Thanks to CCV for help toward graduation

The following letter was recently published in the Burlington Free Press. It was written by Sergio Torres, who will be graduating from CCV this coming weekend. The staff at CCV would also like to thank Sergio for the many contributions (including his beautiful music) that he has made to CCV Burlington in the past years. We hope they will continue!

I would like to publicly thank the educators, staff, financial support and advisors at the Community College of Vermont for their wonderful help and support through 10 years of college. I am a person with physical limitations, and the accommodations at Community College of Vermont were always offered to me. The patience of the teachers toward me was commendable. I believed in myself because my teachers believed in me. I’m proud to call my teachers and all faculty at CCV my eternal friends in my heart. I would like to thank VSAC for the grants allowed me for college.

The Vermont Adult Learning Center in Colchester deserves many thanks, too, for endless tutoring and support.

Last, but not least, I would like to thank the State of Vermont, where education is valued and everyone has a chance to succeed with hard work and determination. Thank you for legislation on equal education and fair treatment. Education liberates us and helps us to discern. It is wonderful to give back as much has been given to me. But to give unconditionally and to serve, that is divine.

May God bless human kindness. May God bless CCV.

Sergio Torres
Essex Junction

In Remembrance: Shamms Mortier

Shamms Mortier, a beloved instructor at CCV Burlington, passed away May 22, 2008. Shamms’ last official act at CCV was to write a note to his spring 2008 philosophy and SEI students. The content of this message says so much about who Shamms was and how much he loved to teach. There is something for all of us in his words:

How honored I have been in these last three-plus decades to be in the sacred classroom with you. You have given me more, taught me more, than you will ever know All narratives must eventually reach their final chapter, and this is true for all of us as well. Would that it were not so, I would elect to keep teaching and learning forever; and perhaps that is what happens anyway in the great and enduring mystery to come. I would ask all of you to keep focused upon three things. First, be creative! That means risking doing things that are just out of reach. Push yourself to climb mountains. Second, or maybe first, be compassionate. Realize that extending a helping hand is the heart of humanity, and without heart, no blood flows. Third, be conscious! Wake up! Be aware of your world and your life. I send you much
love.

-Shamms
April 21, 2008

Do you have any favorite memories of Shamms? Did he have an impact on your life? If so, consider sharing your story by submitting a comment to this post.

CCV and TeenFest

Representatives from CCV will be participating in TeenFest 2008 at the Champlain Valley Expo Center this weekend, May 31 and June 1 from 12pm-8pm. This is the first TeenFest event in the Burlington area and there is a full schedule of events planned including bands, a fashion show, demonstrations, exhibitors, and colleges. Check out the website http://www.teenfestvt.com/ for more information and stop by our booth if you have questions about CCV.

The Learning Center Has Moved

Hello CCV Burlington!

As the summer semester begins there are changes to tell you about regarding The Learning Center (TLC). We have moved. We are now in room 204 of the Cherry Street Building. These pictures are a quick glimpse of some of the new space. In addition to the 5 computers in the main room there is also a computer lab.

Starting Tuesday, June 3 you will be able to come by TLC to work with tutors on math, writing, study skills and more. Our summer semester schedule is Tuesdays 1pm – 5pm, Wednesdays 10am – 5pm and Thursdays 1pm – 5pm. Printed schedules will be made available. Our services are free to CCV students and no appointments are needed.

For more information on the services provided by The Learning Center contact Zoe Griffing, The Learning Center Coordinator : griffingz@ccv.edu

CCV in the News

An article titled CCV course will help students earn credit for 'what they already know' appeared in yesterday's Burlington Free Press. The article is regarding CCV's Assessment of Prior Learning course (APL, EDU-1240). To read the full article, click here. For more information on Assessment of Prior Learning at CCV, click here.

Students Turn To Community Colleges For Cheaper Tuition

WPTZ visited CCV Burlington yesterday to talk to students and staff at the college about the college affordability and the economy. You can watch the news segment by clicking here.

2008 Faculty Service Awards

On Friday, May 2, Spring ‘08 Burlington instructors gathered for an end-of-semester lunch and the presentation of service awards for faculty. Once a year, the staff takes time to recognize those who have been teaching at CCV for 10 years or 20 years. The luncheon is held in a transformed LL7 space and this year about 45 instructors attended. Instructors receive engraved paperweights (for 10 years) and personalized pens in an attractive wooden case (for 20 years). Yes, we know these gifts aren’t much, but we hope the acknowledgement and our deep appreciation compensates in part for all we ask of faculty (inside and outside of the classroom).

