The Blue & White is published weekly for St. Petersburg College employees and interested visitors. It is designed for you to be able to scan the headlines quickly. If you are interested in an article listed below, click on the link and you will be directed to that article. You also can view the paper version locations or the printable pdf. Calendar items with a specific deadline are marked with an *.
Graduation ceremonies change his mind
It wasn’t until his graduation day, sitting at Tropicana Field on May 9 with hundreds of his classmates, that James McCreery finally saw the light. It had taken him a long time to earn his associate degree. At 26, he was older than some of his classmates, and it had taken quite a while for him to get on the right academic path. He had spent time at other schools, attending Florida State and playing basketball at a college in Pennsylvania, before landing at St. Petersburg College to study International Business. But now, he felt ready to move on. He wanted to get away from the Tampa Bay area, and experience life on a bigger campus. He decided on the University of Central Florida. He made plans to quit his job at a local mall, and found a place to live near the UCF campus. But then he attended his SPC graduation ceremonies and something clicked. “After the graduation ceremony and seeing what a nice job that was, and then hearing about the International Business bachelor’s program, it just seemed it be unintelligent not to take advantage of the opportunity here at SPC.” So instead of enrolling at UCF, McCreery will pursue his bachelor’s degree right here, where he earned his associate degree. One person who was not terribly surprised at his change of heart was Cheri Moran-Awe, an advisor at the Tarpon Springs Campus. She has been advising him since he first came to SPC. “I used to work at Tarpon Middle School, and I was guidance counselor to James’ younger brother,” Moran-Awe said. “When his mother found out I was working at SPC, she told James, ‘Go see CJ, she will help you.’” Moran-Awe said McCreery was a bit reluctant to attend classed at SPC. After some time spent playing basketball at a larger school in Pennsylvania, he thought SPC might be a bit too much like high school, she said. “He just wanted to complete his A.A. so he could go on to a university,” she said. “But the SPC graduation ceremonies seemed to change his thinking. Seeing the quality of the graduation, seeing everything that SPC had to offer, he had a change of heart. He came by my office and said he wanted to apply for our bachelor’s program.” McCreery gives Moran-Awe most of the credit for his academic success. He said she was able to give him something he had been lacking as a student – vision about where he was going. “She is definitely a large part of the reason I made such headway,” he said. “She was so helpful. Originally I decided to go to school, but I had no real idea about why I was going. It wasn’t until I met her that she was able to focus on what college is really about.” One thing it is about, he said, is the attention a smaller school like SPC can give to individual students. “At a big school it is easy to get lost,” he said. “Someone with a personality like mine can get more accomplished if there is more individual attention. She was able to give me a vision of what it was I was shooting for. “At SPC, things are really falling into place.” Communication is key in SPC hurricane plan
If a hurricane or severe weather threatens any of St. Petersburg College’s campuses or sites, the fastest and most effective way to get critical information is on the college’s Web site at www.spcollege.edu. or on the college television station. The Web site and TV station will contain information on campus closings, event cancellations and re-openings. In addition, local television, radio and newspapers will reach those who do not have access to a telephone or to the Internet. The authority for declaring the closing of the college and SPC properties is the responsibility of President Carl M. Kuttler Jr. During this time of year, each department should update its emergency contact list. Every department should establish a phone and e-mail communications "tree" to keep its employees informed. While no amount of planning can offer total protection against communication breakdowns, this multi-channel approach will help to keep everyone informed. Get more information on our Disaster Preparedness Web site. Gun range to be made available to the public
J.C. Brock, Campus Executive Officer at the Allstate Center, said the first session will be Saturday at the Allstate Center range. The courses will be limited to 10 students. The cost is $90.55 per person. “There is a great demand now for concealed weapons permits and for gun safety classes,” Brock said. “We want to leverage our indoor range to support that community demand.” Brock said the training program will be available to college employees, a number of whom have asked whether the gun range could be made available for training of non-law enforcement personnel. The four-hour training sessions, which satisfy the state of Florida’s requirement for concealed weapon permits, will be held on the following Saturdays:
Other courses may be scheduled after that if demand warrants it, Brock said. The college’s indoor range has 30 bays and offers a climate-controlled, lead-free environment, Brock said. Its primary function is to support weapons training for law enforcement personnel. To learn more, e-mail Randy Lewis or call him at 727-341-4518.
