Community Spirit

Above photo: Wood Sculpture by Dan Baker

The Battle Ground Art Alliance award-winning fine arts and fine crafts show will be held on Saturday March 20 and Sunday March 21. Times for attendance are, 10 am to 8 pm on Saturday and 11 am to 4 pm on Sunday. The event will be held in the Battle Ground Community Center which is located  at 912 East Main Street.

Artisans and artists from all over Clark County have submitted creations to be judged and juried.

Art gives us all an opportunity to connect with our neighbor in a spiritual more visceral way as art is an expression of the soul; it is a means of communicating with the senses through the medium of symbolism, color, texture and form.

On Saturday, from 5-8 pm an artist reception will be held, with an awards ceremony happening at 6:30. At this  time, Battle Ground Mayor Mike Ciraulo will present awards for those pieces that have been chosen by  a public vote.

Are you looking for a way to connect with our community? Do you think about how to make Clark County a better place to live? Do you know you want to get involved and help others but don't know where to go or how to start? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the YWCA of Clark County is the organization for you.

Becoming a YWCA of Clark County volunteer is one way to help your community. Volunteers learn how to take action and help people who are in crisis, meet and network with diverse community members, as well as become actively involved in improving the lives of Clark County residents.

This spring, there is a strong need for adult volunteers to: 

• advocate for adult and youth victims of sexual assault.
• represent the best interest of an abused or neglected child by becoming a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate).

The public and district employees are invited to nominate district teachers or other personnel who have made a substantial difference in the lives of students or in the lives of others.  All district employees are eligible to be nominated for the annual “Teachers Make a difference” Awards.

What makes a good teacher?

The best teachers are the ones who teach to the whole child. Their vision of education is not limited to the tangibles of academic achievement but encompasses daily doses of compassion, flexibility, communication, humor, imagination, and the willingness to be open minded. Most importantly, a good teacher is someone who uses both his head and her heart in equal measure throughout the school day. Compassion is in understanding that a student may be frustrated, angry or just unable to focus on the academics at hand.

“Shiver me timbers” is old nautical slang that refers to the shaking of the wooden support frames of a ship during rough seas.  Scared sailors would say that these shivering timbers would “rattle me bones.”

Mother Nature’s most awesome event, an earthquake, can also rattle our bones while shivering our timbers. And like the sailor’s at sea, we can do our best to be prepared.

And we DO need to be prepared. According to the Columbian, the recent quake in Chili should be a reminder of our own vulnerability in the Pacific North West.

Disasters can happen without warning as we have seen in Haiti and Chili. Often, in large, wide spread emergencies, firefighters, law enforcement, and other first responders will not be immediately available. For the most part, citizens will be on their own for the first 72 hours of a disaster.