SCC NEWS RELEASES

June 2005

EMS Graduate Finds New Meaning in Second Career - Early in life, Kim Anthony learned to focus on a goal and commit herself to hard work to attain what she wanted. At age 12 she knew she would need a car when she turned 16, so she began a baby sitting business and saved her money for the next four years. She got her car. ( . . full story)

SCC Emergency Medical Service Pinning Ceremony - Eight students in the Southwestern Community College Emergency Medical Services program recently took part in a pinning ceremony and celebration in Bryson City with their instructors and family members present. ( . . full story)

High-schoolers get ahead with dual enrollment - More students earning college credits early - It takes most college students at least four years to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. But 17-year-old Krystle Ashe found a way to save both time and money. While she was still at student at Smoky Mountain High School in Jackson County, she also took college-level classes at Southwestern Community College. This year, she graduated with both a high school diploma and an associate degree from Southwestern. ( . . read story in Asheville-Citizen Times)


Paul Wolf leads TV reporter to Rudolf hideout - Paul Wolf was the guide for the 11Alive team. Wolf teaches wilderness survival at Southwestern Community College in North Carolina. The location of Rudolph's lair was in steep terrain, one of the most rugged sections of the western North Carolina mountains. (read story on 11.alive.com)

A Basic Motorcycle Rider course will be offered by Southwestern Community College June 17, 18 and 19 at SCC's regional Public Safety Training Complex in Franklin. Developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, the course covers the basic fundamentals through which participants can become safe and responsible motorcyclists by developing the necessary physical and mental skills. ( . . more info)

Learn to Stand Up for Yourself: Assertiveness Workshop offered June 25 - SCC will offer a four-hour workshop, “Assertiveness: Selfish or Self-esteem?,” in June through which participants can gain communication skills essential to learning to stand up for oneself. The workshop is scheduled Saturday, June 25, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon in the Jane Woodruff Clinic in the Highlands/Cashiers Hospital. ( . . details)

Susan McCaskill named Vice President of Extension Education and Economic Development - ( . . full story)

New Century Scholars graduating from Smoky Mountain and Blue Ridge High Schools were honored May 10 during a celebration dinner at the Jarrett House in Dillsboro. ( . .details)

Southwestern Sizzlers - (see photos from May 13 Relay for Life walk)

SCC offers A/C and Refrigeration Certification Course - SCC will offer a course on air-conditioning and refrigeration recovery/recycling certification from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning May 31 in the Macon County Incubator Building. (. . details)

See Commencement Photo Gallery of photos taken May 6, 2005 during two commencement ceremonies at SCC.


Led by Pam Lambert Squirrel, this group of Southwestern Community College graduates from the Cherokee area are the first to graduate in a special program with degrees in Early Childhood Education-Teacher Associate.  ( . . read full story)

Gary Holland of Waynesville adjusts his cap during graduation ceremonies Friday, May 6, at SCC. Holland, who received his Associate of Applied Science degree in Radiography, was among the 363 students in SCC’s largest graduating class in its 40-year history. ( . . full story)

“I think I’ve got it!” Christopher David Hoover of Franklin puts the finishing touches on his tie before walking across the stage to receive his Associate of Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice ( . . read story)

Susanne Pittman of Bryson City straightens her cap in last-minute preparations for walking across the Balsam Center stage Friday night, May 6, to receive her Associate of Applied Science in Nursing during ceremonies at SCC. ( . . details)

Tina Jackson kisses her mom Becky Bridges during Southwestern Community College’s Commencement exercises Friday, May 6. The two Cherokee women graduated together ( . . full story)

Physical Therapist Assistant Students Honored at Pinning Ceremony ( . . full story)



Academic Awards Ceremony 2005 - “The more education you have, the greater the freedom you gain,” Joe Di Lillo told the Southwestern Community College students honored during the recent Academic Awards Ceremony. ( . . read story)

Southwestern Community College students from Swain County honored during the recent Academic Awards Ceremony . .  ( . . more)

Dennis Wilkey leaves with group from First Baptist Church of Sylva for 10-day mission trip to the Ukraine ( . . more)

Southwestern Community College will see the largest graduating class in its 40-year history ( . . details)

