MCC-BTC shines at Skills USA

The 46th annual Skills USA Conference returned to KC's Bartle Hall and MCC-Business & Technology June 21-24. More than 5,000 outstanding career and technical education students competed hands-on in 96 different trade, technical and leadership fields.

Students worked against the clock and each other proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts.

MCC-BTC hosted a portion of the competition in its state-of-the-art Precision Machining lab.

SCOREBOARD!

Crews spent all day Tuesday tearing down the old scoreboard that for more than 25 years stood just beyond the outfield fence at the MCC-Longview baseball fields.

The board was being replace with an new board that will be ready to use once baseball season starts up again in the spring semester.



The original baseball scoreboard was donated by the MCC-Longview student government in 1984 and has not worked in the past season due to its age. Coaches and athletics department officials said they were excited to have a new scoreboard when they start the season next year.

For more photos from the scoreboard installation click here.

Teacher of the Year Award

Debbie Moore-Hargrove, community relations specialist at MCC-Penn Valley, recently received the June 2010 Kansas City Missouri Adult Basic Education Award for Teacher of the Year.

“I have been teaching GED classes at Penn Valley for 6 years,” said Moore-Hargrove. “A progress report was given stating that my sight made the most progress, so I feel honored about receiving this prestigious award.”

The award was given at the June 17 GED graduation at UMKC Pierson Hall. One of Moore-Hargrove students, Miranda Gilmore, was valedictorian and received a scholarship to attend Penn Valley and UMKC.

“Many of my students transition from my GED class to Penn Valley which promotes better education for them and helps them progress,” she added.

For more information about GED classes, visit: http://mcckc.edu/main.asp?P=TAGed

MCC-Maple Woods’ Winchester on fire for Barnstormers

Zack Winchester, freshman infielder and pitcher for the MCC-Maple Woods Monarchs, is leading the Jefferson County Barnstormers to an impressive 13-3 record this summer. The 2009 Hillsboro High School graduate, who just finished a solid pitching season for Maple Woods, currently leads the Barnstormers in batting and homeruns, and is also the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association’s (SLABA) top hitter.

Winchester played all four infield positions for the Monarchs in addition to pitching, finishing the season with a 5-2 record and average more than a strikeout per inning. He was also one of the best hitters on the team, although near the end of the season he focused primarily on pitching due to a rash of injuries to several other Monarchs starters. Winchester will return to the team this fall as a sophomore.

Walter-Mack appointed to Chief of Staff

Kathy Walter-Mack has been appointed to a key leadership role at MCC. Walter-Mack will serve as chief of staff to the chancellor. She will be responsible for facilitating communication between the chancellor and employees, leading the district’s diversity efforts, developing community contacts and providing legal counsel, among other duties.

Walter-Mack’s appointment comes as Mark James assumes the role of MCC chancellor. James has served as vice chancellor of administrative services since January 2009 and was appointed to chancellor designee by MCC’s board of trustees in January 2010.

“Kathy has played a significant role for MCC as director of urban affairs and inclusion,” said James. “Her extensive legal and policy experience in the field of education and ties to the Kansas City metropolitan area made her an obvious choice to serve as my chief of staff.”

Walter-Mack has served as director of urban affairs and inclusion at MCC since April
2009 and previously had provided legal services to the district. She will assume the role on July 1.

Message from Mark James - Transition

Good afternoon students and colleagues of MCC,

On July 1, 2010 I will assume the responsibilities of chancellor of MCC. As chancellor, I will become your biggest advocate. During a recent campus town hall meeting I was asked what my top priority would be. I gave a multi-part answer because of the intricacies of our many challenges. When I finished my answer, the astute questioner succinctly summarized for me that my job as chancellor will be, “to keep the doors open”. I readily accept the charge but I will go one step further--not only will I keep the doors open, but I will aggressively look for new doors for MCC to walk through.

