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FVCC Home >  Press Releases >  2008 - September

The Lakeside Elementary Reading Buddy program is seeking volunteer mentors to work with Lakeside elementary students to build reading skills and self-confidence during fall semester which runs through December 19.   The mentor can either spend one-on-one time with an individual child or work with the entire class in reading-based activities. Volunteers are asked to commit 30 minutes a week.  

The program has successfully served hundreds of kindergarten through fifth grade students at Lakeside Elementary over seven years.  The Reading Buddy program in Lakeside is possible through a partnership with FVCC’s AmeriCorps program.   

If you are interested in being a volunteer mentor, contact FVCC AmeriCorps team member Tracy Lost-Bear at 756-3917 or lostbear10@gmail.com.

The FVCC Art Department invites the public to the opening of a free student art photography show highlighting the people and culture of Nepal on Wednesday, October 8 in the FVCC Arts and Technology Building from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.  The photos were taken by FVCC students enrolled in a Nepal Immersion study program during the 2008 spring semester.  Refreshments will be provided.

“The photographs tell the story of the students’ experiences in a new culture,” explains FVCC photography instructor Marita Combs. “After seeing all the photos in one place, one of my students burst into tears saying that so many memories of the experience and the friendships that were built came flooding back when she saw the pictures,” Combs added.

The show will run through the month of October at FVCC and then will travel to the O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center in Whitefish and finally to the FVCC campus in Libby.

For more information on the FVCC Art Department or upcoming art shows on the FVCC campus contact John Rawlings at jrawling@fvcc.edu or 756-3896.  

FVCC advanced American Sign Language students and their instructor will provide sign language interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at two of the performances on Saturday, October 4 and Saturday, October 11, 2008.  

A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs October 2 – 11 and is appropriate for all ages. Tickets are $5 for any student or senior and $10 for general admission.  The season opening performance on October 2 is free to the community.  All evening performances begin at 7:00 p.m.  The Sunday matinee performance on October 5 begins at 2:00 p.m.  Advanced tickets are available at the FVCC Bookstore where phone orders can be secured with a credit card (756-3814).  For more information, please contact Artistic Director Joe Legate at 756-3906. 

The Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees met September 22 for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

Five candidates submitted applications to fill the board vacancy left by Trustee Allison Young.  One withdrew and each of the other four candidates spoke at the meeting about their interest in serving on the board.  The candidates present were: Tom McElwain, Columbia Falls; Elna Darrow, Bigfork; Kenny Parks, Bigfork, and Susan Pretswich, Bigfork.  A vote to appoint the trustee will take place at a future special meeting.  

Student Government President Tim Butterfield reported on the status of student clubs at FVCC.  Culinary Arts, Fresh Air (outdoor activities club), the Democratic Club and Students for Choice are making application this fall to be recognized as permanent clubs on the Kalispell campus.   The Renewable Resources Education club is assisting the FVCC Green Team is co-sponsoring the Montana Climate Change Lecture Series starting September 25, the Theatre production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream begins with a free showing on October 2, and the Student Senate is preparing for its annual children’s Halloween party on the FVCC Kalispell campus.

Mindy Harwood, representing the FVCC Mountaineers and Mountaineers championship track and field team during the 60’s and 70’s, presented a petition asking the Board of Trustees to consider changing the current mascot name at FVCC from Eagles back to Mountaineers/Mountainettes during public comment at the meeting.  The request will be considered at the upcoming Board of Trustees retreat.

President Jane Karas reported on the Community Conversations she held in June and July in all the communities in the College’s service area.  The conversations provided community members with an opportunity to hear about the “state of the college” and engage in a dialog about how the college can better serve community needs.

Faith Hodges, Director of Enrollment and Institutional Research, reported that FVCC enrollment for the summer sessions 2008 was up 18 per cent from summer 2007. Preliminary data on fall 2008 enrollment indicates a 6 per cent increase.

