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 Rural Action Receives Grant to Continue Farm to School Partnership with Hocking College
Rural Action recently announce that they have been awarded a Farm to School Support Services Grant Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm to School Program. The grant ensures that Rural Action, in partnership with Hocking College, can make an effort to better connect school cafeterias and students with fresh, local food. Through this grant, Rural Action received a $100,000 support service grant that will impact more than 10,800 students across six school districts.
In "Farm to Institution to Schools: Connecting Value Chain Partners for Appalachian Ohio Schools," Rural Action, will work with a network of six rural school districts in southeast Ohio to overcome fresh, local product preparation barriers by connecting the Chesterhill Produce Auction with Hocking College to provide centralized preparation work as part of culinary arts student lab experience.
"This is an example of what a partnership with a college can do for the greater community. Through this grant, an institution-Hocking College-will partner with a community organization to create real, positive change," said Tom Redfern, Rural Action's Director of Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry.
This USDA investment will allow Rural Action to expand upon its current Farm to School program. Fresh food from the Chesterhill Produce Auction and other local farmers will be purchased by schools, delivered to Hocking College, prepared and preserved using flash freezing as part of student training hours, and sent to participating schools for use in dining service menus throughout the week. Additionally, Hocking College will provide training for in-house preparation of fresh, local products in K-12 school cafeterias for expanded school capacity.
"We firmly believe through direct relationships with our area farmers we can further solidify and guarantee a safe, nutritious diet for our children. The Farm-to-School program supports the social, economic and environmental needs of our community, while benefitting the area school children as well as the students preparing the food in the Hocking College School of Hospitality," Master Chef Alfonso Contrisciani, Dean of Hocking College School of Hospitality, said.
The funding from the USDA is significant in helping area kids get healthy, local food.
USDA Farm to School grants help schools respond to the growing demand for locally sourced foods and increase market opportunities for producers and food businesses, including food processors, manufacturers, and distributors. Grants will also be used to support agriculture and nutrition education efforts such as school gardens, field trips to local farms, and cooking classes. Rural Action is one of 82 projects nation-wide to be awarded with funding this year.
Rural Action is a membership based organization working to build sustainable local economies in Appalachian Ohio. For more information about Rural Action's work visit www.ruralaction.org.
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Tree Removal On Campus This Week
Please be aware that Campus Greens will be removing a number of Ash trees on campus starting Monday, December 15.
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Hocking College Student
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Mark Noark, with The Davey Tree Expert Company, speaks with a group of Hocking College Forest Management students, after awarding student Mason May with the Davey Foundation Arbor Grant on Friday, December 5, 2014.
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Awarded Davey Tree Foundation Arbor Grant
Hocking College Forest Management student Mason May of Columbus, Ohio was awarded a $1,000 Davey Foundation Arbor Grant from The Davey Tree Expert Company on Friday, December 5, 2014. Mason received his award during a field visit at Davey Tree Company's Columbus branch. Students were met by local, area and regional level managers from across the state, who discussed career opportunities and demonstrated select equipment operation. Headquartered in Kent, Ohio, The Davey Tree Expert Company is the nation's largest full-service tree care provider in the United States and Canada, with more than 7,500 employees. John Davey, who emigrated from England, started the Davey Company in 1880. Today, Davey has become one of the most influential employee owned companies in the country with a rank of eighteenth out of the top 100 employee owned companies with revenues over 700 million dollars. As the company continues to grow, the need for an educated work force has become a mandatory initiative "There are more Hocking College graduates working within our company across Ohio compared to graduates from any other college or university," Mark Noark, Davey Tree recruiter and trainer, said. For more information about The Davey Tree Expert Company, visit www.davey.com. |
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Winter Bird Count
Hocking College will be holding a Winter Bird Count on several upcoming dates. The events are free and open to the public and no birding experience is necessary. The events will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a potluck lunch will be available at noon.
The events will begin at the Hocking Woods Nature Center. Bring binoculars, cameras, field guides and something for the potluck lunch.
Bird count dates include:
- Saturday January 24, 2015
- Saturday February 21, 2015
- Saturday March 14, 2015
For any questions or for more information call 740.753.6326.
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 The Perfect Gift This Holiday Season
This holiday, give the gift of wellness. WellWorks is offering a holiday special on one-year memberships. Buy one individual one-year membership at regular price and get a second one of equal or lesser value for half-off. Remember - Hocking College employees and retirees receive a special corporate rate on memberships.
Membership not for you? Give the gift of relaxation with one-hour massage packages starting a $46. Receive two, one-hour massages for $87, four for $170 and 12 for $506.
