Page 72 - BusinessWest October 12, 2020

STCC Virtual Open House
Oct. 14-15: Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will hold its annual fall open house on two dates: Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Thursday, Oct. 15 from 1 to 3:30 p.m., in a virtual format. High-school students, adult learners, and their family members can log into Zoom and meet virtually with representatives from the college’s degree and certificate programs and departments. For information about
Agenda
registering to attend the virtual event, visit stcc.edu/apply/open-house. Open to the public, STCC’s open house is
an opportunity for anyone thinking about becoming a student to learn more about what the college has to offer, including associate-degree and certificate programs, transfer oppor- tunities, financial aid, athletics and student life, online learning, work- force-training options, high-school equivalency exam (HiSET), and class- es for English language learners. Rep- resentatives from specific programs and departments will hold breakout sessions to speak with anyone who joins. For more information, contact the STCC Admissions Office at (413) 755-3333 or [email protected]. To apply to STCC, visit stcc.edu/apply. STCC is accepting applications for Fall Flex Term 2, which starts Oct. 28, and for the spring term, which begins in January.
Cannabis Career Training
Oct. 17-18: Holyoke Community Col- lege (HCC) and its new community partner, Elevate Northeast, are launch- ing a revitalized cannabis career train- ing program in October for those who want to work in the industry. The pro- gram, offered through the Cannabis Education Center, begins the weekend
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of Oct. 17-18 with two days of required core curriculum training over Zoom. The cost of the two-day core training session is $595. To register, visit hcc. edu/cannabis-core. Each day will be broken down into two sessions: 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4 p.m. Each ses-
sion will include presentations from cannabis-industry experts followed by a question-and-answer period. Students who complete the core train- ing will then be eligible to register
for spring 2021 classes in one of four cannabis-industry career tracks: culti- vation assistant, extraction technician, patient-services associate, or culinary assistant. Dates for the spring career- track training sessions have not yet been announced.
Westfield State University Virtual Information Session
Oct. 19: The College of Graduate and Continuing Education (CGCE) at Westfield State University (WSU) will host a virtual information session for its master of education and master
of arts in English programs at 6 p.m. on Zoom. These graduate programs are designed to accommodate both working teachers seeking professional licensure and new educators seeking initial licensure. The master of educa- tion programs include early childhood education, elementary education, biology, mathematics, history, moder- ate disabilities, and reading specialist. The non-licensure master of educa- tion has concentrations in history and vocational-technical. WSU also offers graduate English programs with initial or professional licensure, as well as a non-licensure track. WSU offers after- noon and evening courses during the fall, spring, and summer sessions as well as full-time or part-time matricu- lation options. Information session attendees will have an opportunity to speak with Outreach Team members and faculty about the program and its application process. The $50 applica- tion fee will be waived for informa-
tion-session attendees. To RSVP, visit www.gobacknow.com. For more infor- mation, call (413) 572-8020 or e-mail [email protected].
Forest Park Zoo Virtual Trivia Night
Oct. 21: The Zoo in Forest Park will host its second Virtual Trivia Night
at 7 p.m. The event will take place
on Zoom. The game will consist of four Halloween-inspired categories, each containing 15 multiple-choice questions. Players can either use a smartphone or a second browser to submit answers during the game. To play, the zoo is recommending a $25 donation per player, but the event is pay-what-you-can. Proceeds will help mitigate the increased costs of animal care during the winter. Donations can be made at www.forestparkzoo.org/ events-1/trivia-night. Pre-registration is required. E-mail Tyson at gabry@ forestparkzoo.com to register a team. Players can opt to play as an individ- ual or on a team of up to six people. Registration is capped at 50 teams. The zoo will award prizes to the top teams.
Unify Against Bullying Annual Fashion Show
Oct. 26: High-school students of all shapes, sizes, styles, ethnicity, and physical abilities from schools in Western Mass. and Northern Conn. will strut their stuff at a fashion show celebrating true diversity. In this unprecedented time, the Unify Against Bullying team has decided to stream the event free on Facebook Live for
all to enjoy. One addition this year is an online auction where individuals can bid on prizes from the comfort of their home. The organization will also accept donations during the event to support their mission and the youth they serve. Delaney’s Market is offer- ing a Unify meal package to order, pay for, and pick up curbside at one
of four locations to make the event
a party with family and friends. For information on streaming, sponsor- ship, and program advertising, visit www.unifyagainstbullying.org or call (413) 304-0668.
Bright Nights at Forest Park
Nov. 25 to Jan. 3: Bright Nights at For- est Park will take place this year. Spirit of Springfield and the city of Spring- field have developed protocols to pro- vide a safe and festive event that has been a holiday tradition since 1995. They will be instituted during setup, breakdown, and during the event,
and include masks, regular cleaning, online ticketing, and more. Restrooms will be for emergency use only, and the usual bustling gift shop, amuse- ment rides, horse-drawn wagon and carriage rides, and visits and supper with Santa will not be available. This will help keep all visitors safe and socially distanced in their vehicles during the experience. Bright Nights at Forest Park is three miles of a unique holiday experience featuring more than 675,000 lights and iconic dis- plays like Seuss Land, Everett Barney Mansion, Toy Land, Happy Holidays, Springfield, and so many more. It gen- erates $15 million in economic impact annually and has created a lifetime
of family memories in its 25-year his- tory. It also promises to be one of the safest events, with families contained in their cars. Admission will be $23 per car weeknights, weekdays, and holidays. Discounted tickets will be available at participating Big Y World Class Markets for $16.50. Due to bus- capacity limitations in Massachusetts, admission for buses has been reduced to $100 for buses with capacity of more than 30 people. Vehicles with seating from 17 to 30 people will be charged $50 for admission.
the amount of funding it can deploy. Local organizations with proposals for economically sustainable programs
can now apply for investments of up to $250,000. These proposals must be at the pilot stage or later and already have significant evidence of demand and viability. Innovation Accelerator trains nonprof- its to develop high-impact social ventures. Alumni have gone from sticky notes on a whiteboard to live programs that have raised more than $1 million in seed funding. Each team that participates in the flag- ship accelerator program generates mission-aligned ideas, gathers concrete evidence, and receives direct feedback from the Beveridge Foundation and other funders.
ly increasing
Education Equity Focus of Grant to Holyoke Community College
HOLYOKE — When Holyoke Community College (HCC) unveiled its four-year strategic plan in 2018, one of its top priorities was increasing success rates of students of color. That aligned with goals estab- lished by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE), which in the same year made equity the top policy and performance objective for the entire state public higher-education system. To support those ongoing efforts, the Lumina Founda- tion recently awarded the Massachusetts DHE grants worth $1.2 million, with half the money earmarked for six state colleges and universities, including HCC. HCC’s $100,000 award will be used to further the work of its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion task force and expand mentorship programs that focus on stu-
dents of color. Through its Talent, Innovation, Equity, and Equity Institution grants, the Lumina Founda- tion seeks to dismantle systemic barriers to student success and degree attainment, particularly for black and Latinx students. Massachusetts was only the
fifth state to receive grants from the Lumina Founda- tion, an independent, private foundation based in Indianapolis. Latinx students participating in HCC’s ALANA Men in Motion program show a fall-to-fall retention rate of 75%, compared to 45% for Latinx students not participating in ALANA, an academic support, mentoring, and counseling program for Afri- can-American, Latino, Asian, and Native American men. HCC’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion group focuses on making sure students of color succeed at the same rate as their white peers, using benchmarks such as retention and college completion rates.
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