Author: Mark Rummel

College celebrates 62nd edition of Michigan’s longest-running, student-led literary and arts magazine

PORT HURON — St. Clair County Community College students are being recognized for their work in the 62nd edition of Patterns magazine, Michigan’s oldest literary and arts publication aimed at showcasing student writing talent and works of art.

Patterns is completely designed, proofed and published by SC4 students. Melissa Dekett, Sophie Steinborn and Emily Swierkosz led the publication’s design team, while faculty members Sarah Flatter, Jim Frank and Gary Schmitz provided direction and support to students.

“Patterns is an opportunity to celebrate being creative and to recognize the unique talents of our next generation of artists,” said Flatter, professor of fine arts at the college. “We congratulate all of those who contributed to the 62nd edition of Patterns and honor their success while at SC4.”

In recognition of student efforts, a rescheduled exhibition is planned as a showcase in the college’s Fine Arts Gallery from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday from Aug. 24 to Oct. 1. Copies of Patterns will be available for the public visiting the exhibition. Masks are required on campus.  See sc4.edu/returning-to-campus for additional safety protocols at SC4.

Patterns award winners:

Special honors

Patrick Bourke Award

  • Sophie Steinborn, Port Huron

Eleanor Mathews Award

  • Mackenzie Hiller, Avoca

Essays

  • First place (Kathleen Nickerson Award) — Remy Reynolds of Port Huron for “A Modern Odyssey”
  • Second place — Mackenzie Hiller of Avoca for “Share It Fairly”
  • Third place — Zacchaeus Gilbert of St. Clair for “Failure Leads; Success Follows”

Short stories

  • First place (Richard Colwell Award) — Rilee Meyers of Goodells for “Bakery Box”
  • Second Place — Mackenzie Hiller of Avoca for “Our Circumstances of Being”
  • Third Place — Skyler Streeter-Fye of Port Huron for “Monday Massacre”

Visual arts

  • First place — Soren Swegles of Port Huron for “Descension”
  • Second place — Vera Klimovich of Smiths Creek for “Change In Climate”
  • Third place — Eva Kue of St. Clair for “Sushi box Packaging”

Poetry

  • First place (Blanche Redman Award) — Brendan Pittiglio of Algonac for “A Walk in the Forest”
  • Second place — Kayla Plenda of Yale for “Bedside Table”
  • Third place — Kaitlyn Ziehm of Memphis for “Keepsake”

Literary selections of merit

  • Breanna Sylvia of Port Huron for “Season of Mystery”
  • Stephen Muzzi of Marysville for “Ballade”
  • Kayla Plenda of Yale for “Romance from a Science Book”
  • Kathryn Oliver of Capac for “My Name is Depression”
  • Kaitlyn Ziehm of Memphis for “Existential Bliss”
  • Makenna Joppich of Kenockee Township for “Remember the Name”

Visual arts selections of merit

  • Alejandro Bueno of Port Huron for “Sadness without Cause”
  • Sabrina Mason of Clyde Township for “By the Docks,” “Lola” and “Island”
  • Rebecca Wend of Marine City for “Untitled”
  • Alexis Scott of Jeddo for “Montage”
  • Katriana DeAngelis of Lake Orion for “Moss Tea Cup”
  • Ann Mole of Marysville for “Peaceful Scene”
  • Emma Thurman of Kimball Township for “Crow of Pride”
  • Melissa Dekett of Fort Gratiot for “New Life”
  • Elaina Penn of Port Huron for “A Study of Fabric”
  • Kirsten Brown of Port Huron for “Muschboghdotlhbech”
  • Virginia Regan of Marysville for “Purple Plight”
  • Soren Swegles of Port Huron for “Self-Portrait”
  • William Patterson of Lexington for “Objects in Motion”
  • Skylar Todd of Port Huron for “Journey”
  • Natalie Loznak of Port Huron for “Untitled”

Production of Patterns is made possible by financial support by St. Clair County Community College and SC4 Friends of the Arts. A digital copy is available to view and download at sc4.edu/patterns.

SC4 Foundation awards $186,233 in scholarships

The SC4 Foundation has a long history of helping area students from all walks of life succeed. This spring the Foundation continues that tradition by awarding $186,233 in scholarships for the upcoming academic year. Recipients are pursuing a variety of majors, from health sciences to business to communications.

“Education changes lives, and providing access is even more crucial in these uncertain economic times,” said SC4 President Dr. Deborah Snyder. “Our donors contribute to the future of individual students and to our community through their generosity.”

Two of this year’s recipients were awarded scholarships from newly established funds – the Marysville Police Explorers Scholarship Fund and the Janet S. Albrecht-Hillaker Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Established by Dick Hillaker in memory of his late wife, Janet, the Albrecht-Hillaker Memorial provides scholarships to full-time SC4 students who are graduates of Port Huron High School or Port Huron Northern High School. Janet taught kindergarten for more than 30 years, so this scholarship has a preference for supporting education majors.

The first student to receive the Albrecht-Hillaker Memorial is Port Huron High School graduate Jenna Holzberger. She plans on attending SC4 for two years before transferring to a 4-year university to pursue her bachelor’s in elementary education.

“My desire is to return to St. Clair County and start my career as a kindergarten teacher and coach,” Holzberger said. “I had the incredible opportunity of having a kindergarten teacher at Michigamme Elementary who inspired me to become a teacher.”

The Marysville Police Explorers Scholarship Fund was created by Officer Dan LeVey of the Marysville Police Department for criminal justice majors at SC4 who are current or former participants of an Explorers or Cadet Program in St. Clair County.

