SFSC Take Stock in Children Earns Award

AVON PARK, Fla. – Sept. 30, 2016 – South Florida State College Foundation’s Take Stock in Children (TSIC) program has earned the Excellence Award – Gold Level Category for the third consecutive year from its statewide parent organization.

The award was announced at the annual TSIC’s College and Career Readiness Summit held in Jacksonville on Sept. 15. Local TSIC programs that provide college readiness and mentoring supports to middle and high school students vie for the award each year.

“The award is a source of pride for our organization and shows Take Stock’s dedication to serving the students in our communities who aspire to achieve their dreams through postsecondary education,” says Jamie Bateman, SFSC’s executive director for Institutional Advancement, who oversees the SFSC Foundation and the local TSIC effort.

SFSC TSIC coordinator Irene Castanon and college success coach Danielle Ochoa were on hand to accept the award at the summit.

The summit attracted more than 250 participants from local TSIC programs across the state. They heard from national leaders about the latest trends and data on innovation in education, mentoring, college readiness, and career opportunities.

The SFSC Foundation is the lead agency for TSIC in DeSoto, Hardee, and Highlands counties. TSIC serves students who are at-risk for dropping out of school. Students are matched with a mentor, receive in-school support, and college readiness services provided by TSIC college success coaches. Upon high school graduation, students earn a college tuition scholarship.

TSIC mentors meet with their assigned students each week during the school year, offering encouragement, advice, and a sympathetic ear. A TSIC college success coach provides support and guidance to the mentor and the mentee.

Local TSIC programs earn the award by meeting rigorous criteria that includes a robust data reporting system that measures student readiness, recruiting, mentor matching rates, and mentor contacts.

“Our program staff, including mentors and the close partnerships with area middle and high schools, work hard throughout the year to make sure our students stay on track from high school to college and into a competitive career,” Castanon said. “We have had lots of success stories since the program began in 1995.”

For more information about SFSC TSIC, or how to become a mentor, contact Castanon at castanoni@southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Sept. 27, 2016 – South Florida State College will host an information session on its study abroad program on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 6– 7 p.m., on the SFSC Highlands Campus in building B, Room 112.

The information session will cover details about a weeklong trip to the United Kingdom titled “London: The City Experience” in May 2017. Drs. Sonji Nicholas and Theresa James, professors in the Division of Arts and Sciences, will lead the information session.

The trip includes air fare, hotels, breakfasts, several dinners, and visits to many notable London landmarks led by a full-time tour guide, including use of a bus. The information session will review the itinerary, program highlights, and the price. Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop so that they can sign up for the program during the information session.

The itinerary includes visits to Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Piccadilly Circus, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Windsor Castle, St. George’s Chapel, and Queen Mary’s Doll House.

Also included are guided tours of the Tower of London and the British Museum. A highlight of the trip will be a visit to the Warner Brothers Studio Harry Potter Experience. An optional excursion to Stonehenge and Bath are available.

Enrolling is easy and includes a $95 deposit. The program price increases each month, so participants are encouraged to lock in the lower price early.

This year, Drs. Nicholas and James, along with a committee of faculty, have revived SFSC’s overseas travel program, including plans to offer academic credit for completing the program, as well as creating a clearinghouse for travel opportunities throughout the state.

Those interested in the study abroad program should plan to attend the information session, where they can ask questions and receive printed information. Attendees can add their email to a mailing list to learn about future trips, and put in a choice for future destinations.

The SFSC Highlands Campus is located at 600 W. College Dr., Avon Park. For more information on the session, contact Dr. James at 863-784-7185 or jamest@southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Sept. 20, 2016 – Late on a Friday afternoon, after quiet had taken hold of the South Florida State College Hardee Campus, Teresa Crawford’s day ought to have been winding down.

Not so for Crawford, the SFSC Hardee Campus director. “Tonight, I’m slipping into my role as a member of the Hardee County School Board to attend a ribbon cutting, dedicating a new track for Hardee Senior High School,” said Crawford, who is running for her third term on the board.

Afterward, she stayed for the main event, the Friday night football game pitting Avon Park High School against the Hardee Wildcats. Crawford taught and counseled students at Hardee Senior High School for 16 years.

