MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Friday, May 13, 2005

MOUNT WACHUSETT COMMUNITY COLLEGE RECOGNIZES STUDENT EXCELLENCE

Mount Wachusett Community College honored the academic achievements of more than 200 outstanding students at the gala “Evening of Excellence” dinner Thursday, May 12 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Leominster.

Twenty-one students received Curriculum Awards. Ten students received Memorial Awards. Nine students received Nursing Awards. Sixty-six students received Honors Society recognition and

Professor and Honors Program Coordinator Sheila Murphy presents Leah H. Jablonski of Rindge, N.H., with her Honors Cord during the Evening of Excellence celebration.

11 Honors Program students were recognized. In addition, 22 Foundation Scholarships were awarded. Forty-eight students were recognized with Outstanding Achievement Awards, including 39 students who have been honored with inclusion into “Who’s Who in American Junior Colleges.”

“Why are we here? We are here to honor the many contributions of our students,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Who are the most important people in this room? All of you—our students, our faculty and staff, our contributors. We want to thank all of you for your contributions.”

Various faculty and staff members introduced each award and briefly spoke about the recipients’ achievements. “It really gets me excited when students do so well,” said Paul Swerzenski after he gave out the Computer Graphic Design Curriculum Awards.

MWCC Foundation Executive Director Darlene Morrilly, in addressing scholarship donors, said: “No matter why you give the scholarship, we appreciate it, and the students certainly appreciate it.”

‘EVENING OF EXCELLENCE’ AWARD AND SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

CURRICULUM AWARDS

Business Administration: Voralath Chansamone of Leominster

Business Administration Career: Pat Dakota of Hubbardston, Laura P. Sweatt of Townsend

Computer Information Systems: Edward A. Stockwell of Gardner

Medical Assistant: Pam S. Douai of Leominster

Nursing: Victoria L. Lapriore of Athol, Nancy L. Bettez of Bolton

Natural Resources Technology: Diane E. Torres of Boxborough

Art: Karelt Y. DelaCruz of Worcester

Computer Graphic Design

Print Concentration: Elizabeth E. Burleson of Gardner
Web Concentration: Andraea M. Maillet of Leominster
Web Certificate: Sonya L. Shelton of Gardner
Print Certificate: Georgia A. Supernor of Orange

Liberal Arts: Diana M. Russo of Gardner

Liberal Arts and Science: Debra L. Boucher of Athol
General Studies: Lynda Francoeur of Gardner
Criminal Justice: Shannon L. Barnes of Gardner

Human Services: Susan M. Parviainen of Baldwinville

Paralegal: Cory A. Gracie of Ashburnham

Broadcasting & Telecommunications: Adam Gotsens of Fitchburg

MEMORIAL AWARDS

John Burton Award: Danielle M. Darling of Gardner, Jeremy R. Durling of Groton, Joe A. Feinsilver of Princeton

Aspasia Anastos Award: Jonathan W. Tyburski of Leominster

Keith Nivala Award: Eric M. Ouellette of Shirley

Judge Moore Awards: Erin M. Cannell of Rutland, Diana M. Russo of Gardner

David H. Butler Scholarship: April Jordan of Ashby

Robert H. Gilman Memorial Scholarships: Marianne Brouillette of Townsend, Diana M. Russo of Gardner

Department of Corrections Memorial Award: Andrew R. Loescher of Westminster

NURSING AWARDS

Sophomore Nursing Club Awards: Debra L. Boucher of Athol, Cheri L. Becker of Baldwinville

Fitchburg Visiting Nurses: Kristy M. Webster of Fitchburg

Association Trust Scholarship: Sharon A. Coombs of Leominster

Sara Kajel Scholarship: Lynne M. Kraskouskas of Gardner, Shannon Cuddahy-Martinez of Leominster

Nursing Club Award: Donna J. Bourgeois of Gardner, Rosemary Bolduc Royalston

Craig A. Hamel Scholarship: Kimberley A. MacLean of Athol

HONORS SOCIETY RECOGNITION

Alpha Beta Gamma Scholarship: Dawn M. Grigarauskas of Templeton

Phi Theta Kappa: Diane L. Adams of Gardner, Jordan T. Altobelli of Hubbardston, Sharon M.