Dollars for Scholars Thrift Store is open for businessThe grand opening of the Dollars for Scholars thrift store last weekend was a huge success! Community members, as well as SPC students, alumni and employees, found bargains on clothing, jewelry, shoes and home goods. The new thrift store even has a complete department of brand new clothing from Jim’s Harley-Davidson. The Dollars for Scholars Thrift store is open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Saturday and is located at the college’s Caruth Health Education Center, 7028 66th St. N, Pinellas Park. Donations can be dropped off during normal business hours. The thrift store is especially in need of men’s clothing, office supplies and computers (but NO monitors please!) For more information, visit Dollars for Scholars Web site for details or contact Michelle Piccione at 727-341-3620. Students with disabilities present dramatic program“Stories from the Campfire, Living Life Without Limits,” a dramatic presentation written and performed by SPC students with disabilities, will be presented at 7 tonight (Friday) at the Arts Auditorium, Clearwater Campus. The production features true stories and dialogues about the students and their experiences. “It is the students telling their own stories,” said Peg Connell, SPC’s Special Populations Coordinator. The production consists of six scenes performed by 13 actors. It is directed by Magali Naas of the American Stage Company. “Stories from the Campfire” is a production of the St. Petersburg College Theater Arts Workshop, and is sponsored by a grant from the Eye Institute of West Florida. Spread the word about GRE/SAT preparation classesPrepare yourself for graduate classes with GRE prep class The class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5-8 p.m. for four weeks, June 23 - July 16. Tuition is $275 and includes all course materials including a textbook, practice test workbook and CD-Rom with test taking strategies, review questions, and practice tests for home-study use. The course is offered in a computer lab. Summer SAT prep classes offered on SPC campuses Taught by St. Petersburg College math and English instructors, the classes feature overcoming test anxiety, taking practice tests, basic skills review, remedial exercises, review questions and test-taking strategies. The cost for the class and the textbook is $215.
Meeting noticesThe Development Committee for the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art's Board of Directors has rescheduled the June 10 meeting to Wednesday, June 24, at 3:30 p.m. in the Museum Archives to discuss general museum business. The Alumni Association Board of Directors will meet on Tuesday, June 9 at 6 p.m. at a location to be announced.
Wellness activities earn you medical insurance discountsFor budgeted employees who choose to participate in SPC’s wellness activities, you will be rewarded with a discounted rate for medical insurance. One of these activities is the completion of Aetna’s Health Risk Assessment, called Simple Steps To A Healthier Life®, by June 30, 2009. This assessment takes less that 30 minutes to complete and each participant will receive a personalized health report. You can take your assessment today! Simple Steps To A Healthier Life® is an online wellness program that can help you improve your overall health or simply fine-tune your daily habits. Either way, you’ll get the support you need to be your healthiest. With Simple Steps To A Healthier Life®, you can pinpoint and manage your health needs, all in one convenient tool. Use it to:
Simple Steps to a Healthier Life® is private and secure. Your employer will not have access to your health information. Log in with your Aetna Navigator® user name and password or create one today. The information provided by the Simple Steps To A Healthier Life® program is not meant to be either a recommendation for medical treatment or a diagnosis of a medical condition. Participants should consult their health care provider for the advice and care appropriate for their special medical needs. If you have questions regarding wellness, contact Cathleen Shears, Wellness Coordinator at Shears.Cathleen@spcollege.edu To explore additional wellness updates, visit the SPC Wellness blog. St. Petersburg College partners with High Point Elementary to develop gardenSustainability Club members at St. Petersburg College will partner with High Point Elementary School students, teachers and a gardening expert to develop a garden which will have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. The garden is located on the High Point Elementary School grounds at 5921 150th Ave. N. It initially will cover about 