November 14, 2018ACTC Chi Epsilon Honor Society is hosting its second annual children’s musical talent show to benefit area youth on Saturday, Dec. 8 in the J.B. Sowards Theatre at the College Drive Campus.
Carols for a Cause will be from 6-8 p.m. and a portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit Hopes and Dreams, a local organization focused on helping children with special needs.
The competition is open to students or groups of students in grades 3-12 to perform vocal or instrumental seasonal and holiday music. Registration is $15 per individual or group and the first 20 registrations will be scheduled to perform. Others will be placed on a wait list and refunded if they do not get to perform. Registration deadline is Nov. 26.
First place will receive $100; second place will receive $75; third place will receive $50.
All audience participants will receive one voting ballot. The ballot will ask for the top three acts (regardless of age, performance type, or individual or group). Only ballots with three votes will be counted. Ballots will be collected and tabulated at the conclusion of all acts. Ties will be awarded an equal prize amount, but only 3 total monetary awards will be given.
Tickets to view the competition are $2 and the sale starts at 4:30 p.m. the day of the competition. Advance ticket sales (maximum of 10) is available for each paid participant/registrant. No refunds are available on advance ticket sales.
Concessions will also be available for purchase by cash or check only. A donation box will also be available for additional cash donations, which will be given directly to Hopes and Dreams.
There will be an intermission half-way through the competition and at the end before the winners are announcement. At intermission, the children who participated in the first portion will be available to join their families in the audience. The children who perform in the second half will need to report to the art room.
Full-time ACTC staff will be stationed in the room where children will be waiting to enter the stage (art room on first floor). Crayons, coloring pages, games, etc. will be provided to help entertain the younger children. They should leave any valuable possessions with parents or guardians. If a parent or guardian would like to sit with a participant they are welcome to do so.
There will be an open rehearsal in the theater from 4-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7. The day of the competition, check-in and sound check will be from 4-5 p.m.
To register or for more information about competition rules, contact Michelle Gollihue at 606-326-2045 or michelle.gollihue@kctcs.edu.
November 5, 2018Ashland Community and Technical College has been recognized as one of the best colleges offering online learning in the nation by the Community for Accredited Online Schools (AccreditedSchoolsOnline.org). As a leading resource for campus and online learning, the site released its annual ranking for the 2018-2019 school year, honoring Ashland Community and Technical College multiple times for its excellence in online learning.
“We are appreciative of this recognition for our online programs,” said Dr. Larry Ferguson, ACTC president and CEO. “It is a testament to the dedication to excellence by our faculty and staff.”
To qualify, schools must be regionally or nationally accredited, hold a not-for-profit status in the United States, and offer at least one online degree. Schools were then ranked based on their quality, affordability, flexibility, and degrees granted to their students.
“We wanted to highlight schools like Ashland Community and Technical College who are providing exceptional online education experiences for their students,” said Doug Jones, CEO and founder of the Community for Accredited Online Schools. “These schools continue to uphold rigorous accreditation standards and show an overall commitment to maximizing student success.”
November 5, 2018Ashland Community and Technical College faculty and staff had much to celebrate at its professional development day on Oct. 5.
Faculty Excellence Awards nominations were made in the following categories:
• Business, Public Service and Technology — David Childress, Randy Cullum and Janet Thompson
• Math and Natural Sciences — Rick Conley, Ashley Cox, Mary Cat Flath, Frances Martin and Hossein Mohebbian
• Manufacturing, Transportation and Industrial Technology — Woody Fosson and Shannon McCarty
• Humanities and Social Science — James Coy Hall, Jonathon Joy, Debra Justice and Laura Tussey
• Health Sciences — Deena Howerton, Natalie Robinson and Susan Wallace-Vernatter
One nominee from each category was chosen as First Among Peers. Those awardees were Janet Thompson, Mary Cat Flath, Woody Fosson, Debra Justice and Deena Howerton.
Woody Fosson was chosen at the President’s First Among Firsts.
Faculty Excellence Award nominees for adjunct instructors, beginning with the First Among Peers winner, were: Lisa Henderson, Judith Cox, Noel Davis, Colleen Griffiths, Pam Porter, Carolyn Preston and Dale Queen.
Staff Excellence Award nominees for support staff were Sarah Klein, Rose French and Roxanne Neal. Nominees in the administrative staff category were Megan Horne, Jason Salyers, Karen Coburn, Robin Lewis and Ron McDavid.
