opinion
The end
As surely as summer follows spring and the last
day of school finally arrives, so too does the last
paper of the year contain the editors' farewell
editorial.
This year has seen a lot of changes in the oper
ation of the school and in our opinion for the most
part they have been changes for the better.
The passage of the three-year serial levy has given
us perhaps the greatest opportunity for change.
Now that the administration of this school won't
have to spend 50 percent of its time working for
and worrying about the passage of next year's but-
get they will be able to devote more time to impro
ving other areas of the school.
Passage of the levy also means that construction
on the much-needed new science building will be
gin next year. There is no question in the minds of
anyone who has taken classes in Orchard Center
that that will be a change for the better.
Student government also has the potential to
change for the better and become more responsive
to student's needs. With the reelection of several
of last year's officers and the experience of the
new officers, next year's ASG promises to be an
efficient, professional one.
We would like to thank those who have cooper
ated with us and made this year's paper a profess
ional, informative one and also those whose con
structive criticism of our job has helped us to
improve.'
We would like to offer this year's graduates our
best wishes and good luck in the future and for
those who will be returning next year, welcome,
and the President thanks you for bringing back
your FTE.
feedback
Thanks
To the Editor:
I would like to extend my
personal thanks and apprecia
tion to the fine people who
helped host the first Tri—Coun
ty
High School Handicapped
Speech Tournament. Barbara St.
Mary, Denise Kline, Lloyd Day,
Joe Gurrea, Hallie Brown, Norm
Grambusch, Lisa Thomas Julia
Chitty, Kathy Pelley and Carrie
Pratt all took time out to help
with the tournament and were
just super to work with. With
out them,
the
tournament
would not have been success
ful.
Many thanks,
Frank Harlow
Speech department
sprint
19600 S. Molalla Avenue, Oregon City, Oregon 97045
Offices: Trailer B -Telephone: 656-2631, ext. 259 or 278
editor Happie Thacker * news editor Cyndi Bacon * arts editor
Lisa Chitty * sports editor Ann Breyne * copy editor Scott
Starnes * photo editor Brian Snook * staff writers Randy Frank,
Jim McCaffrey, Mary Madeland, Shawn Parkhurst * photograph
ers * Sam Baer, Ted McKenna * assistant photo editor * Lorr
aine Stratton * production manager Mary Cuddy * business
manager * Paul Byers * professional advisor * Randy Clark
office personnel * Crystal Tompkins, Tommi Davidson
The Print, a member of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Asso
ciation, aims to be a fair and impartial journalistic medium cov
ering the campus community as thoroughly as possible. We en
courage participation through letters, free lance articles and story
ideas and suggestions. Deadlines are the Friday of the week prior
to the Wednesday publication date.
Commentary
Graduate learns by choice
Editor's note:
The following commentary
was written as a speech for the
graduation speaker tryouts. Al
though Haas was not one of the
speakers chose , we felt that
his comments deserved publi
cation.
By Larry Haas
Graduating CCC student
For The Print
To learn, or not to learn:
That ¡s the question. Whether
'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
the boredom and futility of an
oppressive job and future, or to
take arms against a sea of trou
bles, and by education end them.
To study; to cram; no more....
and by graduation end the late
night study sessions and prepar
ing for tests which by entering
school we fall heir to. 'Tis a
consumation
devoutly to be
wished for. To study; to cram;
- - - to cram?
Perchance to
cheat!
Ay, there's the rub.
When we have ended this chap
ter of our lives we must be
honestly prepared for what the
future holds once we have left
Clackamas Community College
behind.
William
Shakespeare
and
Hamlet may not have had gradu
ation in mind when delivering
the well known "To be or not
not to be" soliloquy, but with a
bit of paraphrasing and out-and
out rewriting the speech can fit
any person's situation, and they
are very true words. Indeed, for
a vast number of students in
college today, their "higher edu
cation" was a step taken by
choice or necessity. By choice
because they had finished high
school and started lives of their
own. . .by necessity because
what training they had at that
point acquired, proved unsatis
factory for a good job future.
The latter situation applied
to me. I graduated from high
school 12 years ago, and al-
though I had the opportunity
to attend college then, opted to
enter the service. After eight
years with the Coast Guard I re
entered civilian life with a wife
and two sons to find I was best
qualified to be a chief engineer
on sea-going tugboats. It was an
interesting, challenging, life, al
though not for a man with a
family and home. (Throughout
the service and when on the tug
boats, I was kept away from
home to the extent that I came
back a stranger to my two boys.)