1,700 square feet, but may be enlarged later. The philosophy behind so-called “permaculture gardens” is one of working with, rather than against, nature. The word stems from two words - permanent and agriculture. In the case of the High Point garden, cardboard provided by SPC will serve as the base layer; a mixture of manure, compost, hay and soil then will be layered on top of the cardboard. The actual ground will not be tilled as it is with conventional gardens. Sustainability Club members from various SPC campuses will provide the labor to prepare the land for the garden on June 8 at 9:30 a.m. “Most children have no idea where their food comes from, and this will be a good way for them to find out,” Segundo said. “The techniques used will put them on the road to sustainable farming techniques, using less water, no fertilizers or pesticides and reaping five times the food.” Nancy McClelland, a High Point primary teacher, will oversee the garden project that K-5 students will tend beginning in the next school year. “Our children spend the majority of their time inside classrooms and homes,” McClelland said. “Our garden is a long-range, sustainable project that will engage students in hands-on, inquiry-driven activities which I believe will boost core subject skills as well as nutrition. One of High Point’s goals is to promote parent and community involvement, and that is what the garden will do.” The project was initially envisioned by McClelland. She approached Jason Green, SPC’s sustainability coordinator, and they immediately began discussing the idea of partnering to develop a student-run garden. “Both the participating environmental club members and I are very excited to work with High Point Elementary School on this project,” Green said. “The idea of designing gardens based on healthy relationships among human development, microclimate, plants, animals, soil and water just makes sense.” The garden will produce a variety of vegetables, fruits, perennials and annuals, all grown in an ecologically responsible fashion. “Whether planting, observing, measuring, weighing, journaling or harvesting, children will become connected to the earth,” McClelland said. “This empowers them and gives them a sense of achievement and ownership.” Want to become involved with SPC’s exciting sustainability initiatives? Onward and upwardMika Nelson, Information Services Librarian at the Seminole Campus, co-presented a program entitled, “ MISSION POSSIBLE: Successfully Leaping into Embedded Librarianship”, at the Annual Conference of the Florida Library Association on May 7. In response to increased use of online learning opportunities at colleges and universities in Florida and around the country, librarians are “embedding” themselves in course management systems, such as WebCT; ANGEL; and Blackboard, to reach distance and local learners in need of library services and support. Nelson presented information on the embedded librarian project she pioneered at the Seminole Campus. Emphasis was placed on the advantages, challenges and multiple levels of service associated with embedded librarianship, as well as trends for successful integration of embedded librarianship into the library service offerings of academic institutions. Thank youI soon will be moving to Minnesota to live closer to my daughters, my sisters, my grandchildren and many lifelong friends. And speaking of friends, every single person that I have had the privilege of working with and for at SPC has become my good friend. One year ago, my husband, Ray, died from complications of heart surgery. My SPC friends have supported me through his illness, his hospitalization, his passing, and the year that I have been grieving and working. I will always think of you lovingly with a grateful heart, and I will be watching what’s happening at St. Petersburg College. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. On SPC-TV NEW – A Night at the Palladium: Divertissement Ensemble WATCH THE VIDEO: (1 Hour) Or watch it on SPC TV: Saturday at 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. » SPC Madrigalians: Oh, Eternal Spring » CoMotion Dance Theatre - Spring 2009 Dance Concert » Frontline: Behind the Lines » The Music Center Presents: St. Petersburg College Band » The Music Center Presents: Percussion Ensemble |
As most everyone in Florida knows, the 2009 hurricane season began Monday and will continue through Nov. 30. This is a good time to review the college procedures when a hurricane threatens.
The college will open its state-of-the-art shooting range to the public this month and will offer a gun safety course taught by National Rifle Association (NRA) certified instructors.
