Photo provided by Jesse Glaves
December 2014 Volume IX, Issue 3
Kenai Peninsula College, University of Alaska Anchorage
KPC embraces speaking, teaching, learning, celebrating Native cultures
By Janice Maloney High
KRC associate professor of English
As the number of Alaska Native students at KPC increases, so do awareness and appreciation of this college
demographic. Events that have just concluded, and those
about to occur, are reflective of this growth.
At October’s Alaska Federation of Natives convention
in Anchorage, more than 600 people visited the KPC information booth, and more than 260 of those visitors requested more information. Also, KPC was covered by the
“Exploring Alaska” television show. A five-minute video
features KPC Rural and Native Student Services coordinator Sondra Shaginoff-Stuart, KRC faculty counselor Chris
Stuive, and three KRC students—Michael Kanuk and Paul
Pingayak, both in the welding certificate program, and Zoia
Kerrak, from the human services program. The video can
be accessed on YouTube, with the search phrase: “KPC at
AFN.”
Also representing KPC at the convention—as well as
the AFN Elders and Youth Conference—were KRC IT technician Don Eide and KPC process technology coordinator
Sandie Gilliland.
In November the KRC Learning Center hosted several events for Alaska Native/Native American Heritage
Rochelle Adams, Gwich’in Athabascan artist demonstrates beadwork and fish skin basket sewing at KRC, two of several events
sponsored by the KRC Learning Center. Adams will teach two
classes at KRC in the spring semester: Beginning Alaska Native Art
and Elementary Gwich’in Language.
Photos provided by KPC advancement
Month. The Fry Bread Social kick-off event at the McLane
Commons drew about 200 people from the college and the
community, according to Learning Center coordinator Diane Taylor.
Spring semester right around the corner
By Suzie Kendrick
KPC advancement programs
manager
The general public began registering online for next semester at 12:01
a.m., Nov. 24. Students are highly encouraged to seek advising to be sure
they are on course for graduation in
the least amount of time possible.
Early planning helps students ensure
they are on the right track to reach
their goals in the shortest, most economical timeframe possible. Students
are also encouraged to take at least 15
credits each semester to earn associate’s degrees in two years and bachelor’s degrees in four.
The spring 2015 schedule is accessible from the homepage of the KPC
website, featuring more than 400
course sections, including 145 high-
quality online classes for the convenience of students who aren’t able to
travel to a campus or an extension
site. The schedule is searchable in a
variety of ways to allow students to
filter results appropriately. Students
should check the schedule for changes before registering at UAOnline
https://uaonline.alaska.edu/from the
KPC homepage.
KPC continues to see steady
growth in enrollments across its system of campuses and extension sites.
Classes fill rapidly, and students are
aware that it’s to their advantage to
register as soon as they’re eligible.
With the addition of the KRC
Residence Hall, students now have
the option of living on campus while
attending KPC.
Spring semester classes begin Jan.
12, 2015, at all KPC locations. Late
registration will be available through
the first week of classes. Students
must visit a campus or an extension
site to complete a late-registration
form and sign up for classes. Students
who wish to register for a course after Jan. 16 must receive instructor approval and signature.
For more information about the
registration process or to schedule
an advising session, contact KRC
Student Services at 262-0330 or KBC
Student Enrollment Services at 2357743. Either location can be reached
through toll free at 877-262-0330.
The KRC Learning Center hosted
the Nov. 6 fry bread social at the
KRC McLane Commons. Kenaitze
tribal member Sandra Wilson
serves a large crowd, including
Elsie Maillelle, KRC Dena’ina
Language student.
Among those staffing the
KPC information booth at the
October Alaska Federation of
Natives Convention in Anchorage were Zoia Kerrak, KRC
human services student; Chris
Stuive, KRC faculty counselor;
and Paul Pingayak, KRC welding student.
“Food brings people together. For some, eating fry
bread was a new experience. For others, it brought
back fond memories of their
rural childhoods,” Taylor
said. The Learning Center also hosted a screening of the
Sundance-featured film, “This May be the Last Time,” as
well as a Talking Circle presentation from Shaginoff-Stuart’s Dena’ina Language students, at which the KRC Student Union provided smoked salmon. Another highlight
was the beadwork and fish skin basket demonstrations by
Gwich’in Athabascan artist Rochelle Adams.
