March 2014

March 2014

Community Shows Its Support at Mardi Gras

An outstanding show of support for Presentation College Fairmont Campus was felt at this year’s

7th Annual Mardi Gras event. A sold out crowd of supporters filled the banquet room at the Holiday Inn in Fairmont to raise money for scholarships that directly benefit the Fairmont Campus. Nursing student, Kristine Jarvis, a 2013 recipient of the Mardi Gras scholarship, spoke to those at the fundraiser.

“I chose to come here because I wanted a personalized education at a private college. Because of the small class sizes and caring teachers I feel more like a person and not just a number,” Jarvis said. Two new ways for the community to give were added to the event this year. A friendly table competition took place

which raised over $1746. Another new giving option was Mystical Medallions where medallion necklaces were purchased with a guarantee to win goods or services donated by area businesses. The medallions sold out quickly and raised $1600. The live auction also was held and raised $4,200. The evening raised over $7500 with these three events alone. The total amount raised from the event will be figured soon and the scholarships will be awarded later this spring. Students meeting the criteria have until March 15 to apply through the Presentation College Financial Aid website page. Jarvis concluded her speech by expressing appreciation for the support to PC students. “Presentation is such a wonderful College and it would not be so successful without all of its amazing community members. I want to thank you all again for supporting our school - we could not pursue our educational dreams without you.”

Triplets for the night! Photo Bomb?!

More Mardi Gras

photos on page 3

Communication Corner—March 2014—

Mark Your Calendars

Summer & Fall Registration March 3 - 7

Deadline to apply for December Graduation March 7

Spring Break NO CLASSES March 10 - 14

Last Day to Withdraw March 20

Assessment Day MANDATORY Attendance March 25

New Student Registration April 7 - 16

CLOSE AT NOON April 17

Easter Vacation April 18 - 21 NO CLASSES

Classes Resume April 22

Last Day of Classes May 2

Finals Test Week May 5 - 8

Tips for a Successful Spring Semester

From The Learning Lab Maintain a Positive Attitude A positive attitude will help you in so many areas. It will help in getting along with peers to resolving academic issues. It is normal to have disappointment and disenchantment at times but don’t allow those feelings to spread. Take time each day to be thankful. Reduce the number of times you complain each day and increase the number of positive thoughts. Look at College as a Job The benefits you receive from college are largely determined by what you put into college. The amount and quality of your work will be in direct relationship to the benefits you receive. Work diligently. You are “in charge of how well you will survive the college environment, and to a great extent, the degree to which you will have a successful experience.” Dr. Lugenia Rochelle Maintain a Healthy Body I don’t know how you feel about this winter but it has been a long one. Take some time this spring to get some exercise, explore a new healthy food choice, or enjoy the increasing sunshine and warmth by spending some time in nature. Your brain will do its best work supported by a healthy body.

Turn Your Clocks

Ahead 1 Hour


Students’ Voices Heard at Assessment Day

Each year, Presentation College holds a mandatory Assessment Day in the spring to get input from students on what they like about PC and what they think could be improved. The Assessment Day includes a variety of activities including online surveys, focus group discussions, and exit testing for graduates. This year’s Assessment Day will be held on Tuesday, March 26. You will receive more information soon on your involvement in the day’s activities, which varies depending on your grade level. If you are not required to come to the Fairmont Campus on Assessment Day, please remember to take the time to complete the surveys sent to you by e-mail. The feedback received on both the Student Satisfaction Survey and Advisor Evaluations is greatly appreciated and is considered valuable in making decisions regarding the day-to-day operations of the College, as well as planning for the future. If you have any questions about Assessment Day, contact Dawn Hartwig by stopping in the office or e-mailing at [email protected].

More Fun from the Mardi Gras

King and Queen Ryan and Kristin

Schmidtke


Please Turn Off The Lights

If you are the last person in a room, please turn off the lights. Help us conserve energy and protect the planet.

Congratulations Nursing Students & Faculty Presentation College has recently received some very exciting news and would like to extend congratulations to PC Nursing Students & Faculty on a remarkable accomplishment! For the fifth year in a row Presentation College is well above the national average for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), which is an exam required to get licensed to legally practice as a nurse in the United States. After successful completion of the appropriate nursing school, a prospective nurse must pass one of two versions of the NCLEX in order to obtain a license to practice. The NCLEX-RN is required to become a Registered Nurse (RN) and the NCLEX-PN is required to practice as a Practical Nurse (LPN or LVN). According to the South Dakota NCLEX Summary, Presentation College finished 2013 with a Nearly 90 percent pass rate for those obtaining a bachelor’s degree in nursing from

Aberdeen and Fairmont campuses 100 percent pass rate for its associate degree program NCLEX examinations are designed to test the knowledge, skills and abilities essential for the safe and effective practice of nursing at the entry-level.

Congratulations Nursing Students & Faculty! You should be very proud of yourselves!



