in this issue: Fitness Center Dedicated For the Love of Teaching

in this issue:
Fitness Center Dedicated
For the Love of Teaching
Honoring Professor Mike Register
COMMUNITY COLLEGE NEWSLETTER
Pirates to the Rescue
Trenton Campaign Kickoff
MAY 2012
KASKASKIA COLLEGE
Pictured L to R: Dr. Jim Underwood, President of KC; Mrs. Betty Renth, Mr. Frank Padak,
and Mr. Adam Koishoir with Scott Credit Union and Mike Conley, Chairman of the Trenton
Campaign
“Where Everyone is Someone”
Contact Information:
Travis Henson
KC Director of Marketing
Phone: 618.545.3177
email: [email protected]
website: www.kaskaskia.edu
Kaskaskia College held its kickoff to the Trenton Education Center expansion campaign at
Wesclin High School on Saturday, May 5. The event marked the official beginning to a fundraising campaign that seeks to raise $900,000 in private donations, which, along with $1.5
million in extended bond funds authorized by the KC Board of Trustees, will constitute the
projected $2.4 million cost of an expanded Trenton Education center to serve the western part
of the college district. The project will not require a tax increase.
The program began with a welcome from KC Board Chairman John W. Hawley, who
emphasized the College’s commitment to serving the needs of its residents, even in difficult
times. “We have a tremendous responsibility,” Hawley said. “Governments, both state and
federal, are asking us to do more while at the same time reducing our funding. Nevertheless,
we are committed to our extension centers because they are an important way for us to bring
the benefits of education to the places and times where it is needed.”
See Trenton on page 3...
Spotlight
KC Alumni and Friends Fitness Trail Dedicated
Following the ceremony, many participants walked the length of the trail where KC student athletes waited to demonstrate each
of the exercise stations.
In a ceremony held on Tuesday, April 24, Kaskaskia College
dedicated its KC Alumni and Friends Fitness Trail. The
ceremony was followed by a group walk of the trail in which
students demonstrated the fitness stations, and a light lunch
served al fresco.
The ceremony was emceed by Travis Henson, KC’s Director of
Marketing. Henson introduced Dr. Jim Underwood, President
of Kaskaskia College, and Bill Hawley, Chairman of the Board
of Trustees, both of whom praised the KC community for its
unending support of the Fitness Trail project, and especially
Mike Loomis, KC’s Grants Facilitator and Chair of the Fitness
Trail Taskforce.
When Loomis’s turn at the podium came, he spoke of what a
long and sometimes arduous process it was taking the fitness
trail from concept to fruition. “It has been 1,880 days, over five
years, since we first submitted a grant application to the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources to help fund this fitness
trail,” Loomis said “. . .and 271 days since we broke ground. .
. .Finally, it has been 1 day since the signage arrived and was
installed for today’s event. So, it has been a long road, but in
the end we have a project we can be proud of and one that will
offer great benefits to the residents in our district.”
Loomis went on to say that, having gone through the process of
applying for and receiving the grant that made the trail possible,
he has encouraged local communities to apply as well. The
City of Salem, Loomis said, has recently applied for its own
grant for a trail, and the KC Alumni and Friends Fitness Trail
has been designated an official Walking Path by the American
Heart Association and will be included in their online database
of trails and paths.
Page 2
The Fitness Trail features ten fitness stations where exercisers
can perform various stretching and strengthening exercises.
Each of these stations has a private or corporate sponsor who
pledge financial support in return for having their names
associated with the trail. At the beginning of the ceremony,
nine of the stations had been sponsored:
Station #1: Back Extension Sponsored by KC Friends
of the Fine Arts
Station #2: Two-sided Rotator Sponsored by Dr. James
and Roxie Underwood
Station #3: Self-weighted rower Sponsored by
St. Mary’s Hospital
Station #4: Leg Press Sponsored by Salem Township Hospital
Station #5: Pull-up bars/Horizontal bars Sponsored by KC
President’s Cabinet
Station #6: Push-up bars Sponsored by Midland States Bank
Station #7: Sit-up bench Sponsored by Peoples National Bank
Station #9: Pommel Horse Sponsored by the Design and
Construction team including: BLDD Architects,
Depew & Owen Contractors, Curl and Associates
Engineers.
Station #10:Strength and Stretch bars Sponsored by
KC Sports Association
As the sponsors were introduced and recognized, the call
jokingly went out that one station, number 8, Parallel bars, still
lacked sponsorship, if anyone was interested. Dr. Mary Ann
Langenfeld graciously stepped up and committed to sponsoring
Station #8, making the sponsorship aspect of the trail complete.
Following the ceremony, many participants walked the length
of the trail where KC student athletes waited to demonstrate
each of the exercise stations. Afterwards, a light lunch was
served al fresco outside KC’s Fitness Center.
