Center News

Cascades Job Corps Center publishes Cascades Insight, a monthly newspaper for students, parents, elected officials, and community partners.

August/September 2009 Cascades News

(Excerpted from the Cascades Insight newspaper)

Health And Wellness Department Serves Our Students

The Employee Recognition Team honored our inestimable Health and Wellness department last month for the many varied services they offer to our students, and the wonderful attitude they project along with it.

This is a team of professionals par excellence, all of them armed with licenses, certifications, and degrees. The specific disciplines that they provide for our students are medical, mental health, accommodation, dental, and drug/alcohol counseling. But their involvement with our students ranges far beyond these services.

Teaching our students how to manage their own health care, providing information on every topic relevant to teens from birth control and weight groups to working in extreme weather, and supporting all achievements of the students they see - this team is a model for all of us at Job Corps who balance our everyday workload with modeling, mentoring, and monitoring of our students.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the things they do:

Registered Nurse (R.N.) Dana Heald heads this team as the health and wellness manager. Her administrative skills keep everyone on track as she also works hands-on wherever needed. She is also the one, along with the doctors, that gets called in the middle of the night if necessary!

Our other R.N.s - Mary Googe and Aneice Farrer - are well-known for their quick laughs and constant devotion to the medical needs of our students. Whether some practical advice and first aid, or assisting in a medical emergency, we all know whom we can count on.

TEAP specialist Harvey Ruschmann is always willing to sacrifice time and energy to help any student struggling with drug or alcohol issues. He is known for giving up many weekends to provide meaningful retreats for the students he educates and supports.

Dentist Dr. Smith and his assistant Ashley Ellis know how to make our students comfortable with stories and tips while giving them their basic dental services. They also work closely with our dental assisting students.

Doctors North and Repplier are our contracted doctors, and they work behind the scenes to provide great service to our students. Dana has worked with many doctors and notes her special appreciation and admiration for these two professionals.

Administrative Assistant Michele McDonald is the oil that lubricates all the gears in this operation. Scheduling, paperwork, PR, traffic control, reports, and dealing with any discontented customers in the waiting area are all par for the course for her. She also coordinates two blood drives each year and trains many work-based learning students in front office work.

Debra Winblad is our accommodations specialist, a post of increasing importance in the Job Corps program. She interviews all new students to make sure their needs for learning or physical disabilities are met.

Finally, is the innovative and qualified Dr. Lisa Adriance, our center mental health consultant who engages any students with existing or onset mental health issues. She arranges for help from psychologist interns each year, thus enhancing the hours of services available to our students. She is also active with our Healthy Workplace Initiative.

So kudos to this team! Stop by the bulletin board in the administration building to see some photos and learn some interesting facts each member has shared with us, and then take a moment to say "Thank You health and wellness team for all the great and small things you do!"

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Health And Wellness Department Serves Our Students

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Essay on Equal Opportunity

Student Essay

Treating others poorly by participating in racial name calling and racial remarks is inappropriate in the workplace due to it being offensive, rude, and degrading. There are many students here at Job Corps of different ethnicity that may take offense to my use of harsh words and remarks, as well as staff.

It is important to practice Multicultural Awareness and maintain a positive attitude during the trade day not only for myself, but for my peers who are affected by my performance. Demonstrating this will create a more positive campus and possibly help influence other students to follow, as well.

This will also make people who are intimidated by this kind of behavior more at ease upon arrival at Cascades Job Corps and make it easier to have a stress free dorm life.

I am going to start taking steps towards becoming a more professional, mature, and positive person, on and off campus. Also, I hope to be able to help anyone whose racial comments are being directed to, and contribute towards the change of those who are directing them.

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Prolific Success: Graduation Speech

by Mel Lorenzo

I’m a student that came in here with doubts about what Job Corps had to offer, but then I opened up and put my mind on every opportunity. Although there were times when things became challenging and discouraging, I accomplished every task that was set before me: I got into the Advanced Career Training (ACT) program, and best of all, I’m here... Graduation. As a word of encouragement, I’ve written a poem for my fellow graduates, so they could look forward to success instead of sorrow.

Achieving goals is what success demands,
It desires only victory no other commands.

No time to fall short, you can’t fail,
Even if you wanted to, you can’t bail.

Take notes and study hard,
Your obstacles will come, so keep guard.

I don’t know what "Yes, I could do it" means to you,
To me it means I finally did it, I could move through.

Whatever challenges you may have in life or school,
Just know that giving up isn’t an option, that’s the #1 rule.

Use your values to help you push forward,
If you take the easy route you’re a coward.

Yes, you can depend on others sometimes,
But don’t leave it up to them, ’cuz that’s a crime.

So "Go" I say and master success… believe in yourself,
With persistence and determination you’ll gain wealth.

Thank you for your time and ears,
Good luck to everyone in your choice of career.

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Staff Member Profiles

Ben Brooks, Senior Safety Officer

It’s difficult to describe Ben in just a few words. He is courteous and thoughtful, a "Good Samaritan" to both staff and students. Ben has been known to clear snow from driveways, provide transportation to and from work, and change flat tires for staff members. He also puts extra effort into helping out our students.

Ben always tries to accommodate the needs of those around him. He works extra shifts, volunteers for special transportation, and is willing to go the extra step to help out any way he can.

Ben Ballenger, Painting Instructor

Ben Ballenger is the painting instructor at Cascades Job Corps. In his time here, Ben has done an exceptional job of getting his students ready for the workforce. Students in the painting trade look up to the man they call "Boss" and they feel both respected and well taught by him. Student Eric Jones described Ben as, "a hard worker, who leads by example by working alongside the students. He gets along with everybody and relates well to the students. Students like working for him because he treats you like a worker, with respect, and he holds kids accountable."