Three generations graduate together - Grandmother Verna Humphrey, 68, granddaughter Vickie Holzkneckt, 20, and mother Patti Graham, 44, all of Whittier, will graduate together Friday, May 6, during ceremonies at Southwestern Community College. Their family philosophy is, “If you are not learning, you are not growing as an individual.” ( . . read story)

April 2005

Respiratory Students Honored at Pinning Ceremony - Program director Gary Dillard and clinical education director Terri McQuiddy presented pins Friday, April 29, to the Southwestern Community College Respiratory Therapy Class of 2005. ( . . full story)

SCC's National Technical Honor Society Inducts New Members - April 20 during Spring Induction ceremonies on campus. ( . . full story)

SCC Sponsors Stress Workshop on April 25 - SCC's Business Assistance Center, Holiday Inn Express, and the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce will sponsor "Stressed? Just a Moment, Please," on Wednesday, April 27, in conjunction with Administrative Professionals' Day and National Small Business Week. ( . . more info)

Ten Students Inducted into Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society on April 12 - Ten students were inducted into Southwestern Community College’s Alpha Eta Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society during a candlelight ceremony Tuesday, April 12, in Myers Auditorium. ( . . full story)

Heavy Metal Round-up - Leadership Jackson participants round up old appliances to help clean up Jackson County in celebration of Earth Day, the Tuckaseigee River Clean Up and Greening Up the Mountains all happening later this month.
( . . details)

SCC Spanish Language Celebration - A celebration of Spanish and Latin American language and culture will fill the week at Southwestern Community College, April 18 through 22, with events for the entire community. While centered on Main Event Day, April 21, with free entertainment and ethnic food, the week will also include daily lectures, panel discussions, and a gala closing potluck dinner, lecture and dance on April 22. ( . . full story)

Chief Hicks honored - 2005 Outstanding Alumni Award - Michell Hicks, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, has received the prestigious 2005 Outstanding Alumni Award from the American Association of Community Colleges. A 1990 graduate of Southwestern Community College, Hicks was honored April 11 at the AACC Convention in Boston. ( . . read full story)


The President has her number - President Bush has DiAnne Crisp’s number. Crisp was honored for her work with the Ducks on the Tuck, a ducky derby held on the Tuckaseigee River to raise funds for Southwestern Community College’s New Century Scholars. Crisp, along with her husband, Mitch, and daughter, Katie, came up with the fund-raising idea that is now an annual event in its fifth year. ( . . full story)

Wachovia Scholarships Awarded - JoAnn Jones receives a $250 Wachovia Scholarship to attend SCC. Jones, a single mother of two, who has a GPA of 3.77, is a member of SCC’s Spanish Club and Human Services Club, volunteers as a Spanish tutor, assists SCC’s Student Services and serves on Sylva Mayor Brenda Oliver’s Multi-Cultural Task Force. Judy Wilkey of Sylva, not pictured, also received a Wachovia scholarship. She is a student in SCC’s Cyber Crime program, has a GPA of 3.3, is a weather spotter for WLOS-TV and is actively involved in the UNC Center for Public Television Telethon. ( . . full story)

See photos from SCC's 40th anniversary celebration held on Saturday, April 2 (. . photo gallery)

SCC Graduates - Then and Now - As Southwestern Community College observes its 40th anniversary, Johnny Childers and his daughter Jean Childers Scott have a special reason to celebrate. Scott will graduate in May with a degree in Early Childhood Education. Forty years ago her dad was a member of SCC’s first graduates, joining the rank of 11 other masonry students known as the “12 pioneers.” ( . . read full story)

Where Are We? Writer, naturalist, lecturer and historian, George Ellison, will speak on the history and beauty of the region Wednesday, April 6, at Southwestern Community College.  (. . more info)

Ellison offers birding workshops - Noted naturalist and writer George Ellison will lead two active workshops in the Cashiers-Highlands area in April and May through Southwestern Community College. Ellison will teach non-technical and easily learned methods for identifying birds by sight and by their distinctive songs. The group will carpool to pre-designated stops. Walks will be short and moderate. Participants are asked to bring a pair of binoculars and their favorite bird guide. ( . . full details)