The 2014 Kids Against Hunger event was held on Saturday, February 15, at the National Guard Army in Fairmont. Many PC students and Faculty volunteered at the event, including nursing student, Alecia Nelson. She shared the following about the event, “As PC students it was great to take a few hours and help pack food for Kids Against Hunger. It was an amazing feeling to know that

we helped prepare food for starving children all over the world. It was wonderful to see many different churches and multiple organizations serving at the event. It was great to see the community come together and volunteer their time. This shows that we can all make a difference in the world.”

This year’s event was a huge success!

Total meals packed = 89,424 Total money raised = $29,000

Total Volunteers = 400

Pictured from left: Jessica Bicknase, Dan Fullerton, Shelby Fanton, and Alecia Nelson

PC Prayer In Action Sr. Marilyn Dunn

It seems like we just finished the Christmas season a few weeks back, but the calendar shows me that next week we will begin the Lenten Season already. Lent begins on March 5th, this year. It is often known as “Ash Wednesday” mostly because in some of our Christian churches, the faithful are reminded by a sign of ashes on the forehead that we are made from “dust and will return to dust” when we die. These words and sign are intended to keep us mindful that the season of Lent is intended to prepare us for the life beyond this one. The Church encourages us to pray, fast, and give alms. Prayer can guide you to what is important. It has been suggested that we use the money we save by fasting and give it to the poor. We can fast from food, or we can fast from the demands of a consumer society – turning away from the false gods that tell us we need to have more. Hence, fasting and almsgiving together function as ‘Prayer in Action’. One prayer in action that Presentation College will be encouraging students, faculty, and staff to participate in is an effort to assist those in need. Starting March 6, you will see a container in the Fairmont Campus main office for your donations, even $1 from each student would be a great help.

Try to be generous!


Red Cross Blood Drive Toni Shantz

I was lucky enough to work some hours at the February blood drive. During that time, I spoke with Callie Fransen, Danika Stindtman, Danielle Roben, and Aggie Ergette. I asked them why they like to volunteer for the Fairmont Blood Drive. They said it was easy volunteer hours, it’s helping a great cause, and it is a great way to interact with the Fairmont community. I worked with mostly seniors who will graduate in May so I asked them what they would tell other PC students. They said to sign up for the volunteer hours at the blood drives as soon as possible. It was a very fun week! I will be looking for volunteers in late May to make table cards and canteen works for the

June blood drive on June 10-12. Mark Johnson, organizer of the blood drives in Fairmont, gave the following information in a letter to the editor about this month’s drive. Fairmont is 3rd in the region for most donations, following Brainerd and Owatonna. The goal for February’s drive was 294 units and this goal was surpassed with a total of 323 units collected over the three-day drive. Mark gave a sincere thank you to all of the donors and volunteers, in-

cluding PC student volunteers: Danielle Roben, Alecia Nelson, Shelby Fanton, Barb Ander-son, Kathryn Meyer, Callie Fransen, Bridget Trio, Brittney Cornick, Lindsey Drescher, Aggie Er-gette, and Danika Stindtman for their canteen and greeter help.

Breakfast Was A Hit!

Over 60 students, faculty, and staff attended the first annual “I Hate Winter Breakfast” That is over 80 pancakes flipped, 2 crockpot egg bakes eaten, and just un-der 100 sausage patties consumed!!

Congrats to the following students that won a PC t-shirt door prize: • Coryn Kluender • Heather Prokosch • Laila Mohamed • Sagal Abdirahman • Blair Trembley

Everyone had a great time getting together to eat, talk, and laugh. Students remarked that it was good to be able to spend time with classmates, faculty, and staff in a relaxed setting, and get to know them better.


Top 20 Thinking

“Laughter Brings Out Top 20 Living” By Traci Lardy, Director

Presentation College Fairmont Campus

“Live Above the Line” is one of the many concepts connected to Top 20 thinking. To help understand the “Live Above the Line” belief, you can think of it this way:

When I am above the line: - My thinking is effective & serves me well - My thinking is positive & hopeful - I am focused on what is important

There are two simple things you can do to contribute to above the line living; smile and laugh. You may be asking yourself why smiling and laughing are so important. Or you may thinking that you smile and laugh already. If so, that is great! However, many how many times a day do you need to laugh and smile to feel the benefits? As in life, adults can often learn important life lessons by watching children. “Research indicates that children smile or laugh 400 times per day, adults smile or laugh 15 or less times per day and think negative ideas 3/4 of the times.” (Scally, 2005) When adults approach situations with a sense-of-humor and a smile, it is difficult to think, act, and communicate negatively. One of my favorite quotes is by Charles Swindoll, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” When you are about to react to a situation, I challenge you to stop, smile, and laugh. This will help to keep you living above the line.

According to statistics (2005), here are a few more benefits of laughter:

Reduces stress Improves creativity Develops trust Improves blood pressure And many more!!

Let’s all find the child in us and increase the number of times we laugh and smile in a day. Increasing smiling and laughter will help to keep you living above the line along with improving many aspects of your life. Scally, T. (2005). When Did You Laugh Last? Retrieved on May 19, 2005 from: http://www.powerlaugh.com/htm/depression.htm

March 2014

Documents

Transcript of March 2014