PRESS RELEASES May 2006
Holyoke Community College announces new certificate course in Gerontology
Latino Mural Project set to unveil canvas, May 10
Springfield resident Nicole Darden will go on to Mount Holyoke College
HCC graduate never believed "the experts"
HCC grad Joseph Carey will attend Amherst College this fall
Six valedictorians and one salutatorian will be honored for academic achievement
May 1, 2006
Robots to take over HCC on May 6
Close to 100 elementary, middle and high school students from throughout Western Massachusetts will descend on Holyoke Community College on May 6 for the second annual Robotics Fair, to be held in the Frost Building , room 265 from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
The press is invited to attend.
There will be battling sumo-bots and other displays of technological wizardry as teams of students, ages 10 to 18, compete against each other to see who has created the smartest, the strongest, and the most inventive metal monster. The erstwhile Dr. Frankensteins have been mentored by teachers from their respective schools and will be prepared to explain how their robots were conceived.
Participants will come from districts throughout the region, including: Greenfield, Westfield, Southampton, Springfield, Turner Falls, Monson, South Hadley, North Adams, Amherst, Shelburne Falls, Southbridge, Palmer and Wilbraham.
This event is sponsored by HCC and the University of Massachusetts with a grant from the Commonwealth Information Technology Initiative.
May 1, 2006
Holyoke Community College announces new certificate course in Gerontology
The HCC Center for Business & Professional Development is now taking registrations for a new 40-hour certificate course in gerontology that begins May 10.
This not-for-credit course will provide interactive specialty training in the field of long-term care. The course will be held Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from May 10 to June 7 in the new Kittredge Center for Business and Community on the HCC campus, 303 Homestead Avenue , Holyoke .
To register visit
http://thecenter-hcc.org/excare.htm#gerontologycertificate or call Maria at the center, (413) 552-2122.
The course has been designed for licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, social workers, and advanced certified nurse aides working in long-term care organizations. Professionals requiring continuing education units will be able to apply this course to those requirements. Registered nurses planning to sit for the ANCC credentialing exam may use this course to prepare for the exam. This course is also open to individuals who are interested in finding out about the aging process. It will be particularly useful for individuals who are caring for older friends or relatives, or who provide home care for the elderly.
According to the Administration on Aging, there were 35.9 million individuals over the age of 65 in 2003 - or about 12.3% of the U.S. population. By 2030, the group estimates, there will be about 71.5 million people aged 65 or older.
May 3, 2006
Latino Mural Project set to unveil canvas, May 10
The public is invited to Holyoke Community College May 10 for the official unveiling and installation of a very special mural depicting day-to-day life in the city of Holyoke .
The artists will be available to discuss their work at 11 a.m. in the Leslie Phillips Forum.
The canvas is the handiwork of the Latino Mural Collaborative Project, a group of HCC students and Holyoke teens who were challenged to identify and illustrate the sources of hope in their lives. Under the supervision of Montague-based artist Deborah Savage, the team met twice a week during this past winter, planning and painting their masterpiece. The result is a colorful eight-by-40-foot canvas which will be displayed at HCC.
The public is invited to meet with the young artists at 11 a.m. in the Leslie Phillips Forum, where they will discuss the process that led to the final mural. At noon, the mural itself will be unfurled and installed on the external wall of President William F. Messner's office.
The project is funded by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and co-sponsored by the Children's Museum of Holyoke , the Holyoke Department of Juvenile Justice, AVANZA, and Holyoke Community College .
May 4, 2006
The Holyoke Community College Division of Nursing will mark National Nurses Week on May 8 with a noontime recognition ceremony in the Marieb Building , room 116.
The press is invited to attend this event, which will recognize four of the 39 registered nurse candidates who will be graduating from HCC this spring. There will also be an appearance by Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan, who will read a proclamation.
According to Nursing Professor Leona Florek, four students will be recognized for their unique accomplishments: one will receive an award for the highest grade point average; another will be recognized for demonstrating compassionate care; two others will be recognized for their clinical work.
