Education roundup: Parks earns scholarship

Parks earns scholarship

Catherine Parks of Salisbury is one of 10 first-year students at Centre College in Danville, Ky., to receive “full-ride-plus” scholarships as part of The Brown Fellows Program.

The initiative, in collaboration with the James Graham Brown Foundation, covers not only tuition and room and board but also four summer enrichment programs, field-based experiential learning opportunities, on-campus program mentors and customized leadership projects.

Catherine, daughter of Lynne and Charles Parks, was salutatorian of her graduating class at Salisbury High School, where she served as the president of Key Club and Spanish Club. She was the vice president of National Honor Society and participated in other activities including Future Business Leaders of America, DECA Club and Political Science Club.

Throughout her senior year, she was captain of the Women’s Golf Team at Salisbury and received the Spencer Lancaster Award for sportsmanship and leadership.

Her service in the community extends to over 175 hours, including a golf camp that she organized for underprivileged children.

Other awards that Parks received include the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizenship Award, Veteran’s Council U.S. History Award, Raemi Evans Writing Scholar Award and the Air Force Math and Science Award. She has been recognized as an AP Scholar, All-County Scholar and North Carolina Scholar.

The Brown Fellows Program is the premier undergraduate scholarship in Kentucky.

Centre is the only private college in Kentucky selected for a Brown Fellows Program. The foundation has also initiated a Brown Fellows Program at the University of Louisville.

Student chosen for program

Erin Christner, daughter of Matt and Dana Christner of Salisbury, has been selected as a finalist in the Pre-Teen North Carolina Academic and Enrichment Program to be held July 30-Aug. 1 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham. She is an honor student at China Grove Middle School.

Pre-Teen North Carolina is an invitation only academic and enrichment event involving young women 7 to 12 years old based on their school academic records, awards and honors won and/or their participation is outside activities.

Additionally, young women are invited who have been recognized publicly for their outstanding achievements, volunteer services, school involvement, leadership abilities or creative talents.

Classes offered at RCCC

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will offer conversational Spanish classes over the next several months.

The classes will meet one evening a week for 2 1/2 hours. There is a registration fee of $120, plus a textbook costing approximately $25. Advanced registration is required. The schedule is as follows:

• Conversational Spanish I — 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Aug. 17 to Nov. 9, at RCCC’s North Campus;

• Conversational Spanish I — 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Sept. 8 to Dec. 2, at RCCC’s South Campus.

For more information or to register for the conversational Spanish courses, contact the RCCC Continuing Education Department at 704-216-3512 or by e-mail at coned@rowancabarrus.edu.

Plumbing course

Rowan-Cabarrus is offering a “License Exam Preparation” course for persons who want to take the state plumbing contractor exam and have worked at least 2,000 hours under the tutelage of a licensed plumber.

The class will meet 6 to 9 p.m. on Monday and Wednesdays, Aug. 16 through Oct. 11, at RCCC’s South Campus.

The 48-hour course costs $175, plus textbooks. For more information and to register, call 704-216-3512.

A “North Carolina Plumbing License Updates” course will be offered 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, at RCCC’s South Campus. The course fee is $65.

Course topics will include major changes to the 2009 N.C. plumbing code and well seal certification for plumbing contractors. Participants must bring their plumbing code book to class.

Advanced registration is required, with registration closing on Sept. 9. Call 704-216-3512 for more information.

Pharmacy technician

Rowan-Cabarrus will offer the pharmacy technician training program starting Aug. 16 and running through Dec.6.

The class will meet 6-9 p.m. Mondays on RCCC’s South Campus in Concord. Tuition is $175, plus textbooks and calculator costing approximately $150. The course will be offered in a hybrid format, which combines in-class and online instruction.

Students must have a high school diploma or GED and complete a career readiness certification course at RCCC before entering the pharmacy technician program. Prospective students are encouraged to register for the program and complete the career readiness course as soon as possible.

The program trains students to work as assistants to a licensed pharmacist in both retail and hospital settings. Students learn pharmaceutical and medical terminology; abbreviations and symbols used in prescribing, dispensing and charting of medications; a working knowledge of the drug trade; generic drug names; as well as prescription strengths, dosages, dosage forms and methods of administration.

The program prepares students to take the National Pharmacy Technician Certification examination, given by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board.

For more information, call 704-216-3512. An RCCC continuing education registration form is posted on the college website at www.rowancabarrus.edu/continuing_ed/registration.html.

Students recognized at conference

Two Rowan-Cabarrus Community College students earned recognition at the Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) National Leadership Conference, held July 8-13 at Nashville, Tenn.

Cheryl Craft of China Grove placed fourth in the PBL national Justice Administration competition. Amy Johnson of Gold Hill finished sixth in the same competition.

Craft and Johnson earned the privilege of attending the conference as North Carolina and RCCC delegates by winning or placing second in state-level leadership competitions in April.

PBL co-advisers Martha Cranford, an RCCC faculty member, and Sandra Horne, a college staff member, also attended the national conference.

Craft, a former Philip Morris employee who has returned to school, said, “RCCC’s co-op opportunities and knowledgeable instructors have enhanced my learning experience and prepared me for such competitions as the PBL nationals.”

Johnson added, “Thanks to all of the criminal justice instructors at RCCC. Without them I would not have been able to do as well as I did at the state and national Phi Beta Lambda conferences.”

At the conference, the students and their advisers attended a number of workshops, including business etiquette, the art of negotiation, time management and goal setting, leadership and money management. Conference exhibitors and sponsors included GEICO, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Among the 1,600 attendees were delegates from UCLA, UC-Berkley, University of Arizona, Mesa State College, Florida International University, Kansas State University, University of Wisconsin, University of Virginia, Campbell University, Montreat College, Asheville-Buncombe Technical College, Wake Technical College, Durham Technical College, Pfeiffer College and Appalachian State University.

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda Inc. is a nonprofit student business organization with nearly a quarter-million members and advisers in 12,000 chartered middle school, high school and college chapters worldwide.

Its mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. The association is headquartered in Reston, Va., outside Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.fbla-pbl.org.

Student recognized

Austin Felker, a 2009 graduate of Cannon School, was recently recognized as a member of the Sigma Alpha Lambda National Leadership and Honors Organization at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sigma Alpha Lambda is dedicated to promoting and rewarding academic achievement and providing members with opportunities for community service, personal development and lifelong professional fulfillment.

Felker will begin his sophomore year at UNC Chapel Hill in August. He is the son of Eric and Sandra Felker of Cornelius, and the grandson of Troy and Pauline Day of Kannapolis.