MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Fri., May 7, 2004

MWCC STUDENTS GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY WITH PROJECT GRADUATION

By LeaAnn Erickson

Honors Program student Cheri Becker of Baldwinville works on a poster to promote Project Graduation.

As part of Mount Wachusett Community College’s Decade of Civic Engagement initiative, graduates, their families and guests will be bringing non-perishable food items to commencement exercises, Thurs., May 20 and also at graduation rehearsal. The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is organizing the initiative “Project Graduation,” which is designed to help alleviate hunger in our community. After the graduation ceremony, the food will be given to Gardner Community Action Committee.

“ Such a simple gesture will help improve the quality of life in our community,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “I’m very proud of our students for taking on this project at such a busy time. They are preparing for final exams, finishing-up their coursework and yet they are making the time to help alleviate hunger.”

Honors Program Coordinator Sheila Murphy and student Team leader Donald R. Gilberti, Jr. are leading the effort with a committee of over 20 students.

“ Since my very first class at the Mount, everyone, staff and teachers have been wonderful and very giving,” said MWCC student volunteer John Tamulen of Gardner, “now is a chance for me to give back.”

“It’s a good cause. Not everyone realizes how many people don’t have enough food,” said Caitlin King of Sterling.

Cheri Becker, an MWCC nursing student from Baldwinville, said she got involved because of Murphy. “Sheila Murphy has been so wonderful. I wanted to get involved in this initiative as soon as she told us about it.”

Phi Theta Kappa students will be collecting food at the entrance to the Fitness & Wellness Center and under the graduation tent prior to commencement. For further information, please contact Sheila Murphy at 978.630.9331.

MWCC HONORS STUDENTS PRESENT AT ANNUAL UNDERGRADUATE CONFERENCE

By Nichole Moreau

MWCC Honors students Diana Russo of Gardner and Dayna Lovely of Royalston work together on their poster board presentation, "The Impact of Incarceration and the Death Penalty on the Urban Community," which they presented at the 10th Annual Undergraduate Conference, Mon., May 3 at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston (not pictured: Elizabeth Burch and Meghan Severance).

The impact of terrorism on civil liberties, cyber crime, victims' rights, and the impact of incarceration on the urban community were some of the topics covered by MWCC Honors Program students during poster board presentations they conducted at the state-wide Massachusetts 10th Annual Undergraduate Conference, Mon., May 3 at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston.

The project was part of the Emerging Issues in Justice course, team-taught by Professors of Criminal Justice Elena Natalizia and Bonnie Toothaker. MWCC Honors Program students have presented at the conference every year for the last five years.

" Participation in the Undergraduate Conference afforded our Honors students the opportunity to present their semester-long research projects in a professional setting," said Sheila Murphy, professor and honors coordinator. "Our students were able to interact and exchange ideas with fellow students and faculty from across the state. The conference provided an exciting opportunity for students to melt away the walls of the traditional classroom and showcase their talents to the academic community."

Presentations by MWCC students included:

• How the War Against Terrorism Impacts Civil Liberties
  Christine Brigham, Krisopher Kvenvold, and Brad Niles-Joyal

• Cyber crime
  John Bell, Austin Cormier, Donald Gilberti, Jr., Griffith Feeney-Kleinfeldt

• The Victim's Right Movement
  Sharon Coll, Kristen Giblin, Rebecca Jeffries, Carolyn Scarborough

• The Impact of Incarceration and the Death Penalty on the Urban Community
  Elizabeth Burch, Dayna Lovely, Diana Russo, Meghan Severance

Campus Events:

• One of the most successful musicals in history is currently featured on the Theatre at the Mount stage. Godspell is based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew and was originally conceived by John-Michael Tebelek with music by Stephen Schwartz. The play features Eric Wefald as Jesus and Anthony Kirouac as John the Baptist and Judas. Ensemble members include Angela Pelletier, Liz Coakley, Sheila Bell, Fatima Elmi, Britney Steele, Craig Cormier, Chris Cassello, Tom Hardy and a chorus of twelve singers. Performances are scheduled for Fri., May 7 and Sat., May 8 at 8:00 p.m. and a special “Mother’s Day” matinee on Sun., May 9 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for Godspell are $18 for evening performances and $15 for matinees. For tickets, call the box office at 978.632.2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu

• Tickets are now on sale for the Wachusett Folk Café presenting Carol Noonan, Fri., May 14, at 7:30 p.m. Carol Noonan seems to exist beyond time. Noonan has forged a distinctive, dreamy, style that is as breathtaking as her rich alto voice... Noonan's voice has an alluring Dronal feel. Her mostly somber originals become transporting, even elegant. Her sustained notes open gorgeously like a young Joan Baez. Tickets: $14 in advance and $16 at the door. Tickets may be purchased on line at http://wfc.mwcc.edu/ or at the box office at 978.632.2403. Box Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Online tickets may be purchased via credit card (MC, VISA or Discover). For more information, call Diane Hamilton at 978.630.9387.

