The San Mateo County Community College District held a special groundbreaking ceremony for a new solar project at Cañada College that will help cut the school's energy costs in half.
Dignitaries including Redwood City Mayor Jeff Gee, San Mateo County Community College District Board of Trustees President Karen Schwarz, Karim Allana, principal at Allana Buick & Bers Inc., and SMCCCD Chancellor Ron Galatolo were invited to turn the "first shovel of dirt" on the project. A large crowd was welcomed by Cañada College President Larry Buckley, who also took part in the groundbreaking.
This is the first renewable energy project undertaken by the district.
The project, approved by the Board of Trustees in January, includes
installation of ground-mounted solar panels on a 3.5-acre vacant project site
located adjacent to the school’s athletic fields and just above the Farm Hill
Boulevard entrance to campus. Jose Nuñez, vice chancellor of facilities
planning and operations, said Cañada was chosen for the site because it has the
greatest exposure to the sun year-round and is the least visually obtrusive to
neighbors.
The timing for the project was ideal since Proposition 39, the
California Clean Energy Jobs Act passed in 2012, allocates revenue to local
education agencies to support energy efficiency and alternative energy
projects. Prop 39 gives the district $554,000 in funding and the California
Solar Initiative will provide about $870,000 in rebates over a five-year
period.
A ribbon
cutting ceremony will be held upon completion of the project sometime this
summer.
Cañada College will roll out the red carpet for more than 200 high school students on Friday, March 28 as part of Preview Day.
Cañada College Preview Day is the major outreach
event of the spring. Students from the Sequoia Union High School District and Half Moon Bay High School will learn about different academic majors, how to apply for financial aid, and Cañada's popular Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Center.
"This gives our faculty and staff the opportunity to meet with hundreds
of students on one day to explain their programs," said Noel Chavez, Cañada's college recruiter and a former Cañada student. "High school students will learn about our academic and support programs."
Chavez said students will about different degrees offered at the college, student support programs, extracurricular activities and more.
For more information, visit Cañada's Preview Day website or call Chavez at (650) 306-3444.
As the Latino population in California becomes the single largest ethnic group in the state it changes the political and social dynamics. Latin American and Latino/a Studies at Cañada College is a unique interdisciplinary program that examines these changes and prepares students for careers in this new environment.
“We combine
courses from multiple academic departments to give students a broad
understanding of historical, political, social, geographic and cultural aspects
of Latin America and Latino/a communities,” said Alison Field, Professor of
History at Cañada. “Coursework in social sciences, literature, music, drama and
Spanish language provides a uniquely comprehensive approach to historical and
contemporary issues as well as questions of identity, heritage and creative
expression.”
Yolanda
Valenzuela, professor of English and Reading at Cañada, said the Latin American
and Latino/a Studies Program opens the door to a range of career opportunities
for students. “The continuing importance of Latin America for the U.S. and the
growing Latino/a population have produced an increasing need for trained
persons with a knowledge of Latin American and Latino/a communities to work in
social service, government and foreign service, non-governmental organizations,
law, teaching, business and other fields.”
Valenzuela said students can transfer to UC
Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, San Jose State, San Francisco State, Santa Clara,
Notre Dame de Namur and other universities to pursue degrees in Latin American
and Latino/a Studies.
Cañada’s Latin
American and Latino/a Studies Program is the only one of its kind at a
community college in San Mateo County. Students can also double major in
Spanish.
For more
information, contact Professor Field at fielda@smccd.edu or Professor Valenzuela at
valenzuelay@smccd.edu.
A Cañada College accounting major who enrolled in college as
a high school freshman and currently lives in San Francisco’s Tenderloin
neighborhood helping people with drug and alcohol dependency has been named to the
Phi Theta Kappa Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team.
Lauren Rankin, who grew up in San Carlos and was
home-schooled until she enrolled at Cañada, said she is honored by the $1,500
scholarship and designation as a Coca-Cola Gold Scholar but will not be
traveling to Orlando, Florida in April for the convention because of her
volunteer work. “I believe the best leaders are those who serve others. Being
ahead several years in school allowed me to take some time off from academics
and really focus on my leadership and spiritual growth by serving others.”
