Olney Central CollegeGED graduate Bill Lambis the recipient of theIllinois Adult andContinuing EducatorsAssociation’s Student ofthe Year Award.

“I’m really surprised andexcited about it,” saidLamb. “I just want tothank the teachers andstaff for all of their help.It’s a really good programand more people need totake advantage of it. Iespecially want to thankinstructor Maranda Tate.She really pushed me todo more and better.”

Lamb, of Noble, was hon-ored during the annualIACEA banquet, where hereceived both a plaque anda monetary award.

“This is a huge honorand I am so proud of Bill,”said OCC Learning SkillsCenter Director DonitaKaare. “He is a wonderfulsuccess story because of

his own efforts, but alsobecause of the excellentinstruction and support hereceived at OCC.”

Lamb enrolled in thefree GED test preparationclasses offered throughOlney Central College’sLearning Skills Center inSpring 2013 after losing

his job. “For years, my wife,

Linda, encouraged me to goback to school and get mydegree,” he said. “I want tothank God and I reallywant to thank my wifebecause she got me therein the first place.”

While working toward

his GED, Lamb providedboth support and encour-agement to his classmates.

“Bill is a wonderful men-tor to younger studentswho are struggling,” saidJessica Parrent, whoworked with Lamb whileserving as Illinois EasternCommunity Colleges’Adult EducationTransition/DataTechnician. “He succeededin the classroom andhelped a number of otherstudents.”

While preparing for hisGED, Lamb also partici-pated in the LearningSkills Center’s TransitionSkills Class. The courseassists students as theytransition from GED class-es to college courses or thejob market. The class cov-ers a variety of topics fromapplying for financial aidand taking the COMPASSTest to resume writing and

See Award, Page 6

APRIL 2015 VOLUME 31 NUMBER 9

The KnightlineOlney Central College Students & Employees Monthly Newsletter

Lamb receives IACEA Student of the Year Award

Olney Central College and theIllinois Department of EmploymentSecurity will host a HiringExposition from 9 a.m. to noon onThursday, April 16 in the OCCGymnasium.

OCC Coordinator of CareerServices Allan Alldredge said theevent is for the public as well as stu-dents. He encourages both to takeadvantage of this opportunity to net-work and to learn more about areabusinesses.

“Attendees should have their

resumes ready and be prepared for ajob interview,” he added.

More than 50 businesses, serviceproviders and educational institu-tions will have booths at the event.Among those attending will beNorth American Lighting,Bridgeance Laboratories,TrustBank, the Division ofRehabilitation Services, Clay CountyHospital, Sherwin Williams,Schneider Trucking, Farbest Foods,Pepsi MidAmerica, CharterCommunications, Brookestone

Estates of Olney, Illinois StatePolice, Illinois Eastern CommunityColleges, Pacific Cycle, EscaladeSports, Indiana WesleyanUniversity, Walmart DistributionCenter, Eastern Illinois University,McKendree University, FranklinUniversity and Purdue University-College of Technology.

For additional information aboutthe Hiring Exposition, contactAlldredge at 395-7777, ext. 2019, orstop by his office in StudentServices.

OCC!and IDES host Hiring Exposition April 16

Bill Lamb is the recipient of the Illinois Adult andContinuing Educators Association’s Student of theYear Award. Pictured, from left, are Coordinator ofHuman Services Jessica Parrent, LSC Director DonitaKaare, Bill Lamb, and GED/Transition InstructorMaranda Tate.

OCC!Jazz Ensemble to perform at U of E Jazz Band Invitational

The Olney CentralCollege Jazz Ensemble willbe performing as part of theUniversity of EvansvilleJazz Band Invitational at 4p.m. on Sunday, April 19 atthe Wheeler Concert Hall,on the campus of theUniversity of Evansville inEvansville, Ind. Also fea-tured on this concert will bethe Signature School JazzBand from Evansville, and

the University of EvansvilleJazz Ensemble I.

