Happy Hour

Back from Winter Break and the rush is on to register for Spring. Here's a little tip for avoiding the craziness: visit us between 4 and 7 p.m. You'll find our Student Services department a lot mellower and empty chairs in the waiting area more plentiful--not that you'll be waiting long. We all know the old saying about the early bird getting the worm, but it doesn't apply in this case. It's our own version of "happy hour" -- alcohol-free, of course, and sorry no finger foods. (Be forewarned, we close at 5 on Fridays.)

Spreading cheer

This year's MCC Shines on the Havasu campus was relaxing and eclectic with about 250 guests enjoying a program of ballet, Hawaiian dancing, the Colomunde Chorus and English faculty Dan Pund on his trombone. The board of our local MCC Foundation Chapter threw the switch on the loveliest lighting display we've had in years. It was all home-grown this year and showed what a rich community we have.

The strategic use of a railing as a makeshift tripod helped me get the shot below. This shows why we call it "Shines."

Pretty stuff, good cause

Give the gift of art this holiday, and support the MCC, Lake Havasu Campus Student Art League. They're having their annual sale Saturday (Dec. 4) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mohave County Library at 1770 N. McCulloch Blvd. These photos give you a small taste of the gorgeous hand-made items that will be for sale. You're not going to find anything nicer than this in town -- but I'm prejudiced!

Where right brain meets left brain

One of the cool things about the Havasu campus is our San Juan annex. While the architectural aspects of our campus' oldest facility may not have obvious charms, it's one of the funnest places to learn at MCC. San Juan is home to our heating, ventilation and air-conditioning lab. Next door are our ceramics and sculpture studios, including two kilns and a forge. The two sides of San Juan actually have a lot in common. They both offer hands-on learning while attracting students who really love what they do. And it's fun to see what happens when the two sides meet, as they did last night when HVAC students dropped in on a ceramics class and got excited by what was happening there. "We should be taking this class," one student said.

Give stuff! Get stuff!

The halls of the 200 building seem unnaturally quiet this afternoon, and I wonder if that's because a lot of folks are off preparing for Saturday's big parking lot/rummage sale here at the Havasu campus. This is a campus-team opportunity to do good for the campus while giving everyone an excuse to unload their unwanted stuff. (High-quality, gently used unwanted stuff, of course.) The sale is being sponsored by the local chapter of the MCC Foundation, and proceeds will go for special projects here on campus that conventional educational funding doesn't cover. One of those is our wildly popular College for Kids program. Money we raise Saturday could help local kids from families of modest means attend the two-week college camp. If you have some stuff to give, drop it off by noon Friday. (It's tax-deductible.) If you want more stuff--and who doesn't?--join us Saturday, behind the 600 building, between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Our own Good Witch of the West

Who would stand for hours on a hard sidewalk wearing a witch's costume and a long, green wig cooking hundreds of servings of popcorn for a seemingly endless line of guests? And do it cheerfully? The answer is the Havasu campus' own Katie, the Good Witch of the West. This selfless student volunteer deserves a medal for refusing to leave her post at this year's Pumpkin Festival, Oct. 29. In fact, she stayed at the popcorn machine long after the event's published end time continuing to cook up the apparently irresistible treat until everyone in line had received their portions. What a trooper. Thanks, Katie.

Add the sunset: By the way, this year's Pumpkin Festival concluded during one of the most gorgeous sunsets I've ever seen in this land of spectacular western skies. Below is what it really looked like -- no fooling.

The personal touch

We have a lot of hands-on programs here at MCC, but Physical Therapist Assistant may be the ultimate. During a visit to a PTA class this week, I witnessed a lot of physical contact--all of the healing sort, of course. The PTA profession naturally requires touching, holding and lifting, and folks who are shy about doing that probably need to look elsewhere for their future vocation. For those that have what it takes, PTA is a great career that offers good pay and outstanding job prospects, especially with our aging population. To hear PTA resident faculty Carrie Perkins talk about it, PTA is more than a career, it's a way of life and a true professional home.

