Kelsey Smith Safety Awareness Seminar draws hundreds, makes news

News teams swarmed the campus at MCC-Blue River for the Kelsey Smith Foundation’s Safety Awareness Seminar. Jana Corrie of the KMBC Channel 9 morning show reported on event preparations every half hour from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and interviewed Dean of Instruction Cheryl Carpenter Davis, psychology instructor Kimberly Glackin, and Greg and Missey Smith, the parents of the murdered teen Kelsey, whom took the stage to educate any and all who would listen.

Fox 4 News sent Terra Hall whose report appeared in long format on the late night news:

http://www.fox4kc.com/wdaf-kelsey-smiths-parents-keep-her-legacy-alive-warn-young-people-20110413,0,105411.story

Channel 5 News reporter Jonathan Carter delivered this synopsis of the event on the 6 o’clock news:

http://www.kctv5.com/local-video/index.html?grabnetworks={videoid:4643052}

Hundreds of students and individuals from the community learned important facts about maintaining their personal safety, chief among them being to make sure that someone knows where you are, and to fight back immediately at the first location when accosted. “If you reach location number two,” said Greg Smith, “you will not survive.”

Also present to report on the Kelsey Smith Safety Awareness event were on-air personalities from 88.5fm KLJC.

Michelle Schmiedeler: AC Employee of the Month

Michelle Schmiedeler, public information coordinator, is the staff employee of the month for the Administrative Center.

Michelle, who was nominated by September employee of the month, Donna Evans, has worked at MCC since 2003 and has held a number of staff leadership positions, including president of the AC staff association.

She consistently exhibits a diligent commitment to both her colleagues and MCC students. During her tenure as staff association president, Michelle spent much of her own time – and some of her own money – to ensure that AC staff felt appreciated and well-informed. Her keen, conscientious style of organizing and communicating made for meetings that were well-run and projects that were seen through from beginning to end. Even as president emeritus, Michelle’s commitment to office camaraderie has not waned: just a few weeks ago, recognizing an opportunity to help AC employees socialize and stay active, Michelle established a weekly after-work walking group.

Having previously worked on a campus, Michelle is quick to remind AC colleagues to be sure that we keep students at the top of our minds as we’re developing processes and procedures and as we’re going about our usual workdays. As an MCC-Penn Valley alumna, Michelle offers valuable insight into the student mindset, which is often elusive to others of us who have not sat in a classroom recently and may have little direct contact with students.

In her role as public information officer for the district, Michelle was instrumental in the creation and implementation of The MCC Insider, MCC’s new communication and news platform. In addition to her duties as PIO – which, last year, consisted of sharing her time with MCC-Blue River to help with their public relations efforts when they were without a PIO – Michelle also serves on the district wellness committee and the green initiatives task force.

The idea that she is making a difference for MCC students is what motivates Michelle to come to work every day. “I truly enjoy being a small part of the bigger picture of helping students,” she said. Regarding her role as a public information coordinator for the district, she said she enjoys, “the challenge of trying to improve communication throughout the district…to make information more available to employees.”

Michelle earned an associate’s of art from MCC-Penn Valley and is currently working on a bachelor’s of general studies with an emphasis in communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She participated in her first triathlon this summer – a feat that is punctuated by her decades-long fear of water – and this weekend, on Saturday, October 16, she will run in her first half marathon (that’s 13.1 miles!). She is also celebrating more than two years as a non-smoker.

Michelle takes great pride in her work at MCC and regularly goes above and beyond her job duties to ensure an impactful experience for students and a pleasant working environment for employees. We appreciate her for that!

A Message from MCC Chancellor, Mark James

Dear Students and Colleagues,
As we push past what was a very challenging week for us all, I am pleased to report to you that Dean Dimmitt returned home late last week and is recovering well. I would like to say he is resting, but showing his usual dedication, he insisted on participating in a meeting by phone with his colleagues very early Friday morning. We are grateful he is doing so well and anxious for his return to MCC-Penn Valley.
As we get back to our regular activities we will continue to be vigilant in reviewing our safety processes and plans. I am personally heading a top-down review of all of our security plans, technology, and notification processes. This week, I will also personally lead an after-action “hotwash” of the pre-event planning and actions taken in response to the Penn Valley incident.
My goal is to develop action items to enhance MCC’s security through a series of plans extending from improvements we can make within the next 30, 60, and 90 days. Some actions may take longer to implement. We are reaching out to external safety, security, and mental health experts to ensure we receive objective input and benchmarks for our activities. We will also be convening student leaders as well as the governance group leaders for their input. I am receiving comments and ideas and remind you that you can email them to Denise Prather in my office at Denise.Prather@mcckc.edu.
In the end, the best safety and security measures a public institution can have are those which are simple, communicated, known, understood, and most importantly - regularly rehearsed. We will not “knee-jerk” react or impose an armed encampment mentality hiding behind metal detectors but will focus on ensuring student and employee awareness of what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.
Finally, I want to thank all of you for pulling together as one MCC community. This is a great place to work, study, and train.
Sincerely,
Mark

Penn Valley PIO heads to St. Louis

Rachel Gomez, who served as MCC-Penn Valley's public information officer for more than three years, is headed to St. Louis Community College's Florissant Valley campus.

Rachel was recently hired to head up public relations for the campus. Best wishes to Rachel as she uses her talent and skills to promote Florissant Valley's works.

Photo (Left to right): Rachel Gomez was surprised to be presented with a special employee award from her supervisor Tracy Hall. Penn Valley hosted a surprise party to wish Rachel well on her new endeavor.