May 2012
Kaskaskia College will have sixteen teams operating as part
of the Trenton Campaign. KC’s Trenton Campaign Manager,
Suzanne Christ, introduced team leaders and members to
the audience. Arlene Covington, the Director of the Trenton
Center, introduced several current and former students at the
Trenton Center. These students represented the variety of
people served by the Center, from high-achieving traditional
students to dislocated workers to senior citizens who want
the opportunity to continue to learn. The inclusion of these
students allowed the audience to see the successes of the
present center, and to understand the need for an expanded
facility to fulfill the needs of more area citizens, be they
traditional or non-traditional college students, entrepreneurs,
those seeking professional certifications, or simply life-long
learners.
BLDD rendering of the Trenton Regional Education Center
Trenton from page 1...
Mike Conley of the Trenton Sun, Chair of the Trenton
Education Fundraising Campaign, talked of the local benefit
to having an expanded Education Center in Trenton. “An
expanded Trenton Center will make higher education affordable
and accessible to those of us who live here,” Conley said.
“It will provide for a well-trained work force, increase our
average income levels, and bring greater prosperity to our area
generally.”
Dr. James Underwood, President of Kaskaskia College, gave an
overview of the project, including the donation of the building
that currently houses the Trenton Education Center by the
Trenton City Council. “Mayor Sellars and the Trenton City
Council have allowed us to grow right where we are. They
saw the benefit of higher education and acted to ensure that
this project can come to fruition,” Dr. Underwood said. The
current Center, at 3,800 square feet, occupies just over a third
of the building which has approximately 10,000 square feet in
total space. The College plans to expand the building by 4,000
square feet, allowing the Center to grow to a robust 14,000
square feet, enough for greatly expanded program offerings.
Craig Roper, KC’s Director of Purchasing and Mr. John
Maynerich, the project architect from BLDD Architects, gave
a preliminary rendering of the floor plan of the building when
renovations and expansions are finished. The tentative timeline
for the project calls for construction to begin in the spring of
2013, with completion expected the following year. Kellie
Henegar, KC’s Dean of Arts and Sciences, presented a wish list
of program offerings to be available at the expanded Center,
and is working, along with her team, to solidify the offerings
with input from area businesses and students.
Mr. Hawley, Mr. Conley, and Dr. Underwood presented
certificates to those who were among the first to see the
benefit of the new Center and have already contributed. Those
included were the Trenton City Council with the gift of the
building worth an estimated $250,000, Mr. Frank Padak, Mr.
Adam Koishor, and Mrs. Betty Renth of Scott Credit Union for
the donation of $100,000, and Mrs. Leona Kauffman of Trenton
who weeks ago made the campaign’s very first donation of $25.
Other contributors recognized were Mayor David Brandmeyer
of New Baden for the village’s contribution of $5,000, Pehg
Zeller of the Trenton Women’s Club for $1,000, Louise Joseph,
Cathy Kirksey, and Carl and Marjorie Bott each for $100,
and Lee and Nancy Kinsey for $500. In addition, Dr. Jim
and Roxie Underwood were honored for their contribution of
$2,500.
Nancy Kinsey, Vice President of Administrative Services for
the College and Chair of the Financial Team for the Campaign,
reported that, including those gifts already announced, the
campaign had reached a total of $361,975 toward its goal of
$900,000 in private donations. She asked if anyone in the
audience cared to make a donation, and several more donors
answered the call. Mr. Jack Mays of the KC Board of Trustees
pledged $1,000, and Mrs. Darlene Ewers also gave $1,000.
Suzanne Christ, on behalf of her family, donated $250, and
Mary Essen, an adjunct instructor at the Trenton Center,
pledged $100 from her mother, Mrs. Jane Bush.
In his closing comments, Mike Conley encouraged everyone
to spread the word of the need and the many benefits of an
expanded Trenton Center to the health of the area. “We
only need to let people know what it will allow us to do and
the benefits of having it,” he said of the project. “as Dr.
Underwood has said, ‘We don’t need to sell it, it sells itself.’”
Page 3
Spotlight
Arbor Day Celebrations
Kaskaskia College held annual Arbor Day celebrations at
its Vandalia and Main Campuses. The Vandalia Campus
celebrated Arbor Day a day early on Thursday, April 26, with a
guest speaker, Alex Eade, a 2009 graduate of Southern Illinois
University Carbondale with a degree in Landscape Horticulture.
Eade is an Instructor in KC’s Horticulture Program, and gave a
presentation entitled “Proper Methods for Planting a Tree.”
Special varieties or larger specimen trees may be purchased
for a higher price, and shrubs may be purchased for $50. For
more information on Kaskaskia College, its Arboretum, or
its designation as a Tree Campus USA, please visit www.
kaskaskia.edu/campus/arboretum.
