Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2019)
6 ____________ NEWS__________ Bright minds put to the test HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FLOCK TO CAMPUS FOR SKILLS DAY photo by Tyler Burch BY HENRY WAXENFELTER CONTRIBUTING WRITER . i - ’i The C lack am as C o m m u n ity C ollege Skills C om p etitio n buzzed with excitement on Thursday, Feb. 28. In classrooms around cam pus, a different kind of person expressed their passions and interests in their own way. Touring through, the feeling o f doing som ething real prevailed. In the art competition, students were chatting and having fun, expounding on their ideas and trying to channel those ideas into a physical thing. This year’s category— a mystery to the competitors until they arrived—was Terrible Toys. M aking toys is som ething no one was fam iliar w ith, but everyone was excited to try. Some students wanted to make interactive paper playthings, while others went for fu ll-on wooden structures. Still others were m apping out com plex puzzles or gam es. The overallvibe energized the room, puttingawilltocreate into the m inds of the fledgling artists. Students could switch between an art room and a workshop w ith all the supplies they could ever need. Courtney Milbur, a first tim e competitor, sketched o f a strange heart-adorned pig spider. W ith oflpastels and pipe cleaners in hand, she was deep in work trying to adapt that idea into a toy, “ I usually like doing statement pieces,” she said, “ but that’s w hy I came here. I w ant to try new things, do som ething different than I would normally d o.” S h e, like m an y others, came to test her skills in new Ways and becom e better. * O n the other side o f campus, Tom Landeen was operating the car show. Instructors and their friends brought their rides to show o ff, and to raise awareness for the automotive repair class at the college. Landeen described all the old, new, and straight up weird cars that the com m unity had to offer. H e’ s been doing this for a long tim e. “ Eight years so for. W e’ve got some crazy stuff, and it’s nice to let people see stu ff like this,” he said. A m on g the classic Fords and high-rise Stingrays, the most standout vehicle had to be the Dragula: abeefy golden drag racer w ith a coffin for the body and a skeleton for a driver, made by Dave Lentz, a friend o f the college. But even more fu n than baroque-inspired racers were the people. They all talked about their passion for cars. The show let a sm all group w ith a single interest connect over som e o f the coolest m achines around . They could talk technically without having to dumb things down or apologize. Going from room to room around cam pus, the concepts being practiced ranged greatly. In one room, biology students quietly took a test, w hile in another team s rushed around, screaming about Legos and laughing at their creations. But every room had the same sense o f unity from being with like people. This is exactly w hat college should look like to high schoolers: full o f opportunity to specialize and find lifelong - -friends that share your interests. Natalie Colbert is a m em ber o f the Associated Student Ben O’Brien and others from Colton High School work in the art competition at Skills Day. This year marked the 41st year the competition has been held. Governm ent on campus, and Thursday was her first tim e running an event. She has been a part o f this competition ever since her freshm an year o f high school. “ I’ve done art, Legos, photography and some sort o f senior testing thin g,” said Colbert. “ It was super fun to do, and I want to show kids that they can make a difference with this. ’ ’ Her first job was from the job fair going on at the same tim e as the competition. She has been molded by the sense o f unity this event brings, and now is determined, to help make it better than ever. A s the day wound down, students converged with their friends again, going backto the normal grind o f high school. The window into college life and the excitement of expressing their passions can start som ething special for everyone involved. Henry Waxenfelter, a student at North Clackamas Christian School, was the first-place winner in the journalism writing Skills Day competition. He reported and wrote this stoty in less than three hours during the Skills Day event Tyler Burch won the photojournalism competition. Clackamas Print ---------------------------------------------------------- theclackamasprint.com _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ March 6, 2019
