COCONEWS
Monday, April 28, 2008
CCC Graduates Largest Class
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – With 223 students graduating, CCC’s 16th commencement will celebrate the college’s largest graduating class ever during its ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m., Friday, May 9 in the Lone Tree Commons. In honor of the day’s events, all CCC campuses will be closed.
Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society President Cynthia Pardo will serve as emcee for the afternoon. Speakers will include 2007-2008 Faculty of the Year Ed Knecht and 2007-2008 Associate Faculty of the Year Alice Baker. Business student and former PTK President Ian Montanye-McRee will deliver the student address.
The 2008 commencement theme is a quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Light tomorrow with today.
A Pinning Ceremony honoring 29 graduates of the nursing program is scheduled for 3 p.m., Friday, May 9 in the Lone Tree Commons.
In all, some 252 degrees and certificates will be awarded. Seating is limited. For free tickets contact the CCC Registrar’s Office at 226-4299.
COCONEWS
Monday, April 28, 2008
Palette to Palate Sets Records in Attendance and Fundraising
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – With the generous help of regional artists, local chefs and patrons of the arts, more than $15,000 has been raised from the Sixth Annual Palette to Palate.
During the April 25 event, Curt Walters’ large print of the Grand Canyon brought in the highest bid of $1,400. The 2008 signature piece, a sculpture of the Roman god of wine Bacchus created by 21-year-old CCC student Jessica Guillory, brought in $1,000.
More than 300 people attended the event and CCC Fine Arts Department Chair Alan Petersen called the evening a huge success. “The community has come to recognize this is an outstanding event. We have great support from restaurants and artists, and people look forward to it.”
Petersen said Palate to Palette achieved its two goals: to raise funds; and to provide a really fun social event.
Artists who donated artwork to the evening’s live and silent auctions included Walters, Bruce Aiken, Mark Arnegard, George Averbeck, Joni Pevarnik, Ellen Tibbetts, Alan Petersen, Jerry McGlothlin, Wendy Winchester, Tony Winchester, Don Bendel, Joe Findley, Sondra Francis, Connie Townsend, Elaine Dillingham, Vince Fazio, Diana Hansen and Joella Jean Mahoney.
Restaurants that provided hors d’oeuvres and desserts were Ai Caramba!, Artisan’s Kitchen, Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar, Cottage Place, Cuvée 928, El Capitan, It’s About Coffee, Jackson’s Grill at the Springs, Josephine’s Restaurant, Main Street Catering, Mountain Oasis, and Pesto Brothers.
Proceeds from Palette to Palate benefit the CCC fine arts students.
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COCONEWS
Friday, April 25, 2008
Celebrate Migratory Bird Day at Free CCC Festival
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Coconino Community College is celebrating International Migratory Bird Day from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday, May 3 at the Lone Tree Campus, with a FREE festival for nature lovers of all ages.
International Migratory Bird Day is celebrated throughout the Americas each May to promote awareness of the plight of migratory birds as they travel from South and Central America to the United States and Canada to breed and raise families. This year’s theme is Tropics to Tundra: Connecting Birds, Habitats and People.
CCC’s festivities begin with an 8 a.m. bird walk. Participants will meet in the Lone Tree Campus Commons. Live raptors and homing pigeons will be featured as well as artists’ booths with a wildlife theme, children’s activities including owl pellet dissections, games and crafts, guest speakers, Audubon books and bird cookies and organic shade-grown coffee.
Admission and parking is free. The first 50 people in the door will receive a free 18” x 24” poster displaying this year’s theme. Donations will be accepted for the Northern Arizona Chapter of the Audubon Society.
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COCONEWS
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Explore Higher Elevations with African
Drum and Dance
and More
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. --
Coconino Community
College’s dance company Encore is
promising a lively evening of
contemporary, jazz, African,
Turkish-Egyptian, Flamenco and more
in the Seventh Annual Higher
Elevations Dance Concert. There will
be two performances, each starting
at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday,
May 2 and 3 at Northern Arizona University’s
Clifford E. White Theater.
Djembe player and percussionist
Amara Mansaré of Ballet Sembé, Guinea will
be featured as Higher Elevation’s
special guest.
“This dance concert is a feel-good
evening that promises to elevate the
spirits, as well as provide
meaningful artistic food for
thought,” said Encore Director Flower
Darby. “The best part is the
program’s variety. Our world dancers
get the blood pumping with their
lively art forms and pulsing live
music. Our company dancers
demonstrate tremendous beauty and
grace as they explore themes that
range from somber social commentary
to just plain fun, and everything in
between.”