Following Eade’s presentation, the ceremony moved outof-doors for dedication of a newly planted Hawthorne tree
on the Vandalia Campus, donated by an anonymous donor
and dedicated to the adjunct faculty of Vandalia. Dr. James
Underwood, President of Kaskaskia College, along with the KC
Board of Trustees, represented by Board Chairman John. W.
Hawley, dedicated another tree, this one a Crabapple, to KC’s
longtime Director of the Vandalia Campus, Mrs. Mary Schulze.
On Arbor Day itself, Friday, April 27, KC held another
celebration, this time in the Main Campus’s Lifelong Learning
Center. The Celebration featured speaker Jennifer Heinzmann,
Director of KC’s Horticulture Program and Professor of
Horticulture. Heinzmann prepared a presentation on “Pruning
Trees,” in which she educated her audience on aspects such as
why, when, and how to prune, with a focus on proper tool use
and technique.
A brief ceremony was held outdoors behind the Lifelong
Learning Center in which Mr. Sedgewick Harris, Vice-President
of Student Services, dedicated a newly planted Golden Rain
tree, donated by the KC President and Board of Trustees, to
longtime KC employee Jan Ripperda. Ripperda serves as
Manager of Records and Registration and has been a member
of the KC family for 35 years. She was the 2010 recipient
of the KC Full-Time Staff Award, and the 2012 recipient of
the Honorary Associate Degree Award, the highest honor the
College can bestow. In honor of Jan Ripperda, Jenna Lammers,
KC Records and Registration Technician, read the poem “Think
Like a Tree” by Karen I. Shragg.
Closing remarks were made by retired KC Dean George
Hinton, who spoke of the genesis of the Kaskaskia College
Arboretum, and of the requirements the college must complete
to earn its designation as a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor
Day Foundation, a distinction that Kaskaskia College has
earned for the second year in a row. The KC Arboretum allows
individuals and organizations to purchase one of seventeen
different varieties of tree for $100. You may pick the placement
of your tree within the Main or Vandalia Campuses or the
Salem Education Center. A permanent marker indicating the
species and common name of the tree, along with the donor and
person or group honored will be placed at the tree’s location.
Page 4
Pictured above are Board Chairman Bill Hawley, KC President
Dr. Jim Undewood, Alex Eade, Vandalia Campus Director
Mary Schulze, Dean of Arts and Sciences Kellie Henegar,
Adjunct History Professor, Dennis Roberts and Vice President
of Instructional Services Dr. Greg Labyak. Pictured below
are Records and Registration Technician Jenna Lammers,
Jan Ripperda Manager of Records and Registration and Vice
President of Student Services Sedgwick Harris
May 2012
“T h e B e s t a n d th e B rig h tes t ”
“We are attracting the best and the brightest,” said Professor
Eric Hofelich of Kaskaskia College’s Pre-engineering Program.
“Before our program got going, many of the area’s best math
and science students went straight to the universities after
graduating high school,” he continued, “but now we have given
them a place to come, be challenged academically, and get a
solid foundation in pre-engineering before they move on to the
four -year schools.” In fact, according to both Hofelich and
Drafting Professor Rich Rittenhouse, Kaskaskia College AES
grads are highly sought at universities to be team leaders on
engineering projects.
“We give them something that many schools do not,” said
Rittenhouse, “and that is a background in AutoCAD.”
AutoCAD is a software developed to allow for Computer
Aided Drafting, which allows draftsmen to develop workable
schematics and blueprints on a computer workstation.
“AutoCAD is the icing on the cake for these students,”
Rittenhouse continued, “had they gone straight to the
university, they would not have received any instruction in
AutoCAD, which is essential in reading and understanding
computer-generated technical drawings. Having AutoCAD
gives them a leg-up on other students at the same level.”
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, a school long
recognized for the excellence of its engineering program. The
first graduating class was of eight students, while ten more
earned AES degrees this spring. As word of the excellence
of the program spreads, enrollment is expected to continue to
climb.
The KC Pre-Engineering Program held its Annual Banquet on
Tuesday April 17, and featured speakers including working
engineers and Deans from SIU Edwardsville. For more
information of KC’s Pre-Engineering Program, contact Eric
Hofelich at [email protected].