May 11, 2006
HOLYOKE - The graduation season got off to an early start for the 11 students enrolled in Holyoke Community College 's ophthalmic assisting program, who received their certificates in early May.
In the attached photo are graduates and adjunct faculty in the ophthalmic assisting program. From left to right: Adjunct faculty Pam Brough, Tiffany Ellison, Mary Bartley, Jennifer Breen, Angel Girimonti, Carrie D'Annolfo, Kelley Sicard, Tiffany Thurston, Viktoriya Merkulova, Dianne Stevens, Heidi Strack, Dean of Allied Health & Science, Mary Farrell, dean of allied health and science, and Cheryl Waterhouse, adjunct faculty.
The two-semester program trains students in many aspects of ophthalmology, both in the classroom and in the lab. Almost all of the students enrolled in this program have already accepted positions in ophthalmology, where the starting pay is between $11 and $14 per hour, says Mary Farrell, dean of HCC's Allied Health, Education, and Human Service Division. With practice, further study, and certification, ophthalmic assistants can make as much as $25 per hour, Farrell added.
The program has been at HCC for five years and has been accredited by the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology, the credentialing body for ophthalmic assistants.
Graduating from the program are: Tiffany Ellison, Mary Bartley, Jennifer Breen, Angel Girimonti, Carrie D'Annolfo, Kelley Sicard, Tiffany Thurston, Viktoriya Merkulova, Dianne Stevens, and Heidi Strack.
Instructors in this program are HCC adjunct faculty Pam Brough, R.N., B.S., of the Balin Eye & Laser Center , and Cheryl Waterhouse, C.O.T, of Baystate Eye Care Group.
May 22, 2006
Holyoke Community College announced this week that it will honor six individuals with Distinguished Service Awards during the college's 59 th annual commencement ceremonies, Saturday, June 3.
The ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. in the O'Connell Memorial Soccer Field.
This honor recognizes the achievements of individuals whose dedication and outstanding service to HCC have enhanced the value of the undergraduate experience and improved the quality of life for all on campus. The recipients of this award are: retired HCC President David M. Bartley, a Holyoke resident; retired Director of Planning and Assessment Laura Clausen Coelen, a Leverett resident; retired Nursing Department Director Patricia B. Triggs, a Springfield resident; and retiring HCC Board of Trustees members Paul D. Boudreau (South Hadley), Harold F. Brunault (Holyoke) and Martin D. Browne (West Springfield).
May 23, 2006
On June 3, Springfield resident Nicole Darden will graduate from Holyoke Community College with an enviable 3.67 grade point average, a membership in the prestigious Phi Theta Kappa honor society, and an acceptance letter from Mount Holyoke College-one of the premier four-year colleges in the nation-where she'll pursue a baccalaureate degree in psychology.
What she won't have are limits-on her academic ambitions or her future.
She's worked hard to earn that freedom.
Born with a learning disability that made it difficult to process language, Nicole Darden spent much of her childhood trailing her classmates academically. From fourth until eighth grade, she was in special education classes. She didn't stay there, however.
"My parent knew that it wasn't that I could not learn. I just learned differently fromothers," she said. "Because of the support of my parents and my hard work I was able to attend Cathedral High School in Springfield which did not offer special education classes."
Years before, a dance teacher warned Darden about the dangers of living down to other people's misconceptions. Darden remembers her words:
"She said 'There are people in this world that will tell you that because you have brown skin you are not going to make it. You have to know who you are, what you believe, and not take on the labels society place on you.'"
When Darden first came to HCC in 2003, she had the goal of learning to be an administrative assistant. Her ambitions shifted as she took classes in African-American literature and history and women's studies
"I found myself on a journey of self discovery," she said. "My professors-Jane Vecchio and Diane Beers-helped me to stop doubting myself and to realize I was not only good enough, but smart enough as well. They convinced me that I had a lot to contribute to class discussions and to the HCC community," she said.
