MCC delivers presentation at national workforce education conference

Metropolitan Community College recently participated in the National Council for Workforce Education Conference in Washington, D.C. MCC-Penn Valley Dean of Instruction Al Dimmitt, MCC-Penn Valley Health Science Institute Director Sandy McIlnay and MCC Executive Director of Workforce Development Margaret Boyd delivered a presentation on “Instructional delivery based on realism and partnerships.” MCC-Penn Valley Nursing Division Chairperson Karen Komoroski gave a preview of the presentation at the Newseum, a 250,000 sq. ft. museum that focuses on five centuries of news history along with the latest technology and hands-on exhibits.

Picture of the week from MCC-Longview

And now for your gratuitous kite picture from MCC-Longview.

Happy Friday, MCC.

Mmmm...coffee and cake

Folks at the Administrative Center (AC) took a few minutes downtime today to celebrate October, November and December birthdays. The AC Staff Association provided the cake and Rich Higgason supplied the coffee (thanks Rich!).

Volunteer to build a house and a dream - MCC Blue River

For the past several months, MCC-Blue River staff and community members have generously donated their Saturdays to help a Blue River colleague build her brand new Habitat for Humanity home in Independence.

As you might imagine, the work is far from over, but they are closer than ever! The family needed only 18 more volunteer hours when this article was orinally posted. However, the family now hows reach their goal of volunteer hours. They are optimistic that February or March will be the actual move-in day.

Last week, the group hung drywall, but more work is yet to be done.

The group worked Saturday, Dec. 11 at the residence site located at 19204 E. Salisbury in Independence, Mo.

The work progressedwell and MCC participation has played a big role in propelling this family a bit closer to their dream.

Contact person is Gina Frakes at gina.frakes@mcckc.edu, ginafrakes@comcast.net or via telephone at 816.604.6558.

Creating Opportunities - A message from Tom Vansaghi

Tom Vansaghi, associate vice chancellor of college and community relations, is passionate about spreading the word of how MCC creates opportunities. Follow his blog as he highlights other MCC employees who create opportunities for the students and our community!

Points to Blue – post your activities by the end of December

Points to Blue, the reward system offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City (BCBS), will close the first year with MCC at the end of December. The program allows employees to track healthy behavior, perform activities that are appropriate at your stage in your good health journey and choose the reward (in a gift card) that is right for you.

Those employees participating in the program must have all their entries posted on the Points to Blue site by Dec. 31. You will not be able to post any activity for 2010 beginning January 2011.
All points earned during 2010 must be redeemed by March. Watch your email inbox for notification from BCBS about your account.

Note: The Points to Blue website will be temporarily unavailable due to scheduled maintenance from 10 p.m., Dec. 17 until 7 a.m. Dec. 18.

Muggles and Misfits - MCC-Blue River volleyball fun

­On Thursday, Dec. 2, several MCC-Blue River staff and students participated in the Blue River Coed Volleyball Tournament. Two teams landed in the finals – one comprised of staff and one made up of students.

On the students’ team were Paul Carter, Luke Hermann, Leah Carter, Kai Ortner, and Sabrina Collison. The staff team included Meg Holcomb, Karen Goos, Jenny Steen, and Rowdy Pyle. In full Blue River spirit, the teams coined fun names for themselves such as “Misfit Toys”, “Muggles” and “Awesome Opossums.”

Throughout the afternoon, they had great fun spiking, setting, digging, serving and dishing out a whole lot of good-natured blame (i.e. “I thought you had it!”).

However, to the staff went the spoils of victory. They defeated the students’ team with a final of score of 26 to 24.
Everyone had a great time and is eagerly awaiting the next volleyball tournament in February. All players received a cool Blue River t-shirt.

Register your child for the MCC-Longview winter baseball camps

Check out some of the exciting baseball camp opportunities offered by MCC-Longview's own Lakers Baseball coaches.



K through 6th grade camps

1st Session

Jan. 17, 24, 31 & Feb. 7

2nd Session

Feb. 14, 21, 28 & March 7

Times

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Cost

$80 for one session

$150 for two sessions

These pitching and/or hitting camps are progressive camps. Each session is four dates for one hour each time. Participants have the choice of picking one of two time slots and doing pitching and/or hitting. Pitching camps will focus on developing proper mechanics and increasing strike percentage. Hitting camps will focus on proper mechanics and increasing consistency of contact. Each time slot is limited to 6 hitters and 6 pitchers. Call now to reserve your spot.


