Mt. Carmel, Ill.— Wabash Valley College is now seeking applicants for the Phyllis J. Schucker Memorial Scholarship. The Phyllis J. Schucker Memorial Scholarship is a one-time scholarship, established out of love and respect for Phyllis. The memorial scholarship was set up by Phyllis’s niece Rayna Kaasa and her husband Dave Kaasa. They knew how much Chapter FK of the Philanthropic Educational Organization and education meant to Phyllis and wanted to honor her memory in this way.

Mt. Carmel, Ill.— Wabash Valley College's bass coach, Professor Todd Gill, is excited to announce the signing of Jason Mendenhall for the 2021–2022 collegiate bass season. Mendenhall signed on Wednesday evening, Sept. 9. Jason is the son of Jeff and Angela Mendenhall of Carmi, Illinois. He is a senior at Carmi-White County High School and will be competing this coming season with the Carmi bass team for the third straight season.

Lincoln Trail College will offer a CPR class for the community on October 3 from 8:00 a.m. to noon.  Students will learn how to provide CPR to an adult, child or infant and how to use an automated external defibrillator. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a CPR card through the American Heart Association.  The cost of the class is $35, and students can register for the class by calling 618-544-8657.

Olney Central College Nursing Instructor Anne Hustad has completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. The DNP is one of two doctorate degrees available in the nursing field. SIU-E’s program combines classwork along with a comprehensive research project. “I am so excited to have it finished,” Hustad said. “I have been working on it for two years and COVID-19 changed how we did things. There was no graduation and I had to do my project and discussions through Zoom, instead of in person.”

Lincoln Trail College is offering a class that will help you learn how to crochet. The crochet class begins on October 14 and runs to November 18. The class will serve as an introduction to crochet for beginners, but will also give a review of basic techniques for people that are looking for a refresher on how to crochet.  The class will be held on Wednesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. at Lincoln Trail College. The cost of the class is $40 plus the cost of supplies. People can register for Crochet by calling 618-544-8657.

New classroom simulators are ensuring students in the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges/Olney Central College Associate Degree Nursing Program have the skills needed to succeed in their clinical and healthcare settings.

Mt. Carmel, Ill.— Wabash Valley College's bass coach, Professor Todd Gill, is excited to announce the signing of Mason Gross for the 2021–2022 collegiate bass season. Gross signed on Wednesday evening, Sept. 9.

Mt. Carmel, Ill.— Wabash Valley College’s baseball team hosted a number of professional scouts, ranging from area scouts to national cross-checkers, for a showcase on Sept. 17. There were several in attendance representing the majority of the Major League clubs. WVC Head Baseball Coach Rob Fournier stated the scouts “were there to see and evaluate our athletes, to determine who may be a fit for their organization in the future.”

September 20-26 marks the annual Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. The week serves as a reminder that reading, writing, and basic math remain an elusive target for 36 million adults across the country. According to ProLiteracy, a non-profit organization that supports literacy programs, low literacy costs the United States $225 billion or more each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment. They say that 43 percent of adults with the lowest literacy levels live in poverty. 

A Lincoln Trail College project that has been in the works for the last three years took a major step forward after the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Board of Trustees approved the bid for the Theater Renaissance Project. The addition to the Zwermann Arts Center will add a new choral room that doubles as a mid-sized lecture hall along with additional practice rooms, and office and storage spaces.