A 'once-in-a-lifetime' class: English professor ties Centralia College's centennial to 100 years of 'The Great Gatsby'

May 25-Jeff Birkenstein heard it for years. The current generation doesn't read books.

This spring, the second-year Centralia College professor thought he'd try something different for his English 102 sections: he'd not only assign a book, but have the students read it in class.

Picking the book came easy.

Birkenstein, who holds a doctorate in English from the University of Kentucky, had long taught "The Great Gatsby" as part of a class called "Chasing the American Dream."

Often credited as one of the best English-language novels ever written, "The Great Gatsby" held another advantage over literary contenders: the lean story is told in under 50,000 words.

"It's 180 pages," Birkenstein said. "It's nine chapters. You can really tackle it together."

Birkenstein had his book. But he still wanted a fresh topic to interest students.

A historical coincidence brought a timely touch to his budding idea.

In April 2025, F. Scott Fitzgerald's seminal work turned 100 years old. Five months later, Centralia College hit its own century mark.

Birkenstein had found his "once-in-a-lifetime" class: "The Great Gatsby, Centralia College, and 100 Years of the American Dream."

"It just sort of all came together," the assistant professor said.

In class, Birkenstein uses the novel and the dual centennials to provide students with a starting point for larger discussion and, ultimately, inspiration for their quarter essays.

"As a writing teacher, I teach often about micro and macro," Birkenstein said. "You look at the large and the small."

Students aren't obligated to compare Gatsby's story - or its themes about class and wealth - to Centralia College, or draw parallels from 100 years ago to today. Though they could. They don't even necessarily have to write about "The Great Gatsby."

As the assignment description says: "There are many other topics for the class, from local politics and history to community colleges to some aspect of the American Dream."

"I sort of provide the structure and then hopefully students take it wherever they want within that," Birkenstein said.

Birkenstein does have one rule: AI is off-limits, and not just for the obvious reason that he expects students to actually write in a writing class. It's also about teaching students how to form a well-structured argument, a critical function of the essay.

"It will always be true that if you are able to better engage your critical thinking skills, you'll be able to use AI, which isn't going away," Birkenstein said.

This quarter, Birkenstein brought in four guest speakers funded by the Centralia College Foundation. Robert C. Hauhart, Ph.D., J.D., and Jamie Olson, Ph.D., both professors at Saint Martin's University, each discussed elements of the "American Dream."

Centralia College English professor Sharon Mitchler, Ph.D., followed up with a presentation called "On Teaching and Learning at Centralia College."

Julie McDonald Zander rounded out the series. The journalist, editor, author, personal historian and longtime columnist for The Chronicle wrote "Centralia College: Its People and Their Stories," published in 2016.

She also edited the memoir of former longtime Centralia College president Henry Port Kirk III. McDonald said she's published 90 personal histories since launching her business, Chapters of Life, in 1999.

During a May 18 presentation, McDonald shared history from the college's first 100 years, starting with its humble beginnings under founder C.L. Littel, then superintendent of Centralia schools, and dean Margaret Corbet.

Known as Centralia Junior College, the school held its first classes in September 1925 on the third floor of Centralia High School. There were only 15 students.

The nascent college nearly folded just eight years later during the Great Depression. Many students couldn't afford tuition or had to work to help their families. Enrollment plummeted.

Then the banks closed.

"(Corbet) went to every single staff member and asked, 'What's the minimum you can have to survive on for a month?'" McDonald said.

The school board sought donations from the community.

"And by 1936, the 62 people who contributed money to them had all been repaid. So that kept the college open then," McDonald said.

The college endured during World War II, despite the majority of the student body - as well as staff - either enlisting or working to support domestic manufacturing efforts.

Only three students graduated in 1945. But the doors stayed open.

"Today, a century after it started, Centralia College covers more than 30 beautifully landscaped acres in the heart of the city, with modern buildings, and a talented team of 260 faculty and staff who serve more than 10,000 students each year," McDonald said.

Not only that, Centralia College is the "oldest continuously operating two-year public college in the state of Washington," as former president Kirk was known to say, according to McDonald.

Much of McDonald's source material came from past articles in The Chronicle, or interviews she conducted with former faculty and staff. She also drew from recorded interviews of staff members compiled by history professor Les Dooley in the 1980s.

"So I was able to get stories from people who had passed away long ago, but their stories were still there," McDonald said.

Those interviews, McDonald said, made "history come to life."

Like the story of a "rather odd" biology teacher who tried to freeze a puppy in the early 1960s. The dog, who'd been placed in a bucket of ice for the lab experiment, quickly began to howl.

A student down the hall heard the howls and alerted administrators. The dog was saved, and the teacher told to resign.

"I really believe what Rudyard Kipling said: 'If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten,'" McDonald said.

In Birkenstein's class, the students' stake in the college's centennial is more than academic - it's participatory. One assignment requires an essay written to readers 100 years from now.

The students can also choose to include their essay as part of the college's official time capsule, to be opened by future Trailblazers in 2126.

"It's sobering for them to think about speaking to people beyond when they're gone," Birkenstein said.

The time capsule dedication was held on campus May 21.

Teaching at Centralia College has been a "full-circle" experience for Birkenstein. The California native first attended Orange Coast College, a community college in Costa Mesa, before continuing his education at University of California, Los Angeles.

After earning his doctorate, Birkenstein went on to teach at Saint Martin's University for two decades. As a Fulbright Scholar, Birkenstein taught in Russia in 2013.

"My community college took me around the world, and it can happen here too," Birkenstein said.

It's a message he imparts to students in Centralia.

"A lot of people when they first come (to community college), they don't think that the whole world is open to them, but it is," Birkenstein said.

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