WellWorks will be closed December 24 to January 2 for the holidays and locker room renovations. All offers end January 11, 2015. To purchase, visit WellWorks at E124 Grover Center or call 740.593.2093 to order by phone with a credit card.
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Reminder: Light Hall Roof Replacement Continues
The Light Hall roof replacement project continues and is expected to last until February 11, 2015.
Due to the nature of the construction project, the third floor classrooms and offices may experience loud noises at various times during the project. Please contact the Registrar's Office if you would like to temporarily relocate your classroom at any time during the construction period.
If your office is on the third floor, please be aware that dust accumulation is highly likely. It is recommended that you protect any personal items in your office or take them home for the duration of the project.
We apologize for the inconvenience and are available to assist as needed.
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Student Awarded Grizzly Scholarship
 Emily Garnich of Nelsonville has been awarded the Grizzly Scholarship for the Hocking College School of Natural Resources 2014-15 academic year.
Garnich is in the Wildlife Resources Management program, because of her passion for the outdoors. She has always enjoyed being surrounded by nature, from aquatic to woody plants, fish to bird and tracking and identifying species. Garnich hopes to continue her goal of dual majoring in Wildlife Resources Management and Natural and Historical Interpretation, to one day become a research biologist and environmental educator.
Ned "Grizzly" Maxson was a faculty member at Hocking College's School of Natural Resources. He established the scholarship to help educate students in the field that he loved.
The scholarship is awarded annually to a second-year natural resources student. Recipients are chosen based on recommendation from natural resources faculty in regards to the student's character, potential for success and financial need.
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Verbatim Hiatus
Verbatim will be on hiatus over winter break. In the meantime, please continue to submit your article ideas and feedback to verbatim@hocking.edu. Have a happy holiday!
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 Benefest Raises Money for Local Charities
The fourth-annual Benefest in uptown Athens, organized by students from the Hocking College Music Management program, was from December 4-6 and showcased a variety of local bands to raise money for The Gathering Place and Stuart's Opera House.
The event featured local bands like Weird Science, Waivada, Summoners, Dead Hand of Man and Unmonumental. The bands performed at local Athens bars: The Overhang, Casa Nueva and the Smiling Skull.
The Benefest raised more than $1,000 for the two local charities. The Gathering Place supports adults with mental illness. Stuart's Opera House After School Music Program partners with Hocking College Music students to teach participants how to play instruments and write.
"The Gathering Place and Stuart's Opera House are two places that I strongly support in this community. Without the university, Athens is really small, and having places like that are unique and important and it's really cool that we can contribute to that," Zach Fuller, lead vocalist and guitarist for Weird Science, said.
For more information, see the WOUB Article.
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Leisure Learning Workshops
Hocking College will be starting a series of workshops for community members. These sessions will be on and off campus with the intention of strengthening ties with the community.
A workshop might be for an evening or perhaps a weekend, an hour or perhaps a couple of days. Do you have a subject in mind that you might be interested in sharing? This could be in anything from cooking to quilting, story-telling or star-gazing...
If you are interested, please contact Giles Lee at leeg@hocking.edu.
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 OUCU Says Celebrate and Save
Ohio University Credit Union shares the following tips for celebrating the holidays without breaking the bank. - Get personal. Gifts from the heart create long lasting holiday memories. So skip the newest gadget and go for a nicely framed photo, pass along your favorite recipe or get creative with a handmade gift.
- Make a trade.
Holding a gift exchange instead of buying for each member of a group can save on money and time. Make it even more fun with a Secret Santa or White Elephant exchange.
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Set a limit. Suggest setting a spending limit with friends and family on your list. Not only does this help you save money, it also takes the pressure off of others trying to manage their own holiday spending. To get the most for your gift giving dollars, check for online specials from sites like Retail-Me-Not.
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 Alumni Spotlight
If It Weren't for Hocking ... Karl Gebhardt '72 Shares His Hocking Story
We all have had those individuals and times in our life that have helped define who we are and what we are.
One of those bookmarks in life can be graduation from college, possibly Hocking College. While completing that journey was important and marks a goal achieved, do you remember filling out the application and the anxiety of waiting to see if "You're In"? Did you ever wonder what you would be doing or who would you be if "it weren't for Hocking?" I do quite often.
I attended a small high school in rural Mahoning County, Springfield Local. While I could probably have been considered one of the popular kids; sports, student council president, etc, and a "pleasure to have in class," I approached academics with an attitude of "anything greater than a C was wasted effort." Hard to imagine that the college scholarship offers didn't come rolling in. A former guidance counselor even suggested that I consider a career in the Youngstown steel mills because I wasn't "college material." While I would like to think she was using a reverse psychology ploy to motivate me - I'm sure it was a literal and mostly accurate suggestion.
