Student Newspaper: Cascades Insight
November 2007

Cascades Insight is published monthly by
Cascades Job Corps Center, Sedro-Woolley, Washington.
Managing Editor: Bob Cockburn
Typographer and Web Design: Kate Weisel

Cascades Insight is a monthly publication of Cascades Job Corps Center in Sedro-Woolley. All items for publication must be turned in to the Newspaper Mailbox in the Staff Lounge in the administration building by the 10th of every month. Letters to the Editor must be legible, double spaced, and signed by the writer with complete address and phone number. No letter will be published that is of a personal, libelous, or malicious nature. The writer's name may be deleted by request of writer and acceptance of the editor.

Please scroll down this page to read stories from this issue.

Center Director's Message

I want to thank all the members of our local community for supporting our center.

Our community Pasta Feast and Basket Raffle was held last Thursday, November 1, 2007. The proceeds from the dinner and the raffle go to our student scholarship fund. Scholarships are awarded to our graduating students that are leaving to get additional college or technical training. Almost $2,000 was raised, thank you very much.

We also rely heavily on our local community for Work-Based Learning (WBL) sites and job placements for our local graduates. WBL is a tremendous learning opportunity for our students to try out the skills they have learned and to see what working in their career is all about. It can also benefit the employer by providing them with semi-skilled labors.

The Skagit Valley area has been and continues to be an enthusiastic supporter of the Job Corps program. Again, I want to thank all of our supporters and especially the members of our Community Relations Council (CRC) that meet and advise us on a regular basis. They are the ones that made the Pasta Feast fundraiser a reality. Thank you.

Kim Shillinger Moving To Tongue Point Job Corps Center

Kathy Howell Moves to Center Director Position at Cascades

Kim Shillinger has been Center Director at Cascades Job Corps Center for seven years. Prior to that he was Finance Director and Accounting Manager here. He has been with Cascades since 1995. He has done a great job here and everyone will miss him. We wish him the best in his new position. He will take the Center Director position at Tongue Point Job Corps Center in Oregon, beginning in January 2008.

Kathy Howell, Programs Director at Cascades, has been chosen for the Center Director position here at Cascades Job Corps Center. She has been employed here for 17 years, starting as a Records Clerk in 1990, quickly moving to Program Support Manager and then Employability Manager, before becoming Programs Director. Kathy will become Center Director on January 1, 2008.

GED Recipients 9/15 to 10/15/07

• Cherie Wilson*, 9/17/2007
• Cassandra Rice, 9/18/2007
• Dustin Cleary***, 9/24/2007
• Brion Davis**, 9/28/2007
• Shane Rockwell, 10/3/2007
• Marc McClinchy*, 10/4/2007
• Brittany Iossa, 10/8/2007
• Sam Auckland**, 10/10/2007
• Ian Hunt, 10/10/2007
• Bryan Bentley**, 10/10/2007
• Jose Camilo, 10/10/2007
• Sean Lakeside, 10/10/2007
• Ryan Dove*, 10/10/2007

* Honors (2,500+)
** High Honors (2,700+)
*** High Honors With Distinction (3,000+)

We Get Letters

Dear Job Corps Student Volunteers
Thank you for taking the time and effort to help us maintain our landscaping. You did such a great job -- we couldn't have asked for anything better! It is important to us to keep our building looking gret and your hard work was a great help to us! We greatly appreciate the motivation and dedication of young people like you.

Thank you, Molly, Development Assistant, Youthnet
(a support network for our youth), Mount Vernon, WA

Dear Bob Cockburn, Cascades Job Corps Center
On behalf of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, I would like to invite you to the upcoming Commission meeting in Bellingham, Washington. At the November 2007 meeting, the Commission and agency staff would like to recognize the Cascades Job Corps Center's volunteer crew contributions to many of our Washington State Parks in the Northwest Region over the past nine years.

It is my hope that you can attend this meeting and be recognized for this long-term cooperative effort that has resulted in quality state parks for thousands of visitors each year.

Sincerely, Terry Doran, Northwest Regional Manager,
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

Stephen Cole,
Student Volunteer
of the Month

Stephen is 22 years old and came to Cascades from Everett, Washington, in March 2007. He chose Painting as his trade and wants to pursue it when he leaves.

"Job Corps has given me the opportunity to learn a trade that I had tried before. Job Corps has taught me many things," he stated.

"To succeed here you must follow the rules and don't do anything stupid," he added.

Cascades Volunteers on Make a Difference Day

Cascades volunteers helped out at three State Parks on Make a Difference Day this year.

Cascades Job Corps Center volunteers worked at three state parks helping to clean up debris, storm damages, and getting trails cleaned up. They also helped get amenities ready for the approaching winter season. Fort Eby State Park on Whidbey Island close to Oak Harbor; Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island; and Camano Island State Park were the parks.

Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others -- a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October. This year's event was Saturday, October 27, 2007.

Make A Difference Day is held in partnership with Points of Light & Hands On Network and is supported by the Newman's Own Foundation, which will provide $10,000 donations to charities selected by of each of 10 national honorees.

SGA Sponsored Halloween Activities

Student Government Association had a great time during the month of October. Fall surrounded us with the changing of colors, the smell of fresh apples and deep orange pumpkins covering patches of earth. SGA took full advantage of all these wonderful things. Early in the month we did a fun-raiser and sold caramel apples -- big juicy Jonagold apples dipped in thick gooey caramel. Everyone enjoyed biting into those juicy apples.

Next we set out to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins for the pumpkin contests. SGA students rolled through the pumpkin patch with wheel borrows full of large pumpkins. The contests included the dorm contest where each dorm competed again each other. The students voted on the best pumpkin, then staff voted on the best out of three. The winning dorm ... Challenger! (shown here)

The other contest was teaming staff and students up to work together on a pumpkin. Judging was open for students and staff. The winning pumpkin was an electrical vision by our electrical trade boss, Alex Pasillas. The vision was brought to life by Joey Green and Roddy Alameda. See 2nd row below.

Another fun-raiser we did was selling BOO Grams and asking staff to get involved by donating baked goods for a bake sale. We had a great turn out with lots of green, purple, gooey, ghoulish goodies.

We had a photo night where SGA set up a Halloween background and took pictures of students.

To cap it all off we had a pretty scary Halloween dance on October 31, with a costume contest. There were three categories -- Most Creative, Scariest, and Best Over-all Duo. Sebastian McCoy won the most Creative, Jason Alison won the Scariest, and Bianca Maldonado and Roddy Alameda won the Best Duo.

All was well at midnight when all the little creatures found their way back to their sleeping and hiding places. Bats and rats and other scary things are safely packed up and stored until next year. We hope!

Sebastian McCoy won the Most Creative.	Above: Jason Alison won the scariest category.
Above: Roddy Alameda and Bianca Maldonado won the Overall Best Duo during the SGA Halloween Costume Contest held during the dance.	Electrical pumpkin vision was brought to life by Joey Green and Roddy Alameda.
Students and staff all seem to like dressing up at this time of year for a little fun.