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.”

When retired Yellowstone historian Lee Whittlesey told his longtime friend Dr. Patricia Owens, a former Wabash Valley College professor, that he wanted to use her work in a book project he had been working on, she was surprised. As a way to stay connected, Mr. Whittlesey and Dr. Owens often exchanged works they had published throughout the years.

Each year, the IECC TRIO Student Support Services program awards the Student Support Services Participation Grant to eligible students. For students to receive said grant, they must fulfill several requirements. The students must attend the “Learning to Succeed” seminars which are held two days at the beginning of each academic year. The seminars are comprised of several sessions each day giving the students valuable information to help them be successful during the school year.

A Fairfield team won the title at the first annual high school bass invitational, sponsored by the new Wabash Valley College bass fishing team, held on Saturday, June 20, at East Fork Lake in Olney. Anglers Austin Holtgrave and Nate Kiefer topped the scales at 13.94 pounds for their maximum-allowed catch of five bass. They elected to share the individual honor for the single biggest catch of the day, weighing in at 4.25 pounds.

Wabash Valley College Athletic Director Mike Carpenter announced the resignation of WVC women’s basketball Head Coach Lacey Shalenko on Wednesday morning. Shalenko is pursuing a position in Florida.   Shalenko was the head coach of the Lady Warriors for just one season and guided WVC to a 30-2 record and a perfect 18-0 GRAC record. The 2020 Lady Warriors won the Region 24 women’s basketball championship and advanced to the NJCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Wabash Valley College’s summer enrollment numbers are up nearly 20 percent! As the summer semester reaches the halfway mark, WVC anticipates this upward trend in enrollment to continue into the fall semester. Assistant Dean of Student Services Steve Patberg reported the increased enrollment was most notable in the math, science and communications classes.

Wabash Valley College’s Ag program, in conjunction with Wabash Valley Service Company, IB Executive Turf and Landscape, Wabash Valley Stewardship Alliance and southeastern Illinois Farm Bureaus, saw the planting of a new pollinator plot on WVC’s campus. Mike Wilson, CCA, from Wabash Valley Service Company, planted a pollinator plot on campus on May 12. Look for it next time you drive past the college on Oak Street!

Each year, three instructors from Wabash Valley College are selected as instructors of the year: a transfer instructor, a career and technical education instructor and an adjunct instructor. WVC is proud to announce this year’s instructors of the year. The members of the WVC student body have selected Ms. Jill Winter as the Outstanding Transfer Instructor of the Year, Ms. Ronda Hockgeiger as the Outstanding Career and Technical Education Instructor of the Year and Mr. D-Ray Etzkorn as the Outstanding Adjunct Instructor of the Year.

As of today, across the district, students have access to a new tutoring and e-learning platform developed by Brainfuse called TutorMatch. TutorMatch allows students to schedule their own tutoring appointments through Canvas. Tutors and students can communicate via a chat function or with audio. The program enables tutors and students to exchange files and share their screen while they work.

On Saturday, Feb. 29, the Wabash Valley College bass team hosted a bass fishing workshop with Major League Fishing, Bass Pro Tour angler Bradley Roy. The event was held in the Brubeck Arts Center Auditorium with around 100 anglers and fishing enthusiasts in attendance.