The Pre-Engineering Program at Kaskaskia College provides
students with the first two years of study toward a bachelor’s
of science degree at a four-year college or university. Students
take fundamental courses common to most engineering
disciplines and continue their studies in specialized areas
(mechanical, civil, computer, electrical, industrial, and
manufacturing) after transferring. Kaskaskia College began
offering an Associates of Engineering Science (AES) degree
in 2010 as part of its Pre-Engineering Program, and at least
partially, in response to the College’s “2+2 Program” through
Front: Whitley Wyciskalla (Nashville), Alison Koerkenmeier (Trenton),
Trisha Back (New Baden) Middle: Kevin Riley (Centralia), Ryan
Kurwicki (Nashville), Logan Fischer (Bartelso), Cole Boozer (Kell),
Professor Eric Hofelich (Iuka), Carlos Antonetti (Centralia) Back:
Nicholas Devor (Kell), Colton Deering (Hoyleton), Brandon Zurliene
(Trenton), Michael Geiger (Shattuc), Brett Ambuehl (Mulberry Grove),
Colby Straeter (St. Rose), Jacob Kampwerth (Carlyle), Michael Elliott
(Centralia), and Mark Peradotti (Salem) Not pictured: Thomas Goff,
Josh Bergbower, Cody Langenfeld, and Vincent Mack
SPEECH HONORS
Spencer Marcum of Centralia has had a remarkable Spring for the KC Speech team.
He began with a fourth place in Oral Interpretation and the Sportsmanship of the
Year Award from the Regional Tournament at Southeastern College in Harrisburg
in March before scoring a sixth place and two fifth place finishes at the Illinois State
Tournament held in March at Illinois Central College in Peoria.
Marcum finished the Spring season at the National Tournament, held in April
at Schaumburg, Illinois. He is the first KC Speech Team member to qualify for
Nationals, and he won both the Warren-Dahlin Fellowship Award and the Award of
Merit in Schaumburg. Speech Team Sponsor, Professor Brandi Wilkins, said “These
are both great honors especially since they are National level awards. If you see
Spencer, be sure to congratulate him.”
Page 5
Spotlight
Mother and Daughter Love to Teach
classes at the Centralia Correctional Center until it was decided
that only vocational classes could be taught there. Since
her retirement, Dovie has taught cake decorating at the KC
Vandalia Campus as well as at Vandalia’s County Market store,
guitar classes at her church, and music classes for KC’s Kids
in College at KC (KICKS) program. “I have always loved
working with and teaching kids,” she said.
Connie Heaton Heistand also always knew what she wanted
to do. “At the age of five, I announced I was going to be a cat
doctor,” she said. And, sure enough, she went on to earn her
DVM at the University of Missouri, and currently owns the
Heaton Heistand Veterinary Hospital in Vandalia. In addition
to her veterinary practice, she teaches Anatomy and Physiology
I & II at the Vandalia Campus. “I’m glad I became a vet
before teaching,” she said, “because those who want to achieve
a different goal and settle instead for teaching always seem
dissatisfied.”
For Dovie Heaton Bergin and her daughter Connie Heaton
Heistand, teaching at Kaskaskia College’s Vandalia Campus is
not just a job, it is a way of sharing what they love.
Dovie, 72, was one of eight children. She always loved music,
and dreamed one day of becoming a band director and teacher.
“The desire to teach comes early,” she said. When her local
high school did not offer music, Dovie transferred to a school
with a band. “I didn’t even have an instrument,” she joked, “
but they found me a trombone. I loved that horn.”
Dovie taught not only music, but also job skills and psychology
Connie currently has three children of her own in college; one
attending KC at Vandalia before going on to pre-med, and twin
daughters who are carrying on the family traditions: one is
studying music, like her grandmother, and the other wishes to
become a veterinarian like her mother.
Both Dovie and Connie appreciate the new KC Campus in
Vandalia. “The facilities are great,” Connie said. “It is so
important to have proper lab space to learn A&P and other
sciences. Before this building was here it was a struggle
sometimes.” Dovie agreed. “There is a real collegiate
atmosphere now,” she said, “instead of an air of making do with
what we have.”
KC Radiology Student Chosen
to Attend Leadership Conference
Kaskaskia College Radiology student Chelsea Knaak has been chosen to attend
the Student Leadership Program as part of the American Society of Radiologic
Technologists (ASRT) Educational Symposium and Annual Governance and
House of Delegates Meeting in Las Vegas on June 28-July 1 of 2012.
Chelsea is one of only fifty students nationwide chosen to attend the conference,
based upon their entries in an essay contest held by the ASRT. The essay was to
address the topics of “Why I chose the radiologic science profession,” and “What
I hope to gain from attending the annual governance meeting,” and be between
500-700 words long. Chelsea won airfare, lodging, and meal expenses as well as
the attendance cost for the conference.
Chelsea is a graduate of Salem High School and is the daughter of Karen Tinsley
and Doug Knaak of Salem.
Page 6
May 2012
Kask a skia Co lle ge stu d ents 2 0 1 2 S k i l l s USA
Kaskaskia College students participated in the 2012 Skills
USA state competition at Prairie State Convention Center,
Springfield, IL, on April 26-28, 2012. The students were
accompanied by their Faculty Advisors, who also transported
students to and from the competition.