Adams will teach two KRC classes spring semester:
“Beginning Alaska Native Art” and “Elementary Gwich’in
Language.” Also offering Alaska Native Languages in the
spring are Shaginoff-Stuart with “Elementary Ahtna,” and
KRC anthropology professor Alan Boraas with “Elementary Dena’ina.” In addition, Jane Haigh, KRC assistant professor of history, will offer “Alaska Native Perspectives.”
While the KPC spring schedule reflects the short-term
future focus on the KPC Alaska Native presence, ShaginoffStuart considers also the long-term. “I can see our Rural
and Native Students Program having a place on campus for
students to study, visit and connect with community; students having a seamless connection with our community
through events, classes or resource as students make their
transition into college,” she said “I would like to establish
Native games, basketball, dancing and harvesting events to
help enrich our campus with what our students bring to
our community and highlight their skills.”
Page 2 KPC Connection
Damon Memorial Fund endowment continues
to support KPC students and programs
By Gary J. Turner
KPC director
When the Damon Memorial
Fund Council, which oversees a
major KPC endowment, had its annual meeting on Oct. 29, council
members reviewed last year’s budget and endowment fund earnings
and approved this year’s budget.
This $804,855 endowment (as
of FY14 end) was created by Clarence and Anna Goodrich when
they established the Damon Foundation in 1973 to provide scholarships to KPC students and humanities grants to the college. The
Goodriches donated their daughter
Frances’s estate, consisting of a
160-acre homestead, to the college,
and funds from sales of this land
support this endowment in perpetuity.
The foundation is in memory
of the Goodriches’ daughter, Frances Helen Damon, and grandson,
Lawrence E. Damon, who were
killed in a tidal wave off the coast
of Whittier following the Alaska
earthquake of 1964.
Each year, the foundation provides scholarship support and
funding for humanities proposals.
This year they approved funding
for the following:
-Two full-year scholarship
awards, capped at 13 credits/semester.
Website renewal project will
Center on students’ needs
KPC has always striven to keep
pace with technology. In recent years,
the advent of electronic devices such
as cell phones and tablets has necessitated a new, responsive design website to provide optimal viewing experiences for all devices.
Whereas the current static site
translates poorly to small screens, requiring resizing, panning and scrolling, the new site will adapt the layout
to the viewing environment by using
fluid, proportion-based grids that allows for page features to resize in order to fit the screen.
The new website will be very
graphically rich, using infographics
and images for a visually interesting
experience. The new site will tailor
content for different users, including
students, parents, faculty, staff, job
seekers and college benefactors.
The site will launch in mid-De-
-$2,000 to the Anna Goodrich
Humanities Program for support of
the KPC Showcase Series.
Council members include: Faith
Hall, granddaughter of Clarence
Goodrich, and her husband, Martin;
Amber Chatham, daughter of Faith
and Martin, and great-great-granddaughter of Clarence Goodrich; Hal
Smalley, College Council representative; Mike Frost, First National
Bank of Alaska representative; and
Curt Wallace, KPC administrative
services director, and myself.
Those interested in establishing
a KPC endowment or donating to
KPC should contact Suzie Kendrick, Advancement programs manager, at 262-0320.
cember and be organized to bring all
KPC locations under the same umbrella, as there are more similarities
than differences at the campuses and
extension sites. As the KPC course
catalog is structured, the website will
integrate the variations that exist at
specific locations. The content will
be streamlined to make the user experience more efficient.
Development and refinement of the
new website will continue into the
next semester with user feedback.
Popular online humanities class
returns
The online version of Humanities 220, Film as/and Literature, is
returning for spring semester. The
course focuses on the film noir genre
and the literature that inspired these
“dark films,” mainly those produced
between 1945 and 1955.
Film noir (meaning “dark film,”
a term coined by French film critics) has been recognized as a unique
American cinematic art form. Common characteristics of these films in-
Gary J. Turner, KPC director
Photo provided by KPC advancement
clude the use of black-and-white film
stock and high-contrast lighting, frequent use of oblique/high/low camera shots, and voice-over narration
that allows the story to unfold as a
series of flashbacks. Film noir plot
lines deal with doomed love triangles,
femme-fatales,
obsessive/aberrant
behaviors, lone-wolf and altruistic
private eyes, and a host of alienated
and flawed characters set against the
backdrop of large, impersonal cities
in post-World War II America.