Rankin is a volunteer at San Francisco City Impact in the
Tenderloin, a ministry dedicated to helping intervene on behalf of the people
in one of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods. “Initially, I wanted to
serve in a Third World country but after visiting the Tenderloin I realized
there was far too much need locally,” Rankin said.
As an intern with City Impact, she works at the
organization’s thrift store which aids customers who struggle with alcoholism
and drug addiction. She also attends two different classes designed to better
her leadership, deepen her faith, and improve her communication skills.
“Several times a week I go to the Jefferson Hotel which houses some of the
neighborhood’s poorest residents. At the hotel, I go door-to-door creating
relationships with the residents by handing out food, encouragement, and
prayer. During the week I also lead volunteers into the low-income hotels for
meal deliveries and on prayer walks and street ministry at night. It is my
responsibility to keep my team safe.”
Lauren’s sister, Rachel, was also a Cañada College student
and named to the PTK Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team.
“They were both wonderful students and deserving of the
honor,” said Paul Roscelli, economics professor and faculty advisor for
Cañada’s award-winning PTK chapter.
Rankin has applied to UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Santa Barbara
and hopes to become a certified public accountant and work in a major firm.
“Eventually, down the road, I would love to use my knowledge of leadership,
finance and management to keep serving people because that is where I find the
most joy and fulfillment.”
A dominating three-hit shutout by Cañada pitcher Sam Alton lifted the Colts to a 4-0 victory over San Mateo County rival Skyline and gave the inaugural Golden Horseshoe Trophy to the Colts.
The Golden
Horseshoe is a new trophy awarded to the winner of the annual home
contest between Cañada and their two San Mateo County rivals – Skyline College
and the College of San Mateo. The Colts alternate hosting CSM and Skyline each
season.
Supporting Alton's sensational pitching performance was shortstop Kyle Zirbes, who went 2 for 3 at the plate and stole two bases. Right fielder Cody Barden went 1 for 2 and drove in a pair of runs for Cañada.
The Colts have now won seven of their past eight games and are 12-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play.Cañada will try to extends its winning streak when it travels to the College of San Mateo on Tuesday, March 18 at 2:30 pm.
Five Cañada
College Multimedia Art & Technology graduates have started a new design
group called The Think Tanks and hope to improve their portfolios while helping
to meet the artistic needs of the Peninsula and South Bay community.
“We all missed
working on projects together after we left Cañada,” said Amanda Newlove. “It’s
rough finding jobs in this economy so we decided to make our own work. The goal
is to get some real world experience while improving our portfolios and resumes
with some up-to-date projects.”
The creative
talents behind the project include:
Alan Wong – Wong has a degree in fine art from Academy of Art
College and specializes in many aspects of fine art but is most passionate
about character animation. His ultimate career goal is to work for an animation
studio or gaming company.
Amanda Newlove – Newlove earned a Bachelor of Science in
Biological Sciences from UC Davis and returned to school to earn a degree in 3D
Animation and Video Game Art at Cañada. She is interested in project management
for creative teams.
Mike Smith – An Eagle Scout from Belmont, and graduate from UC
Davis with a BA in Rhetoric and Communication and a minor in Dramatic and Fine
Arts. He has been a Realtor for the past 11 years and is currently taking
multimedia courses at Cañada to earn a degree in 3D Animation and Video Game
Art. His career goal is to make movies, TV shows, video games, or digital
graphic novels.
Spencer Hollingsworth – Hollingsworth has three
art degrees from Cañada: Studio, General, and Multimedia. He has always enjoyed
drawing, especially comics, and has a great sense of graphic design and visual
storytelling.
Steven Johnson – Johnson has an extensive background in the
video game industry. He is currently creating the artwork and animation for an
independent mobile game to be released later this year.
Paul Naas, the
Multimedia Program Director at Cañada College, said the students have a good
opportunity to succeed in their new venture. “They are all extremely talented
and driven,” he said. “I have no doubt they’ll produce great work for clients.”
Newlove said
The Think Tanks is not a full-time job for any of the team members at this
point. “We all have crazy, busy lives but we are making time to work on some
awesome projects.”