7th Grade though 12th Grade camps

Jan.15, 22, 29 and Feb. 5

Pitching/Catching- 1 - 3:30 p.m.

Hitting- 3:30 - 6 p.m.

Cost

Pitching $50, Hitting $50 and Catching $20

Pitching and Hitting $90

Catching and Hitting $60

All four Pitching $180

All four Hitting $180

All four Catching $60

Four Pitching and Hitting $360

Four Catching and Hitting $240

Four individual camps will highlight either pitching or catching and/or hitting. Pitchers will work on mechanics and ways to increase velocity. Catchers will work on basic receiving and blocking skills and throwing.
The Hitting camp will focus on ways to increase power and consistency of contact. All camps will be age appropriate.

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All camps will be instructed by the MCC-Longview Lakers baseball coaching staff, Head Coach Clint Culbertson and Assistant Ramon Grado. In 2007, their first year coaching the Lakers, they led the team to their first ever National Championship title. Since then the Lakers have won Regional Titles in 07, 08 and 10 and won District Titles in 07 and O8 and made another World Series appearance in 08.

Culbertson has coached at the collegiate level for eleven years including a four year stint at the University of Central Missouri, making the World Series each of his four years. There, as pitching coach, he won his first National Championship title in 2003.

Together Coaches Culbertson and Grado have over 20 years of baseball coaching experience.

Questions? Call Coach Culbertson at 816.604.2193 or email him at clint.culbertson@mcckc.edu

Making it easier to call for help

MCC students, employees and visitors will soon have a way to call MCC police/public safety with the push of a single button.

As part of ongoing district-wide efforts to ensure student and employee safety, the emergency preparedness task force is implementing a reprogramming of one of the quick-dial buttons on every phone in the network (including employees' desk phones) to dial the MCC police/public safety control center.

In the event of an emergency, anyone who is near a phone will now be able to simply press that button, without even picking up the handset, to reach MCC police/public safety. The button will be labeled EMERGENCY. This change is being made to all MCC phones so that anyone with access to a phone will be able to quickly call for help.

The reprogramming will take place between Dec. 9 and Dec. 13. Employees who currently have a phone number programmed into the bottom-most quick-dial button on their phone should make other arrangements for future dialing of that number.

MCC welcomes new employees!

New employees from across the district gathered at the Administrative Center today for New Employee Orientation.

Santa visits Penn Valley students

With two weeks until Christmas, kids off all ages are counting down to the big day. MCC-Penn Valley students received a special visit from jolly old Saint Nicholas today. Santa (alias Al Dimmitt, dean of instruction) dropped by the cafeteria and spread cheer to students as they geared up for finals.

The students assured Santa they'd been good and requested the latest Jordans and the X Box 360 Kinect system. And of course, they all begged dear Santa for A's and B's.

Bookstores closing early today!

The MCC bookstores will be closing today (Dec. 8) at noon. Be sure that you have all the items you made need to take any exams for this afternoon or evening. Normal bookstore hours will resume tomorrow.

Writers among us

Kay Sodowsky, former library manager at MCC-Blue River, wrote the chapter on Book Groups for the Reader's Advisory Handbook, which was recently published (2010) by the American Library Association.

According to WorldCat, an international online library catalog, 364 libraries have already purchased this book, including many graduate schools of library science.

Get plugged in to what’s new – workers compensation update on InfoEx

Updated information has been added to the MCC employee InfoExchange, regarding injuries on the job. Employees may access this information by signing into InfoEx, selecting the Human Resources tab, then scrolling down to Benefits – Workers Compensation. Here, you will find information on what to do if you are injured while at work, and several prevention topics.

“I've been working with public safety and facilities to help to make MCC as safe as possible for our employees and students,” said Robin McClain, risk and compliance manager. “Some responsibility lies with employees by working safely and reporting any hazards they may find.”
McClain has added updated information to the InfoEx on how to prevent injuries and accidents.

Questions regarding workers compensation can be directed to McClain at 816.604.1124.