Deb Barrett, chair of the FVCC Wellness Program, was recognized by the Montana State Department of Public Health and Human Service for her outstanding work toward the Montana University System Wellness Program.   

The next regularly scheduled board meeting will take place October 27 at 3:45 p.m.  For more information regarding specific items included in this report or regarding college activities, please contact Colleen Unterreiner by calling 756-3914.  For more information on board meetings, please contact Monica Settles by calling 756-3801.

The FVCC Foundation’s Festival of Flavors culminates with a Grand Wine Tasting Event at the Hilton Garden Inn on Saturday, October 4 from 7:00 – 10:00 P.M.   Over 130 acclaimed wines will be available for tasting including Caymus, Seghesio, Saviah, Stags leap, Ste. Michelle, Canoe Ridge, Duckhorn, Farrari Carano, Cakebread, Steele, and  Robert Mondavi. Representatives from the wineries will be on hand to educate guests about their wines.  Tickets are $75 and include a collector’s Riedel wine glass. Attendees will pair the wines with samplings of the Valley’s finest foods from local restaurants and caterers.

Highlighting the evening will be an exciting live auction with all proceeds going to the FVCC programs and scholarships.  Prizes include: trips to wine country with winery visits in Sonoma, California, Walla Walla, Washington and Carlton, Oregon; artwork from Kelly Apgar, Bill Jasper, Karen Leigh, Marsha Davis, Corinne Lundgren and prints from Wayne Dowdy, Charlie Russell and Ace Power; Seattle Seahawks Club level tickets and two nights at the Hilton Garden Inn in Seattle; two roundtrip domestic airline tickets; a Pelican pedal boat; a GE Profile wine cooler; a “Poppy Festival” quilt; and large format bottles of wine signed by noted winemakers.  

Attendees will also have the opportunity to bid on over 45 prizes in a Super Silent Auction and participate in wine shopping.  

An additional Great Chefs dinner has been added on Friday, October 3 featuring Edd Lopez of the Segehsio Family vineyards and Chef Joshua Auerhammer at the Culinary Design Studio in Bigfork.  Tickets are $125 each.   

Tickets are still available for the Great Chefs dinners: Monday, September 29 at the Blue Canyon with Chef Matt Israel;

Wednesday , October 1 at La Provence in Bigfork with Chef Marc Guizol;  and Thursday, October 2 at McGarry’s Roadhouse with Chef Stephen Nogal.  Dinners begin at 7:00 p.m.  Sample some of the Valley’s best beers from the brewers of the Flathead Brewers Guild paired with brats and Blazing Saddle barbeque on Friday, October 3 at the Great Northern Brewing Co. in Whitefish from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.  Tickets are $50 each.  

All proceeds from the Festival of Flavors benefit student scholarships and programs at Flathead Valley Community College. For information and tickets contact Sue Evans at 756-3963.  Guest must be a least 21 years of age to attend the events.

FVCC ‘s office of Native American/Multicultural Services invites the community to attend a presentation and lecture by members of the Blackfeet Nation on Friday, September 26, 2008 in front of Blake Hall on the FVCC Kalispell campus in celebration of “American Indian Heritage Day”.  A Teepee demonstration will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by a Gathering and Sharing at 1:00 p.m.  This event is free and open to the public. 

In 1997, the Montana Legislature passed a law designating the fourth Friday of September as “American Indian Heritage Day” commemorating the role of Indians in Montana’s past and present.  

For more information, contact Mick Stemborski at 756-3945 or mstembor@fvcc.edu.  

Flathead Valley Community College Foundation and Fun Beverage as part of the upcoming Festival of Flavors, a week-long unrivaled gathering of fine foods and beer and wines, has just added a  unique Sonoma County Zinfandel Seminar for those in the  Flathead Valley to learn about Zinfandels featuring wine expert Edd Lopez, Sales Director for Seghesio Family Vineyards.

A region rich in history since it was settled largely by Italian families at the turn of the century, California’s Sonoma County continues to prove itself as one of the most prized producers of young and old Zinfandels in the world.

