Tuesday, January 21 , 2025

Stories by Katie Gillespie

Columbian Education Reporter

Stoker resigns from Vancouver school board after comment on protesters

June 1, 2020, 1:42pm Clark County News

Vancouver Public Schools director Mark Stoker resigned Monday after fallout from his tweet suggesting that fire hoses be used to quell demonstrators protesting police brutality against the black community. Read story

Battle Ground Public Schools board member Tina Lambert, shown in 2018, is resigning.

Battle Ground school board member Lambert to resign

Battle Ground Public Schools board member Tina Lambert, shown in 2018, is resigning.

May 30, 2020, 6:00am Clark County News

Battle Ground Public Schools director Tina Lambert will resign from the school board effective June 10, the district has announced. Read story

Work continues at Firestone Pacific Foods along Fruit Valley Road, after 69 employees of the plant tested positive for COVID-19. The facility has been allowed to continue some its production. There are 69 confirmed cases in facility employees and 15 confirmed cases in close contacts of those employees.

Clark County’s Phase 2 application on indefinite pause

Work continues at Firestone Pacific Foods along Fruit Valley Road, after 69 employees of the plant tested positive for COVID-19. The facility has been allowed to continue some its production. There are 69 confirmed cases in facility employees and 15 confirmed cases in close contacts of those employees.

May 26, 2020, 5:55pm Clark County Business

Clark County is operating on an unknown timeline for its application for relaxed Phase 2 precautions, as the coronavirus outbreak associated with Vancouver’s Firestone Pacific Foods continues to grow. Read story

Student representative Sidnie Boadwine at her home in Battle Ground. Along with being a graduating senior, Boadwine is also a representative on the Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors, lending her voice to decisions.

Battle Ground senior’s time as school board’s student rep quite an education

Student representative Sidnie Boadwine at her home in Battle Ground. Along with being a graduating senior, Boadwine is also a representative on the Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors, lending her voice to decisions.

May 22, 2020, 6:05am Clark County News

Sidnie Boadwine’s story starts with a strike and ends with a pandemic. Read story

Kaaren and Daniel Spanski-Dreffin of Vancouver look over their mannequin dressed up as Optimus "Amazon" Prime in the front yard of their home Monday afternoon. The couple change his theme daily, to the delight of their neighbors. "The whole idea is to make people laugh," Daniel Spanski-Dreffin said.

Vancouver couple’s mannequin takes on many personas, looks

Kaaren and Daniel Spanski-Dreffin of Vancouver look over their mannequin dressed up as Optimus "Amazon" Prime in the front yard of their home Monday afternoon. The couple change his theme daily, to the delight of their neighbors. "The whole idea is to make people laugh," Daniel Spanski-Dreffin said.

May 7, 2020, 6:00am Clark County News

Central Vancouver's newest celebrity isn't saying much, but he's starting plenty of conversations. Read story

Green Mountain School teacher Meaghan O'Leary works with eighth-grader Tyler Normine, 13, as she visits his Woodland home to help him grasp a difficult math concept. She makes brief home visits to help her students with concepts difficult to teach by video. She said she also enjoys getting to see her students. "My heart just hurts, missing them," she said.

Rural Clark County school district tries to fill digital gap

Green Mountain School teacher Meaghan O'Leary works with eighth-grader Tyler Normine, 13, as she visits his Woodland home to help him grasp a difficult math concept. She makes brief home visits to help her students with concepts difficult to teach by video. She said she also enjoys getting to see her students. "My heart just hurts, missing them," she said.

May 3, 2020, 6:05am Clark County News

Small rural school district strives to serve students who lack computers, internet access Read story

Woodland Public Schools office.

Woodland school levy passing in early returns

Woodland Public Schools office.

April 28, 2020, 8:35pm Clark County News

First returns Tuesday night showed the Woodland Public Schools levy passing with a comfortable margin. Read story

Clark College student Alex Belza, 16, works in an empty computer lab at Scarpelli Hall that allowed extra space for social distancing on Monday morning. Clark College announced on Friday it would extend distance learning through the fall quarter.

Clark College: Summer, fall quarters will be online

Clark College student Alex Belza, 16, works in an empty computer lab at Scarpelli Hall that allowed extra space for social distancing on Monday morning. Clark College announced on Friday it would extend distance learning through the fall quarter.

April 24, 2020, 4:32pm Clark County News Free

Clark College will continue online learning through the fall 2020 quarter, it announced Friday. Read story

The Burton Early Learning Center is pictured Wednesday morning. Southwest Washington will lose spots for 400 toddlers and preschool-aged children this summer, after Educational Service District 112 announced it will shut down its private childcare program.

ESD 112 to shutter its private child care program

The Burton Early Learning Center is pictured Wednesday morning. Southwest Washington will lose spots for 400 toddlers and preschool-aged children this summer, after Educational Service District 112 announced it will shut down its private childcare program.

April 22, 2020, 3:08pm Clark County News

Southwest Washington will lose spots for 400 daycare and preschool students this summer, after Educational Service District 112 announced it will shut down its private childcare program. Read story

Library staff member Amanda Brown, left, prepares laptops in O'Connell Sports Center for student pickup at Clark College on Monday morning. The college moved almost all its classes online due to shutdown orders connected to the novel coronavirus.

Spring quarter at Clark College boots up in online-only mode

Library staff member Amanda Brown, left, prepares laptops in O'Connell Sports Center for student pickup at Clark College on Monday morning. The college moved almost all its classes online due to shutdown orders connected to the novel coronavirus.

April 20, 2020, 7:23pm Clark County News

Thousands of Clark College students are returning to class this week, two weeks later than normal and, for now, entirely online. Read story