• A Spring Pops Concert featuring the Greater Gardner Youth Choir and Greater Gardner Community Choir will be held at the college, Sun., May 16 at 5:00 p.m. Both choirs are directed by Diane Cushing and feature nearly 100 members from Gardner and the surrounding communities. This year’s concert will feature a tribute to American composer Aaron Copland, with his “Zion’s Walls,” “Ching-a-Ring Chaw,” “At the River,” and “Simple Gifts.” Other selections include John Rutter’s “Distant Land,” Mark Hayes “Fly Away Medley,” and “Shenandoah,” and Daniel Gawthrop’s “Sing Me to Heaven.” From the Broadway stage will be such popular songs as the title song from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Whistle Down the Wind,” and “This is the Moment” from Jekyll and Hyde. The Youth Choir, winners of a gold medal in the 2002 MICA Music Festival, will sing Mozart’s “Alleluia,” Faure’s “Pavane,” Copland’s “I Bought Me a Cat,” and other popular tunes. Both choruses combine for a rollicking finale that includes “Down to the River to Pray,” “This Land is Your Land,” and a tribute to our men and women in the military “Song for the Unsung Hero.” Tickets for the concert are available at the door at $5.00 per person. Senior citizens are free.

• Working full-time? Find out how you can earn your Early Childhood Education Associate Degree in three years by attending weekend courses once or twice a month in combination with convenient online courses. Free Information sessions will be held, Mon., May 17 and Wed., June 9 in the Murphy Conference room from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Gardner campus. Schedules for this option begin in the fall and are planned in advance so students will know exactly what is expected of them for the entire program. No cancelled classes. To pre-register, call Missi Howlett at 978.630.9273 or email her at mhowlett@mwcc.mass.edu. Learn about the program, schedule and financial aid opportunities and see an online learning demonstration. For more information about the program, go to http://earlychildhood.mwcc.edu

• Mount Wachusett Community College will recognize its outstanding students at an “Evening of Excellence,” Thurs., May 13, at 6:00 p.m., at the Four Points by Sheraton Leominster. Students will be honored for their academic achievement at the event. Curriculum awards, Memorial awards, Nursing Awards, Honors Society recognition, Honors Program awards, transfer scholarships and Foundation Scholarships will all be awarded.

• Over 75 Nursing graduates will be pinned on Tues., May 18 at 6 p.m., in the theatre. This will be the 31st annual Pinning Ceremony, symbolizing a welcoming into the nursing profession. The program has grown tremendously through the years. Most recently, MWCC began offering day and evening programs; a new Practical Nurse Certificate, introduced last year at a new Orange campus; and has collaborated with area organizations to offer training to address the area nursing shortage. During the ceremony, each graduate will be dressed in uniform and welcomed to the profession by having the nursing pin fastened to his/her lapel by a fellow nurse, whether family, friend, or faculty member. The eight-starred pin is imprinted with the words “Service to Humanity and the World” with the nursing symbol in the middle. Many of the Nursing graduates will now go on to take the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

• Boston’s WBZ 4 sportscaster Steve Burton is slated to deliver Mount Wachusett Community College’s 2004 commencement address, Thurs., May 20. “Burton devotes much of his free time in service to others,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “I think our graduates will enjoy hearing what he has to say and we are proud to be welcoming someone who has made a commitment to giving back to community.” Burton is a sports anchor and reporter for CBS4 News on CBS4 and for sister station UPN38 in Boston. A New England native, he joined CBS4 in August 1994. Prior to that Burton worked as a sports anchor and reporter for New England Sports Network (NESN) since 1988. While at NESN, Burton hosted the pre and post game shows for the Boston Red Sox. Raised in Framingham, Massachusetts, Burton grew up in a sports family. His father, Ron Burton, played for the New England Patriots football team. Young Burton graduated from Framingham High School, where he was the quarterback for the school’s football team and went on to play quarterback for Northwestern University.

Lea Ann Erickson
Director of Community Relations
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322
Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
l_erickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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