Month: April 2019

South Suburban College’s Adult Volunteer Literacy Program is Offering Free Services and Seeking Volunteer Tutors

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SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–South Suburban College is currently seeking tutors and participants for the Adult Volunteer Literacy Tutoring Program. The program is structured to train volunteers to become one-on-one tutors for adults in need of basic literacy skills. Instruction in basic literacy includes the development of phonetic reading skills combined with communication skills. SSC is encouraging residents to take this opportunity to volunteer as a tutor or encourage someone you know to take advantage of the free program.

Illiteracy is an issue that can be debilitating in so many ways for adults who never received the proper instruction. Adults who are unable to read have a much more difficult time with many daily activities that others may take for granted, along with a clear disadvantage in today’s competitive job market.

New tutor Summer Semester Training Sessions will take place at the college’s Main Campus in South Holland on May 20-23rd from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. The tutor training is a 12-hour program that culminates with Literacy Training Certification. Once certified, the tutors will go out to visit their adult learners at locations in or near their neighborhoods.

Tutoring sites have been established at the following locations: Acorn Public Library, Oak Forest; Glenwood-Lynwood Library; Harvey Public Library; Phoenix Library; Calumet City Public Library; Grande Prairie Library, Hazel Crest; Homewood Public Library; South Holland Public Library; South Suburban College Library, Main Campus; Oak Forest Center Library, Oak Forest; Lansing Public Library; Dolton Public Library; Riverdale Public Library; Markham Public Library and Midlothian Public Library. Tutoring schedules are based on the availability of the tutors and the learners, and the availability of space and hours of the tutoring sites.

Tutors will receive free professional development services throughout this program. Successful tutors are also eligible for letters of support or recommendation for jobs, scholarships, educational opportunities, and more. These opportunities are made possible by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library (ISL), a division of the Office of Secretary of State, using state funds designated for literacy.

If you would like to register for the upcoming volunteer tutor training class, or if you know someone who could benefit from tutoring services, please contact Raylynn Stokes, Literacy Coach of the Adult Volunteer Literacy Program, at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2558, or email rstokes@ssc.edu. South Suburban College is located at 15800 S. State St., South Holland, Illinois. SSC’s Office of Adult Education administers the Adult Volunteer Literacy Tutoring Program in addition to High School Equivalency (HSE), English as a Second Language (ESL), and Adult Basic Education (ABE).

Athletic Uniforms and Supplies – REVISED

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Please quote us your net cost on the following: athletic uniforms and supplies. Sealed bids will be received up to the hour of 9:00 AM on May 15, 2019, in room 2115. Bids will be opened at that time in the President’s Conference Room, 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois. This is a public bid opening.

Bid was awarded on June 13, 2019.

Bulldogs’ Lewis Named All-American, Selected for National All-Star Game in Las Vegas

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SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–South Suburban College Men’s Basketball student-athlete Rhyss Lewis recently received two major post-season honors when he was named All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II along with being selected to play in their National All-Star Game in Las Vegas, NV.

A sophomore guard, Lewis averaged 26.6 points, 3.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 steals this season for the Bulldogs. He represents the 10th First Team All-American under Head Coach John Pigatti in his 13 seasons at South Suburban. Lewis led the Bulldogs to the District III Championship Game and a 28-4 record this season. He was previously named to the All-Tournament Team and District III Player-of-the-Year.

“Being recognized as All-American is a great honor,” said Lewis. “A lot of credit goes to my coaches and teammates—we stayed together through a lot of changes and really had a great season.”

Lewis, a graduate of Chesterton High School in Indiana, came to SSC in 2019 after one year at Iowa Western.

“Coach Pigatti toughened me up, made me take responsibility and become more mature, and South Suburban College provided the tools and academic support to be successful,” said Lewis. “This entire experience taught me how to overcome adversity.”

The All-Star game will be played on Saturday, May 18th at 4:30 p.m. CT in the Orleans Arena. The game will feature the best players in the country from NJCAA Division I, II, and III schools.

“I am very happy for Rhyss,” said Coach Pigatti. “He has been through a lot and worked very hard this season to get to this point. Being named 1st Team All-American and to the NJCAA National All-Star Game is very special. Rhyss has a very bright future in this game. We were very lucky to have a person of his quality representing the school.”

