Belmont Abbey College

Wrestlers earn honors: Belmont Abbey College wrestlers Patrick Mestrez and Markus Cromwell recently earned all-region honors at the NCAA Super Region 2 tournament at Ashland University in Ohio.

Both are competing to advance to the NCAA National Championships March 8-9 in Birmingham, Ala.

CCC&TI

Renovated theater unveiled: Foothills Performing Arts will present “The Madwoman of Chaillot” at 3 p.m. March 3 in the recently renovated theatre at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute.

Lori Franklin plays Countess Aurelia, the madwoman of the play’s title, while Bill Boyd portrays The Ragpicker.

Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 students, $6 for groups of 10 or more. The box office opens one hour before each show. For details, call 828-726-2318 or visit www.fpatheatre.org.

Literary reception, reading: CCC&TI will host a reading and reception to celebrate the release of its literary and arts magazine, “Branches,” at 5:30 p.m. March 5 in the Watauga Occupational Training Facility on the CCC&TI Watauga Campus.

The publication features prose, poetry and artwork from CCC&TI students and members of the community. Copies will be available at the receptions and on both campuses.

Award winners were: Philip Davis, poetry; Matt McGuire, prose; and Kendra Reese, fine arts/photography.

Online tutoring: CCC&TI is now offering a free online tutoring service for curriculum students. Available through smarthinking.com, the service is a live chat or email-based service where students can get assistance in math, reading, business, accounting, sciences, nursing, allied health and more.

The service is especially convenient for distance learning students. Traditional students who take classes on campus benefit from hours that extend past those of the Academic Support Center. Tutoring also is available in more areas of study.

For information or instructions on how to access CCC&TI’s online tutoring service, visit www.cccti.edu/asc or the Academic Support Center on either campus.

Small business seminars: The Small Business Center at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute will host a series of free small business seminars this semester. The schedule includes:

Social Entrepreneurism: Lessons Learned From a Real Small Business Startup: noon to 1:30 p.m. March 5, J.E. Broyhill Civic Center

Getting Government Textile Contracts: noon to 1:30 p.m. March 29, Lenoir Public Library.

To register or for more information, www.cccti.edu/smallbusiness or contact Evelyn Asher at 828-726-2242 or easher@cccti.edu.

Continuing education: CCC&TI will offer a variety of continuing education courses this semester. The schedule includes:

General Contractor’s License Preparation: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, March 5-May 9, Caldwell Campus. Cost is $176.

Electrical Lineman Institute: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, April 22-June 20, Caldwell Campus.

For more information or to register, call 828-726-2242 or visit www.cccti.edu/coned.

Truck driver training: CCC&TI will offer three Truck Driver Training courses this semester. Sessions run eight weeks and will be held on the following schedule:

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays beginning March 7, TAPS Campus in Hudson.

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays beginning March 8, CVCC, 1223 Fairgrove Church Road S.E., Conover.

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays beginning March 11, Gaston College, 1201 E. Church St., Cherryville.

For information, call 828-726-2380.

Caldwell Cuisine: The Culinary Arts Program at CCC&TI will prepare innovate, eclectic four-course meals as part of its spring Caldwell Cuisine series.

The dinners are held at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center. Tickets are $21 and must be purchased in advance at the Civic Center box office. The schedule includes:

St. Louis Missouri: 6 p.m. March 7.

A Night Out in the City: 6 p.m. March 28.

For details, visit www.cccti.edu.

CVCC

Herring honored: Catawba Valley Community College will celebrate the legacy of W. Dallas Herring and the 50th anniversary of the North Carolina Community College System at noon March 6 in the Student Center.

CVCC President Garrett Hinshaw will unveil a portrait of Herring, a Duplin County native who was instrumental in creating North Carolina’s community college system. Students, faculty and the community are welcome to attend.

Students of the Semester: CVCC students Sheila Dula and Jill Hoerr were recently named Students of the Semester. Selection is based on academic achievement, school leadership and community involvement. Winners receive gift certificates to the college cafeteria and campus store.

A Morganton resident, Dula is enrolled in the Criminal Justice Technology associate degree program with a concentration in Latent Evidence. She is president of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and a member of the Student Leadership Academy. She also serves as a tutor, mentor and work study student in the Learning Assistance Center.

