Friday, May 30, 2008

 

MWCC HOSTS 5TH ANNUAL NEW ENGLAND STUDENT WOODWORKING DESIGN CONTEST

By Janice O'Connor

Destiny Desroches, a 17-year-old junior at Winnisquam High School in Tilton, N.H, entered the competition for the third year with a hickory armoire she designed and built.

Woodworking projects crafted by high school students from throughout New England were delivered to the college this week for the fifth annual New England Student Woodworking Design Competition, sponsored by MWCC's Forest and Wood Products Institute. Nearly $7,000 in cash awards and other prizes will be presented during a ceremony at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 30 in the Raymond M. LaFontaine Fine Arts Center theatre.

This year’s competition drew more than 70 entries from young men and women from 21 high schools, said Ken Hanson, wood products workforce development coordinator and the competition's organizer. Projects include an 11-foot canoe, a reproduction Federal card table with intricate inlay designs, a maple desk, a hickory armoire, a futon and an assortment of tables, cupboards, clocks, benches and many other designs.

On Wednesday, two gifted woodworkers, 17-year-old Destiny Desroches, who created a hickory armoire, and 14-year-old Olivia Santosuoso, who crafted a folding slatted chair, drove down from Winnisquam High School in Tilton, NH, with their teacher, Rick Bierweiler and a parent in tow.

"I'm just passionate about it, the satisfaction you can get from designing your own piece," Desroches said.

Participating area schools include Leominster High School Center for Technical Education, Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School and Applewild School of Fitchburg. Other schools represented in the exhibit include Belmont Hill, Marlborough and Marshfield high schools of Massachusetts; Darien High School of Connecticut; Inter-Lakes, Laconia, Londonderry, Milford, Newmarket and Winnisquam high schools and Pinkerton Academy of New Hampshire; U32 High School of Vermont; and Wiscasset High School of Maine.

This year’s distinguished judges include David Sargent of Sargent Wood Products, Gardner, Jack Haley of J. Haley Woodworking, Sterling, Guy Biechele of Shaker Workshops, Ashburnham, Phil Young of Phil Young Woodworking, Westminster, and Scott Bridge and Jock Snaith of Bridge & Snaith Cabinetmakers, Fitchburg.

Sargent, a judge since the competition began, said this year’s show is the strongest he’s seen in terms of number of entries and quality of workmanship.

“There are a lot of highly original items. It’s going to be tough to judge,” he said Wednesday while inspecting the dozens of items. “It’s good to see this level of involvement and skill at the high school level. There will always be a market for original woodwork,” he said.

Graham Oakes, a graduate of Pinkerton Academy in Derry, N.H. and 2006 winner of this competition, will be the keynote speaker at the awards ceremony. His speech, "Schooled in Wood," will feature props, history of woodworking and a bit of his own story mixed in.

The yearly competition is hosted with support from the Wood Products Manufacturers Association and WoodLINKS USA.

Numerous businesses and organizations donated funds and products for awards to winning entries, including iLevel by Weyerhaeuser of Bedford, NH; Sargent Wood Products, Inc., of Gardner; LaChance Furniture of Gardner; Maple Wood Acquisition of Ashburnham; the Society of American Period Furniture Makers of Bellingham; the Woodery Lumber Co. of Lunenburg; Lenox Tools of East Longmeadow; New England Architectural Woodwork Institute of Cambridge; Keiver-Willard Lumber Corp. of Newburyport; Mark Richey Woodworking & Design of Newburyport; Copper Beech Millwork of Northampton; Downes & Reader Hardwood Lumber Co. of Stoughton; Lamoureux Landscaping & Tree Service of Granby; Oleksak Lumber of Westfield; American Milling of Westood; Michael Humphries Woodworking of Warwick; W.J. Cox Associates, Inc. of Keene, N.H.; the Guild of New Hampshire Woodworkers of Barnstead; Williams & Hussey Machine Co., Inc. of Milford, NH; Van and Company of Pawtucket, RI; Fairfield County Millwork of Bethany, CT; Barnes & Noble Bookstores at MWCC; and Franklin International of Columbus, OH.

For more information, contact Ken Hanson at (978) 630-0179 or khanson@mwcc.mass.edu

TEENS IMPROVING THEIR COMMUNITIES THROUGH UNITED WAY YOUTH VENTURE

More than 200 area middle and high school students recently joined peers from Southern New Hampshire to celebrate their experiences through United Way Youth Venture, a program of MWCC's Center for Democracy and Humanity and a partnership between the college, the United Way of North Central Massachusetts and Ashoka’s Youth Venture.

United Way Youth Venture is now in 10 schools throughout the region and provides coaching, resources, and seed funding for young people age 12 to 20 to create, launch, and lead sustainable community-benefiting ventures. The ideas presented this past year from over 50 teams were as diverse as the students. They ranged from hosting a "senior" prom for senior citizens by a team from Gardner High School to Murdock High School students in Winchendon working to create a more accessible baseball field for all members of the community.

