Dr. LaRita Mongomery-Mandley on zoom
Dr. LaRita Mongomery-Mandley received the Excellence in Teaching Award.

A New Take on the CPTC All-College Celebration

June 17, 2020

Clover Park Technical College hosted an end-of-year celebration event the afternoon of Tuesday, June 16 to recognize the achievements of the 2019-2020 academic year and to honor staff and faculty award winners. 

As has become the norm for 2020 gatherings, this year’s event was hosted via Zoom. The guest speakers were a testament to the College’s perseverance in the face of the global pandemic at our doorstep.  

Students 

Student Laura Cook spoke about her experience in the surgical technician program and as a survivor of COVID-19. Of her five-person family, three members contracted COVID-19. The assistance she got from the Foundation helped her in her time of need. “As my family continues to heal and I begin my clinicals, Clover Park has been a stable part of my journey,” Cook said. 

Shawntee Cotright, culinary program student, shared her story. “I came on campus for the first time in December 2019 and didn’t know how I was going to pay for college. I stumbled upon the worker retraining program and was humbled and excited to learn that I was eligible for tuition assistance and scholarships. So much good has come from my experience at CPTC that I feel like I belong there. 

Guided Pathways 

Guided Pathways continues to make progress. Dean Kelly highlighted the accomplishments from the last academic year, including a career interest inventory, redesign of six programs, and the establishment of the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Some of the plans in the works for the 2020-2021 academic year are to redesign up to eight additional programsto set up the DICE Center, and to focus on the Transitional Studies processes. 

Innovation partnerships 

The impacts of COVID-19 have been deep and broad, requiring innovation and partnerships across many College departments. From A for “assistance to Z for “Zoom, the staff and faculty of the College have worked hard to ensure that CPTC remains a stable and supportive institution for all of its community members. 

Retirements 

  • Roland Alba – Workforce Development Program Assistant 
  • Marla Briggs – Health Unit Coordinator Instructor 
  • Larry Clark – Vice President for Finance and Administration 
  • Loren Davis – Principal, Northwest Career and Technical High School 
  • Mabel Edmonds – Vice President for Instruction (see related blog post) 
  • Frank Elms – Custodial Services 
  • Debbie Ewald – Instructional Program Assistant, Division B 
  • Elaine Holster – Faculty Librarian 
  • Kelly Meeusen – eLearning Coordinator 
  • Charles Musson – Non Destructive Testing Instructor 
  • Cathy Westberry – Nursing Instructor 

Employee Excellence Awards 

The event concluded with the announcement of five staff and faculty excellence awards, which included financial awards courtesy of the CPTC Foundation. A total of 26 staff and faculty members were nominated for the awards.  

  1. Excellence in Teaching (2 awards given): DrLaRita Mongomery-Mandley and Diane Follett 
  2. Excellence in Inclusion: Rae Bagirov 
  3. Excellence in Innovation: awarded to teaching team Carl Wengrenn and Jason Sawatski 
  4. Excellence in Service: Pamela Jeter 

The event concluded with the announcement of five staff and faculty excellence awards, which included financial awards courtesy of the CPTC Foundation. A total of 26 staff and faculty members were nominated for the awards. Annually, the CPTC Foundation administers a Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards process that recognizes CPTC employees for exceptional contributions to Inclusion, Innovation, Service, and Teaching at CPTC.

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sawatzki
Jason Sawatski (pictured) and Carl Wengrenn received the Excellence in Innovation as a teaching team award.