South Florida Community College’s (SFCC) Relay for Life team is sponsoring a charity raffle ticket sale benefitting the American Cancer Society, Highlands County Chapter, now through April 21.  

Relay for Life team members Yesenia Calderon (front, left), Amanda Mcmahon, Brittany Hessell, Erin Lamp pose with Dan Andrews (back, left), The Bike Shop; and Highlands Pedalers Russ Hudson, Bob Bennett, and Francesca Spain with the donated bike.

The grand prize for the Charity Raffle is a Trek 7000 Hybrid Bicycle donated by the Bike Shop in Sebring and Highlands Pedalers Bicycle Club.  This is the third year that the Highlands Pedalers and the Bike Shop have donated a bike to the SFCC Relay for Life charity raffle. 

The Charity Raffle drawing will take place during the closing ceremony of Relay for Life, Avon Park, on Saturday, May 21, 2012.  Winners do not need to be present to win and will be contacted via telephone or email.  Tickets are currently on sale at for $1 per ticket through SFCC by contacting Yesenia Calderon, jcader7@online.southflorida.edu and will also be available at The Bike Shop, 213 US Hwy. 27 S., Sebring. 

SFCC will be participating in the Relay for Life in Avon Park, on Friday, April 20 – Saturday, April 21.  Some of the SFCC groups participating on the Relay for Life team are Phi Theta Kappa, SFCC Nurses, SFCC’s Chapter of Association of Florida Colleges, and the International Student Organization.  For more information about the charity bike raffle or the SFCC Relay for Life team, contact Yesenia Calderon, president, Phi Theta Kappa at jcader7@online.southflorida.edu.

South Florida Community College (SFCC) kicked off the 26^th Annual Community College Week, March 5-8, at the SFCC Highlands Campus. Community College Week is an annual event at SFCC, where teams of SFCC students and employees compete in activities and demonstrate their SFCC pride.

Kevin Schubert of the Tons ‘O’ Fun team competes in the Belly Flop contestThe Longboard Zombie Horde team tug their way to victoryTyler Anderson and Samantha Klemp (left) and David Samperi and Chad Marley (right) try to out run each other in the Wobbly Wheelbarrow RaceJohn Lindimas dives for a ball in the Granny Pants contest

Community College Week champions Eric Bailey, Sam Morgan, Samantha Klemp, Tyler Anderson, and Justin Tedder of the Sheep Styniners

SFCC Student Life Coordinator Andy Polk

Andy Polk has been working at South Florida since 2007. He is the assistant baseball coach, he was an advisor at the dorms from August 2008 until May 2009, and he ran the fitness center from August 2010 until December 2011. Now Mr. Polk can add Student Activities Coordinator to his resume.  Being a baseball coach, running the fitness center and being an advisor at the dorms has given Mr. Polk the opportunity to be around the students, which is something he has always enjoyed. He was always interested in the job and it was something he had thought about before, but there was never the right opportunity. So when the position opened up in January, he accepted it and hit the ground running. He says so far it’s been “hectic, but I’ve enjoyed it and it’s something I would like to do for a few years.”

What exactly does the Student Activities Coordinator do? Mr. Polk basically acts as a liaison between the students and the faculty.  The majority of the job goes hand in hand with the Student Government Association, but the job also requires advising and managing the clubs and their budgets. He also heads up the work studies, the PAC, Game Pad, and other events such as Community College Week.

How will his new position affect coaching baseball?  “The job”, Mr. Polk says, “does take up quite a bit of time. It is give-and-take sometimes…but you just have to roll with the punches.  It’s also being at certain places at certain times; it’s great to work with two people who understand my schedule.” That is the type of example Mr. Polk is setting for all of the students. “The two years I spent here were the most influential to my development as a man”, he says, and now he is encouraging his students to, “take responsibility and to be accountable to where they have to be.”  He would like to continue to help students grow and learn, to continue to get people involved in the clubs and activities, and to help them be as prepared as possible for the future.

Congratulations to Mr. Polk for becoming the new Student Activities Coordinator at South Florida!

Mr. Polk can be reached at 863-784-7435 or at polka@southflorida.edu

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and hopefully everyone found some way to celebrate—even if it involved the reverse “Single’s Awareness Day.”  However, for those with significant others, the day can get pretty hectic when it comes to planning. Granted that Valentine’s Day is not about the expensive gifts; however, it can’t hurt to make the day a little more special for your boyfriend or girlfriend.

So for next year, here are a few options to consider for the guys from a girls perspective…

• Take her to her favorite restaurant—personally, this makes me the happiest. Sometimes the best way to a girl’s heart is through her stomach, too. Plus she will appreciate you caring enough to insist the night be about her.
• Give her a gift that you can enjoy together—some girls love crafts, so run to Michaels and pick up some scrapbooking supplies.  Picture frames cost $1; you could even just make her one yourself.
• You can never go wrong with chocolate—add a teddy bear and flowers to the mix, and you’ll have a traditional yet sweet Valentine’s Day gift.
• Picnic at the park—packing a lunch in a cute little basket and proceeding to walk the trails or just sit and enjoy the sunshine. It’s a picture-perfect Valentine!

Of course, it’s always good that the gift come from the heart. Again, she probably won’t care how much you spent… Valentine’s Day isn’t a day to prove your love to someone but rather a day to celebrate loving each other.