"We are extremely proud of the good work these young people have initiated to benefit others," said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino.

“Every year the students amaze me with their creativity and energy on ways to improve the community,” said Phil Grzewinski, president of United Way of North Central Massachusetts. 

The students attended the day long event in Nashua, NH to participate in United Way Youth Venture's 2008 Partnership Celebration to listen, learn and share how they were creating change by way of establishing clubs and organizations to benefit their communities. The event was a special one for MWCC grounds keeper Jim Larrabee, who received an Ally of the Year Award. Larrabee excelled in his role as an adult mentor for Winchendon’s Extreme Makeover: Field Edition Team.

“United Way Youth Venture is an incredibly powerful program that transforms students, their schools and most of all their communities,” said Rachel Andler, AmeriCorps VISTA for United Way Youth Venture.  According to Andler, the students use their own talents and interests and exercise social responsibility and entrepreneurship in finding ways to contribute to their communities.

United Way Youth Venture is active in the Leominster Public Schools, Fitchburg Public Schools, Shirley Middle School, Gardner High School, North Middlesex High School, Murdock Middle High School in Winchendon and Parker Charter Essential School.

STUDENT'S CREATIVITY A SIGN OF THE TIMES

Shane Malone's service learning project involved creating new, eye-catching signage for the Enrollment Center.

Along with completing coursework and taking final exams, Computer Graphic Design major Shane Malone tackled one final project this spring before graduating from the Mount - a service learning project to create new signage for the Enrollment Center. The bold and bright designs not only are eye-catching, but informational for new and continuing students who stop by to register for courses.

When the Computer Graphic Design department put out the call earlier this year for service learning project proposals, the Enrollment Center made the most of the opportunity to replace outdated signs. To create designs that reflected the college's enrollment and marketing themes, Malone collaborated with Associate Dean of Enrollment Services Glenn Roberts, Director of Admissions John Walsh, Director of Student Records and Financial Management JoEllen Soucier, Director of Marketing Nichole Carter, Printing Services Supervisor Don Knower, Admissions Representative Lisa Williams, and faculty member Kristine Jordan.

"We wanted to have a student perspective for the project, because the Enrollment Center is the first stop for prospective students when they come to the college," Walsh said. "Shane took hold of the project and did a professional job with it. We were incredibly pleased. Shane really exemplifies everything that is just stellar about the students at Mount Wachusett Community College. We really enjoyed working with him."

Malone, who is transferring to Fitchburg State College in the fall to continue on for a bachelor's degree in graphic design, said the academic program and the faculty at MWCC provided him with a solid foundation for a career he hopes will include design work in the music industry. "It was a great learning experience."

STORYTELLER ENCOURAGES AREA MIDDLE SCHOOLERS TO WRITE ON!

Writer and storyteller Mark Binder presented a short story workshop to Write On! participants from area middle schools.

The annual Write On! competition for area middle school students concluded May 30 with a workshop led by award-winning recording artist and storyteller Mark Binder of Providence, RI.

The celebration highlights the poetry, prose and artwork of area students. Participating schools included Fitchburg Arts Academy, BF Brown, Memorial and Academy middle schools of Fitchburg; Sky View and Samoset middle schools of Leominster, Gardner Middle School and Murdock Middle School of Winchendon.

More than 80 students attended the workshop and awards ceremony in the South Cafe. Write On is sponsored by MWCC’s College Access and Preparation Programs (CAPP) and is funded through federal Talent Search and Gear Up grants.

Binder performs at festivals, theaters and other venues for adults, families and young people. His books include The Brothers Schlemiel, the Bedtime Story Book, and A Hanukkah Present, which was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for Family Literature in 2007. His audio works include Classic Stories for Boys and Girls, which won Children’s Music Web and iParenting Media Awards, Tall Tales, Whoppers and Lies, The Brothers Schlemiel from Birth to Bar Mitzvah, and A Hanukkah Present. Binder has had more than 200 stories published in magazines, including Cricket, The Forward, The Family, and Bostonia.

More MWCC News:

• Theatre at the Mount presents The Secret Garden, a brilliant musical based on the classic, enchanting novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Orphaned by a cholera epidemic in India, young Annie Lennox returns to Yorkshire to live with an embittered, reclusive uncle and his bedridden son. The estate includes a secret, locked garden, which Mary nurtures back to life and in the process, restores life to her uncle and cousin. Flashbacks, dream sequences, a strolling chorus of ghosts, and some of the most beautiful music ever written for Broadway dramatize The Secret Garden's compelling tale of regeneration. This Tony Award winner is a treasure for children and adults. Performances are June 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 8 p.m. and June 29 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $21 for evening performances and $16 for the matinee. To reserve tickets, call the box office at (978) 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• The Entrepreneurial Resource Center at MWCC is accepting applications for the fourth annual Business Plan Competition. The competition, open to residents in MWCC's 29-town service area, gives innovators an opportunity to submit business plans and vie for up to $12,000 in cash prizes and more than $8,000 of in-kind services. One finalist will be chosen in each of the following three categories: start up profit, expanding profit business and start-up and expanding nonprofits. A grand prize winner will be selected from among the three finalists. Competition workshops will take place at on June 17 in partnership with Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce at MWCC's Devens campus, July 25 in partnership with Wachusett Chamber of Commerce at Clinton Hospital, and on Aug. 1 at Experience Gardner, above BDO Seidman. Competition guidelines and applications are available at http://erc.mwcc.edu For more information, contact Lisa Derby Oden at (978) 840-3221 ext. 163.