Darden didn't confine this philosophy to the classroom. While at HCC, she was active in the student senate, the African-American student club, and the college's major fund raising effort, The Gift of Opportunity campaign. Her efforts were recognized by the college community: Darden was named her Class Orator and was asked to address her fellow graduates at the 59 th annual commencement.
"HCC taught me how to go after what I want," she said. "My time here at HCC showed me that I could make a difference and touch people's lives. HCC gave me the foundation I needed to succeed. And there is no doubt in my mind that I will continue to succeed."
May 23, 2006
There wasn't any Pomp and Circumstance the last time Donna L. Silva graduated. This time will be different.
The Easthampton resident has earned an associate degree in liberal arts and
will join nearly 900 students at the 59 th Commencement at Holyoke Community
College on June 3. She will take some additional classes at HCC to prepare for
a transfer to Westfield State College, hopefully in January of 2007.
"This is a time to celebrate," she said. "I can hardly wait."
Silva has already waited a long time. In her wallet, the 43-year-old mother of two carries a dog-eared card that proves she earned a graduate equivalency diploma (GED) nearly two decades ago. She smiles when she pulls it out.
"I wanted my kids to see that quitting is wrong," she says of her lonely struggle to earn that card. "I wanted them to see me succeed."
Success was hard to come by when Silva was in high school. She had not yet been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD), so her learning style was a mystery to her and her teachers. She also suffered quietly with several breaks and fractures to her back, hip, shoulder and knees which would not be diagnosed or treated for years. The pain of those injuries still lingers with her today, but you'd never know it to talk with her.
"When I was in high school, they put me in resource rooms because I didn't always understand what the teacher was saying. I thought I was stupid, to put it in plain English," she said.
As she became familiar with her own learning style, Silva developed a different perspective on her earlier struggles:
"High school was very verbal, with no pictures or images to help me along. And that's how I learn: I have to see things to understand them," she said.
At HCC, Silva found herself surrounded by people who understood her abilities and cheered her on. She blossomed in her electronic media classes, where her ability to figure out programs by looking at them was often an advantage. She was initially afraid that math would be her academic undoing, but those fears proved unfounded.
"I just keep plugging away," she said. "I've never been one of those people who'll give up."
When Silva struggled with her studies, teachers and mentors got together to make sure she didn't compromise her health to make the grade.
"Wayne Nelson (HCC learning specialist) and Jay Ducharme (electronic media teacher)got together when they saw me stressing. I lose weight when I stress and they could see I was getting too skinny," she said. "I didn't know what I was going to do, but they showed me a way to graduate."
Silva made use of that support system last year, when her youngest child, James, was diagnosed with cancer. Then a junior at Easthampton High School , James had to undergo months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, which left him exhausted and unable to attend school. That doesn't mean Donna Silva's son won't graduate however.
"He was supposed to graduate this June, but he'll graduate in June 2007," said Silva. "He's a smart kid. He doesn't need to study, but I'm making sure they give him the tutors he needs."
May 23, 2006
Space still available for Disney Institute workshop
Reservations are now being taken for Team Creativity, Disney-Style , a one-day professional development program, June 6, facilitated by the Disney Institute and hosted by Holyoke Community College , 303 Homestead Avenue , Holyoke .
Sponsored by HCC's Center for Business and Professional Development, the program features facilitated discussions that will help participants apply Disney best practices in their own organizations. The program will be held in the newly opened Kittredge Center for Business and Community and will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Space is limited, so participants are encouraged to reserve immediately. Reservations will be taken until June 3.
Among the program benefits, participants will learn how to:
• Nurture an organizational culture that creates maximum value
• Use the creative process to increase overall productivity
• Leverage talent and goals to establish high-performance teams and foster creativity and performance
Registration and tuition fees for the program are $349 per participant, and include course materials, continental breakfast, and lunch. For information or to register, call the Center for Business and Professional Development (413) 552-2122 .
