Local Faces

Local Faces Spelling Bee Winner for Eagle Mountain Elementary Pam Baxter

Bethesda Fall Festival Paula Terrel

The Bethesda Community Center held their annual Fall Festival on November 14th. There was tons of fun had by all in attendance. A cake walk, chili contest and live band rounded out the day. N

5th grader, Cole Keller is the Spelling Bee winner and will represent Eagle Mountain Elementary at the Independence County Spelling Bee at UACCB on January 26, 2021. Great job Cole! Winner of the Bethesda Community Center gun raffle was Geri Brock standing with board president Joe Leal. Thanks to our judges for the Bethesda Community Center chili cook-off. We appreciate JP Jason Jones, Rep Michelle Gray and Sherriff Shawn Stephens.

WWW.KENTSFIRESTONE.COM 1316 E. Main, “at ST. Louis and Main”

With two degrees already under her belt, Tina Russo stepped out of her comfort zone and took up welding. In the spring of 2020, Russo joined the Industrial Technology program at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville to work toward getting her welding certificate. She was recently awarded the 2020 Regional Industrial Safety Alliance (RISA) Scholarship.

“UACCB was a happy find,” Russo said. “I was moving from Pennsylvania to Arkansas and didn’t know much about Batesville or any schooling around here.”

Russo holds an associate’s degree in communication studies from Bucks County Community College and a bachelor’s degree in theater with a concentration in design and production from Temple University in Philadelphia. She worked in Colorado, Texas and New York before moving to Batesville. She said she has a contract on standby in Pennsylvania when theaters are up and running again after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Theater is taking its cues from Broadway and isn’t open right now,” she said.

Russo said she had hoped there would be a way to go to school for welding, and she was happy to know that UABBC had a “well-known welding program.”

“I have amazing teachers who are very patient with me,” she said.

Her goal after completing the program is to maintain her job in the theater industry and possibly travel with a national tour.

Russo was born in the state of New York but grew up outside of Philadelphia. She said she graduated from two high schools: Central Bucks West High School and Middle Bucks Institute of Technology.

“CB West was all my academics and MBIT was a vocational technical school where I chose to focus on engineering and related technology,” she said. “I thought I was going to be a mechanical engineer. That didn’t work out.”

She said she discovered her passion was really in theater, and now she is connecting theater with her welding career path.

“I was initially scared and awed by it,” Russo said about welding.

Welding was a foreign concept that was not part of her career path until Russo was working in a theater scenic carpentry job for a production of West Side Story, and her coworkers told her that they wished she could weld. When she learned that the show needed a metal fire escape, she was asked to help by cutting square metal tubing, arranging it and grinding down welds. She said she decided that she wanted to learn how to weld as she watched the metal build take shape.

Her fear of welding transformed into a passion, and she decided to find a school and learn more. She found the program at UACCB and applied for the RISA scholarship.

To be eligible for the $500 RISA scholarship, Russo submitted an application form and a 500-word essay about why she was choosing an industrial technology related career. Grade point average, courses and completion rate were also considerations.

In her scholarship application essay, Russo wrote, “When I first heard about welding as an industrial technology related career, my assumptions of application turned to factories, cars and pipelines. Now when I hear about this career, I know it’s about opening more opportunities in the job market than what I initially could have imagined.”

RISA is a local alliance of industrial technology professionals from different trades that promotes health and safety for workers by sharing resources and information to enhance safety programs at regional industries.

On August 19, 1999, safety professionals from various companies in Jackson, Independence and Sharp counties met with a goal of promoting health and safety in their businesses. Since its beginning, RISA continues to bring industries together to help keep their employees safe from injury and illness. N

Tina Russo, a UACCB welding student, won the 2020 Regional Industrial Safety Alliance (RISA) Scholarship. Russo plans to apply her welding skills in the theater industry. Pictured from left are Zach Harber, UACCB Director of Career and Technical Education; Deborah Frazier, UACCB Chancellor; Russo; Brad Johnson, Safety Coordinator with FutureFuel Chemical Company; Brad Rodgers, Industrial Hygienist with FutureFuel; and Shawn Robinson, Bad Boy Safety Coordinator.

Registration is open for spring classes. 870-612-2000 www.uaccb.edu

Veterans Memorial Dedication, Swifton Natalee Moon

A pre Veteran’s Day event was held at the memorial located in the cemetery. During the Swifton Cemetery on Sunday, November 8th. ceremony, Swifton’s oldest veterans were honored During the event a new memorial for all veterans with Certificates of Appreciation from Mayor Craig who served after 1975 was unveiled and dedicated. Crider. N It is a beautiful addition to the current war veteran’s

Chris Reed, CSM Shannon Shuman, & Tim Higgins US Army CSM Ret. Shannon O'Shuman unveiling the new Post-Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. giving the dedication speech and also honoring Swifton’s 3 oldest veterans Glen Hayes, Doug Fallis and J.W. Hulen.