While all public institutions are faced with significant economic challenges, MCC has unprecedented opportunities before us. However, before we can maximally avail ourselves of these opportunities, we have to get our house in order, and this starts with creating a culture of unity of effort. Working with the Chancellor’s Cabinet, I will challenge everyone to think and work beyond their immediate sphere of influence in making MCC fiscally sound for the future and more effective in preparing students, serving communities, and creating opportunities. We have some tough decisions ahead and we are going to tackle them together, not in organizational stovepipes or silos. While unity of effort will be the enabler, the following priorities will be my focus during fiscal year 2011:

· Identifying Revenue Growth Opportunities
· Budget – FY12 and Beyond
· Updating of Policies
· Communication

In the coming weeks, I will share more specific ideas within each of these strategic areas. As we move forward, I will work to ensure our workplace is civil, lawful, ethical, respectful, diverse, inclusive, responsive, enjoyable, and transparent. Helping me in this endeavor, will be my chief of staff, Kathy Walter-Mack. Kathy has served as the chancellor’s director of urban affairs and inclusion for the past year and has proven invaluable in resolving internal issues while improving MCC’s external relations. Kathy brings years of legal and policy experience in the field of education as she previously served as chief counsel for the Kansas City, Missouri School District as well as owned her own consulting business. Kathy has readily accepted my challenge to take on the “24/7” responsibility of serving as my chief of staff. Her skills and experience will serve MCC well. Please see her attached bio for further details.

These are challenging but exciting times for MCC. Together, we will excel, achieve, and remain a recognized cutting-edge leader in higher education. We are one MCC.

Sincerely,
Mark

MCC-Longview hosts international delegation from West Bank

Hebron University Professor Ahmad Elatawneh presents MCC-Longview President Fred Grogan with a gift after his presentation on Thursday.

Usually, summer campus tours are reserved for prospective students.

But on Thursday, June 24, MCC-Longview faculty and staff welcomed to campus a delegation of students and professors from the West Bank, as they travel across the country learning about the United States and how colleges and universities here operate successful English as a Second Language programs.

“We are proud to be here and thank you for inviting us to learn so we can take these lessons home for our own students and children,” professor Ahmad Elatawneh said. Elatawneh teaches applied linguistics at Hebron University.

Many in the delegation, which had been invited to the country and MCC-Longview by the U.S. State Department are English teachers in the West Bank and were anxious to hear about some of the award-winning ESL programs MCC-Longview has hosted in recent years.

“There visit reinforces our college’s effort to expand what we provide to students in a global education and understanding of the world,” MCC-Longview president Fred Grogan said. “It is also a great opportunity for our faculty and staff in the ESL program to highlight their enormous success.”

MCC-Longview was only one stop on the group’s cross-country tour. Mark Sullivan, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said the group had already toured Washington, D.C., and several other universities in the area. After a stop in Seattle, he said, they were then heading to Orlando to visit Disney World.

“The program we have put together is a way to show them the country and give them a chance to see our culture first-hand,” Sullivan said.

While at MCC-Longview, the delegation took several faculty-guided tours here and were given extensive briefings by staff about the English as a Second Language (ESL) , Academic Bridges for Learning Excellence (ABLE) and and First Learning Year Team (FLYT) programs. During Grogan’s welcome and introductions, the delegation presented him with a scarf marked with the Palestinian colors as a token of their appreciation for opening up the campus to their visit.



MCC-Longview President Fred Grogan speaks to the delegation of teachers and professors about the campus and its award-winning ESL programs.

SkillsUSA Precision Machining Championship Competition

The 46th annual Skills USA Conference returns to KC's Bartle Hall and MCC-BTC this week. More than 5,000 outstanding career and technical education students have competed in 96 different trade, technical and leadership fields.

Again this year, MCC-BTC hosted a portion of the competition in its state-of-the-art Precision Machining lab. This video, shot in the Manufacturing Technology lab, shows some of the action.

Turning Lives Around: Workforce training program helps high school drop-outs achieve career success

Six young women with challenging pasts are now looking forward to bright futures, thanks to an MCC workforce training program that has given them a second chance at success.

The women, who all left their Kansas City, Mo. School District high schools before earning a diploma, are part of a drop-out recovery program operated by the school district and funded by the Full Employment Council. The program, called 21st Century, allows non-completers to take individualized courses of study to finish their required studies and earn a high school diploma. Now, the 21st Century program is extending beyond high school completion to help the students train for a career, through a partnership with MCC’s Institute for Workforce Innovation.

