Legislators, students come together
SMCC students shared their stories of success with legislators during a get-together in the Health Science Center.
SMCC hosted a legislative gathering on Dec. 15 where lawmakers heard from President Cantor, students, faculty and staff, and clinical partners of SMCC’s Health Science program about student success, workforce development and new initiatives at SMCC.
The meeting spotlighted SMCC’s Health Science programs and how those programs are providing students skills that are in demand by hospitals and other healthcare employers. During their visit, legislators toured SMCC’s health science simulation lab, which allows students to develop practical skills and gain hands-on experience on high-tech mannequins that simulate symptoms and conditions that healthcare practitioners are likely to see in a professional setting.
Legislators in attendance were Sen. Amy Volk and Reps. Dale Denno, Lester Ordway and Lois Reckitt.
Students who attended were Scott Tresselt, May Hall, Shannon McCrillis, Jeanine Uwase, Else Bannerman and Maryan Muhktar.
Photo caption: Inside SMCC’s Health Science simulation lab, (from left) SMCC President Ron Cantor is shown with Sen. Amy Volk, nursing student Scott Tresselt, recent graduate Brittany Cyr (who now works as a respiratory therapist at Maine Medical Center), Rep. Lois Reckitt, Rep. Dale Denno and Rep. Lester Ordway.
Honors English course puts on a show
Honors students put on a show when they showcased their poster presentations analyzing various short stories of their choice.
Eighteen students in Mike Bove’s honors class, The Short Story, presented their posters Dec. 8 in the Learning Commons, where they also spoke to visitors about the authors and the stories they chose.
The students who presented their works were:
- Evan Billington: “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
- Mahamoud Boeuh: “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty
- Gabby DiPhilippo, “The Princess and the Puma” by O. Henry
- Nicole Ellis: “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin
- Anna Hawthorne: “How to Tell a True War Story” by Tim O’Brien
- Claudia Johnson: “Town of Cats” by Haruki Murakami
- Shaden McCann: “Love’s Last Farewell” by Richard Bamberg
- Ryan Mills: “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
- Robbie Morrison: “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe
- Juley Nickerson: “Emily’s Husband” by Lucy Montgomery
- Katelynn Oullette: “Revelations” by Katherine Mansfield
- Rytel Reynolds: “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor
- Nick Schleh: “Girls at War” by Chinua Achebe
- John Seager: “A Private Experience” by Chimamanda Adichie
- Shaina Tasker: “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman
- Leigha Townsend: “A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin
- Noel Walker: “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton
- Megan Webster: “A Telephone Call” by Dorothy Parker
The giving season: Students lend helping hands during holidays
SMCC students are in the holiday spirit helping others during this season of giving.
A group of Culinary students continued a long tradition when they delivered gingerbread houses (and joy) to children at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center on Dec. 12.
Culinary and Hospitality students baked and assembled gingerbread houses at SMCC on Dec. 10 and brought them to the hospital in Portland two days later for the kids to decorate. Students were joined by Culinary Instructor Meg Broderick and other chefs who are members of the American Culinary Federation.
Meanwhile, a group of Business Club students also continued a tradition on Dec. 10 when they volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House in Portland, where they prepared a breakfast of crepes, eggs, bacon, toast, maple syrup, fruit, juice and coffee for several families staying at the facility.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine helps children with medical needs and their families by providing a home away from home for families of seriously ill children during their hospital stays.