From a coworker perspective, it is obvious that Ben goes above and beyond the call of duty. He consistently has students doing real work outside of the Job Corps facility. His students have painted the Mount Vernon Fire Station, a church in Concrete, and the Sedro-Woolley Library to name a few. He helps create engaging student and community partnerships, most recently with the painting of a mural at the Oasis Teen Shelter. Furthermore, Ben is always willing to help staff by loaning them his personal equipment, and giving out experienced painting advice.

Overall, Ben makes strong efforts to relate positively to everyone and to lead by example. Due to his wisdom, work ethic, and good-natured ability to relate, he has truly earned both student and staff respect. Thanks Ben!

Randy Walther, Food Service Manager

Randy Walther is the Food Service Manager for Cascades Job Corps. Randy has done an exceptional job of organizing and running the kitchen. He always has a positive attitude and is willing to go the extra mile without questioning why. He goes out of his way to cater to and accommodate the students’ different food wants and needs. He keeps the menu exciting and pleasing to all palates.

Randy often takes on extra assignments such as the administering the student survey, running the chess club, or being a ref for the intramural sports teams at the Recreation Dept. He is always professionally dressed and acts as a role model for both students and staff with his professionalism.

The staff recognition program would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Randy for all that he has done during his career here at Cascades Job Corps.

Rob Melcher, Recreation Advisor

Rob Melcher has worked at Cascades for 6 years. He began his journey working graveyard shift in Challenger Dorm, eventually moving to the weekend day shift. After about 2.5 years in Residential he moved over to the Recreation Dept. where he currently resides. Rob runs the Art Room where he is the ceramics guru. He also spent a lot of time during the summer (the hottest week of the summer no less) beautifying the outside of the Recreation building. He also played an integral role in getting the Cascades Garden Club up and running - a delight for both students and staff. Rob always has a delightful outlook on things and is willing to lend an encouraging word or hand when needed. He is truly an asset to Team Cascades.

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Cascades Job Corps Center’s Haunted Hospital spirit - Celebrating 45 Years of Job Corps!

To celebrate 45 years of Job Corps success, Center Director Kathy Howell and Business Community Liaison Brian Hurst formulated a plan to construct a classic haunted house centered on the premise of a "haunted hospital." Featuring a history that dates back almost one hundred years, the grounds of the former Northern State Hospital include a story-laden backdrop rich in tradition, history, and the occasional tale of ghostly apparitions.

Although combining Job Corps’ Anniversary with a haunted hospital seems an unlikely pairing, as Brian points out, "This place has a lot of stories to tell." Most notably, Northern State’s legacy as one of Washington State’s largest mental health facilities dates back to the early 1900s, and was Sedro-Woolley’s fourth largest employer in its day. It was also completely self-sufficient, and carries the dubious distinction of performing many of Dr. Thompson’s "ice-pick" lobotomies from the late 1940s well into the late 1960s.

Set amidst the verdant backdrop of fir, cedar and chestnut trees, with architectural designs calling to a generation of long ago, Cascades Haunted Hospital has atmosphere in spades. "It’s a natural environment to enjoy the spirit of Halloween, all the while contributing to a good cause," said Brian. Furthermore, "Everyone involved is a volunteer, and all proceeds go to the Bob Cockburn Scholarship Fund."

Whoever originated the idea for the Haunted Hospital is up for debate, although Hurst believes a friend and local deejay may be the culprit. He admits there are a number of people who would be happy to take credit for the idea. Regardless, the end result is a remarkable project that’s utilized resources across the center, and has provided a unique learning opportunity for more than half of CJCC’s 340 students into one project. Almost all of the rehabilitation has been done by Carpentry, Painting, Electrical, and Facilities Maintenance students, with marketing support from Business students and additional assistance from Washington State and CJCC maintenance personnel.

Getting 50 actors to hit their marks, source props and equipment and be the liaison between management and construction - Brian is the maestro behind the maelstrom. He politely defers the many accolades to those that have helped bring this to fruition: "I couldn’t have done anything without the full support of (Center Director) Kathy Howell." Hurst continues, "Michele McDonald has been my right hand person, often coordinating events in my absence, and lending a hand whenever needed." He adds, "And what more can I say about the terrific work done by our staff and students!"

Despite an extensive background in local community theater projects, and years as a professional musician, this has been a bigger project than Brian ever thought possible. He mused, "Honestly, when this started, I don’t think any of us fully recognized the magnitude of what we were about to embark upon."

Recognizing the need for authenticity, many of the props are actual remnants of a former life at Northern State. "We went into the old hospital and found several old wheelchairs, gurneys, and other equipment to use for our principal story: that of patients attempting to escape the hospital," said Hurst. The "Hospital" has even been outfitted with wooden doors previously used in the original hospital; doors that may be 80 to 100 years old!

Hurst spoke to the contributions of United General Hospital, the Sedro Woolley Museum, and local theater contacts throughout Skagit County…all of whom who have loaned authentic uniforms, equipment, and in many cases, volunteered their time to what is certain to be the scariest haunting activity in Skagit County.

The Haunted Hospital itself is actually situated on the lower floor of the old chapel; a space perfectly suited in size to accommodate the ghostly apparitions to follow. The themes includes illusions by local magician Brian Ledbetter, who agreed to provide his expertise as part of - what’s turned out to be - a large cadre of volunteers.

Hurst and his cast of staff, students, and local actors have put together a ghostly facility that draws on a rich heritage of rumors assembled over the years. "In no way are we restating the history of Northern State," he says. "We’re just having a great deal of fun."

The Haunted Hospital is incredibly rich in design, thought, layout, and, well... gore. As such, Brian strongly cautions parents that many graphic displays are not suitable for children under twelve.

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Page last updated: Thursday, November 12, 2009