Read other InfoEx updates here.

KC Kite Club invades MCC-Longview for a day

Not even the freezing temperatures could keep Sean Beaver, president of the KC Kite Club from flying his kites over the open lawn at MCC-Longview this past weekend.


A part of the KC Kite Club's winter business meeting, some of the members decided to brave the 32-degree winds and fly a few kites. Among the kite club members, there were about a dozen kite (some small, some as large as a basketball court) flying above Longview.


The KC Kite Club provides some of the most amazing mega kites that fill the sky during the MCC-Longview Flights of Fancy kite festival.
Don't miss the Flights of Fancy kite festival on April 16, 2011

Re-Discover the Magic of the Holidays with MCC-Blue River

It may be chilly outside, but MCC-Blue River’s Metropolitan Chorale of Kansas City will warm your heart with their “Customs and Carols” performance at the First Baptist Church in Independence, Missouri.

Don’t miss stellar performances by:

• Vox Luminese (entire ensemble)
• Met Pops (the Chorale’s pops group)
• MCC-Blue River's Jazz band (conducted by Clarence Smith)

The chorale has held holiday performances at this venue for several years. Also, after the performance, enjoy hot chocolate and cookies in the venue’s Historic Hall.

Dec. 11, 2010 is the performance date. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 500 Truman Road, Independence, Mo. The cost is $6 for adults and only $4 for children and seniors.

Earn up to $11 an hour at MCC-Blue River!

Kennedy Musamali, the program director for MCC-Blue River's Upward Bound Program is looking for youth activities program assistants to work with high school students at Fort Osage, Truman, Van Horn and Raytown in the spring.

If you have a HS diploma and a minimum of 1 yr experience working with youth you can earn up to $11 per hour working with our program participants.

This role involves:

• Tutoring in the areas of math, science or Spanish


• Chaperoning during weekends


• Assisting office staff in organizing and coordinating program activities

For additional information, please contact our office at 816.604.6432 or visit us at the Arts and Science Building, suite 112. Stop by for an application. Visit the website at http://mcckc.edu/main.asp?P=UpwardBoundProgram.

MCC-Maple Woods Choir performs winter concert

The MCC-Maple Woods Choir sang a concert on Dec. 3 at North Cross United Methodist Church. The one-hour concert featured twenty-two singers and included songs in French, Spanish, Latin, Swedish and English. The singers were joined by guest instrumentalists on percussion, flute and violin.

More MCC-Maple Woods music students will be in action this Sunday for the Northland Symphony Holiday Pops Concert. The concert will be held at 3 p.m. Dec. 12 at Park Hill South High School in the auditorium and is free and open to the public.

The concert will feature traditional holiday favorites, choirs from Bell Prairie, and Prairie Point Elementary Schools and an audience sing-along.

50th episode of To the Point!

Congratulations to MCC-Blue River for the 50th episode! It just happens to be The MCC Insider's 550th post!

Volunteer for a 'day on instead of a day off'

Join MCC for the Second Annual MLK Day of Service. Last year, 500 students, faculty, staff and community members made it a 'Day on instead of a day off' by in celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of humanity and service. By volunteering to participate on this day, you can become a part of a vital MCC tradition as well as a national event celebrating community service.

“If everyone does a little, than we can achieve big things,” said a volunteer from last year. “Someone once said that service is the way we pay rent for living on this planet. I am way behind on paying rent, so I have a lot of things I need to do and I am glad to be a part of MCC's MLK Day of Service.”

Each MCC campus will be hosting a number of community service projects that you can choose from as a special way to celebrate the day with friends and fun. RSVP to the event here by clicking on the red Volunteer botton on the right hand side of the page.

Campus Event Contacts
MCC-Blue River - Amy Slater, Arts and Sciences, room 113: 816.604.6635
MCC-Business & Technology - Kristen Brumley, Campus Center, room 132: 816.604.5263
MCC-Longview - Kim Prosak, Campus Center, room 253: 816.604.2130
MCC-Maple Woods - Misty Chandler, Student Center, room 130: 816.604.3013
MCC-Penn Valley - Nicole Inzaro, Campus Center foyer, room 001: 816.604.4120

For event updates and information about each campuses involvement, Fan us on Facebook.