Above: It may look like PTA student Carolyn is trying to turn her classmate into a pretzel, but she's really testing his range of motion.

Brave enough

We're getting ready for this year's London Bridge Days Parade, Oct. 16 on Lake Havasu City's "Main Street." This year's theme is "Havasu Heroes" and I've been in search of a few heroic MCC grads whose faces will grace the college float. Today the search lead me to Fire Station No. 2 where the city's fire department was conducting a training academy for recent recruits. Three of the officers putting the recruits through their paces (in full gear and 100-plus-degree heat) were not only graduates of MCC, they're now faculty. These guys are tough, as the students in our fire science program have, no doubt, already figured out. Hey, community college isn't for sissies!

At left: LHCFD Capt. Aaron Bracamonte, MCC graduate and faculty, doesn't even break a sweat as he takes a break from instructing fire department recruits in 100-plus degree heat.

Still time for art

You still have about a week to see the art show currently on display in The Gallery in room 204. It features provocative and innovative multi-media sculpture and "unique prints" by student Randall Shehi, who has become a fixture in our art studios at the San Juan Annex. Shehi really does have his own vision, and you're not likely to see artwork of this style or caliber elsewhere in Lake Havasu City or even this part of the state. The Gallery is open Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

At right: This sculpture by Randall Shehi features a delicate wing-like structure of hand-built clay set on a stand fashioned from a reclaimed trowel.

Welcome back already!

Yes, I've taken a bit of an hiatus from blogging, but I'm back now. The rush of new students in the weeks before the fall semester, combined with the wilting heat of August in Lake Havasu City left me a bit uninspired. But the temps have dropped below 100 (at least for now), and I'm feeling refreshed. It's great to see students back on campus, hauling around textbooks, putting their heads together in newly formed study groups and donning program-specific scrubs and t-shirts. Have a great semester!

Making myself useful

I spent the afternoon helping out where I could in Student Services with its crush of people wanting to register, pick classes, take the Compass Test, turn in financial aid documentation, and everything else you can think of. At times it seemed like the blind leading the blind. One very nice HVAC student was extremely patient with me while we tried to figure out his fall schedule. Not as easy as it sounds! My feet are tired, but it was fun rolling up my sleeves and pitching in. After all, this is what it's all about -- serving students.

Why is this woman smiling?

When I first came to work at MCC, I encountered a strange and delightful creature I'd never been exposed to before: the math professor. These people turned any gathering into a wild and crazy math-fest. Oddest of all, they obviously loved math; they ate, drank and slept it. Two of these rare animals--faculty member Laurel Clifford and Academic Chair Eric Aurand, a math Ph.D.--shared some of this crazy-crazy-math-love with about three dozen school teachers recently when they facilitated a professional development training workshop. Many of the teachers were as math-o-phobic as I am, having never taken a college-level math course. I have no doubt they came out of the week-long workshop not only knowing more about math but also appreciating something of its beauty. You can read more about the training on the Mohave Wire.

Thanks for your patience

It's four weeks until the start of the fall semester and the rush is on. I dropped by our Student Services area earlier this morning and it was jam-packed. If there was an available chair, it was an endangered species. The sight of lots of people registering for classes is a beautiful one to us, but it may not be that welcomed by our customers (a.k.a new and returing students). I'm happy to report everyone seemed mellow and we appreciate their patience. Thanks, everybody.

Officially summer

In case folks haven't noticed, it's hot. Really hot at last. And the humidity is starting to creep up, signalling the approach of the dreaded monsoon season. (When it's 113 degrees, even 20-percent humidity is uncomfortable and 35-percent humidity is downright unbearable.) Sounds like a good time to get out of town, which is what a lot of people around here are doing, including me. I'm headed out on a 10-day vacation in the mountains in the extreme southwest corner of the state. It's supposed to be in the mid-80s down there, so I'd better take a sweater.