“We’re very excited aboutthis opportunity,” said OCCJazz Ensemble DirectorSuzanne Downes. “This willallow our students to sharetheir talents regionally,hear other quality jazzensembles and visit thecampus of a highly-rankedregional university.”

The University of

Evansville is currentlyranked No. 9 on the U.S.News & World Report “BestRegional Universities:Midwest” listing.

The OCC Jazz Ensemblewill be performing themusic of George Gershwinand Gordon Goodwin’s BigPhat Band, among others.

Admission for this per-formance is free and opento the public.

Student RecitalApril 30

The Olney CentralCollege MusicDepartment will hostits Spring Recital fea-turing solo student per-formances at 7:30 p.m.on Thursday, April 30in the Dr. John D. StullPerforming Arts Center.

The Spring Recitalprovides students theopportunity to show-case their talents andhard work on repertoireranging from Broadwayhits to the classics ofart music literature.This semester’s recitalwill feature Schubertand Mozart, music fromBrigadoon, and includea jazz combo as well asa multi-percussionduet.

Admission to theevent is free. For moreinformation, please con-tact Andrew Pittman,Director of ChoralActivities, atpittmana@iecc.edu, orby phone at 395-7777,ext. 2252.

OCC!Music Department to present Spring Concert April 17The Olney Central College Music

Department will present its SpringConcert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April17 in the Dr. John D. StullPerforming Arts Center. This concertwill feature the OCC Concert Band,Concert Choir and Jazz Ensemble.

The Concert Band will be themingtheir portion of the concert “Love andDetermination” with selectionsthemed around rising above thestruggles that one encountersthrough life. The Phoenix, by Gary P.Gilroy begins the concert “rising fromthe ashes.” Eric Whitacre’s The SealLullaby pays tribute to the devotion

of a parent’s love; and A SpiritUnconquered by Dallas Burke cele-brates the spirit of those who facechallenges to not only endure, butthrive.

The Concert Choir will performCarissimi’s Historia di Jephte, anearly Lenten Oratorio taken fromJudges 11. Carissimi’s setting pio-neers many devices that wouldbecome the hallmarks of the Oratorioform, inspiring future composerssuch as Handel and Bach. The workfeatures full chorus, a trio, duets andsolos. Additionally, the Concert Choirwill perform an African American

Spiritual, a touch of Broadway and aBeatles song.

The Jazz Ensemble will break intofour separate jazz combos for thisconcert, letting each student developtheir improvisational skills throughhits of yesterday and new music oftoday.

Two combos will play the music ofHorace Silver, one will pay homage toHerbie Hancock and a fourth willplay a new piece by NicholasFernandez called TranscendentalTango.

Admission is $5 and available atthe door.

OCC Financial AidCoordinator VickiStuckey was honoredduring a reception atOlney Central Collegeon March 19. She isretiring after 25 yearsof service to the col-lege. PresentingStuckey with a gift isOCC!PresidentRodney Ranes.

Vicki Stuckey retires from OCC

Wristbands for OCC!Jamfest go on sale April 13Wristbands for Olney Central

College’s Jamfest will go on saleMonday, April 13.

The wristbands are just $5 andprovide entry to all five shows dur-ing the April 18 music festival.Wristbands may be purchased from11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 13 throughApril 15 outside the StudentServices Office; from 9 a.m. to noonduring the OCC and IDES HiringExposition in the Gym; and from 11a.m. to 1 p.m. at Spring Fling.

Wristbands also will be availableat the gate the day of Jamfest. Theevent will be held in the parking lotclosest to the Student ServicesOffice. Parking will be available inthe freshman lot, which may beentered from Ill. 130.

Attendees should wait until enter-ing the venue before applying the

wristbands. In the event Jamfest iscanceled due to rain, refunds will begiven only to those who presentwristbands in pristine condition.

