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Sandusky wins Sanilac academic games at SC4

Sandusky High School was the overall winner at the 34th annual Raymond T. Dunbar Jr. Sanilac County Academic Games Saturday, Feb. 8, on St. Clair County Community College’s Port Huron campus.

First- and second-place winners in specific academic areas were:

  • Language arts
    • First: Croswell-Lexington High School
    • Second: Carsonville-Port Sanilac High School
  • Math
    • First: Deckerville High School
    • Second: Sandusky High School
  • Science
    • First: Marlette High School
    • Second: Sandusky High School
  • Social studies
    • First: Sandusky High School
    • Second: Deckerville High School

Students representing seven school districts in Sanilac County challenged each other in the four academic areas. Questions were written by SC4 professors, who also judged the competition.

The games are coordinated by the Sanilac Intermediate School District, Sanilac County Talent Development Consortium and SC4.

Longtime SC4 Professor James Jones honored with national AACC award

St. Clair County Community College Professor of Criminal Justice James Jones has been awarded the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) 2020 Dale P. Parnell Faculty Distinction Recognition for his work in making a difference in the classroom.

As a Faculty Distinction recipient, Jones will be recognized on the AACC Faculty Wall of Distinction, on the AACC website and at AACC’s 100th Annual Convention in March, where he will be honored with a private reception.

“Jim has devoted his life to giving back to others, and we are thrilled to congratulate him on this prestigious award,” said SC4 President Dr. Deborah A. Snyder. “His dedication to the success of SC4’s criminal justice program is admirable as is his devotion to ensuring that his students gain hands-on knowledge and experience with criminal situations and scenarios.”

Jones has been teaching at SC4 since 1997 both as an adjunct instructor and a full-time professor. In addition to his full-time teaching, he also serves as a part-time police officer with the Marine City Police Department. Jones previously served as a full-time officer for the Port Huron Police Department for 28 years.

At SC4, he organizes off-campus learning experiences for students, including visits to the city of Detroit to shadow the Detroit Police Department on ride-alongs. He also is actively engaged in other college activities as well, including leading and serving on event, recruitment and curriculum committees.

According to Snyder, Jones is known for going out of his way to ensure that his students succeed and complete their goals.

SC4 among first community colleges nationwide to launch Esports athletic offering

St. Clair County Community College is again building upon its strong reputation in collegiate sports with the launch of an Esports athletic offering. The college is among the first 50 of 520 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) member institutions nationwide to field a team, according to a recent article by The Esports Observer.

NJCAA announced last month a plan to create NJCAA Esports, a new association that will “provide two-year colleges with governance, competition and official national championships while also providing guidance and positive development for two-year colleges to build and operate esports programs.”

SC4’s Esports team will compete in this association beginning in January 2020, with competitions played in the college’s Fine Arts Building and theatre. Games played will include Rocket League (PC), FIFA 20 (PS4) and Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo Switch).

“The Esports industry is growing at a rapid pace,” said SC4 Athletics Director Dale Vos. “Fielding a team allows SC4 to lead the way in providing innovative and in-demand opportunities for current and future students as well as our broader community.”

Esports brings collegiate sports teams at SC4 to 14, joining teams in cross country, basketball, bowling, baseball, softball, volleyball, golf, soccer and wrestling.

Those interested in joining the Esports team should contact the Athletics Department at athletics@sc4.edu or 810-989-5670. Those interested in coaching Esports at SC4 can apply for the position online or contact the Department of Human Resources at 810-989-5534.

First-generation college student and SC4 alumnus pursuing passion with Detroit Lions

Pursuing a college education — one that didn’t break the bank — was a must for first-generation college student Brendan Buffa when he graduated from St. Clair High School in 2012.

“I knew deep down I wanted to continue my education after high school, but the fear of taking on a massive amount of debt was very real to me,” Buffa said. “I was incredibly grateful to my parents, who said that if I did in fact decide to go to college, they’d help pay for my first year at St. Clair County Community College.”

According to Buffa, he found much more than an affordable education at SC4, including faculty members, clubs and experiences that helped him explore options and grow prior to committing to a four-year university. He also discovered a passion that has driven him ever since.

Buffa was approached by SC4 faculty members Gary Schmitz and John Lusk in his first semester to consider writing for the Erie Square Gazette, SC4’s student newspaper. He then spent the next three semesters at SC4 writing, editing and covering Skippers Athletics. The experience helped introduce him to athletes, connect him to campus and the community, and learn about people in a whole new way.

“SC4 taught me individualism,” Buffa said. “The idea that everybody is a person and has a story to tell. That was what made SC4 so unique and memorable. Everybody on campus — whether they were young students, middle-aged students, athletes, faculty, staff —everybody had a story to tell that was so fully unique.”

His campus involvement also made him aware of new career possibilities that could seamlessly merge his passions for writing and sports.

“I didn’t really know there were alternative career paths in athletics,” Buffa said. “My SC4 professors saw hope and drive in me. They challenged and molded me. Thanks to them, I became aware of a new career path and have since been in a full sprint to achieve my goals.”

Buffa transferred to Western Michigan University in fall 2014. With collegiate writing experience already under his belt, he started as a staff writer at the 100-year-old Western Herald before being promoted to assistant sports editor and then editor-in-chief in 2016. He also served as a member of the Student Media Group Board, which was the decision-making entity of the university’s media outlets, where he advocated to give his 60-member writing team experiences they wouldn’t have elsewhere.

“That time in my life was difficult, but it resulted in great success,” Buffa said. “Leading a paper, taking full-time classes and working another part-time job in the midst of it all was really hard to juggle. But SC4’s ability to mold my creativity, leadership and independence was a direct contribution to the success I found and helped others find as well.”

Buffa graduated from WMU in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and sports marketing. Upon graduation, he served as a promotions coordinator at 97.1 The Ticket in Southfield, Michigan, and as a digital content producer and assignment desk editor at WWMT Newschannel 3 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Grateful for all his past experiences — which also include a freelance gig for the Dallas Cowboys and covering the WMU Broncos’ undefeated season and Cotton Bowl game — Buffa remains laser-focused and is thrilled to be starting in a new role with the Detroit Lions as a new media web intern. There, he supports the new media team through backend website assistance, site photo and gallery production, media interview post-copy, article and video creation, and more.

“Working with the Detroit Lions has been the ultimate goal since 2013,” Buffa said. “It’s an opportunity I’ve only dreamed of.”

Ultimately, Buffa looks forward to expanding his roles and expertise in professional sports in the coming years and is more than ready to put in the hard work. An avid community college advocate, he’ll tell anyone who listens that his time at SC4 helped him get his start.

“SC4 is where it all started,” Buffa says. “It was the first time I was able to dip my feet into the water and experience things. It taught me so much about independence and autonomy, and about friendships and support. I found a community at SC4. I’m grateful to my professors to this day.”

He added, “If people want to further their education with college, community college should always and forever be the first consideration. It is wholly accessible to people from all walks of life. If you want to further yourself and are hindered by other commitments or still not sure where you want to direct your path in life, community college will give you the tools and experiences to do so.”