Antocci of Leominster, Sarah Aubuchon of Ashburnham, Vera M. Austin of Ayer, Samantha J. Baker of Leominster, Donna M. Ballentine of New Salem, Andrea M. Barlick of Jaffrey, N.H.,

	Phi Theta Kappa members at Evening of Excellence.

Ryan G. Baver of Spencer, Selena A. Berlied of Winchendon, Sarah E. Berry of Garner, Laura E. Bettez of Gardner, Jean M. Bills Winchendon, Gail F. Brooks of Ashburnham, Marianne G. Brouillette of Townsend, Elizabeth M. Burch of Petersham, Nataliya I. Cancel Gardner, William R. Chadbourne of Phillipston, Carl R. Chandler of Gardner, Theresa Chionchio of Auburn, Stasie A. Coleman of Ayer, Jennifer A. Comeau of Boylston, Alice A. Daby of Leominster, Kristine K. Danforth of Gardner, Joseph J. Defilippo of Ayer, Becky S. Demmons of Leominster, Brenda J. Dill of Gardner, Natalie C. DiNardo of Baldwinville, Viviane S. Dutra of Lancaster, Jenny A. Edlin of Hubbardston, Wendy L. Essery of Leominster, Katie M. Forgues of Fitchburg, Gregory P. Fortier of New Ipswich, N.H., Wendy A. Fortier of Baldwinville, Lynda Francoeur of Gardner, Tena M. Goen of Greenville, N.H., Shelly M. Gonthier of Peterborough, N.H., Kelly A. Gosselin of Baldwinville, Sheri A. Greeno of Leominster, Joseph S. Hall Jr. of North Smithfield, R.I., Jessica K. Hamm of New Salem, Suzanne R.B. Leamy of Gardner, Elizabeth M. Lewis of Peterborough, N.H., Kevin A. Lynch of Shirley, Michele L. Marino of Clinton, Kelly M. Medeiros of Dartmouth, Alia M. Murphy of Templeton, Jan M. O’Rourke of Leominster, Sally J. Paul of Gardner, Elizabeth M. Reiser of Gardner, Jessica L. Riddell of New Salem, Keila Y. Rivera of Fitchburg, Carolyn M. Rockwell of Gardner, Jennifer L. Shortis of Baldwinville, Kristen L. Smart of East Templeton, Janet L. Sullivan of Westminster, Leah M. Tamburro of Millbury, Ryan P. Taylor of New Braintree, Christina J. Thomas of Gardner, Lora M. Traffie of New Ipswich, N.H., Kristy M. Webster of Fitchburg, Christine E. White of Ashburnham.
Honors Program: Debra L. Boucher of Athol, Christine S. Brigham of Mason, N.H., Stasie A. Coleman of Ayer, Joseph J. Defilippo of Ayer, Donald R. Gilberti Jr. of Acton, Shelly M. Gonthier of Peterborough, N.H., Leah H. Jablonski of Rindge, N.H., Rebecca J. Jeffries of Rindge, N.H., Lisa M. Larson of Gardner, Dayna R. Lovely of Royalston, Diana M. Russo of Gardner.

FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS

MWCC General Endowment Scholarships: Cheri L. Becker of Baldwinville, Marianne Brouillette of Townsend, Kimberley MacLean of Athol, Angela M. Verheyen of Orange

	MWCC Foundation Executive Director Darlene Morrilly with scholarship recipients Diana Russo and Donald Gilberti Jr.

Thomas & Alice Kymalainen Scholarship: Kim J. Shea of Winchendon
Arthur F. Haley Scholarships: Todd D. Bowditch of Fitchburg, Diana M. Russo of Gardner
Kathi J. Pullen Memorial Scholarship: Hidee M. Caissie of New Ipswich, N.H.

Rebecca DesJardins Memorial Scholarship: C. Brian Moorhead of Ashburnham

Twyla Haley Memorial Scholarship: Laurie L. Ernest of Shirley

Robert Weibel Award: Alaina J. Youngsma of Millbury

Albert H. and Reuben S. Stone Fund: Amy M. Keenan of Gardner, Sonya L. Shelton of Gardner
Carlton E. Nichols Scholarships: Brenda J. Dill of Gardner, Lynne M. Kraskouskas of Gardner
Alumni Association Scholarships: April S. Clemence of Orange, Nancy G. Shelby of Leominster