The fiction that inspired many of
these classic films has been recently
“rediscovered” by colleges and literary critics, and the “look” of noir
films has been mirrored in many
graphic novels and films of today.
Student-assigned reading may include works by Lionel White (Clean
Break), David Goodis (Dark Passage),
Patricia Highsmith (Strangers on a
Train), and Kenneth Fearing (The
Big Clock). For further information,
contact instructor Bob Amundson at
[email protected].
see BRIEFS, page 3
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Proudly serving Alaska’s students on the Kenai Peninsula
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December 2014
The KPC Connection is produced by Kenai Peninsula College students, faculty and staff,
and is intended to serve as an
internal communication tool as
well as a means to inform Peninsula residents about what is
happening at the college. The
opinions expressed herein do
not necessarily reflect the official opinions or policy of
KPC, the University of Alaska
Anchorage or University of
Alaska, nor of KPC employees
or students. If our readers believe there has been an error
in a story, they should contact
Gary Turner at 262-0315. We
will make every effort to publish corrections as necessary in
the next edition.
The KPC Connection editorial team consists of:
-Gary J. Turner, KPC director
-Suzie Kendrick, KPC advancement programs manager
-Clark Fair, KPC Connection
coordinator
-Janice Maloney High, KRC
associate professor of English
Questions about the KPC Connection or how to submit articles for this newspaper can
be directed to Suzie Kendrick
at [email protected]
or by calling 262-0320.
Produced in cooperation with the
Peninsula Clarion, Kenai, Alaska.
www.peninsulaclarion.com
Ca mpus
KPC
KRC
KBC
RBES
AES
UAA
Abbreviations
Kenai Peninsula College
Kenai River Campus
Kachemak bay Campus
Resurrection Bay
Extension Site
Anchorage Extension Site
University of Alaska
Anchorage
December 2014 Page 3
KPC Connection
KPC scholarship winners will express thanks to generous donors
...BRIEFS
Continued from page 2
SafeZone seeks to aid local
and college communities
Six members of the KPC
community have completed
the SafeZone Train-the-trainer course, hosted by KPC
Residence Life. SafeZone is a
program designed to increase
understanding and awareness of issues faced by gay,
lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, allies
(GLBTQA) and other marginalized persons.
“Locally, LGBT: An Alliance Group was looking for
ways to better support this
population on the peninsula,
aside from just having weekly
meetings,” according to Leslie
Byrd, KPC residence life coordinator. “We wanted to be a
resource for local people looking to become an ally/support
for the gay community,” she
said. “We saw that UAA had
a very successful SafeZone
program and reached out to
get the training organized.
They were very excited and
sent us three trainers for our
November session.”
During the nine-hour
course, participants were
guided through a series of
modules and activities. “We
became more comfortable
broaching some of the more
sensitive topics concerning
LGBTQ folks, such as appropriate terminology, history,
gender and sexuality scales,”
Byrd said.
The training also was desee BRIEFS, page 4
By Suzie Kendrick
KPC advancement programs
manager
Beginning next semester, KPC
scholarship winners will be required to write a thank-you letter
to the donor(s) of the scholarship
they received.
Scholarship donors are generous and caring people who unselfishly give to support the educational endeavors of students.
They typically ask for nothing
in return, but receiving a wellwritten thank-you letter from a
student lets the donor know that
his or her scholarship was greatly
appreciated. A well-crafted letter
reminds donors why they gave in
the first place and often can help
secure continuing gifts for future
students.
Many scholarship recipients
write thank-you letters without
being required to do so. For instance, Mitchell Ogden, who lives
in the KRC Residence Hall and is
pursuing an associate of applied
science degree in process technology, applied for and was selected
to be the first student to receive
the Tim Jolley Memorial Scholarship.
Jolley was a committed KPC
process technology student who
passed away suddenly last year.
Jolley’s parents, while reeling
from their loss, felt strongly that
they wanted to honor their son’s
memory with a process technology scholarship to the college
where Tim had found his place.
When asked what compelled
him to write the letter, Ogden
said, “Money is a very useful tool.