As in the past, Kaskaskia College students made an excellent
showing, bringing home 9 gold, 7 silver, 1 bronze, and 4
recognitions along with a college membership recognition. The
following awards and acknowledgements include:
Joseph Barton, Nashville, Automotive Refinishing
Technology, 8th place, Josh Boatright, Sandoval, Computer
Maintenance Technology, 2nd place (Silver), Corey
Budde, Salem, Welding, 5th place (Recognition), Jeff
Case, Jamestown, Automotive Service Technology, 6th
place (Recognition), Kim Davies, Centralia, Technical
Computer Applications, 2nd place (Silver), Anna Forth,
Xenia, Cosmetology, 1st place (Gold), Amara Hartnagel,
Pocahontas, Nail Care Model, 1st place (Gold), Sandra
Hollingead, Irvington, Cosmetology Model, 1st place
(Gold), Jeremy Hooker, Trenton, Automotive Refinishing
Technology, 7th place, Haleigh Huge, Hoyleton, Nail Care,
2nd place (Silver) Megan Jeffers, Steeleville, Nail Care,
1st place (Gold), Lacey Klekamp, Vandalia, Cosmetology
Model, 3rd place (Bronze), Chris Kreke, Germantown,
Carpentry, 1st place (Gold), Derek Lercher, Trenton,
Criminal Justice, 1st place (Gold), Sarah Meldrom, New
Baden, Cosmetology, 3rd place (Bronze) Kenneth Michael,
Salem, Computer Maintenance Technology, 1st place
(Gold), Nicolas Otero, Radom, Criminal Justice, 2nd place
(Silver), Samantha Payne, Centralia, Nail Care Model, 2nd
place (Silver), Josh Sloat, Centralia, Carpentry, 2nd place
(Silver), Michael Smith, Nashville, Internetworking, 5th
place (Recognition), John Stanton, Greenville, Collision
Repair Technology, 1st place (Gold), James Toth, Carlyle,
Internetworking, 1st place (Gold), Brittany Treffert,
Centralia, Culinary Arts, 5th place (Recognition), Michael
“Colton” White, Centralia, Computer Programming, 2nd
place (Silver)
It should be noted that John Stanton (Collision Repair
Technology), and Chris Kreke, ( Carpentry) placed first in
their respective areas last year as well, bringing home “the
Gold” two years in a row. Gold medal winners will go on to
compete in the national competition held in Kansas City, MO in
June.
Congratulations to all of the students and a round of applause
as well to the Advisors who prepared them so well for this test
of skill and knowledge.
Veteran’s Tribute Luncheon Held
A luncheon fundraiser for the Veteran’s Tribute to be located at Kaskaskia College was held on January 12 at the College’s
Lifelong Learning Center. The goal of the meeting was to raise $41,000 to enable groundbreaking for the initial phase of the
project.
The Veteran’s Tribute is planned in several stages, with Phase IA consisting of a plaza with hubs and radiating walls inscribed
with the names of area veterans, past and present. Travis Henson, KC’s Director of Marketing and Veteran’s Tribute Committee
Co-Chair, presented a short video explaining the concept of the Tribute and allowing a fly-through of a computer-generated
rendering of the project.
Phase IA is estimated to cost $211,000, and, in accordance with a resolution by the KC Board of Trustees linked to the donation
of the land for the Tribute, the full amount needed to be on hand, not simply pledged, before ground could be broken for the
project. That morning, the committee held $170,000. By the meetings end, and through the generous donations of those present
as well as donations from KC student clubs and organizations, the $41,000 goal was met, reaching the $211,000 total. Ground
was broken on the south side of the Campus’s west parking lot on May 22, 2012.
Those KC student organizations contributing to the Tribute are: The Automotive Collision Club, the Automotive Technology
Club, The Veteran’s Club, The Black Students Association, the Respiratory Therapy Club, Phi Thetta Kappa, the Practical Nurse
Club, CNET, the Radiology Club, International Students and Friends, the Students in Entrepreneurial Leadership Club, the
Dental Assisting Club, Rotaract, and the Student Congress.
For more information on the Veteran’s Tribute, please contact Travis Henson ([email protected]). To have the name of an
area veteran added to the tribute, contact Suzanne Christ ([email protected]).
Page 7
Spotlight
Honoring Professor Mike Register
By Nic Farley
Fifteen years ago I met someone who changed the course of
my life. He inspired me to unleash my creativity and pushed
me to my potential. I started out with Mike Register at Salem
Community High School as a choir student and together
we introduced the first Apple Music Lab at the high school.
Mike embodies the definition of lifelong learner, constantly
researching, as he puts it, “just to know stuff!”
Over the course of the last fifteen years I’ve had the privilege
of being Mike’s high school student, being Mike’s college
student, and becoming Mike’s colleague. He’s pushed me
in the choral program, helped me get over my stage fright
by making me dance on stage, and always encouraged me to
challenge myself. He saw things I could do, that I just didn’t
see myself doing.
