre that same year. When he was in sixth grade, he performed his first professional role in Kenny's Window by Maurice Sendak. He was in Boxcar Children at Shoreline CC when he was in seventh grade, and in ninth grade, he performed the lead role in the Empty Space production of Adam Baum and the Jew. Other title roles were performed at Seattle Children's Theatre and Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theatre. Most recently, he has performed at the Book-It! Repertory Theatre.

One of this year's graduates is Adnan Duldanic. The 21 year-old was born in Prijedor, in the southern region of Bosnia called Herzegovina. When the Bosnian War invaded their town, Adnan's family fled to his grandmother's house in Muhice thinking they would be safe there. The very next morning, however, the war reached Muhice and they were forced to flee the Serbs. Although the family was able to get out safely, Adnan's father, a security guard, was taken into custody by the Serbs and imprisoned in camps back in Prijedor. After seven months in captivity and torture, Mr. Duldanic met up with his family in war-free Croatia. From there the family moved to Germany and eventually to Seattle in 1997.

Students receive awards for outstanding performance
At the May Board of Trustees meeting, a number of outstanding students at Shoreline Community College were recognized. These students have received awards from the state or at national competitions.

Two students received scholarships to continue their studies. The Washington State Legislature established the Washington Award for Vocational Excellence (WAVE) to honor students for outstanding achievement in vocational-technical education. WAVE increases public awareness of the achievements, leadership ability, and community activities of Washington’s vocational-technical students.

Matt Fitzsimmons (far left of photo), currently Student Body President at SCC, plans to transfer to the University of Washington after completing the business program to continue his studies in business marketing and business administration. Tami Barron (2nd from left) is a mother of three and commutes to Shoreline from Auburn. She has been successful at maintaining a very high GPA in her pre-requisite classes for Dental Hygiene. The scholarship will provide her tuition assistance to complete her Dental Hygiene degree in 2008.

Nineteen year old Suhendra Lie is SCC's 2007 All-Academic student. The chemical engineering student has a 3.79 GPA, earning him a place on the National Deans List as well as SCC's Vice President's List and the Honors List. Suhendra is completing a transfer degree at Shoreline. As soon as he came to Shoreline from his home in Indonesia, Suhendra became a Student Senator so he could advocate for student interests. A year later, he was elected SBA Treasurer and is currently responsible for $2 million in student fees. He is treasurer of Phi Theta Kappa at SCC and is a member of the Indonesian Club. Suhendra not only donates blood to the Puget Sound Blood Center, but has worked as an advocate in raising awareness for the need of blood donors from minority ethnic groups. He has also volunteered at a local food bank and the College’s Tutoring Program.

At the National Delta Epsilon Chi competition for marketing students, Students Chris Bailey, Garin Conklin and Daniel Wang were recognized as Grand Award Finalists in international competition at the 2007 College DECA International Career Development Conference, held April 14 – April 17, in Orlando, Florida. Students Yura Burkanov and Melissa Roessler earned Certificates of Proficiency honors by placing within the top 20 of their respective events.

College DECA has more than 14,000 members and serves its diverse international membership as a professional organization, providing leadership and career-oriented opportunities to develop and enhance the leaders of tomorrow. DECA’s renowned Competitive Events Program uses interviews, tests, role-plays, online simulations and written project reports to evaluate students’ marketing and management skills – specific skills identified by the business community as essential for success and taught through College DECA activities.