THE VIEW FROM THE VALLEY Volume 10, Issue 5 November 10, 2015

WABASH VALLEY COLLEGE AN ILLINOIS EASTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Wabash Valley College Hosting Reception

To Commemorate 55th Anniversary Calendar of

Events:

November 16 & 17—Auditions for It’s A Wonderful Life, A Radio Drama; Brubeck Thea-tre

November 18—Valley Day; Brubeck Arts Cen-ter Lobby

November 19—TheatreWorks USA Grades K-3 Skippyjon Jones, Snow What; Bru-beck Theatre

November 26 & 27—College Closed

December 1—Foundation Meeting

December 1—Chili Sup-per, 4:30-7:30; Red Café

December 6—The Musi-cal Spirit of Christmas; 1:30 p.m., Brubeck The-atre

December 10—Founder’s Day

December 10—55th Anniversary Reception, 4:30-6:30 p.m.; Brubeck Arts Center Lobby

December 10 & 11—It’s A Wonderful Life, A Radio Drama, 7:00 p.m.; Brubeck Theatre

December 11—Last Day of Fall Semester Clas-ses

December 13—It’s A Wonderful Life, A Radio Drama, 1:30 p.m.; Bru-beck Theatre

It will be a “special day” for Wa-

bash Valley College and the

entire community on Thursday,

December 10, as Wabash Valley

College hosts a reception from

4:30 – 6:30 p.m. in the Brubeck

Arts Center Lobby to commemo-

rate the founding of WVC on

December 10, 1960. Re-

freshments will be served,

and this will be a special

opportunity for acquaintanc-

es to be renewed and to

relive those “early years.”

The public is invited to share

in this historical event by

stopping by to visit with

friends and WVC alumni,

and to enjoy the refresh-

ments.

Following the reception,

everyone is encouraged to at-

tend the opening night of “It’s A

Wonderful Life” Radio Drama at

7:00 p.m. in the Brubeck Thea-

tre. The treasured holiday film

comes to life before your eyes.

1940’s radio players perform the

story as a Christmas Eve broad-

cast with music and sound ef-

fects. Tickets will be available at

the door. The Radio Drama will

also be presented at 7 o’clock on

December 11, with a 1:30 mat-

inee performance on December

13.

A calendar of exciting events is

planned throughout the year as

the celebration of “55 Years of

Excellence” is observed.

Kicking off the 55th Anniversary

year of events beginning in De-

cember will be the annual WVC

Foundation Chili Supper on

Tuesday evening, December 1,

4:30-7:30 p.m. in the Red Café.

Chili, sandwiches, drinks, and

desserts will be available. Bas-

ketball fans can then adjourn to

the Spencer Sports Center to

enjoy the Lady Warriors at 5:30

and the Warriors at 7:30 as they

play host to our sister college,

Olney Central College.

“The Musical Spirit of Christ-

mas” will be presented on

“Sunday, December 6 in the

Brubeck Theatre.

The “social event of the year,”

the annual WVC Foundation

Crystal Ball, will be held on Sat-

urday, February 13 at the Ea-

gles Banquet Room. This annu-

al event is held as a fundraiser

for Wabash Valley College.

Homecoming will be on Febru-

ary 20 in the Spencer Sports

Center with coronation of the

King and Queen during halftime

of the Warriors’ basketball

game.

On February 23 “The Gizmo

Guys” will perform in the

Brubeck Theatre at 7:30

p.m.

The Spring Musical, “Side

By Side By Sondheim,” will

be presented in the Brubeck

Theatre on March 17, 18,

19, 20. This is a community

theatre production.

The month of April will bring

two professional shows to

the Brubeck Theatre, with “A

Closer Walk With Patsy

Cline,” in a 1:30 perfor-

mance on Sunday, April 3.

“The Cashore Marionettes” will

perform in a 7 o’clock show on

April 7.

Wrapping up the academic

year, Commencement will be

on Friday, May 13, at 7 o’clock

in the Spencer Sports Center.