Crawford’s Saturdays are dedicated to completing the doctoral program in educational leadership at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, where she travels to attend classes.

For all of the 31 years of her working life, Crawford has taught in the classroom, counseled students, directed college programs, or overseen public education as an elected official in Hardee County. Even though she’s eligible for retirement, she has no plans to slow down.

“We have high school students from our dual enrollment program, traditional students, and adult students, and I take great delight in helping them achieve their goals,” Crawford said.

As the SFSC Hardee Campus director, Crawford oversees a handful of staff who help students run through the gamut of life on a rural college campus. From helping students apply for admission to settling on the right career path to helping a student through a tough class, Crawford and staff do it all.

“I even teach political science classes on our campus,” said Crawford, who will enter her 16th year heading up the SFSC Hardee Campus in October.

When Crawford graduated from Avon Park High School in 1981, she headed straight for what she remembered as “South Florida Junior College.”

“I had an idea of becoming an accountant after I graduated from SFSC and headed off for the University of South Florida to finish up my undergraduate degree,” she said. “While at USF, I learned my heart was in education.”

While earning her bachelor’s degree in social science education, she interned at Hardee Senior High School. That’s where she landed once she had her degree in hand.

“For eight years, I taught it all—psychology, sociology, and government—before deciding I wanted would go back for my master’s degree in counseling,” Crawford said. “I saw I could forge good relationships with the students and decided to move into educational counseling.”

Before she had earned her degree, Crawford had already made the transition to counseling students at Hardee’s lone high school.

In 2001, SFSC was on the hunt for a director for its Hardee Campus. At that time, three classrooms and one office were housed in a former commercial space in downtown Wauchula.

“I had the counseling and the educational leadership background, so I said to myself “I’m going to apply for the position,’” Crawford said.

She passed muster with the selection committee and found herself sitting across from then SFSC president Dr. Catherine P. Cornelius for the final interview.

Two years into her new position, Crawford and her colleagues left the storefront and moved into the newly constructed SFSC Hardee Campus, a two-story complex, six miles north of Wauchula, in Bowling Green.

“The new campus opened up so many possibilities for the students we serve in Hardee,” Crawford said. “We could offer more classes to more students in the just the right setting.”

Six years into her tenure at the new campus, Crawford thought she could do more to boost education in Hardee County. She took on an incumbent school board member and won.

“I always had an interest in politics, coupled with an in-depth knowledge of the county I live in and a passion for education,” she said. “I think the voters know that because 80 percent of them gave me their support when I was up for election again in 2012.”

Serving as the board’s chairperson this year, Crawford didn’t draw an opponent. She will start her third term after the November election.

Crawford’s commitment to education doesn’t end with her stewardship of the county’s K-12 system. “Two of my colleagues and I discussed going for our doctoral degrees in educational leadership at Florida Southern College,” Crawford recounted. They will wrap up their coursework in the spring. After that, they’ll hunker down to write their doctoral dissertations.

“I’ll be writing my dissertation on school principals’ leadership competencies,” Crawford said. “My husband of 31 years, Vent, is a good sport and is supportive of my many interests.” Crawford’s other interests include serving as a director of the Hardee County Fair and the county’s Chamber of Commerce.

Retired after a career as a lieutenant with the Florida Highway Patrol, Crawford’s husband caught the education bug from his wife. Vent now teaches adult education at the SFSC Hardee Campus, helping adults prepare for their high school equivalency diploma.

Although she is now eligible for retirement, Crawford has no plans to shift into the slow lane. A new academic year is already underway, she’ll be sworn into her office for her third term, and now she’s taken up glamping.

“Glamping is the new word for glamorous-style RV camping, one with a big screen TV and no real hardships,” Crawford said with chuckle. “Vent and I bought that special RV a year ago to make visiting our new grandchild in Georgia all the more enjoyable.”

AVON PARK, Fla. – Sept. 16, 2016 – The South Florida State College library will observe Banned Books Week Sept. 26-30 with activities intended to draw interest in books that have been banned through the ages and into today.

The American Library Association, along with publishers and authors, asks book lovers to take a stand in defense of unrestrained access to books during week-long observance.

