Laker Nation News

World-renowned human genetics educator Sam Rhine will host a Genetics Update Conference at Lake Land College, Thursday, Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Luther Student Center Theater.

The conference, sponsored by the Lake Land College Math and Science Division, will be open to students, teachers, parents and the community. Many schools bring their AP and honors biology students to the conference.  There is a $20 registration fee per person, but the cost is free to Lake Land College students.

Described by experts in the human genetics field as the most effective human genetics educator in America today, Rhine is the director of the Genetics Education Center near Indianapolis.  He received the “Honorary Membership Award” by the National Association of Biology Teachers.  The award is recognized as the highest honor bestowed on members of the profession and is awarded annually.

Rhine has made more than 8,500 presentations to more than 3.75 million teenagers in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Rhine is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Indiana in Bloomington in the Department of Applied Health Science where he teaches a summer class on “Causes and Prevention of Birth Defects.” He also teaches summer classes at the University of St. Thomas in Houston and the University of Texas Pan AM campus in Edinburg, Texas. He has lectured in London, Prague, Montreal, and Tokyo and taught human genetics in St. Petersburgh States in St. Petersburgh, Russia.

Registration will be accepted through the morning of the conference. Attendees are not required to stay for the entire presentation. For more information or to register call 800-727-2315 or visit www.samrhine.com.

Contact Lake Land College Biology Instructor Brenda Hunzinger with any additional questions at 217-234-5365 or bhunzing@lakelandcollege.edu.

Lake Land College students and community members have an opportunity to receive professional cosmetology services at the Cosmetology Clinic.

Lake Land’s Cosmetology students offer various hair, nail and skin care services. All work is done exclusively by students of the program under the supervision of licensed instructors.

Cosmetology is a special admission program that can be completed in three semesters. Students complete classroom and lab courses before moving on to the clinic.

By working in the clinic, students receive valuable hands-on training that prepares them for the workplace.

Haircuts for men and women, deep conditioner and scalp treatments are all available for under $15. For ages 60 and above, a senior perm is available for $17.

Facials, spa pedicure, waxing services, and manicures are just some of the other services offered at the clinic.

Fall and spring semester hours for the Cosmetology Clinic are: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Hours along with additional services and prices are posted on the cosmetology website: lakelandcollege.edu/cosmetology.

To schedule an appointment call 217-234-5300. For additional information, contact Peggy Strange, cosmetology instructor/director of cosmetology at 217-234-5343 or pstrange@lakelandcollege.edu.

November is Native American Heritage Month and to celebrate Lake Land College will host “Mighty Cahokia: America’s First City” on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 11:30 a.m. in the Theater of the Luther Student Center.

Presenting on the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico will be Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site’s Assistant Site Manager William Issminger.

The event is sponsored by the college’s Inclusion and Diversity Education Committee and is free and open to the public.

Cahokia Mounds is a 2,200 acre tract located just a few miles west of Collinsville, Illinois. The ancient settlement is home to archeological remnants of a city once larger than London in A.D. 1250. The Mississippians who lived in Cahokia were accomplished builders who erected a wide variety of structures from practical homes for everyday living to monumental public works that have maintained their grandeur for centuries.

For more information on Native American Heritage month, visit the poster display in the Luther Student Center lobby. Books and other materials about Cahokia Mounds and Native American heritage are available for check-out at the Lake Land College library.

For more information on Cahokia Mounds visit: https://cahokiamounds.org.

Students in Lake Land College’s cosmetology program provided haircuts to veterans on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at the Lifespan Center in Charleston, in celebration of Veterans Month.

Students Emma Kull, Effingham, Marissa Morris, Martinsville, Andrea Doedtman, Effingham, and Carlin Nuzzo, Sullivan, joined Cosmetology Clinical Instructor Kristine Marler, Atwood, in providing the free haircuts.

Lake Land College agriculture students recently attended the conference and competition of the Post-Secondary Agriculture Student Organization (PAS) in Bloomington, Ill. on Nov. 3.

Two-hundred and fifty students representing eight colleges from across Illinois competed in various areas of agriculture specialization. Illinois PAS Organization is part of a nationwide PAS group known as a career and technical agriculture student organization, for the promotion of skills, leadership and education in agriculture.

2017-2018 LAKE LAND COLLEGE PAS STUDENTS               

The Lake Land College Agriculture Division offers 12 majors that prepare students to enter the workforce or prepare to transfer to a four-year college. For more information visit lakelandcollege.edu.

Lake Land College is extending the nomination deadline for top 50 Very Important People of Lake Land College to Nov. 30.

