Family members and friends filled every seat and the aisle in the Ethel Pope Auditorium in Santa Maria on March 4 to watch their loved ones turn the tassel at Santa Barbara Business College’s North County graduation.
During the graduation, Santa Maria City Council member Alice Patino addressed the grads, asking them to delve into a life of community service.
“We have a community full of people who give,” Patino said. “We have a responsibility to give to those who are in need.”
She reminded students that serving the community doesn’t always involve a check.
“There are tons of nonprofits,” Patino said. “Give your time and your heart.”
She went on to tell the grads that the community also needs them to enjoy life. She ended her speech by telling the students that if they go through life smiling, they’ll never regret it.
Sherena Williams-Rojas was the graduate speaker for the night. She reminisced with the graduates about the early days of their college careers: hearing about A.J. Schuermann, the Santa Maria campus director, and his days of working at Taco Bell; and how all of the students couldn’t wait to get a pair of their own scrubs.
New graduates picked up degrees in business administration, criminal justice, medical assisting, pharmacy technology, medical assisting, medical office systems, and vocational nursing. Ten students were awarded Dean’s List honors, and three students graduated with high honors.
Local students try to democratize the classroom
Three students from Vandenberg Middle School will be attending the 2011 Student Technology Showcase on March 19 in Palm Springs.
Students Krista Triguiero, Amanda Stanton, and Nathaniel Schneck, accompanied by coordinator Bree Valla, will showcase their student response devices and explain how they’ll benefit the classroom.
The response devices, or “clickers,” will help democratize classrooms by allowing students to anonymously express their opinions to the teacher.
The Student Technology Showcase centers on integrating technology into curricula to increase student engagement in the classroom.
Anyone interested in viewing the projects that will be featured at the technology showcase can visit k12hsn.org.
School Scene is compiled by Intern Henry Houston. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Mar 10-17, 2011.