She said the
team’s strengths include illustration and animation and that will be the
initial focus for the new group. “Our clients can expect great customer service
and professional results,” she said. “We’ve just started the group but we
already have a website and we are currently working on the artwork for a
zombie-themed board game. It’s very exciting.”
Anybody
interested in contacting The Think Tanks can reach them through their website
at thinktanksart.com or contact Project Manager Amanda Newlove at
amandanewlove@gmail.com.
Milana Huang, character technical director
at Dreamworks Animation, will discuss careers in computer animation at this
week’s Cañada College STEM Speaker Series.
Huang’s lecture is titled, “Paper to
Performance: Careers in Computer Animation.” The lecture will be held on
Wednesday, March 12 from 5 to 6 pm in Building 6, Room 102. It’s free and open
to the public.
Held in both the fall and spring
semesters, the STEM Speaker Series features professionals from various science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics fields who discuss their careers,
research, and educational paths. The speakers also provide academic and career
advice to current and future college students.
Huang has worked at Dreamworks Animation
for the past 14 years in the Character Technical Director group. She has
collaborated on films such as Shrek, Madagascar, Rise
of the Guardians, and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
Huang earned a master’s degree through
the Electronic Visualization Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Science
Department of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her bachelor’s
degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison with a double major in Art
and Computer Science.
A chance meeting and a simple sneeze led a Cañada College multimedia
student to produce a five-minute film that will be featured at the Cannes Film
Festival in May.
Sir Wade Neistadt was notified by email last week that his
short film, KERFLOOEY, is one of 26 student-produced films that will be
featured in the Short Film Corner, one of three main sections of the famous French film festival.
In addition, Neistadt’s film will be featured at Universal Studios in Hollywood
in June as part of a three-day red carpet event where industry professionals
host workshops and network with student filmmakers from around the country.
The idea for KERFLOOEY came from Neistadt and Cañada College
classmate Melissa Loi, an aspiring writer. They met in a psychology course
section. “When I met Wade he was trying to add the psychology class I was
already registered for. He came into class and sneezed, I said ‘bless you,’ and
we ended up doing ice breaker work in class. We paired up and became friends,”
Loi said.
Neistadt, who grew up in Apple Valley and attended Granite
Hills High School, transferred to Cañada from CSU San Marcos because he wanted
to be in Silicon Valley to pursue his dream of making films. “I researched community
colleges in the area and Cañada was the only school with both a good computer
science program and multimedia program. When I visited the school last spring, I
met Paul Naas, program coordinator for the Multimedia Art & Technology
Program, and he convinced me Cañada was the right place for me.”
Neistadt began refining his video editing and special
effects skills under the tutelage of Cañada faculty, many who have worked at major
studios such as Disney, Pixar and Wildbrain. “The storytelling the faculty has
done over the years for those studios is experience that a motivated student
can draw from,” Naas said. “It’s pretty unique among community college
animation and multimedia programs. Wade’s the kind of student who digs deeper
into a subject – asking questions, incorporating feedback, and leveraging the
knowledge and experience of faculty to make his projects better.”
What Neistadt couldn’t foresee was the simple sneeze that
led him to meet Loi would be the catalyst for the creation of Manly Man, the
protagonist in KERFLOOEY.
When Neistadt learned last November that Campus MovieFest, the
world’s largest student film festival and a premier outlet for the next generation
of filmmakers, would be at Cañada to host a competition, he was determined to
enter. He ran into Loi, a graduate of Carlmont High School, at the Cañada
College Learning Center and they talked about the competition and began
reviewing five-minute films on YouTube created by their favorite stars. That’s
when Loi had an idea.
“I thought it would be cool to make a movie about a
superhero, since everyone seems obsessed with comic book characters…but maybe a
superhero that can’t quite save the world at the moment.”
Manly Man, Sub City’s local superhero, was born but, unlike
most superheroes, he wasn’t invincible. He was fighting a cold at the same time
he was saving Sub City from the fearsome Madame Mayhem. As the story unfolds, every Manly
Man sneeze brings Madame Mayhem closer to defeat while giving Neistadt an
opportunity to display the special effects skills he refined in his Cañada classes. “I remembered that sneeze from our first meeting,” Loi said. “I began
thinking about how people love comic books and they love to laugh. Comedy is a
popular genre because it makes people happy and sometimes making people happy
means purposefully falling on top of a garbage can several times.”
