1) CCC&TI Announces Upcoming Classes and Events
There’s still time to sign up for “late-start” mid-semester courses at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Four-week and eight-week developmental refresher and curriculum courses are available in math, reading, english, computer information systems and business with classes starting in September, October and November. The Career Planning and Placement Center, located at the Commerce Center adjacent to the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center on U.S. 321 in Lenior, will host two job fairs this month. Both job fairs are open to the public, but appointments are required. On Monday, Aug, 26, from 1-4 p.m., Home Instead Senior Care will be interviewing for CNA, in-home health care assistant and personal care assistant positions. On Wednesday, June 28, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., AFLAC will be interviewing for sales reps and entry-level positions. Call 759-4680 to schedule an interview or for more information. CCC&TI’s Watauga Campus Student Government Association will host an American Red Cross blood drive from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29, in the student lounge. The Public is invited to submit poetry, prose and art for possible publication in the 18th volume of Branches, CCC&TI’s literary arts magazine. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 1. All students are eligible for entry as well as residents of Caldwell or Watauga Counties. Both campuses will be closed for the Labor Day holiday. The Corporate and Continuing Education division will offer private pilot ground school from 6-10 p.m. on Tuesdays from Sept. 3 through Nov. 19 on the TAPS Campus in Hudson. Cost is $126.
2) Community Appearance Commission Meeting
A meeting of the Town of Boon Community Appearance Commission will be held on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. in the Planning and Inspections Conference Room on the Post Office Level.
3) Appalachian Offers Physical Education Program for Home Schooled Children
The physical education program at Appalachian State University will offer its Home School Physical Education Program for the 2013-14 academic year. Classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-1:50 p.m. in Varsity Gym on campus. The cost is $30 per student for the full academic year and includes a t-shirt. The program is open to youth ages 5-12. Classes begin on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Registration deadline is 5 p.m. Oct. 31. Appalachian’s Home School PE program is a part of the university’s physical education teacher education PETE program. It is overseen by Dr. Heather Green. Green is a licensed K-12 physical education teacher and professor at Appalachian. She has many years of experience working with children in both academic and recreational settings. Classes are taught by junior-level physical education majors in conjunction with a university course in elementary physical education teaching methods. All lesson planning and instruction are supervised by Sibley.Classes are offered at three developmental levels: cadets (5-6 years), Juniors (7-8 years) and seniors (9+ years). Class placement is based on age and developmental level.
4) Appalachian’s Lyndsie White Named to the AIG Women’s Collegiate All-Americans Team
Until two years ago, Lyndsie White had never touched a rugby ball. That all changed when the senior industrial design major at Appalachian State University discovered the sport of women’s rugby and joined the AHO Women’s Rugby Team, a club sport at the university. She will play on the AIG Women’s Collegiate All-Americans team in a match against the Twin Cities Amazons women’s rugby club Aug. 25 in Minnesota. White, of Waxhaw, was a member of the rugby team at Appalachian that progressed to the top 16 in the Collegiate Division II National Championship in 2012. This year, the team posted a 20-1 record and advanced to the Elite Eight in the national championship. “I’m pretty excited,” White said about the upcoming rugby match. She was one of 40 players from eastern and western regional rugby camps selected for the AIG team. White is the only player from North Carolina named to the team, competing from athletes from colleges such as Boston College, Florida State University and the University of California-Berkeley. Many of students play at the varsity sport level. Why rugby? “It looked like fun,” the former Mountaineer pole-vaulter said. “A friend invited me to play, the team was very welcoming, and I wanted to do something physical.” Women’s rugby is played identical to the men’s sport. Each team has 15 players. Matches are 80 minutes long, divided into two, 40-minute halves. Players advance the oval ball by carrying or kicking it. Home matches are played at Appalachian’s intramural fields off State Farm Road. League competitors include East Carolina University, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Charlotte and the College of Charleston. Last spring Appalachian’s team was ranked 4th in the nation. “Lyndsie took to the game immediately, and I think the support of her teammates like Bonnie Nguyen and Stephanie Smith helped her in learning the intricacies of the game,” said Ken Muir, who coaches the team. Muir is a professor of sociology at Appalachian and a nationally certified rugby referee. “Lyndsie is an absolutely fearless player,” Muir said. “I have seen her tackle players who out-weigh her by 40 pounds and run down and tackle opposing ball carriers who otherwise would have easily scored a try against the ASU team. She never ceases to amaze me and her teammates with her talent and her absolute love for the game.”White will learn following the match in Minnesota if she will be invited to compete with the AIG Women’s Collegiate All-Americans team in France this fall.“I’ve been coach of the ASU team since its inception 16 years ago, and Lyndsie is one of the best players I have ever had the privilege to coach,” Muir said.
5) Watauga GOP Cookout Announced
The Watauga County GOP will have a Summer Cookout on Sept. 5 at the Boone Golf Club from 5:30-8:00 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by The Original Bluegrass Band. Representative Virginia Foxx, N.C. Senator Dan Soucek and N.C. Representative Jonathan Jordan will be there along with other Republican elected officials and candidates. Tickets are $20 if paid before Aug. 29, and $25 at the door.
6) Free Community Wellness Jumpstart
There will be a free community wellness jumpstart on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the Watauga County Library from 6-7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Lets have fun living well together. Area health professionals provide information and inspiration on how to live a healthy lifestyle. Free gifts and discounts from area businesses will be provided to attendees.