Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Rock Creek Roundup: PCC forges partnership with Master Gardeners

Photos and story by Janis Nichols

At Portland Community College’s Rock Creek Campus, a partnership with the Washington County Master Gardener Association (WCMGA) is flourishing.

The college and the organization have agreed to locate its education gardens and annual plant sale next to the Learning Garden. An enthusiastic group of approximately 40 guests attended the ground breaking in June. While the garden’s grand opening will be next year, the irrigation system is ready and yards of fresh topsoil will be delivered soon.

Included in the master garden design is a water wise garden, a pollinator and insect garden, a fragrance garden and an open air pergola. Partnering with PCC and the WCMGA are Tualatin Soil and Water, the Metropolitan Garden Club of Portland, the Hardy Plant Society, the Northwest Garden Club and the Aloha Garden Club.

CAMP Celebrates

Thirty students, who successfully completed their first year in the College Assistance Migrate Program (CAMP), recently participated in a graduation ceremony at the Rock Creek Campus. All 30 plan to continue their education at PCC next fall to obtain associate degrees. CAMP students receive scholarship assistance, academic advising, tutoring and mentoring, as well as opportunities to engage in leadership development. The students celebrated their special night with members of their extended families.

Students Show Off at Chemistry Fair

The 11th annual Rock Creek Chemistry Fair welcomed 350 students from eight chemistry classes, filled the Event Center in June. Judges from around PCC joined other volunteers from the Veterans Resource Center and Intel Corp. The event gave chemistry students an opportunity to share what they have learned with posters that explained such things as the combustibility of fertilizer, the chemistry of caffeine or the future of the non-hormonal male contraceptive.