The six young women, who are all recent 21st Century graduates, are enrolled in a three-part training program at MCC where they will earn certifications in certified nurse assistant (CNA), level 1 medication aide and insulin administration. The group has completed the first phase of the training – earning their CNA certification – and will complete the other two certifications by August 1.

At a celebratory certification ceremony on Friday, June 18, representatives from 21st Century and MCC congratulated the students on their dedication and determination.

“This is the first step. Even if you can’t see the whole staircase yet, you’ve taken the first step so now you can go anywhere you want to go,” said Brenda Sanders, a seasoned healthcare professional who mentored the students during their CNA training.

In addition to providing a class mentor, the program also incorporated other special features to help ensure student success, including tutoring, meetings with potential employers, a clinical experience, transportation assistance and built-in individualized attention. Classes are held at the MCC-Penn Valley Health Science Institute, a brand new state-of-the-art healthcare training and education center that houses training for more than 20 different healthcare careers.

The students, who have overcome significant obstacles to succeed in the training program, were very appreciative for the individualized attention of the instructor, mentor, caseworkers and MCC program coordinators.

“Thank you for believing in us,” said Sparkle Donahue, a single mother whose 3 year-old daughter tagged along to the certification ceremony. “Now I can be a role model for my kids.”

MCC participates in business opportunity fair, receives awards

Dorothy Miller is presented her award at the MidAmerica Minority Business Development Council’s Business Opportunity Fair 2010.

MCC was one of 62 exhibitors to participate in the MidAmerica Minority Business Development Council’s Business Opportunity Fair 2010, held on May 27 at the Overland Park Convention Center. Dorothy Miller, purchasing director, and Chris Kelly, program coordinator for supplier diversity, staffed the MCC booth.

The fair recognized and celebrated the achievement of mainstream corporations that were successful in doing business with minority business enterprises in the amount of $50,000 or more between January and December of 2009. Miller accepted two awards on behalf of MCC or contracts awarded to World Wide Technology and Zones.

Kelly participated in the Business One on One segment of the tradeshow, which allowed participants 10-minute sessions to speak with participating corporations about upcoming contracts, procurement opportunities and best practice ideas.

The keynote speaker for the fair was Dr. Randal Pinkett, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, who is well-known for his win on NBC’s hit reality show, The Apprentice.

The MidAmerica Minority Business Development Council serves as an advocate for the minority business community. The council’s foremost objective is to facilitate greater corporate purchasing volume with Minority Business Enterprises.

Student to be honored by MCC Board of Trustees

MCC student Maggie Seibert will be recognized by the MCC Board of Trustees this week for her heroic deed that saved a man’s life during a college field study class.

The Board meeting will be at 1 p.m. on June 23 at the Administrative Center.

Former and potential Monarchs making a big impact on the national baseball scene

From Florida to St. Louis to California, former baseball players from MCC-Maple Woods are making their mark on professional baseball. Albert Pujols, who played with the Monarchs in 2000, is perhaps the first name that comes to mind when thinking about players who have crossed over into the big leagues, but since 1994, nearly 20 players have been selected in the MLB draft, by teams like the Marlins, Astros, Tigers, Mets, Rangers, White Sox, Phillies, Twins, Dodgers, Cardinals and the hometown Royals.

The most recent draftee is former Monarchs catcher Joe Lincoln, who transferred from MCC-Maple Woods to Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo., to continue his education and baseball career. While playing in a summer league for the non-pro Nevada Griffons, Lincoln was recently selected in the 34th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers and will report to Ogden, Utah, to play for the Raptors in the rookie Pioneer League.

Chuckie Jones, Gatorade’s Missouri Baseball Player of the Year and a Boonville High School graduate, is committed to playing at MCC-Maple Woods next year, and was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the seventh round of the April MLB draft.

Jake Blackwood, who played for MCC-Maple Woods and the Florida Marlins, was recently selected at the Player of the Week for the Northern League as a member of the Kansas City T-Bones. Blackwood, who spent four seasons in the Marlins organization, leads the Northern League with 12 RBI after signing with the T-Bones in 2009.

James introduced during COHO presentation

Chancellor Designee Mark James was introduced to members of the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations (COHO) during the June 4 monthly meeting held at MCC- Penn Valley.

During his presentation he discussed his background and MCC’s partnerships with Alta Vista Charter High School and Plaza del Nino Day Care, a partnership between the Guadalupe Center and MCC. He also expressed MCC’s continued commitment to work with the Hispanic community.

