Author: Mark Rummel

SC4 alumnus making mark on communities and youth in Arizona, Washington

St. Clair County Community College alumnus Sean Barton is committed to providing stability and growth for communities and youth through sports and education.

Barton currently serves as director of curriculum and strategic initiatives at STEM Sports in Phoenix where he leads strategic planning efforts and manages and develops a curriculum that fuses STEM and sports for students in grades K through 8. Prior to that in Phoenix, he worked as chief operating officer at the NABI Foundation, which provides educational programs for Native youth.

“I feel fortunate and blessed to be compensated financially for my work – helping others through servant leadership in the education and athletic sphere. Yet the greatest compensation comes from doing something every day that is intrinsically valuable/that I love.”

Barton also left a sizeable footprint in the state of Washington via his roles at the Archdiocese of Seattle and the French American School of Puget Sound. He worked as the assistant director of athletics at the Archdiocese of Seattle and served as athletics director, extended day director, middle school physical education teacher and summer camp program director at the French American School of Puget Sound.

“The opportunity to work in settings that provide stability and growth for communities and youth brings me immense joy,” Barton said. “I aspire to continuously embrace and capitalize on opportunities that support educators, students, and parents and families throughout my career. This includes both professional and personal/volunteer work.”

A Port Huron Northern High School graduate, Barton attended SC4 on a basketball scholarship from 1996 to 1998. He attended SC4 again in 2005.

“SC4 provides a valuable, financially responsible academic experience for an array of ambitious minds, young and mature,” he said. “I had several quality courses and instructors during my tenure at SC4, which provided a solid foundation to succeed in both my academic and professional endeavors.”

Barton transferred his earned credits in 2006 to the University of Phoenix in Bellevue, Wash., graduating in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He then went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration with a focus on entrepreneurship from Northcentral University in 2014.

Registration open for SC4 late-start winter classes

Registration is open for late-start winter semester classes at St. Clair County Community College. Seats are still available in 12-week classes starting the week of Feb. 10 and eight-week classes starting the week of March 16. Classes are available in Port Huron and online.

Late-start classes allow students to earn credits at a faster pace. Class topics include biology, business, English, math, political science, psychology, sociology and more. Examples of some specific courses offered this winter include:

  • ART120 – Art Appreciation
  • BIO110 – Cell Biology Basics
  • BUS150 – Principles of Business
  • BUS153 – Business Law
  • BUS252 – Consumer Behavior
  • CIS297 – The CIS Professional
  • CJ101– Introduction to Criminal Justice
  • ENG101 – English Composition I
  • ENG102 – English Composition II
  • HE101 – Math Related to Drug Administration
  • HE102 – Medical Terminology
  • HE112 – Medical Law and Ethics for the Allied Health Professional
  • HIS101 – History of Western Civilization to 1715
  • HIS150 – History of U.S. 1877 to Present
  • MTH111 – Plane Trigonometry
  • PS101 – Introduction to Political Science
  • PSY180 – Introduction to Psychology
  • SOC101 – Principles of Sociology

Current students can search for all courses and sections
at sc4.edu/schedule. They can register and pay for classes online in the SC4 Portal at portal.sc4.edu.

New students can start at sc4.edu/starthere.

Registration service also is available at SC4’s One-stop Student Services Center located in the Dr. James C. Acheson Welcome Center on the corner of Erie Street and Glenwood Avenue on the Port Huron campus. Hours of service are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday.

For more information, contact SC4 Enrollment Services at enrollment@sc4.edu or 810-989-5500.

SC4 names women’s soccer and Esports coaches

St. Clair County Community College is pleased to announce the addition of two coaches to lead Skippers Athletics teams in women’s soccer and Esports. Todd Stank will serve as the women’s soccer coach and James Jordan will be the Esports coach.

Todd Stank Soccer Coach
Todd Stank
Jim Jordan E-Sports
James Jordan

Both women’s soccer and Esports were added to the college’s growing list of athletic offerings this fall. In doing so, SC4 became just the sixth community college in Michigan to offer women’s soccer and was among the first 50 of 520 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) member institutions nationwide to field an Esports team.

The women’s soccer team will begin its play in 2020-21 and will be recruiting players over the coming year. The Esports team will begin NJCAA Esports competition this semester, potentially competing in Rocket League (PC), FIFA 20 (PS4), Overwatch (PC) and Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo Switch).