Hoerr, a native of Peoria, Ill., will graduate from the respiratory therapy associate degree program this spring. She is a member of the Student Leadership Academy and Phi Theta Kappa International Honor society, past vice president of the CVCC Association of Respiratory Therapy Students and a student mentee of the N.C. Society for Respiratory Care. She also has volunteered with Iredell County Hospice and served on the board of the American Renaissance Charter School in Statesville. For the past 12 years, Hoerr has worked as a certified massage therapist.

Spanish for healthcare providers: CVCC will offer “Spanish for Healthcare Providers” 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, March 5-25 on the East Campus.

Family practitioners, physicians, pharmacists, healthcare providers, ER personnel, nurses, hospital administrators and medical assistants will learn to communicate better in Spanish with customers, clients and patients.

Cost is $90, including a textbook and audio CD. Registration is required by Feb. 27.

Details: Janet Lail, 828-327-7000, ext. 4116 or jwlail@cvcc.edu.

Finance 101: The CVCC Small Business Center will present “Finance 101 for Small Business” 6-8 p.m. March 7 on the East Campus.

Topics include maintaining financial records, key financial reports and how to use financial statements to identify potential problems.

Admission is free; advance registration is required by calling 828-327-7000, ext. 4117.

Job Fair: CVCC will present its annual Job Fair 1-5 p.m. March 12 in the Tarlton Complex on the Main Campus.

There is no charge for job seekers to attend or for employers to recruit workers. Employers from the Catawba Valley and across the state are invited to set up exhibits offering employment information and to take applications. More than 1,000 people attended the 2012 Job Fair.

Employers should call 828-327-7000, ext. 4400 to receive a registration packet. For information and an updated exhibitors list, visit www.cvcc.edu/Job_Fair.

Wachtel hosts reading: Shirley Wachtel, author of “My Mother’s Shoes,” will present book readings March 12-13 at CVCC.

Wachtel will read at 7 p.m. March 12 in the Student Center on the Main Campus and at 10 a.m. March 13 in the Tarlton Complex, also on the Main Campus. Admission is free, and the community is welcome. A book signing will follow.

Published in 2011, “My Mother’s Shoes” is the story of the author’s mother, a Holocaust survivor, and the challenges she faced in her homeland and later as a wife and mother in the United States.

For information, contact Arlene Neal at 828-327-7000, ext. 4417, or aneal@cvcc.edu.

Cyber security seminar: CVCC’s Information Systems Security Club will present “Staying Safe in the Cyber World” 5:30-7 p.m. March 13 at the CVCC Alexander Center for Education.

Parents, teachers and students can learn about safety measures to take while surfing the Web. Topics include strong passwords, how to deal with pop-ups, risks of opening attachments and software updates.

Admission is free, but space is limited. To reserve a space, call 828-327-7000, ext. 4307.

Gaston College

High school info session: Gaston College will hold two Career and College Promise Information Sessions in March for rising 10th- and 11th-grade high school students. Participants will learn how to earn college credit while still in high school.

Sessions will be held 6-7 p.m. March 7 in Myers Center Auditorium on the Dallas Campus at 6-7 p.m. March 14 in the Cochrane Building, 511 S. Aspen St. on the Lincoln Campus.

Details: Amy Weisgerber, 704-922-6297 or weisgerber.amy@gaston.edu.

Career Day: Gaston College students and alumni can network with up to 75 employers at Gaston College Career Day 9 a.m. to noon March 20 in Myers Center Auditorium on the Dallas Campus.

Local and regional employers will discuss employment opportunities and answer questions about their businesses. Participants also can learn about resume writing, interviewing techniques and dressing for job interviews.

For information, contact Joy Morrow at 704-922-6360 or morrow.joy@gaston.edu.

Magazine sale: Morris Library will hold its annual Magazine Sale through March 22 at the library on the Dallas Campus.

Magazines from 2011 will be sold for $1 each. The titles are great for pleasure reading, school projects, craft ideas, recipes and more. For a list of titles, visit http://gaston.edu/library/pdfs/periodicallist.pdf. For more information, call 704-922-6358.

Scholarships available: Students can apply for scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year at Gaston College through April 2.