Students, if you see one of these teachers, and if you’re so inclined, please add your thanks to ours.

10-Year Teaching Awards

• Anthe Athas
  
• Ed Cafferty
  
• Harvey Ingram
  
• Gail Salzman
  
• Evelyn Sikorski
  
• Laura Wisniewski
  

20-Year Teaching Awards

• Richard Keane
  
• Deborah Straw
  

CCVers Help at Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf

A small group of CCV students and staff volunteered this past weekend at the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf and helped to collect 17,000 pounds of food for those in need! Click here to read a story about this work from Fox44. Also, the following is a reflection on the experience from CCV student Kelsi Powers:

I was really blown away by the community involvement for this amazing cause. In my 3 and 1/2 hours of volunteering on Saturday I saw young people, old people, men, women, grandmothers, and a family with their 3 month and 3 year old sons. No matter what task a person was working on, I saw smiles all around the room. We were all talking, getting to know each other, helping to sort through boxes of food together. The amount of teamwork for a room full of strangers was great to witness.

Not only was it nice to see the community getting involved, but seeing CCV representation was awesome! A fellow student, and employee of the Food Shelf, was present for the afternoon and Linda Henderson, an administrative assistant in the financial aid office came to help out with three of her children. Linda was also able to recruit two friends of her children, making her group a total of 6!

The day itself was impressive, totaling over 17,000 pounds of donated food to help stock the shelves! I'm really excited to continue my volunteer service at the Food Shelf. I think they have an outstanding mission and a wonderful staff to work with.

CCV ACCESS DAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

On Monday, May 19, high school students are invited to visit the CCV Burlington location at 110 Cherry Street to learn more about attending college. The Access Day Open House is an opportunity to talk to CCV students and attend a college class.

“This is a great way for high school students to get to know what CCV is all about and see if it’s the right experience for them, especially if they are still deciding about college or would like to get a head start earning college credits,” says Student Resource Advisor Ian Boyd. “

Two sessions of Access Day will be offered. The morning session will take place from 8:45 to 10:45 am, and an afternoon session from noon to 2pm. The sessions are free and refreshments will be served. For more information, call the CCV Burlington office at 865-4422.

CCV Burlington in the News

An article titled "CCV offers high schoolers a jumpstart on college" appeared in today's Burlington Free Press. To view the article, click here.

CCV Students Take Part in a Weekend Service Trip

On Thursday, April 17^th four CCV students representing the Burlington and Rutland sites teamed up with a small group from Johnson State College for a weekend service trip to Hartford, Connecticut. Students spent time serving three non-profit organizations: House of Bread, Hartford Rescue Mission, and the Food Share.

After settling into the Mark Twain Hostel on Thursday night, students woke up early Friday morning ready to serve at the House of Bread, a soup kitchen in north Hartford. While there, students had a chance to help prepare and serve food, give part of the kitchen a new paint job, and participate in yard work outside. Students continued their service work Friday afternoon by preparing and serving dinner at the Hartford Rescue Mission, an organization dedicated to providing meals for the “homeless and needy of Central Connecticut.” Saturday found students at the local Food Share sorting through boxes of vegetables and bagging peppers, onions and potatoes
to be sent to other nonprofits dedicated to feeding people in need.

The group returned to Vermont on Sunday, April 20^th after a successful weekend of service. Students representing Burlington included Neal Moser, Olivia Smith-Hammond and Kelsi Powers. Ana MacDuff represented the Rutland CCV Site.

Please visit the following links for more information on the sites served by students:

http://www.hobread.org/soup1.shtml
http://hartfordrescuemission.homestead.com/
http://community.foodshare.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=191&srcid=247

CCV ART Students Go to Montreal!

On April 25th twenty three CCV students and faculty members travelled to Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts to spend the day visiting this world class museum. Students had the opportunity to view a special exhibition titled "¡Cuba! Art and History from 1868 to Today", an historical retrospective of Cuban art that included paintings, prints, drawings, poster art, film and three dimensional objects. Most of this artwork has rarely been seen outside of Cuba. Every April CCV Burlington sponsors a one day art trip to Montreal as part of the Fine Arts program.

CCV Mascot?

Jon Taylor from Seven Days recently visited CCV Burlington again. This time, he asked students and staff what they think our mascot should be. Check out the video below for what he found and leave a comment on this post if you think you know what CCV's mascot should be. If you need some inspiration, check out the 10 strangest college mascots from classesandcareers.com.