Vol. 3, Issue No. 20                                                                                                                                                 
November 20, 2015   
From the Hawk's Nest is distributed twice a month, and we need your input!  Please send your ideas for stories on upcoming events, reports on attendance at conferences, awards and honors received, photos or information on outstanding employees or students to Elizabeth Belcher, ebelcher@newriver.edu or Kelly Taber, ktaber@newriver.edu. The deadline for the next issue is 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2. 
Business After Hours At Mercer County Campus 

New River CTC's Mercer County Campus hosted a Business After Hours on Thursday, Nov. 19 sponsored by the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce and the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce.  In addition, the executive director and board members of Community Foundation of the Virginias made an announcement about a gift to the College's Foundation.

Gene Bailey (right), board member of Community Foundation of the Virginias, made a donation that was matched by an anonymous local donor. President L. Marshall Washington (left) and Vice President of Institutional Advancement Karen Harvey (center) received the check, which will be used  to repair the chandelier lighting system at MCC.
Door prizes were given throughout the evening. Information was available about degree and certificate programs. A variety of demonstrations were available by Welding, CDL, Medical Assisting, and Electric Distribution Engineering Technology students and faculty.

Dr. Washington hands out a door prize.

















The Hawk practices welding!
EDET Instructor Mike King gives a demonstration about electricity.



Welding Students Create and Install Water Wheel  

Steve Brown has been dreaming of a gristmill on his pond in Mt. Nebo for several years and with the help of students from New River Community and Technical College that dream is becoming a reality.   Mr. Brown, owner of the Mount Nebo Bar and Tractor, purchased the property behind his existing business a few years ago and started a project to clean the pond and clear the brush.  After stocking the pond with fish, he realized the pond would need some way to aerate it.  He then began formulating a plan to build a gristmill and use the gristmill water wheel to aerate the pond.  This idea evolved into a plan to expand into another retail area for the businessman as well as creating a new tourist attraction for the Nicholas County and Summersville Lake area.
 
After starting construction of the mill at the end of July, Mr. Brown was pondering the best way to build the wheel.  Should it be wood or should it be metal?  Should he try to fabricate it all himself or reach out to a fabrication shop?  During a conversation with Mary Igo, Regional Director of Operations for New River CTC - Nicholas County Campus, she suggested Mr. Brown contact the welding instructor at New River CTC and see if this project would be of interest to him.  Welding instructor, Brad Veneri saw this an excellent project for his students to gain some hands on experience.  Mr. Veneri and another instructor Dave Holland worked on the design of the wheel as well as adding the project to the curriculum for this semester. 
 
After much discussion and collaboration, a design was agreed upon and it was determined that Mr. Brown would build the wooden wheel rims and the welding program at New River would take those rims and add the metal parts such as the spokes, the metal liner, and the buckets.  The wooden parts of the wheel were delivered to the Advanced Technology Center in Ghent, WV on Wednesday, November 11 and the finished product was brought back to Mt. Nebo on November 18.
















Welding Instructor Brad Veneri at work.
Welding class with their finished project.







Congratulations to RCC Basketball Team 
 
New River CTC's Lee Street Complex on the Greenbrier Valley Campus in Lewisburg, WV was the site for the New River Community and Technical College's 4th Annual Intramural Basketball Tournament held on Saturday, November 14.  

Over thirty students and staff members participated in the tournament on teams representing three New River campuses and the Advanced Technology Center.  Several friends and family members enjoyed the games.  The tournament was composed of three teams:  the Ghent Ballers from the Advanced Technology Center, the Raleigh County Tides representing the Raleigh County Campus, and the third team, the Tornadoes, representing the Nicholas County Campus along with a few players from the Greenbrier Valley Campus.  The tournament was in the double-elimination format which involved each team playing at least two games during the day.

Students, faculty and staff participating on the teams are listed below by location:  Kevin Crouse, William Fair, Hunter Lafferty, Jacob Lively, Matthew Thurman, William Tilley (Advanced Technology Center); Corey Bowles, John Coleman, Cody Collins, Joseph Cornett, Christian Day, Brian Hatcher (staff), Shawn Keller, Joel Robinson, Anthony Wilson (Raleigh County Campus);  Jacob Deitz, Ryan Eickhoff, Matt Harrison, Herman "Boats" Keene (staff),  Terrin Neel and Becky Taylor (Nicholas County Campus); Colton Landfried, Kayla Smith (Greenbrier Valley Campus).

