Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1998)
6________ TI he CI ac U mas P rìnt Wednesday, October 7, 1998 14 year old excels at Clackamas JEREMY STALLWOOD Feature Editor Most students who choose to skip High School are dropping out of the educational race, but fourteen-year-old James EdXvards “Jet” Tracy is racing ahead. Why is he at Clackamas? ' “I’m getting an education,” said Tracy. Tracy, a resident of Colton, OR, is here to receive a transfer degree, which he plans on tak ing to Embry Riddle College in Arizona. His major will then be aeronautical science—his dream, to become a commercial airline pilot. Tracy finished the seventh grade at Colton Middle School, but found public school to be troubling in many ways. “The teachers were great,” he said “but the kids were nuts!” His peers, he reported, carried knives, guns and drugs on cam pus regularly, which did not make for a comfortable setting. In addition, the classes were too easy. “I wanted to challenge my self,” Tracy said. “There were students there who didn’t even know how to read, and they [the school district] were going to pass them onto the next grade anyway.” Tracy was an ad vanced student in a un-support- ive educational system. Tracy’s mother, Inger Easton, asked the Colton School District if her son could move onto high school. They declined any op portunity to encourage the ad vanced student. Easton described her son as an “enthusiastic learner,” but added that he “hated going to school.” She said she wanted to move her son “away from an environment where kids were disrespectful. It’s not popular to be smart.” At only fourteen years old, Tracy is collecting credits in such courses as political science, mathematics, geography and French. He has already taken biology from Bob Misley. Tracy has excelled himself. “I’m too young to get my GED,” Tracy explained, y et if he earns his transfer degree, it will be unnecessary to have a GED. He is also studying to take his SAT’s in December. Tracy describes the instructors here as “very welcoming and supportive,” which is refreshing and encouraging. Tracy loves learning, and at the college, Easton said, “they treat him as one of the bunch.” Tracy, she stressed, is no differ ent than any other student. “People here,” said Tracy, “treat me as one of the peers.” Besides academic education, Tracy is also physically active. He plays soccer for the Colton varsity team, the Vikings, and has taken bowling and tennis from Clackamas’ PE Depart ment. Last spring, he was a part of ASG President David LeDoux’s election campaign team. “He helped me to collect sig natures for my campaign last year,” said LeDoux. “He also aids in my intramural soccer program. He’s a great help.” Tracy said he is here to add to his education and appreciates the opportunity. “My instruc tors,” he said, “know me by my knowledge, not my age.” KARL KATZKE / Clackamas Print Tracy heads the ball during practice. Tracy is a Viking for Colton's varsity soccer team and practices both in Colton and on campus (above). In class with his mother, Inger Easton, he concentrates intently on a Dean Darris lecture. Smoke billowing through the campus this week and last week was caused by feild burning on private land by a man with a permit to do so. Some individuals complained of the smoke, . but according to the fire department, because of wind conditions and recent amount of rain, conditions were within code. KARL KATZKE / Clackamas Print Visit: Trip changes lives Continued from page 1 goals in education and spoke about President Clinton. As we were leaving we stumbled right out into the middle of a media frenzy. Later we found out we had walked right into the middle of the delib eration of the judiciary committee releasing the testimony of Presi dent Clinton. It was quite amaz ing that we walked into the middle of such a history-making day! “Next we attended the CEF din ner where many inspirational leg islators spoke as they accepted their awards for outstanding citi zenship. David and I got the chance to personally meet with Ri chard Riley, Secretary of Educa tion, and Louis Stokes, from the US House of Representatives.” Sept.18: “Our second day started with an appointment with Senator Ron Wyden’s staff. Ron Wyden highly supports education, so it was encouraging to hear good news. “We then toured with Senator Wyden’s scheduler, starting at the capitol building and went through underground walkways to the main floor, looking at all the art and statues. From the capital we headed to the statue of Einstein...... and then to the Washington Monument. We also saw the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and the Viet nam Memorial, along with the Wall of Names. I don’t know if it was the Lincoln Memorial or the Wall of Names that made me so moved, but after seeing both of these, I could not even find the words to speak.” Sept. 20: “I feel so thankful that I got the opportunity to go to Washington DC and meet a lot of people and learn so much from an amazing city. Just a couple of days in a city like Washington DC can change your life....”
