Governing Board Meeting Highlights

At the April 21, meeting, the Governing Board:

  • Heard Chancellor Miles report that the District faces a projected impact of $5.2 million if statewide voters do not approve the May 19 ballot measures.
  • Heard Trustee Deanna Weeks comment about her recent speech to fifth graders at Rolando Elementary School.
  • Heard Trustee Mary Kay Rosinski express appreciation for the efforts to organize the recent Science Festival at Grossmont College.
  • Approved Student Fees, commencing with the Summer 2009 term, relating to Photography, Art, Nursing, Culinary Arts and AOJ.
  • Adopted a resolution recognizing Classified School Employee Week, May 17-23.
  • Reviewed and ratified rules and regulations regarding the privileges granted to student trustees.
  • Ratified the purchase and installation of parking permit machines.

Other Governing Board highlights will appear in the Courier which is distributed electronically from the District Office. Hard copies are available in the Mail Room.

Walk Of Fame Honoree Selected

The Grossmont College Foundation has selected its 2009 Walk of Fame honoree. Ceremonies honoring El Cajon Police Chief Pat Sprecco will start at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 1, in the Main Quad area, following the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce’s First Friday Breakfast. Sprecco is a 1976 graduate of Grossmont College with an associate degree in criminal justice administration. As a Grossmont College student, he worked for a brief time at the college as a campus security officer. His career with the El Cajon Police Dept. spans 37 years. He first joined the Department as a volunteer cadet at age 16 in 1972. At age 18, he became a police intern, and was eventually hired as a police officer in 1976. He was promoted to sergeant in April 1982, lieutenant in January 1993, acting captain in February 2005 and then captain in January 2006. He was appointed chief in March 2008. Please join us to celebrate the significant professional contribution of one of our alumni.

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Speech And Debate Team

Three students from the Grossmont & Cuyamaca Speech and Debate Team competed at the 2009 Phi Rho Pi National Tournament, held in Portland, Oregon over spring break, April 4-12. Vanessa Estrella from Cuyamaca and Joe Fejeran and Colton Salaz from Grossmont each performed four events at the tournament. Colton advanced two of his events into the Gold/Silver round of competition, and took a Gold Award in Communication Analysis and a Silver Award in Extemporaneous Speaking. The team took a Gold Award for Individual Events in the limited entry division and a Silver Award for Overall Sweepstakes.

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New Business Office Technology Certificate

BOT has announced it will offer in the fall a new Front Office/Receptionist certificate, which will provide entry-level employment opportunities. The six-unit curriculum will include basic keyboarding, filing and records management and office procedures.

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Recent Honors

  • “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education,” a magazine that reports on issues affecting underrepresented groups in higher education, has ranked Grossmont College as #8 among the top 100 associate degree producers in the U.S. for serving minority students in the educational disciplines of ethnic, cultural and gender studies. Other high rankings for Grossmont included graduating minorities with associate degrees in English language and literature (#14) and nursing (#26).
  • We are very proud to announce that Grossmont Middle College High School has been selected by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, as one of 125 California high schools that have been awarded the prestigious 2009 California Distinguished Schools Award. Grossmont High School and Helix Charter High School also were selected. It was the first time that three GUHSD schools have been recognized by the state for outstanding academic achievement.
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His Student Is Now A Teacher

Fred Benedetti, chair of Grossmont’s guitar studies, will perform at a fund-raiser for the West Hills High School Guitar Club, starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, at the Santee high school’s Bob Guess Theater for the Performing Arts, 8756 Mast Blvd. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for students. The concert has been organized by Steve Lorentz, guitar instructor at West Hills HS since 2000. When Benedetti started teaching at Grossmont in January 1985, Lorentz was one of his students. Today, several of Benedetti’s former students are teaching guitar at local high schools and in private lessons.

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Sports Update

Karen Caires, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, is proud to announce that Griffins guard LaKenya Simon-West, a Pacific Coast Conference All-Conference player, has received a full-funding scholarship to attend Cal Poly Pamona to pursue her athletic and academic goals. LaKenya plans to major in Kinesiology and eventually play basketball overseas. This past season, LeKenya averaged 17.7 points a game, scored 34 points in one game, and was ranked second in the conference in field goal shooting percentage. The graduate of Grossmont High School played at the University of Idaho her freshman year (2007-2008), and returned to the East County to play her sophomore year at Grossmont College (2008-2009).

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Radio Advertising Award

Grossmont College has just received an advertising award for our “Grossmont is My College” radio commercial from the San Diego Radio Broadcasters Association. We were recognized by a panel of 20 judges for our creative writing, messaging and audience connection.

