Bert's Alerts—June 7, 2019
In the Spotlight
Family and friends came together Wednesday, June 5, for a memorial dedication honoring long-time CWI employee, Joyce Bair. A beautiful stone, provided by her family, was unveiled in the College’s Native Plant Garden – one of her favorite places on campus. Joyce will be remembered for her many contributions to CWI’s science programs throughout her six-and-a-half years at the College.
10-Year Celebration
Don’t miss out on the celebration as we share the stories of our 10th class of graduates.
News Highlights
Pioneering Idaho City Dual Credit Student
As the wind blows the top of Ponderosa pines, Idaho City High School senior, Jason Carignan, works on his dual credit chemistry homework at his house, which bumps up against a portion of the more than two-million acre Boise National Forest.
Carignan is the first high school student in Idaho City, a small town 36 miles northeast of Boise and known for its famous gold rush during the 1860s, to graduate with an associate degree through College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Dual Credit program. He hopes to inspire future graduates to get a two-year degree while attending high school in this remote town, and so does the school’s counselor Lynsey Bell.
“In a rural community, it is hard to get resources and access to college classes," said Bell. "However, with the state of Idaho, and flexible college’s, like CWI, we have been able to provide those opportunities. Seven years ago, we had one student taking dual credit classes. This year, we had 38.”
Carignan, who has a passion for computer software engineering, also enjoyed the Liberal Arts classes he took through Dual Credit.
“I hope more people do what I did, it was a lot of work, but well worth it,” said Carignan. “Don’t even look at the degree and how the credits transfer — all the classes you take make you a better person overall. The money and time saved are obviously awesome, but the lessons I’ve learned doing it are incredible! Learning that sometimes you have to give up doing fun stuff to get something done was a big part of it.”
Dual credit programs are a collaborative partnership between Idaho’s colleges, universities, and high schools to deliver college-level courses to high school students. This program gives students the opportunity to receive both high school and college credits for pre-approved courses. For CWI’s Director of Dual Credit, Stephen Crumrine, it is an exciting time of year — CWI provides more than 10,000 high school students in the state with dual credit and a growing number of students graduating with an associate degree.
“It is a wonderful accomplishment for a student to complete college at the same time graduating from high school. CWI Dual Credit is very proud of Jason and wish him the best on his academic future; he is certainly off to a great start,” said Crumrine.
A Leafy Task
Application for 2019-2020 Scholarships Open
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation scholarships application period is open once again for the 2019-20 academic year. One application makes applying for scholarships at CWI easy and provides students with a number of scholarship opportunities in the College’s academic and career-technical programs. More than 200 students received scholarships through the Foundation last year.
New scholarship opportunities are available for the 2019-20 academic year including the new Nagel Foundation Scholarship for second-year Career Technical Education students. Students interested in applying for scholarships must have the CWI admission application completed, be accepted, and have myCWI login information. The application closes July 31, 2019.
Visit the Grants and Scholarships page to learn more or apply.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Grab your family and friends and join us for CWI Night at the Boise Hawks Thursday, June 27! College of Western Idaho (CWI) is proud to partner with the Hawks for a night of baseball and fundraising. All are invited to attend as the Hawks take on the Eugene Emeralds Thursday, June 27.
Get a shaded seat on the third-base line in the CWI section for just $10. Spend $6 more and receive a voucher for a hot dog, chips, and a drink. $5 of each CWI group ticket purchased goes directly back to the SCORE Big Scholarship fund. We are excited to award yet another SCORE Big Scholarship during the game! Thank you to all who attended last year’s event which raised nearly $500 to support students
Step-Up Challenge Returns
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) forth-annual Step-Up Challenge, hosted by the Culture and Employee Engagement Committee (CEEC), began Saturday, June 1. Whether you want to start moving or simply want to add some steps to your current routine, the Step-Up Challenge is just the motivation you need.
Participating is easy! Record your steps every day from June 1 – 30, including weekends. At the conclusion of the challenge, submit your step count to ceec@cwi.edu and be entered to win some great prizes! Prizes will be awarded to the individual with the most steps in each building, as well as the person with the most steps overall.
Visit the CEEC site on myCWI to download a tracking sheet and email ceec@cwi.edu to learn more.