The Lake Land College Foundation will recognize those individuals who have made a significant positive contribution to the development of the college and to the student learning experience over the college’s first 50 years through a special 50th anniversary recognition.

Criteria for nominations include recognizing individuals for their actions, activities, financial gifts and accomplishments which have made a positive contribution to Lake Land College. Alumni and friends are eligible to be recognized and can receive the recognition posthumously.

To nominate someone, visit www.lakelandcollege.edu/dv/fd/top50 and fill out the required fields. Written nominations will be accepted but must include the same information as the form online and should be sent to the Lake Land College Foundation, Neal Hall, room 003, 5001 Lake Land Boulevard. The deadline for nominations is now Nov. 30.

Individuals selected will be notified in February and recognized in June at a special event. The selection committee is comprised of foundation members and Lake Land retirees. Foundation board member Tom Wright serves as the committee chair. Other foundation members include Chris Pilson, Bob Pancoast, Alan Fedrigon, Mike Bohannon and Rich Hartke. Lake Land retirees on the committee include Linda Von Behren, Pam Crisman, Dennis Gathmann, Bill Hollada and Max Jaeger. Mike Sullivan is a representative from the Lake Land College Board of Trustees and Alumni Board.

For more information, contact Jackie Joines, executive director for college advancement, at 217-234-5354 or email jjoines@lakelandcollege.edu.

The Lake Land College Foundation Board of Directors celebrated a record-breaking year of $1.1 million in gifts at its recent annual meeting. These gifts support scholarships, programs, equipment and facilities for the Lake Land community.

“Foundation scholarships and college support have been especially important these past few years of the state budget impasse. The difference donors made this year has been integral to Lake Land’s success,” said Jackie Joines, executive director for college advancement.

Heartland Dental and Farm Credit Illinois both received the Outstanding Philanthropic Organization award.

Farm Credit Illinois has a longstanding partnership with Lake Land College, specifically the agricultural division, resulting in an endowment supporting overall programming needs. The West building houses the Farm Credit Training room, all thanks to Farm Credit Illinois’s generosity.

Heartland Dental gifted a value of $850,000, enabling Lake Land to outfit the Dental Hygiene lab in brand-new equipment. This new learning environment ensures that Lake Land students entering the workforce are trained with up-to-date equipment.

Gerald Forsythe, Marshall, received the as an Outstanding Philanthropist Award. Over the years, Forsythe has provided a facility for the eastern district extension center in Marshall. Most recently, he created an endowment designed to assist students with unforeseen emergency needs that could result in their withdrawal from classes.

John Livesay, Pana, received the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser which is presented annually to an individual who has given gifts of time and talent in securing private funding on behalf of Lake Land College students. Livesay has served on the board for 12 years.

Board member Chad Thompson, Effingham, received the annual Crystal Swan Award for his outstanding contributions to the Lake Land College Foundation. Created in 1993, the Crystal Swan award is a way to recognize foundation board members who have gone above and beyond in their leadership and service to the Lake Land College Foundation during their tenure.  Each recipient demonstrates a passion and commitment to the educational goals of Lake Land students that rises above all others.

The board also thanked the Lake Land College employees who contributed funds to assist students. “More than 66 percent of our employees demonstrated their support for students with gifts to the Foundation. This is spectacular news and far exceeds industry standards for the majority of organizations,” Joines added.

New officers elected for the 2017-2018 year are Mike Bohannon, Charleston, president; Tom Grunloh, Effingham, vice president; and Chad Thompson, Effingham, secretary. The meeting was chaired by outgoing President Meg Yargus Steward, Marshall.

Visit Lake Land College and find out all the college offers at Laker Visit Day. The event will be held Friday, Dec. 1 in the Luther Student Center starting at 9 a.m. and will run until noon.

The event is for potential students who are interested in learning more about Lake Land College. Parents/guardians and spouses are welcome to come along and attend the Parent and Spouse Session.

Representatives from Admissions & Records, Financial Aid & Veteran Services, Counseling Services, Career Services and Student Life will provide information and answer questions. The event includes campus tours and informational sessions by Lake Land College Student Ambassadors. Participants will also meet with faculty members in their academic area of interest to learn more about program offerings at Lake Land.

“Laker Visit Day is a great way for prospective students and parents to talk to faculty and staff about academic options and programs of study, to talk to current students about student life and to learn about financial aid options and opportunities,” said Lisa Shumard-Shelton, director of new student admissions.

Additional Laker Visit Days are scheduled for Feb. 9, March 23 and June 21.

Register online at lakelandcollege.edu/visit or call 217-234-5254.

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For nearly two decades, students and community members have been joining voices in the Lake Land College Community Choir.