March 2005

SCC’s yearlong celebration of its 40th anniversary will culminate Saturday, April 2 with a jam-packed day of free activities including live music, storytelling, craft demonstrations and sales, an antique car show and more - Upon arrival at the campus, event goers will be met in the parking lot by the sounds of a street pounder autosound competition and the sight of the free antique car show with emphasis on cars from the 60s. Beside the Balsam Center, kids can choose from several inflatable rides; and nearby, everyone can take to the sky with a free ride in a tethered hot air balloon. ( . . read full story)

Celebration begins with Heritage Alive! - The Ammons Sisters- Amy and Doreyl- will bring mountain heritage alive at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 2, during their spontaneous visual art and storytelling Heritage Alive! Performance in the Balsam Center Auditorium. Josh Bulla, an SCC student, will add music to the performance as he plays the bagpipes, Celtic harp, fiddle and Irish whistle. Judy Rhodes, a member of the Muses, a women's a capella ensemble, will add her own special blend of old-time singing. ( . . full story)

Acquoni Baptist Chapel Choir will perform at SCC's 40th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, April 2 - Under the direction of Jerri Kinsland, the choir will sing Southern gospel favorites in both English and Cherokee. The choir will join a line-up of free entertainment, all of which will be held in the Balsam Center Auditorium beginning at 11 a.m. (more info)

SCC sets record enrollment - SCC’s 2005 spring enrollment figures set a 40-year record with a total of 1,940 students registered, according to college officials. And this follows on a record fall enrollment. ( . . details)

The Convict Speaks, a book by John "Woody" Woodring, a 2001 graduate of SCC's Human Services and Substance Abuse program and a senior at WCU majoring in sociology, is now available at the college book store and at City Lights in Sylva. The book is a result of Woodring's years of reflection on what makes people take up lives outside the law and his correspondence with some of the nation's most notorious criminals. See the feature on Woodring in the March 10 issue of The Sylva Herald.

Elvis will arrive on campus Saturday, April 2, to liven up Southwestern Community College’s 40th anniversary celebration. When Wade Jones learned that, he decided to bring his Elvis cup and join the day-long festivities that begin on the Jackson campus at 11 a.m. Chris Monteith, an Elvis impersonator from Bryson City, said he can’t wait to meet this sales rep from Belmont who has become famous for selling “Elvis water” on eBay for $455. Jones gained national attention in December when he sold three tablespoons of water from his 28-year-old Styrofoam cup he says Elvis once sipped from during a 1977 concert in Charlotte. ( . . full story)

Whodunit? will be the question Friday, April 1, when Southwestern Community College Foundation presents Cast Offed, an interactive murder mystery, as part of its eighth annual dinner theatre fund raiser. ( . . full story)

SCC students prepare car for REACH - Through a collaboration between Andy Shaw Ford and SCC, this 1996 Ford Taurus Wagon will benefit one of REACH of Jackson County’s clients. Larry Hinton at the Ford dealership received the wagon on a trade in and gave it to Pete Wolosin, left, and his automotive technology students to work on as part of their hands-on classroom. ( . . details)

Connie Haire appointed as Vice President in charge of the proposed SCC Macon County Campus - SCC announced today that Dr. Connie Haire, Vice President, Student and Institutional Development, has been assigned to head the new SCC Macon Center in Franklin scheduled for opening the summer of 2006. ( . . read full story)

Take a tour of Jackson County at the turn of the 20th century during a noon slide presentation Tuesday, March 15, at Southwestern Community College’s auditorium in the Balsam Center.George Frizzell, head of special collections at Western Carolina University, will give a history of the county, traveling town-by-town, and featuring people, places and buildings from 1890 to 1950. ( . . details)

Positive Interpersonal Skills: The Key to Personal and Business Profits - Four workshops designed to help people learn skills to deal with challenges in the workplace and their personal lives will be offered at the SCC Macon Center in March and April. All will be led by Reggie Babcock. ( . . more info)

February 2005

Is it fun to work at your place? - Learn about the relationship between sustained profits and fun in a class called “Giggling Gorillas and Productive People” offered by Southwestern Community College on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning March 8. The class will be from 3-5:30 p.m. at the Macon Center and will run through March 24. The 15-hours course carries 1.5 CEUs and cost $55. ( . . more info)