COHO is an umbrella group of more than 20 Latino-focused organizations in both Missouri and Kansas which have joined together to improve the quality of life for Latinos through networking, advocacy and collaboration.

MCC-Blue River collects Dawn detergent to send to Gulf

Beginning June 21, the office of campus life and leadership at MCC-Blue River will collect bottles of Dawn dishwashing detergent to aid the wildlife cleanup in the Gulf. Donation barrels will be placed in the Campus Center, Arts and Sciences and the Education Center.

To see how effective Dawn can be in the effort to save wildlife, watch the video .

Mark James speaks at Belton E.D.C. meeting

MCC Chancellor Mark James announces a new partnership between MCC and UCM that will establish a higher education presence in Belton, Mo.

A new partnership between MCC and the University of Central Missouri will give Cass County residents easier access to higher education. The partnership, which is still in the formative phase, will include continuing professional education, workforce training, associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs and other services.

MCC and UCM will open a joint temporary office at the Heritage office building in Belton, near MO-58 Highway. The current plan does not include building an actual campus in the county.
Additional information on this exciting new partnership will be forthcoming as it continues to develop.

College for Kids: Week One!

Paper dragons lined up along the table in the Enchantment of China College for Kids class.

The MCC-Longview College for Kids concluded its first week of fun classes with a full showing of the art projects and crafts done by the students in various classes.

In the Enchantment of China Class, students spent the week learning about the language, history, culture and art of China. Not an easy task to accomplish in only a week, but instructor Valda Hsu, teacher a The Kansas City art Institute, took on the challenge and said she enjoyed the week and was amazed at the creativity of the class.

The artwork from the students enrolled in the Enchantment of China class will be on display this weekend at the MCC-Longview Cultural Arts Center.


In the American Girl College for Kids Class, fans of the doll series shared stories and learned how to make unique pieces of jewelry and clothing for their dolls.

For more photos from the week, be sure to check out the MCC-Longview Flickr page here.

To enroll you kids or to find out more about what classes are still available this summer, be sure to check out the MCC-Longview Community Education site.

3-D design and prototyping seminar at MCC-BTC

About 40 people attended the seminar “3-D Design- Bring Your Ideas to Life” at MCC-Business & Technology on June 10. The half-day seminar was cosponsored by Computer Aided Technology Inc. (CATI). Hassan Zarabi, BTC engineering technology instructor, and John Nichols of CATI demonstrated SolidWorks software capabilities and 3-D prototyping equipment. Rapid prototyping allows companies to create models from 3-D drawings in a matter of minutes on prototype printers. "Concept to product" is the buzzword. BTC has developed a new lab to teach this technology (pictured above).

Debbie Goodall, BTC president, and Steve Dowell, MCC-Business & Learning Solutions performance consultant, introduced the concept of developing a manufacturing consortium with area companies interested in working with MCC in the manufacturing technology and engineering technology labs. Children’s Mercy Hospital was among the organizations that responded. Representatives said their biotechnology researchers would like to use BTC’s prototyping capabilities in cardiac research.

MCC-Blue River student has “lightning” quick reaction in Yellowstone

When one signs up for Ben Wolfe’s Geology Field Study class to northwest Wyoming, they are guaranteed an adventure of a lifetime, but for Metropolitan Community College student Maggie Siebert, that quickly became an adventure in saving a life.

An education student and soccer player at Maple Woods, Siebert enrolled in Section 199 of the Blue River Field Study, Earth Science for Elementary Teachers class.

“We got the brochures at Maple Woods, and it looked like a lot of fun; and it was 3 credit hours.” said Siebert about her motivation to take the class.

On June 2, the field study group of 13 students was working its way through Yellowstone National Park and was at its last stop of the day, Old Faithful, when a typical spring time storm erupted. Within seconds, Old Faithful was covered with an inch of pea sized hail. As visitors of the park headed for cover they heard a solitary lighting strike.

For one man however, that solitary lighting strike was almost a life changer. Fifty-seven year old Harlan C. Idell Jr., of Florida, had “holes in his shoes” and his hat was “fried” as he fell to the boardwalk. That’s when Siebert stepped in.