Tickets are $12, $6 for students,
and are available at NAU’s Central
Ticketing Office. Call 928-523-5662
or log on to www.ticketmaster.com.
All proceeds benefit CCC dance
students.
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COCONEWS
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Art Patrons can Take Home a Roman God
Bacchus is causing a Ruckus as the Signature Piece
in CCC’s Sixth Annual Palette to Palate
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- When 21-year-old Coconino Community College student Jessica Guillory signed up for a ceramics class last semester, her talent for drawing people and her interest in mythology came together in a sculpture that is drawing a lot of attention. This month Guillory’s Bacchus is the signature piece for CCC’s Sixth Annual Palette to Palate, the college’s largest fundraising event that culminates in an evening of art, entertainment and food, 5 – 8 p.m., Friday, April 25 on the Lone Tree Campus.
Bacchus is the Roman god of wine who represents the grape vine and the social aspects of wine. Guillory’s Bacchus is a small Romanesque-style sculpture of the god draped over a wine barrel and indulging in grapes. It took about five weeks for Bacchus to emerge from a block of clay; hours were spent just rolling tiny balls to form grapes.
“I like ceramic artwork because it’s three dimensional. You can touch the different levels of the clay instead of just working on a flat medium,” Guillory said. “It’s meant to be touched.”
“Jessica’s Bacchus is the most fun and inventive work of art a student has created for the Palette to Palate signature image to date. The selection committee loved it,” said CCC Fine Arts Department Chair Alan Petersen. “I think the sculpture really captures the dynamic and exciting nature of the Palette to Palate event.”
Bacchus will be going home with the highest bidder. Other artists who are donating artwork to the evening’s live and silent auctions include Curt Walters, Bruce Aiken, Mark Arnegard, George Averbeck, Joni Pevarnik, Ellen Tibbetts, Alan Petersen, Jerry McGlothlin, Wendy Winchester, Tony Winchester, Don Bendel, Joe Findley, Sondra Francis, Connie Townsend, Elaine Dillingham, Vince Fazio, Diana Hansen and Joella Jean Mahoney.
Local chefs from 12 restaurants will provide hors d’oeuvres and desserts. They include Ai Caramba!, Artisan’s Kitchen, Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar, Cottage Place, Cuvée 928, El Capitan, It’s About Coffee, Jackson’s Grill at the Springs, Josephine’s Restaurant, Main Street Catering, Mountain Oasis, and Pesto Brothers.
The new community orchestra, Orchestra Northern Arizona, will debut as part of the evening’s entertainment. The CCC Jazz Band and the college’s dance company, Encore, will perform, as well.
“Palette to Palate is a super-charged celebration of the arts that brings together good food, wine, art and our community to raise funds for our fine arts students,” said Petersen. “This year, money raised at Palette to Palate will help Encore travel to Italy to participate in an international dance festival in Venice.”
Tickets are $25 for general admission, $15 for students and CCC employees, and may be purchased from the Executive Office of the Lone Tree Campus or at the door the night of the event. For more information call 928-226-4322 or log on to www.coconino.edu.
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COCONEWS
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Wind Turbine Generates Power for CCC’s Green Building Program
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Northern Arizona meteorologists are predicting winds to increase as we head into the Earth Day weekend and that could be a good thing for Coconino Community College. CCC is planning to install a wind turbine on its Lone Tree Campus Saturday morning, April 19 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m.
“If it’s a windy day we’ll be able to see the blades turn as it generates electricity and sends power into the college’s grid system,“ said CCC Construction Management Department Chair Joe Costion. “However, if it’s too windy, we’ll have trouble raising the 45-foot-tall wind turbine.”
The Skystream 3.7 was donated by Southwest Windpower, the world’s largest small wind turbine manufacturer. It will be able to produce some 1800 kilowatts of electricity when the wind is blowing, enough to light up 18, 100-watt light bulbs or power three average offices on the Lone Tree Campus.
The project to install the wind turbine has included a hands-on teaching element as CCC and Northern Arizona University students have been pouring concrete and connecting electrical wiring.
“The students have loved it,” said CCC construction management instructor Paul Thomas, an electrical design engineer for Southwest Windpower. “They’ve learned how both the solar and wind systems work in a grid-tied setting or in an off-grid setting.”