It was really gracious of them to
gift me money for school. Writing them a letter was the least I
could do. I thought about the love
my parents have for me, and what
they would desire if they had set
up a scholarship of some sort as
the Jolleys had. I was very grateful and tried to find some way to
show that appreciation.”
The letter that Bruce and
Carol Stuart (Tim Jolley’s father and stepmother) received
touched them deeply: “Our initial
thoughts were of surprise, honor,
and gladness. We were so pleased
to know more about the person
who received the funds and is
carrying on Tim’s dreams,” said
Carol Stuart.
“Because we had kept in touch
with the school, we knew the
scholarship had been given out
and the name of the recipient. We
so appreciate knowing more! The
committee selected just the right
person for Tim’s scholarship. We
feel confident that he will maintain his grades and will receive
the second $500. It sure made us
feel good to know someone actually got the money and also a little
bit about him,” she said.
For information about setting
up scholarships at KPC, contact
the Advancement office at 907262-0320 or email wskendrick@
kpc.alaska.edu.
KRC’s YouTube contest winner has dream-come-true experience
By Clark Fair
KPC Connection coordinator
Earlier this fall, 18-year-old KRC freshman
Jamie Fenton transformed her love for the musical Les Miserables into a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity, winning a YouTube competition
promoted by the Anchorage Concert Association and earning a chance to perform onstage
with the cast of the Broadway show in Anchorage.
Fenton, who is currently taking general
studies at KRC but hopes someday to focus
on music and theater, planned and edited her
winning entry, entitled “One Woman Les Miserables—‘One Day More,’” performing all the
vocals and acting while her sister operated the
video camera during a long session of shooting at Soldotna Creek Park.
In addition to the walk-on role, Fenton also
scored four tickets to the musical. On Oct. 26,
the last day for performances of the musical
in Anchorage, Fenton and her family watched
the matinee, and then she was asked to be
backstage at 6 p.m. to prepare for the evening
show.
“From that point on, everything was a
whirlwind,” Fenton said. “I was fitted with a
costume, and dirt makeup was applied to my
face and arms. For a while I had the chance
to sit in the green room and meet people – like
the director, the orchestra conductor, and a
few cast members. (Then) I was taken to a
personal dressing room and waited for my
cue. As I waited, I realized I had no rehearsals
and no experience with the scene.
“In the blink of an eye, I was shoved on
stage and whisked around by a cast member
who acted as my guide. I thought I was just
going to be singing in the background during
the scene, but during the brief moments I was
onstage; I was danced with, twirled in the air,
kissed on the cheek, and singing – all within
full view of the audience. My presence was
definitely not as subtle as I thought it would
be, and it was so much fun!”
Fenton, who called herself “an artsy kid,”
said she has been performing since she was
very young. With her sister, she once created
a video parody of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. On her own, she has attended a
drama camp and been the understudy for the
role of Peter Pan in the Kenai Performers’ production.
“Soon after that I began classical vocal
training, which introduced me to Les Miserables,” she said. “When I found out the prize
was a walk-on role, I wanted so badly to create an entry but didn’t think I had time due to
a heavy class load. Miraculously, though, a
schedule mix-up the following week allowed
me some free time – so I spent it making this
Backstage before her cameo appearance in the
Anchorage performance of Les Miserables, KRC
freshman Jamie Fenton poses with the actor playing
Thenardier, the innkeeper from the scene during
which she is to take the stage.
Photo courtesy of Jamie Fenton
video.”
Fenton’s winning entry is still available
on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=xk6lseYLyjc.
At ConocoPhillips…
We’re moving in the
right direction
Page 4 KPC Connection
...BRIEFS
Continued from page 3
signed to prepare the trainers
to pass on what they learned.
“We hope to host our own SafeZone Ally three-hour training to help certify LGBTQ allies here at KPC,” Byrd said.
Those completing the November Train-the-trainer course
included one faculty member,
one staff member, and four
students.
New facilities fee starts
with spring semester
Students registering for
their spring semester classes
will be assessed a new charge:
a $2 per-credit facilities fee.
Levied across the entire UA
system, the fee is designed to
address the capital reinvestment for university facilities
and academic equipment. It
applies to both undergraduate
and graduate students, taking
either face-to-face or eLearning courses.
It is expected the fee will
generate about $607,000 system-wide for the semester.