“I just heard people screaming, so I ran over, kind of cleared people out of the way and began compressions. It was kind of an aaaaahahha blur of a moment.” A police officer that was on vacation helped Maggie count compressions.

After a few minutes of CPR, Idell came too and was alert and talking when rangers arrived. He was then airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, where he was later released with a ruptured ear drum. Eight others within the vicinity of the strike went to the Old Faithful clinic with minor injuries.

MCC-Blue River instructor Wolfe commented, “Maggie is truly a hero! What more can I say? We are all safe and sound and lucky to have someone like Maggie on the trip.”

For more information about the field study contact Ben Wolfe at benjamin.wolfe@mcckc.edu.

Employees recycle more, throw away less

Employees empty their own trash at the end of each day.

Starting this summer, MCC campuses are encouraging employees and students to waste less and recycle more as part of the ongoing efforts to “go green” and reduce our carbon footprint.
Trash cans in each office are being replaced with smaller containers to encourage faculty and staff to consider everything they can recycle before simply pitching it in the garbage. Large trash receptacles will be located in the hallways and common area as collecting points for the departments located within campus buildings. Employees are asked to empty their own trash and recyclable materials at the end of the day.

Paper, plastic bottles, aluminum cans and cardboard, among other things, can all be placed in the large blue recycling containers also located in the hallways. At MCC-Maple Woods, the Student Activities Council will continue to collect paper recyclables.

This is just one of the many efforts that MCC is making, along with the other MCC campuses to conserve, recycle and reduce our impact on the environment.

“We need to do our part to sustain our campus in ways that reduce our costs and lessen our footprint on the environment,” said Bernard Franklin, president of MCC-Penn Valley.

MCC welcomes new employees

Front row: Amy Campbell, BR, Library Specialist; Rebecca Boom, PV, Learning Center Coordinator; Katherine Ranstrom, LV, Student Services Tech; Diane Martin, BR, Library Specialist; and Jeremy Arnold, AC, Network Engineer
Back Row: Michele Clapp, PV, Captioning Coordinator/Interpreter ; Christina McGee, AC, Employee Relations Manager; Steven Frommelt, AC, Accounting Department Manager; Edwin Beggs, BTC, Network Support Specialist; Mark Corona, MW Student Financial Aid Advisor; and Joel Berrier, AC, Press Operator
Not pictured: Kasey Mayer, PV Bookstore Assistant

Skills Conference USA

The 46th annual Skills USA Conference returns to KC’s Bartle Hall and MCC-Business & Technology June 21-24. More than 5,000 outstanding career and technical education students will compete hands-on in 96 different trade, technical and leadership fields.

Students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts.

BTC will host a portion of the competition in its state-of-the-art Precision Machining lab. A special thank you to Crossland Machinery Company and Acu-rite/Heidenhein Corp. for providing two new digital readouts for the manual milling machines.

Ian Jennings, BTC’s outreach coordinator, will be exhibiting at Bartle Hall all week. If you would like to attend, contact Jennings at (816) 604-5216.

College for Kids set to open for the summer

The MCC-Longview Community Education Department is putting the finishing touches on several programs as it is set to once again open up it summer program College For Kids.

Monday will kick off another summer of great classes and workshops aimed at young kids. This summer children as old a 14 will have a chance to sign up for myriad classes that will be fun, educational and a great way to spend the summer.

Check out a full listing of classes and offerings here and sign up!

Also, for more information, call: 816-604-2030

MCC-Longview Automotive Dept. inspires TMC

Here is a great story about how the ingenuity and community spirit from the MCC-Longview Automotive Department is spilling out into the rest of the metro area. (Click the link to watch the video from Fox 4)

Back in January the MCC-Longview Automotive Department donated an entirely refurbished Saturn sedan to a local hospital. The car, which had its engine removed, was to be used to teach paramedics and EMT how to better treat accident victims. MCC-Longview students and faculty were involved in that project.

Now that community spirit has inspired others in the community to create similar car rehab program at the Truman Medical Center with volunteer J.R. Foster at the helm.

MCC-Maple Woods Offers Women’s Motorcycle Safety Class

While motorcycle safety classes are ongoing at MCC-Maple Woods from April – October, an all-women’s class will be offered for the first time this month, June 25-27. Those interested can sign up by contacting the Community Education office at (816) 604-3011. Cost for the class is $215 and fee waivers are available for MCC employees.