Thousands of business leaders from more than 35 countries and 40 industries have attended business programs at Disney Institute. At the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disney Institute offers a variety of regularly scheduled, multi-day professional development programs that explore topics such as leadership, service, people management, organizational creativity and successful selling. Disney Institute also offers a variety of business presentations, workshops and customized programs for groups meeting at the Walt Disney World in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in California .
HCC's creative co-sponsor, Baliseauto.com, has underwritten this event to keep the price affordable. For more information about Disney Institute, call (407) 566-2620, or visit www.disneyinstitute.com .
May 24, 2006
HCC graduate never believed "the experts"
HOLYOKE -Geraldo H. Cotton knows the experts don't always get it right. It's a lesson he learned a long time ago.
"When I was a kid, I was placed in special needs classes, because my life was unstable. My parents were always moving, trying to get their life together.My home was dysfunctional, and there was domestic violence," says the soft-spoken Holyoke resident.
"But I knew I didn't have special needs. I was very articulate. I was just going through a hard struggle that didn't permit me to use my intelligence to its fullest capacity.I kept looking around at everyone in my classes and I'm saying: 'Why did they put me in here?'"
On June 3, Cotton, 40, will graduate from Holyoke Community College with a degree in liberal arts. He will transfer to Westfield State College this fall. Cotton's grade point average - a healthy 3.265 - is proof enough that he has what it takes to shine academically. It will earn him a 33 percent credit on his tuition at Westfield , under the state's Tuition Advantage program.
Cotton's ambition - to become a clinical social worker - is a testimony to the lessons he learned along the way.
"I want to work with people who have been victims-of domestic violence, of rape, of society," he said. "I want to work with people who have disabilities, because my heart's in it and because people were there for me when I needed them."
Cotton dropped out of college twice before he came to Holyoke Community College in 2002, aiming for a degree in pharmaceutical science. He remembers vividly how HCC Director of Academic Administration Idelia Smith convinced him that failure was not an option this time.
"I went to Idelia because I knew her and I had a feeling she could help me," he said. "She said to me 'I believe in my heart that you are going to do it, that this is the time for you to do it, and I am going to give you that opportunity to make it happen.'"
Cotton already knew what it was like to experience success as a musician. With a four-octave range, he had been featured in the Western Massachusetts District Choir while he
was a student at Holyoke High School . He had also recorded an album, "Poze" under the MicMac label.
But academic success had eluded him the first two times he came to HCC. The third time, he had a strong personal motivation to move beyond his previous efforts. His late mother had asked him, on her deathbed, to continue his studies.
"I made a promise to her that I'd go back to school and finish," he said. "I knew deep down inside that it was time to do it."
Cotton quickly connected with faculty and staff at HCC. In particular, he credits his academic advisor, Karen Reidl, Theatre Professor Patricia Sandoval, and Multicultural Program Coordinator Myriam Quinones with helping him find his place at the school. Between them, they introduced Cotton to the math tutors, the writing coaches, and other resources he would use to forge ahead. They listened to his problems when he was flagging, and encouraged him to try new things.
"They became the boats, carrying me over to the next level," Cotton says of his HCC mentors. "They helped me see how far I could go."
On Saturday, June 3, Cotton will thank his many friends at HCC by singing a song that he composed for the commencement ceremonies.
May 31, 2006
SOUTH HADLEY - Joseph Carey doesn't blame anyone for his past missteps, but there is a long list of people he'd like to thank for launching him on a bright future.
A lot of those people are at Holyoke Community College , where the South Hadley resident will graduate with a sterling 3.7 grade point average on June 3. Next fall, he plans to continue his education as a liberal arts major at Amherst College .
The road to this point has been anything but straightforward.
Joseph Carey graduated from Holyoke Catholic High School in 1998 with a 'D' average. Attitude, not aptitude, was the sticking point.
"I knew I was capable, but I didn't see the pay off in school," said Carey, 25. "So I aced the art and religion courses I liked and I skipped everything else. It was all A's and F's and not a lot in between."