The Skystream 3.7 is designed for residential use and has been installed around Coconino County. “It’s the kinetic energy in the wind that creates electricity,” said Southwest Windpower electrical design engineer Mike Clifton.
Wind energy is part of the Alternative Energy Program at CCC. Currently students can earn a certificate or an associate’s degree. “Clean energy is the way of the future,” said Costion. “It’s here now. The wind power industry has grown by 43 percent over the last three to five years and we’re training people for jobs in that growing industry.”
In addition to Southwest Windpower, others donating to the project include APS, Rinker Materials, Schuff Steel, Border Products and NAU engineering professor Greg Ohrn.
At Saturday’s ceremony, CCC President Leah L. Bornstein is expected to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, a nationally recognized document that has been signed by more than 500 colleges and universities including Arizona’s three state university presidents.
“CCC is definitely a leader in sustainable energy in northern Arizona,” said Thomas. “The new wind turbine on the CCC campus will serve as a symbol of the college’s commitment to teaching and practicing clean energy solutions.”
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COCONEWS
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
And the Category is. . . CCC Instructors on Jeopardy!
In Doug Friedman’s world, Nature and Science for 200 would be far better than ‘50s Literature for 500. But in the world of Jeopardy, it’s not always what you want, what you know or even how fast you can buzz in.
The 37-year-old CCC chemistry instructor has learned first-hand that luck has a whole lot to do with success when it comes to the television game show.
Friedman tested his luck in February when the program’s producers flew him out to Culver City, Calif. The program starring Friedman airs this afternoon at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 9 on ABC, but don’t even try to find out how he did ahead of time. As quick as the lightning round, Friedman will shut you down because disclosing anything before the program airs leads to double jeopardy for contestants.
What he will share is that Alex Trebek is a nice man who chats with the audience during commercial breaks, buzzers don’t always work and it helps if you’ve been playing board games all your life.
Friedman became a contestant after his wife, Christie, signed him up hoping that his uncanny ability to remember trivia would result in a big win that they could use to pay off student loans.
Friedman auditioned by taking an online Jeopardy quiz. Originally, he was scheduled to play the game in November; however, Jeopardy fans will recall that’s when Trebek suffered a heart attack.
Back with a clean bill of health, Trebek has been firing off the answers. Now the only question remains What is the final score for CCC’s chemistry instructor?
“I qualified for the show,” says Friedman. “And that’s exciting enough!”
Stay tuned! The CCC Marketing/PR is hoping to tape the program to air during an informal brown bag lunch later this week!
COCONEWS
Friday, April 4, 2008
CCC District Governing Board to Meet
at Grand Canyon High School
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Coconino Community College District Governing Board is scheduled to take its regular monthly meeting to the Grand Canyon this month.
The public is invited to attend the 10 a.m. meeting at Grand Canyon High School on Wednesday, April 16. An open house is scheduled to follow the meeting from 1 – 3 p.m. in Grand Canyon Extension Site classroom #404.
The open house will demonstrate distance learning in action and showcase new developments at the college.
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COCONEWS
Friday, April 4, 2008
High School Student Art Celebrated at CCC
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Coconino Community College is hosting its High School Art Competition for regional high school artists on the Lone Tree Campus through April 11. The show draws art from the Youth Celebrate Art and Culture exhibit, which just ended at the Coconino Center for the Arts.
“This exhibit showcases the talented work that local high school students are doing,” said Francis. “The show has, so far, been received very well by the CCC community. People seem really enthusiastic about and impressed by these excellent high school art works.”
There is a range of media displayed in the High School Art Competition including ceramic sculpture, drawing, paintings, photography and masks. All the area high schools—Sinagua High School, Coconino High School, Flagstaff High School, Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy and Northland Preparatory Academy—are represented by their talented students’ work in this exhibit.
“I am really impressed by the quality and breadth of the work done by the high school students here in Flagstaff,” said Francis. “I think it reflects very well on the quality of the art instruction, in addition to the talent of the individual artists.”
Jurors for the exhibit include CCC Fine Arts Department Chair Alan Petersen, ceramic Instructor Ellen Tibbetts and Gallery Director and Performing Arts Presenter Sydney Francis. Prizes will be awarded for first and second place and best of show artworks. The prizes include paid tuition to a three-credit CCC course for the best of show winners and gift certificates to Visible Difference for the first and second place winners.
An awards ceremony and reception with refreshments is scheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday, April 10 in the Lone Tree Campus Commons. For more information contact Sydney Francis, 226-4332 or sydney.francis@coconino.edu.
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