Kitsap Navy News, September 30, 2011

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COVERING PUGET SOUND NAVAL NEWS FOR BREMERTON | BANGOR | KEYPORT

Kitsap

VOLUME 1, NO. 26 | 30 SEPTEMBER 2011

www.kitsapnavynews.com

Complaints mark departure 9/11 memorial treasurer resigns By KRISTIN OKINAKA kokinaka@kitsapnavynews.com

Cheryl Stauff is not opposed to having a 9/11 memorial at Evergreen Park in Bremerton, but she does oppose the methods of the committee seeking to build it. In mid-August, Stauff quietly resigned as treasurer of the Kitsap 9/11 Memorial

SEE COMPLAINTS | PAGE 8

Bryan Watland shows Dan Haas, a 1980 pipefitter graduate of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility’s apprentice program, the plaque he would receive as an inductee into the Apprentice Hall of Fame. The two are onstage at the Sept. 23, graduation of the apprentice class of 2011. TOM JAMES/STAFF PHOTO

Apprentices ready to work

Latest class of college-shipyard program graduates with flying colors By Tom James tjames@kitsapnavynews.com

The applause was loud, steady, and sometimes raucous Friday night as graduates from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility’s apprentice program took the stage last Friday night to receive their diplomas. Joining the ranks of journeymen in their chosen trade, each of the 162 graduates shook hands with program heads including PSNS Commander Mark Whitney and Rear Admiral Richard Berkey, Pacific Fleet’s

Deputy Chief of Staff for Fleet Maintenance. The class of 162 was the latest in a series of growing classes, and the last to enroll less than 200, said Apprentice Association President Dan Timmons. According to Bryan Watland, administrator of the apprentice program, 207 students are currently on track to graduate in 2012. Spilling out into the lobby of the Bremerton High School auditorium after the ceremony, graduates shared common experience, and a few pieces of advice for future apprentices. “The hardest was keeping the end in sight and staying focused,” said Brittany Wildblood, who carried her infant son Dante onstage to receive her award, “the easiest was showing up.” “I had some tough times in the apprenticeship,” said Juan Palau. To those just entering the program, he said, “help for struggling students is there.” Dan Timmons, Apprentice Association president, said one point of pride for this

year’s class should be that they maintained a grade point average higher than the national average for college students in traditional academic programs. Watland said the 2011 class GPA was 3.70. All of the apprentices were initially selected out of the shipyard’s Helper Program, Timmons said. After selection, the students entered into the apprentice program proper. Watland described the partnership between Olympic College and the shipyard as a “cooperative education apprenticeship model.” Some staff in the program, Watland said, are shipyard employees, while those that teach purely academic disciplines are employed by the college. While working at the shipyard, students have access to staff and facilities at both institutions. Some classes, Watland said, also have non-essential “creative” components cut to tailor them to the technical nature of the apprentice program and fit

SEE PSNS | PAGE 7

THIS EDITION Understanding energy through golf ...........pg. 2 Size does matter, Sarah Smiley ....................pg. 4 Team Mullen departs serivce soon ......................pg. 5 USS Cleaveland pursues Axis powers ................ pg. 13


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