The revenue will remain at
the campus where it is collected. “Assuming enrollments in
the upcoming semester are
about the same as they were
for the spring 2014 semester, this fee should generate
around $21,000 for KRC and
about $5,000 for KBC,” said
Curt Wallace, KPC administrative services director.
The fee will increase to
$4 per credit in the fall 2015
semester and rise again to $6
per credit in the spring 2016
semester.
December 2014
A Day in the Life: Paul Vaona, KRC freshman
Man of action seeks academic achievement
By Janice Maloney High
KRC associate professor of English
Forty-seven-year-old Paul Vaona of Chugiak
is a first-semester college freshman taking a
variety of UA eLearning courses, including
KRC algebra and literature classes. His goal
is to graduate from the UAA/University of
Washington Physicians’ Assistant Program.
While taking the first step toward attaining a
degree can be challenging, this father of two is
likely to be successful if his past record of goal
attaining is any indication.
This former marine has 25 years’ experience as a paramedic and firefighter. Before settling in Alaska, he spent more than a decade
working overseas in various positions for governmental and non-governmental organizations at what he calls “all the vacation spots,”
such as Jordan, Bosnia, Croatia, Chechnya,
Angola and Zaire. At one point Vaona served
as one of six paramedics for the King of Saudi
Arabia.
Upon his return to the United States in
2001, he took his professional skills to New
Jersey. “But after Sept. 11, I needed to move
on,” he said. After a stint as a dive medic for
the hyperbaric chamber in St. Thomas, U.S.
Virgin Islands, he was offered a flight paramedic posting in Alaska. Currently, he works
as a weather observer at Anchorage Interna-
Kristin, who works as a criminal scientist for
the State Crime Lab, and their two daughters,
Evangeline, 5, and Olivia, 3.
“A long time ago I learned that when you
reduce life to its very basic elements, get rid
of all the clutter, you understand what is important and what is not,” Vaona said. “When
I feel the most stressed and overwhelmed, I
put everything down and spend time with my
family. Suddenly life is put back in perspective.”
Vaona flies out to a village in a Bethel-based BlackHawk.
Photos provided by Paul Vaona
tional Airport.
After one semester under his belt, Vaona is
pleased with his scholastic experience. “I am
thoroughly enjoying my return to academia.
So much has changed in the years I have been
away, and I really appreciate the assistance
from the professors,” he said.
With his new commitment to college education, Vaona has pulled back on some of
his other activities, such as serving as a pilot with the Civil Air Patrol and as an EMT
and fire instructor. What he has not cut back
on is his commitment to his family: his wife, Olivia Vaona helps her father study.
Increasing Safety: Poppy Lane paved path to connect KRC with KBeach Elementary
By Gary J. Turner
KPC director
The Kenai Peninsula Borough
Assembly unanimously approved
a resolution Oct. 28 allowing the
borough mayor to accept $463,100
in funding for a four-tenth-mile
extension of the paved pedestrian
path along Poppy Lane from Kalifornsky Beach Elementary School
to KRC.
The borough will next draft a
Memorandum of Agreement with
the Alaska Department of Transportation, and then scoping and
design of the project will begin.
The UA Facilities and Land Management office will be involved
in the process since it has yet to
be determined on which side of
Poppy Lane the path will be locat-
ed. The north side is on borough
property. The south side belongs
to UA and that location could require an easement from the university. A timetable for the project has not yet been determined.
The effort to extend this path
began in 2011 when KPBSD Superintendent Steve Atwater, Alaska Christian College President
Keith Hamilton, and KPC Director Gary J. Turner recognized that
an increasing number of students
and local residents were using
the road to walk to KBeach businesses and for recreation. They
believe that building a paved path
would greatly enhance the safety
along this high-traffic road.
Over the course of three years
they emailed Kenai Peninsula legislators asking for their support,
Powered by Alaskans.
This scene of East Poppy Lane will soon change, with the addition of a lighted,
paved pathway. It has not yet been determined on which side of the street the
path will be located.
Photo provided by KPC advancement
and in the spring of 2014 the Legislature and governor approved
the funding. During that time,
resolutions supporting the project
were approved each year by the
Kenai Peninsula College Council,
KPBSD Board of Education, ACC
Board of Trustees, and Soldotna
City Council. The borough and
City of Soldotna also included it
in their annual Capital Improvement Projects priority lists.