I found by the time I was re
acquainted with the kids it was
time to leave again. It finally
dawned on all four of us that
this was not the type of family
life we wanted. . .indeed we were
not a family. The alternative
was simple. Leave the sea and
find a good land-locked job.
This was the problem. This de
cision was made when unem
ployment was at an all time high.
In retrospect, this was probably
my saving factor. Since basically
untrained for anything other
marine related fields I would
have become enmeshed in a
tangle of obligations and fear-
yes, fear—with a family depend
ing on you, it is terrifying to
contemplate failure, whether by
quitting or being stuck in a
hopeless,
futureless situation.
After checking out the job mar
ket, such as it was, my wife and
I decided the best thing to do
was for me to re-enter school.
transcripts and determination I
took that first hard step. Elec
tronics seemed to be a wide
open field with an obvious fu
ture so that was my choice.
Getting signed up was. no prob
lem and was quickly accomplish
ed. The schedule was set up and
approved. Books purchased, and
all this with the precision of a
well oiled machine. I now had
seven to ten days to wait before
the first-day of class. A slow
torturous panic began to set in.
Just what the heck was I doing??
I began to understand how a
Denver Nugget fan might feel at
a basketball game in Memorial
Coliseum. Terror gripped me.
I knew I was going to be the old
man among all those bright,
young faces straight out of high
school, but, thanks to Pepto-
bismol, I actually showed up
that first day of school even
though my wife refused to walk
me to class. Much to my sur
prise, I was not an old age
minority by myself, in fact, the
majority of students had not
cracked a book, as they say, for
some time.
So, my two years as a student
had begun...It has been a strange
two years. That first fall, the
kids and I would all grab our
sack lunches and head out the
door for school. I became one
of the boys in that respect. My
second grader kept hitting me
with "what did you learn todav.
Dad?"
There were of course
sacrifices...had to study for a
mid-term during Wizard of Oz
and I figure it will take at least
two weeks to dislodge the craw
ly things that have taken up
residence on my dirt bike.
But in all seriousness, school
has certainly been different than
my preconceived notions led me
to believe. My last experience
with school was a force feeding
of information. Learn this or
else. Now it was a case of hav
ing the information presented
and it was up to me what I did
with it. In every case, if there
was a problem or question, there
was someone to straighten out a
confused, aging mind.
There
have been set backs, minor ones
fortunately, but school has been
a good experience.
It was a
whole new thing to talk with a
teacher like a friend rather than
an unreachable power. I wonder
if it's because I am nowcll
the age of my instructors!
was in high school? I fl
not. . .because coming to col
is an elected course to foil
the’staff is aware that knowll
is desired, not dreaded. It|
been a long, arduous trail!
one well worth traveling. I
We have all heard the phi
"graduation is not an end, i|j|
beginning." Truer words T
never spoken, for as one step
away from school he stepsfl
life better prepared as a result
his experiences. It will ■
strange not to worry about®
ting the schedule I want, itH
be unusual not having to
wich sleep into a day filled«
classes, studying and a parttj
job. The kids won't
why their mother isn't ait
spouting "Shhh,
your fl
sleeping," or "Hush, your J
studying." Yes, life will]
into a delightful, dull, l
routine—-I can't wait till J
when I can sign up for an
ing class! por of all the thil
have learned in the pastI
years, I think one of the if
valuable lessons has been M
one need never end his questf
knowledge. I have learned i®
than the subject matter.. .11
learned more about myself!
those around me, and have™
my eyes opened up to aw|
new life. Now, with
I am starting a full time job!
unlimited potential, financj
and educationally. Thanks]
evening classes and the sup®
of my employer, I fully efl
to earn my bachelors de
within the next few years.
In conclusion,.! shall refl
from flowery thank-yous»
onward-and-upwards. It's
a super two years—a bitexaf
ating at times, but good n
the-less.
I believe what
you're doing now is most ¡m3
tant.
My years in the Cl
Guard were important --II®
ed a great deal. The civffl
marine work was interesting,«
just wasn't for me. Now, aj
two years here, I'm ready fl
NEW best experience. What®
comfort to know if electrow
becomes obsolete, I can retF
for two years and emerge,™
knows, maybe even a register^
nurse. . .anythingispossit
education and the desire.
IT 15, SADLY, NET ANOTHER. IN 4
SERIES OF DRU5-RELATED DEWS;
So, armed with high school
Clackamas Community Col
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inches
D50 Illuminant, 2 degree observer
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