“We’re thrilled to welcome Todd and James to our Athletics program,” SC4 Athletic Director Dale Vos said. “They both bring tremendous experience and expertise to the college, along with the energy level needed to get these programs off the ground and help them reach their potential.”

A graduate of Siena Heights University, Stank has extensive experience coaching soccer. He has served as head coach at Rochester University (women’s), Waterford Kettering High School (women’s) and Capac High School (men’s and women’s). He has also served as head trainer at Romeo High School and as a staff coach and president with an array of metro Detroit soccer clubs, including the Blue Water Soccer Club.

A former Michigan Olympic Development Program evaluator, Stank holds licenses from both the United States Soccer Coaches Association and the United States Soccer Federation. He was named NAIA WHAC Conference Champions of Character Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018, and his teams continuously experience both athletic and academic success.

“I am grateful to be chosen to start the soccer program at SC4,” Stank said. “I have had the privilege of helping to build teams, clubs and programs at many competitive levels throughout my coaching career. It is a rare honor, and I look forward to the challenge and opportunity of creating and establishing a high standard and competitive culture for the SC4 women’s soccer program. Our program should always represent the college, our athletes and our community in a positive manner.”

Jordan brings six years of Esports coaching and managing experience to the college. He has coached and competed at various skill levels from minor events to premier competitions against top talent from around the world. In 2018 he led Splyce’s Rocket League team to a first-place finish in RLRS, earning a berth into RLCS, Rocket League’s World Championship Circuit. In 2019 Jordan coached and competed in various international competitions against top teams from Europe, South America and Oceania.

An SC4 alumnus, Capac, Mich., native and current St. Clair resident, Jordan also works as a unit operator for DTE Energy at St. Clair Power Plant.

“I’m excited to be here,” Jordan said. “The opportunity to foster a culture of hard work, critical thinking and excellence at SC4 is something that I don’t take lightly. I have been fortunate enough to compete with and against some of the world’s best, and I am thrilled to share that knowledge and experience with those right here in my hometown community.”

SC4 a great place to start according to alumnus Dan Damman

Attorney Daniel A. Damman says there’s no debate about it: St. Clair County Community College is the best place for area students to start their higher education.

A 1994 St. Clair High School graduate, Damman (pictured above with wife Therese) attended SC4 for two years, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Michigan State University in 1999 and earned his Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University Law School in 2002.

After law school, Damman took over a New Baltimore law firm, changed the name to Damman Law Firm, PLC, and eventually moved it to Marysville and then St. Clair. He helped form Lord, Damman and VanDrew, PLC, in 2006 with partner Ken Lord and Dana VanDrew and later Damman VanDrew, PLC.

In June 2015 Damman and Nicole Winston founded the litigation firm Winston and Damman, PLLC, where they continue to practice law, including criminal defense, divorce and family law, personal injury, wrongful death and social security disability.

Damman, 44, formerly of Marysville and now St. Clair Township, was elected to the Marysville City Council in 2011 and mayor in 2013. He served three terms before stepping down to enter the candidacy for judge of the 31st Circuit Court. He and his wife, Therese, have two children, Emily, 20, and Mason, 18.

He said he decided his senior year of high school to attend SC4 after graduation and began in the fall of 1994.

“Being the youngest of four children – and the youngest by nearly nine years, I was not ready to leave my parents’ home,” Damman said. “I also wasn’t exactly sure where I wanted to go to obtain my bachelor’s degree.

“SC4 gave me some time to transition from high school into adulthood, obtain a great education at a fraction of the cost of a four-year university, get some college credits under my belt, and time to figure out where I wanted to go next.”

Damman said SC4 allowed him to obtain an excellent education from some extraordinary instructors close to home.

“I went to SC4 for two years; my wife attended SC4; my daughter attended SC4, first through dual enrollment and then for a year after high school; and my son attends SC4 right now through dual enrollment. SC4 was crucial in starting me on the path to where I am today, and I am proud to be a SC4 alumnus.”

In addition to proximity and quality instruction, Damman said SC4 is a smart financial decision for anyone considering higher education.

“What is crystal clear at this point in my life is that SC4 is one of the crown jewels of our area and people are wise to take advantage of what it has to offer. With the soaring cost of higher education, the ability for a high school student to earn college credits at no cost to the student, or his/her family, through dual enrollment or the Blue Water Middle College should be a no-brainer.

“Attending SC4 after graduation to earn credits at a fraction of the cost of a four-year university should also be given careful consideration for those students who want to start his or her education without back-breaking student debt. I believe that viewed through just about any lens, SC4 presents opportunity for everyone.”