Sarah Klein and Megan Horne were the winners.
Jennifer Allen and Linday Moore II reached educational milestones and were also recognized at the professional development day.
Allen earned a Bachelor of General Business Degree from Morehead State University. Moore earned a Master of Nursing Degree from Indiana Wesleyan University.
Other ACTC staff and faculty were recognized for reaching milestones of employment at the college:
5 years — Susan Wallace-Vernatter and Emma Mullins
10 years — Terry Burton, Lori West, Ashley Skidmore and Pam Miller
15 years — Ruth Leone, Jack Johnson, Sara Brown, Ron McDavid and Curtis Bowman
20 years — David Childress, Jackie McAfee and Kellie Allen
25 years — Dale Thornton
30 years — Ralfred Hall
35 years — Jesse Silver and Farnoosh Rafiee
45 years — Danny Bailey
October 22, 2018Unseasonably warm weather made for a perfect day to tee off during Ashland Community and Technical College’s golf scramble on Monday, Oct. 8.
This was the fifth annual event, which raises money for ACTC’s foundation that administers student scholarships.
Proceeds from this year’s event at Bellefonte Country Club, brought total earnings for student scholarships through the golf scramble to a milestone $100,000 since the event began.
“We are so thankful for the leadership that Dr. Bruce Schaffer has provided in working with our Foundation Board and sponsors to make our annual golf event a huge success,” Dr. Larry Ferguson, ACTC president and CEO, said. “Through their efforts we are providing opportunities for scholarships that will change students’ lives.”
Funds were raised through team registration, 25 hole sponsors and five corporate sponsors: Clark’s Pump-N-Shop, AEP Kentucky Power, Karlene Putnam and Jay (John) and Diane Hannah, Braidy Industries and Community Trust Bank.
Twenty teams participated with Marathon Refinery’s team taking first place. Team members were Jeff Porter, Dave Rice, Greg Jackson and Kenny Patrick.
DESCO Credit Union took second place, with Clark’s Pump N Shop taking third place.
It was a great day with beautiful weather to play golf,” said Brooke Seasor, director of resource development at ACTC. “Because of this event, we are seeing students’ lives change with the help of all our golfers, hole sponsors and corporate sponsors.”
September 25, 2018 Kearsten Peters, of Greenup County, was awarded the Rick Ritchason Memorial Scholarship by Build Ashland.
The Ashland Community and Technical College freshman was chosen to receive the $3,000 scholarship because of her extensive volunteer service.
Wes Thompson, board member of Build Ashland, said Peters’ application was “impeccable” and imbodied the meaning behind the scholarship, which was created in memory of Rick Ritchason and his commitment to community service.
“He was the embodiment of volunteerism,” Thompson said. “He was with everything from Build Ashland to Ashland in Motion, Summer Motion, River Cities Harvest. If you went anywhere you ran in to Rick. Rick was just and endlessly positive person. When he passed away, we decided we wanted to do something to honor him and this scholarship idea came up.”
During her high school years, Peters was actively involved in community service activities organized by her school and those she organized herself.
She has volunteered decorating and serving meals in nursing homes, worked with a backpack program, bell ringing for the Salvation Army, wrote letters to soldiers, coordinated efforts to make a Veterans Day video for her community, participated in the LEO Club and National Honor Society, raised money for a camp for the blind and deaf, helped with Toys for Tots, volunteered with vacation Bible school, among many others.
“I just think it’s fun,” she said. “I think it is an awesome opportunity, especially for me, to go out and get to meet new people. And I get to help people while I’m at it, so that’s always rewarding.”
Peters is attending ACTC to get her Associate in Arts degree and plans to transfer to a four-year university to student marketing and advertising.
She said she looked forward to continuing her community service efforts throughout college.
Thompson said Build Ashland fundraise for another scholarship next year. Those interested in donating to the Rick Ritchason Memorial Scholarship fund can visit www.buildashland.org/volunteer/ and click on the donate button. Donations to the scholarship should be marked with a “scholarship” notation.
A link to scholarship application is also on the Build Ashland website. To be eligible for the scholarship, the student must be a resident of Boyd or Greenup County, be active in community service, have a GPA of at least 2.5 and plan to attend ACTC.
In addition to the scholarship application, applicants are also required to submit a typed essay or video documenting their community service involvement.
