Deadline for second wellness activity extendedTo those who want to keep paying the discounted insurance rate, your deadline for the second required wellness activity has been postponed to April 30, 2010. What does this mean? Rather than requiring you to complete two wellness activities by Dec. 31, 2009, you must complete one now and one later. Here are the details: 1) Between now and Dec. 31, 2009, you must complete just one wellness activity (not two!). You have a choice:
2) Then between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2010, you must complete:
In summary If you’re already underway with your second requirement, you’re ahead and now have until April 30 to complete it. To those who have finished both already: Bravo! You beat the deadline and are done for the year. A refresher about Aetna’s confidential online “Healthy Living Program” 1) Log into the Aetna Web site, just as you did to complete your confidential Health Risk Assessment. It’s at www.aetna.com. 2) Click on Simple Steps to a Healthier Life. 3) Click on the View My Health Media Programs box. 4) Get started on one of following six Healthy Living Programs:
Once you have chosen a program:
Again, thank you for your feedback. If you have any questions, please contact Steve Malla, SPC Wellness Coordinator, at 727-341-3083. Easy rider – Clearwater instructor commutes by bike
The benefit of Greg Byrd’s seven-mile round trip to work is that he can travel at a leisurely pace, taking in the pleasant view around him. The drawback: a rainy day can make his arrival at work a bit soggier than for other commuters. That’s because he rides his bike. “Biking to work for me is a great alternative to exercising in other ways; I’ve always disliked exercising for its own sake,” said Byrd, Clearwater Campus Communications instructor. “I feel rather like a kid who gets to go outside and ride his bike twice a day rather than someone who has to drive to work.” Byrd began commuting by bike 20 years ago, riding to work atop a Raleigh 10-speed. At that time, the college owned a field house across the street from the Clearwater Campus, where he could shower before work. Once the field house was sold, he stopped biking to work. Now that the campus has the LEED-certified Natural Science, Mathematics, and College of Education Building, featuring two showers for bike riders, Byrd started his bike commute again this past winter. He initially rode a big blue Schwinn five-speed beach cruiser with a luggage rack and huge wheels, pedaling along well-traveled Drew Street. This summer, he switched to a Trek hybrid bike (a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike) that he bought for $50. “People have been surprisingly nice and cooperative on the road,” Byrd said. “Mostly, people don’t pay attention so you have to look out for them.” He says that riding his bike rather than driving his truck saves him about a gallon of gas or more a week. So far, the only problem Byrd has had with his bike commute came in the form of a nail that flattened his tire. However, after switching out the tube, he was back on the road within 10 minutes. Otherwise, “it’s been perfect,” said Byrd. “I’ve been commuting three to four days a week during the summer term and throughout this term.” Byrd offers a few tips for others who might consider biking to work:
Coming soon: SPC's new commercials
SPC is rolling out a new series of commercials featuring its students that will air through local cable systems and in area movie theaters. The first spot will begin running Oct. 2 during previews for movies at Regal Park Place Stadium 16 theater in Pinellas Park and at the AMC Woodlands Square 20 theater in Oldsmar. This spot and the others in the series also will air on cable systems including Bright House, Knology and Verizon, as well as local TV stations WMOR and WTOG, in November. The spots are a continuation of the student profile campaign that the college has run for the past year and a half. In the last phase of the campaign, the college’s commercial spots featured close up, black-and-white shots of students giving reasons for enrolling at SPC. In this new phase, the commercials are filmed in color, with students sharing their personal stories as to why they chose SPC. The students featured in the spots were selected from those who auditioned for the college’s marketing campaign in January, and each spot was shot by SPC Videographer Jeremy Peplow. “These students were chosen to represent the diversity of interests at SPC,” said Mary Hearn, Marketing Coordinator, Institutional Advancement. In the first spot, a student explains how he turned to SPC after his plans to study medicine at an Ivy League college were derailed. He goes on to say how the college’s nursing program still enabled him to turn his dream of helping others into a reality. “The best stories come directly from the students themselves, so that’s the source we use,” said Bill Frederick, Information Coordinator, Institutional Advancement, who wrote the scripts for the commercials. “It usually doesn’t take too long for the students to reveal the most interesting facts about themselves, and those are the facts we use to build the stories.” To view the commercials online, visit the college’s You Tube page. Fall Critical Thinking Institute at SP/G Oct. 9The Fall Critical Thinking Institute will be held on the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Friday, Oct. 9. The event features a Faculty Champion Discussion panel in which instructors from Business Technologies, Communications, Library, and Nursing will provide an overview of their activities since beginning the critical thinking initiative earlier this year. Later, there will be two break-out sessions with a variety of presentations designed to provide skills and knowledge about best practices and resources that faculty may use to enhance their teaching for critical thinking. The day will end with an optional information session for those disciplines slated to begin the critical thinking initiative in January, including:
There is no charge to attend this event. To register, review the tentative agenda and obtain driving directions, visit www.spcollege.edu/criticalthinking/professionals/cti.htm. LRMA to host Prayers in Paint exhibitionThe Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art invites SPC students and faculty to the introduction of the exhibit Prayers in Paint, The Icons of Sister Eliseea at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Fine Arts Building Auditorium on the Tarpon Springs Campus. The event is free. This exhibit of traditional icon paintings infused with modern revelations by Sister Eliseea Papacioc will be on view at the museum from Oct. 4 - Feb. 7. For further information, please contact Patti Buster, LRMA Education Coordinator, at Ext. 5226 or at buster.patti@spcollege.edu. New faculty graduation attendance policyFaculty members who are required to participate in May graduations soon will be able to decide which graduation to attend. Effective this fall, faculty members will be able to sign up for December graduations as an alternative to May ceremonies. Summer graduations will become a faculty option next year. SPC President Carl M. Kuttler Jr. agreed to the new policy, which will allow faculty members to celebrate with students in their particular programs. Also, it will allow flexibility for those who have commitments during the break between spring and summer terms. The new policy also will include faculty processionals in full regalia at all SPC graduations. The Faculty Senate President will send out a college wide e-mail that will contain links to slots reserved for full-time faculty members. This year, the e-mail will be sent in the fall term for the December graduation. Sign-ups will be filled on a first-come–first-served basis. Those who do not secure slots for the July or December graduations will be required to participate in the following May graduation. Attendance will be monitored; anyone who signs up for one of the earlier slots but who does not participate will be required to march in the May ceremony. Lifelong Learning presents:Professional Guardianship Training course This four-week class runs from 6-10 p.m. on Wednesdays and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays. The course, taught by Lee Car, a Clearwater elder law attorney, costs $295 and includes a textbook. The course is designed to acquaint and educate participants about the activities and requirements necessary for becoming a professional guardian. It is suitable for anyone who is serving, or wants to serve, as a guardian – whether as a professional, family member or volunteer. At the end of the course, participants will receive a certificate of completion, and a roster of students will be forwarded to the Florida Department of Elder Affairs/Statewide Public Guardianship office. A free Open House will be Sept. 30 from 7-8 p.m. on the Clearwater Campus, where participants can meet the course instructor and learn the requirements necessary for becoming a credentialed legal guardian. For more information or to register, call the Lifelong Learning department at Ext. 3184 or Ext. 3268. Boater Safety course This one-day, eight-hour classroom and hands-on course meets the requirements for certification of youthful operators of a vessel with 10 HP motors or larger and is a mandatory education class for boating violators. This course also is a great refresher for any boater and may be used for a boater insurance discount credit. Topics include boat types, safety equipment, navigation rules, local charts, waterway markings, knot tying and personal watercraft operation. The course includes an exam and a certificate of completion, which allows the boating violators immediate resumption of their water activities. The tuition for the class is $35, which includes classroom instruction, hands-on experience, text, certificate of completion, registration with the state of Florida, and a boater ID card. For information or to register, call SPC’s Lifelong Learning department at Ext. 3184. SAT Test Prep courseSPC will offer an eight-week SAT preparation course on the Clearwater, Downtown, Seminole and Tarpon Springs sites on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon beginning Oct. 3. The cost, which includes a textbook, is $215. The course, open to students from public and private high schools and home-schooled students, focuses on the math and verbal portions of the test and includes new essay writing tips and practice. Students also will take official retired practice tests, work on remedial exercises and review questions, and receive important test-taking strategies. The college also is offering an eight-week SAT Prep course at East Lake and Palm Harbor University high schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2-4 p.m. beginning Oct. 6. This course costs $215 and includes the textbook. Both classes target the Dec. 5 SAT test and are taught by SPC adjunct English and math instructors. For further information or to register using Visa, MasterCard, or American Express, call Lifelong Learning at Ext. 3184. Class sizes are limited. Native American History and Culture courseLifelong Learning is offering a course that will explore the history of Native Americans in the Tampa Bay area from Sept. 29-Nov. 3, 7-9 p.m., at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus’ Natural Science Building, Room 140. The course costs $45. Taught by Roger Block, author of the “Florida Native American Heritage Trail,” the course will focus on Native Americans’ influence on culture, survival and spirituality, and feature several important Native American sites from Weedon Island in St. Petersburg to Little Salt Springs in Bradenton. The cost of the course is $45. For more information or to register, call Ext. 3184. FACC service project supports troopsThe St. Petersburg College chapter of the Florida Association of Community Colleges is seeking the names and addresses of the family members of college staff who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan so that they can receive goodies collected through a statewide