Citizens Bank, Batesville Schools Honor Shannon Baker Chuck Jones

Shannon Baker, a Kindergarten teacher at Eagle Mountain Elementary School, was named as the October recipient of the “Citizens Bank Above & Beyond Award” for the Batesville School District.

Citizens Bank and the Batesville Schools collaborated in 2012 to present a monthly “Above & Beyond Award” to school staff members in recognition of exceptional service to students, parents, their school, peers and the district. N

Centennial Bank donation to support UACCB Food Pantry

Ms. Baker (on the left in the photo) accepts the award from Ashley Engles of Citizens Bank.

Hannah Keller Flanery

These are most certainly different times — times when an act of genuine kindness can extend well beyond the moment. Local organizations are working to find ways to maximize their expressions of kindness. That is exactly what happened when Kevin Rose, market president, and Adam Curtwright, assistant vice president, from Centennial Bank presented a $1,500 check to support the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville’s Student Food Pantry.

The gift was made through the Community Reinvestment Act program, a program that represents Centennial Bank’s desire to support and invest in the communities that the bank’s employees call home.

“With the hardships people have endured during the pandemic in terms of employment and family health, Centennial Bank wanted students at UACCB to be able to focus on school, health and life, and not worry so much about not being able to provide a meal for themselves or their family,” Rose said.

Kim Whitten, UACCB director of advancement, recently gave a presentation to the UACCB Foundation Board, of which Rose is a member, regarding the drive through services that the UACCB Student Food Pantry had provided for students since March. Whitten discussed the bi-monthly distribution to students and the gratitude the students expressed for the “extra” support. Rose also expressed his appreciation for the efforts of UACCB’s personnel to ensure students’ needs are met both inside and outside of the classroom.

“The work that the UACCB faculty and administration does with their foodbank is really important, and Centennial wanted to reinvest in this worthy cause in our community,” he stated. N

Campus Representatives Share Experiences Teaching, Learning During Pandemic Hannah Keller Flanery

Faculty and student representatives spoke to the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville board of visitors about the opportunities and challenges of teaching and learning during the pandemic at the board’s quarterly meeting Oct. 15.

Dr. Andrew Seely, biology instructor and UACCB faculty senate president, spoke to the board on behalf of the UACCB faculty about teaching during the pandemic. Seely noted that the faculty maintained a positive outlook on instructing students this fall.

“We knew our students still wanted to learn, and our faculty still wanted to teach. What we did not anticipate was how willing the students would be to adapt to this new situation,” he said.

Students have adjusted to the new “hy-flex” model of teaching well, Seely continued. Students have readily emulated the faculty by wearing face coverings correctly, maintaining social distance, and frequent handwashing.

Briar Bumpous, president of the Student Government Association, spoke to the board on behalf of the student body, saying that students have not had any issues transitioning to the hy-flex learning model. “I’ve spoken to students on campus and asked if they are having any trouble or if there’s anything that could make it better. No one has had any issues,” Bumpous said. “I enjoy having all the lessons right there, so I can go back and review the material at any time,” he said.

With teaching and learning being the primary focus of the meeting, Ms. Deborah Frazier reported to the board that UACCB had received a $2.25 million Title III Strengthening Institution Program (SIP) grant award from the U.S. Department of Education for the “Better Teaching, Better Learning” project.

UACCB’s “Better Teaching, Better Learning” project evolved through the campus integration of Guided Pathways. The $2.25 million, five-year grant will provide funds for both full-time and adjunct faculty to participate and gain certification from Quality Matters (QM), as well as the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE).

Zach Perrine, vice chancellor for student affairs, provided an enrollment update and fall enrollment was 1,296.

Hannah Keller Flanery, communications and marketing coordinator, reported that a digital campaign was launched in the fall 2019 utilizing a landing page developed by VisionAmp Web Design. Targeted social media ads were delivered directing traffic through the landing page and ultimately to the online application on UACCB’s main website.

Gayle Cooper, vice chancellor for finance and administration, noted that the $237,000 the college was required to cut from the budget during the last fiscal year as a result of the pandemic was returned to the college but had not yet been received. Additionally, funds from local sales tax was greater than projected. N

During the Christmas season more than ever, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our progress possible. And in this spirit we say, simply but sincerely,