The first game of the tournament pitted the Nicholas County Tornados, sporting black uniform shirts, and the Ghent Ballers, wearing green uniform shirts. Both teams played with hustle and had several good ball handlers and shooters.  The game was close all the way with the lead changing hands several times during play.  The Ghent Ballers held off the Tornados and won the game with a score of 47 to 42.

The Raleigh County Tides in blue uniform shirts played the Ghent Ballers in the second game of the tournament.  Also a fast paced game, the Raleigh County Tide proved victorious with a score of 66 to 47.

The third game of the tournament involved the Ghent Ballers vs. the Tornadoes.  The Nicholas County Tornados won the contest with a score of 42 to 31.   With the Tornadoes winning the third game, the fourth game became the Championship Game for the tournament between the Tornadoes and 
the Tides, a repeat of last year's final game involving the teams from Raleigh and Nicholas County Campuses.  At the end of regulation play, the Tide prevailed and won the championship game by a score of 48 t o 32.

Congratulations to the Raleigh County Tides, 2015-2016 Champions, and to all the teams that participated!  The Tournament trophy will be proudly displayed at the Raleigh County Campus for the second year in a row.


-- By Allen Withers, VP of Student Services







Tobacco-Free Day Encourages Kicking the Habit

Tobacco-Free Taskforce members set up tables with literature, giveaways, and a "quit smoking survival kit" for the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout event. 
 
The College was also one of about 70 campuses across the nation participating in the 1 Day Stand against tobacco in support of the Great American Smokeout.
 
The purpose of the Great American Smoke-Out is to encourage people to stop using tobacco for one day, with a goal of quitting for good.


RCC Medical Assisting student at the tobacco-free table.
One Room University students at the tobacco-free table.

 










Summit On Race Matters: Continuing Conversations

Racial issues in Appalachia and across the country were the main topic of conversation at the Summit for Race Matters held Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 at the Kyle and Ann Fort Arts and Sciences Building on the Greenbrier Valley Campus in Lewisburg.

Summit on Race Matters: Continuing Conversations featured keynote speakers Dr. Michelle Foster, CEO of Kanawha Institute for Social Research & Action (KISRA), and Rev. Nelson Staples, pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Beckley.

Participants watched and discussed the film "Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity" by Shakti Butler, who received national acclaim for challenging viewers to engage in authentic dialogue about race. 

Poet Crystal Good also performed her work. Good has been published in Pluck! The Journal for Affrilachian Culture, Appalachian Heritage, The Book of Now Poetry for the Rising Tide, has received numerous interviews and reviews of her work, and was a speaker at the 2013 TEDx conference in Lewisburg.

The event was sponsored by The Greater Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation, West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, and New River Community and Technical College.

The first Race Matters Summit in Appalachia was held November 2014 in Charleston, W.Va. The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy created a website that catalogs statistics on race and social and economic disparities in the state: http://racematterswv.net.


Dr. Kristi Dumas' RCC Sociology 210 students traveled to Lewisburg to attend the Race Matters Summit.
Poet Crystal Good performs her work.
















Panel discussion at the Summit.
Race Matters Steering Committee members who organized the event.






Rep. Evan Jenkins Talks Grants at RCC
Congressman Evan Jenkins provided opening remarks during the "Making Federal Grants Work For You" event held on Nov. 13 at at the Raleigh County Campus. Speakers included Bob Gittler, Economic Development Specialist with the U.S. Economic Development Administration, James Bush, State Program Manager for the Appalachian Regional Commission, and Lisa Sharp, Program Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development. 








Crayons and Coloring Books Now Being Collected 

For the fifth year the Carolyn Browning Social Service Club is collecting coloring books and packs of 24 crayons to distribute on Dec. 19 at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center. Last year, they collected 500 packs of coloring books and crayons. Members of the club also work at the event assisting families with choosing toys for their children. 

When you're shopping for gifts for loved ones, please also pick up a pack of crayons and a coloring book for needy families! Collection boxes are located on all campuses.
 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!