After graduating KC and Eastern Illinois University and
working in St. Louis as a consultant for a couple of years, I
continued to sing for Kaskaskia College under Mike’s direction.
The time had come and I decided I could no longer drive back
to sing in the choir and regretfully let Mike know. After a
couple of weeks I got a call from Mike saying he really needed
another Baritone, and asked what it would take for me to sing
in the choir again. I knew he was desperate if he was asking
me. I told him I couldn’t do it, but I promise if you find a job
in the IT field locally, I’d quit my job and move back. Now
this was kind of a joke, but the next day he called me and said,
“There’s an opening for an I.T. Position at KC, and if you get
it looks like I might have another baritone next semester. You
promised!” And the rest, as they say, is history!
One of the highest compliments I think a professor can get
is a student wanting to take the class not for the grade, or
because he/she has to, but because they want to learn what
that professor has to teach them. And for nearly four decades
Mike has accumulated a following of students that have wanted
to keep learning. He didn’t just teach notes on a sheet of
music, but he gave you a history lesson on music, and made
you realize not just what you were singing, but why it was
significant and why you were signing, and he knew how to
inspire you.
He’s become one of my best friends. From his former students,
colleagues and friends today we say thank you for all you’ve
done to enrich the lives of the students you have served! Enjoy
your retirement. You rightfully deserve it!
High School Honor Band
Over 100 Students gathered together at Kaskaskia College on March 29th to
participate in the 4th Annual KC High School Honor Band.
For this year’s concert, 118 students from Bond County CSUD #2, Brownstown,
Centralia, Christ Our Rock Lutheran, Effingham, Mulberry Grove, Neoga,
Okawville, Salem, Sandoval, South Central, St. Elmo, and Vandalia high schools
came to the college around 9:00 am to begin their practice for the day.
The day was one of learning for the students involved, and was also a great
chance to meet their peers, and maybe someday, future KC classmates. A large
thank you went out to the current KC instrumental music students. They took
the day to help teach the students, to make sure everything ran smoothly and on
schedule, and to be sure there were no disruptions during rehearsal. However,
this honor band could not be done without Professor Cliff Jourdan. It is due to
his hard work, finding a guest conductor, creating the music line up, figuring
out which students are coming, and making sure every student and instructor
involved is on the same page, that makes the Honor Band Concert an annual
success.
Page 8
May 2012
Nicole Louise Reid Featured in Visiting Writers Series
Kaskaskia College was honored to welcome Nicole Louise
Reid to the Lifelong Learning Center on Tuesday, April 17
to read from her new book So There! as part of the College’s
ongoing Visiting Writer’s Series.
“We are very fortunate to have Nicole Louise Reid here,”
said Professor Josh Woods, Coordinator of the Writers Series.
“She is a fantastic writer who can act both as an inspiration to
aspiring writers and an enthusiastic guide to her readers.”
So There!, Reid’s latest work, is a collection of nine short
stories. For her reading, Reid chose the first story, entitled “If
You Must Know.” It is the story of a young woman who is,
in the author’s word, “infested” with a burrowing cicada on
the same night that she discovers love in both the physical and
spiritual sense. In the story, Pearlie, the main character, must
come to grips with her life’s disappointments while secretly
cherishing the cicada larvae growing under her skin. Written
in a Southern Gothic style, “If You Must Know” is a trove of
small descriptions that, like a mosaic, create a work astonishing
in its depth and clarity. It is very much to Reid’s credit that she
never puts a foot wrong on the path she leads the reader down.
In addition to So There!(Stephen F. Austin State University
Press 2011), Reid is also the author of a novel, In The Breeze
of Passing Things (MacAdam/Cage, 2003), and a fiction
chapbook, Girls (RockSaw Press, 2009). She is currently
at work on an as-yet-untitled second novel. She lives in
Newburgh, Indiana with her two best boys.
The Kaskaskia College Visiting Writers Series offers the
College and the communities it serves the opportunity to see,
meet, learn from, and interact with published and awarded
authors and poets. For more information, please contact
Professor Josh Woods at [email protected].
A graduate of the M. F. A. Creative Writing Program of George
Mason University, Reid now teaches creative writing at the
University of Southern Indiana, where she serves as director of
the RopeWalk Writing Series, editor of RopeWalk press, and
fiction editor of the Southern Indiana Review.
Pirates to the Rescue!
