Career and Technical Education (CTE) prepares individuals for high-skill, in-demand employment that furthers Illinois’ global competitiveness. Last year, about half of all Illinois community college graduates earned a CTE degree or certificate. CTE programs offer flexible scheduling, work-based learning, and stackable credentials that provide a pathway from education to employment not only for recent high school graduates, but also for returning adults, veterans, and workers wanting to update their skills.

Olney Central College is now offering free community COVID-19 testing through Shield Illinois. Testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday in the OCC Student Union.

Lincoln Trail College has released its academic honor lists for the Fall 2021 Semester. Three lists have been established by Illinois Eastern Community Colleges to indicate students who have achieved academic excellence. They are the Chancellor’s Honors List, the President’s Academic Honors List and the Dean’s Academic Honors List. To qualify for any of the honor lists, a student must be enrolled full-time (12 hours or more) and must be taking college-level classes.

Frontier Community, Lincoln Trail, Olney Central, and Wabash Valley colleges are preparing to award a second round of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges’ Student Success Scholarships. IECC allocated nearly $180,000 in aid to area high school students in November. The Spring Priority Deadline is February 25. Students can go to www.iecc.edu/priority to begin the application process. Awards will be announced in mid-March.

The Anderson Library is providing a new avenue for reading and sharing books at OCC — The Free Little Library Cart. Located in the library gallery, the cart features a variety of hardback, paperback and even children’s books in a variety of genres. “Our goal is to help inspire a love for reading and build a community among all of our patrons by having them share books that they’ve read with one another,” said Library Assistant Kaitlyn Weger. “We are going to see how it goes for this semester, and hopefully if it goes well, look into creating another space on campus.”

Businesses that want to get started on Facebook or sharpen their strategies on social media will have a chance to learn more at Lincoln Trail College. The College is offering a one-day workshop called Getting Started with Facebook for Business on March 4. Illinois Eastern Community Colleges and Lincoln Trail College Director of Marketing Chris Forde will lead the class. Forde holds certifications for his expertise in social media marketing and has managed or advised on more than two dozen social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

OLNEY, Ill. — Outstanding students at Olney Central College have received academic honors for the Fall 2021 Semester. Students named to the Chancellor’s List have attained a grade point average of 3.90 or higher, on a 4.0 scale. Those on the President’s List have achieved a grade point average between 3.75 and 3.89, while those students named to the Dean’s List have earned a grade point average between 3.50 and 3.74. Chancellor’s List: Albion: Camden Cowger, Summer Holmes and Gabriel Weber Bridgeport: Hannah Drummond Charleston: Fred Christopher

Lincoln Trail College student-athletes combined for a GPA above 3.0 for the 16th consecutive semester. In the Fall 2021 Semester, the Athletic Department had a combined GPA of 3.25. Additionally, 28 student-athletes had 4.0 GPA’s. “I’m really proud of our student-athletes,” said Athletic Director and Baseball Coach Kevin Bowers. “We want them to succeed here, and our coaches make it a priority for them to perform not only in their sports, but also in the classroom.”

Interlude Trio will hold the first public performance in Lackey Music Hall on February 11. Lackey Music Hall is the newest addition to Lincoln Trail College. The program will feature chamber music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Niccolò Paganini, Joseph Küffner, and Johann Kaspar Mertz. Interlude Trio members are Sophie Kershaw-Patilla (flute), Tanya Reed (viola), and Michael Patilla (guitar).

Auditions for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Trail College’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella will be January 17 and 18 at 6:30 at the Zwermann Arts Center Theater. Callbacks, if necessary, are scheduled for January 19 at 6:30. The first read-through for the musical is January 20 at 6:30 and rehearsals begin January 24.