Student Recognition Ceremony held

Students were honored for their achievements this fall during the Semi-Annual Student Recognition Ceremony at South Arkansas Community College held Thursday.

Outstanding Academic Student Award recipients were Tabatha Aguillard, LaChristian Brice, Daniel Castro, Carmen Clark, Patrick Copes, Belaion Crew, Collin Cunningham, Lindsay Dixon, Trista Elliott, Maria Flores, Hannah Garcia, Gregory Geeson, Ainsley Gurley, Ethan Handy, Justyce Hill, Daniel Johnston, Michael Lonon, Jennah Martin, Jendy Martinez, Ashton McCrary, Tori McDiarmid, Hannah McGaha, Pavia Miller, Joey Moore, Anna Morgan, Preslie Morgan, Justice Nelson, Jonathan Palmer, Hudson Parker, Jessica Poore, Allison Price, Gracie Ragan, Ryan Riggs, Kiaechelan Robinson, Tania Rodriguez, Jasmine Ross, Natalie Salameh, Airam Sanchez, Claire Sanderlin, Wyatt Shankle, James Dawson Sinclair, Joshua Smith, Julianna Spencer, Lindi Sutton, Michael Clay Taylor, Sarah Taylor, Joseph Thompson, Jaron Townsend, Zeb Tratham, Joaquin Valdez, Kimberly Vines, Sydney Wallingsford, Lynnlee Ward, Damian Warner, Elizabeth Wiggins, Audriana Williams, Matthew Wolfskill and Chadwick Yeldell.

Exemplary Student Leadership Award recipients were Castro, Garrett Cheatham, Jacoby Foster, Jasmine Glaspie, Misty Goodwin, Justin Kooms, ShaTierra Miller, Keena Murray, Kelly Peralta, Camryn Perry, Justin Robison, Wyatt Shankle, Sinclair and Vines.

Outstanding Student Worker Award recipient was Devyn Morphin.

Additionally, Estephany Roman-Aguilar, Windy Hinton, BreAnne Ruiz and Peyton Scoskie were recognized for competing at the 2021 Phi Beta Lambda National Conference.

Students inducted into honor society

Two dozen students at South Arkansas Community College were inducted into the school’s chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa academic honor society last week.

They were, from El Dorado, Kristyn Bryan, Justice Glaspie, James Goode, Tori McDiarmid, Bashar Sharhan and Sydney Wallingsford; from Stephens, Amber Carter; from Crossett, Bekah Rice, Pavia Miller and Mara Neal; from Camden, Hannah Garcia; from Hamburg, Blair Gulledge; from Dumas, Cierra Lenderman; from Monticello, Madison Taunton; from Jersey, Erin Watkins; from West Monroe, Louisiana, Angelia Graves and Hailey Kyle; from Downsville, Louisiana, Heather Hancock; from Bastrop, Louisiana, Athena Jones; from Monroe, Louisiana, Jennifer McDaniel; from Saline, Louisiana, Crystal Sauce; from Sikes, Louisiana, Heather Zimmerman; from Noble, Oklahoma, Linda Smith; and from Birmingham, Alabama, Jamara Bell.

College receives rescue plan funds

South Arkansas Community College recently was awarded a grant of more than $35,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for its Toward New Horizons program.

This program will include the hire of a part-time community engagement specialist who will perform outreach to underserved populations in collaboration with college employees and community partners. The effort is intended to ease the transition from the relative isolation of the coronavirus pandemic to in-person social activity, with functions to include resume creation, mock job interviewing and student financial aid planning.

Community partners are the Union County Public Library system, the Calhoun County Library, the South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society and the South Arkansas Arts Center.

The grant was funded through the American Rescue Plan for Museums and Libraries.

Ready for Life training program at SouthArk

Area residents will have the opportunity to receive new free pre-employment training valuable to area manufacturing and heavy industry employers beginning this month at South Arkansas Community College.

Presented in conjunction with the State of Arkansas’ Ready for Life initiative, as well as Arkansas Community Colleges, the program will involve a 40-hour week to include the courses Contractor Safety Training for Operators and Basic Operator Orientation Training I, as well as so-called “soft” employability skills like workplace expectations, work ethic, time management, resume writing, job search and interview skills.

The week-long training will have a limited number of seats. Register at www.southark.edu/rfl.

Course offers new approach

A manufacturing class at South Arkansas Community College this spring will be the first at the school to take a new approach to instruction and course delivery, designed to meet the needs of modern students.

Formulated with support from a National Science Foundation grant, the Instrumentation I class, which is part of the college’s process technology program, will allow students to self-pace the theory content through online-based materials and then schedule a time to come to campus to take practical examinations reflective of their mastery of the theory.

“With the theory held online and the on-campus hands-on flexible schedule, students can have more control,” career and technical education dean Ray Winiecki said.

Not only that, but this approach also allows students who might already have practical experience in manufacturing take faster steps toward a degree or certificate, Winiecki said, without being burdened with lengthy regular classroom lectures that might be unnecessary for them.

The instrumentation class is only the first of three courses that the college will offer using this method, Winiecki said, with others coming to the process technology program later next year.

The spring semester at SouthArk begins on Jan. 10, 2022. Registration is open now. For additional information about this course, the process technology program, or registration at SouthArk, see www.southark.edu/info.