The course will be taught by a female instructor and have a female range aid assisting. Participants will learn how to safely operate a motorcycle, proper equipment usage and rules and regulations for riding. At the end of the course, which includes about 15 hours of hands-on riding and instruction, riders will be tested on their driving skills. A passing grade may be substituted for taking the driving portion of the Missouri DMV test.

For more information or to view available course dates, please visit http://mcckc.edu/mwcycle/.

Sign up your kids today for the MCC-Longview College for Kids

Monday is the last day to sign up for this unique summer camp that explores the history, language, and culture of China.

The Metropolitan Community College-Longview’s College for Kids summer program offers this opportunity to join Instructor Valda Hsu as she shares her love of the Chinese culture.  She teaches Mandarin Chinese at the Kansas City Art Institute and Chinese brush painting for Kansas City Young Audiences.

The Enchantment of China class will explore the culture and traditions of China through games, crafts, brush painting, calligraphy, dance, language and more. Daily word and phrase exercises will provide a basic introduction to Mandarin Chinese.

All of the artwork done in the all-day class will be on display in the MCC-Longview Cultural Arts Center during MCC-Longview’s third installment of the International Art Series on June 18.

Mon. -Fri., 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., June 14-18 Ages 10-13 (Students bring a lunch/beverage each day)

For more information see the attachment above. Other exciting classes are being offered all summer, so check out the mcckc.edu/lvcommed site for more information.

MCC-Longview Recreation Center revitalizes the Walk-A-bouts program

Summer is here and it is the perfect time to get back into shape with a few simple steps that can help you each day.

Starting June 6 the MCC-Longview Recreation Center is sponsoring a month long Walk-A-Bouts program that will challenge every employee to walk 10,000 steps A DAY!

“We figured everyone likes to have some sort of challenge in their lives and everyone likes to feel a since of accomplishment when you finally achieve that challenge!” said Amber Vandevender from the MCC-Longview Recreation Center. “You’re thinking WOW; No way can I do that! I’m thinking; I LOVE A CHALLENGE!”

Challenge your co-workers, your friends or go head-to-head against another department to see who can take the most steps to a healthier you. It is as simple as picking up an inexpensive pedometer at Wal-Mart or one of the many health and fitness stores in town and just start walking.

The challenge will run until July 3 and each week participants will need to turn in their walking sheets to the Recreation Center to keep up with the campus-wide program. At the end of the month, Amber will be announcing the winners and posting their picture on the Wall of Champions at the LV Recreation Center.

The challenge is in conjunction with several other challenge programs going on at the LV-Recreation Center this summer.

If you have any questions or want to download a walking log sheet please feel free to E-mail Amber at Amber.Vandevender@mcckc.edu

MCC-Blue River Student Performs CPR on Lightning Strike Victim

On June 2, around 4 p.m., MCC-Blue River students, along with instructor Ben Wolfe, were visiting Yellowstone National Park as part of the Geology 215 field study class when lightning struck nine tourists. The tourists were gathered around Old Faithful waiting for it to erupt, when the strike happened.

An MCC-Blue River student performed CPR on one of the injured by-standers, who was not part of the class. The injured man was taken to a medical center for further treatment and was later released in good health.

“We had the students checked out to make sure everything was okay,” said Wolfe. “We were all safe and sound.”

To read more about the lightning strike, visit: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37474114/ns/weather/

Geol 215-Geology Field Study is an 11 day trip where students travel through northwestern Wyoming including Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. A main focus of the field trip is to study historic volcanic activity of the Yellowstone plateau with stops observing geysers, hot springs and mud pots.

MCC-Business & Technology is “Tops"

Students enrolled in Engineering Technology 269 class competed throughout the fall 2009 semester to design the most efficient top.

Students conceived ideas, starting with paper sketches, then created CADD drawings and finally a 3-D prototype in the new MCC-BTC Prototyping Lab. Top designs ranged from traditional cone shapes to tops that incorporated brackets, handles and string pulls. One top resembled a miniature ballerina and another incorporated fireworks.

Chris Page, far left, won the contest with a top spin of 4 minutes 32 seconds.