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Piper nominee keyed in 3LDQR LQVWUXFWRU 6DQGUD 6LOHU V FDUHHU KLWV KLJK QRWH DANIEL GUY Staff Writer
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andra Siler, head of piano instruction, is KC’s nominee for the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award, selected each spring. “I’m honored and humbled,” Siler said of the nomination. One glance at her teaching space is all it takes to understand her success; she is relentlessly dedicated to her students and to teaching piano. The walls of her classroom are richly decorated with pictures of her students and their achievements; and then there are the pianos. Two shiny black pianos dominate the center of the room and at least half a dozen keyboards are Randi Vinson / THE FLARE crammed together on the left side. Her room decor reflects Siler’s passion for Piano instructor Sandra Siler is KC’s nominee for the music which grew from the examples her parents Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award.
provided and her experiences growing up. Her mother recognized her talent and was unforgiving in her determination for her to succeed. Siler remembers how her mother would literally stand over her practice bench with a wooden spoon to make sure she did her scales. At age 11 she began playing for her church. By 10th grade there was a demand for Siler to begin giving lessons. “I taught myself to teach,” Siler said. “I learned more teaching by experience than anything else.” Siler’s father also had a great influence on her. “The hardest class he ever took was music appreciation,” she said of her father. “He hated it.” So, whenever she is looking for an idea on how to improve her class she asks herself, “Would Daddy love this?” Past Piper Professor recipient Anne Dean Turk See PIPER on Page 3
The Flare
Campaign battles the budget
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KC is launching The Campaign for Excellence to combat the recent budget cuts and secure KC’s future. The Kilgore College Foundation Board is the driving force behind the campaign with the goal of raising $25 million within the next five years. Dr. Bill Holda, KC president, and Leah Gorman, director of student development and executive director of KC foundation, have been working with the Development Committee of the Foundation Board and are also the implementing the campaign. “As we expand to meet
Honors professors for superior teaching at the college level, including two and four-year colleges and universities, public and private Q
10 awards of $5,000 each made annually Q
Nominations submitted by each college or university in Texas Q
Candidates are nominated by peers through the college/ university President’s 2IÀFH Q
Friday, November 4, 2011 Vol. 75 No. 8
Serving Kilgore College since 1936
Heroes of
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the growing needs of our students and our communities, we must increase our financial needs to fuel the growth. The Campaign for Excellence is your opportunity to invest in the future of our students, our businesses and our very communities,” Holda said. “For the first year of this campaign, we want to raise a minimum of $250,000.” Statewide, colleges lost about 27 percent of the revenue they would and should have received. Holda says this means the college lost about $4 million because KC received approximately $11 million
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See CAMPAIGN on Page 3
Final meningitis exemptions pass KASI DICKERSON Executive Editor On Oct. 27, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board passed the final rulings on the meningitis law. The exceptions, those who are not required to submit evidence of receiving the vaccination or the booster, are as listed: Q the student is 30 years or older by the first day of the start of the semester Q the student is enrolled in a continuing education course or program that is less than 360 contact hours or continuing education corporate training Q the student is enrolled in a dual credit course which is taught at a public or private K-12 facility not located on a higher education institution
campus Q the student is incarcerated in a Texas prison New students who are not exempt must have their meningitis shot before registering for classes. All new, transfer and re-enrolling students (those who have a break in enrollment) are required to have the vaccination at least 10 days prior to the start of the semester or within the last five years. Spring Semester classes start Jan. 17, 2012. Vice President of Student Development Mike Jenkins says even though the state exempts students enrolled only in online classes, KC does not have a way to track such students so this exemption does not extend to KC students.
Randi Vinson / THE FLARE
Fire Academy students NHPU YLHS SPML L_WLYPLUJL [OYV\NO [YHPUPUN KLTVUZ[YH[PVUZ Z\JO HZ [OPZ ÄYL L_[PUN\PZOLY [YHPUPUN session. The Academy is accredited by the Texas Commission of Fire Protection and the State Fireman and Fire Marshal’s Association.
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Editor’s Note: KC and KC-Longview are homes to some of the most acclaimed public service academies in all of East Texas. More than 250 students are enrolled in public service job courses which include those training firefighters, police, nurses and EMTs. This is the first part of a three-part series highlighting these students. Today they are our fellow classmates, but tomorrow they may be our heroes.
BRITTANI PFAU Staff Writer
DROP NOTICE Friday, Nov. 11, is the last opportunity for students and instructors to drop Fall 2011 courses with a “W”. Flex courses are an exception and the drop deadlines for [OLT HYL SPZ[LK VU ÅL_ JSHZZ WLYTHULU[ YVSSZ All dropped courses will be processed by 3:45 p.m., except for extenuating circumstances that have prior approval from the division dean. Instructor drops should be sent to facdrop@kilgore.edu. Students can contact Staci Martin, registrar and director of admissions, with questions. ~ Jessica Stovall
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hey each have a story, a unique explanation as to why they’re here. Each represents a town or, in some cases, a province. “I heard about the fire academy through a friend. It’s a lot cheaper down here than it is up there,” said Chris Pow from Canada. “A lot of the guys come down here for the opportunity to get in some volunteer work.” Many, like Pow, live at the Flint-Gresham and
Elderville volunteer fire departments in order to gain experience in the life of a firefighter. “I definitely appreciate the opportunity to go to a different country, go to this academy and stay at the fire station,” said Kevin Board from Canada. “I look forward to increasing my skills and bringing them back home with me. I love knowing that I’ll have the opportunity to go to a job every day where I get to help people and make a difference.” Some have already secured a job and are just
Bre a k i n g n ews, videos an d exten ded cover age at www.thef lareonline. com
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See FIRE ACADEMY on Page 4