A new guidance counselor Fred Muder called me into his office one day, usually the discussion was about cars, but this time he handed me a Golden-rod colored, mimeographed brochure from Tri-County Technical College (now Hocking College) and said I should "check it out." Upon reading the list of technologies, Recreation & Wildlife caught my eye. I always loved the outdoors, hunting and fishing, just hanging out in the woods. With the support of my family and the new guidance counselor, I applied and soon received my "You're In" letter. I cried. When I graduated high school in 1970 I knew was going to college, studying something I really wanted to study and it would only take two years. I graduated from Hocking Technical College in 1972 received an Outstanding Student Award and the day after graduation went off to Naturalist training for the Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). If it weren't for Hocking.
I have had a great life journey and career primarily related to natural resources. I went on to earn a B.S. in Business Administration and M.A in Public Policy & Management. My career started at ODNR, I worked at the Department of Agriculture, and the Ohio Farm Bureau. I owned my own natural resources consulting and lobbying business for 15 years. I was then asked to return to ODNR as Chief of Soil & Water Resources and later as Deputy Director. I am now at OEPA as Chief of Surface Water and Deputy Director for Water Resources in Ohio. If it weren't for Hocking.
All of the instructors I had while at Hocking are gone as are the administrators. I attended classes, when we were in a classroom, in what is now the vocational school. While the buildings and people of the school have changed, Hocking is bigger than any person, or building. Hocking College was my "door-way" to a future I had no idea existed. As a proud alumnus I have an obligation to now help ensure that others can have their opportunity because of Hocking College.
I try to attend events, financially support the college, the student emergency fund and the Alumni Association as best as I can. I have nudged many kids and adults to "check it out." I know many have.
So what's your story? We all have them. How do you finish the statement "If it weren't for Hocking...?" At some point in your life and for some reason you filled out the enrollment application and anxiously awaited the reply. How did you feel that moment when you knew the door was open and "You're In " ? It's now our obligation to ensure others can experience that excitement and have experiences they aren't even aware exist. If it weren't for Hocking.
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 Holiday Happenings in Athens and Nelsonville
Athens Holiday Highlights
Josh Hutchison and his team of horses will provide holiday carriage rides on Court Street on Thursday, December 18 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
A free picture with Santa will be available on Thursday, December 18 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. inside the 5 On Court Building at 5 North Court Street.
Enjoy holiday card making at Passion Works, 20 E. State Street. Create and decorate your own one-of-a-kind holiday card on Thursday, December 18 from 6 - 8 p.m.
See some of your favorite holiday films at the Athena Cinema and assist other families who may be struggling during the holiday season. The price of admission will be a minimum donation of one canned food item per ticket. Screenings will be on Saturdays at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Nelsonville Holiday Events
A ride on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway Santa Train will offer Christmas poems and festive music. Santa Claus boards the train and visits with each child as the train traverses the countryside. This event is every Saturday at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. and every Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. through December 21. Purchase tickets online.
After you finish taking a ride on the Santa Train, enjoy a Holiday themed wagon ride into North Pole Nelsonville! The wagon ride will take you right into the center of Nelsonville's Public Square, where you can see lots of fantastic decorations, shop for unique locally made gifts, visit Santa and more.
An Appalachian Christmas Carol sets the classic tale in Southeast Ohio in 1907, old Eb Scrooge owning the local mine. Presented by the Brick Monkey Theater at Stuart's Opera House. Shows are December 17-21. See show times and buy tickets here.
Santa will be set up at Santa's Village at the Historic Public Square in Nelsonville. Visit with Santa from 1-6 p.m. on December 20 and 21 in his workshop at 37 Public Square.
More information on any event listed above can be found online here and here. |
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Mission
Hocking College provides a unique, innovative, and quality education in a supportive experience- based learning environment, preparing students for employment and transfer education opportunities, while teaching the value of lifelong learning, promoting diversity and developing citizens who are engaged in their local and global communities.
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Kudos for Work on Spring Semester EnrollmentAs this year comes to a close, we would like to thank all of the faculty and staff who have devoted countless hours to boosting spring enrollment.
As of today, Hocking has 1,301 applications for spring semester, well over the target of 1,150. Of those applicants, 366 have registered. We are more than halfway to our goal of registering 694 of these applicants.
Regarding returning students, we have registered 2,277 autumn 2014 students for spring semester, and have reached 82 percent of our target goal of registering 2,780 returning students for spring 2015.
Any new or returning student who needs assistance with registering should attend one of the QuickStart/Returning Student Registration events on Friday, January 9 and Saturday, January 10 at 9:30 a.m.
Keep up the great work!
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