Carrie Progen Scholarship: Amy L. Gallagher of Fitchburg

Barnes & Noble Scholarships: Donald R. Gilberti Jr. of Acton

Barbara Chaplin Memorial Scholarship: Christina J. Thomas of Gardner

Jonathan Craven Memorial Scholarship: Silvia M. Woodgett of Leominster

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

All USA Academic Team Nominee: Donald R. Gilberti Jr. of Acton, Diana M. Russo of Gardner

University Scholars: Michael J. Andrade of Gardner
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Scholarships: Robert G. Boucher of Orange, Kristina A. Cleveland of Gardner, William M. Pierce of Clinton

Carl F. Tammi Scholarship: Matthew D. Farhat of Ashburnham
Jean Tandy Award: April L. LeBlanc of Leominster

Sandy Signor Award: Brenda M. Melendez of Barre
Who’s Who in American Junior Colleges:
Acton: Donald R. Gilberti Jr. and Clare M. Bugeau
Ashburnham: Gail F. Brooks and Christopher Brian Moorhead
Athol: Michelle D. Boudreau, Debra L. Boucher, Angela M. Boudreau, Sandra I. Burney, Shirley L. Hobbs and Susan M. Sayball
Baldwinville: Cheri L. Becker and Kelly A. Gosselin
Fitchburg: Lauren M. Clark, Lisa M. Poladian and Miranda Tozier-Robbins
Gardner: Donna J. Bourgeois, Jennifer L. Boutell, Carl R. Chandler, Kristie A. Foley, Katrin Goerz, Isaura Luna and Diana M. Russo
Leominster: Shannon Cuddahy-Martinez, Ashley J. Gauffin and Lauren B. Johnson
Lowell: Esther R. Makumbi
Lunenburg: Jean E. Escabi
New Ipswich: Lora M. Traffie
New Salem: Jessica Hamm
Orange: April S. Clemence, Sarah J. Ramsdell and Stacy M. Wilson
Otter River: Jennifer Farineau
Phillipston: William R. Chadbourne
Ringe, N.H.: Leah H. Jablonski
Shirley: Paula L. Murphy
Templeton: Dawn M. Grigarauskas
Townsend: Katie E. Salerno and Katherine Sweatt
Best of English 101: Jason S. Lizotte of Fitchburg, Shannon M. Stickney of East Templeton, Allyssa M. Kvenvold of Harvard

Commitment to Excellence Award: Beckett L. Augat of Charleton, Mary Bove of Jefferson,. N.H., Britta I. Carpenter of Oakham, Johannah W. Contis of Rutland, John J. Cormier of Athol, Heather D’Amore of Gardner, Joshua J. Ellis of Gardner, Gregory P. Fortier of New Ipswich, N.H., Freida H. Gathingo of Worcester, Christine M. Johnson of Gardner, Laura J. King of Shrewsbury, Gregg R. Pappas of Westminster, Annette C. Saddler of Fitchburg, Shelby L. Sicard of Fitchburg, Teressa A. Sontag of Clinton.
VISIONS Program Award: Katie M. Forgues of Fitchburg

A RECORD NUMBER OF STUDENTS TO GRADUATE
AT MWCC’S 40TH COMMENCEMENT

By Kimberly B. Caisse

An estimated 652 students will graduate from Mount Wachusett Community College at the 40th commencement Thursday, May 19 at 6 p.m. at the Fitness & Wellness Center. The college also will present Gardner business leader, philanthropist and college advocate Leo P. LaChance with an honorary degree.

	Leo P. LaChance

“Mount Wachusett Community College has a long history with Leo P. LaChance,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “When our communities were experiencing a severe shortage of nurses and health care providers, he was one of the first people to step up to the plate to create the Nursing Pathway Project.”

“But what this college—and myself—will never forget Leo for, is his amazing leadership of our first-ever capital campaign,” Asquino said.

Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley will give the commencement address. “We are so proud to be welcoming District Attorney Coakley to our campus for our 40th commencement. She truly is a champion for justice,” Asquino said. “One of the things I most admire about her is that she is creative and innovative. In addition to being a tough prosecutor, she has actively sought out ways to prevent crime, like her model program to prevent truancy. She is a visionary leader who recognizes the value of early intervention.”

MWCC is proud to note that among the graduating class of 2005, many will be graduating from the criminal justice program. MWCC grads serve on virtually every police force in the 29 cities and towns the college serves.