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KPC Connection
Word on Campus:
“If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?”
Compiled by KPC advancement department
Shannon Reid, KBC, associate of arts
“Italy, to work on my friend’s horse ranch!”
Jesse White, AES, associate of applied science, process technology
“If I could go anywhere in the world it would be New Zealand! The warm weather
and fly fishing sounds really awesome in New Zealand!”
Ashley Bell, KRC, associate of arts and bachelor of arts, psychology
“If I could travel anywhere in the world, it would be to Italy. I have always wanted
to be immersed in the culture, speak the language with the locals and travel the
waterways.”
Kasey Miller, AES, associate of applied science, process technology
“If I could go anywhere in the world my first pick would be Japan because I really
like their culture.”
Stacy Schneider, KBC, associate of arts
“To a fun tropical island.”
Richard Burroughs, KRC, associate of applied science, industrial process
instrumentation
“I would like to travel to Siberia because I want to see how cold it is.”
Brian Rowe, KBC, associate of applied science, industrial process
instrumentation
“I would travel to the Bahamas because I like white sand beaches, relaxation, and
the sun.”
Tobin Sworts, KRC, pre-nursing
“I would travel to Norway or Australia. I would go to Norway because I have relatives there and I think it’s really beautiful and I would go to Australia because they
have lots of strange, poisonous animals there.”
December 2014 Page 5
Page 6 KPC Connection
December 2014
KRC introduces new staff and faculty members
Compiled by Clark Fair
KPC Connection coordinator
Anastasia Monyahan
KRC assistant professor
of nursing
Sara Frick
KRC Education Technology
Team lead instructional
designer
1. What are your duties?
I prepare nursing students with lectures, clinical experiences, and skills needed to obtain their associate’s
degree in nursing.
2. What was your last position? Where?
I worked as an emergency room RN at Central Peninsula Hospital. I still maintain a per diem position
there.
3. Where did you go to school?
I attended Thomas Jefferson University, School of Nursing, in Philadelphia, Pa., graduating in 1991 with a
bachelor of science in nursing. I am currently completing a master’s in nursing.
4. What brought you to Alaska?
After my husband’s retirement from the U.S. Navy in 2000, we made Alaska our permanent home. We have
lived on the Kenai Peninsula for the past 14 years and can’t imagine a better place to raise children and enjoy
the outdoor activities this great state has to offer.
5. What are your long-term goals at KPC?
The nursing program has a new classroom/lab this year. One of my long-term goals is to utilize this room to
expand the educational resources in order to keep up with current changes in medicine. I also look forward
to learning more about KPC and becoming more involved where needed.
1. What are your duties?
Mainly I support faculty and staff in campus-based, distance and hybrid courses leading to student academic
success through the use of appropriate educational technology.
2. What was your last position? Where?
I am coming to KPC from the Anchorage Campus, where I have been an instructional designer and the assistant director of professional development in the UAA Academic Innovations and eLearning Department
since 2012. I also teach Guidance 150 online as a UAA adjunct. I have been an instructional designer in the
UA system for six years, starting at UAF in 2008.
3. Where did you go to school?
I received an M.S. in instructional design and technology from UAA (2012), a graduate certificate in eLearning from UAA (2010), and a B.S. in visual communications-interactive multimedia from Ohio University
(2002).
4. What brought you to Alaska?
I moved from Ohio straight to Kodiak in 2002 with an adventurous spirit and a drive to make a new home in
a place with more space. I lived in Kodiak only for a working summer, followed by Fairbanks for seven years
and Anchorage for five. I am proud to call Alaska home and am ready to say farewell to the lovely big city of
Anchorage to make roots for my family on the beautiful Kenai Peninsula. I have traveled most of the state
fishing, snowboarding, camping and playing music.
5. What are your long-term goals at KPC?
I want to strengthen KPC’s distance education programs, focus on exceptional service, and infuse innovative
methods of professional learning for faculty and staff around effective teaching practices. My main goal is
always to encourage and empower those around me to be self-sufficient, innovative and centered on student
success.
December 2014 Page 7
KPC Connection
Typical Day at KPC Res Life: Talent show dazzles
By Timothy Alsobrooks
KRC residence hall student
On the night of Nov. 21, clouds blanket the sky above
KRC; the ground is damp, and the air smells of petrichor.
