Success Story: 63 years of community, food & fun

May 9, 2018 | Intercom, Student News

May 9, 2018

Traverse City’s Oleson family and the NMC Barbecue go together, well, like buffalo burgers and a nice spring day on campus. But many more community volunteers and groups help make the annual picnic under the pines happen every year. In advance of this year’s May 20 Barbecue, we look at a few:

Traverse City Noon Rotary

The noon Rotarians have handled the grill as far back as memory goes.

“I have flipped burgers for 25 years, 30 years, as long as I’ve been in Rotary,” said Sid Lammers. “It builds fellowship in the club.”

Lammers’ Barbecue attendance goes back even further, to when he moved to Traverse City as a boy in 1968. He attended NMC from 1971-72, then transferred to Central Michigan University. He returned to the community to raise a family and run a business. Now, between 15-20 extended family members make it a point to attend the Barbecue every year.

“The event is not to be missed in my family,” Lammers said. “I appreciate the college, I appreciate the Olesons and what they’ve done for it.”

U.S. Coast Guard

Command Master Chief Al Wiltse has only been stationed at Air Station Traverse City for three years, but his predecessor made sure he knew to set aside the third Sunday in May.

“We volunteer because Traverse City is a wonderful community to be stationed in,” Wiltse said. “This is a very highly desirable area for Coast Guard folks. The city treats us magnificently, and it our duty and obligation to give back to the community.”

Working the serving lines, as the Coasties usually do, is fun, too, Wiltse said.

“We always have a blast. It’s a lot of fun. Our spouses and our kids get involved,” he said. “We’re honored to be asked every year.”

Real Estate One

The company has been volunteering for 26 years, said Realtor Clint Wheeler.

“As a real estate company, it’s very important for us to give back to the community and help the community grow,” Wheeler said. “It couldn’t be for a better cause. It’s always been important to be part of it.”

This year, volunteer Realtors Leanne and Lyle Deeren have an extra reason to show up for serving line duty. Daughter Sierra, a Traverse City West High School senior, will enroll this fall in the nursing program.

“I just feel like I have a little bit closer connection to it now, now that my daughter’s going to be there,” Leanne Deeren said. “It’s fun to see so many people gathering to support a great school.”

Zonta

Sporting their signature yellow aprons, 18 Zontans will fill two shifts in the serving lines, dishing out coleslaw, potato salad and of course the buffalo burgers.

“We love seeing the people going through the line and all the happy faces,” said Zonta board member Nancy Brick.

She usually volunteers as a “runner,” notifying the kitchen crew when a serving line is running low.

“The runners all help each other’s lines,” Brick said. “We love participating with other fellow community organizations in line next to us.”

Other groups and clubs with longtime volunteer ties to the Barbecue include the Traverse City Optimists, Kiwanis, Elks, Newcomers, Traverse City State Bank, Hagerty Macy’s and the National Cherry Festival.

Advance tickets are $6 (plus a $1.25 online service fee) when purchased online at MyNorthTickets. Tickets can also be purchased for $6 at Oleson’s Food Stores, many financial institutions and on NMC’s main campus, or for $8 at the gate on Barbecue Day, May 20.

GRASP Reading and Math summer program – Grades K-8

May 9, 2018 | Intercom, Student News

The GRASP reading and math program, offered through Extended Educational Services each summer, helps maintain these critical skills.

GRASP is an at-home program for students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Students complete one lesson a week and then mail it to reading and math teachers who review, score and return each assignment. The GRASP teachers recognize the flexibility of a student’s summer vacation, allowing the family to mail each lesson from anywhere their summer travels take them.

The price is $75 for one subject ($85 after May 16), or $129 for both subjects ($139 after May 16). Staff tuition waivers apply ($35 for one subject; $49 for both). Partial financial assistance is available for those who qualify.

To register or to learn more about the GRASP program, call NMC Extended Educational Services at (231) 995-1700.

Success Story: 63 years of community, food & fun

May 9, 2018 | Intercom, Student News

May 9, 2018

Traverse City’s Oleson family and the NMC Barbecue go together, well, like buffalo burgers and a nice spring day on campus. But many more community volunteers and groups help make the annual picnic under the pines happen every year. In advance of this year’s May 20 Barbecue, we look at a few:

Traverse City Noon Rotary

The noon Rotarians have handled the grill as far back as memory goes.

“I have flipped burgers for 25 years, 30 years, as long as I’ve been in Rotary,” said Sid Lammers. “It builds fellowship in the club.”

Lammers’ Barbecue attendance goes back even further, to when he moved to Traverse City as a boy in 1968. He attended NMC from 1971-72, then transferred to Central Michigan University. He returned to the community to raise a family and run a business. Now, between 15-20 extended family members make it a point to attend the Barbecue every year.

“The event is not to be missed in my family,” Lammers said. “I appreciate the college, I appreciate the Olesons and what they’ve done for it.”

U.S. Coast Guard

Command Master Chief Al Wiltse has only been stationed at Air Station Traverse City for three years, but his predecessor made sure he knew to set aside the third Sunday in May.

“We volunteer because Traverse City is a wonderful community to be stationed in,” Wiltse said. “This is a very highly desirable area for Coast Guard folks. The city treats us magnificently, and it our duty and obligation to give back to the community.”