More than $150,000 in scholarship assistance is available. Awards range from $250 to more than $2,500.

To apply, go to the Scholarship Tracking and Review System (STARS) at http://gcstars.gaston.edu/stars/.

Massage available: Therapeutic Massage students at Gaston College will offer one-hour full body Swedish massages on Fridays through May 3.

Cost is $25 adults, $20 senior citizens. To make an appointment, call the Student Massage Clinic at 704-922-2278.

Special interest classes: Several special interest classes will be offered at Gaston College this semester. For class locations, descriptions and fees, visit www.gaston.edu or call 704-922-2244.

The schedule includes:

Cake Decorating II/Flowers: 6-8 p.m. Mondays, March 4-25, Dallas Campus.

Cake Decorating III/Fondant and Gum Paste: 6-8 p.m. Mondays, April 8-29, Dallas Campus.

Cake Decorating IV/Advanced Gum Paste Flowers: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays, April 2-24, Dallas Campus.

Pottery/Advanced: 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday and Thursday, March 12-April 30, Dallas Campus

Small business classes: Gaston College will offer a series of free Small Business classes this semester. Sessions meet 6:30-9 p.m. on the following dates and campuses:

Marketing I/I Want It Like I Like It: March 4, Lincoln; March 7, Belmont.

Record Keeping: March 11, Lincoln; March 14, Belmont.

Marketing II/Targeting for Results: March 18, Lincoln; March 21, Belmont.

Tax Issues: March 25, Lincoln; April 4, Belmont.

Marketing III/Great Expectations: April 8, Lincoln; April 11, Belmont.

For information, visit http://startabiz.gaston.edu or call 704-922-6447.

Study tour to China: Gaston College will offer a Study Tour to China May 20-29, 2013. The tour will visit three of the country’s most unique and fascinating cities – Beijing, Xi’ an and Shanghai. Participants also will see Tian’anmen Square, the Nine Dragon Screen, the Great Wall of China and Old Beijing’s temples, palaces and old alleyways.

All-inclusive price per person is $3,449. For information, contact Study Tours director Bob Blanton at blanton.bob@gaston.edu.

Lenoir-Rhyne University

L-R alum in ‘Lincoln’: Reese Land, a 1994 graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne University, appears in the Oscar-nominated film “Lincoln” starring Academy Award winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis and directed by Steven Spielberg.

A music major who concentrated in trumpet, Land is on screen as a trumpeter during a flag-raising scene within the first 15 minutes of the acclaimed film. He is in a red Civil War-style uniform playing an over-the-shoulder baritone, an original instrument that dates to 1865. He can be seen to the left of Lincoln.

Land’s day job is an associate professor of music/trumpet at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. He is a member of several ensembles, including the President Lincoln’s Own Band, which played an instrumental and sang a song in the film.

A Cappella Choir performs: The Lenoir-Rhyne University A Cappella Choir and College Singers will perform at 7:30 p.m. March 4 at Viewmont Baptist Church in Hickory.

The performance is the final show in a North Carolina tour that began Feb. 24.

Lundy speaks on leadership: Tom Lundy, county manager of Catawba County, will speak on leadership in the public arena at 6 p.m. March 6 in the Fintel Classroom of the McCrorie Building at Lenoir-Rhyne University. The event is free and open to the public.

Lundy has served as Catawba County manager since 1979, leading the county through growth and transition. In addition, he has taught county management at the UNC School of Government since 2009.

WPCC

Help with taxes: Western Piedmont Community College accounting students will provide tax preparation assistance for qualifying area residents this spring. College volunteers will help individuals prepare tax returns and e-file them for free.

Sessions are available on campus for single taxpayers earning $30,000 or less and married taxpayers earning $50,000 or less.

To make an appointment, call 828-448-6058. For information, visit myfreetaxes.com/WPCC.

Pottery workshops: Western North Carolina potter Adam Mackay will lead a specialized pottery wheel throwing workshop 6-8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, March 5-21 in Room H-26 on the Main Campus of Western Piedmont Community College.

Cost is $50, including all clay, glazes and firing. Registration is required by contacting Linda Matthews at 828-448-6133.

Compiled by Leigh Pressley