Montco Radio Collects Donations for Local Charity

by Alana J. Mauger

Montco Radio, Montgomery County Community College’s student-run Internet radio station, is collecting items in support of For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation’s “Backpack Buddies” program.

For Pete’s Sake is a non-profit organization, based in Plymouth Meeting, that enables qualifying adult cancer patients, their caregivers and loved ones to “take a break from cancer” by granting them a one-week, expenses-paid vacation.

Started by children Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Backpack Buddies provides children with comfort items and spending money as they travel with an ill parent. Suggested items include coloring books, crayons, decks of cards, books, magazines, Mad Libs, gum, lifesavers, pens, pencils, erasers and toiletry items. Backpacks are provided by For Pete’s Sake and are distributed to young travelers based on the age-appropriateness of the contents.

Montco Radio will be collecting items during Music Wednesday performances, which are held every Wednesday from 12:30-1:30 p.m. through May 1 in the Advanced Technology Center Atrium at the  Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Donations will also be accepted in the Tech  Services Office in room 137 of the Advanced Technology Center.

Individuals who donate items will be entered into a raffle drawing for a brand new Ashland Crafter electric/acoustic guitar, generously donated by Clemmer Music, of Telford. The drawing will take place during the Communicating Arts Production Group (CAPG) end-of-semester screening on May 13 at 7 p.m. in the College’s Science Center Theater.

To learn more about For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation, visit www.takeabreakfromcancer.org.

Montco Radio streams live 24/7 over the World Wide Web. To listen, click here or visit www.mc3.edu and click on the green microphone icon in the lower left corner of the College’s homepage.

Montco Radio Station Managers David Tatasciore and Chelsea Epstein with the raffle guitar. Photo by Alana J. Mauger

Students Participate in National Leadership Conference

by Diane VanDyke

Four Montgomery County Community College student leaders recently attended the American Student Association of Community Colleges’ (ASACC) National Leadership, Citizenship and Advocacy Conference in Tampa, Fla.

The student representatives included Serena Dunlap, Gilbertsville, Student Government Association (SGA) Senator at Central Campus; Margaret Kanter, Boyertown, SGA Senator at West Campus; Shanae Roberts, Limerick, SGA President at West Campus; and Iris Wang, Norristown, SGA Treasurer at Central Campus.  The College’s Director of Student Leadership and Involvement Chris Coia accompanied the students.

The three-day ASACC conference focused on several aspects of leadership, including how to build a social network, develop strong communication skills and create and accomplish goals. Students attended presentations and workshops to learn how to develop these skills, as well as how to effectively use technology in communicating and networking.

“The purpose of the trip was to make us better leaders,” said Serena Dunlap, a Liberal Studies major who plans to become an art therapist. “We learned how to connect with other leaders, so we can network and help each other.”

As a SGA Senator, Dunlap plans to use her new skills to interact more with other students on campus and to listen to their opinions and ideas about the College.

In addition to participating in discussions with 150 other community colleges students from across the country, Dunlap, Kanter, Roberts and Wang earned student leader certifications in ASACC’s L.E.A.P.S. program (leadership, education, advocacy, planning and service).

“The conference really made me stop and think about my future, as well as my past and present,” Roberts said. “The highlight of my experience was having the chance to meet many different people from all walks of life. It was really cool to see how other people ran their clubs.”

The SGA leaders will have the opportunity to attend the National Student Leadership Advocacy Conference in March 2013 in Washington D.C. The conference will inform and educate students about major issues of importance to community colleges and students, including Pell grants, student loans, federal work-study funding, Perkins funding, textbook prices and student debt.

For more information about ASACC, visit www.asacc.org.