The librarians at SFSC challenge readers to go on a mystery date with one of the many books banned over the centuries, including some recent titles. Readers are invited to visit the library housed in the Tutoring and Learning Center on the SFSC Highlands Campus to check out a banned or challenged book.

The books will be wrapped in brown paper, so the title will remain a mystery until it’s checked out by the borrower. Readers, though, will still have the option to choose their own title from a list of banned books.

“People think that censorship and even book burning aren’t happening today,” said Claire A. Miller, SFSC librarian. “Banned Books Week raises awareness and celebrates our freedom to read.”

Every year, persons or groups attempt to ban, or challenge, books from the shelves of libraries, bookstores, and schools. Often, they object to the books’ controversial language, themes, or perceived threat to a prevailing viewpoint.

A challenge is an attempt not to ban a book, but to restrict access to it by borrowers, students, or buyers. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982, according to the American Library Association.

Also intended to raise awareness is a banned books trivia contest. Students from SFSC’s Brain Bowl team will square off against college faculty and administrators in a banned books-themed trivia match. The contest is set for Wednesday, Sept. 28, 12:20-12:50 p.m., in Building B, on the SFSC Highlands Campus, with the public invited to watch.

Held since 1982 during the last week of September, Banned Books Week is intended to raise awareness and celebrate the fact that, thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, and others, the public hasn’t lot access to books, according to Miller.

“People ask me every year, ‘Why anyone would want to ban a book?’” Miller said. “It really varies, but for the most part I think people get offended by something and then decide the book shouldn’t be allowed.”

Miller said many popular books have faced challenges. She pointed to classics like John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and a raft of lesser known contemporary titles.

For more information, contact Miller at Claire.miller@southflorida.edu or 863-784-7305.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Sept. 16, 2016 – Although fall academic term classes at South Florida State College started last month, students don’t have to wait until January to get on campus or online and into a class.

Students, and folks who want to be students, can register for SFSC’s Second Fall Flex Session, an eight-week “mini-term” that starts Oct. 17 and runs through Dec. 14. The Second Fall Flex session offers students an opportunity to take elective courses and start earning college credits without having to wait for next academic term that begins in January.

Returning students can register and pay for classes through the college portal, Panther Central.

New students can apply for admission to the college by clicking the “Apply Now” button at the top of SFSC’s home page at www.southflorida.edu.

The Second Fall Flex schedule of classes is available online at www.southflorida.edu/current-students/class-schedules.

SFSC’s Advising and Counseling Center accepts walk-in registrations, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Fridays. Students can register in Building B on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park, at the Hardee Campus in Bowling Green, at the Lake Placid Center in Lake Placid, or at the DeSoto Campus in Arcadia.

SFSC offers two-year associate degree programs and numerous occupational training programs for people who wish to enhance their employability skills through shorter courses of study. The college offers a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Supervision and Management (BAS-SM), a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program.

Financial aid is available to those who are qualified. For more information about financial assistance and scholarships, contact the SFSC Financial Aid Office at 863-784-7134. For further information about registration, call 863-453-6661 (Highlands Campus), 773-3081 (Hardee Campus), 993-1757 (DeSoto Campus), or 465-3003 (Lake Placid Center).

AVON PARK, Fla. – Sept. 16, 2016 – South Florida State College’s Dental Education programs will offer no-cost oral cancer screenings on Thursday, Oct. 13, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m., at the Dental Education Center on the SFSC Highlands Campus. The free screening is available to the public by appointment.

The screening is a painless process that takes about 15 minutes. After a brief medical history, patients receive a head and neck examination. When needed, the visual examination is followed by a VELscope examination in which a florescent light is shown into the mouth to help to detect abnormal cells not visible to the eye.

“Even people who wear dentures should have an oral cancer screening every year,” said Dr. Deborah Milliken, department chair, Dental Education. “Dental hygienists and dental assistants tend to be community-minded individuals and oral cancer screening is only one of the many ways they serve their communities.”

Approximately 48,250 people in the United States will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer in 2016, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. An intra-oral screening helps to detect early stages in many cases. When oral cancers are found in their early stages of development, patients have an 80 to 90 percent recovery rate.

Individuals at risk for oral cancer include alcohol and tobacco users, those with frequent exposure to the sun, and people who have been infected with certain strains of human papilloma virus (HPV), which presents a five-times increase in occurrence in people under the age of 40. Still, up to 25 percent of people who develop oral cancer have no risk factors.

