News & Events
Press Releases
BRCC Students Win Radford Programming Competition
English to Pig Latin? Not a normal translation, but one that BRCC students Jason Lantz and Joseph Hill recently teamed up on to win Radford University's Community College IT Programming Competition. The students beat teams from New River Community College, Tidewater Community College and Radford University.
Teams were given eight computer problems to solve, and Jason and Joseph completed five of the eight problems during the three hour event. One of the problems was to create a computer program to translate English words into Pig Latin.
"Jason and Joseph were an impressive team. For the majority of the competition time they were one of the top three teams, moving to first place two-thirds through the competition,” explained their faculty sponsor for the competition, Kathy Garber.
They will each receive a $1000 scholarship to Radford.
$1.9 Department of Labor Grant Goes to BRCC Manufacturing Initiative
Blue Ridge Community College was recently awarded a second 1.9 million dollar grant from the Department of Labor to implement community based solutions to the shortage of qualified workers in the manufacturing sector. The grant, entitled “Manufacturing Tomorrow’s Careers,” focuses on enhancing the youth pipeline into manufacturing careers, aligning AAS degrees related to manufacturing with workforce demands, and strengthening incumbent worker training and apprentices.
“Receipt of a second Department of Labor grant to help develop a workforce in the Shenandoah Valley to respond to the changing needs of our manufacturing community is indeed very exciting,” commented BRCC President, James Perkins. He added, “The College is committed to working in partnership with our community to prepare our workforce for the economic realities of the 21st Century. This grant is one example of our efforts in this regard.”
The grant will enable BRCC, in partnership with the Shenandoah Valley Workforce Investment Board, Shenandoah Valley Partnership, local educational providers, and area businesses to stimulate employment in the manufacturing sector.
Joint House Resolution
In the center aisle of the Virginia House of Delegates, a group of students and faculty from Blue Ridge Community College were recognized with a House Joint Resolution. The BRCC Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Team, some of whom had just returned from a community service trip to Haiti, were the focus of a resolution sponsored by Valley legislators: Steve Landes, Chris Saxman, Ben Cline, Matt Lohr, Emmett Hanger and Mark Obenshain.
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| SIFE members with BRCC faculty and administrators |
“It was a privilege to present House Joint Resolution 267 to the Blue Ridge Community College SIFE Team during a center aisle presentation on the House Floor,” said Landes. “I hope these talented students will remain in our community and continue to promote the principles of the free enterprise system to the benefit of our citizens.”
The resolution cited BRCC SIFE’s dedication to helping others both locally and abroad, through educational programs on finance offered to high school students and senior citizens, to the recent establishment of a rabbit farm cooperative in Haiti. It also referred to the numerous honors earned by the team, including a National Championship in 2007.
“The presentation to BRCC was a wonderful opportunity to pause from our legislative duties here at the Capitol and recognize the accomplishments of these outstanding students,” commented Hanger.
Former SIFE Team President and current member Natalie Almarode said, “It is an honor for our team to have recognition through the House Joint Resolution. We want the importance and value of what we are doing recognized with the hopes that others will offer whatever resources are available to them to help us continue to ‘pay it forward.’”
The complete resolution can be viewed at http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?081+ful+HJ267+pdf
Zabricot Rabbit Cooperative – Cooperation for Change
On
an island that previously had no viable cooperative ventures, and where
residents had never seen a live rabbit, an entrepreneurial venture initiated
by Blue Ridge Community College students is not only the first of its kind,
but also the talk of LaGonave, Haiti.
The BRCC Students in Free Enterprise Team (SIFE), along with a veterinary technician from the College, returned from travel to LaGonave this week after completing their mission of creating economic opportunity for the people of the small island through the establishment of a rabbit farm cooperative.
The SIFE Team partnered with the Haiti Outreach Foundation of Staunton and the Haiti Farmers to Farmers Association to develop and implement this micro lending project - a rabbit farming cooperative which is the only organization of its kind on an island where the annual per capita income only averages $100 USD. The team shipped all building and rabbit care materials to Haiti via cargo container and worked with the students, faculty, and staff of the veterinary technology program and local business, Weaver Rabbit Farm, to create written training guides and videos on cage building, rabbit care, breeding, and meat processing. BRCC Veterinary Technology (Vet Tech) Club members researched, wrote, and prepared handouts for the Haitian women to help them with proper handling and care of the rabbits. Vet Tech Club co-advisor, Gail Foley, compiled the information, secured some animal supplies, significant monetary donations, and traveled to Haiti with the SIFE Team to provide the hands-on instruction with the rabbits. All materials were translated by SIFE members into Haitian Creole for use on the island.
The
Zabricot Cooperative offers eight women the opportunity to increase their
average income by over 800%. All cooperative members have agreed to “pay it
forward” (the BRCC SIFE Team philosophy) by inviting additional village
residents to join the cooperative as the current cooperative develops and
grows. This project is designed to create an evolution of change on the
island as cooperative members pay it forward in place of repayment of their
loan.