: Student Government Leaders (from left) Serena Dunlap, Shanae Roberts, Margaret Kanter and Iris Wang earned certificates for their participation in the American Student Association of Community Colleges’ National Leadership, Citizenship and Advocacy Conference in Tampa, Fla. Photo by Chris Coia

Students Raise $2,826 During 30-Hour Famine

by Robert Gardner, Liberal Studies

For 30 hours in early March, a group of Montgomery County Community College students went without food or drink.  Members of ACE, Central Campus’ community service club, and Thrive, the Christian club, as well as students from other clubs, took part in the 30-Hour Famine.  Staring Friday, March 2 at 1 p.m. and lasting until 7 p.m. Saturday, March 3, the students fasted in order to experience what true hunger is like.

ACE president Aly Murray came up with the idea for the College’s 30 HR, but acknowledges she received a lot of help from Kayla Sheely, the president of Thrive.  The pair shared planning duties for the event, the first to be held at the College.

Sponsored by World Vision, the College’s 30 HR raised $2,826.31 to help combat hunger and poverty in the Horn of Africa.  According to the website www.30hourfamine.org, every $30 raised can help feed a hungry child for a month.

Murray asked that credit be given to the two students who raised the most money.  They were: Abu Chowdhury – $876.00 and Kayla Sheely – $530.92.

Murray herself raised $379.80, the third-most.

In addition to personal donations from family and friends, the students created a paper-link chain, with 925 links.  Each link represented one million people worldwide who go to bed hungry each night.  A table was set up in the Parkhouse Hall atrium and links were sold for $1 apiece.  Thanks to the kindness of the College community, over $1,000 was raised from the chain; some donated more than $1, while others elected not to take a link.

Participants spent the night of Friday, March 2 at Central Campus.  Saturday morning, the students split into two groups: one went to a nursing home to visit with residents, while the other helped sort clothing donations at a pregnancy resource center.

The students made t-shirts, a thank-you banner to hang in Parkhouse Hall, and a permanent poster for the student leadership office.  Participants broke their fast at 7:00 p.m.Saturday, March 3.

“I don’t know if food ever tasted so good before,” said Sheely.

Thanks to the efforts of these selfless students, nearly 100 children will eat for a month.

ACE President Aly Murray sells paper links in Parkhouse Hall leading up to the 30-Hour Famine. Photo by Alana J. Mauger

Editor Amanda Dioszeghy Brings Global Mindset to ‘The Montgazette’

by Tamara A. Measler

Amanda Dioszeghy took over as editor of 'The Montgazette' in January. Photo by Matt Carlin

Amanda Dioszeghy, in her second semester at Montgomery County Community College, has a global mindset. She thinks internationally, from her major, International Studies, to her goal of getting paid to travel the world to study what brings happiness to different cultures.

For now, though, she brings her international mindset to a local role as the new editor of The Montgazette, the student newspaper of Montgomery County Community College.

Amanda’s family moved to Phoenixville from Richmond, Virginia immediately after her graduation from John Randolph Tucker High School in 2011. She reluctantly enrolled at the College after failing to get accepted at the one college she applied to. Applying to only one college “was the stupidest mistake of my life,” she said, but one that worked out for the best.

“I didn’t want to go to community college, but when I started coming to Montco I absolutely fell in love with [it]. It was everything I wanted in a university put into a community college,” she said.

Amanda served as a writer and photographer for her high school newspaper, The Gavel.

“It was me and one other person, a lot of stress, a lot of layout. We met for two weeks and crammed together a newspaper,” she said.

Although Amanda didn’t work on The Montgazette last semester, she attended staff meetings. She became the new editor through conversations with the former editor, Jocelyn Moye, who transferred to Bryn Mawr College this spring.

“Jocelyn and I [talked] about who would become the new editor in chief, and who could do it, and I eventually took on the position,” Amanda said.

A self-described workaholic, the trait should be useful in Amanda’s editorial role. Although the paper is issued monthly, “my position with the paper is definitely a daily thing,” she explained.

“It’s always checking emails, trying to get people to write for the paper. Our biggest struggle is trying to find people to fill 16 pages every month.”