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Recent Events

  • About 1,500 eighth graders from Cajon Valley Union School District learned about careers first-hand from dozens of local companies during Career Day on April 2.
  • About 200 people attended and participated in the East County Chamber of Commerce’s First Friday Breakfast, held on April 3. The Grossmont College Foundation was the sponsor. A check for $13,334 was presented to the Grossmont College Foundation by Grossmont Shopping Center for an Osher Scholarship.
  • Several hundred students took advantage of the Health & Wellness Fair, held on Wednesday, April 15 in the Main Quad.
  • Kathryn Ingrum, Child Development Instructor and co-director of our Child Development Center, participated as a panel member in a television show on early care and education. The show, produced by the San Diego County Office of Education, is scheduled to air on ITV/Channel 16 at 6:30 p.m. on April 23, 5:30 p.m. on May 3, and 7 p.m. on May 5. Kathryn is a member of the San Diego County Child Care and Development Planning Counci
  • The American Sign Language Dept. hosted “Deaf Deaf World” last Saturday afternoon (April 18) in our Student Center. ASL students from Grossmont, Cuyamaca, San Diego City, Mesa, Palomar, Southwestern, SDSU and UCSD participated in a deaf society where only signing was allowed. The students were assigned to solve problems by visiting various stations, including a store, bank, employment office, computer repair, auto mechanic, DMV, travel agency, restaurant and post office. In addition, there was a jail in case any students were caught talking. Deaf Community Services of San Diego also assisted.
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The March Towards Graduation

In addition to the Wednesday June 3 commencement in the Main Quad, here is a sampling of other upcoming graduation-related activities.

  • Police Academy, May 1
  • Corrections Academy, May 15
  • Nursing, June 2
  • Respiratory Therapy, June 4
  • Occupational Therapy Assistant, June 5
  • OPT, June 5
  • Middle College, June 8
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Upcoming Events

  • The Office Professional Training Program (OPT) will host a 5k walk starting at 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 25 at the Grossmont College track. Cost to walk is $25.
  • The annual Financial Aid BBQ fund-raiser will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Main Quad. A $5 combo meal includes one hamburger, hotdog or veggie burger, choice of chips or potato salad, choice of soda or water, and a cookie. All proceeds will support the Grossmont Financial Aid Scholarship Fund.
  • ASGC will present its annual award banquet starting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 at the Student Center.
  • The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce will return to Grossmont for their next First Friday Breakfast on Friday, May 1, in the Student Center. County Supervisor Dianne Jacob is scheduled to be joined by several mayors of East County cities as featured speakers. Also speaking at the breakfast will be Barry Jantz, 2009 chairman of the San Diego East County Economic Development Council (ECEDC), the sponsor of the program.
  • The Hyde Art Gallery is presenting “Tradition and Concept Bridged,” a ceramics exhibition by local artists Joanne Hayakawa and Kouta Shimazaki, through April 30.
  • The English Department and Creative Writing Program will host the campus’ 13th annual Literary Arts Festival, April 20 to 30. Activities will include lectures, readings and discussion groups. A complete schedule can be found at http://www.grossmont.edu/English/festival . The featured speaker is Jimmy Santiago Baca, an award-winning poet and author who learned to read and write while incarcerated in the Arizona prison system on drug charges, and will appear on Thursday, April 30, @ 7:00 p.m. in the Student Center.
  • The Grossmont Dance Dept. will present “Entrances and Exits,” the annual Spring dance concert that showcases choreography by faculty members in a variety of dance genres, at 7:30 p.m. on April 23, 24 and 25 at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre, 6611 University Ave., San Diego. Children under age 8 will not be admitted.
  • The Grossmont College Quartetto Sorrento will perform at 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 26 in Room 220. Selections will include Quartet No. 6 in G major by Shostakovich and String Quartet No. 1 in E minor by Smetana.
  • Political Economy Week will be held April 27 to May 1.
  • Summer School registration begins April 27 and runs through June 12. Classes of four-, six- and eight-week sessions will begin June 15.
  • The Grossmont College Career Center will present “The Successful Candidate – Who Would You Choose,” a free workshop from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 in the Career Center, Room 627. Topics will include interview tips, ethics and etiquette.
  • The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department will present “Charley’s Aunt,” a famous comedy about a disguise that doesn’t turn out as planned, on May 7-9 and 13-16. The play, first performed in London in 1892, is directed by faculty member Henry J. Jordan.
  • The Transfer Center will host its Transfer Achievement Celebration at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8. Students who have been accepted at a four-year college and university are invited to attend to be recognized. Refreshments will be served.
  • The Grossmont College Photo Club will host “Photo San Diego,” an event featuring buying, swapping and selling of used and new photo equipment, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, in the Digital Arts Building. Local residents are invited to bring their old photo equipment to swap or sell. The event also will feature demonstrations of new equipment, “try-before-you-buy” opportunities, prize giveaways of photo gear, and portfolio reviews of student work, along with displays, presentations and question-and-answer sessions with photo experts. Raffle tickets will be sold with proceeds to fund student scholarships.
  • The 10th annual College Recognition Awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2009, @ 3 p.m. in the Student Center.
  • The Students of Note ceremony will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 in the Student Center.
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Spring Sports Report

  • Women's Fast Pitch: The Lady Griffins are 29-9 overall (29 victories in a season is a new school record), and 10-2 in conference play. The team is coming off a two-game sweep against the Cypress College Chargers who were ranked # 1 in Southern California.
  • Women's Tennis: The Grossmont Women's Tennis team is poised once again to take a share of the PCC Conference Championship. They can do no worse than co-champion as they enter the championships this week at the Balboa Tennis Complex.
  • Baseball: The Griffins are 21-10 overall and 12-5 in conference. The 7th ranked Griffins (So. Cal) are in second place, two games behind Palomar (ranked #2 in So. Cal), with two weeks left in the regular season.
  • Men's Swim and Dive: The Men's Swim and Dive squad have locked their second consecutive PCC Championship. Based on this year’s performances, the team should do well in the State Championships.