Jamfest kicks off at noon as TheThinga-Ma Jug Band brings itsbrand of mountain music to thestage followed by the classic countrysounds of MotherLode at 2 p.m.

Bad Daddies will offer a mix ofclassic rock and pop at 4 p.m. andthe evening will conclude with alter-native and rock performersSidelined at 6 p.m. and Flight Fiftyat 8 p.m.

Alldredge said each band will playabout a 90-minute set with a 15-minute intermission between theshows.

Food and drinks will be availablefor purchase with a percentage ofthe profits going to OCC organiza-

tions. Free games will be set up andthe college also will hold prize give-aways.

Those attending should bring lawnchairs or blankets. No alcohol oroutside food or drinks will beallowed on college grounds.

Several area businesses are spon-soring the event through cash andin-kind donations includingEscalade Sports, Hurn’s Lumber,MSC Industrial Supply Co., RuralKing, Illinois National Guard, HogN Dog BBQ, Woods’ Autobody,Hovey’s Diner, Miller OfficeEquipment, Allan’s Welding, RuralKing, Pepsi MidAmerica,TrustBank, REPCON, BridgeanceCorp. Laboratory Services, FirstNational Bank, WSEI Freedom 92.9,WIKK 103.5, CBS Sports RadioWVLN, and the Haskett Family.

Pathways ProjectStudents in Amie Mayhall’sMonday morning Pathwaysclass are doing their part tohelp beautify campus. OnMarch 30, students descend-ed on the OCC campus pick-ing up trash. The studentscollected more than five bagsof trash which were discard-ed properly. From us to you,please choose to follow theadvice of Woodsy Owl: Givea hoot. Don’t pollute!

Preview DayApril 23

Olney Central Collegewill host a Preview Dayfrom 9 to 11 a.m. on April23 for individuals interest-ed in learning more aboutOCC and its programs.

Representatives fromacademic advising, finan-cial aid, the LearningSkills Center and StudentSenate will provide briefinformation sessions andanswer questions. Visitorsalso will have the opportu-nity to tour campus andmeet with an advisor indi-vidually.

If you would like toattend, please RSVP bycalling OCC StudentServices at 395-7777.

SIU-C free applicationThe SIU Service Center

at OCC is hosting a FreeApplication Day for stu-dents on April 22 outsideStudent Services.

Students can apply toSIU at Carbondale for freeand save $40.

In a recent speech to the U.S.House of Representatives, Rep.John Shimkus (Ill.-15) praisedthe various international intern-ship programs he has experiencedthis year.

“These programs represent abrilliant method of cultural andeducational exchange not only forthe bright young leaders of someof our closest partners, but alsofor myself and many of my col-leagues,” he said.

The interns included twoAustralian students and aGerman student, Mathias Weber.Weber attended OCC last fallthrough the Congress-BundestagYouth Exchange for YoungProfessionals program. He served

in Shimkus’ office in January andFebruary.

“During this time, Mathias hasapplied himself with Germanefficiency becoming well knownfor his diligence and precision,”Shimkus said. “Mathias hasshown why the German economyprides itself on its efficiency asour office could not have askedfor more dedication in whatevertask he was assigned.”

Shimkus noted the exchangeprograms, strengthen and pre-serve the relationships sharedbetween countries.

“As these future leaders growand move on through their lives, Ihope they look fondly back upontheir time here and are able totake back some knowledge andAmerican values with them,throughout their lives,” he added.

Shimkus praises international intern exchange programOCC!international studentamong the participants

Carmen Jones attends NACCTEPannual conference in Boston

Olney Central College instruc-tor Carmen Jones attended the13th annual conference of theNational Association ofCommunity College TeacherEducation Programs (NACCTEP)held March 6-8 in Boston, Mass.

NACCTEP is an organization ofcommunity colleges, administra-tors, staff, faculty and students.Its mission is leading communitycollege early childhood andteacher education programs forthe 21st century.

