Announcing good news from Financial Aid!

The Washington Financial Aid Association (made up of 2 and 4 year colleges and universities) selected our Deidra Norgaard as the Financial Aid Rookie of the Year. Since this is a particularly tough year in Financial Aid, this is quite an honor for her.

Jackie Springer took the picture of Deidra and Wendy Joseph at the bi-annual WFAA meeting in SeaTac Thursday. Wendy nominated Deidra for consideration.

Congratulations Deidra!

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You can be a follower on this blog and receive email notices about events and things going on around the campus. Be the first ones to know about everything. Join up now I did and it only took a few seconds to complete.

Multicultural Events November 2nd

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and Native American Heritage Month, the following performances are scheduled for Monday, November 2nd in the Student Center Auditorium.

Career Expo November 3rd, Student Center

On November 3rd, Military.com/NCO USA will be using the conference center to host a free job fair for veterans. Information is below.

Pumpkin Carvers

Wow we had some great work done again this year.

Halloween Party 2009

ASG did a great job for this event here are some photos.












Staff and employees enjoyed the day.

Annual Fantasy Lights project brings holiday cheer

Annual Fantasy Lights project brings holiday cheer
Students apply classroom skills to real-life project

When the sun is shining and the days are still long, Clover Park Technical College instructors and students are busy planning for something most of us don't think about until fall has set in - the holiday season.

For the past 11 seasons, the mechanical engineering, welding technology, and automotive collision programs have designed, fabricated, and painted a display for Fantasy Lights - a project that brings joy to the students and to the community.

"Students like working on Fantasy Lights projects because they are not only gaining practical welding skills, they are making something tangible that their friends and family can enjoy," said Dan Main, welding program instructor.

By working on the project, students gain an appreciation for project planning, communication, and teamwork. This year, dozens of students experienced the exciting opportunity to put their
engineering, fabricating, and automotive skills to use by creating a Stegosaurus for Fantasy Lights at Spanaway Park, one of the Northwest's largest displays of holiday lights.

"It feels good to do something for people to see," said Caleb Barnett, welding student.

"I have been looking forward to working on a Fantasy Lights project since my first quarter when my instructor showed me photos from last year," said Jesi Kindt, welding student.

Working on the project allows students to apply their skills to real life. "I was able to see how all of the hints, tips, and tricks we learned apply to a real life project," said Zack Brankline, welding student.

"Going through the mechanical engineering design program has definitely enriched my design skills, enabling me to complete the project in a short time frame," said Jeff Oxborough, mechanical engineering design student.

"The automotive students enjoy working on a project that benefits the community as a whole. This kind of hands-on experience helps the students on many levels, and we are proud to participate every year," said Kurt Freeman, automotive collision program instructor.

Send in your photos for the Annual Veterans Day Celebration!

The annual CPTC Veterans Day Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, November 9th and we need your help! The planning committee is putting together a collage of photos to display the day of the cermony. If you have military pictures that you would like to have included in this collage, please bring them to Debbie Gurner, Building 16/Room 118 or email them to debbie.gurner@cptc.edu no later than 5pm on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.

Halloween Party

Student Activities Board and ASG sponsor's the "2009 Halloween Costume Party October 28th in the Student Center Bldg 23, 11:00am-1:00pm :

• Costume Contest
• Pumpkin Carving Contest
• Goodies, Treats, Giveaways
• Dead DJ, Performing Live
  

Come and join the fun!!!!

Fantasty Lights on going

We are into the final stages of the Dinosaur project. From the last day at the welding program...








To the final stage at the Automotive Collision Technicians for thier magic before viewing at Fantasy Lights displayed this year.



We thank everyone for our successful eleventh year partnership on Fantasy Lights.

Crown Bar Second Anniversary Benefit Event

Student Leadership Team- Now Hiring

Your Associated Student Government (ASG) is currently accepting applications for officers. Application packets are available in the Student Center and at the South Hill campus.

The deadline for applications is November 6th at 5pm into the Student Programs Office, Building 23, Rom 207.

Any questions please contact

Robert Thayer, ASG President at Thayer7726@student.cptc.edu

Student Scholarship Opprotunities

CPTC students have an opportunity to apply for a scholarship up to $1,000 through the National Institute for Staff and Organization Development. Deadline is November 6th.

Check it out!

CPTC Conference Presentation at National Council on Workforce Education

Sally Gove and Phil Venditti presented a session at the NCWE conference in Seattle on October 19. The presentation was titled “Cross Those Boundaries! A New Process to Transcend Departmental and Curricular Isolation, Help Pre-College and College Students Build Confidence, and Increase Program Completion.” It described the Collaborative Cross-Course Student Involvement Project, which brought together more than 100 ABE/GED/ESL, developmental, and college-level students under the leadership of their instructors and administrators: Roger Nix, Glen Weigelt, Heather Stevens, Morf Morford, Carmen Croppi, and Phil Venditti. Dr. John Walstrum introduced the session, and Vice-President Lori Banaszak also took part in the discussion.