The KC Theatre Guild, under the direction of Professor David Quinn,
performed their play, “Pirates to the Rescue!”, seven times this Spring to a
total audience of over 1,750! The cast of pirates included Zach McGeehon
of Centralia, the new KC Student Trustee, as Captain Jack Sparrow, Jeanette
Kelly of Carlyle as Maggie McGee, John Sussman of Trenton as Will
Blackthorn, Brian Weems of Salem as Mister Gibbs, Michael Ashby of
Centralia as Mister Brandy, Jacob Houser of Centralia as Mister Hut, Brad
Jordan of Sandoval as Mister Fifty, and Jessica Mann of Salem as Gunpowder
Gretel. Non-pirate players were Charessa Sistek of Okawville as Little Red
Riding Hood, Danny Rogers of Patoka as The Big Bad Wolf, Cassie Kuberski
of Ashley as Granny, Matt Cox of Salem as The Woodsman, Chelsea Gossling
of Kell as Sleeping Beauty, Jordan Hill as The Prince, Ashley Sloat of Ashley
as Belladonna, Rosettia Burr of Junction City as The Gypsy, Spencer Marcum
of Centralia as Disney executive Sam Johnson, Catherine Halterman of Cisne
as Denise, and Matthew Horst of Walnut Hill was the Understudy. Behind the
scenes, the play was directed by Professor Quinn, the Assistant Director was
Ashley Sloat, the Stage Manager was Kelsey Seyler of Nashville, the Sound
Crew was Alex Duncan of Breese and Braedyn Claybourne of Sandoval, and
Matthew Horst manned the spotlight. In the Fall, the theatre Guild is planning
a production of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.”
Page 9
Spotlight
KC Team is Named Academic Team of the Year
The Kaskaskia College Athletic Department is proud to announce that its women’s cross country team has been named “Women’s
Cross Country Academic Team of the Year” by the National Junior College Cross Country Coaches Association.
The 2011 team, coached by Mike Hargis and Bruce Fischer was made up of the following players (Pictured left to right):
Elizabeth Williams (Mt. Vernon), Trisha Bach (Damianville), Keatyn Kujawa (Mt. Vernon), Chelsea Miller (Centralia), Toni Huff
(Mt. Vernon), Mallory Wending (Altamont), Janelle Jankowski (Damianville).
Logan’s Run Continues
Logan Mahon, former pitcher for the KC Blue Devils, is now
a member of the Colorado Rockies organization. Mahon,
pictured here as a member of the Casper Wyoming Ghosts, was
a stand-out leftie for the Devils from 2007 to 2009.
Listed as 6’2’’ and 195 lbs., Mahon was an all-around star
for St. Elmo High School before graduating in 2007. At KC,
he earned All-Conference, All-Region, and Academic AllAmerican honors and was named freshman of the year. He
subsequently led the team to the conference championship his
sophomore year. After earning his Associate in Arts degree
from Kaskaskia in 2009, Mahon went on to attend Southeast
Missouri State in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. While at SEMO,
he played for the Redhawks for two years with a General
Studies major and a Parks and Recreations minor. He was
drafted by the Rockies in the twenty-second round in 2011.
Mahon credits Kaskaskia College as a good place to start an
education, in part because of the opportunity to interact closely
with the faculty. “[KC] was great place to start and not be
overwhelmed,” he said. “”It was small enough that I could get
plenty of time with teachers to ask questions outside of class,
and it wasn’t extremely hard. It was a good education.”
Page 10
May 2012
3 3 Is More T han A Num b e r
Electricity is an amazing thing. It gives us light, heats
our water, helps us communicate, and can even give
us life. On March 3rd, 2011, electricity also took life.
Justin Eldridge, a senior at Okawville High School,
had been working on a local farm where he was
employed. Eldridge had been out with another
coworker spreading manure when, in the distance,
Eldridge saw a raccoon run into and trap itself inside a
metal pipe that had been lying near the field. Eldridge
decided to call his coworker and fellow classmate
Nick Bledsoe to help him investigate. Together,
Eldridge and Bledsoe hoisted the heavy metal pole
straight up so that the raccoon would fall out. The
boys did not see the power lines overhead, and struck
the lines with the pole, killing them instantly. The
death shocked the small, tightly knit community.
Bledsoe, an FFA member, class president, and former
basketball player, had been named homecoming king
a matter of months earlier. Eldridge had been the
ideal outdoorsman, participating in FFA with Bledsoe,
as well as being on the school’s trapshooting and
fishing teams. The classmates of the two boys had
a difficult time graduating only a matter of months
after their passing. Though the boys were gone, one
classmate decided he would do his best to keep their
memory alive.
Cameron Obermeier, a classmate of Eldridge and
Bledsoe, is now a pitcher for the Kaskaskia College
Blue Devil’s Baseball Team. The boys had known
each other since their freshman year of high school, and had
grown close over the 3½ years of being friends. After the
incident that fateful March, Cameron was determined to keep
the memories of his good friends alive. He began raising
money for the Eldridge-Bledsoe scholarship funds by holding
an NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament-a practice
now in its second year. The scholarship is given to two KC
students in need of financial aid. He also began wearing two
bands on his arms, each one printed with the name of one of
his friends, as well as the date 3/3/11. One of the best ways
that Cameron has honored his friends is shown on his baseball
uniform-his number 33.