“Melissa wrote the story and it was brilliant,” Neistadt
said. “I couldn’t have made this movie without her.”
They entered their film in the Campus MovieFest competition
at Cañada and received a Silver Tripod Award for “Best Special Effects,” a Best
Actor Award for Neistadt’s portrayal of Manly Man, and, to their amazement, the
Best Picture Award.
“At the campus awards ceremony, we were told that Campus
MovieFest has the opportunity to send about 30 student films to the Cannes Film
Festival,” Neistadt said. “I was shocked to find out our film was chosen.”
Naas said having a film at Cannes is a major accomplishment
for any filmmaker. “For a student filmmaker to achieve this is spectacular. I’m
thrilled Wade’s hard work is being acknowledged. He has a very cinematic eye
and several of the shots in the film are quite innovative.”
Loi said the movie’s success has surprised her. “I honestly
didn’t expect this much attention to come out of our little movie, but I guess
because I’m one of the film’s creators, all I see are the little things that
went wrong.”
Manly Man’s sneezes will lead Neistadt to the Villa
Maupassant Hotel in the south of France May 12-26 where KERFLOOEY will be
featured at the film festival.
“While I’m there, I will be walking the red carpet with
actors, directors, producers, and all sorts of celebrities,” he said. “I’ll be
watching the world premiers of the Cannes Official Selection, going to
workshops and Q&A sessions and making connections with a bunch of amazing
and talented people. I still can’t believe this is happening.”
Cañada College is hosting an “Old
Fashioned Day at the Ballpark” on Saturday, March 15. The Colts will be playing
their San Mateo County rivals, the Skyline Trojans, for the Golden Horseshoe
trophy in the first-ever Colt Classic Baseball Challenge. The event starts at
11 am with the first pitch scheduled for noon.
The Golden Horseshoe is a new trophy
that will be awarded to the winner of the annual home contest between Cañada
and their two San Mateo County rivals – Skyline College and the College of San
Mateo. The Colts alternate hosting CSM and Skyline each season.
To enhance the ballpark atmosphere, fans
can purchase $1 hot dogs, hamburgers, sodas, and popcorn. Additional food,
souvenirs, and spirit items will also be available for purchase.
Applications are due March 7 for all students planning to enroll in the Cañada Middle College program this fall. Prospective students can fill out their applications online.
Cañada Middle College is a nontraditional high school collaboration between Cañada College and the Sequoia Union High School District. Through this unique alternative high school program, students have the opportunity to explore new challenges that are not available in a traditional high school. Students complete the requirements for high school graduation while enrolled in college courses. All courses are held at Cañada College. Students in Cañada's Middle College program quickly discover the joy and benefits of self-directed learning in a stimulating and diverse college atmosphere.
To learn more, visit the Cañada Middle College website.
The College District Board of Trustees voted unanimously
on February 26 not to renew the District's parcel tax.Board President Karen Schwarz expressed the
Board's deep appreciation to San Mateo County voters who agreed four years ago
to tax themselves to help the District through a fiscal crisis brought on by
years of state budget reductions.
"The parcel tax--the first ever for a community
college district in California--allowed our Colleges to offer hundreds of
classes to tens of thousands of students who otherwise wouldn't have been
served," she said.At the time, the
Colleges were facing unprecedented demand for classes, due to the recession and
widespread unemployment.At one point,
President Schwarz said, there were more than 13,000 students on wait lists for
classes.
"Ourfiscal
situation has stabilized and improved," President Schwarz said,
attributing it to a rebounding economy.Therefore, she said, the College District will not ask voters for a
renewal of the tax, which will expire in June.
President Schwarz again thanked voters for their support
which helped the District "weather the storm" of fiscal exigency four
years ago.
Dignitaries including Redwood City Mayor Jeff Gee, San Mateo County Community College District Board of Trustees President Karen Schwarz, Karim Allana, principal at Allana Buick & Bers Inc., and SMCCCD Chancellor Ron Galatolo were invited to turn the "first shovel of dirt" on the project. A large crowd was welcomed by Cañada College President Larry Buckley, who also took part in the groundbreaking.