Natalie Stroh is a recent graduate of the Marysville Explorers program who has had a life-long passion for law enforcement. She will continue her criminal justice studies this fall at SC4 and is the first student to receive the Marysville Police Explorers Scholarship.

Natalie Stroh
Natalie Stroh

“One of the noteworthy improvements to the scholarship process for the SC4 Foundation is application cycles that are open year-round. Any remaining scholarship dollars at the end of a cycle are made available to eligible applicants,” said William Oldford, President of SC4 Foundation. Check the SC4 website for more information.

Scholarships are a big part of what the SC4 Foundation does, but it’s not the only way it helps students pursue their educational goals. The Foundation also supports other projects and programs that provide students with better learning experiences.

Unrestricted giving to the SC4 Foundation allows greater flexibility to how dollars are used to better meet current college priorities. In recent years, the Foundation has helped expand the SC4 Experience Center programming, provided funding for local students to visit the Experience Center, as well as grants towards the Tarbosauras skeleton cast added to the Nasr Natural Science Museum.

“The greatest gift a donor can leave is an unrestricted gift the SC4 Foundation can use for greater impact on campus,” Oldford said. “SC4 Foundation is proud to offer donors the opportunity to support the college’s priority areas, including their long-term vision for student success and enhancements on campus.”

The St. Clair County Community College Foundation started in 1963 to raise friends and funds to benefit SC4 and the students it serves.

SC4 Creates Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

PORT HURON – A new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been created at St. Clair County Community College to advance the college’s efforts in providing educational access and support for all. As part of the enhanced focus, a national speaker series will be launched on campus to support diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness and action this fall.

The series will kick-off October 9 with Jen Fry, a nationally recognized social justice educator speaking on campus. Another initiative is a campus book discussion. The college has ordered several books suggested by Ms. Fry on topics of equity, white privilege, and racism which will be available for faculty and staff to read this summer and fall. Informal book discussion sessions will be coordinated on campus this fall through the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to foster understanding.

SC4 also will officially recognize Juneteenth, the commemoration of the emancipation of slaves after the Civil War, as a college holiday on June 19 each year.

“The trustees are very supportive of these efforts to ensure that the college is a place where all are welcomed to learn and grow,” said SC4 Board of Trustees chair Dr. Nicholas DeGrazia. “The new Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will be instrumental as we continue toward our goals of growth, sustainability, and creating a stronger community that reflects the world we live in.”

Jessica Brown will lead the office as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and will work to develop a comprehensive and cross-functional emphasis on these critical issues at SC4. Brown has more than a decade of higher education experience, having worked previously at Davenport University, Rochester College, and Macomb Community College before joining the SC4 team in 2014. She has served as the director of the college’s TRIO Student Support Services program since September 2015. The program works with first-generation and other high-risk college students to support them throughout their college career and has been very successful in increasing student retention and graduation. She also is a member of SC4’s Global Diversity Advisory Council. Brown has Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Strategic Management degrees from Davenport University.

Skippers Esports looks to continue its success in the fall

The St. Clair County Community College Esports team found tremendous success in its inaugural season, claiming three top-four finishes this past April in the National Junior College Athletic Association Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. tournaments.

Skippers Jarod Graham and Mitchell Lumpford finished second in the country in the doubles for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Graham finished fourth in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate single player tournament. Kylar Marinez, David Roy and Philip Winterbauer finished fourth in the country in Rocket League.

The teams were launched in the fall, and through their first season continued to grow under the direction of coach James “Jimmer” Jordan. When COVID-19 closed campuses throughout the country cancelling other sports, SC4 Esports team members were fortunate enough to have their own systems at home so they could continue the season.

Each of the players began Esports at different ages, some using the Nintendo 64 console when they were younger than 10 years old, while other team members picked up on video games in junior high school. Most stated they really began taking Esports seriously late into high school, and one just a few months before when they joined the Esports team.

“I never really took competing in games seriously or thought that I had a chance. When some of my friends talked to me about playing for SC4, I decided to give it a try,” Winterbauer said. “It was a cool opportunity to get involved with Esports through my college, with a professional-level coach to mentor us and really step our game up to the next level.”

Winterbauer said he began the season at a low rank in Rocket League and in the past four months has climbed three ranks while competing for the Skippers.

“Anybody is capable if you put your mind to it,” he said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, why not give it your all? Maybe you’ll find your calling.”

Being on the team and competing together helps with real-world skills.

“(Esports) helped me improve and grow relationships and learning abilities. It teaches you diligence – to do things the right way, every time, even if it is harder that way when you first start,” Marinez said. “Things like that are really going to help me in the future and transfer over to job training.”

Added Graham: “It gives you the feeling of always wanting to do your best, not just for you but for the college, too.”

With a stay-at-home order in place, playing at home for the remainder of the playoffs wasn’t quite the same as the team atmosphere they have in the facilities at the college. The team had formed a family-like bond over the last few months.

“Competing with this team, and for the college, really gives it purpose for me,” Roy said. “It’s different than playing alone.”

Most of the team plans to come back next season, except for sophomore Mitch Lumpford, who completed his Associate of Arts degree at SC4 and will be continuing his education at Oakland University in the fall.

Jarod Graham, Mitch Lumpford, Kylar Marinez, David Roy and Phil Winterbauer
Jarod Graham, Mitch Lumpford, Kylar Marinez, David Roy and Phil Winterbauer