Clover Park Technical College’s 2nd Annual Health and Wellness Fair

Hello Everyone!

Clover Park Technical College’s 2nd Annual Health and Wellness Fair will be on:

Thursday, October 29th 2009
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Building 23, The Atrium

There will be companies and individuals on site providing Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) screenings and Blood pressure and Body Mass Index (BMI) Testing.

Also

There will be a person providing chair massages, Regina from Truly Fit People will be offering Yoga demonstrations in Room 301 and our very own Chandra Miller-Starks will be offering a Depression screening in Room 302.

Also

Staff members will also have access to a representative from Washington Retirement Systems.

So, staff members, please come out and enjoy this event and faculty members, please release your students so that they can take advantage of the services that will be offered. Last year we had a great turn out and active participation keeps the vendors coming back to us.

Please contact Shema or LiLi at (253) 589-5583 if you have any questions.

NCWE Conference Presentation

Clover Park Technical College and Community Colleges of Spokane presented a session over the weekend at the National Council for Workforce Education's annual conference in Seattle. The session, titled 'In Their Own Words: How Plus 50 Students are Reinventing the American Dream,'shared stories of plus 50 students at both institutions.

Presenters were John Walstrum, President of CPTC, Mabel Edmonds, Dean for Workforce Development at CPTC, Joanne Murcar, Dean of Instruction at Community Colleges of Spokane and Brandon Rogers, Advancement/Grants Coordinator.

The presentation can be viewed here.

Flu Season Sensibility

As Halloween approaches, it's not the goblins and witches that are the scariest emblems of the season, but rather the threat of H1N1 flu that's beginning to make its chilling presence known around the country.

Clover Park Technical College is doing its best to keep the campus as healthy as possible during what officials worry has the potential of becoming a pandemic. Symptoms of flu to be aware of include: fever*, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, chills, fatigue, cough, headache, body aches, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. *It's important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

On our campus, we are all encouraged to take appropriate measures to limit spreading illness. This would include:

• Take advantage of the five hand sanitizers that have been placed (and will continue to be placed, as a shipment of 15 more come in this week) around campus. There will also be 50 desk-top dispensers to be placed in high-traffic areas. Plus, 200 Lysol wipe containers will be distributed to offices and classrooms. A few mounted dispensers are electric, and only require you to wave your hand under them to receive a squirt of sanitizing foam.

• If you do have symptoms such as coughing or sneezing, do so into the crook of your elbow, so that you are not infecting others with air-borne germs.

• The recommendation by healthcare professionals if you do get sick with flu-like symptoms is to stay home -- we'll all appreciate it! Avoid contact with people except to get necessary medical care. And the emergency room should be only for people who are very sick; call your health care provider for advice. If you go to the emergency room, you may be exposed to people who have the flu, or you may expose people to your illness.

• How long should you stay home if you have the flu? The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone (without fever-reducing medicine).

• Supervisors should decide in advance which employee positions require full attendance in person, which ones may be performed (even partially) from home, and under what circumstances work from home can occur.

• Your supervisor may direct you to use a mask or other protective gear as a condition of attendance. If you refuse, or as another option if you are exhibiting flu symptoms, you may be sent home; accrued leave may be used, or work without pay, or a temporary layoff consistent with Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) provisions.

• Agreements for Classified, IUOE, and faculty CBA allow the College to require a note from your doctor to return to work if you've been sick for over five consecutive days; however, if there's an epidemic, the College may waive this requirement to avoid unnecessarily burdening health care providers. If so, employees will be notified.

There are emergency warning signs of the flu turning into a more serious health issue. According to authorities, anyone who has these symptoms should get medical care right away:

In children:
* Fast breathing or trouble breathing
* Bluish skin color
* Not able to drink enough fluids
* Not waking up or not interacting
* Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
* Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
* Fever with a rash

In adults:
* Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
* Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
* Sudden dizziness
* Confusion
* Severe or persistent vomiting

These symptoms are a compilation of information available online. I would add, use your common sense and check with your healthcare professional.

Despite the details covered in this blog post, there's a good chance most of us will stay well and make it through the season without incident. Here's to your good health and a healthy campus this season!

Dianne Bunnell
Clover Park Technical College

Nontraditional Careers

Nontraditional jobs are becoming attractive to a wider range of people. Right now young women make up just 1 percent of auto mechanics in the US and 2 percent of the production, craft and repair trades workforce, meaning the opportunities for women in these fields are endless.

The Welding Program at Clover Park Technical College is booming.

CPTC Fantasy Lights Project, Welding Program

One of the next stages for the dinosaur project includes adding the sub-frame for durability. The welding crew notes that this dinosaur will be seen for years to come.

Fantasy Lights Project Design, Mechanical Engineering Design Program

Where it all starts.

Instructor: Dorene DeMars and her student Jeff helped bring the dinosaur project to life.

Veterans Reception Photos