What started out as a small ensemble designed to enhance fine art opportunities for students has flourished into a well-established choir. People of all ages from surrounding communities come together to share their love of music.

“It’s all about the love of singing. And, of course, the great direction by Nancy Caldwell,” Terry Ramsey, Mattoon, choir member since 1999, said.

Dr. Caldwell created the choir in 1998 shortly after she was hired as a full-time music instructor. Originally proposed as a show choir, Caldwell figured a choir open to community members would be the best option.

“I believed a choir made up of community members who would return each semester might provide some structure to the group, and students could participate according to their level of interest,” she added.

Her belief was substantiated, as the choir prepares for its 20^th concert Sunday, Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. in the Lake Land College Theater. Both membership and concerts are free and open to the public.

The 20^th anniversary brings to mind all those who have come and gone throughout the years and especially those who return each year.

In addition to its annual fall and spring concerts, the choir is known to take its show on the road. Mattoon’s Cross County Mall, Brookstone Estates and the Odd Fellow-Rebekah Home have all enjoyed personal concerts. Choir member Valerie Probst fondly remembers singing at the Doudna Fine Arts Center with the Eastern Illinois University Choir and Orchestra, along with the Charleston High School Choir and two professional singers.

“It was a wonderful experience to sing, feel and hear the combination of choirs with an orchestra,” Probst said.

In the beginning, the choir started out rather small, with just 25 members.  The members represented all areas of the district, ranging from Mattoon, Charleston, Neoga, Gays, Tuscola and Casey, just to name a few.  Ages varied vastly as well, from 18 to 80-years-old.

The wide range of communities and ages represented hasn’t changed over the years, but the number of members has doubled in time. Many regulars have been members for 10 years or more.

“Students do have the option of taking the choir as a class and earning credits,” Caldwell said. However, the choir is largely populated by community members interested in singing and wanting to be a part of something.

Caldwell also emphasized that people with no previous choir experience are welcome to join. There are no auditions and no one is put on the spot. A passion for singing is all that is required.

Caldwell herself reflected fondly over the past 20 years. Some of her favorite memories include having her daughter playing bells and snare drum with the choir in the fall of 2009. She also recalls a time when an international student from the Philippines sang with the choir. Since the student was fluent in Spanish, the choir performed a set of three Christmas songs in Spanish.

Some of her favorite songs through the years have been a rock ‘n’ roll arrangement of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and a Quaker text aptly titled “How Can I Keep from Singing.” Songs from “The Music Man” and patriotic songs are also choir favorites.

“Most of the songs are familiar, but the arrangements are always fresh and new. That is what keeps the choir so fun and light-hearted,” Ramsey said.

Guest musicians often join the choir. Flute, drums, guitar, French horn and piano soloists have all been featured in various concerts throughout the years. One consistent spark to the singing group has been a featured pianist. Ann Roedl, Effingham, played with the choir for nearly 9 years. Dr. Mirta Donnelley, Altamont, now plays with the group. These accompaniments keep the performances fresh and exciting, Caldwell said.

Many Lake Land faculty and staff have enjoyed being a part of the community choir over 20 years. Lake Land’s Emergency Services Programs Coordinator Jasmine Ballard joined the choir with a friend when she was a student.

“We both loved to sing, and it was nice to feel like you belonged somewhere. Working towards a common goal was constructive for me as a student,” she said.

Members emphasize the pride they feel after a performance, when all the hard work pays off.

“Nancy makes it all possible. Her expertise is what makes the group so special,” several members have said.

“None of this would be possible without the dedication of the members. They are what makes the group so special,” Caldwell said. After 20 years, both teacher and members deserve to sing some praise.

Lake Land College judging team excels at national contest.

Lake Land College was the 7th High Team in the nation and highest team from Illinois at the recent national American Royal Junior College Livestock Judging Contest. There were over 20 schools and 150 students from across the United States competing.

Gage Hank, Aledo, Ill., placed high individual overall, second high individual in swine, 11^th high individual in beef cattle and 11^th high individual in reasons.

Austin Walker, Grand Ridge, Ill., placed high individual in beef cattle.

Pictured front row, left to right: Gage Hank, Aledo, Ill.; Jeremiah Cupps, Rabbit Hash, Ky; Emily Ivey, Loudon, Tenn.; Zackery Schumaker, Sweet Springs, W. Va.; Austin Walter, Grand Ridge, Ill. Back row, left to right: Jordan Rauch, agriculture instructor and judging team coach; Logan Hebert, Baldwin, La.; Leslie Walker, Danvers, Ill.; Kollin Johnson, Quincy, Minn.