Working the serving lines, as the Coasties usually do, is fun, too, Wiltse said.

“We always have a blast. It’s a lot of fun. Our spouses and our kids get involved,” he said. “We’re honored to be asked every year.”

Real Estate One

The company has been volunteering for 26 years, said Realtor Clint Wheeler.

“As a real estate company, it’s very important for us to give back to the community and help the community grow,” Wheeler said. “It couldn’t be for a better cause. It’s always been important to be part of it.”

This year, volunteer Realtors Leanne and Lyle Deeren have an extra reason to show up for serving line duty. Daughter Sierra, a Traverse City West High School senior, will enroll this fall in the nursing program.

“I just feel like I have a little bit closer connection to it now, now that my daughter’s going to be there,” Leanne Deeren said. “It’s fun to see so many people gathering to support a great school.”

Zonta

Sporting their signature yellow aprons, 18 Zontans will fill two shifts in the serving lines, dishing out coleslaw, potato salad and of course the buffalo burgers.

“We love seeing the people going through the line and all the happy faces,” said Zonta board member Nancy Brick.

She usually volunteers as a “runner,” notifying the kitchen crew when a serving line is running low.

“The runners all help each other’s lines,” Brick said. “We love participating with other fellow community organizations in line next to us.”

Other groups and clubs with longtime volunteer ties to the Barbecue include the Traverse City Optimists, Kiwanis, Elks, Newcomers, Traverse City State Bank, Hagerty Macy’s and the National Cherry Festival.

Math Bootcamp

May 7, 2018 | Intercom, Student News

NMC’s Student Success Center will be holding two Math Bootcamp sessions this summer, June 18-22 and August 6-10, 9 a.m.-Noon. Math Bootcamp is a five-day intensive math refresher course taught by NMC faculty that helps prepare students for placement testing or their next math class. 70% of students who complete math bootcamp improve their placement an average of 1.5 levels!

Interested students can sign up by contacting the Student Success Center at (231) 995-2134 or studentsuccesscenter@nmc.edu.

Success Story: White Pine Press alumnus is Michigan’s Journalist of the Year

Apr 25, 2018 | Intercom, Student News

April 25, 2018

Reporter Garret Ellison atop the Mackinac BridgeMLive environmental reporter Garret Ellison, a 2006 NMC graduate, has been named the 2017 Michigan Journalist of the Year by the Michigan Press Association.

Ellison, 35, was cited for his “watchdog work” on issues of water use and Great Lakes protection, which reaches a reported online audience of 11 million readers a month. MLive also feeds seven Michigan newspapers.

He says he found his career calling at NMC, after he started publishing photos in the White Pine Press. His writing was “good enough” but it was the timing that was perfect for the 2001 Traverse City West High School graduate, who found himself in the editor’s role when the rest of the staff graduated and longtime faculty advisers retired.

“We decided to redesign it and re-imagine some of the coverage scope,” Ellison said of himself and then new adviser Kim Schneider.

“I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t had the opportunity to helm the White Pine Press in the way I did,” Ellison said. “The White Pine Press was where I learned to be a journalist.”

He still uses those lessons, particularly the instinct to follow his own initiative, on the environmental beat, where he transitioned from business in 2014.

“I always wanted to be an investigative reporter, and I didn’t see much of a path to doing that covering business,” Ellison said. “At the time I didn’t have much environment experience (but) nobody was tasked with covering environment from a statewide perspective.”

It made sense for him to try since he was based in Grand Rapids, MLive’s biggest city. The condition of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac was becoming a bigger issue, so Ellison started paying attention to that. At an editor’s suggestion, he started looking into Nestle’s groundwater withdrawals in northern Michigan. Then came legacy contamination, Superfund sites and more.

“You start looking for meatier angles to stuff,” said Ellison, who views investigation as his obligation. “We serve the public. As members of the press, we are uniquely resourced to hold power to account. That, I think is the ultimate point of having a free press.”

Ellison imparts that message to his own students, too. In addition to his daily reporting for MLive, Ellison is now an adjunct journalism instructor at Grand Valley State University.

“It’s a little weird. I’m not so far removed from being on the other side of the coin there,” said Ellison, who went on to Central Michigan University after NMC.

“I really feel a lot of value in the community college experience, and I’m grateful the institution was there for me,” he said.

Families Against Narcotics Chapter Launch/Judge Linda Davis Event

Apr 23, 2018 | Intercom, Student News

Families Against Narcotics was formed in 2011 to help communities bring awareness and solutions to the opioid epidemic. Support group meetings for the growing number of persons and families struggling with addiction issues, and those who have already lost loved ones, include resources for treatment and prevention. 

The event will take place June 21, at Traverse City’s Central United Methodist Church from  5:15 – 8:00 p.m. Our keynote speaker will be Judge Linda Davis, founder of F.A.N. She is also the Chair of Governor Snyder’s Opioid and Prescription Drug Task Force and has been called to the White House several times to consult with the President’s Commission on Opioid Abuse. She is a dynamic speaker and we are hoping that she will rally our community around F.A.N. and a new program she launched last year, Hope Not Handcuffs, which focuses on getting addicts into treatment. Our law enforcement agencies will be meeting separately with Judge Davis on Friday morning after the event to discuss Hope Not Handcuffs and how it can work in our community.