Brattleboro Reformer Article Highlights CCV's Growth!

According to an article published today in the Brattleboro Reformer, CCV is seeing its highest enrollment numbers in its 39 years! More high school students are enrolling in Introduction to College Studies and more students of all ages are pursuing their higher education dreams at one of the 12 CCV locations.

Annie Fernandez, our public relations coordinator, reflected, "At this time for spring registration 2009, we are 6 percent over what we were last year, as is the college statewide."

Who knows where we'll be in a couple of weeks?! This is an exciting time for the Community College of Vermont.

Image source: net_efekt

CCV student's business featured in the Burlington Free Press

Nina Van Zandt has turned her love of snowboarding and childcare into her very own business!

The 'snowboarding nanny' was recently featured in an article within the hometown section of the Burlington Free Press. According to Nina, "I have been baby-sitting since I was a preteen, having taken the Red Cross baby-sitting course, and I have been snowboard instructing for two years. I thought bringing the two together would be a great business venture while I’m in college."

We're proud to have such a creative, active, and caring student in our liberal arts program at CCV Burlington!

Image by frozenchipmunk

CCV Student Honored with the 'Golden Apple Award'

CCV Burlington student, Richard "Max" Maxwell represented HomeDepot during the presentation of the 'Golden Apple Award' during the December 9th Winooski School Board meeting. Team Depot built baseball dugout benches, repaired dugout roofs, and donated materials and time to improve the Winooski athletic fields.

View the video to hear more about the award and to witness Max's acceptance speech.

Congratulations Max and HomeDepot for your hard work and dedication. Max-we're proud that you represented CCV so well!!!

Image Source: firepile

CCV Acting I and Guitar I students perform on Friday, Dec. 18!

Please come out to support our students who've been working hard all semester to prepare for this night!

Greg Matses teaches Guitar I and II as well as Intro. to Rock and Roll and really knows how to bring out the best in his students--he recently won an award at CCV for his excellence in teaching. It's so fun to watch him in action with his students; encouraging them to a new level in their playing (he even gets some of them to sing!).

Ronni Lopez, one of our acting teachers, is very creative in her approach. She teaches her students how to improvise with each other so not only to we get to witness written scenes and monologues but we get to see her students "play" spontaneously! You never know what will happen which makes it that much more exciting (for them and us!) The action takes place starting at 7pm in LL7.

See you there!!

Image Source: Waka Jawaka

Book donations welcome!

As part of a Fletcher Free Library project, Deborah Straw's Foundations of Self class will be collecting books for underprivileged children. Please donate an appropriate new (or lightly used) book for a three to four year old if you can by noon on December 14. The students will deliver them to the library. No wrapping necessary.

Two donation collection boxes are available (one at Pearl and one in Cherry 204) for this book collection project by a Foundations class. Thanks for your support. For a list of preferred book titles, please email jennifer.garrett-ostermiller@ccv.edu.

Image source: kennymatic

You are Invited to a Winooski Transportation Presentation

Students taking Moving Toward Sustainability have been working on individual projects for what they have called, the Leave Your Car at Home Challenge.

The goal was to figure out ways to reduce car traffic to CCV. Most projects aim to promote modes of transportation that are different from driving a personal car. You are invited to attend student presentations on transportation solutions for the CCV Winooski Campus taking place on Thursday, December 10, from noon to 1 pm in room 306, Cherry.

We look forward to sharing our ideas and discussing future initiatives with the CCV community. Please join us.

Image by Yodel Anecdotal

Our Hartness Library Wants Your Advice!

The Hartness Library is always looking for ways to improve their services--and they need your help!

Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey.

A special thanks goes out to the Student Advisory Board for helping in the review process for this survey.

Transfer Fair a Success! Check out the photos

Thank you to all of the recruiters and students for coming!

November Resource of the Month: Serve New England

Serve New England is a food buying coop that anyone who volunteers two hours a month can join. Serve's program has no eligibility requirements and is open to people of all income levels, ages and races. Anyone who is willing to give 2 hours/month of their time to help others is eligible to participate.

You can save up to 50% on high-quality, fresh foods by buying your meats, fruits and veggies through the Serve New England Program.

Here's how it works:

1. Volunteer two hours
2. Place your order (December 7th is the next order date) and complete a Community Service Receipt
3. Pick up your food at your local site once a month (November 21 and December 19 are the next pick up dates).
   

For more information, go to www.servenewengland.org.

Want to find other ways to save on the cost of food? Check out vermontfoodhelp.com or consumer reports. As always, Lisa is here on Wednesdays (and available by phone 922-6297 M-F) if you have any questions!

(submitted by Lisa Jensen)

CCV's International Students featured in Burlington Free Press Blog

CCV data was recently featured in Tim Johnson's blog post concerning the number of international students in Vermont higher education. According to the article, "CCV has 179 international students (many of them immigrants or refugees) from 70 countries, or 2.5 percent of the total enrollment of 7,005." This percentage ranked above Champlain College and UVM. Way to go CCV!