For more information, contact Coach Pigatti at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2524, or email jpigatti@ssc.edu. SSC is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois.

Photo of Rhyss Lewis Photo of Rhyss Lewis

Satellite Copiers

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Please quote us your net cost on the following: Satellite Copiers on a Cost per Copy Basis

Sealed proposals will be received up to the hour of 10:00 AM on May 9, 2019, in room 2115. Proposals will be opened at that time in the Board Room, 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois. This is a public proposal opening.

Mandatory Pre-proposal Meeting:
May 2, 2019 10:00 AM in the Board Room

Proposal Opening:
May 9, 2019 at 10:00 AM in the President’s Conference Room

AWARD
The Satellite Copiers contract was awarded to Martin Whalen Office Solutions of Bolingbrook, Illinois on June 13, 2019.

Babatunde Adamson Takes His Seat as the New Student Trustee at South Suburban College

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SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–South Suburban College (SSC) student Babatunde Adamson, of Hazel Crest, was recently sworn in by Marty Lareau, SSC Vice President and Board Secretary, for his first term as the new Student Trustee at the college’s April Board Meeting. He was warmly welcomed to his new post by Chairman Frank M. Zuccarelli.

“Welcome, Student Trustee Adamson, we look forward to getting to know you and helping you learn about the educational process and board governance,” said Zuccarelli, a 40-year veteran of the Illinois Community College Trustee’s Association (ICCTA). “Your participation and input on behalf of SSC students will be very important to us.”

Adamson, 21, moved to the United States from Nigeria a little more than two years ago with his father and sister. He began pursuing his college education at SSC in the Spring 2017 Semester. His sister currently attends the University of Illinois–Chicago.

“I have had a great experience at South Suburban; the college faculty and support services have really provided me with a good foundation for success,” said Adamson.
Adamson is pursuing his Political Science degree at SSC and one day hopes to follow in his mother’s footsteps as a foreign services officer.

“I’m very excited to serve on the SSC Board of Trustees,” added Adamson. “I wanted to get involved and become a voice for the students. I hope and do as much as I can for them and that this opportunity will help me be the best I can be.”

New Student Trustee Babatunde Adamson (pictured at right) took his seat for the first time at the April 11thmeeting of the Board of Trustees.
South Suburban College’s new Student Trustee Babatunde Adamson (pictured at right) took his seat for the first time at the April 11thmeeting of the Board of Trustees.

South Suburban College Recognizes High School Students at 12th Annual Video Competition

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SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–South Suburban College (SSC), with the assistance of Career Development Systems (CDS), hosted the 12th Annual Video Competition on Thursday, April 4, 2019, in the Kindig Performing Arts Center. The competition showcases talent from high schools as well as provides tours of the college’s facilities, including the television studio, audio studio and multimedia lab.

Communication Professor John Geraci and other SSC staff welcomed high school students and their families to the event. “This year’s event was bittersweet for me,” said Geraci. “I’ll be retiring in May and I’ve been involved with this competition since it began. I’ve really enjoyed it. Over the years, a few students that have participated in this event have enrolled in my production classes. I hope they continue to choose SSC for their college education.”

Seven high schools submitted entries into the competition: Bremen, Eisenhower, Oak Forest, Richards, Shepard, Southland Prep and Thornwood. Students entered work in eight different categories: Commercial/Promo, PSA, Short Subject, Music Video, Live Multi-Camera Program, Creative Editing, News Story or Feature and News Program. The 51 entries were judged on aesthetic quality, technical quality, program design and overall effectiveness.

In addition to the student awards, high schools competed for the Regional Award of Distinction, which is determined by the highest average score per entry. Ivan Aragon, a senior at Richards High School, accepted this award on behalf of his school. His goal is to study cinematography and movie directing in college. Aragon credits his teacher, Brian Wujcik, for their overall success. “He is an amazing instructor. He did a really good job preparing us for the competition this year. This is the first time Richards has won this award, and I’m excited that our hard work paid off.”