project. As part of its 60th anniversary, the Florida Association of Community Colleges is conducting a Convention Service Project through which members will collect items such as candy, correspondence and food to send to service men and women in the Middle East. Please forward the names and addresses of family service members stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan to Peg Connell no later than Nov. 8 at Connell.peg@spcollege.edu, or by calling her at Ext. 3398. Meeting noticesThe Development Committee of the Board of Directors for the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will meet at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the Interactive Gallery of the museum to discuss general museum business. The Education & Outreach Committee of the Board of Directors for the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will meet at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, in Café Olympus on the Tarpon Springs Campus to discuss general museum business. This article and other health information are available on our Wellness blog. The essence of balance
Life does not have to be that way; you have choices to make. Our mental, physical and social wellness need to be balanced. One form of wellness can play off of another, contributing to the success of them all. It is one key to lifestyle stability. Physicality is immeasurably linked to mentality. A person’s mentality is determined by his willpower, goals, and attitude. Creating challenges for yourself to pursue will allow you to overcome them. Another aspect of wellness is socializing. You come to work everyday with others, and it takes a lot of social skills to advance in your career. Your mentality toward your job, co-workers, and yourself always will affect your ability to interact. Socializing should have limits, but a positive outlook has no boundaries. Your physicality in a social setting can give cues to who you are. These cues can dictate other’s opinions and reactions toward you. The way you present yourself can go a long way toward positive experiences with others. It does not matter if you are the most attractive or best dressed, but rather how you make others feel. Engage others with the same passion you engage in yourself and optimism soon will follow. Mental, physical, and social wellnesses are all vital personal tools; use them to build a better today and tomorrow. The finished product will be one of value and substance that will keep you from falling off the “seesaw.” Balance yourself through personal wellness by participating in the Fall 2009 Wellness Challenge beginning Oct. 12. More information will follow in next week’s Blue & White.
Local businesses and individuals volunteer with High Point Elementary School to develop garden
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Balance is the key to everything. Without it, your life would feel like a seesaw – up and down, up and down until you get off and fall down.
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St. Petersburg College Sustainability Club members, Dynamet, Inc. and Gateway Organic Farm have partnered with High Point Elementary School students, teachers and a gardening expert to develop a garden that 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 covers 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 serves as the base layer; a mixture of manure, compost, hay and soil was then layered on top of the cardboard. The actual ground is not tilled as with conventional gardens.
Robert Segundo, a certified permaculture designer, has volunteered his time and expertise to oversee the project.
“Most children have no idea where their food comes from, and this is a great way for them to find out,” said Segundo. “These techniques 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, oversees the garden project that K-5 students recently have begun to tend.
“Our children spend the majority of their time inside classrooms and homes,” McClelland said. “Our garden is a long-range, sustainable project that engages students in hands-on, inquiry-driven activities which I believe boost core subject skills as well as nutrition. One of High Point’s goals is to promote parent and community involvement, and over the long run, that is what the garden will do.”
The project was initially envisioned by McClelland. She approached Jason Green, SPC’s Sustainability Coordinator, and they 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,” said Green. “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.”
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Sustainability Coordinator Explore our Sustainability Web site or our Sustainability blog for additional articles. |
Onward & Upward
Jean Wortock, Dean of the SPC College of Nursing, along with College of Nursing professors Mary Tittle and Betty Wajdowicz, were recipients of the Great 100 Awards during the Florida Nurses Association’s Centennial Convention Thursday at St. Pete Beach.
SPC TV
Here is the broadcast schedule for the original cultural programs recorded by SPC for broadcast on the college station. SPC-TV can be seen on Bright House 620, Knology 19 and Verizon 47 in Pinellas County.
NEW – The Music Center Presents : Faculty Recital - WATCH THE VIDEO: (30 min.)
Or watch it on SPC TV: Sunday at 3:30 p.m.; Thursday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 11:30 a .m. For details on other Department of Music events, visit the Department of Music Web site.
» The Music Center Presents: SPC Summer Chorus
Sunday at 4 p.m.; Tuesday at 8 p.m. and Friday at 8 p.m.
» A Night at the Palladium: La Traviata Opera
Sunday at 11 a.m.; Wednesday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m.
For details on other Palladium events, visit the Palladium Web site.
» Frontline: Behind the Lines
Sunday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 9 p.m.
For details on other Palladium events, visit the Palladium Web site.
» The Music Center Presents: Rebecca Penneys
Monday at 9 p.m.
For details on other Department of Music events, visit the Department of Music Web site.