Check out the full post to learn more about country representation and other Vermont college data.

Image Source: Rochelle, et.al. creative common license

Pictures from CCV's Veteran Appreciation Event!

CCV’s Sharon Webster featured in THE WORD SHOW

THE WORD SHOW: Visual Art Infused with Words

“The Word Show” features innovative and provocative work from nine artists who combine word and image in unusual and surprising ways. Using mediums like sculpture, painting, assemblage, handmade paper printing and more, the artists tease out common ground between language and visual art.

Here's a bit about Sharon Webster--Both a poet and visual artist, Webster offers mixed media work of various kinds, including work inspired by handwritten letters, books as sculptural objects and printing paraphernalia. Critic, Christopher Faris, described Webster’s work as “exhilaratingly abstract and surreal, yet poignantly expressive. Her constructions are magically thought provoking.”

To learn more about the show, visit FLYNNDOG 208 Flynn Ave. Burlington, VT
Hours: 7am-7pm Every day
Show runs through Jan. 3, 2010

Other artists featured include:

• Axel Stohlberg
• Roger Coleman
• Winnie Looby
• Aluan Arguelles
• Jon Michael Turner
• Drew Cameron
• PK Ellis
• Maggie Standley

New Cherry Pit Exhibit: Now Through December 20th

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi: The Vanitas Landscape Tom O’Brien

Tom O’Brien, according to his website, had never given much thought to painting landscapes. For him, they were simply an overdone expression of art. With the Vanitas show, O’Brien seems to have found a way to re-examine the traditional landscape. The title of his show is telling.

The Latin term Sic Transit Gloria Mundi translates to “thus passes the glory of the world.” The vanitas painting technique O’Brien referrers to started in the Netherlands in the early 17th century. Used by still-life painters, the vanitas was a symbolic gathering of food, human skulls, maps, globes, and other earthly possessions. These paintings were meant to call to mind “the inevitability of death and the transience and vanity of earthly achievements and pleasures…”[1].

O’Brien asks that the viewer inhabit his landscape, to feel alone in the sense of place, and find what emotions that brings forth for them. Perhaps, somewhere through these windows, one will experience the sense of humanity and transience O’Brien wished to share.

[1] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/623056/vanitas November 2, 2009

Galleries will be open for the First Friday Art Walk, this Friday from 5-7pm. Come one, come all!

New Exhibit in the Pearl Gallery

The Pearl Gallery now features work from CCV's very own Karen M. Geiger, and the exhibit will run through December 20th.

Everyday Myths
Karen M. Geiger

“A strange thing is memory, and hope; one looks backward, and the other forward; one is of today, the other of tomorrow. Memory is history recorded in our brain, memory is a painter, it paints pictures of the past and of the day.” – Anna Mary Robertson Moses

Memory is not fact, we hold a moment in our minds and it tells a story of a time and a place. We repeat these to other people in our lives, but it’s never entirely accurate. Though these stories, we create an image of self. To ourselves, and to the people around us, our memories help make us who we are. But if the memories are not perfectly exact, instead of fact, the story becomes fiction, and therefore, a myth.

These paintings are my attempt at exploring the myths I have created about myself and my own life.

The memory series, involving Ravens, is a tribute to the mythology of the Norse God Odin. His two pet ravens, named Thought and Memory, flew around the world to gather information. This knowledge was passed onto Odin. My series uses Thought and Memory to collect bits and pieces of my childhood and bring them to light.

Both Galleries will be open for the First Friday Art Walk, this Friday from 5-7pm so stop by!

We appreciate our Veterans!

Everyone is invited to attend the CCV Veterans Appreciation Event to remember, honor and thank our veterans!

When? The celebration will take place on November 11th from 6-8pm at CCV Burlington

What's the Agenda?

6:00-6:15pm: Gathering, refreshments
6:15-7:00pm: Panel I: Transitions · Discussion about the many transitional stages in life that veteran and active duty personnel encounter including transitions from military to civilian, return from deployment and becoming a college student
7:00-7:45pm: Panel II: The New GI Educational Benefits · Discussion about the new GI bill and CCV support and services available to veterans and active duty personnel
7:45-8:00pm: Music Entertainment
8:00: Conclusion

We look forward to seeing you there!

Harvest for Hunger Dinner a Success!

On Friday, October 23rd CCV organized it's annual Harvest for Hunger dinner at the Salvation Army in Burlington. Staff, faculty, and students spent the evening preparing and serving a delicious ham dinner to over 120 people. CCV organizes this event every year as part of Harvest for Hunger week, one week in October that aims to raise awareness about food security issues in Vermont. In the past, CCV has also organized food drives, coordinated a "Hike for Hunger" to raise money for Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, and hosted films and discussions that address the issue of poverty in the state. If you would like to learn how you can get involved, please contact Ian Boyd and ian.boyd@ccv.edu.