Go ahead, have some fun

After the heavy information contained in my last post, I feel like lightening the mood and having some fun, especially heading into the long Fourth of July weekend. For many people Lake Havasu is synonymous with fun, and it's quite a sight to see the way people let their hair down, shall we say, on a summer holiday weekend. The lake is a great recruiting tool for me -- thus the title of this blog -- as long as students remember the time will come to get out of the water, pop a couple aspirin, smear aloe on the sunburn and hit the books. But for now Happy Birthday, America and Happy Party, Havasu. See you July 6, when on-campus registration for fall classes begins.

Register later!

One of our favorite tag lines around here is "Register Now!" But for new students it's important to bear in mind that there are a few very important things that need to happen before registering. In fact, the actual act of registering is your last step to becoming a full-fledged MCC student. Here's what should happen first:

• Apply for financial aid at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ and wait for your award letter.
• If you've gone to another college, have your official transcripts sent to MCC's Registrar's Office.
• Fill out the online admissions application on our Web site and come in to complete your paperwork and receive your new MCC student ID number. Give the application two business days to be processed.
• With MCC ID in hand, take the Compass placement assessment.
• See an academic advisor to map out your course plan and sign up for new student orientation.
• When you get your financial aid award letter, see a financial aid advisor and complete your other paperwork.
• Attend new student orientation and while you're there -- TA! DA! -- register for your classes.

It seems like a lot, so if you get lost in the process, give me a call at 928-505-3393, or drop by Answer Tuesday, any Tuesday this summer, from 4-6 p.m. in the 200 building lobby.

Bye 'til next year

It only seems like yesterday our campus was occupied by more than 160 youthful souls for College for Kids. It's been fun getting to know the kids and being greeted with a big smile when I called them by name. It's also been fun seeing them learn and progress -- in the case of Primary Music literally from one note to many. The big kids used their time here to investigate a crime scene, learn American Sign Language, design fashions and perfect their self-defense skills, among many other things. Today parents, grandparents and siblings were invited to join in, including dancing around the May pole in Primary Dance, seen here.

Answer No. 1

Today--from 4-6 p.m. in the 200 building lobby--is our first "Answer Tuesday," an informal sort of open house where people who are thinking about coming to MCC can drop in and get the answers to some of their questions. We'll also be giving participants the chance to use Sigi-3, a career self-assessment tool that's fun to use and gives people insights into what they should do when they grow up. We'll keep up with Answer Tuesdays until the start of Fall semester, Aug. 23. If it's a success, we may continue them indefinitely. I don't know how many people to expect tonight. I might be pretty lonely until I can get the word out. But for anyone who's had a nagging feeling about attending MCC and didn't know where to start, this is the ideal opportunity to find out.

All I really need to know I learned in College for Kids

For two weeks a year our usually staid institution of higher learning is invaded by the rambunctious spirit of youth with the arrival of College for Kids. This is my first College for Kids, and after just a couple hours a day helping out with the 5-8-year-olds, I'm exhausted. I'd forgotten how much energy kids this age can generate, and how much energy grown-ups must expend to keep up with them. One thing I've noticed is, when you're that age it's not hard to have fun. Learning to curtsy is fun, lying on the floor kicking your feet in the air is fun and -- as seen at right -- riding a stick horse is really, really fun. You can read all about College for Kids on our news site.

Pretty enough to eat (in)

Now that the renovation of our campus dining area is complete, you can call us Mohave Community College or you can call us Mohave Community Bistro. The mismatched tables and chairs shoe-horned into a space that never made much since have been replaced by color-coordinated tile floors and counters, bistro tables and stools, all of which pleasingly complement the beautiful desert mural on the dining area wall. Those notorious old couches at the far end of the lounge area have been suitably disposed of and replaced by some snazzy leather love seats. I've already heard oohs and ahhs from staff and I expect to hear a lot more from students when they return in greater numbers this fall.