The seminar will educate you about how site-specificity, micro-climates, soil contents and sustainable farming practices focused on ‘purity of fruit’ play important roles in producing renowned Zinfandels from such venerable Sonoma County appellations as Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley and Rockpile.

With a selection of Seghesio’s prized Zinfandels at the seminar to sample, you will also have an opportunity to taste the inherent differences between old vines versus young vines and vineyard blends versus vineyard designates, thus highlighting the diversity and distinctiveness of this intriguing varietal.

This event will be held at the Blue Canyon Restaurant in the Alpine Room at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell on Saturday, October 4 from 10:30 a.m. until noon and participants will receive a Riedel wine glass. Tickets are $35 each and must be purchased in advance. You must be 21 years or older to attend. Seating is limited.  For information and to purchase seminar tickets call Susan Evans at the FVCC Foundation at 756-3963.

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare wasn’t content to just tell a humorous story of two mismatched couples.  Enter into the story a company of hapless actors to rehearse a wretched play.  These stories collide and become intermingled as lovers, fairies and actors meet in the forest on a midsummer night.  

FVCC Theatre launches its new season with a passion, pulling actors new and old from the ranks of college and community as the company celebrates its second year in their state-of-the-art theatre on the FVCC campus in Kalispell.  Brian Bechtold, FVCC English instructor, theatre dramaturge and Shakespearean scholar, has masterfully pared the original script down to less than two hours.  The result is a fast-paced, spirited romp through the forests of Athens with a surprise and a laugh hiding behind every tree.  Kurt Duffner, FVCC Theatre/Music instructor, has written original music to accompany the songs by Shakespeare, giving the production a distinctly contemporary feel.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs October 2 – 11 and is appropriate for all ages. Tickets are $5 for any student or senior and $10 for general admission. The season opening performance on October 2 is free to the community.  All evening performances begin at 7:00 p.m.  The Sunday matinee performance on October 5 begins at 2:00 p.m.  Advanced tickets are available at the FVCC Bookstore where phone orders can be secured with a credit card (756-3814).  For more information, please contact Artistic Director Joe Legate at 756-3906.  

Flathead Valley Community College is offering a ten-week non-credit class on learning to communicate in American Sign Language September 23 through November 25.  The class, taught by instructor Katie Halling, will cover how to sign and participate in conversation by drawing a picture using the hands, body and face.  Katie earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in American Sign Language, from College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN, and an Associate of Arts Degree from FVCC.

“Everyday Signs: Communicate with the Deaf in 10 Easy Lessons” will meet from 6-8 p.m. The cost to enroll is $94.

For more information or to register, contact the FVCC Continuing Education Center at 756-3832.

Flathead Valley Community College will present three free “Artist to Artist” brown bag lunches as part of a series to deliver information while connecting with others in the local art community.  This popular series is back for its second season.  This is your chance to connect with other artists, reflect upon the diversity of arts flourishing in the Flathead, and gain knowledge about how to avoid some of the obstacles on the road to success.  

The college will open the series on September 17 with “Opening the Door” by John Rawlings, artist and instructor in the FVCC Art Department.  Dawn Duane Evans will continue the series October 15 with “Tapping Into Your Own Diversity.”  The series will conclude November 19 with “Keeping the Vision” with artist/quilter Brian Dykhuizen.

Each presentation will take place from 12:00 -1:30 p.m. in the Arts and Technology Building, room 144, on the college’s Kalispell campus.  No reservations are required to attend.  Guests are invited to bring their lunches.

For more information, contact the FVCC Continuing Education Center at 756-3832. 

The Flathead Valley Community College Reading Group will reconvene September 24 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the books, “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America,”  by Erik Larson and “There’s No Place Like Here,” by Cecilia Ahern.  Open to the public, the group meets monthly to discuss the selected book for each meeting.  The only cost involved is the purchase of the book.  For more information or to sign up, call Sharon Randolph at 756-3981.