The college brought Coakley to the region in February, as part of the What’s Next Speakers Series, to share details of her office’s School Tardiness and Attendance Review Teams, a truancy intervention program.

WBUR Morning Edition Anchor Bob Oakes will be honored as the Alumnus of the Year. A 1974 graduate, Oakes is one of the most well-known and respected broadcasters in New England. He has been the assistant news director and Morning Edition’s anchor for WBUR since 1992. He also worked at WEEI when it was an all-news station, the CBS Radio Network and stations in Connecticut and New Hampshire during his more than 30 years in broadcasting.

Oakes has reported on important news events around the world and covered every presidential campaign since former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis ran for president in 1988, the space shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986 and the Los Angeles riots in 1992. In addition to reporting on national issues for the CBS Radio Network, Oakes developed the first regular medical beat out of Boston for the national news outlet. As host of WBUR’s Morning Edition, he interviews the newsmakers of the day.

“Bob Oakes is a prime example of how, with hard work and determination, our graduates can meet their career goals,” Asquino said. Oakes earned an associate’s degree in Public Communication (now Broadcasting and Telecommunications) in 1974 and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

The 2005 Service Above Self Awards will be awarded to GFA Federal Credit Union Chief Operating Officer Tina M. Sbrega, United Way of North Central Massachusetts President Philip Grzewinski and Fidelity Bank President and CEO Edward F. Manzi Jr.

The Service Above Self Awards recognize those who have made significant contributions to MWCC and the 29 North Central Massachusetts cities and towns that make up MWCC’s service area.

“These three people exemplify for our students how professional success mixes well with community involvement,” Asquino said. “As this year’s graduates pursue their career goals, we encourage them to follow in Tina Sbrega, Phil Grzewinski and Ed Manzi’s footsteps and become engaged citizens in their communities.”

The following professors will be granted emeriti designation: Edward “Bob” Cronin, Gene Cauthen, Margaret Gillis and Jane Doyle.

As part of the college's Decade for Civic Engagement initiative, members of Phi Theta Kappa will hold the second annual Project Graduation, a food drive for the Gardner Community Action Council, on Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Fitness & Wellness Center (front and back entrances). Last year, students collected over 600 non-perishable food items. This year’s goal is 1,000-plus.

RENOWNED MIND/BODY RESEARCHER SAYS SELF-CARE
IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF HEALTH

By Kimberly B. Caisse

Health and well-being “is akin to a three-legged stool: medicine, surgery and self-care,” renowned mind/body health researcher Dr. Herbert Benson told an audience of over 200 gathered in MWCC’s auditorium Thursday, May 12.

Dr. Herbert Benson

“We have to change the whole balance of the three-legged stool,” said Benson, the founder and president of Mind/Body Medical Institute, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the author and co-author of numerous articles and books. “People have to learn to take better care of themselves.”

The ideal hospital of the future “must deliver the first two legs appropriately, and also subtract the component in illness that’s coming from stress,” he said.

At the beginning of his career as a cardiologist in the late 1960s, Benson said he realized he was consistently over-medicating his patients to try to treat them for high blood pressure. He started to wonder if their high blood pressure was stress-related.

Benson returned to Harvard Medical School and began testing his theory on monkeys. He found monkeys could be trained to raise and lower their blood pressure.

He turned his attention to studying transcendental meditators, and later teamed up with some California researchers who were doing the same research. They found that, during meditation, the subjects’ metabolism decreased and their breathing slowed. They pondered whether it was sleep or hibernation. It was neither.

In the room where Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon discovered the fight-or-flight response, the researchers concluded that the meditators were experiencing a relaxation response. They delved further and found the keys to the meditation were repetition of a word, sound, prayer, phrase or movement and disregarding all other thoughts to focus on the repetition.

Benson said he spent two years studying meditation in other cultures and religions, finding that they all shared the same two components.

Back in Boston, researchers gathered students from Harvard and area colleges to try a non-transcendental form of meditation that involved counting. It failed because the students lost count, Benson said. The researchers then had the students say one number over and over, and discovered they experienced exactly the same changes as transcendental meditators. Their common thread? “Breaking the train of everyday thought,” he said.

The conclusion of the research, Benson said, is the relaxation response is natural. “It’s a part of us. It’s an innate way we heal ourselves,” he said.