Along the horizon, the northern lights dance numinously
amid breaks in the cloud cover.
At KPC Res Life, however, everyone’s attention is directed toward an equally dazzling spectacle: the first-ever
KPC Res Life Talent Show.
“We’ve been planning this for about two months,” explains Leslie Byrd, coordinator of KPC Res Life. “I’m really happy with the turnout.”
Rightly so. The common area is packed with spectators and performers. The conversation among those in
attendance is equal parts giddy and anxious. Ashley Bell,
host of the talent show and resident advisor for KPC Res
Life, approaches the stage to announce the first performer.
The excited chatter gives way to a pregnant silence.
“Welcome to the first KPC Res Life Talent Show!
Please welcome Josh to the stage!”
Joshuah Rutten, a second-year KRC associate of arts
candidate who plans to study theater, approaches the
stage and sets the bar high with a fervent performance of
a Japanese song. “It’s the theme song to Kamen Rider X,”
he explains. “I took Japanese here at KPC.”
Next up is Jim “The Guardian” Walker, the security
guard at KPC Res Life. His poignantly wistful performance of Neil Young’s “Old Man” captivates the audience.
“My daughter played that song for me when I retired
from the Navy,” he says.
“That’s going to be tough act to follow,” concedes Taylor Evans, a freshman in the psychology program at KRC,
as he takes a seat at his keyboard amid the residual applause for Jim’s performance. Taylor’s original compositions don’t disappoint, however. Ever modest, he explains,
“I don’t play these for an audience very often, so I wasn’t
sure if people would like them.”
With the proverbial final curtain drawn, Leslie Byrd
Jim Walker, KRC Residence Hall’s security guard, played the guitar
for residents and guests during the first-ever talent show.
Photo provided by KPC residence life
asks the audience: “Do you want to do this again next semester?”
Unsurprisingly, the response is a unanimous “YES!”
KPC introduces new international exchange student
Christoph Sebastian Barmetler from Kempten, Germany
1. Why did you choose to participate in the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) program?
To learn about another culture and learn more about Americans. It’s hard to learn about the culture when you’re just on a holiday or vacation. It’s nice to meet other people and make friends in other countries.
2. What are you studying at KPC, and what are you majoring in?
No major, but I’m studying English and Welding. I have worked as an industrial mechanic in Germany for the past six and a half years with three
years of education and training during those years.
3. What have you done for fun since you arrived?
Too much! Highlights include seeing New York City, visiting the Harley Davidson museum in Milwaukee, going on the beach in Venice, Calif.
Here in Alaska, a boat trip on Skilak Lake into the Kenai River. Every time when you see the nature here, it’s really nice! I have purchased a car,
and now have a job with the Maintenance Department at KRC.
4. What has surprised you the most about the United States and Alaska?
United States: The distance between the cities and how large the country is. Alaska: The nature when you fly over and look down, it’s really
nice to see the white snow mountains and the green forests and many lakes.
KRC international exchange
student, Christoph Barmetler,
is from Bavaria, Germany. He
is also employed as a student
worker in KRC’s facilities maintenance department.
Photo provided by KPC advancement
5. What are some of the most noticeable differences (in customs, environment, people, etc.) between home and here?
Customs: There is more paperwork for some things like getting a driver’s license, a Social Security number, etc. Environment: Working here
has been easier than the work I had in Germany. Here I’m on campus, and at home I worked for a company which wasn’t on a campus. Where
I went to school there was no work on campus. People: Americans seem to have more time to talk to one another; you can talk with everyone
whether you know them or not. In Germany, people are busy and in a city they may say hello but keep going. Other differences: Nightlife is
a difference. My city with 65,000 people has more to do at night. Also, Americans like to shop every day; in Germany you wouldn’t find a shop
open on Sunday.
6. What do you want to accomplish while you are here?
To see a lot of the country as well as Alaska, celebrate the American festivals, and share my experience and life in Germany with American
people. I hope to do a road trip with another student from this CBYX program, and travel around the U.S. this summer before I return to Germany.
This exchange is like a big family; I’m also making friends with other German students whom I wouldn’t have met otherwise, and American
friends as well!
