Clatsop Community College
1653 Jerome, Astoria OR 97103
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Contact: Judy Zell (503) 338-7670
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Area High School Students “Forecast” the Future at CCC

Nearly 350 high school students from around Clatsop County got a glimpse of the career and technical education programs available to them while still in high school at Clatsop Community College’s MERTS (Maritime and Environmental Research and Training Station) Campus last week.

Busloads of freshmen, sophomores and juniors from Astoria, Seaside, Warrenton, Jewell and Knappa high schools unloaded at the MERTS Campus throughout the day on Friday, February 23, and were given a tour of programs offered at the MERTS campus, including Maritime Sciences, Fire Science, Welding, Automotive and Drafting.

The idea behind the visit, which organizers hope will become an annual event, is for students to “forecast” their next years of high school. In the next few weeks, the students who toured MERTS will be registering for classes for the coming year. Friday’s visit offered them an opportunity to experience the courses available to them through CCC as high school students.

At the Fire Science building, groups of students got to look through thermal imagers as they were led through a simulation of a burning building (yes, the flames were real) by CCC’s Fire Science instructor and Fire Science students, several of whom are currently high school students also enrolled in CCC’s program.

The freshmen and sophomores were also led out to the MERTS Campus dock, where they were shown the Maritime Sciences Program’s motor vessel Forerunner. In the Maritime Sciences area, the students got hands-on experience tying knots and got to hear from Columbia River Bar Pilots.

Giving a demonstration of the college’s national award-winning ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) was Astoria High School senior David McAloney, who was recently accepted into the prestigious Cal Maritime Academy.

“CCC’s Maritime Sciences Program helped me tremendously because my ACT score and GPA were down,” McAloney said. “But when they saw this program and how I had challenged myself in my last year of high school, it made a huge difference.”
McAloney plans to attend Cal Maritime and then continue his training to become a bar pilot.

CCC welding instructor Harley Bristol had the assistance of American Welding Society (AWS) students as well as his Friday High School Welding students to support him in his demonstrations in the welding shop. Assisting automotive instructor Stephen Sanders with his demonstrations were Jeff Doughty of Ocean Crest Chevrolet and Guy Knight of Lum’s Auto Center.

Students were also given a tour and demonstrations of the college’s automotive and welding programs, both available to them as high school students. In the CADD (Computer Aided Drafting and Design) classroom, the students were able to get hands-on experience with the technology used in the one-year certificate program.
Astoria High School Vice Principal Gary Sunderland, who accompanied the students on their “forecasting” tour, was extremely pleased with what his students took away from their day spent at the MERTS Campus.

“Currently the high school has classes that involve all of those different programs and our students have a chance to attend those classes and get dual credit,” he said. “We did it right before they select classes for next year in a couple of weeks, and now they have an idea of what’s out there.”

For more information about courses available to high school students through Clatsop Community College to high school students, please contact Sheila Ruhland, Vice President of Instruction, at (503) 338-2440.

A CCC Welding Student gives a demonstration to Astoria High School freshmen	CCC’s Stephen Sanders presents the Automotive Program to AHS freshmen Beth Thompson and Kaylee Stevenson
AHS freshmen Matt Sagers and Kelcie Sagen get hands-on experience with CCC’s AutoCadd program, led by instructor Lucien Swerdloff (not pictured) while AHS teacher Lee Cain looks on.	AHS Senior David McAloney demonstrated the college’s award-winning Remote Operated Vehicle to on-looking freshmen.