The Nursing Assistant program received pass rate results from the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) report for student testing.

The report confirms that 80 Continuing Education students completed the written test between April and June 30, 2009. Of the students, 79 were successful in passing the exam, which resulted in an amazing 98% pass rate! This far exceeds the state average, which is 88%.

Continuing Education students actually exceeded statewide averages in all nine content areas of the written test. Congratulations to the students for their tremendous success, and to faculty, classified and administration who encouraged this effort!

Christine Calvano and Lois Rousell submitted artwork for competitions at the San Diego County Fair, and each was recognized!

Both submitted original etchings for the Printmaking Category in the Fine Arts Show at the San Diego County Fair. They created the etchings in the printmaking class at Continuing Education’s West City Campus. Christine received a First Place award, and Lois won Second Placefor her monoprint Intaglio (etching).

Christine also received First and Second Place awards for the jewelry items she submitted in the Precious Metal Clay category–also made during a Continuing Education class.

Congratulations to these students!

Continuing Education students Miyuki Passchier and Jeffrey Stewart submitted ceramic pieces for competition at the San Diego County Fair, and both students received awards!

Miyuki received First and Second Place ribbons, as well as “Best In Class” recognition, for her beautiful ceramic creations. Jeffrey Stewart (not shown) won two Second Place ribbons for the original artwork he created in the Emeritus Program Ceramics Class.

Daniel Ratelle, Music Instructor for Continuing Education and Mesa College, will lead the 40-member New City Sinfonia as they present their 20th season finale on Sunday, June 7th, at 2:00 p.m., at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, 1945 Illion Street in Bay Park.

The featured works will be Antonín Dvorák’s lyrical Symphony No. 8, and Johannes Brahms’ dramatic Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny), featuring a guest chorus, the Chalice Choir of the First Unitarian Universalist Church. This colorful program will also include the Overture to the Magic Flute, by Mozart; selections from the film score to The Lord of the Rings; and a movement from Edward Elgar’s Cello Concert in E, highlighted by a stunning performance by young Music Teachers Association Competition winner Kristen Shim.

During the redevelopment and expansion of the campus, engineers encountered a complicated issue of problematic liquefiable soils at the site. A cost effective solution used ground modification techniques featuring vibro-densification and stone columns. The plan was approved by the Division of the State Architect, and several hundred stone columns were installed.

The columns are a perfect analogy of the solid foundation we provide at Continuing Education!

Good News!   Professor Eunice Williams reports that on April 26, Cedar Center Chorus hosted the 18th Annual Festival in Balboa Park, initially called Creative Concepts.   Thanks to Minnie Swanson, a former Cedar Center Chorus member, this is all paid for by her bequest.   It is a wonderful opportunity for many SDCCD performing and art classes to share their achievements and invite Balboa Park visitors to attend our classes.  This has proven to be a great outreach for SDCCD-CE, providing the impetus for many new students to enroll.  

Sunday was really a fabulous day!   Pam Kozminska came down for awhile, along with her co-teacher, the other Pam.   The art pieces were all very interesting to everybody.   We had our best attendance ever.  Stewart Shaw did a great job as Festival Coordinator, as usual.  

ALL the groups did better than they have ever done.   Melodiers, Choraleers & Serra-Naders, Rey Vinole’s Monday night Big Band & his Dixieland Band and Jim Trepasso’s SD Mandolin Orchestra.   (Gene, the founding director, is soon to be 100 and he conducted several pieces!)   Cedar Center Chorus & Pacificaires sang a rousing patriotic number with the Mandolin Orchestra, Jim Trepasso, conducting.   (He sent me a recording of the group playing the medley, so we rehearsed with the recording, AND he also came to one of our rehearsals.)   Just so the singers could become accustomed to his conducting style.  Other teachers included Lorea Herald, Esther Segal, Vicki Heins-Shaw, Naomi Hobbs and me, Eunice Williams.

Some good news for the NOTEables and for the SDCCD–CE Music.   The NOTEables have been asked to perform at the annual NeuroSciences Institute Gala:   Minding the Arts.   It is a benefit for NSI and their  auditorium, which they provide free of charge to many of the great performance groups in the city, including the SD Chamber Orchestra, The Mainly Mozart Festival, the Athenaeum, and of course the NOTEables.   (Their website is NSI.edu, where you can read their mission statement regarding their research on music and the brain.) 

Good News.  Chuong Nguyen is the evening instructional aide in the computer lab at the Linda Vista Presbyterian Church.  He is very helpful and works well with people as he is amiable and funny.  Jane Uhle and Mimi Pollack are very proud of him.  He was an ESL student in Mimi’s classes from 07/02 until 01/03.  He then went on to the next level in Jane’s class, and he studied with her until 01/04.  In 09/03, he entered Mesa College, where he studied and continued to improve his English skills.  In September 2008, he entered the Radiology program after having been on the waiting list.  He has since been thriving in the program.  This semester he won 3 of 5 scholarships he applied for .  He was a finalist in the New Americans Immigration Museum and wrote one of the winning essays!   His mother, Phuong, is incredibly proud of him.  She, too, was a Continuing Education student from 2005 to 2007, so Continuing Education is all in the family!  In 2006, Chuong wrote a winning essay for The New Americans Immigration Museum about the sacrifices his mother made for him, so he could have a better life here in the US.   This is incredible news, and we are all so very proud of Chuong as a great success in Continuing Education!  Way to go Chuong, Jane, and Mimi!