Wabash Valley College invites

the entire community and sur-

rounding areas to join in the

celebration of this important

milestone in the history of Wa-

bash Valley College.

TRIO Student Support Services Hold Workshop

WVC Radio/TV Program Receives $2,500 Award

The Energy Education Council

and its Safe Electricity Program

awarded Wabash Valley College

Radio/TV Program $2500 in

recognition for their creative and

educational accomplishments.

The Award was presented in

memory of Rick Henson, a Mt.

Carmel Public Utility lineman

who died in an electrical acci-

dent in 2004.

Earlier this year, the WVC

broadcasting class produced a

60-second video public service

announcement (PSA) featuring

Henson’s co-worker Kenny Kief-

fer, who survived the accident

and tells about its impact. The

video was pro-

duced for the Safe

Electricity College

Challenge competi-

tion co-sponsored

by EEC and the

Illinois Broadcast-

ers Association

(IBA).

The PSA and long-

er video that Safe

Electricity is now

producing will be

used by electric

utilities across the

country for line

worker safety

awareness.

The first TRIO Student Support

Services Workshop of the aca-

demic year was held on Satur-

day, October 24. Each year,

students who participate in the

TRIO SSS program are offered

four workshops throughout the

academic year, and, while they

are required to attend at least

two, the majority of the stu-

dents attend more than the

required number.

Each workshop has a specific

informational focus, with this

workshop being related to stu-

dents transferring to four-year

universities. Representatives

from Franklin University and

Southern Illinois University-

Carbondale gave a presenta-

tion and were on hand for the

mini-College Fair. Several

other universities sent packets

of information which were dis-

seminated to the students in

attendance, and two other uni-

versities were represented by

TRIO SSS staff who are alums

from those universities. Annie

Lankford, Academic Counselor

for TRIO SSS at Frontier Com-

munity College, presented for

University of Southern Indiana;

and Tiffany White, TRIO SSS

Academic Counselor for Lin-

coln Trail College, presented

for Eastern Illinois University.

Each workshop has a specific

community service activity in

which the students participate,

and this workshop was dedicat-

ed to the appreciation of Veter-

ans. Veterans’ Day cards were

created and videos taken of the

students telling the Veterans

how much they appreciate the

sacrifices they made. These

cards and videos will be sent to

the Marion VA Medical Center

for disbursement and display.

The Director of TRIO SSS for

the IECC District, Wain Davis,

told the students that what they

were doing may not seem like

a big deal to the students, but

he could guarantee them that

the efforts they were making

would be appreciated more

than they could possibly know.

Mr. Kyle Peach, Director of Broadcasting, accepts the award from the Energy

Education Council on October 15. The video PSA contest was made available to

college students enrolled in broadcasting programs in Illinois, and funding was

provided by Illinois electric utilities.

Students participating in the October 24 Workshop included Sam Ball, Bridget Brian,

Nakarin Bromeling, Matthew Brooks, Brandon Carlson, Corey Ervin, Shelby Jones,

Preston Keunstler, Nicole McKim, Aaron Simpson, Heather Vaupel, Haylee Walker,

Hope Adkins, Taylor Davis, Sabrina Dellinger, Ashley Dennison, Shawn Emmett, Jeff

Swope, Mark Taylor, Mychal Witty, Shana Carter, Tiffany Earnst, Cheyanne Garrison,

Kaitland Hostettler, Katelyn Legg, Kelsea Newman, Brittany Peddicord, Kristin Steury,

April Dorney, Chelsea Gunzel, Eliza Hulfachor, Morgan Inyart, Mark Kroll, Chelsea

Roosevelt, Hailey Roy, and Shelby Skees.

Peyton Farmer, pictured at right, stands with Andrea Loll in the Enrollment Management Office

where they are “Makin’ Things Happen” on the campus of WVC. Peyton is currently a sophomore

pursuing an Associate in Applied Science Degree in the Social Services Specialist program.

