Chemeketa Community College

09/25/2026

Join us for Zumba/Dance Fitness this fall term.

Class Mondays & Wednesdays from 5:30-6:50 pm in Salem 6/125.

1-credit and non-credit options available

CCNs: Beginner 41676, Intermediate 45240, Advanced 41678, Non-credit 44521

09/24/2026

The Adventures of Bolt and Stormy: The Finale!

When we last left Bolt and Stormy, things were looking great. Thanks to Bolt’s round-the-clock care, Stormy was healthy, happy, and growing stronger every day. Bolt was sure it wouldn’t be long before his little friend was ready to return to the wild.

There was just one small problem.
Stormy kept growing. And growing. And growing.

To Bolt’s surprise (and considerable confusion), the tiny squirrel he had rescued eventually reached nearly six feet tall! At that point, Bolt realized releasing Stormy back into the wild probably wasn’t going to be an option.

Fortunately, Bolt had another idea. He introduced Stormy to Chemeketa’s Executive Team and asked if his supersized friend could stay at the college and become his official sidekick.

Of course, the answer was an enthusiastic YES!

And now it’s time for Stormy to meet all of you! During the first week of fall term, Bolt will be introducing Stormy around the Salem Campus. Watch for the two of them during the 9 a.m. hour and the noon hour, when they’ll be greeting students and employees and, of course, ready for selfies!

From tiny rescue to six-foot sidekick, Stormy’s journey has taken quite an unexpected turn. But we have a feeling this is only the beginning of the adventures of Bolt and Stormy.
Welcome to Chemeketa, Stormy!

09/23/2026

In this episode of Chatting with Chemeketa, President Jessica Howard and co-host Marie Hulett go behind the scenes to explore two very different ways Chemeketa helps people succeed. First, Associate Vice President of Human Resources Courtney Saldivar talks about what it’s like to work at Chemeketa, the wide variety of career opportunities available, and how the college finds the people who keep everything moving. Then, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Systems Planning Gary West introduces Navigate, a tool designed to help students connect with resources, plan their academic journey, and stay on track. Listen now at: https://chattingwithchemeketa.podbean.com/e/people-possibilities-and-a-little-help-navigating-college/

09/18/2026

The Adventures of Bolt and Stormy

After the big rescue, Bolt provided round-the-clock care for the baby squirrel. He decided to name it, Stormy. Before long, the little guy was growing stronger, healthier, and more energetic. Pleased with Stormy’s progress, Bolt was certain his tiny patient would soon be ready to return to the wild. Little did he know, Stormy had other plans... Check back to find out what happens next!

09/17/2026

In honor of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, celebrated from Sept. 13-19, 2026, and organized by the National Coalition for Literacy, Salem Mayor Julie Hoy made a City proclamation which was accepted by Chemeketa's Chief Workforce Innovation and Economic Development Officer Holly Nelson.

09/15/2026

Our very own Matt Geiger was on Everyday Northwest talking about how Chemeketa helps small business owners.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

09/10/2026

We love sharing success stories about our alumni:

HERMISTON — There are very few, if any, new structures built in Hermiston during the past 18 months that Heaven Doherty doesn’t know about. As building inspector for the city […]

09/10/2026

The ribbon is cut and the doors are open!

What a great day at Chemeketa as elected officials, community advocates, students and employees came together to celebrate the grand opening of our new Student Resource Hub!

More than a new space, the Hub brings essential student resources together in one welcoming, convenient location, including Chemeketa’s food pantry, clothing closet, access to community resources through a dedicated Benefits Navigator and the Student Emergency Relief Fund.

The goal is simple: make it easier for students to get the support they need so they can focus on what brought them to Chemeketa in the first place: their education and their future.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate this important new resource and to all of the community partners, advocates and employees whose work helps our students succeed every day.

09/09/2026

We're cheering for you, Jessica.

For Jessica, returning to college is about more than completing a degree. It’s about building a new future for herself and her four children.

Years ago, Jessica began pursuing an education in communication disorders, but life took her in another direction as she devoted her time to raising her family. Now, she’s back in college and working toward completing her Speech and Language Pathology Assistant degree at Chemeketa.

“After taking time to raise my four children, I am finally finishing my education,” Jessica said.

As a single mother rebuilding her life after divorce, Jessica knows what earning her degree will mean for her family. A scholarship through the Chemeketa Foundation is helping ease the financial pressure and giving her the stability to focus on completing her education and beginning a strong, independent career.

“This scholarship is much more than just financial assistance,” she said. “It is an affirmation of my commitment to building a new and secure future for my children and I.”

Jessica’s goals extend beyond her own family. As a future Speech and Language Pathology Assistant, she hopes to support children who need early intervention services, helping them develop the communication skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.

“I am passionate about serving the students and their families in my community,” Jessica said. “I am genuinely excited for my future and the opportunity this scholarship provides to complete my education and move forward with a strong, independent career.”

Thanks to the generosity of Chemeketa Foundation donors, students like Jessica have the opportunity to keep moving forward, even when the path to a degree takes a few unexpected turns.

Learn more about the Chemeketa Foundation and how you can support students at go.chemeketa.edu/foundation.

09/09/2026

The Adventures of Bolt and Stormy

When we last left Bolt, our hero had stumbled upon a tiny creature in big trouble: a baby squirrel who had taken an unexpected tumble from a nearby tree!

Luckily, this little squirrel couldn’t have landed in better hands. Bolt was a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and he knew exactly what to do. The best place for a baby squirrel was back home with its family, so Bolt searched the nearby trees, looking high and low for a nest.

But there was just one problem.

No nest.

With no safe way to reunite the little squirrel with its family, Bolt sprang into action. He brought the baby inside, tucked it somewhere warm and cozy, and made sure it had food, comfort, and all the care a tiny squirrel could possibly need.

For now, the little squirrel was safe. Keep checking back for what happens next!

Interested in how this cartoon pane was created?
First, we started with a photo of our New Quad, opened it in Adobe Photoshop, and applied various filter gallery filters, smart filters, and effects to give it a cartoony look.

Next, we created a black line drawing of Bolt and used photoshop to add flat colors, shadows, and highlights. We gave him a transparent background since he would be placed in the quad later and added our Storm logo to his chest using the warp tool to ensure it followed the contours of his chest.

For Stormy, we started with a student wearing the stormy costume and photographed him on a green screen. We converted the photo to a line drawing in photoshop and fine tuned the lines to make it easy to color. Next we added flat colors, then shadows, highlights, and hairs.

Now that we had all the elements, we added Bolt on a new photoshop layer above the quad photo and sized him appropriately. From there, we made another new layer and added and resized our Stormy image. Using a mask, we non-destructively "erased" the part of Stormy that needed to look as though it was behind Bolt's glove. And just like that, a new cartoon panel in the Bolt and Stormy adventure was finished.