Carey arrived at HCC that fall with a similar educational game plan. Some would call it academic cherry picking:
"I took all English and theatre classes that I loved my first year," he said. "Then I signed up for other classes like math and science but I didn't show up for them."
It didn't take long for that strategy to fail.
Carey spent the next few years working odd jobs, traveling a little, and questioning the world around him. He went to Ecuador with a church group, was born again as a Christian, worked at a residential school for troubled youth, got married, and even managed a bookstore. His experiences gave him a more measured perspective on life, but no clear direction.
"For all of the legacy of non-conformity, there was still an element of youthful irresponsibility," he said. "I am sure that some kids did things that were very meaningful because they had some big plan. For me, it wasn't exactly like that."
Carey's plans became more focused 19 months ago when he and his wife, Kristin, gave birth to their first child, Aniela. Again, he turned to HCC for help.
"I'd applied for 50 jobs, and didn't get any of them. It felt like I'd have to go to school if I was going to be able to support my daughter," he said.
Carey took advantage of HCC's "Fresh Start" option, which eliminates failing coursework from a student's transcripts if that student has been absent from HCC for at least three years.
And what about those science and math courses he so disdained the first time around?
"First and foremost, I think if you have the right motivation, you can get yourself interested in anything. Supporting my daughter means everything to me," he said. "And when I took those courses at HCC, I did get a lot out of them."
After years of poo-pooing the idea of college, Carey nursed a little anxiety about his return to campus. He credits his HCC teachers with making his "fresh start" work. English teacher Kim Hicks convinced him to do honors work by insisting he could incorporate his own interests into the assignments he was given by his teachers. Biology teacher Brian Hagenbuch won him over by relating the science of living things to the nature writers that Carey loved to read - Henry David Thoreau and Aldo Leopold. And when Carey told Psychology Professor Mark Lange that he wanted to learn more about a subject they covered in class, Lange invited Carey to join other seekers in a non-credit colloquium.
Carey's eyes light up when he remembers the experience:
"We would go to Mark's house and his wife would make us food and we'd discuss this study that a Harvard (University) professor was doing comparing Freud and C. S. Lewis. Mark will never see a dime for that, but he certainly brought the material to life."
Carey has toyed with the idea of following in Lange's footsteps, eventually teaching psychology at a community college. But he is careful not to peg himself. He will major in Liberal Arts or Interdisciplinary Studies at Amherst College . After that, who knows?
"I could see myself teaching. But I'd also like to live in a treehouse in Australia and write rock operas," he said. "What will be good for my daughter will come before what I think is fascinating. If the opportunity presents itself, I'll try to have it all."
May 31, 2006
HCC to graduate 883 at 59th annual commencement ceremonies, June 3
Six valedictorians and one salutatorian will be honored for academic achievement
HOLYOKE - Holyoke Community College has named six graduating students as valedictorians for the class of 2006. These six, and a salutatorian, will be honored at the 59 th annual commencement ceremony, Saturday, June 3 at 10:00 a.m. at the O'Connell Memorial Soccer Field.
The college will confer 898 degrees and certificates to 883 students during the ceremonies, which will be held in the David M. Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation if it rains.
Students who have completed their studies with a perfect 4.0 grade point average are named as valedictorians.
Honored as 2006 valedictorians are: David M. Bennett, Associate in Science, Business Administration (Northampton ); Pamela S. Flemma, Associate in Arts, Arts and Science (South Hadley); Mark A. Goodman, Associate in Science, Computer Information Systems (Easthampton); Corey A. Grant, Associate in Science, Opticianry (Lawrence); Dominick S. Marti, Associate in Arts, Arts and Science (); and Karen H. Sise,
Associate in Arts, Arts and Science (Easthampton).
This year's salutatorian, Russell A. Nowak of Conway, earned a 3.982 grade point average and will graduate with an Associate in Arts in Arts and Science.
For more information on HCC's commencement ceremonies, please call Anne B. Garber at (413) 552-2259 or Natalia Munoz at (413) 552-2183.