The annual conference bringstogether leaders in teacher educa-tion programs from communitycolleges across the nation toshare programs, lessons and mod-els to revolutionize teacher educa-tion programs and to developpathways and partnerships withsenior institutions, communitiesand industries in education.

The theme of this year’s confer-ence was “RevolutionizingCommunity College TeacherEducation Programs.”

“This is the first time that I

have attended the conference. Ireally enjoyed the experience,”Jones said. “Most of the break outsessions that I attended centeredon early childhood education.During the past year, I have beenworking on revising and enhanc-ing the education curriculum atOlney Central College, primarilydeveloping new courses in earlychildhood education. I gainedgreater insight on what othercommunity colleges across thecountry, and especially at othercommunity colleges in Illinois,are doing in early childhoodeducation.”

NACCTEP serves as a voice forcommunity colleges in nationaldiscussions about teacher educa-tion; supports institutions andindividual members by enhancingcurrent community collegeteacher education programs andis a resource for those looking todevelop new programs; and facili-tates connections between com-munity college teacher educationprograms and faculty. ONLINE PAYMENT

Step 1 : Log into your Entrataaccount with your username andpassword. Click on the Banner Webicon at the right-hand side of yourscreen.

Step 2: Click on Pay Tuition, Fees,and Other Charges Online — CreditCard to make your online Payment.

If you encounter problems with mak-ing your online payment, please con-tact the IECC HelpDesk at 618-395-5299 or toll-free 1-855-519-4357.

OCC basketballplayers recognized

Olney Central College basketballplayers Shelbi Samsil, Kelsey Pilant,Kaitlin Sheppard and Tyler Broughhave been recognized for their efforts.

Samsil and Pilant were named to theNJCAA All-Region 24 team. Samsil alsowas named to the GRAC All-Conferenceteam.

Both Sheppard and Brough wererecipients of the GRAC SportsmanshipAward.

Foundation Golf OutingThe OCC Foundation will host its 14th

annual golf outing on Friday, May 1 at theRichland Country Club in Olney.

Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. andtee-off is set for 1 p.m. The event includes18 holes of golf in a scramble format.Entry fee is $65 per person or $260 for ateam of four.

For more information, contact KathySlichenmyer at 395-7777, ext. 2003. Thedeadline to register is Monday, April 27.

Sports ScheduleBaseball

• April 14 – OCC at WabashValley College, 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.• April 16 – OCC at KaskaskiaCollege, 3 p.m.• April 18 – OCC vs.Kaskaskia College, noon & 3p.m. at home• April 21 – OCC at VincennesUniversity, 5 p.m. • April 23 – OCC at Rend LakeCollege, 3 p.m.• April 25 – OCC vs. RendLake College, noon & 3 p.m. athome• April 26 – OCC vs. LakeLand College, noon at home• April 27 – OCC atLindenwood University —Belleville, 1 & 4 p.m.• April 28 – OCC at DanvilleArea Community College, 3p.m.

Softball• April 12 – OCC vs. John A.Logan College, 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.at home• April 14 – OCC vs.Southeastern Illinois College, 2& 4 p.m. at home• April 15 – OCC vs. DanvilleArea Community College, 3 & 5p.m. at home• April 16 – OCC at John A.Logan College 2 & 4 p.m.• April 17 — OCC vs. WabashValley College, 2 & 4 p.m. athome• April 18 – OCC vs.Southwestern Illinois College,noon & 2 p.m. at home• April 19 — OCC at LincolnTrail College, 1 & 3 p.m.• April 20 – OCC vs. St. LouisCommunity College, 2 & 4 p.m.at home• April 21 – OCC at ParklandCollege, 3 & 5 p.m.

