SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–On April 27, 2015, over 300 students were impacted by the Teacher for a Day partnership between South Suburban College (SSC) and Junior Achievement (JA) of Chicago. Administrators, faculty and students from the college partnered with Junior Achievement in celebration of their 75^th Anniversary. Junior Achievement has enjoyed a legacy in providing young people K-12 with economic education programs that focus on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Junior Achievement’s mission of educating and inspiring young people to succeed in a global economy is in alignment with the strategic direction of South Suburban College.

Having already reached hundreds of students within the south suburban area, at the request of Junior Achievement, SSC committed to impacting a city school. SSC adopted Orville T. Bright Elementary School (located at 10740 S. Calhoun, Chicago) for a day as part of the program. The school has 11 open classrooms. The SSC volunteers led discussions and guided hands-on activities to help students understand business and economics.

In additional to the learning activities, students were given the opportunity to meet higher education professionals who shared their educational and career paths. Two of the volunteers were SSC students: Janet Herrera (majoring in Criminal Justice) and Berenise Villagrana (majoring in Sociology).

“Efforts such as the Teacher for a Day help promote educational attainment beyond high school completion,” said Don Manning, SSC President, and member of the JA Board. “We value our relationship with Junior Achievement to engage young people at both the elementary and high school levels. We have the ability to expose these students to opportunities that may hopefully lead to the successful, rewarding careers they deserve in the future.”

Manning added that SSC looks forward to partnering with other non-profit organizations with similar initiatives that promote life-long learning.

Established in 1927, South Suburban College is a fully accredited, comprehensive community college with a diverse annual student population of more than 15,000. With locations in South Holland and Oak Forest, Illinois, SSC offers instruction in more than 100 career paths leading to certificates and Associate Degrees and transferable credit.

For more information, please call (708) 596-2000 or visit www.ssc.edu

SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–South Suburban College’s Office of Continuing Education and STEM Department are partnering to offer courses to help fill the summer days with activities that will inspire and challenge kids and young adults. SSC is pleased to offer several STEM for Kids classes at the Main Campus in South Holland in June and July for grade school and high school students:

Graphic Design
Cost: $75 includes materials; open to 9th-12th grade students
Monday through Thursday, June 22-25, 12:00 noon – 3:00 p.m., Main Campus Room, 4431 
Graphic design is a class that teaches art, design and technology. In this class students will use design as a creative process in communication. Students will also explore various methods used to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. Students will use the basic elements and principles of art and also learn how to use the basics of an Apple Macintosh (MAC) computer and computer programs: Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop CS6. This class teaches the basics of Graphic Design through an illustrative and corporate view.

PC Repair and Home Wi-Fi Installation
Cost: $50 includes materials; open to 9th-12th grade students
Monday through Thursday, June 29-July 2, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Main Campus, Room 3348
Students will be introduced to the major components of a computer, how to upgrade memory, test electrical voltage in the computer, and ensure their home wall voltage outlets meet electrical standards for computers use. The students will learn the importance of certified network/Internet cables and proper installation with certification testing equipment. Students will install a home Wi-Fi router, connect an iPad to a network, setup email, and communicate with their fellow students.

2-D and 3-D Design
Cost: $75 includes materials; open to 5th-12th grade students
Tuesday through Thursday, July 7-July 9, 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m., Main Campus, Room 2368
Students will be introduced to the field of Computer-Aided Design and Drafting; including 2D and 3D prototyping. Students will use AutoCad AutoDesk 2013 software as well as other types of software available. Students will plan and create a mechanical or architectural design.

Robotics and Electronics
Cost: $75 includes materials; open to 5th-12th grade students
Monday through Thursday, July 13-16, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Instructor will meet students inside Main Campus Student Entrance
Students will be introduced to a variety of topics related to Robotics and Electronics such as design, programming, artificial intelligence (AI) and building. This class will teach students how to build a robot using the fundamentals from electrical and mechanical engineering and computers.

First time non-credit students should visit the Admissions Office, Room 2348, or call Continuing Education at (708) 596-2000 ext. 2231 to get started. For questions about these classes or STEM programs at SSC, please contact Anna Helwig, STEM Dean, at (708) 210-5706.

SOUTH HOLLAND, IL – The South Suburban College Sustainability Committee is pleased to announce its 5th annual Earth Awareness Day to be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Main Campus in South Holland. All of the Earth Awareness Day presentations and activities are completely free of charge and open to the public.

The Cook County Environmental Control will also be hosting a prescription drug take-back throughout the day in the Atrium (including: liquids, inhalers and mercury thermometers; excluding: controlled substances, needles and syringes), and there will be an e-waste collection for used electronics and computers conducted by the Keeling Family Foundation and the VetTech.US Program.

The Earth Awareness Day presentation schedule is as follows:

9:30 a.m. Sustainability: What Sand Ridge Center has to Offer

11:00 a.m. The Tim Heppner Artist Studio

12:30 p.m. Growing Minds, Shrinking Runoff: Rain Gardens at SSC

2:00 p.m. AFT Speaker: Bluegreen Alliance

The Sustainability Committee was established in 2011 to coordinate SSC’s efforts in sustainability leadership within its community, and has adopted the following vision statement:

South Suburban College strives to be a leader in sustainability efforts. This mission is achieved in several ways. College initiatives include, but are not limited to, renovating College buildings for energy efficiency, purchasing a percentage of renewable energy and eco-friendly products, encouraging campus programs that incorporate reducing, reusing and recycling, providing contemporary training for the green economy and supplying sustainability information and forums to the College district. Our most important goal is to educate our staff and students to practice environmental stewardship at home and in the community.