The Ambassadors were caught again being good!  This time they took a trip to local nursing home Rest Haven.  There they spent about two hours talking with the residents and just hanging out with the older generations.  Many of the people living there are our everyday heroes, people who have contributed more to our society than you would have ever guessed.

There are a few gentlemen who are veterans of the United States military.  One told us stories of his days in the army and what World War II was really like.  He was there when Berlin fell to Allied Forces, and it was just awe-inspiring to hear his story.  Another man told us about the horrors of Vietnam and his time spent in the jungles.  It is pretty amazing to know that these are the people who helped change the history of the world.  One very sweet lady expressed her happiness of being able to have been a teacher for many years and spread her wealth of knowledge to countless students.  She might have taught many of our parents when they were still in school.

The Ambassadors scheduled the trip about a week prior and arranged to buy potted flowers for each person.  Then they took the flowers around and let residents pick what they liked.  It was very humbling to see some of their reactions.  One lady had tears in her eyes as she gave us a hug and thanked us for her “beautiful gift.”  Another woman took us to her room and showed us that she was going to place her flowers right next to a photograph of her late husband because they were special to her.  One man picked out a gorgeous snapdragon.  We had to make sure the residents knew when to water the flowers and any other instructions, but overall it was a very touching experience. 

The folks out at Rest Haven were sure glad to see the Ambassadors, and the Ambassadors loved exchanging stories and jokes.  They even learned a few things about life.  When you take the time to hear what they have to say, it opens your eyes. Perhaps you may want to be like them someday, and it makes you wonder where you will be in fifty years.

America, as a society, values every individual, every family, every group, every ethnicity, and every culture.  We are a very accepting country as a whole.  However, there are times when this is not evident like when the news reports that bullying has caused people to forget who they are and do something extremely heartbreaking.  Bullying has become a major problem, especially within the school system.  Often, bullying can go unnoticed for years, and almost always bullying is the result of one person or a group being different in some way from what is considered normal.  As we grow, we come to realize that it is not a person’s fault that he or she is different; nevertheless, bullying still happens. 

The saddest part about bullying is that it happens to children and those who are already at that vulnerable stage in life everybody goes through in which they are trying to establish a connection with others in an effort to become accepted by their peers.  Bullying leads to many psychological problems later in life, and sometimes it can lead to tragic events, such as school shootings and the loss of life.  Even though many people are bullied at a young age, there are still a number of people who are considered to be the bullies.  Bullies are not even aware of how they influence others, and they can be merciless if they are allowed to keep doing it.

School is where bullying happens the most.  It starts with a group of children who may not be as open minded as adults.  They may pick on a little girl because her hair is red, and that is not something that she can help, but it doesn’t matter.  Why?  Being the only girl with red hair makes her weird in the bully’s eyes.  Little kids are not very accepting of anything offbeat.  Frequently, bullied children tend to keep the abuse to themselves because they don’t know what to do.  They can let it fester and build up emotionally for a long period of time.  It may be because they are more scared of being called a “tattle tale”; to them it may be easier to suffer the abuse silently.  Eventually, the childish taunts about red hair become more aggressive statements such as “You are stupid” or “Your clothes are not as cool as mine.”

These little things eventually become big things that really hurt people on the inside.  You have to know words can hurt.  You have to know that not everyone is going to be just like you. And you have to know that your words are going to have an effect.   You have to know that one day you might make somebody hurt you or somebody else; don’t let it go that far.

In many instances people who were bullied become mentally unstable, and when this happens, they get to a point to where they don’t care about anything anymore.  They think it will never end and that it will never get better for them.  Well, it can get better.  To the victims of bullying, I say this:  You think that no one will care if you aren’t around anymore, but you are wrong because whether you realize it or not, there is always somebody who needs you, and you are just as important as other people.  If you find that you are being bullied and you are feeling depressed, please get some help.  The help is out there for you—your parents, a teacher, or a counselor—there are many people out there who would be more than happy to help you cope being bullied.  There have support groups and lots of great ways to help you rebuild your self-confidence.  You just have to make the first step!

–submitted by Community Relations

Photo by John Limdimas

Who are the Honors Ambassadors? at SFCC. Our mission is to spread the word about the great benefits of joining the Honors Program. This is a limited-admissions academic program that develops students who want to transfer to rigorous programs at four-year colleges and universities. We help them reach their highest potential. Right now, we are developing a service-learning program with Kathy Couturier, the resident archaeologist at the Avon Park Air Force Range. We will be assisting her with her annual survey of archaeological sites on the Range. Honors Ambassadors meets every other Thursday from 12:15 to 12:45 PM in Room B 200.

If you’re looking for a creative outlet, a fun night with friends, or even a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift for your significant other, the Art Club has got your back!

For just $20, you can reserve your place in a painting or pottery class that includes the supplies you will need for your project, an instructor, and pizza.

The painting class will work on creating flowers on provided canvases; those partaking can feel free to bring their own photos for inspiration while those in pottery will be making a total of four bowls.

To satisfy the annual Valentine’s Day sweet tooth, the Art Club will hold a bake sale on the 13^th and 14^th on February that will sell all kinds of baked goods that will be sure to make your taste buds tingle.

There is also a silent auction located by the admissions office that is already in progress.  Make sure to check out the table and come back to keep up on the items you place a bid on!

For more details or to ask any questions, call the art department at 784-7195.