More than 70 students, faculty, staff and their friends and families participated in the third annual College-Wide Day of Service in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 21. Groups volunteered at the Greater Norristown Police Athletic League and the Olivet Boys and Girls Club in Pottstown. Check out bigNews next week to read about a literary service project performed by the College’s Education students that day.
Photos by Alana J. Mauger (Norristown) and Diane VanDyke (Pottstown)
by Diane VanDyke
Montgomery County Community College invites the community to its Dance Performance Ensemble Fall Concert on Nov. 30 and Fall Performing Arts Showcase performances on Dec. 3, 5 and 6 in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. All four performances are free of charge and open to the public.
The Dance Performance Ensemble Fall Concert will be held Friday evening, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m. and features a variety of student-choreographed works that range in style from modern to hip hop.
On Monday, Dec. 3, at 12:30 p.m. students will present a one-hour matinee preview of the Fall Performing Arts Showcase featuring Dance, Music and Theater selections.
The evening performances will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5, and Thursday, Dec. 6. Each evening performance will feature a different lineup of the best work by students in the music and dance departments, including the Dance Ensemble, College Choir, the Chamber Choir, the new Chamber Strings, the Guitar Ensemble, the new Jazz Lab Band and the Performance Jazz Ensemble.
The performances will highlight several works by the notorious avant-garde composer John Cage in celebration of his centennial birthday. Among other works, the Chamber Choir and Dance Ensemble are collaborating on a choreographed re-imagination of Cage’s “Litany for the Whale.” The result will be a piece that blends ancient Gregorian tradition with modern dance and aleatoric elements.
The Showcase is presented at the end of every semester. For the Spring Semester, the Dance Performance Ensemble concert will be held Friday, April 26, at 8 p.m. and the Spring Showcase performances will be held Monday, April 29, at 12:30 p.m. and Wednesday, May 1, and Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m.
For more information about the Dance Performance Ensemble, contact Coordinator of the Dance Program and Director of the Dance Ensemble Dr. Melinda Copel at mcopel@mc3.edu; for more information about the Fall Performing Arts Showcase, contact Associate Professor of Music Andrew Kosciesza at akoscies@mc3.edu or visit the College’s website at www.mc3.edu/campusLife/artsCulture/perform.aspx.
Check out photos from the Spring Performing Arts Showcase and Dance Performance Ensemble concert!
Photos by Matt Carlin
by Diane VanDyke
Thirty police cadets graduated from Montgomery County Community College’s Municipal Police Academy on Nov. 14 during a ceremony held at the College’s Science Center Auditorium, 340 Dekalb Pike, Blue Bell.
The graduates of Class 1202 included Stephen Andrews (Richboro), Gregory Borgmann (Warminster), Raymond Brook (Maple Glen), Michael Choiniere (Gilbertsville), David Clouser (Quakertown), Richard Dean (Yardley), Shalako Drabinksy (Chalfont), Kevin Furman (Newtown Square), Eric Honick (Conshohocken), Jason Howell (Limerick), Erik Iochum (Abington), Joseph Jennings (Churchville), Salvatore LaMantia (Yardley), Michael Lanzafame (Philadelphia), Bryan Lukens (Whitemarsh), Scott Lukens (Plymouth Meeting), David Malischewski (Perkasie), Joseph O’Mara (Lower Gwynedd), Stephen Pimm (Ambler), Michael Pinciotti (Newtown), Benjamin Romanowicz (Bensalem), Benjamin Scott (Pennsburg), Brian Seibert (Worcester), Jennifer Smith (Abington), Kevin South (Morrisville), Rafael Stoppazzollo (Philadelphia), Michael Theiss (Tuckerton, N.J.), Michael Verrillo (Warrington), Anthony Vogel (Horsham) and Zachary Wise (Phoenixville).
Valedictorian Sgt. Stephen Pimm earned the Sgt. James R. Miller Marksmanship award, and Lt. Bryan Lukens earned the Leadership Award. Sgt. Richard Dean was awarded the Spirit of Distinction Award for his teamwork, discipline, dedication and leadership.
The ceremony started with a moment of silence in respect for fallen Plymouth Township Police Officer Bradley Fox, an alumnus of the Police Academy. A chaired draped with his jacket bearing his name was placed next to the podium during the ceremony in his memory
Guest speakers for the evening included Sgt. Ken Hawthorn of the Warrington Township Police Department and Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman also attended.
In his remarks, Hawthorn told the cadets to “be firm but be fair,” and not to dwell on mistakes.
“Remember, your patrol car has a big windshield and a small rearview mirror,” he said. “What’s in front of you is more important than what’s behind you.”
Castor reminded the cadets to “do the right thing” when the moment calls for it. “Being a police officer,” he said, “is not a profession but a calling, a calling to do the right thing for the people of the community.”
During the ceremony, the McGowan family presented the Chief John J. McGowan III Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $2,500 to Orwigsburg Borough Police Officer Matthew Fogarty of Royersford. Fogarty graduated from the Police Academy in July 2012 and also serves as an emergency medical technician.
When receiving the scholarship, Fogarty thanked the McGowan family, telling them, “Chief McGowan was the leader I dream of becoming.”
Chief McGowan started his law enforcement career in 1974 with the Lower Moreland Police Department. While working there, he graduated from the FBI National Academy and earned his master’s degree in Criminal Justice from St. Joseph’s University. After his retirement in 1992, he became the police chief and public safety director for East Norriton Township, a position he held until June 18, 2010, when he was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident.
