Randall Stevens, Sandy Hewitt-Giacobbi,
Robert Merchant, Carteret CC.
REASON TO SMILE
There was a true feeling of excitement and pride in Joslyn Hall
Thursday evening August 27th, when Carteret Community Col
lege held its second annual Awards Night. Among the many
students, staff and faculty receiving awards, there was one very
deserving individual that received the Woodmen of the World/
Literacy Scholarship—Mr. Randall Stevens. Making the recogni
tion was Sandy Hewitt-Giacobbi, Coordinator of Basic Skills.
Presenting the award was Robert Merchant, Field Representative
for Carteret County's Woodmen of the World Insurance Society of
Newport.
Mr. Stevens is a native of Carteret County and was employed
with Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corporation when he began to
pursue his need for higher education. It was then, that Mr.
Stevens enrolled in the General Educational Development (GED)
program through the Basic Skills Department at Carteret Commu-.
nity College. With a family of five to support, money was already
tight, but half-way through his eighteen-month study, he was laid
off from Owens-Corning. But, he never gave up, he worked even
harder and with a lot of perseverance and determination, Mr.
Stevens successfully completed the national GED examination
and earned his GED Diploma in June 1992.
The Woodmen of the World/Literacy Scholarship recognizes an
outstanding student with a proven financial need who is a gradu
ate of one of Carteret Community college's Basic Skills programs
and who intends to enroll in a curriculum or vocational program in
the fall quarter of the award year. Recognition is based on
financial need as determined by the financial aid officer, gradua
tion from one of the College's Basic Skills programs, demonstra
tion of scholastic promise through class participation, motivation
and test scores.
This year's Literacy Scholarship was donated by Woodmen of
the World Life Insurance Society which is one of the largest
fraternal organizations in the world, dedicated to helping people
in their quest for secure and meaningful lives.
Woodmen of the World recognizes members of their commu
nities with awards for conservation, lifesaving, and worthy civic
leadership. They have fund raisers to raise monies for special
projects such as educational scholarships.
On behalf of the staff and faculty in the Basic Skills Department
and Woodmen of the World, Newport, we would like to congratu
late Mr. Stevens for being awarded the Woodmen of the World/
LKeracy Scholarship.
Sandy Hewitt-Giacobbi
Carteret CC
BASIC SKILLS CONFERENCE (continued)
which all other educational and training activities are built. We
cannot do advanced training without the strong foundation you
build each and every day on each and every one of our more than
2,400 sites statewide. I am proud of each of you, the programs
you work so hard to produce, and countless lives we change each
year through our basic skills programs."
Other dignitaries participating at the opening session were
DCC's Executive Vice President, Dr. Parker Chesson; DCC's
Vice President of Programs, Dr. James Wingate and Fayetteville
Technical Community College President, Dr. Craig Allen. Bobby
Anderson, DCC's Basic Skills Director, presided. Basic skills
personnel appreciated the system's leadership supporting the
conference.
The luncheon was followed by an inspiring keynote address by
Eva P. Britt, Attorney at Law, Washington, D.C. Britt, physically
handicapped with rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 9, is a GED
graduate from Roanoke-Chowan Community College. The audi
ence gave Britt a standing ovation at the conclusion of her speech
entitled "From GED to J.D."
During the following day, Britt was videotaped while talking to
students at Fayetteville Technical Community College. A copy of
the tape will be made available to each community college in the
near future.
"Meeting the Challenges through Quality Basic Skills Pro
grams," the conference theme, was enhanced by over seventy
outstanding workshop sessions on August 5th and 6th. Present
ers represented community colleges, universities, literacy coun
cils, and nonprofit organizations. Sessions were designed spe
cifically for Adult Basic Education, Assessment/Retention, En
glish as a Second Language, General Educational Development,
Literacy Councils, Adult High School, Compensatory Education,
Family Literacy, Homeless, and Workplace Literacy. Session
evaluations indicated that participants were exceptionally pleased
with the content and quality of the sessions.
Dinner in the Park, on the evening of the 5th, was a real treat
in spite of the rain. The food was marvelous and the entertain
ment provided by DCC's own Parks Todd and a group of his
friends was exceptional. The group is called "The Amazing
Bobs"—contrary to the fact that there is not a Bob among them.
By all accounts it was a memorable evening for those who
attended.
At the closing session on August 6th, Dale Van Horn, radio
personality, songwriter, and motivational speaker from Raleigh,
gave a challenging address entitled The Difference You Make..."
He cited various examples of how certain individuals in his life had
taken time to work with him to help him suoceed despite his visual
limitations. Dale also played and sang several of his popular hits.
The audience gave him a standing ovation. What a way to end
the conference!
This year's conference provided the opportunity for partidpants
from across the state to get together and recapture that spedai
inspiration and motivation that is uniquely a part of the Basic Skills
program! The Department of Community Colleges appredates
the efforts of all individuals who helped in a variety of ways to
make the conference a success.
Florence Taylor, DCC
MELISSA ESPINOSA has been appointed the first fufl-time director of the
English as a Second Language Program at Durham Tech. Melissa came
to DTCC from the staff of the American University in Cairo's English
Language Institute, where she previously earned a master's degree in
TEFL She also taught for the Peace Corps for three years in Kenya and
in the Virgin Islands. Gloria Home, Durham Technical CC