While on the island team members assisted in the final preparations of the rabbit farm including securing fences and building rabbit cages. The Team worked to train co-op members on not only how to handle and breed rabbits but also about the need for team work and good ethical business practices in their day-to-day operations.
- Read more about the trip at the BRCC SIFE blog.
Artisans of Distinction Opens Feb. 25 at BRCC Fine Arts Center
Works of 16 artists from across Virginia will be featured February 25 - April 4 in an exhibit at the Blue Ridge Community College Fine Arts Center Gallery on the Weyers Cave campus. An opening reception is scheduled February 27, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Presented in collaboration with the Artisans Center of Virginia (ACV),
the exhibit highlights a variety of media: pottery, woodturning, fiber,
metal quilts, mirrors, baskets, glass, furniture, and mixed media creations.
“In each instance, the work has demonstrated a strong aesthetic appeal in
regard to its creative expression,” explained Elizabeth Moss, ACV Director
of Programs and Exhibitions. “There are many surprises to behold! You will
see a basket woven from nails, a quilt constructed using metal instead of
cloth, a landscape painting created on a loom, and more.”
ACV juried artists featured in the exhibit include: Kevin Crowe of Amherst, Richard Cruise of Monetta, Ardyth Davis of White Stone, Jeanne Drevas of Sperryville, Kim Eubank and Will Armstrong of Richmond, John Gunther of Abingdon, Jill Jensen of Forest, Charlotte LaRoy of Midlothian, Phillip Nolley of Waynesboro, Carroll Pinion of Alexandria, Andrew Pitts of Heathsville, Yolonda Ann Reardon of Eggleston, Jude Schlotzhauer of Mechanicsville, Lynne Sward of Virginia Beach, and Angie Wiggins of Powhatan.
The Artisans Center is a non-profit, visual arts organization
representing Virginia crafts through exhibition, education and retail
opportunities. The Center is located in Willow Oak Plaza, 801 West Broad
Street, Waynesboro.
BRCC opened its art gallery last fall, with completion of the 23,500-square-foot Fine Arts Center. Exhibit hours are Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call (540) 453-2380.
2/11/08
Blue Ridge Community College SIFE Team Receives President’s Honor Roll Award for Service
School Honored for Distinguished Community Service
Weyers Cave, VA, – The Corporation for National and Community Service named Blue Ridge Community College Students in Free Enterprise Team (BRCC SIFE) to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to disadvantaged youth.
“This prestigious award demonstrates the commitment our students and employees have to reach out to those in need in our service area, our Commonwealth, and our country. The community service initiatives performed by BRCC students and employees have positively impacted the lives of so many people. It is our hope that the receipt of this honor prompts even more individuals to consider service opportunities in the community,” commented Dr. John Downey, BRCC Vice President for Instruction and Student Services.
Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.
To encourage at-risk high school students to succeed, The BRCC SIFE team worked with this age group within the BRCC service area to strengthen their skills in personal success skills which will prepare them to be an active and productive workforce, financial literacy skills to improve their quality of life, computer technology to strengthen their marketability on the job market, and ethics to encourage upright and responsible behavior. This process is completed through a service learning project named the “I Choose to Succeed” project.
“Choices” is a community service project The BRCC SIFE team has offered on a continual project and is geared toward new high school students who have proven to be challenged by the transition from middle school to high school. Over a two day period BRCC SIFE students mentor the students and try to impress upon them that the decisions high school students make everyday can impact the rest of their lives. These decisions include the use of drugs, dropping out of school, study habits, and financial decisions. BRCC SIFE work to show students that the choices that they make in high school will affect them and those around them for the rest of their lives.
“College students are tackling the toughest problems in America, demonstrating their compassion, commitment, and creativity in by serving as mentors, tutors, health workers, and even engineers,” Eisner said. “They represent a renewed spirit of civic engagement fostered by outstanding leadership on caring campuses.”
The Honor Roll is jointly sponsored by the Corporation, through its Learn and Serve America program, and the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
In congratulating the winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said, “Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce. We look to institutions like these to provide leadership in partnering with local schools to shape the civic, democratic and economic future of our country.”
Overall, the Community Service Honor Roll awarded six schools with Presidential Awards. In addition, four schools were recognized as Special Achievement Award winners, 127 as Honor Roll With Distinction members and 391 schools as Honor Roll members. In total, 528 schools were recognized. A full list is available at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.
“There is no question that the universities and colleges who have made an effort to participate and win the Honor Roll award are themselves being rewarded,” said American Council on Education President David Ward. “Earning this distinction is not easy. But now each of these schools will be able to wear this award like a badge of honor.”
The Honor Roll is jointly sponsored by the Corporation, through its Learn and Serve America program, and the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations. For more information, go to http://www.nationalservice.gov.
