Edmonds CC Spring Plant Sale makes for An Edmonds Kind of Day

Edmonds Community College's spring plant sale 10 a.m.-4 p.m, May 6-7 at the green house featuring vegetables and perennials made Day 231 of 365 Things to Do In Edmonds, WA. Realtor Wayne Purser interviewed the horticulture department's Linda Toccolli for his Snohomish County Real Estate Guide blog.

Commencement Challenge: Go Bridgeport High School!

Help Washington State’s Bridgeport High School win President Obama’s “Commencement Challenge.” Bridgeport High in Douglas County is one of six schools across the country vying for President Obama as its graduation speaker. They need your vote by this Friday (9:00 p.m. our time) to get into the final three.
Vote now: http://www.whitehouse.gov/Commencement.

Bridgeport High School's bid to bring President Obama at campus as commencement speaker has been featured on MyNorthwest.com A High Five for Bridgeport High School and in The Seattle Times President Obama should give Bridgeport High graduates a presidential send-off.

Here’s how to vote:
• The webpage below will bring up the six finalists’ short videos and essays in random order.
• At the bottom of the page, you will see blue boxes numbered 1-5. Click on 5 for the highest ranking or click on 1 for the lowest ranking, then click “next” to go to the next school, rank it, until all six schools have been ranked.
• You can vote until 8:59 p.m. PDT on Friday, April 29, 2011.
• At the end of the rating period, the three schools with the highest average ratings will be submitted to President Obama for final selection. The top 3 schools will be announced on Monday, May 2, 2011 with the winner being announced later that week.

Vote now: http://www.whitehouse.gov/Commencement.

Commencement Watch 2011: Alumna youngest ever grad of WSU

Congratulations, Kayla! Our 2009 alumna Kayla Heard earned her Associate of Arts — online — at age 14 and is now the youngest ever graduate of WSU and was featured on KING5.com. She completed her bachelor's degree via WSU online degrees.

Kayla was Edmonds Community College's youngest graduate at age 14 in 2009 and was mentioned in the president's commencement address.

Commencement Watch 2011: Graduate Lori Radcliffe

Commencement 2011 at Edmonds Community College is just around the corner — June 17 at Comcast Arena at Everett. There will be many fantastic graduation stories. Here's the first one: Social and Human Services student Lori Radcliffe stopped making excuses and came to college when the time was right. Read her story and then look for her at the commencement ceremony. Congratulations, Lori!

“I am so very happy that I didn't let excuses get in the way of the greatest adventure of my life!”

Lori Radcliffe
Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Counseling,
Associate of Technical Arts

Why Edmonds CC? Location was the initial draw, but once I attended a Social and Human Services Open House, it was the programs and the instructors that were the final hook.

Before Edmonds CC Any job that didn't require a college education.

Why now? About four years ago I took a few classes, but I just wasn't ready to continue. I thought it was because I didn't have what it took to be a student, this despite the fact I received almost perfect grades. In the spring of 2009, I was driving by the campus and decided I had some unfinished business. It was the right time because I was no longer going to let my excuses get in the way of my life!

Working as Currently I am working on my Chemical Dependency Professional Training Practicum at Evergreen Manor.

Biggest challenge Getting past the point where I made numerous excuses why I shouldn't or couldn't go to college because I was too old!

Best experience There are so many special experiences, from the moment I held my breath walking into my first on campus class, I have had one positive experience after another. If I had to pick one, it would have to be the wonderful friendships I have developed with fellow students. If I hadn't embarked on this journey I would have missed out on meeting and becoming bonded with some of the most caring, amazing people that I have ever had the pleasure to spend time with! This was an unexpected bonus that I will forever be grateful for!

Favorite class Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Counseling Law and Ethics, ACD 113 — This class was early in my college adventure, and the instructor, Mike Wagner, was able to motivate people out of their comfort zone. I transformed in that quarter from an observer to an involved student, and never looked back!

Advice for students Visit your adviser often, challenge yourself, toss your excuses out the window, make friends, and have FUN!!

College goal I would love to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Social work.

Dream job My passion is prevention! It would be a dream come true to become a Prevention/Intervention Specialist at the high school level.

Container gardening at the Center for Urban Horticulture

There are some great photos of beautiful container gardens created by Edmonds Community College students with the guidance garden designer Wendy Welch for Soest Garden at the Center for Urban Horticulture.

Edmonds Community College Horticulture instructor Riz Reyes posted an update including news about the container gardens on University of Washington's Botanic Gardens site.

College students grow fresh veggies for food bank

Vegetables grown in the Edmonds Community College vegetable garden as part of a Horticulture class will be donated to the Lynnwood Food Bank. Read the article "New era for food bank," in The Enterprise to learn more about the food bank.

Tour the college vegetable garden and other green projects around campus during the Earth Fair April 21. Meet at 1 p.m. in Triton Student Center in Brier Hall for tours of the college’s green buildings, windmill, vegetable garden, rain catchment system, and new honeybee colony.

Learn vegetable gardening and help the Lynnwood Food Bank this summer. Take Summer Vegetable Gardening, Horticulture 255, work in the college’s garden and learn vegetable garden culture, management, harvest, and food processing. The vegetables you help grow and harvest will be donated. Registration for summer quarter classes starts May 25. Classes run July 5-Aug. 26.

The vegetable gardening class at the college is taught by Gayle Larson, a Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association Certified Professional Horticulturist and the owner of Dancing Raven Design, a business specializing in edible garden consultation and design. Gayle is a featured garden mentor in the Spring 2011 Edition of WestSound Home & Garden magazine.

Photos: Courtesy of instructor Gayle Larson