Any disorder made worse by stress can be improved by meditating one to two times a day, Benson said. The Mind/Body Institutes offers meditation services as well as a healthy nutrition component. It also has started an educational initiative that introduces this approach to school children, he said.

Benson congratulated MWCC for its Complementary Health Care program. “What you’re doing here, you’re teaching…people early in their careers” about the role of self-care plays in health care, he said.

His lecture was part of the Complementary Health Care program’s “Mind/Body Connections: The Next Medical Frontier” health fair. A variety of the region's mind/body health practitioners were at the fair, which ran from noon to 6 p.m. in the commons area, to share information and answer questions. Participants also participated in 45-minute breakout sessions led by area practitioners.

Upcoming Campus Events:

• Theatre at the Mount will present “Leader of the Pack” Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 for evening performances and $15 for matinees. Tickets for MWCC students are $10. To purchase tickets, call the Theatre at the Mount Box Office at (978) 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu. Charming, cheerful and chock full of fun, this rock and roll musical will have you bopping in the aisles.

• Members of MWCC’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa will hold the second annual Project Graduation, a food drive for the Gardner Community Action Council, on Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Fitness & Wellness Center (front and back entrances). Last year, students collected over 600 non-perishable food items. This year’s goal is 1,000-plus. For more information, contact Professor Sheila Murphy at smurphy@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley will serve as commencement speaker at the college’s 40th Commencement, Thursday, May 19 at 6 p.m. WBUR’s Bob Oakes will be recognized as MWCC alumnus of the year and a series of Service Above Self onorees will be recognized.

• Phi Theta Kappa is also taking orders for an upcoming graduation DVD. Orders can be placed for $12 until Thursday, May 18. The DVD will be $15 if ordered on or after Commencement, Thursday, May 19. The price includes shipping and handling. If interested, please contact Professor Sheila Murphy at smurphy@mwcc.mass.edu. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Gardner Community Action Council.

• Over 1,000 parents and children are expected to attend the second annual Kid Expo sponsored by the Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety at MWCC Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature a variety of hands-on health and safety activities including free distribution of Molly Bish child safety I.D. kits. For more information, contact Adam Ewert at aewert@mwcc.mass.edu.

• “Flights of Fancy,” a spring pops concert by the Greater Gardner Community Choir, will be held at MWCC on Sunday, May 22 at 4 p.m. Under the direction of Diane Cushing, the choir features nearly 100 members from Gardner and the surrounding communities. The concert will feature John Rutter’s “Fancies,” Moses Hogan’s “Elijah Rock,” a unique choral arrangement of Rossini’s “William Tell Overture,” Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up,” “For Good,” from the musical “Wicked,” “Unchained Melody” from the movie “Ghost,” “Moon River” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and other popular favorites. Patriotic selections will include a rousing “Stars and Stripes” and Irving Berlin’s “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor.” Tickets for the concert will be available at the door for $5 per person. Senior citizens will be admitted at no charge. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162.

• Theatre at the Mount will hold auditions for the Rodgers and Hart musical “Babes in Arms” on Monday, June 6 and Tuesday, June 7 at 7 p.m. sharp in room 182 at MWCC. Director/Music Director Jeff Williams and Choreographer Nicole Couture are looking for a large cast of teens and adults (ages 16 and up). Please prepare a short vocal selection (accompanist provided), expect to be taught a short dance combination and wear appropriate clothing and footwear (tap dancers should bring tap shoes.) Cold readings from the script may also be required. The tentative rehearsal schedule is Sundays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m., beginning June 12. Performances of “Babes in Arms” are Friday, Aug. 12, Saturday, Aug. 13, Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14 and Sunday, Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162, or visit the Theatre at the Mount web site at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• Time slots for members of the MWCC Pacers to walk the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11 are going fast. Contact Sue Goldstein, JoAnn Brooks and Jan LeClair to get your relay packet and sign up to fill the last remaining spots. The 2004 Relay raised $758,000, the highest amount of the other 156 relays in New England. The Gardner Relay has raised over $5 million dollars since its inception 11 years ago. This year’s goal is to raise 800,000. Other benchmarks reached at the 2004 Relay include having 733 survivors walk the track, a number unheard of at any of the other relays, and being ranked No. 11 nationwide in funds raised (out of 4,200 relays).

Lea Ann Erickson
Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322 Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
lerickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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