Pierce College News

July 26, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

Tacoma Reads Together program leads to
coffee connection with ‘Garcia Girls’ author

There’s still time to sign up for a multidisciplinary study trip to the Dominican Republic August 22-28 to visit Finca Alta Gracia, an organic coffee plantation owned by popular author Julia Alvarez and her husband.

Through connections inspired by Alvarez’s book “How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents,” which was the 2004 Tacoma Reads Together book selection, foreign language instructor Terry Mirande has arranged for a group to stay at the plantation to explore the theme of coffee from various perspectives.

Finca Alta Gracia is a 60-acre farm in the Dominican Republic situated at about 3,300 feet elevation on the slopes of Pico Duarte, the highest mountain (3087 meters or about 10,187 feet) in the Caribbean. The plantation has conference and retreat facilities and welcomes visitors. Alvarez and her husband Bill Eichner have used profits from coffee sales to establish Foundation Alta Gracia, which supports a literacy program on the farm offering classes for both children and adults. Illiteracy reaches 90 percent in some areas of Santo Domingo, according to Alvarez.

During and after their stay participants can explore the theme of coffee as it relates to cultural traditions, agricultural practices, anthropology, economics, social structure, politics, environmental science, history, labor studies and international trade. The visit can be used as a Spanish-language immersion program, and teachers can use the experience for continuing-education hours.

For those interested in making the trip, cost for food and lodging is $38 a day, or participants can work in various areas of the plantation, including the garden, kitchen, literacy center or coffee fields, to cover the cost. Official dates for the seminar are noon August 22 to after lunch on the 28th, with an optional guided 3-day hike with pack mules to climb Pico Duarte. Required deposits include $140 for the seminar and an additional $100 for the hike, which includes mules, guides and park fees. Other expenses would include round-trip airfare to Santiago, Dominican Republic, additional food and lodging, ground transportation, and personal and incidental expenses.

For more information about Un Cafecito, Por Favor, contact Terry Mirande at
(253) 964-6476 or visit www.pierce.ctc.edu/cafecito/. To learn more about Finca Alta Gracia go to http://www.cafealtagracia.com/.

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July 22, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

Parent and child class begins Sept. 22 at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom

A 10-week parent and child class will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesdays beginning Sept. 22, 2004.

The two-hour class is at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, 9401 Farwest Dr. S.W., Lakewood. Parents enroll jointly with their children (ages 18 months to 36 months) for the class.

Children’s activities include creative free play, science, art, large and small motor skill development, music, and language development. Parent discussions center on children’s needs, stages of development, appropriate activities, child rearing and resources that may be tapped for support.

The class is a two-credit college course. There is a tuition fee of $66.50 and a registration fee of $20 for each quarter. Scholarships are available. Call (253) 964-6691 to register.

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July 15, 2004
For immediate release
Media contact: Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780

Free Astronomy Fair to celebrate the cosmos Aug. 7

The public is invited to celebrate the cosmos and our place in it at a free astronomy fair from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom Aug. 7. Cosponsored by the college and the Tacoma Astronomical Society, the fair will feature food, science-related crafts and activities for all ages.

The children’s program will include games and directed activities such as making ‘moon craters’ and learning about comets. The adult lecture series will include a session on how to use a telescope, and beginners are encouraged to bring their telescopes. The talk also will be helpful to anyone planning to buy a telescope.

Participants can learn about the various kinds of sky objects and how to identify them, and can view the sun with special solar telescopes. A portable planetarium from the Museum of Flight will also be on hand.

For more information call Matt Flood at (253) 564-3302 or (253) 732-0100, or visit tas-online.org.

July 6, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Dale Stowell, (253) 964-6780 or dstowell@pierce.ctc.edu

Raiders’ top-scoring player Ann Bowen
returns to coach women’s basketball

Raiders star Ann Bowen, the team’s all-time leading scorer in basketball, is returning to Pierce College Fort Steilacoom as the new women’s basketball coach.

“I want to turn the program around,” she said. “I want to get players who are committed and dedicated to college basketball – true student athletes for whom school is first and sports is second.”

Bowen played for the Raiders from 1987 until her graduation from Pierce in 1989 then went on to play for Central Washington University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 1991. Bowen served as an assistant coach for Pierce this past season, and also from 1993-1996. As Pierce College’s all-time leading career scorer for both women and men, she had a two-year average of 20.4 points per game and led the conference in scoring as a sophomore with an average 23.2 points per game.

“We are very excited to have Ann as the new head coach of the Raiders Women’s Basketball team,” said Duncan Stevenson, district director of athletics.

“Her previous experiences as a player and assistant coach at Pierce give her a great understanding of our program and its history. We believe that she will do an outstanding job of building a solid foundation for the program as we prepare to move into our new gymnasium facilities in two years.”

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