Discount tickets to the Haunted Forest for CCV students!

No plans for Halloween?
Consider taking a trip to the Haunted Forest!

What is the Haunted Forest?

According their web site, "the Haunted Forest combines outdoor theater, special effects, the magic of the night forest, and the spirit of Halloween to delight audiences of all ages." The show has been running for 25 years and continues to make people scream and laugh!

Performances take place at the Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston. If you call the ticket line at 802-879-9160 and mention that you are CCV student you will get a discount - $10 tickets on Halloween this Saturday 10/31/09!

Don't miss out on a chance to have some Halloween fun!

New Winooski Site Pictures

Are you getting excited for the big move to our new building in Winooski this spring?

Here are some of our most recent images to get you up-to-speed with the building progress!

National Day on Writing: Burlington Professors Showcased

Did you know that this past Tuesday marked the National Day on Writing? To celebrate the occasion, the National Gallery of Writing opened up showcasing the works of students, faculty, and staff from campuses across the country.

The cool thing is that CCV has it's very own gallery and features some of the finest writing from faculty teaching at Burlington's campus including---

Karen Geiger's poem, From Chicago & Lynda Majarian's work of fiction, Promises
How can you get involved?

The gallery is accepting submissions from students, faculty, and staff until June 2010. Time to represent Burlington; break out your pen and paper and start writing!

The Vermont 3.0 Innovation Jam: CCV Represented

Interested in the world of technology and innovation? Want to get in on some advice from pros in the field? Care to meet with employers to learn about career opportunities?

Then stop by the Vermont 3.0 Innovation Jam on Monday, October 26th at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. The event is FREE and OPEN to all, and the Community College of Vermont will be represented!

A few quick highlights to get you excited:

• Over 64 exhibitors will be on hand representing green technology, media, bioscience, education, and more! In fact, CCV will have a table to provide folks with information about our cutting-edge technology programs.


• The day is jam-packed with top-notch speakers including Michael Jager from JDK (an awesome graphic design firm in Burlington) and Adam Alpert, the CEO of BioTek.


• New for this year is the Invent Yourself Startup Series where you can learn how to build a business plan and develop financing for your entrepreneurial ventures.

What can you do to prepare?

1. If you intend to visit exhibitors specifically for job prospects, be prepared with your resume and professional attire (avoid sweats).


2. If you'd like to learn more about a specific field, bring a note pad and bag to collect information. Try to pick up business cards so that you have people to connect with in the field.


3. Register on-line so that you're on the list for future events.

October Resource of the Month: Green Mountain Care Health Insurance

We're so excited to have Lisa Jensen, CCV's new resource coordinator, here to help students access community resources! October's resource of the month is Green Mountain Care. Green Mountain Care is the name for several low-cost and free health care programs offered by the state of Vermont and its partners. When you are uninsured, you can't always afford to go to the doctor when you need to, and minor health issues can turn into major problems. This became all too real for one of our students last year when she ignored early warning signs of an emerging health issue and ended up at FAHC for one week. These are expenses no one can afford, especially when you're starting out working towardds your degree and building your career.

As a college student, you may be eligible for one of the Green Mountain Care programs depending on your age, family situation and income. Generally you must be uninsured for 12 months or more unless your insurance ended due to a life changing event such as a loss of job reduced work hours, no longer qualifying as a dependent, and more.

Some programs require that students also work, while others do no.

Use the online screening tool at http://www.greenmountaincare.org/ or call 1-800-250-8427 to find out if you are eligible. Lisa also has information on-site. Stop by CCV on Wednesdays from 2-6pm or call her at 922-6297 if you would like to set up an appointment.

Free Press Blog Post about Winooski site

The Burlington Free Press posted a blog about the progress of the new CCV building in Winooski.

Read more here:
http://tinyurl.com/yeej6j7

Harvest for Hunger, Salvation Army Dinner - 10th Anniversary!!

On Friday, October 23rd from 5:00 – 6:30 pm, all members of the CCV Burlington community are invited to help prepare dinner for people eating at the Friendly Kitchen at the Salvation Army in Burlington. This year is our 10th annual Salvation Army dinner as a part of CCV's Harvest for Hunger week.

There are many ways to participate including preparing food at home, donating money toward the purchase of Harrington Hams, as well as setting-up, serving and cleaning up at the event. If you'd like to help provide a “home cooked” meal to the people dining at the Salvation Army, contact Amy E. Stuart (CCV Burlington academic advisor) at amy.stuart@ccv.edu or 802-865-4422.

Ice Cream Social In Pictures

On Tuesday, September 15, 2009, approximately 200 students, faculty, and staff attended CCV Burlington's 4th Annual Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Social. Here are some photos from that event. (Photography by Chris Ryan)