Applause

On campus

CLARK COLLEGE — GENERAL EXCELLENCE JOURNALISM AWARD

Clark College’s student-produced newspaper, The Independent, received many awards at the Pacific Northwest Association of Journalism Educators competition this spring, including first place in General Excellence. The student news staff also won 11 individual awards. The competition consisted of more than 400 entries from 14 schools in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

Clark’s four first-place individual awards were for the staff’s coverage of the nearly $2 million budget cuts the college made earlier this year; an editorial opposing the construction of a student recreation center; a portrait of former women’s basketball coach Al Aldridge; and a photo illustration that details skyrocketing cost of rent in Clark County.

Faculty member Dee Anne Finken advises the staff, and Jim Camin, a former editor for The Oregonian, is a writing coach.

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY, SPOKANE

These local students participated in graduation exercises on May 8, and have either completed their undergraduate degree or are expected to this year:

Brush Prairie: Spencer Klug.

Camas: Jordan Lindstrom; Casey Smith.

Vancouver: Breda Bosch; Lucas Braafladt; Alyssa Crosby; Stuart Lauer; Christopher Lee; Bradley Mulderink; Angeline Nguyen; Hannah Van Dinter.

MOUNT MERCY UNIVERSITY, CEDAR RAPID, IOWA

Tessa E. Fieason of Vancouver graduated last month and was recognized for outstanding achievement. She received the Mary Catherine McAuley Award and the Co-Curricular Service Award, and was named to Kappa Xi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing.

SAINT MARTIN’S UNIVERSITY, LACEY

These students were named to the spring 2016 dean’s list:

Brush Prairie: Larissa Hamilton.

Vancouver: James Malloy; Conor McDaid-O’Neill; Timothy Teipel.

WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS — MOST EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATOR AWARD

Vancouver Public Schools Chief of Staff Thomas R. Hagley Jr. was honored recently as the state winner of the 2016 Robert J. Handy Most Effective Administrator Award for large schools. Hagley has served as a district administrator for 24 years. Honorees are selected for their commitment not only to their districts, but to the mission of K-12 education in Washington state.

As chief of staff, Hagley’s responsibilities include strategic plan development; selection of executive-level leaders; internal and external communication; community and government relations; and partnerships, including a liaison role with the district’s nonprofit foundation. He has been the leader of an initiative to establish family-community resource centers in poverty-impacted schools.

WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, BELLINGHAM, OUTSTANDING 2016 GRADUATES

Western Washington University honored its outstanding graduates at its June 11 commencement. Faculty members select one outstanding graduate for each department, based on grades, research and writing, service to the campus and community, and promise for the future. The following three honorees are from Vancouver:

Taylor Guenther graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in communication sciences and disorders, and a minor in psychology. In addition to maintaining a high grade point average, Guenther was captain of Western’s cross country and track team and volunteered as a coach for Girls on the Run and at the Max Higbee Center. She researched the impact of teachers and formal diagnosis on the self-esteem of students with dyslexia. This fall, she will begin working on her master’s in speech-language pathology at Western. She is the daughter of Karen and Bob Guenther and a graduate of Prairie High School and Clark College.

Mikylah Hunsaker graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science in mathematics, and a minor in French. Hunsaker tutored fellow students in higher-level math concepts, good study skills and work habits. She helped run the eMAP program that had middle school students come to Western for math-related activities. She plans to return to Western to Woodring College of Education’s Master in Teaching program to earn a teaching certificate and a Mathematics endorsement in order to teach high school mathematics. Hunsaker is a graduate of Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, and the daughter of Brett and Kecia Hunsaker.

Michael Reynolds graduated with a bachelor of arts in geophysics, with minors in astronomy and mathematics. At Western, Reynolds presented his research at a Lunar and Planetary Science Conference and created a presentation for Western’s Spanel Planetarium about NASA’s Mars rover Spirit; it was the first research project at Western that utilized the planetarium as a presentation medium. He plans to attend graduate school to continue his study of planetary system formation and evolution and hopes to teach and conduct research at the college level. He is the son of Mike and Jennifer Reynolds, and a graduate of Mountain View High School.

Submissions: pauline.sipponen@columbian.com or 360-735-4524