Hocking College welcomed approximately 1,000 graduates to the ranks of alumni at three ceremonies on Friday, May 9, 2014 and Saturday May 10, 2014 at the Hocking College Student Center Multiplex.

Three students served as the honorable commencement speakers, beginning with Tabitha Cox at Friday evening's ceremony. "I'm here to tell you today that absolutely nothing is impossible," Cox encouraged fellow graduates.

She overcame medical illnesses, abuse and bankruptcy to graduate top of her class and continue into the world as a nurse and a helping hand in the medical field. She inspired the audience to become motivated, caring and hardworking individuals in the world.

In her address to the Hocking College Class of 2014 at the Saturday morning ceremony, Emily Main, Landscape Management graduate, reminded graduates that taking the hard road will lead you through the best experiences. Main took time pursing her many passions and facing difficult decisions that led her to her destined path as a leader for Campus Crusade for Christ.

"Everyone's roads are different, but I guarantee we all have a choice between a hard one and an easy one. My hope is that you choose the hard one...it will always be worth it in the end," Main commented.

Closing the commencement ceremonies on Saturday afternoon, Denise Frasure shared her personal struggle with drug addiction and the impact it had on her life. She left the audience with inspirational words expressing her great optimism as she enters the community to help and encourage individuals facing the struggles she once understood.

Student award recipients included Julia Decker, Michelle Herris, Kaitlyn Mohler and Shelbi Wilson for Excellence in Student Employment; Jeffrey Adams, Andrew Blosser, Tonya DeGraw and Emily Main for the Richard Elston Award; Tabitha Cox, Katelynn Dearth, Mary Sanders and Rachel Shurgin for the Student Life Award; and Jamie Ellen Frolicher, Kiara Ivory, Rachel Kiger, Angela Perrigo and Marie Silva for the "We are One Hocking" Award.

Graduates of the School of Allied Health and School of Nursing received diplomas at the Friday evening ceremony. Graduates of the School of Natural Resources and School of Public Safety Services graduated at the Saturday morning ceremony.  The Saturday afternoon ceremony graduated students from the McClenaghan Center for Hospitality Training; School of Arts, Business and Information Technology; and the School of Engineering Technologies.  

Take a look at the photos of the 2014 Hocking College Commencement on the college Flickr page.

Hocking College is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014 President's List Award.  Recipients include Rachel Bruns, Autumn Congrove, Tabitha Cox, Katelynn Dearth, Tonya DeGraw, Xaveria Grimes, Kiara Ivory, Amelia Ludwig, Emily Main, Jake Myers, Greta Neilley, Daniel Parker, Aaron Pletcher, Steve Shatz, Katilin Spears and Molly Wales.

Students demonstrating leadership, service and superior scholastic performance are selected annually for the President's List. Requirements to be considered for a President's List Award include a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above, demonstrated and documented leadership at Hocking College and specific service to the college, department, program, fellow students or the community.

An awards dinner was held at the Inn at Hocking College on Wednesday, April 30 for the selected students, where Hocking College President Dr. Ron Erickson and the Board of Trustees honored the recipients. 

On May 9th, 26 Peace Officer Basic recruits successfully completed 634 hours of training as part of basic academy 14-003.  

The academy was comprised of 13 candidates from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources who are being hired as Wildlife Officers and 13 second-year Police Science students looking to launch their career in the law enforcement profession.  

All of the recruits excelled in this very demanding academic and physical skills training program.  The class trained aggressively for 15 weeks to meet the Ohio Peace Officer physical conditioning requirement of the Cooper Institute 50th percentile.  In fact, all recruits tested above the 70th percentile, with Dustin Young reaching the 96th percentile.  

The recruits received training from a variety of law enforcement professionals covering 13 required units consisting of hundreds of Student Performance Objectives.  These units of instruction ranged from firearms and emergency driving to laws of arrest, search and seizure and incident management, just to name a few.  They were tested weekly on material taught in preparation for their State Certification Examination on June 4, 2014.  Their dedication to learning was reflected in their weekly academic achievements.  The class average is 85 percent with the class Valedictorian, Kyle Queer achieving a 96 percent.  

We are very proud of these young men and women who endured the past five months of training and succeeded in their educational goals.

The Foundation's Board recently participated in a board retreat, led by Jim Rogers, Hocking College Foundation Board Chair, 

Rogers grew up on a small dairy farm, and while he thought when he left home that he would not end up on a farm, now lives with his wife Paula on a farm in Hocking County.

Farming is a passion for Rogers. He and his wife love to work outdoors in the presence of animals. They raise cattle, and have two dogs, two horses and many barn cats.