Student Reflection on First Year Experience

By Peyton Farmer

“I am going to be a Pediatric

Nurse,” I said. “I am going to go to

USI right out of high school,” I said.

One thing I am most certain of is

neither of those statements stands

true today, not for me at least. To-

day I say, “I am going to be a Social

Worker that deals solely with adop-

tion cases.” And, “Whereever I

transfer to next, I will miss Wabash

Valley College.”

I got a job at Wabash Valley Col-

lege as an assistant to the Director

of Enrollment, Andrea Loll, when I

received my Presidential Scholar-

ship. I would be lying if I said I was-

n’t defeated at the fact I was going

to a community college, but slowly

and ever so surely, I began to love

it. Through my job I got to know

who was who on campus. I knew

my instructors and they knew me

before I started school. No two days

were ever the same working for

Andrea, and I liked the chaos of it

and the uncertainty of what tomor-

row would bring. The more I ran

around campus with her, the more I

understood what was so great

about going to a community college.

I regret to inform you that I didn’t

start appreciating Wabash Valley

College until I switched my major to

Social Work. My first semester as a

freshman I was counting down the

hours until my prerequisite nursing

classes were over. I didn’t enjoy

what I was learning and I felt more

out of place when I looked around

and everyone else was enjoying it.

But, I would go to Ethics and feel the

way the students in my nursing clas-

ses looked. I switched my major to

Social Work the next semester.

Wabash has taught me that I am

allowed to stray from the path I once

thought I wanted. I can confidently

say, Social Work is where I am sup-

posed to be, and I wouldn’t have

come to that conclusion had I been

at USI chasing my empty dream of

nursing. Wabash has taught me that

I can chase my dreams, no matter

what the distance.

I went to Taiwan the summer follow-

ing my freshman year. I bought a

plane ticket and sought off to the

orphanage from which my youngest

sister was adopted. I got hands-on

experience of what being a Social

Auditions Set For “It’s A Wonderful

Life” Radio Drama

Wabash Valley College and

the Wabash Valley Arts

Council have announced

that auditions for the Radio

Drama, “It’s A Wonderful

Life,” will be held at 7:00

p.m. on Monday and Tues-

day, November 16 & 17, in

the Brubeck Theatre. Lynn

Kinkade will return as Di-

rector. The auditions will

be cold readings. Scripts

will not be available for

check out prior to auditions.

This beloved American

holiday film classic will be

staged in the Brubeck Arts

Center in a 7 o’clock perfor-

mance on Thursday, De-

cember 10, and Friday,

December 11 and in a 1:30

matinee performance on Sun-

day, December 13 as a live

production during the Golden

Era of Radio in the 1940’s.

With the help of an ensemble

of local actors, the story of

George Bailey will unfold as

he considers ending his life

one fateful Christmas Eve.

The production will feature

readers costumed to replicate

the 1940’s and a crew of

sound effect Foley artists.

Watching how the sound ef-

fects are created for the radio

broadcasts is part of the great

fun for the audiences. This

radio drama is recommended

for the whole family!

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges reserves the right to change, without notice, any of the material, information, requirements or regulations published in this news-letter. IECC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, national origin, or veteran status. IECC adheres to the Federal Regula-

tions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and offers appropriate services or activities with reasonable accommodations to any qualified disabled individual upon request. IECC’s Board of Trustees has adopted the Substance Abuse policy. Students and employees involved in substance abuse, within the college environ-

ment, are subject to disciplinary action.

Worker dealing with adoption

cases looks like. No two days

were the same, and working

with Andrea at WVC has pre-

pared me to adjust. As each

day passed in Taiwan, I was

more and more assured that

the route I ventured off onto

was exactly the course I

wanted to take in life.

Wabash has offered me a life

outside of my intentions.

Without Wabash I wouldn’t

have traveled out of context

to explore a possibility for my

life. Without Wabash I would-

n’t have been prepared for the

chaos and changes. Without

Wabash I wouldn’t be who I

am today!