• Registrations are now being accepted for MWCC Foundation, Inc.’s 13th Annual Golf Tournament to benefit student scholarships. The tournament will take place Monday, August 18 at Gardner Municipal Golf course, with the 19th hole at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner. Sir Jeremy Bell (aka Man in a Skirt), dressed in full highland kilt with bagpipes blaring, will emcee the post-game awards ceremony with hilarious roasts and toasts. The cost is $150 per person to play and $40 for dinner at the Colonial. Registration begins at 8:30 AM with a shotgun start at 10:00. The tournament will conclude with a social hour at 3 p.m., followed by dinner, an auction and the awards ceremony with Sir Jeremy Bell, who has entertained celebrities from Clint Eastwood to Julia Roberts. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available. Visit www.mwcc.edu/alumni and click on golf tournament for details. For more information, contact Carol Cullins at (978) 630-9594.

• Central Massachusetts residents interested in starting a nonprofit organization are invited to attend the workshop, "Nuts and Bolts of Creating Social Change Organizations," sponsored by MWCC's Institute for Nonprofit Development. The session will take place on Wednesday, June 4, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Leominster campus, and will cover the topics of: board of directors, bylaws, conflict of interest policy, tax exempt status. The fee is $20. Please contact the Institute for Nonprofit Development at 978-840-3221 x216 or nonprofit@mwcc.mass.edu with any questions or for more information.

• A team of walkers from MWCC will join over 125 other teams at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life taking place at the college beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 6 and continuing until 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 7. The Relay for Life is the signature fundraiser for the ACS. Last year, the Gardner walk was recognized as the seventh largest in the country and the largest in New England. Over the past 14 years, the Gardner relay has raised $7.7 million for cancer research. For more information, go to http://www.acsevents.org/relay/MAgardner or contact Sue Goldstein at (978) 630-9344.

• The Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety at MWCC will host the fifth annual Kid Expo Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus. In addition, Health Alliance Hospital, Leominster Campus is teaming up with MWCC to host a Kid Expo on Saturday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both events are free and will feature Molly Bish Foundation child safety I.D. kits, karate demonstrations, hands-on health and safety activities for children and families, car seat safety inspections and free bike helmets while supplies last. The Gardner event also includes a Life Flight helicopter landing, the State Police's Convincer Rollover Simulator, the B.A.T mobile, lots of safety vehicles to explore, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue dogs and Mobile Command Unit, r.a.d.KIDS self-defense demonstrations with Campus Police, a health and safety resource fair, raffles for bikes, car seats, a playhouse, gift baskets, appearances by Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog, free food, music, entertainment, lots of fun fitness games and activities such as a climbing wall, and much more. For more information, log on to http://mollybish.mwcc.edu or call Andrea Hart de Gravelle at (978) 630-9458.

• MWCC, in association with the Broadcasting and Electronic Media program and Phi Theta Kappa, is pleased to once again offer Commencement DVDs. This professional quality, edited DVD of MWCC’s 2008 graduation ceremony will be available for a limited time at a cost of $15 each. This low cost includes the cost of shipping and handling. Fifty percent of the profits from the DVD sales will go to MWCC’s Phi Delta Chapter of the PTK Honor Society. PTK students will donate the other 50 percent of the profits directly to the Greater Gardner Community Health Center's food pantry. To place an order in advance, contact Sheila Murphy, PTK advisor, at smurphy@mwcc.mass.edu.

• The enrollment center is offering Information Sessions on a number of academic programs. Upcoming sessions will take place on the following dates: Clinical Laboratory Science: June 18 from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Heywood Hospital; Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing: June 26 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 341; A.S. Nursing: June 10 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Gardner campus, Wetmore Wing, room 12; Practical Nursing Certificate program: June 19 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Gardner campus, Wetmore Wing, room 12; Complementary Health Care: June 16 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Gardner campus, Wetmore Wing, room 12; Dental Hygiene: June 4 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Gardner Campus, Wetmore Wing, room 12. Prospective students interested in attending an information session are asked to call the enrollment center at (978) 630-9110 (TTY (978) 632-4916), or send an email to admissions@mwcc.mass.edu