Thirty-three stands for March 3rd, the day his friends passed
away. “When he heard he got the scholarship and that he
would be playing baseball,” said Cathy Karrick, Cameron’s
aunt and KC’s Director of Public Information, “he kept asking
me if they would give him the number 33.” Karrick had no
real control over what number Cameron would receive, but
told baseball coach Mitch Koester of her nephew’s request.
Last fall, as uniform numbers were handed out, Cameron was
delighted that he was given the number 33.
Cameron sees signs of his friends all around him. “Whenever
we see two Canadian Geese flying over its kind of a symbol to
everyone in Okawville that it is them flying over and letting us
know they’re watching over us,” says Cameron. He noted that
on many occasions, two geese have been seen flying overhead
as he pitches. In fact, Cameron believes his late friends are
always helping him pitch great innings. “I just always try to
keep them in my heart, and I do what I do for them.”
Cameron is in his freshman year at KC, earning his Associates
in Arts degree. He plans to attend Southern Illinois
University—Carbondale when he graduates here to get his
degree in Agricultural Business. Every time he plays, he still
remembers his dear friends, Nick Bledsoe and Justin Eldridge,
two boys whose memories will go on to live with Cameron
Obermeier forever.
Page 11
Spotlight
HALL OF FAMEfinals.INDUCTION
Pam Jones Evischi played for the College in 1984-1985. Pam,
Sisters Kristy Jones Barton and Pam Jones Evischi were outstanding
tennis players for KC in the early to mid 1980’s. Kristy attended KC
from 1980-1982. Along with her partner Mandy Travelstead, Kristy
won the NJCAA Illinois Doubles Championship, and she finished
second in the singles. She also placed second overall in the 1982
Lincoln Land Invitational and won first place in singles. She, along
with Travelstead, was selected to the All Region 24 Tournament First
Team, marking the first time KC players had qualified for the national
The 1990 Blue Angels Volleyball team, coached by Head Coach
Cathy Wojtowicz and Assistant Coach Marialice Jenkins, racked
up the best record in KC’s history with a 31-6 season. The team
members were Mindy Adams, Tammy Burton, Karen Byars, Lora
Edmunds, Chris Haake, Stacey Hoelscher, Dana Holtgrave, Donna
Kreke, Patti Rudophi, Tina Schroeder, Tracey Timmons, Tammy
Winkeler, and managers Laura Pickett and Michelle Walters.
Cathy Wojtowicz Karrick was inducted for her service on several
fronts. She served as the Head Women’s Volleyball Coach from
1988-1994, a period that included the 1989 and 1990 teams, with
seasons of 31-11 and 31-6, respectively, the first back to back thirty
win seasons in KC history.
27210 College Road, Centralia, IL 62801
618.545.3000 ~ 800.642.0859
www.kaskaskia.edu
Jason Rakers attended KC from 1993-1995 and was a standout
member of the Blue Devils Baseball team. Rakers was drafted by
the San Diego Padres organization. Rakers spent three years in the
Padres system before returning to take over coaching duties at Mater
Dei High School.
Scott Jones transferred to KC from the University of Missouri in
1973. He was a member of both the KC Men’s Basketball and
Baseball teams, where he led with the highest batting average as a
sophomore. Scott went on to receive a law degree, served as adjunct
faculty for KC, and was especially active as a referee for high school
basketball, where he served for over thirty years.
KASKASKIA COLLEGE PRESIDENT
Dr. James C. Underwood
Mr. Harvey Welch attended KC when it was called the Centralia
Township Junior College. He was a leader of the basketball team,
where he was the leading scorer and set a scoring record. Mr.
Welch has remained active in many professional and community
organizations, and travels extensively with his wife, Trish.
along with her partner Cynthia Bredar, won the Region 24 Doubles
Tournament and Pam won the Singles. She completed the season
with an undefeated 10-0 mark in singles and an equally impressive
5-0 doubles score.
KASKASKIA COLLEGE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mr. Jim Beasley
Mr. Kelly Bennett
Dr. Dee Boswell
Mr. John W. Hawley
Mr. Jack Mays
Mrs. Linda Stover
Mr. Zach McGeehon, Student Trustee
In a ceremony held at the campus’s Lifelong Learning Center,
Kaskaskia College honored its 2011 class of inductees into the
Athletic Hall of Fame. Those honored included: Harvey Welch,
Jason Rakers, Pam Jones Evischi, Kristy Jones Barton, Scott Jones,
the 1990 Blue Angels Volleyball team, and Cathy Wojtowicz Karrick.