7. What are your plans after leaving KPC?
The road trip, as mentioned. The entire group of 75 exchange students from Germany who will have spent the year here in the U.S., will come
together in Washington, D.C. this summer to provide a closing and recap of the program. After that (two months later), we will all come together
again in Berlin to share our experiences with a representative of the Bundestag (like a U.S. Congress representative), and the headquarters of the
German partner agency that assisted with this exchange program.
Page 8 KPC Connection
December 2014
Travelogue:
KRC student eschews strict planning in Great Britain adventure
By Gwendolyn Nelson
KRC history student
When planning a big trip, an
overarching urge may be to plan
out every little detail. My advice:
don’t.
The best trips have a small
amount of structure and a bunch
of room for adventure. My trip
to Great Britain would have been
completely different if I hadn’t had
the room to change plans, to decide
not to stay at the sketchy hostel, or
to spend the $500 dollars on a few
extra days here or there instead of
on a Chunnel ride.
As “the doctor” once said, “A
straight line may be the quickest
way to a point, but it is never the
most interesting.” I hold with that
statement. Breathe. Don’t spend
your entire time looking through
a camera trying to capture everything, and listen. Sit and listen;
you will see and experience more
than many.
As a history major, with an
English minor, I wanted to see
certain things. And in the interest of experiencing more, even
when seeing less, I visited only
England and Ireland. During the
spring semester I had worked on a
paper describing Stonehenge— its
dimensions, its origins, the works.
I thought I would compare Google
maps to the real thing. Decision:
Ancient Stonehenge stands in the Salisbury Plains of southern England.
Gwen Nelson, left, poses for a dualselfie with traveling companion Bekah
Puddington in Oxford, England.
All photos courtesy of Gwendolyn Nelson
Definitely giants were involved.
Pictures or even Google maps can
never replace standing 20 feet
away from Stonehenge. Until you
do, you truly do not understand
why Stonehenge is a world heritage site or the significance it really holds.
The same goes for places such
as the Cliffs of Moher, located on
the western coast of Ireland. The
cliffs are majestic and beautiful
(and a filming location for The
Princess Bride) with harp players
scattered across the three miles of
rugged stone faces. Standing at the
The House of Lords is a major London attraction, as is Big Ben, seen here in the
background.
edge of the cliffs, with the wind
bringing the harp music closer, I
yelled, “THE CLIFFS OF INSANITY!” (Unfortunately, I think I
may have added some negative
views to the stereotype of Americans.)
Not only were the places I visited fascinating, but also the people. Because I stayed in hostels the
entire four weeks of my trip, I had
the opportunity to meet people
from all over the world. Often congregating in the hostel’s kitchen
when food was prepared, friends
and strangers alike sampled everything. “Where did you get that
ingredient?” “What the heck is
that?” Conversation thrived, music played and garlic burned.
Throughout the month of May,
I stayed in hostels and traveled
mainly by foot or bus. I traveled to
Bath and tasted the waters at the
Roman baths. I visited Oxford and
sat and read under the same tree
where J.R.R. Tolkien was reputed to have sat and read. I walked
Kenai
Peninsula
College
System
Kenai River Campus (KRC)
156 College Road
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
(907) 262-0300
toll free (1-877) 262-0330
www.kpc.alaska.edu
The Cliffs of Moher, near Galway, Ireland, were the filming location for the
“Cliffs of Insanity” scenes in the movie
The Princess Bride.
through Beatrix Potter’s house and
took a walk through the country of
Windermere in the Lake District
of northern England.
All of these places have had
a huge effect on me, but I believe
what made the biggest impact on
the entire trip was that I never
felt rushed. I was able to take in
so much, to enjoy, to explore, to
throw on my backpack and hop on
a bus where there wasn’t another
tourist in sight. I would encourage all my fellow students to travel
and see the world; skip the tourist
traps and have an adventure.
Kachemak Bay Campus (KBC)
533 E. Pioneer Ave.
Homer, Alaska 99603
(907) 235-7743
www.homer.alaska.edu
Resurrection Bay
Extension Site (RBES)
P.O. Box 1049
Seward, Alaska 99664
(907) 224-2285
www.kpc.alaska.edu
photo by Carol Griswold
The Romans originally constructed the baths at the hot springs in Bath, England.
Anchorage Extension Site (AES)
University Center
3901 Old Seward Hwy #117B
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
(907) 786-6421
www.kpc.alaska.edu