The SMCC Beacon 4-29-2014

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THE SMCC Issue 5 Volume 14 April 29 2014

By the students, for the students

Going Green with Hoop Houses

e-Cigs

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Final Semester Issue

Continue reading the online version over the summer: www.smccbeacon.wordpress.com

Great job Laura Young!!

SMCC Culinary Arts Teams with WEX, Inc. to Create a Community!

Alpha Chi Nuz International Winners

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Softball Wins YSCC Championship

By Angelina Smith

ith the academic year winding down, Alpha Chi Nu hopes everyone is studying hard for finals, and wishes only the best summer possible for all students and faculty at SMCC! Our 2014 spring semester Induction Ceremony was a huge success, with over 90 students welcomed into Phi Theta Kappa! We’d like to extend our warmest congratulations to all of the students who accepted their invitation to the only international Honors Society for two-year colleges, and we hope that you get the most out of the many opportunities that this life-changing organization offers. We also inducted Beacon advisor and adjunct instructor of painting and drawing, Chuck Ott, and Rik Sawyer as honorary members for their involvement with our chapter! Both have been steadfast supporters and advocates that never hesitated to help us when called upon. This article is currently being written in sunny Orlando, Florida as we are attending Nerd Nation, the annual International Convention for Phi Theta Kappa. After dominating the New England Region awards ceremony last month, your SMCC chapter brought home the international Distinguished College Project Award, which was given to the top 25 chapters – out of over 1300 worldwide! The College Project is a service-learning project that all chapters are expected to fulfill. Ours was to establish an on-campus food pantry – the Captain’s Cupboard – that has now served over 200 students and families in need. It was an AMAZING convention full of numerous educational forums on chapter development programs and opportunities, info on many resources available to members, and tips on how to transfer colleges in a stress-free manner. There were many awe-inspiring keynote speakers at the exhilarating General Sessions that saw 4000 nerds unite. One of the speakers was Dr. Robert Ballard, the man who found the Titanic. We are the first chapter in the state of Maine to be recognized with any award at the international level. Never before has a chapter from Maine walked on that stage in front of over 4,000 fellow nerds. We were also named as one of the top 100 chapters. Our officer team is proud to have accomplished so much in the past year! We thank Phi Theta Kappa for honoring our hard work and acknowledging our contributions to our community, and we take great pride in being a part of such a prestigious organization. We’d also like to thank our college administrators for their unwavering support for our chapter and endeavors. None of this would be possible without them on our side. As a member and officer of Alpha Chi Nu, I often extol the shared virtues of Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Chi Nu more than I write about the processes its members and supporters have to go through to create these opportunities for students. Each two-year college in the nation does not automatically get a Phi Theta Kappa chapter assigned to it. Students have to create their chapter from the ground up; selecting advisors, encouraging students to join, and fundraising to earn money for events. Phi Theta Kappa is itself run almost entirely by students. All of the chapters are student-run (Continued on Page 2)

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By Dierdree Glassford

his past week two students in the SMCC Culinary Arts program were given a learning opportunity that was one for the books. For the past year or so the McKernan center has teamed up with WEX, Inc. to offer a community meal for the local Redbank neighborhood in South Portland. WEX, Inc. offers a community meal to everyone in the multicultural Redbank community, all are welcome to come, free of charge, to enjoy a delicious home cooked meal. Jill Hannaford, head Chef and mentor to many at the McKernan center offers her students many opportunities to reach their highest potential, both in their culinary fields and in life. Wanting more for her kitchen

SMCC Business Club Donates to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital

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By Saman Baghestani

n April 17th 2014, the SMCC Business Club made its first donation of $1,000 to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center! This donation represents the culmination of several years of investment learning activities conducted entirely by students in the Business Club at SMCC. The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital is the only full-care children’s hospital in Maine, and they see over 52,000 patients a year. The nurses have ranked in the top 3% in worldwide nursing excellence surveys, and the hospital was rated the fourth safest hospital in the U.S. The Barbara

family, she is always inventive, offering many ways for her staff to learn with eye-opening experiences that make them feel fulfilled and inspired. This WEX dinner was no different. Students and staff members Derek Haley and Dierdree Glassford were in for a treat when they were given the chance to see what all of their hours of prep and commitment actually meant for the community of Redbank. From toddlers to the elderly, and everyone in between, the entire community is invited once a month to have a meal as a whole. On the most recent menu were BBQ chicken; a fresh variety of salads including mixed bean, potato, and fresh greens; and to top it all off a nice comforting peach cobbler. Every month the meal changes but the joy and sense of community does not. The WEX volunteers serve the patrons, and

Bush Children’s Hospital is supported by a great community that surrounds it, as the children that are patients couldn’t be in better care than they are there. Our donation was all profit earned from investing in stocks. Five years ago, the Business Club received $2,000 from alum so that future students could learn how stocks and investments work. That alum gave us a goal: to raise $3,000 and donate the profits earned to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. Over those five years, there have been gains and losses because the stock market can be unpredictable. This year we finally reached our goal of $3,000 and were eager to give our donation. As the spring semester comes to a close, some of you may be graduating and heading on to a new school, or into a new career, and some of you may be back at SMCC in the fall. Wherever you’re headed, it’s

(Continued on Page 3) important to keep in mind that both success and failure are possibilities. Set one goal for yourself - it could be as small as getting an “A” on your next test, or it could be as big as getting that big summer internship that so many people are applying to. Setting goals helps us as people become better because they are something to work toward and to look forward to. Perhaps it is human nature to get sidetracked from these goals in life, but here’s a big tip: don’t be afraid to take a risk. If you sit in a corner your whole life without reaching to grab something you really want, then you won’t know how great the success of getting that will feel. So, here’s one of my goals to get us started: Get at least a 3.5 GPA this semester. Have a great rest of the semester and a wonderful summer! The Business Club meets on Thursdays in Hague Hall from 12:30 – 1:15, and it is open to all students on campus.


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