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Columbia Gorge News
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
www.columbiagorgenews.com
STEM Hub awarded
OCF matching grant
Bren
■ By For Lisa
Columbia Gorge STEM Hub
Gorge students meet with local civil designer, Emmanuel Flores, during a “Lunch with a STEM
Professional” event in early 2020. These opportunities will be much expanded through this work.
Contributed photo
UNIVERSITY NOTES
HR students named to President’s List at Gonzaga University
SPOKANE — Morgan Graves and Abigail Walker, Hood River, have earned placement on
the Gonzaga University President’s List for spring semester 2021. Students must earn a 3.85
to 4.0 grade-point average to be listed. Gonzaga University is a humanistic, private Catholic
University providing a Jesuit education to more than 7,500 students.
Gonzaga announces Gorge graduates
SPOKANE — The following Gonzaga University students participated in graduation
exercises during our Commencement Ceremony that was held on May 9. These students
have either completed their undergraduate degree or are expected to complete their degree
requirements this year.
Hood River: Morgan Graves, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Relations,
Magna Cum Laude; Alexis Richardson, Bachelor of Arts in INST-International Relations;
Abigail Walker, BS in Nursing in Nursing, Magna Cum Laude
White Salmon: Brianna Smith, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology
Rebecca Johnston achieves academic distinction
WALLA WALLA — Hood River native Rebecca Johnston, a graduate of Hood River Valley
High School, earned academic distinction for the most recent semester at Whitman College.
This recognition is given to students who have completed a minimum of 12 credits, passed
all credits attempted, and have earned a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher on no fewer
than nine graded credits during the semester.
Community College of Vermont announces grad
MONTPELIER — Angie Melissa Perry, Hood River, earned associate degrees in spring
2021 from Community College of Vermont (CCV). CCV is Vermont’s second-largest college,
serving more than 10,000 students each year.
Bella Dean named to Dean’s List at George Fox University
NEWBERG — Bella Dean of Trout Lake was among those who earned dean’s list recog-
nition at George Fox University for the spring 2021 semester. Traditional undergraduate
students must earn a 3.5 grade point average or above on 12 or more hours of graded work
to earn a spot on the dean’s list. Dean is a sophomore majoring in sociology. George Fox
University is ranked by Forbes among the top Christian universities in the country.
THE DALLES — For years, employers
across the nation have struggled to find
employees with relevant skills. In the U.S.,
high school students receive much less
work-based learning than in other countries
even though there is evidence that students
involved in career and technical education
during high school are more likely to gradu-
ate and more likely to complete a post-sec-
ondary degree. Career connected learning
is an approach to integrating career aware-
ness and education into the high school
experience.
Despite challenges brought on by the
COVID-19 pandemic, local partners
have come together in 2020-21 to launch
Columbia Gorge Career Connect, a
cross-sector, bi-state effort to increase career
exposure for local youth and help bridge the
gap between high school and the workforce,
by giving students access to guest speakers,
job shadows, and academic internships.
Emiliano Ramirez, 11th grade engineering
student at Hood River Valley High School,
said, “I’m interested in participating [in an
internship]; it will be a great opportunity for
me to see what’s out there in terms of careers
and connect me with industry professionals
and people in my community that I would
have never have spoken to without this
program.”
This effort is led by the Columbia Gorge
STEM Hub (Oregon), Career Connect
Southwest Washington, and Hood River
Valley High School. Many local businesses
and schools have helped inform and support
the planning and launch of Columbia Gorge
Career Connect, including Cardinal Glass,
Port of Cascade Locks, Skyline Health,
The Dalles High School, Mill A, and White
Salmon Valley Schools. Insitu, Three30Three,
and Overwatch Imaging are among the
companies that have contributed funds to
support the work.
Through a matching grant from the Oregon
Community Foundation, additional resourc-
es are coming to the Gorge to support this
work on an unprecedented scale. A total of
up to $142,660 will be awarded to the region
for career connected learning, but every
dollar must be matched by a local investment
of time or money. Thus, the Columbia Gorge
STEM Hub is seeking pledge requests from
the community.
After initial launch commitments from ear-
ly partners, the STEM Hub is seeking to raise
$55,000 and at least 718 pledged volunteer
hours.
The funds raised will support project
coordination and event expenses, including
some funds to carry over to subsequent years
to help with sustainability. Volunteers are
being sought to have their names added to a
guest speaker database and support regional
career expo events. Companies are being
sought to host academic credit internships,
provide job shadows, and eventually, lead
worksite tours.
Columbia Gorge Career Connect is target-
ing STEM (science, technology, engineering,
and math) fields and jobs related to career
and technical education programs at local
high schools, including agriculture, digital
media, computer science, and engineering.
However, given that technology is integral to
countless jobs and industries, even compa-
nies that don’t identify as “STEM” could be
a fit for hosting an internship or providing
guest speakers.
For example, a local non-profit may benefit
from a social media intern or a food process-
ing company could provide guest speakers
about how programming is used for their
processing lines.
Allie Doss, 10th grader enrolled in
Integrated Media at HRVHS, said, “In addi-
tion to learning to work in a professional job
setting, I would like to gain more in-depth
and hands-on skills in the multimedia field,
such as photography, video production, and
graphic design. I hope this experience can
guide me in my future regarding college and
career decisions.”
Companies and individuals interested in
supporting this effort can find out more and
make a contribution pledge by visiting www.
gorgestem.org/career-connect. While contri-
butions will be welcome at any point for this
ongoing work, there is a deadline of June 30
to count towards the matching grant from the
Oregon Community Foundation.
Free ‘Passport to
Play’ thru July 30
Ready to out and explore The Dalles, have fun, and earn prizes with the passport program?
Passport to Play is debuting this month for kids and families in The Dalles or surrounding
area. This new, free activity program is aimed at providing structure and flexibility and getting
kids moving and exploring this summer, with some fun prizes as incentives. Earn points and
win prizes, including scooters, Northwest Park Pass, sports equipment and more.
Get your booklet in English or Spanish at The Dalles Library or Northern Wasco County
Aquatic Center or visit jumpinthegorge.org/passport for more information. The program
began June 14 and will run through July 30.
Pasaporte para Jugar
Salga y explore The Dalles, diviértase y gane premios con el programa de pasaportes.
¿Dónde?: Alrededor de The Dalles. Obtenga su folleto en la biblioteca de The Dalles o
Centro acuático del norte del condado de Wasco.
¿Quién?: Niños y familias en The Dalles y áreas alrededor.
¿Qué?: ¡Un folleto de actividades gratis! Las actividades ganan puntos y los puntos son eleg-
ibles para pre-mios.
¿Cuándo?: 14 de junio-30 de julio.
Visite jumpinthegorge/passport para obtener más información.
Birth
announcement
A son, Theodore Koden Parsons, was born May 20,
2021, at Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles to
Nickolas and Ashley Parsons of The Dalles. Theodore
weighted 6 pounds, 11 ounces. Grandparents are
Mindi Golphenee and Evan Jones, and Beri and Krisa
Gorsuch, and great-grandparents are Robert and Jo-Ann
Golphenee, Carmela Parsons, and Charlotte Kelley.
WKO-High Cascade Mills
Buying Logs
& Timber
Douglas Fir
White Fir
Pine
1631 Woods Ct
Suite 102
Hood River, OR
97031
541-386-0826
Jon Paul Anderson
360-921-1541
edwardjones.com
Member SIPC
2022 Wind River Hwy • P.O. Box 8
Carson, WA 98610
Mill: 509-427-8413
Joe Guenther
Financial Advisor
Available
last
week of the
month
Summer
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