SSC’s Main Campus is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois. For more information, please call (708) 210-5757.

SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–South Suburban College (SSC) with the assistance of Career Development System (CDS) hosted the 8th Annual South Suburban College Video Competition on Thursday, April 2, 2015, in the Kindig Performing Arts Center. The competition showcases talent from area high schools as well as provides students with a tour of the college’s facilities, featuring the television studio/control room, audio studio/control room, and multimedia lab.

“The competition is a great opportunity for high school students and their parents to see the new technology we have throughout the facilities,” said SSC Communication Instructor John Geraci.
“The turn-out for the event was great and the skill level continues to exceed my expectations every year.”

Eight local high schools submitted entries to the competition including Bremen, Eisenhower, Hillcrest, Oak Forest, Richards, Thornton Township, Thornwood, and Tinley Park. Students entered work in seven different categories: Commercial, PSA, Short Subject, Music Video, Creative Editing, News Story or Feature, and News Program. The 61 entries were judged on aesthetic quality, technical quality, program design and overall effectiveness.

SSC Assistant Vice President of Academic Services and Institutional Effectiveness Ronald Kawanna, Jr. was inspired by the students’ creativity. “Events like our High School Video contest remind us why we are all here,” Kawanna stated. “Our future will depend on these young students, and our future looks bright if this is a demonstration of things to come.”

In addition to the student awards, high schools competed among each other for the Regional Award of Distinction. Hillcrest High School won this award, having the highest average score per entry.

Michael Lynch (Communication Arts and Technology Instructor for District 228) said, “The creativity and work ethic of the Hillcrest students this year is the reason for their success. We concentrate on storytelling in the program, and this year’s Hillcrest crew took the elements of storytelling to another level.”

The student awards for each category are as follows:

Commercial: First Place, “Honda” – Bremen; Second Place, “Ike’s Next Top Anchor” – Eisenhower; Third Place, “Nike” – Bremen.

PSA: First Place, “Signs” – Bremen; Second Place, “Drugs Destroy Futures” – Eisenhower; Third Place, “R.C.H.A.” – Eisenhower.

Short Subject: First Place, “Romeo and Nope-iet” – Bremen; Second Place, “The Joneses” – Bremen; Third Place (tie), “Disconnection” – Hillcrest, “Trapped” – Bremen.

Music Video: First Place, “A Fire Love” – Hillcrest; Second Place, “Keep It Moving” – Thornton Township; Third Place, “Give Me Love” – Eisenhower.

Creative Editing: First Place, “Still I Rise” – Thornton Township; Second Place, “Stop the Violence” – Eisenhower; Third Place, “Never Give Up” – Thornton Township.

News Story or Feature: First Place, “Motown Showdown” – Thornwood; Second Place, “Freshman Tips” – Thornwood; Third Place, “R.M.H.C.” – Eisenhower.

News Program: First Place, “Friday Flash” – Eisenhower; Second Place, “Millennial Monthly” – Tinley Park; Third Place, “Hawkscast Winter 2015 Edition” – Hillcrest.

SOUTH HOLLAND, IL– South Suburban College will be hosting several upcoming program-specific Open Houses to inform prospective and current students about programs, curriculum and careers. The current Open House schedule at both the Main Campus in South Holland and the Oak Forest Center is as follows:

Echocardiography Program Open House
Wednesday, April 15, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Main Campus Atrium
zharoun@ssc.edu

Court Reporting Program Open Houses
Thursday, April 23, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Room 5190, Oak Forest Center
Thursday, July 16, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Room 5190, Oak Forest Center
lcooke@ssc.edu

Music Department Open House
Tuesday, April 28, 5: 00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Room 1137, Main Campus
gchou@ssc.edu

Law Day (Paralegal, Criminal Justice, and Court Reporting)
Friday, May 1, Main Campus
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., LIVE First District Appellate Court Case, Performing Arts Center
12 noon – 2:00 p.m., Demonstrations in the Atrium and MB Financial Bank Business Suite
lawday@ssc.edu

Non Credit CNA–Basic Nurse Assistant Training Open Houses
Wednesday, April 29, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Main Campus Atrium
Wednesday, July 15, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Main Campus Cafeteria
jmabry@ssc.edu

Engineering Programs Open House (CAD, AET, and EET)
Tuesday, April 28, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., MB Financial Bank Business Suite, Main Campus
This Open House was originally planned for April 14 but has been rescheduled for April 28.
ahelwig@ssc.edu

Paralegal Open House
Tuesday, May 19, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Room 5190, Oak Forest Center.
jcieslik@ssc.edu

Open Registration for the Summer 2015 Semester at South Suburban College (SSC) is now in progress. Summer classes begin Monday, June 8th at the college’s Main Campus and Oak Forest Center. The summer session allows students to begin or continue their college experience with SSC, or to come home from their four year institution to take additional credits conveniently and at a more affordable rate. SSC is also offering a special 50% discount for summer classes at the Oak Forest Center. The discount is only applicable at the Oak Forest Center in order to promote expanded offerings at this location, and is good for all credit classes on a first come, first served basis.

Contact the Office of Admissions at (708) 210-5718 for enrollment information or visit ssc.edu. SSC’s Main Campus is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois. The Oak Forest Center is located at 16333 South Kilbourn Avenue, Oak Forest, Illinois.