FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2007
Contact Ben Chambers, (770) 537-5756

CAN DRIVE ENDS WITH PYRAMID CONSTRUCTION, FOOD DISTRIBUTION

Student Nick Kendrick joins Financial Aid Director David Robinson, Information Technology Director Brian Henderson and LPN program director Tricia Thompson as they build a Mayan-themed pyramid of canned goods December 10 on the Murphy Campus of West Central Technical College. About 13,000 cans of food were collected during November by students, faculty and staff at West Central Tech.

West Central Technical College students, faculty and staff put the finishing touches on a quarter-long service learning project last week by building four Mayan-styled ‘temples’ out of canned goods.

This week, the cans were delivered to area Division of Family and Children’s Services offices for distribution.

The pyramids – each requiring about 1,400 standard-size cans of food – will be built today and Tuesday on College campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas and Haralson counties. The cans were collected during November at sites in each of the four counties. Blueprints for the structures were produced by Computer Aided Drafting classes under the direction of instructor Chris Summerville.

“We wanted to have a concrete way of putting an exclamation point on our project,” Vice President of Academic Affairs Pat Hannon said. “This certainly does it.”

College faculty, staff and students collected a combined total of about 13,000 cans during the month of November, including several competitions among classes and offices. The competition among classes at the Murphy Campus was won by Richard Bailey’s Surgical Technology class, which collected 882 cans.

The canned food drive – dubbed ‘i CAN Help’ by organizers – is the first College-wide integrated service learning project for West Central.

This Surgical Technology class collected 882 cans to win the competition among classes on the Murphy Campus of West Central Technical College. Shown are (front, l-r) Julia Brinkley CST, Tasha Tolbert, Richard Bailey RN BSN, (middle, l-r) Kelley Stroud, Amanda Ferrell, Kristina Wilson, Athena Brown, Lovine McLaughlin, Justine Vardeman, (back, l-r) Karen Johnson, Kelli Haehnlain, Alicia Collins, Tiffany Maner and Lisa Allred.

Service learning is a teaching strategy which melds classroom instruction and practical application of material learned into a community service project. “I CAN Help” cuts across seven programs of study in the form of a project to provide food and nutritional information to families served by area Division and Family and Children Services offices.

“Our project draws directly on what students are learning in at least seven programs of study across our College,” Hannon said. “Having a concrete application of their academic knowledge enhances what they are learning in the classroom. Being able to give back to the community as a part of that application makes our work that much more meaningful and rewarding.”

The other portion of the service learning project – a cookbook that will accompany food distributed by DFACS offices – was created by students in nursing, clinical laboratory technology, culinary arts, and business office technology classes.

 “Our students determined the best food choices for people on a limited budget,” practical nursing program director Tricia Thompson said. “For example, they might suggest frozen vegetables if you can’t afford fresh.”

Clinical laboratory technician students determined the potential medical outcomes of poor dietary choices and recommended actions to prevent these potential health problems.

West Central Technical College delivered about 13,000 cans to DFACS offices in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas and Haralson counties. Carroll County DFACS staff members received their cans December 18. Shown are DFACS staff members Lula Haile, Julie Cole, Tammy Moon, Tonetta Butler, Charlene Harrod and WCTC President Dr. Skip Sullivan. Delivering the cans were (back row) instructor Chad Ledbetter and students Steve McDowell and Scott Gann.

Students in culinary arts programs formulated simple recipes and menu guides that can be used by DFCS families to help them eat healthy on a budget. The information was assembled into a cookbook and menu guide by business office technology students.

The cookbook also is available for download on the College website, The Simple Chef Cookbook.

The stepped pyramids of cans stayed in place for a couple of days before being dismantled and shipped to DFACS offices in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas and Haralson counties, Hannon said. Commercial truck driving students and instructors are providing the transportation.

“Service learning is more than another class project for our students,” President Dr. Skip Sullivan said. “While they are at West Central, we want to ingrain in them the importance giving back to the community. That is what we are doing every day – not just teaching, but making good citizens that can contribute to the greater good.”

West Central Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas and Haralson counties, offers over 90 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Central last year served over 10,000 students including credit enrollment, adult education, ESL classes, continuing education and corporate training.

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