The student awards for each category are as follows:

Commercial/Promo: First Place, “This is Shepard, We Are Astros” – Shepard; Second Place, “Locked In” – Thornwood; Third Place, “Winterfest” – Bremen.

PSA: First Place, “You Are Not Alone” – Eisenhower; Second Place, “Tell Me Your Story” – Shepard; Third Place, “Domestic Violence” – Thornwood.

Short Subject: First Place, “Unprepared” – Bremen; Second Place, “Snapped” – Eisenhower; Third Place, “Escape from LEGO City” – Richards.

Music Video: First Place, “Laundry” – Shepard; Second Place, “So Far Away” – Richards; Third Place, “Holiday Mashup” – Bremen.

Live Multi-Camera Program: First Place, “The Late Night Show” – Bremen; Second Place, “Late Show with Michael” – Oak Forest.

Creative Editing: First Place, “The Purge: Rosewood” – Thornwood; Second Place, “A.I.” – Shepard; Third Place, “Man Up” – Shepard.

News Story or Feature: First Place, “Pancake Breakfast” – Eisenhower; Second Place, “Petting Farm” – Southland Prep; Third Place, “Behind the Scenes of Stage Crew” – Eisenhower.

News Program: First Place, “Talon Newsnet Ch. 5 Q1” – Southland Prep; Second Place, “Astroworld Media 3/1/2019” – Shepard.

Photo of John Geraci and Ivan Aragon
Pictured: John Geraci (left), South Suburban College Communications instructor, alongside Ivan Aragon (right), Harold L. Richards High School Senior, with the Regional Award of Distinction at the 12th Annual SSC Video Competition.

Earth Awareness Day Activities Coming to South Suburban College’s Main Campus on April 23

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SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–The South Suburban College Green Club is pleased to host a Sustainability Fair this month to celebrate Earth Week. On Tuesday, April 23, 2019, the movie “Home,” a documentary by French director Yann Arthus-Bertrand, will be shown in Lecture Hall C from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Through visually stunning footage from over fifty countries, all shot from an aerial perspective, Yann Arthus–Bertrand provides a viewpoint most have never seen. Popcorn will be provided. Afterwards, SSC Biology Faculty Eric Myers will give a lecture on sustainability and our future.

Additionally, guests are welcome to visit the college’s Atrium from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and browse the many “green” vendors. There will be an oak sapling giveaway to the first 50 customers, a free reusable bag for the first 30 customers, a book collection, glasses collection, old cellphone collection, plastic bags recycling, clothing and shoes donations, and a free seed giveaway. A recycled art gallery will be displayed in the glass case outside the library.

The Sustainability Committee was established in 2011 to coordinate SSC’s efforts in sustainability leadership within its community. Its number one goal is to educate staff and students about how to practice environmental stewardship at home and in the community.

SSC’s Main Campus is located at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, Illinois. Visit www.ssc.edu/calendar for more information about upcoming events at SSC.

SSC’s Court Reporting Program is Hosting an Open House at the Oak Forest Center on May 9th

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OAK FOREST, IL–South Suburban College (SSC) is hosting a Court Reporting Open House on Thursday, May 9th from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Oak Forest Center. The Open House will showcase this unique profession and wide-open job market, along with SSC’s program and curriculum. SSC is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and its Court Reporting Program is one of a few in the Chicagoland that is certified by the National Court Reporters Association.

Court reporters use machine shorthand to capture the spoken word quickly and accurately. The use of sophisticated computer equipment has broadened the nature of the profession. SSC’s program focuses on the theory behind it all, with an emphasis on judicial reporting.

Court reporting is an interesting, challenging field that can provide a flexible work schedule with excellent income potential. Broadcast captioners, for example, can earn over $100,000 per year and may work out of their homes. There is a severe shortage of skilled reporters in the Chicago area, and courts need court reporters to record trials of all types. Reporters also provide closed captioning of live television such as the news and sporting events such as football, baseball, and basketball games to aid the hearing impaired.

To RSVP or for more information, call (708) 596-2000, ext. 3217 or email LCooke@ssc.edu The Oak Forest Center is located at 16333 S. Kilbourn, Oak Forest, Illinois.