To make an appointment, call the SFSC Dental Education program at 863-784-7020.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Sept. 8, 2016 – The Kissimmee Valley Archaeological and Historical Conservancy will kick of its 2016-17 speaker series Thursday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m., on the Highlands Campus of South Florida State College.

Dr. David Butler, the principal investigator at the Blueberry archaeological dig site in Highlands County, will offer an update on the results of current research at the site.

Dr. Butler’s talk will also feature developments related to his recent presentation at the Florida Anthropological Society and an update on Mound B at the Blueberry site. He will highlight the significance of findings at two points at the site, units TU 7 and 8.

SFSC will host this first talk in a room different from the customary meeting location. Dr. Butler will speak in Building B, Room 112, which is directly across from the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts at SFSC.

Dr. Butler has more than 20 years of experience studying Florida archaeology. He taught anthropology and archaeology at the college-level before joining Full Sail University, where he teaches on the intersection of anthropology and the Internet.

Dr. Butler has designed a new website for the conservancy and will debut it during the meeting.

The Highlands Campus of South Florida State College is located at 600 W. College Dr., Avon Park. For more information, call Anne Reynolds at 863-840-3995.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Sept. 8, 2016 – Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church of Avon Park donated $1,500 toward the Sarah McDonald Endowed Scholarship overseen by the SFSC Foundation. The scholarship fund assists parishioners enrolled in South Florida State College.

“Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church has had a longstanding relationship with the SFSC Foundation funding the Sarah McDonald Endowed Scholarship,” said Jamie Bateman, executive director for Institutional Advancement. “Each year, qualified students receive financial assistance to meet some of their educational costs. It is a partnership that ensures deserving students from our community get the chance to succeed by finishing college.”

Sarah McDonald, a former parishioner at the church that lies across from Avon Park High School, bequeathed a substantial sum to the parish. In 2009, parishioners set up the scholarship at the SFSC Foundation with an initial $10,000 endowment as a tribute to McDonald.

The scholarship benefits parishioners enrolled at least half time in any program–vocational or college credit– offered by SFSC.

“This year’s donation came from the proceeds of a golf tournament the parish organized at River Greens Golf Course that saw a record turnout,” said Jim Conroy, an Our Lady of Grace parishioner who helped organize the benefit tournament with his wife Marilyn. “Raising money to help students get through SFSC is a cause that’s important to the members of our parish.”

Applicants must show evidence of academic promise, with at least a 3.0 grade point average on high school or college work completed. Special consideration will be given to applicants older than 25 who need training to return to the workforce.

The Rev. Nicholas McLoughlin, pastor of Our Lady of Grace, said the parish compliments the scholarship with direct aid to parishioners who attend SFSC. This year the parish awarded $1,000 scholarships to 10 SFSC students to help meet the expense of attending classes.

For information or to apply, visit SFSC’s financial aid office or call 784-7134.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Sept. 6, 2016 – The SFSC Young Peoples Theater opens its 2016-17 season on Nov. 4 with a performance of “The True Story of Pocahontas,” at the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts at SFSC.

The show is a factual retelling of the life of Pocahontas from a playful girl to a young wife and mother who carries her message of peace and mutual cooperation across the Atlantic Ocean to the King of England. It is a production of the professional touring group Theatre IV, which is based in Richmond, Va.

The Wildstein Center hosts two performances: 9:30 and 11:30 am. Tickets are $4. School groups receive one free ticket for a teacher or chaperone with every 10 tickets purchased. The performance is recommended for students in grades one through five.

“Theatre IV is the touring educational arm of Virginia Rep,” said Mitzi Farmer, the SFSC Young Peoples Theater coordinator. “Their productions not only delight students, but teach them important life lessons and classroom curriculum.”

Free study guides for “The True Story of Pocahontas” are available that highlight the English, social science, and history behind the story. Duke Energy sponsors the show.

“School-organized trips to a live performances are more than a day out,” said Cindy Garren, director of Cultural Programs at SFSC. “There are lasting and sustainable outcomes when students attend live theater, and the educational research literature confirms this.”

