Pine Technical College hosts Raptor Night

The Audubon Center of North Woods in Sandstone presented an educational program, “Raptors and Environmental Change,” on Monday, April 13 at Pine Technical College. The event was the second of four Earth Month events at the College, and more than 100 attendees participated.

Three beautiful raptors, an American Kestrel, a Barred Owl and a Red-tailed Hawk, starred in the event. The presenters, Poppy and Sayako, of the Audubon Center discussed characteristics of the raptors and how environmental changes affect the habitats of birds of prey. The demonstrations were interactive and engaged audience volunteers including children, College staff and faculty members. The educated presenters of the Audubon Center skillfully answered many tough questions from the audience.

Thanks to the Audubon Center and all College staff for making Raptor Night a great success!

Published poets present at Pine Technical College

Pine Technical College, in conjunction with the Pine Center for the Arts, hosted a poetry reading Tues. April 14.

The event began with readings by returning poets Jim Redmond and Matt Mauch. Redmond’s poems have appeared in Speakeasy, Seattle Review, South Carolina Review and Water~Stone, among others. Redmond is a two-time winner of the Loft's Mentor Series Award and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Mauch’s poetry has appeared in The Journal and in many other publications. Mauch teaches writing at Concordia Univ. of St. Paul.

The event’s feature presenter, Angela Foster, is a local writer. Foster’s work has been published in Talking Stick, Dust and Fire, Otter Tail Review, Tiny Lights, Poetry Midwest and Lake County Journal. Foster’s poetry and creative nonfiction have won her awards from the Brainerd Writer’s Alliance, the National League of American Pen Women, the Writers at Work Fellowship Competition, Cup of Comfort, New Orleans Study Abroad Competition, Lucidity, Carlisle Poets, Byline Magazine, and the League of Minnesota Poets. In 2004 and 2006, Foster received the Carol Bly Award in Creative Nonfiction from Bemidji State University. Foster also received an artist’s grant from the East Central Arts Council and was a 2006 finalist for the Loft Mentorship program.

Foster teaches writing through Pine City Community Education and co-teaches a workshop, “How to Find, Enter and Win Writing Contests,” at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Foster also serves as co-editor of County Lines: 87 Minnesota Counties, 130 Minnesota Poets, published by Loon Feather Press (2008). Additionally, Foster serves as Treasurer for the League of Minnesota Poets.
In addition to the poetry reading event, winners of the Pine Technical College Poetry and Prose Contest were announced. First place went to Sean Ryan for “Web,” and the runner-up went to Felicia Maiwurm for “Like the Sea.”

Faculty members of the Pine Technical College English department also announced the third issue of Inkling: An Online Journal of Poetry and Prose. The journal was created to promote and encourage the work of creative writers throughout the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system by giving them an exclusive and competitive forum to display their work. Visit the journal at http://www.pinetech.edu/inkling/index.html.

Welcome, new Marketing Director Danielle (Dani) Chandonnet

Chandonnet is set to begin work on May 4 as Pine Technical College's Director of Marketing and Admissions in Student Affairs. Most recently, Chandonnet served as Marketing and Business Development Coordinator for the City of Mount Dora, Florida. Prior to her experience in local government, she worked in various roles for public colleges in marketing, student admissions and student recruitment for the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida and Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Florida.

"I'm so happy to bring my set of skills and experience covering marketing and student admissions to Pine Technical College," Chandonnet said. "I'm proud to take this important leadership role for a college that offers so much to the community," Chandonnet added.

Chandonnet earned a BA in public relations from the University of South Florida in 2001. In 2006, Chandonnet earned her MPA, master of public administration, from Troy University. Chandonnet's skills including marketing, special event management, public and community relations, advertising, photography, publication design, survey and market research, public speaking and even fundraising and grant writing will come in handy at Pine Technical College.

American Sign Language students surprise instructor

Creative students in Kathy Krier’s American Sign Language class, delivered via interactive TV, secretly collaborated on a project outside of class to surprise Krier. The nine distance-learning students at Lac Qui Parle Valley High School coordinated and wore matching, bright fuchsia T-shirts to class just days into the new semester. The T-shirts bore a message on the front, “Seniors sign in ’09,” and the back spelled L-Q-P-V in the manual alphabet.

Not to be left out, the students sent Krier her own matching shirt.

The American Sign Language program is taken part-time over a two-year period. Graduates are prepared and/or meet prerequisites for an Interpreter program, gain sign language skills to work and communicate with deaf and hard of hearing people, meet World Language requirements at the high school and college/university level and meet entrance requirements for undergraduate or graduate programs in ASL studies.

Movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," shows in recognition of Earth Month

On April 6, Pine Technical College hosted its first of four (4) Earth Month events. Former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” was shown in the College auditorium to a near full-house. Attendees enjoyed refreshments and a short commentary and introduction from Pine Technical College biological sciences instructor Alexis Grinde.

Grinde recently was honored with a Teaching Award for Excellence, and along with the award, Grinde received a grant to support her ongoing study of global climate change. Grinde has partnered with the College’s Ever Green Club in an effort to promote education on topics involving the environment.

As part of Grinde’s grant project, the four Earth Month events planned for the month of April are designed to achieve two goals: first, to educate both students and members of our community regarding everyday environmental topics, and second, to promote constructive dialogue on sometimes-controversial topics.

Mark your calendars for the next Earth Month event, April 13. The event, “Raptors and Environmental Change,” will feature guest presenters from the Audubon Center and live animal presentations.