The printed version of The Montgazette comes out the first week of every month, September-June, and is also available online at montgazette.wordpress.com.

When asked about her vision for the paper, Amanda revealed her “hope that we can put out a paper that’s really compelling but really honest.” She plans to focus on the many students clubs.

“I feel like not a lot of people understand all the work that goes into the clubs,” she said. “I think it’s important [to] get the news [about club activities] out early. It gets people more interested… and gives them more opportunity to be involved with their college.”

In addition to classes and her role on the paper, Amanda also serves as the Vice President of the Honors Club. The club focuses on community service projects, such as a book drive last semester for a New York school looking to build a library.

Amanda expects to graduate in 2013 with an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and a Certificate in International Studies. She plans to transfer to Northeastern University in Boston to complete a dual major bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Anthropology. From there, she hopes to begin traveling the world, achieving the full realization of her international studies.

As for Amanda’s plans to study happiness in foreign cultures, the definition of happiness remains “something I’m hoping to discover. It’s a whole journey that I’m looking [forward] to,” she said.

Students Raise Over $1,000 for West Campus Scholarship

Student leaders at the West Campus of Montgomery County Community College raised a total of $1,187 during their 11th annual Lasagna Dinner on Feb. 16.

All proceeds benefit the West Campus Scholarship Fund through the College’s Foundation. Each year, the scholarship is awarded to a West Campus student who is engaged in community service and is in good academic standing.

Since its introduction in 2002, the West Campus Lasagna Dinner has raised more than $12,000 for student scholarships and community organizations.

Student volunteers present gather for a photo with Vice President of Enrollment Management Dr. Kathrine Swanson and Director of Annual Giving Megan Sneeringer. Photo by Alana J. Mauger

Call for Entries: Annual Writers’ Club Fiction & Poetry Contest

The Writers’ Club at Montgomery County Community College is accepting submissions for its 25th Annual Fiction and Poetry Contest through 2 p.m. on March 8. If mailed, entries must be postmarked by March 5. The contest has categories for students as well as community residents for poetry and fiction. Prizes range from $100 for first place to $25 for fourth place in each category.

Click here to download the contest flyer

Entries should be submitted to Associate Professor Patricia Nestler, Parkhouse Hall room 458, Montgomery County Community College, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422. Emailed entries will not be accepted.

Guidelines for submitting poetry and fiction are as follows.

Submissions should be typed on 8 ½ x11” paper, and prose should be a maximum of 3,000 words and should be double-spaced.

Name, address, email address and phone number must be typed on a separate title page, along with the category letter (A1 student poetry; A2 student fiction; B1 non-student poetry; B2 non-student fiction). On each subsequent page, the title of the work should be typed in the upper right-hand corner with the last four digits of the phone number from the title page.

The contestant’s name should not appear on any page except for the title page, and all pages should be numbered and clipped together. Contestants may only submit one entry per category.

Winners will be notified by email, and entries will not be returned.

 

Five-Day Film Festival Challenges Area Filmmakers

The College’s Communicating Arts Production Group (CAPG)  is issuing its second annual “Sweded Film Challenge” to local filmmakers. Teams of up four filmmakers will have five days to create their own personal five-minute version of popular films. The challenge is open to filmmakers of all skill levels.

The best film will receive a top prize of $250, and smaller prizes will be awarded in a variety of categories. The entry fee is $25 per team. For information and to register, visit www.fivedayfilmfestival.com or email fivedayfilmfestival@gmail.com.

The competition begins on Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. with a kick-off event in the College’s Advanced Technology Center lobby, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.  At the kickoff event, each team is asked to bring two suggestions for popular films to be “Sweded.” The suggestions will be tossed into the hat with a few suggestions from the producers. Each team will then draw a film from the hat and will have until 7 p.m. on Feb. 28 to complete their personal version of that film.  The completed films and required paperwork must be submitted by the deadline to be eligible for judging and prizes.