SFSC has presented live theater for school-based groups since 1998. The most popular productions have been musicals based on much-loved books about Curious George, Junie B. Jones, and Amelia Bedelia. “We usually have 1,000 students or more at each performance,” Farmer said.

“The House of Pooh,” based on the A. A. Milne classic, is scheduled for March 30, 2017, with two performances: 9:30 and 11:30 am. The Chinese folk tale “The Song of Mulan,” is scheduled for May 1, 2017. Both performances are recommended for grades K – four.

For more information or to reserve seats for Young Peoples Theater performances, email ypt@southflorida.edu. All Young Peoples Theater performances are held in the 1460-seat Wildstein Center on the Highlands Campus located at 600 W. College Dr., Avon Park.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Sept. 2, 2016 – Hong Nguyen started the summer on a high note. Her family was on hand to watch her pick up her doctor of pharmacy degree at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

But her studies didn’t come to an end with graduation, now a doctor in name only, Nguyen had to pass her board examination before she could practice pharmacy.

Nguyen’s career path to pharmacy took shape at South Florida State College, where she not only started college, but finished high school.

“While at Sebring High School, I chose to try my hand at the dual enrollment program at SFSC,” Nguyen said. “Going through the rigors of the program, and taking college courses while in high school, prepped me for my time at university and graduate school.”

The SFSC dual enrollment program offers high school students the option to complete courses for their diploma while earning college credits at SFSC.

After earning her high school diploma, Nguyen enrolled full time at SFSC and was admitted to the SFSC Honors Program.

Nguyen said she always knew she would work in the medical field and settled on pharmacy while completing her associate degree at SFSC. Her science courses at SFSC played a big part in her decision to study pharmacy.

“I give a lot of credit to my physics professor at SFSC, Erik Christensen,” Nguyen said. “Under his guidance, I immersed myself in studying science, which steered me ever more firmly toward pharmacy.”

In addition to the regular physics class Nguyen took with Christensen, she enrolled in a course he taught open only to students in the Honors Program.

“We spent an entire academic term focusing on global warming, giving us an opportunity to study a science topic in depth,” Nguyen recalled. “We presented our findings at a conference in Gainesville, and this experience had a big impact on confirming my interest in science.”

Recalling to mind Nguyen’s time on the SFSC Highlands Campus, Christensen heaped praise on her. “Throughout a year of almost daily observation and interaction in both the classroom and the laboratory, Hong impressed me,” Christensen said. “She was an engaged student who was always eager to learn new material.”

Nguyen completed her undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences at the University of South Florida.

“There’s a benefit to starting at a smaller school like SFSC because you can interact regularly with the faculty,” she explained. “Students who start at a large school see the professors as a distant figure and don’t seek help from them, which wasn’t the case for me based on my experience at SFSC.”

Although she’s from an immigrant family— Nguyen’s family moved to Florida from Vietnam when she was 3 years old—she is not the first in her family to graduate from college. Her older brother completed his Associate in Science degree in dental hygiene at SFSC.

Nguyen started her pharmacy graduate studies immediately after earning her bachelor’s degree at USF. She interned and worked for the CVS retail chain while completing her studies.

“I’ll continue to work for CVS for the near term,” Nguyen said. “I’m laying the groundwork for my future in pharmacy, and I need the experience.”

Looking forward, Nguyen plans to enter hospital-based pharmacy practice once she has built up her resume.

Nguyen noted that pharmacy is a broad field, not one just centered on serving patients in a retail setting. Pharmacists perform high-level work in hospitals and conduct research at major academic health sciences centers in the Unites States.

Her plans are on solid ground now. In late August, she got the news she had passed her board examination. “Learning I had passed the examination was a great way to end the summer,” Nguyen said. “Now I can breathe and relax.”

When she is not consumed with studying, Nguyen said she enjoys traveling and playing tennis, a sport she played while at SFSC.

With a career path in pharmacy now open to her, Nguyen said students entering college should look at opportunities in the field.

“Pharmacy can be a great career and one I found many of my peers didn’t even consider,” Nguyen said. She recommends students at colleges like SFSC to visit the career development department to explore the many career paths open to them.

“That’s what I did at SFSC,” Nguyen said. “Young people preparing for a career can’t eliminate any of their options before even considering them.”