Walk and Roll Challenge

PAC Walk and Roll Web Site:

http://www.accd.edu/pac/htm/Community/publicaffairs/walkandroll/

During the month of June, Palo Alto College will compete with other area businesses to accumulate the most smart miles per employee. Smart miles refers to commuting to and from the workplace by carpooling/vanpooling, riding the bus, walking, cycling---just don’t drive alone. You can even claim 2 smart miles a day by eating lunch at your desk!!!

Participating in the Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge provides you, as an employee, with a number of benefits. Alternative commuting saves money, helps de-stress your travel time, reduces road and parking lot congestion, and improves your health (walking and cycling in particular). You’ll also receive satisfaction in knowing that you are doing something to improve the environment, reduce air pollution, and improve the quality of life in our community.

A special website has been set up for PAC employees to log their smart miles: http://www.walkandrollchallenge.com. Participating PAC employees complete the online pledge form, choosing both a username and password, and identifying his/her organization. For privacy concerns, employees will be identified on the website solely by their usernames. Starting TOMORROW, June 1, employees may return to the site and begin logging their smart miles. Employees will also be able to see which organization is in the lead and check their personal statistics. Other institutions of higher education participating in the “Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge” are:

San Antonio College
Trinity University
UTSA

Let’s show everyone that PAC employees have what it takes to win the Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge! Please sign-up today!!!

Go Team Palomino!

Memorial Day Message

Since the campus is closed on Friday and on Monday in observance of Memorial Day, I am posting my Memorial Day Message today:

Four years ago, in what seemed like another life, my good friend Sean Brock and I spent Memorial Day in Okinawa, Japan, sitting on a knoll overlooking the East China Sea. We spoke about many things that day: family and friends in the U.S.; my pending rotation back to the states in June to be quickly followed by my retirement ceremony; and about the courageous Marines who fought and died in the Battle of Okinawa during World War II.

Sean was a Marine’s Marine, and being in Okinawa assigned to a Headquarters Battalion unit pained him. He wanted to be in combat with fellow Marines serving in Afghanistan and Iraq—it was what he trained for when he was an enlisted Marine straight out of high school, and it was what he yearned for when, after successful completion of his first tour of duty, he went to college to get a degree in order to become an Officer of Marines.

Sean was the Marine responsible for collecting funds and putting together the “Shadow Box” that hangs with honor in my office. Another Marine had been assigned the tasked, but Sean wanted to do it because he “wanted it done right.” That was Sean, always wanting to do the right thing.

I left Okinawa a couple of weeks after our Memorial Day discussion and it was Sean who drove me to the airport. Sean kept in touch with me and I still remember his last email where he told me had finally finagled a way to get assigned to a combat unit serving in Iraq. I wished him “Godspeed” and never heard from him again. A couple of months after that final email, Sean was killed in combat action in Al Anbar Province on Feb. 2, 2005. He left behind a beautiful young wife and the appreciation of a grateful Nation.

During the Memorial Day Observance/Holiday on Monday, please take a moment to remember Sean and all the other brave men and women who have died in battle wearing our Nation’s uniform while in service to our country—warriors like Sgt. Aaron N. Cepeda Sr., USMC, who was a former student at Palo Alto College and who died in combat action on May 7, 2005.

For a complete listing of all local service members who have died in the current conflict, please visit the 210SA website at http://www.210sa.com/content/view/2119/ or pick up this week’s issue which lists a photo along with a name.

To all who have served, Semper Fidelis. To all service members who have died in battle, we will never forget.

Taps: http://www.usmemorialday.org/audio/taps.wav

PAC Student Featured in 210SA

Pick up a copy of this week's (May 23) edition of 210SA to see not one but two articles highlighting PAC student Candace "Ace" Aum! The first article, located on page 7, talks about "Ace" defending the "Guitar Wars" title she claimed last year . This year, the contest was last night, so it's a little too late to head out to "The Venue" to root for her. I just tried calling the sponsor of the event, Alamo Music, but no one answered the phone. I will try to find out later today how she did.

The second article is an "Artist Profile" of "Ace" on page 26 and features two photos of her along with a "Q&A" interview.

PAC President to be Keynote Speaker Tonight

If you're attending Southside High School's graduation ceremony tonight at Municipal Auditorium, look for PAC President Dr. Ana M. "Cha" Guzman in attendance! She will be the Commencement Ceremony's Keynote Speaker.

In other news...

Staff Council Elections

Your Staff Council has eight seats available for officers and representatives.

To nominate yourself or a fellow employee, please fill out the nomination form that you should have received today and return it to them via the Pony by Friday, June 1st.

Individuals who accept their nomination will be placed on the ballot for the June election.

Your participation is valued in this election process.

Please check your office mail to receive a Staff Council nomination form or contact Anita Soliz at ext. 5274.

PAC Library Summer Program

From PAC's Public Information Officer, Luis Mercado:

The Palo Alto College Children's Library will again offer a free summer program for 3rd and 4th graders. MATTER MATTERS 2007: CHEMISTRY 4 KIDS will be offered in two separate three-week sessions with a morning or afternoon class available.

Session I is scheduled from June 11 - 28, 2007 and Session II runs from July 9 - 26, 2007. The morning class meets 10:30 a.m. to noon and the afternoon class meets 1:30 ­ 3 p.m. Classes meet Monday - Thursday.

The ChemKids participants will make and test Oobleck, employ scientific methods to perform simple experiments, construct molecular models, learn basic lab safety, conduct VIRTUAL experiments online, solve mysteries with forensics, and other activities to introduce them to the wide world of Chemistry and professions which use Chemistry every day.

Children should register for the morning or the afternoon class in one of the sessions. Space is limited, to register call 210.921.5100.

Irving M.S. Performs at Mariachi Fiesta-val

Students from Irving Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, perform during Saturday's evening "Garibaldi at Palo Alto Mariachi Fiesta-val." A wonderful time was had by everyone who came out to enjoy music performed by the city's future mariachi performers.

Mariachi Fiesta-val Today and Tomorrow!

More than 300 students from area middle schools and high schools have converged upon Palo Alto College to participate in a “first-of-its-kind” musical event for community and family, which promises a learning and performance experience for mariachi aficionados: students, teachers, instructors, and the community, May 18-19.

Palo Alto College and the Mexican American Business and Professional Women’s Club of San Antonio, Inc. is hosting “Garibaldi at Palo Alto,” a Mariachi Fiesta-val. The festival is a scholarship fundraiser for the Mariachi Program at Palo Alto College.

A day-long music clinic is underway with workshops on technique, style, stage performance, music selection, and specialized topics running until 4 p.m. Additional workshops are scheduled for tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Instruction and workshops are designed for students in grades 6-12. Mariachi groups from area schools and individuals have been invited to participate.

The internationally renowned Campanas de América will provide instruction for event workshops. With nearly 30 years of experience, Campanas continues to prove they are one of the most sought after mariachi ensembles in performance and instruction. Other special guest artists and clinicians have been invited to participate as well.

In the evening on both days, the campus Courtyard will transform into “Garibaldi at Palo Alto” with strolling mariachis and a variety of food and novelty booths adding a fiesta flair to the event from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, and from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday. Garibaldi is a park in Mexico City that attracts strolling mariachis and other artisans that entertain visitors to the park.

The evening event is free and open to the public.

Congratulations, