Olney Central College served as a host site for the Illinois RiverWatch Network’s Citizen Scientist training on April 2. Illinois RiverWatch is a volunteer stream monitoring program administered by the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center. Citizen scientist help identify potentially degraded waters and areas that may need greater protection.

Alani Frederick is serving as the new Associate Dean of Nursing and Allied Health for Illinois Eastern Community Colleges. A native of Akron, Ohio, Frederick comes to the district from Ivy Tech Community College at Sellersburg, Ind., where she was a nursing instructor for three years, serving the last two in a leadership role.

Join the Olney Central College Music Department for a journey through musical theater as the OCC Concert Choir and Musical Theater Workshop students present a Spring Variety Show at 7 p.m. on April 29 in the Dr. John D. Stull Performing Arts Center. Director of Choral Activities Dr. Andrew Pittman said the evening’s entertainment will offer a little something for everyone with musical selections ranging from the baroque period to Broadway and a sampling of short comedies.

April is Community College Month and Lincoln Trail College is joining other community colleges across the nation in celebrating. The primary goals of Community College Month are to improve awareness of the economic, academic, and equity advantages of attending community colleges and to bust longtime stigmas wrongly associate with public two-year colleges. 

Lincoln Trail College is offering a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis in April. The garden is one of the largest and most well-respected botanical gardens in the world. Top attractions include the Climatron, Japanese Garden, Victoria District, Children’s Garden, and Linnean House. The garden includes two restaurants and multiple gift shops. LTC Dean of Instruction Brent Todd will lead the trip. The trip on April 30 will leave Lincoln Trail College at 7 a.m. It costs $50 and that includes transportation and entrance to the garden.

All Kinds of People, based on the optimism and musicals written by Oscar Hammerstein II, ran on Thursday, March 31st, Friday, April 1st and Sunday, April 3rd. Twenty-four cast members as young as three-years-old and as old as 80-years-old sang about the importance of loving people no matter their differences.

Lincoln Trail College inducted its newest members into the Alpha Iota Epsilon Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Phi Theta Kappa recognizes the academic achievement of college students and provides opportunities for its members to grow as scholars and leaders.   

People interested in learning more about Chalk Couture can take a workshop at Lincoln Trail College. Students will learn how to create do-it-yourself home décor at the workshop. The workshop will focus on making a cloth pennant and box frame. The cost of the workshop is $35. The Chalk Couture workshop is on April 5 from 6-8 p.m. and is led by Kim Tohill. She will also offer workshops on April 19, May 3, May 17, June 7, June 21, July 12, and July 26.

If you’ve ever watched TV shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway? and thought you’d like to try that yourself, you can at Lincoln Trail College. The College is offering an improv class in April. The class will serve as a fun introduction to the world of improv comedy. Students will learn the basics of improv in a fun, hands-on way by playing popular games as seen on TV. It culminates with a live performance on May 4. The class is led by seasoned improviser Chris Forde.

Macrame has seen a resurgence in popularity and Lincoln Trail College is offering a class on it in April. Becky Miller will teach Macrame Moments at LTC. Students will learn basic knots and combinations while working on a class project. Macrame Moments meets from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday nights April 5-26. The cost of the class is $40. People interested in taking Macrame Moments at Lincoln Trail College can call 618-544-8657 to register.