Rogers spent years in the corporate environment, developing managerial, planning and communications skills and says without his corporate experience, his entrepreneurial success would not have been possible. The entrepreneurial environment demonstrated the importance of firmly rooted core values and showed Rogers that doing what is right is not always easy. Rogers said, "In all situations I strive to do what is right, not necessarily what I have the right to do. I am so grateful for the experiences, challenges and opportunities life has offered." Rogers and his wife, Paula own Reed & Baur Insurance Agency in Athens and Logan.

At the board retreat, Rogers spoke about the importance of the work the Foundation does, especially in these times of funding challenges. 

"For just a few seconds, consider the impact, the reach and the hope that Hocking College offers to so many people. The young adult or first generation high school graduate raised in poverty or near poverty that dreams of becoming a nurse, a chef, a park ranger, a fire fighter, an EMS technician or a wildlife officer looks to Hocking College as a path to tomorrow's world. Hocking College can help that person realize their dream," Rogers said.

Rogers also spoke about the challenges facing educational institutions today and what the board needs to consider as they move forward, helping the college and our students realize their dreams. Read a transcript of Rogers' comments here.

In addition to acting as the board chair, Rogers and his wife Paula have made a generous pledge over five years to the Hocking College Foundation.   

A return to classic horror terrorized southeast Ohio when the locally produced and directed film, "When Night Comes," premiered at Movies 10 in Nelsonville on May 21.

The film features a cast of southeast Ohio actors, in addition to being filmed and edited by Hocking College Broadcast Production and Engineering students.

"I felt it was time to resurrect the classic horror film," said director and executive producer Glenn Martin. "It was also important for me to be able to produce it in my hometown area in Athens County."

Martin co-produced the film with local accountant Alex Couladis, who also plays a role in the film as a grizzled detective on the hunt for a serial killer.

Martin described the idea for "When Night Comes," as a resurrection of classic horror, citing John Carpenter's original "Halloween" as an influence, being a movie that's high on suspense and the creep-factor without being very gory or bloody, at least not by today's standards.

Couladis said shooting the film was great fun and praised the enthusiasm of the Hocking College students who participated.

Read more about the movie in the Athens News article.

Through the Perkins Grant process, Hocking College's School of Natural Resources has received the funding of several mini-grants. Each grant will provide the School of Natural Resources opportunities that encourage educational advancement and student engagement.

• Kathy Temple-Miller - Biological Sciences: Grant will provide students with remote responders that allow faculty to measure student understanding throughout the course, as well as allow students to take texts, quizzes and participate in lectures.
• Ron Cass - Biological Sciences: Grant funds waterproof GPS units and portable solar equipment that will be used for mapping and field classes. These units will allow mobility and convenience to classes studying in remote areas.
• Heath Harter - Equine Health: Grant will offer therapy equipment to use for disabled riders during therapy riding sessions.
• Mike Caudill - GeoEnvironmental Science: Grant will provide a multi-gas monitor used to aid in environmental investigations.
• Scott Dunfee - Natural Resources GIS: A Trimble GPS Unit will be funded by the grant offering professional survey and mapping opportunities for students. 
• Jackie Clark: Grant will fund a portable water distillation machine that will provide mobility and quality sanitation for all natural resources labs.
• Lance Booth - Farrier: A Blacksmith Buddy leg will be used for horseshoeing classes offering a chance to practice shoeing prior to trying to shoe a live horse. 

Hocking College Landscape Management Program students have dedicated their time and knowledge alongside hundreds of student and individual volunteers to develop the Universal Design Living Laboratory, a national demonstration of home and garden in Columbus, Ohio.

The Universal Design Living Laboratory is a facility that was formed from an idea after its creator, Rosemarie Rossetti, suffered from a spinal cord injury. Rossetti, now paralyzed from the waist down, desired to continue her love of gardening and turned to the concept of universal design principles to create an accessible landscape accommodating people of all sizes, ages, and abilities. With the help of her husband, the Universal Design Living Laboratory project began calling on the assistance of 207 corporate partners and hundreds of volunteers. 

Hocking College Landscape students were involved in the installation of several features included in the project. Students helped to install a 500-gallon RainXchangeŽ rainwater harvesting system with a 20-foot stream and waterfall contributed, designed, and installed by Aquascape, Inc.

The Universal Design Living Laboratory hopes to teach individuals how to create a more comfortable living environment through demonstrating opportunities offered by universal design principles. 

Honey for the Heart, a collaborative community art project, worked with the Hocking College Art, Design and Marketing students to turn "trash into treasure" and create giant puppets out of repurposed materials.