Students volunteerat Animal ShelterOn April 1, students in AmieMayhall’s Wednesday morn-ing Pathways class volun-teered their time at theAnimal Shelter in Olney. Thestudents met the workersand were given basic infor-mation about the shelter andnumbers. Last year, thefacility housed more than500 dogs and cats. The stu-dents helped with walkingdogs, cleaning cat cages,feeding cats and replacinglitter. Choose something youenjoy, are passionate about,or think needs your help andchoose to volunteer.

OCC!Spring Fling April 17OCC’s annual Spring Fling will be

Friday, April 17 with a variety ofactivities planned throughout the dayin the Student Union and Courtyard.

The event kicks off at 10 a.m. witha Ping Pong tourney that includes a$5 entry fee.

A free lunch will be offered startingat 11 a.m. The menu includes ham-burger, chips and a drink. A vegetari-an option also will be available.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., students

can enjoy inflatables, a slip and slideand participate in pie throwing. TheOCC Cosmetology students also willprovide nail treatments.

Open mic and karaoke will start atnoon. The Fear Factor game willbegin at 12:30 followed by a scav-enger hunt at 1:30 p.m.

Five free tickets to Jamfest will begiven away during the event, which issponsored by the OCC StudentSenate.

Registration underwayDon’t wait! Registration is cur-

rently underway for summer andfall semester classes at OCC.

Stop by the Student ServicesOffice today and schedule yourregistration appointment or call395-7777.

OCC Learning Skills Center offers free tutoring

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges reserves theright to change, without notice, any of the materi-al, information, requirements, or regulations pub-lished in this publication. Illinois EasternCommunity Colleges does not discriminate on thebasis of race, color, religion, gender, age, disabili-ty, national origin, or veteran status. IllinoisEastern Community Colleges adheres to theFederal Regulations of the Americans withDisabilities Act of 1990 and offers appropriateservices or activities with reasonable accommoda-tions to any qualified disabled individual uponrequest. Illinois Eastern Community Colleges’Board of Trustees has adopted the SubstanceAbuse Policy. Students and employees involved insubstance abuse, within the college environment,are subject to disciplinary action.

Please submit informationfor the May Knightline to DeannaRatts by 5 p.m. on Monday, April27.

Happy Birthday To:April

1 Dennis Conley1 Jennifer Bourland1 Larry Harbaugh5 Carmen Jones5 Jacy Ghast6 Lindsey Buck

11 Brenna Heidinger15 Bev Mathews18 Jim Tucker21 Tammy Fralicker21 Vicki Thompson25 Brittney Hazel27 Theresa Marcotte — FCC

Knightline Information

If you have lost an item, pleasecheck with the switchboard inthe Student Services Office.

Lost and found items

Our mission is to deliver exceptional educationand services to improve the lives of our studentsand to strengthen our communities.

Students utilizing the OCCparking lots are advised to keeptheir vehicles locked whenunattended.

Keep vehicles locked

! ! !

Need help with a class? OlneyCentral College’s Learning SkillsCenter offers free tutoring in any sub-ject taught at OCC.

The LSC also can provide taperecorders, large screen monitors, read-

ers and note takers.If you have any special learning

needs, come and see the LSC staff.The LSC is located in the back of the

Anderson Library in Conference Room4. Stop by to learn more.

Continued from Page 1career planning. The class also assistsstudents with setting goals.

After completing his GED, Lambenrolled in truck-driving classesoffered at OCC through WabashValley College. With financial assis-tance from the Embarras River BasinAgency, Inc., he was able to finish his

studies and earn his CDL.He is currently working as a driver

for Tri County Ag Center inIngraham. Lamb hopes to eventuallywork full-time with the IllinoisDepartment of Transportation. Duringthe winter, he was hired for a tempo-rary position assisting with snowremoval.

Award

Campus visitNicole Jackson from Franklin

University will be at OCC from10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday,April 23 in front of StudentServices.

OCC!Theatre’s ‘Mary Poppins’The OCC Theatrepresented seven per-formances of itsspring musical “MaryPoppins.”