Centralia College will once again welcome the Seattle to Portland (STP) bikers on campus. If you are a rider and an alum of Centralia College, be sure to check out the newly renovated gym and the new Science Building while you are on campus.

Summer classes began yesterday. It is so good to see “life” back on campus. We have several events happening on campus over the summer months – STP official midpoint and the Hispanic Festival in July. Please contact our office for more information at (360) 736-9391, ext. 290.

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2009! You have worked hard to accomplish this milestone and we are very proud of you as you move from “student” to “alumni”. We hope you will stay connected with us and invest in future students of Centralia College as those in the past have invested in you. We welcome your remembrances, you final thoughts as you move into the next phase of your life.

Centralia College is preparing for commencement on June 12th. With the completion of the new Science Center, the Lingreen building has been torn down to make way for a new amphitheatre on the north side of the Clock tower. This week they are leveling, installing an irrigation system and sod. Alumni are invited back to campus to experience commencement with this year’s graduates at 4 p.m.

The Centralia College Foundation hosted the recent grand opening of the Centralia College New Science Center located at Washington and Walnut Streets. The impressive 70,000 square foot building houses labs for Biology, Chemistry, Anthropology, and Geology. A large tiered classroom accommodates 150 students in a lecture style classroom. There are numerous general classrooms and breakout rooms. There is an observation deck and greenhouse located on the third floor.

During the grand opening guests were allowed to do self-guided tours and enjoy refreshments. A short program was held in the lobby where guests heard about the planning process from Steve Ward, vice president of Administration and Financial Services; about the importance of the building to the faculty and staff from Dr. Steve Norton, associate professor at Centralia College; and finally about the importance of the building to the community and future of the sciences in our nation from Larry McGee, friend of the college.

During the short ceremony the college’s first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Scholars were also introduced. Over 80 local high school seniors were nominated for this prestigious award by their respective high school principals and counselors. The recipients will receive a full-ride scholarship for two years while attending Centralia College along with funding for books and will receive $1,000 per year for two additional years when they transfer to a four year institution providing they continue to pursue a STEM related subject.

This year’s recipients are: Joshua Miller from WF West High School, Molly Yoder from Tenino High School, and Justine White from WF West High School. We congratulate these fine scholars on their accomplishment and wish them all the best as they pursue their education at Centralia College.

The Centralia College Foundation will be hosting a grand opening of the new Science Center on the Centralia College campus on Thursday, April 16^th from 4 to 7 p.m. There will be demonstrations and presentations by faculty that will begin every 15 minutes and a short program in the lobby from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. A short Science documentary film will be shown continuously in the large tiered classroom and the telescope will be out on the observation deck. There will be light refreshments provided and the public is welcome to attend. For more information, please contact the foundation office at (360) 736-9391, ext. 290.

Centralia College Foundation, in partnership with Centralia Providence Hospital and West Coast Bank, will be hosting Advantage 2009 in Washington Hall on the Centralia College campus on Friday, March 27th. A day of workshops geared to business professionals and retirees begins at 8 a.m. with blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure checks (must fast the night before). Other workshop offerings include: Business Succession Planning, Cash Managment Solutions for Businesses, Identity Theft, The Importance of Estate Planning, Fitness for Seniors, Microsoft Office – Word 2007 Tips, and How to Get Information Out of the Internet. The day of workshops is free but preregistration is encouraged and those who preregister will get a free lunch. For more information or to register for this free event, please call the Foundation office at (360) 736-9391, ext. 290.

The Centralia College Foundation in partnership with McMenamin Olympic Club will host a fundraiser for Centralia College scholarships on Thursday, March 19th from 4 p.m. to closing. The event will be held at the historic Oly Club in Centralia on Tower Street. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the evenings festivities will go to support scholarships at Centralia College. Here is a great opportunity to support students at Centralia College while having a lot of fun enjoying a great meal with friends, playing pool, watching a movie (Marlie and Me shows at 6 p.m.), or spending the night in their historic hotel. We hope you will join us!

The Centralia College Foundation will host a STEM Reception for district superintendents, principals, and counselors along with teachers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math disciplines on Monday, February 2^nd at 4 p.m. in the new Science Center on the Centralia College campus.

College faculty members will be on hand to answer questions and showcase new equipment in the building and members of the student government will be giving guided tours of the facility. The event will begin at 4 p.m. with a short program emceed by college president Dr. James Walton.

For more information on the STEM project or STEM scholarships please contact the foundation office at (360) 736-9391, ext. 290.

Siblings Marilyn, Bill, Ed, and Jim Watterson recently created an endowed scholarship in their parent’s (Doris & Clarence Watterson) memory for students from Centralia High School to attend Centralia College. All four siblings also attended Centralia College and desired to create a living memorial to their parents through the establishment of the endowment that would also benefit Centralia High School students in their pursuit of higher education locally.

Clarence at 16 was valedictorian of the 1929 Centralia High School graduating class and Doris was a good student as well as excelling in sports, dreamed of going to college. But, they graduated from high school during the Great Depression thus college was not an option for them. However, they instilled the dream and desire of higher education in all of their children.

To apply for this scholarship and any other that the Centralia College Foundation offers, one only needs to complete one scholarship application. Please follow the link on our web page for the scholarship application. Or for more information please call the foundation office at (360) 736-9391, ext. 290.