News

Centralia College has named three students to the 2024 All-Washington Academic Team. 

“The All-Washington Academic Team program recognizes and honors the state's finest higher education students,” Centralia College stated in a news release. 

To qualify for the All-Washington Academic Team, students must be part of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society for two-year colleges. 

All-Washington Academic Team members will also be ranked at a national level, with a chance to be included in the All-USA Academic Team.

The three Centralia College representatives will be recognized formally at a ceremony at noon Thursday, April 25, at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia. Gov. Jay Inslee, who has named April 25 as All-Washington Academic Team Day, will be the keynote speaker and present the awards. 

Centralia College’s representatives will also be recognized at the May 9 meeting of the Centralia College Board of Trustees.

• Maya Hankins, 17, of Morton, is a Running Start student who works part-time in a civil construction firm, where she discovered a passion for engineering and construction management. In her free time, she is the chapter officer for the Mossyrock Future Farmers of America and she volunteers with her local garden club. She is dedicated to her neighbors and spent almost a year assisting and raising funds for an elderly neighbor who transitioned to a care facility. She plans to transfer to Central Washington University in the fall to study engineering and construction management.
• Van Nguyen, 48, of Centralia, immigrated from Vietnam in 2019 seeking better opportunities for herself and her children. She enrolled at Centralia College to study business. She will finish her associate degree in June and will start her bachelor’s degree in the fall. In addition to raising children and earning her degree, she is a student-worker on campus and she volunteers at Health and Hope Medical Outreach helping low-income individuals access health care resources. She is a first-generation college student.
• Valerie Varner, 37, of Centralia, worked in the real estate industry since she was 18. The job paid well, but it was always just a job, the college stated. When she had a disabled child, her world changed and she realized what she was meant to do. She is working toward her associate degree and plans to become a registered nurse. She wants to work in pediatrics and ensure children and parents receive high quality, compassionate care. She is a first-generation college student.

Each 2024 All-Washington Academic Team member will receive a medallion and a $217 scholarship from KeyBank. The top 16 students, as ranked by PTK and announced at the ceremony on Thursday, will receive an additional $750 from WSECU, and the top three will receive an additional $1,000 from the Washington State Association of College Trustees.

Additionally, students who choose to attend Washington state four-year colleges and universities are eligible to receive transfer scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $12,000. 

Renowned jazz artist Dmitri Matheny and his all-star band will appear at The Juice Box Public House in downtown Centralia from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 11. 

“The performance, a rare opportunity to hear world-class touring artists in the leader’s hometown, will feature the talents of Adam Harris on saxophones, Randy Halberstadt on piano, Eric Gruber bass, Mark Ivester drums and the leader on flugelhorn, in a salute to the life and legacy of an American legend,” a news release stated. 

The Dmitri Matheny Group will honor composer Henry Mancini’s 100th birthday with new arrangements of his classic hits Charade, Days of Wine and Roses, Dreamsville, Moment to Moment, Moon River, Mr. Lucky, Peter Gunn, Pink Panther, Royal Blue, Slow Hot Wind, Two For The Road and more.

“Mancini is my hero,” Matheny stated in the release, “not just for his award-winning scores and orchestrations, but because of his unparalleled gift for songcraft. There’s nothing like a Mancini melody. Wistful, whimsical, romantic or sinister, his songs always deliver.”

All About Jazz describes the Dmitri Matheny Group as “an all-star jazz band featuring some of the most accomplished musicians in the western United States. The Dmitri Matheny Group is a cohesive and seamless unit, serving up equal parts soulful expression, caressing phrases, imaginative asides and dedicated lyricism.” 

The Oakland Tribune offered another positive review of the musicians. 

“Their music is a fertile landscape without boundaries, earning Matheny and his cohorts a reputation as one of the most eclectic and daring ensembles on today's jazz scene,” the publication wrote. 

Matheny, a Centralia resident since 2015, has been lauded as “one of the most emotionally expressive improvisers of his generation” by the International Review of Music. 

An honors graduate of Berklee College of Music, Matheny vaulted onto the jazz scene in the 1990s as the protégé of jazz legend Art Farmer. Since then, he has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal international following, releasing 12 albums and touring extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. 

The San Francisco Chronicle calls Matheny “one of the jazz world’s most talented horn players.”

Admission to the May 11 show at The Juice Box will be $10 to $15. 

Call 360-807-4367 or visit juiceboxpublichouse.com for tickets.

Visit Matheny’s website, dmitrimatheny.com, for more information.

A Centralia-based, licensed massage therapist has launched a new lecture series that aims to safeguard practitioners against inappropriate behavior. 

Kaci Jones, a lifelong Chehalis resident with a massage practice in Centralia, has titled the series the ProHealth Defense course. Jones is the owner and operator of the Keysar Center of Massage.

“Deeply moved by the vulnerabilities within her field and the shocking statistic that one in three massage therapists will encounter assault, Kaci has designed a course that addresses the urgent need for safety and awareness in the holistic healthcare sector,” the release states. “With a background rich in both personal and professional experiences, and driven by stories from peers and high-profile scandals, Kaci's curriculum merges practical skill-building with deep psychological insights.”

The course meets Washington’s Continuing Education Unit requirements. Participants qualify for 16 credits for the two-day series. It empowers massage therapists and estheticians to handle the complexities of their roles effectively, the release states. 

The series will offer training focused on real-life case studies and role-playing scenarios to equip participants to manage situations ranging from aggressive clients to online boundary violations.

According to the release, a significant focus of the ProHealth Defense course is social media safety, teaching practitioners to distinguish between their personal and professional online interactions to prevent predatory behaviors. 

The course extends to health care employers, advising them on crafting protocols to protect clients and the integrity of practices.

“Kaci’s commitment to enhancing the safety of health care environments is also driven by the growth she observes at Centralia College, reinforcing her desire to contribute to the educational progress transforming Lewis County into a prime living area,” the release states. “This course is a proactive step toward a safer future for health care providers, addressing ongoing challenges in the field and ensuring that practitioners are not left vulnerable in their workplaces.”

The ProHealth Defense course is open to all, including unlicensed providers who are often at a higher risk, providing them with self-defense tools and awareness. 

The series is being offered with limited in-person enrollment. There is unlimited streaming access to accommodate a broader audience.

“This course is more than just a learning experience; it's part of a movement toward creating a safer professional environment for all health care providers,” the release stated. “Her vision for the course includes nationwide adoption, starting a podcast to discuss real-life cases and psychological insights, and assisting business owners in fostering safer working conditions.”

Jones can be reached at kaci@practicalselfdefense.com. For more information, visit www.practicalselfdefensefhco.com.