NJCAA honors MCC-Maple Woods student athletes

In addition to their on-field talent, several student-athletes at MCC-Maple Woods are flexing their scholarly muscles as well, earning academic honors from the National Junior College Athletics Association for their classroom performance.

Tara Chavez (women’s soccer), Kara Chavez (women’s soccer), Sheryl Mattox (softball) and Mallory White (softball) were each awarded for Exemplary Academic Achievement. Students earning this award must have a cumulative GPA of 3.6 to 3.79.

Tara and Kara are both graduates of Winnetonka High School and are the daughters of Paul Chavez and Theresa Quattlebaum of Kansas City.

Mallory White is a graduate of Marceline High School in Marceline, Mo., and is the daughter of Greg and Patti White. She is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the academic honor society for 2-year institutions.

Sheryl Mattox, daughter of Russell and Shirley Mattox, graduated from Archie High School in Archie, Mo. She is pursuing a degree in architectural engineering and is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa.

Jeff Cline (baseball) was awarded for Superior Academic Excellence, which requires a 3.8 to 3.99 cumulative GPA. Jeff is a graduate of Platte City High School and is the son of Diane Cline.

Neil Smith (baseball) earned the highest academic honor recognized by the NJCAA – The Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence. Students who earn a perfect 4.0 GPA are selected for this award. Neil graduated from Hickman Mills High School in Columbia, Mo., and is pursuing a degree in biochemical engineering.

MCC-Maple Woods business degree offers two options

Students seeking a business degree, and even those who may not be seeking a degree but have an interest in business, can now choose from two options - getting out and into the workforce immediately or transferring to a four-year institution to continue their studies.

The Associate in Arts - Business degree is for students who want to continue studying at a four-year college or university in pursuit of bachelor's degree. Students who have an interest in business but have not decided on a major yet can also choose this course, as it provides all of their general education requirements and gives them a taste of what future business courses will be like, should they choose to continue.

The Associate in Applied Science - Business degree is designed for students who want to complete their degree and head straight into the workforce. Areas of emphasis include accounting, logistics management, management or office management - students will cover some general education requirements, but will devote most of their study to both focused and general business courses.

The program is headed up by business faculty Kim Luken and Jim Moes, both of whom share a passion for, not to mention a wide breadth of knowledge of, the business world. Both instructors are active in the business community - Luken heads up MCC-Maple Woods' free tax preparation efforts for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and Moes operates his own business while teaching business courses full time and serving as an advisor for the MCC-Maple Woods chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.