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Marking the moment:
Instructors honored in third-year celebration

Kelsey Knode, a Chemeketa Community College math instructor, wasn’t sure what to think when invited to a ceremony completing her third year as faculty.

“I didn’t think it was a very big deal at first, but now I’m really excited about it, and excited to do even more for the college,” she said.

Knode and a dozen other Chemeketa instructors were honored at a celebration held Sept. 16 at the Northwest Viticulture Center in West Salem. The three-year mark is a milestone for every instructor at Chemeketa on the path to securing a tenured position at the college. It also marks the successful passage of each of the instructors through their probationary period.

“It’s important to take a moment to reflect, and encourage people to continue on that path. It’s a defining moment. We’re celebrating the moment and making sure they move forward because we need all of them here,” said Cheryl Roberts, Chemeketa president.

Members of the honored group began working at the college at roughly the same time and have worked together and independently in pursuit of tenure.

For Knode, it was also a time to recall the best experiences of her time at Chemeketa and relive the agonies and the triumphs. Three days before classes were to begin her first year, Knode found that she would not only be moving offices, but sharing an office with another new math instructor, Lisa Healey.

“I thought it was going to be awful, but we really bonded during that first term,” said Knode. “There are a thousand questions that come up as a new instructor, but when we both had the same question we felt better about asking them. It was a complete blessing in disguise.”

Healey, another honoree at the ceremony, nodded eagerly in agreement.

The celebration held different meaning for each of the participants. For history instructor Taylor Marrow, it was a validation of all his hard work up to this point.

“And I meant all of it,” said Marrow.

Marrow grew from a “D” and “F” student his freshman year of high school to a straight-A student by his senior year.

“From that success I found that I could succeed in college and grad school. Those years helped me find a good and stable job where I’m making a difference in the world,” said Marrow. “It’s a validation of the entire process of my life.”

The ceremony marked a new beginning for Eduardo Martinez, an instructor in Chemeketa’s high school equivalency program (HEP).

“It means I belong to Chemeketa now, that I am part of the family that is Chemeketa,” said Martinez. “It’s a lot of hard work. But watching students succeed, as a result, makes it all worth it.”

Also honored were: Moira Hughes, Ben Gentile, Russell Park, Sam Pierce, Jennifer Schramm, Lana Tuss, Cynthia Villwock, Patrick Williams, Bill Gastoni.    

By Eric A. Howald. Have a great Chemeketa story? Send us an e-mail.

Updated September 18, 2008 by Marketing and Student Recruitment.