A screening of all the completed films will be held at an awards ceremony on March 7 at 7 p.m. in the College’s Science Center Theater. The screening event is free and open to the public.

The concept for the “Sweded Film Challenge” comes from the Michael Gondry film “Be Kind, Rewind,” starring Jack Black and Mos Def. In the film, Black accidentally erases all of the tapes in the video store, and the two attempt to remake the films using home video equipment and locals as crew and cast. While the store’s customers notice, they love the new versions, and are told that the films are processed in Sweden and are therefore referred to as “Sweded.”

For more information, visit www.fivedayfilmfestival.com, which contains all the rules of the competition, current news, production documents, sponsor information, producer information and tips on filmmaking.

Theatre Arts and Drama Club Students Present ‘A Doll’s House’

Cast members Casey Gerhart, in the role of Nora Helmer, and Rachel Walczak, in the role of Kristine Linde, rehearse a scene from Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House.” Photo by Matt Carlin

The Montgomery County Community College Drama Club and Theatre Arts students will present Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House,” on Nov. 10, 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 13, at 2 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre, lower level of Science Center, Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

“A Doll’s House” tells the story of a young woman, Nora, who discovers her individuality in the midst of structured Victorian propriety. As conflicts are introduced, Nora attempts to sort out her roles as wife, mother, friend, and human being. As her marriage hangs in the balance of a scandal, she finds herself entangled in a range of emotions. This play contains adult situations.

Marilyn Shanok, assisted by Marissa Gerhart, directs the play. Theatre Production Workshop and Drama Club students created and built all elements of the production.

Cast members incude Casey Gerhart, Aley Addison, AJ Garrigus, John Minanno, Rachel Walczak, Mary Voight, Emilt Pigeon and Vince Fittipald. The production staff includes Kristin Fantry, Martin Gentry, Khadijah Graves, Alison Lima, Max McGinty, Gina Sheared and Nate Prellwitz.

Michael Whistler serves as the advisor of the Drama Club, and Tim Gallagher directs the Theatre Production Workshop.

Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. For information or tickets, call 215-641-6518 or visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts.

Five-Day Film Festival Issues Challenge to Area Filmmakers

The Communicating Arts Production Group (CAPG) of Montgomery County Community College is challenging teams of local filmmakers to make a five-minute film in five days. The challenge is open to filmmakers of all skill levels.

The competition begins on with a kick-off event in the College’s Advanced Technology Center, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., and it concludes on Nov. 9.  A screening of the completed films will be held on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Ambler Theater, 108 East Butler Ave., Ambler. The screening is free and open to the public.

At the kickoff event, teams will be randomly assigned a film genre. They will also be given a line of dialogue and a prop that must be incorporated into the body of their films, as well as a theme that they can interpret any way they wish. Teams will then have until 7 p.m. on Nov. 1 to write, shoot, edit, score and deliver films to the competition drop-off site. All creative activity must take place during the five-day period, and all completed films will be shown at the Nov. 9 public screening.

The best film will receive a top prize of $500, and smaller prizes will be awarded in a variety of categories. The entry fee is $25 per team.

For more information or to register, email fivedayfilmfestival@gmail.com or visit www.fivedayfilmfestival.com. The website contains all the rules of the competition, current news, production documents, sponsor information, producer information and tips on filmmaking.

Students Collect Donations for Charity

Doug's Corner President Nicole Weising stands with the donation tree in South Hall. Photo by Diane VanDyke

Students from West Campus community service club Doug’s Corner are collecting baby items and donations for the Ronald McDonald House during September for National Baby Safety Awareness Month.

To contribute, take a tag from the tree in the South Hall lobby and purchase the item listed. Or, you can pick up a form to donate 10 percent of your purchase price from Five Below to the initiative.

Items should be dropped off with Cindy Murphy in the Student Success Center by Oct. 1.