Special Events Workshop Scheduled - Learn the skills needed to plan and run special events successfully during a workshop on Friday, March 4. “Special Events That Count” will be offered through Southwestern Community College and Mountain Stewardship Alliance on March 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Macon Bank Corporate Center in Franklin. ( . . details)

Relay for Life event planned for Thursday evening, Feb 24 at SCC - A reception to honor cancer survivors, their friends and family members will be held Thursday, Feb. 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Bradford Conference Room at SCC. ( . . more info)

SCC Hosts FAFSA Day - SCC will host Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Day here for students and their families. Ours will be the only site in the region other than Asheville where students and their families will be able to take advantage of this service. Please help us reach them with this information. ( . . details)

SCC's Spanish Club invites you to its first “FIESTA” for 2005 Dance to the music of the Mojito Latino Band during a Noche de Colores Fiesta Friday, Feb. 25, at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center. The band, led by Tito Amaya from El Salvador, is based in Asheville. ( . . more details)

Verizon contributes 'Beyond the Classroom'
- Local Verizon manager Ralph Henson presents Southwestern Community College foundation director Sonja Haynes a check for $7,500 to be used for the Beyond the Classroom mini-grant program. ( . . full story)

“Overcoming the Good, the Bad and the Ugly When Writing a Contract,” a one-day workshop offered at Southwestern Community College’s Macon County Center on Monday, Feb. 21, from 6 to 9 p.m., will answer these and other questions for the entrepreneur. ( . . more info)

“Managing a Multicultural Workplace” is scheduled Friday, Feb. 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the SCC Cashiers Center. The workshop will be led by Michael Caudill, president of InterCultural Advantage, a consulting practice that helps clients better manage problems and opportunities of the changing workplace. ( . . details)

January 2005

'Chasing something they haven't caught yet' Hatton offers seasoned educators chance to reflect - By Carey King - Reading Sara Hatton's new book is just like sitting in a room with all those schoolhouse greats. "Teaching by Heart: The Foxfire Interviews" is a compilation of Hatton's talks with 15 of the most prominent educators of past decades – Robert Coles, Vivian Paley, Ira Shor, Alfie Kohn – but instead of discussing educational theory, the interviewees get personal and share what they've learned after spending years in the classroom. (read full story in the Sylva Herald)

SCC’s Pennington selected for statewide leadership program - Laura Pennington, director of community and resource development at Southwestern Community College, was selected as one of 36 participants in N.C. Community College Leadership Program’s class of 2004-2005. ( . . read full story)

Entrepreneurs Can Avoid Business Killers. Mistakes can be great learning tools; but for a businessperson, they can mean disaster. An upcoming seminar offered by Southwestern Community College is designed to steer entrepreneurs away from such a calamity. ( . . details)

Seminar offered on workplace addiction. Recognizing and Dealing With Addictions in the Workplace will be addressed during a seminar on Friday, Feb. 4, in both Franklin and Dillsboro. It will be held from 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m. at Angel Medical Center in Franklin and from 1-4 p.m. at the Best Western in Dillsboro. ( . . details)

Lynn Hopkins attributes saving a child to her SCC training. Saving a child's life is big deal hero stuff. That's what Lynn Hopkins did on Thursday. But she says she's not a hero. She just did what she would do for any of her children. (read full story in the Franklin Press)

Ten Southwestern Community College students were recently inducted into the National Vocational-Technical Honor Society ( . .more)

Plans revealed for new Macon Campus. Mike Watson, architect with Bowers, Ellis & Watson of Asheville, illustrated where Southwestern Community College's new Macon Center will be located on Siler Road near the intersection of U.S. 64 and U.S. 441 - From beginnings in 1974 of a small office in the courtroom, director Norman Gilbert and one secretary, Southwestern Community College’s presence in Macon County has grown to soon include a technologically-advanced $4.9 million facility on a 31-acre campus.  ( . . full story)

A professional development workshop at SCC attracted 138 participants from 13 NC community colleges. Dr. Richard Paul led participants through a series of interactive exercises to help them enhance their skills in higher level thinking. Paul is Director of Research and Professional Development at the Center for Critical Thinking. He is also the chair of the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking and the author of eight books and over 200 articles on the subject. (. . more)

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