In addition to his law enforcement career, McGowan was an academic instructor in the Criminal Justice program at Montgomery County Community College. He also served as past president of the Montgomery County Police Chiefs’ Association and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association and was instrumental in establishing the Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Academy Director Frank A. Williar praised Class 1202, stating that the members of this class are definitely people he would recommend to safeguard his family and the community.
Montgomery County Community College, in conjunction with the state training commission, operates the Municipal Police Academy at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Campus, 1175 Conshohocken Road, Conshohocken, PA 19428.
The Academy has been the training ground for approximately 3,200 cadets with a consistent graduation rate of more than 96 percent. The 800-hour curriculum allows successful students to articulate up to 15 credit hours toward an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice.
Williar, a 1974 Police Academy graduate, was hired as the Academy Director in 2005. The Academy is certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission.
Photos by John Welsh
Photos by Alana J. Mauger
by Alana J. Mauger
On Nov. 8, military veterans and their supporters joined Montgomery County Community College President Dr. Karen A. Stout and members of the College’s Veterans Task Force to officially open the College’s new Veterans Resource Center.
Through a $115,000 grant from The Collegiate Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development, the College was able to convert the “202 House” on its Central Campus in Blue Bell into a dedicated Veterans Resource Center. The facility includes rooms for meetings, classes and a community area, where students can study, relax or participate in small group programs.
Representatives from the Montgomery County Veterans Center and from Pennsylvania Career Link will also hold regular office hours for both the College’s students and the community veteran population at large.
Supporting student veterans is not new for Montgomery County Community College. The College’s veteran support services were extremely active during 1960s and 1970s as veterans were returning from the Vietnam War.
In 2006, as veterans began to return from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the College, once again, re-invigorated its veterans services and established a Veterans Support Team as part of the institution’s Student Success Initiative. Since then, the College’s student veteran enrollment has grown by close to 55 percent over the past five years, with a record number of 398 veterans enrolled this fall.
During the dedication ceremony, Dr. Stout presented members of the Veterans Support Team with the plaque designating the College as a “Military Friendly School” for the fourth consecutive year by G.I. Jobs magazine.
Numerous federal, state and local officials joined the College for the dedication ceremony, including U.S. Representatives Patrick Meehan and Chaka Fattah; Pa. Senator John Rafferty; Pa. Representatives Matthew Bradford, Tim Briggs, Larry Curry, Madeleine Dean, Thomas Murt, Marcy Toepel, and Todd Stephens; and Montgomery County Commissioners Vice Chair Leslie Richards.
photos by Sandi Yanisko
On Saturday, Oct. 6, Montgomery County Community College hosted its third annual Alumni Association Strides for Scholarships 5K Race and Fitness Walk and its 19th annual Central Campus Community Day. Photos by Sandi Yanisko (5K) and Alana J. Mauger (Community Day)
by Robert Gardner (Liberal Studies)
Exercise Science and Wellness (ESW) majors hosted a dodgeball tournament to help raise over $625 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer on April 16. The tournament, held at the Physical Education Center, was the brainchild of students of Assistant Professor Dr. Anne Livezey and Lecturer Amanda Woolridge.
Service learning projects are an important part of the ESW program. Students become familiar with aspects of planning, organizing, and implementing large events. By managing multiple moving parts, they learn to be flexible while keeping the end goal in focus.
In addition, students discover the fulfillment of supporting a worthy cause. They took a vote, and for the second consecutive semester chose Alex’s. According to Dr Livezey, the students stepped up to the task of organizing and fundraising.
“They set up tables in Parkhouse, ATC, and College Hall, and gave out lemonade and popcorn, prior to the event to generate interest,” she said.
“They really got out there and found businesses to participate,” said Woolridge. “Buxmont Soccer donated Players Edge cards. New Life Thrift Store, the Spinnerstown Hotel—these businesses had not been part of past events.”
Students also solicited donations from their employers. Chris Panettieri provided a gift card from Trader Joe’s, and Phil Masturzo furnished movie passes courtesy of Frank Theaters. Donations were also made by Andy’s Diner, Chick Fil-A, Foot Locker and Wawa. Donated gift cards were raffled off the day of the tournament.
Students Kassie Vogt and Geena Carmoniti sold raffle tickets and registered teams. They also made t-shirts for the winners. Atticus Massari and Chris Popolizio manned the concessions tables, selling pizza, hot dogs, and other snacks. Ciara Marble handed out flyers around campus.
Intense action on the dodgeball court punctuated a successful campaign for not only the winning team, but also for the students, faculty, and administrators who made the event happen. In the end, fun was had by all, a project was completed and an important cause was supported!
Donations to Alex’s Lemonade Stand can still be made through the Tournament website at www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/81190.
Photos by Matt Carlin
Montgomery County Community College hosted its 14th Biennial Criminal Justice and Public Safety Career Day on April 25 at the Central Campus in Blue Bell. After an opening awards ceremony, students and community members learned about career opportunities in these fields from more than 50 exhibitors.
Photos by Christine Reckner
Montgomery County Community College students hosted their second annual Relay for Life event at the Central Campus in Blue Bell on April 20-21, raising a total of $17,196. There’s still time to donate at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=40351.
Watch students Sabrina Williams and Justin Walters sing the National Anthem during the Relay for Life Opening Ceremony.
Photos by Alana J. Mauger
Hundreds of students and community members celebrated cultural diversity during Montgomery County Community College’s 3rd annual International Festival on April 18, 2012. Check out coverage from The Reporter here!
Photos by Norman Detweiler
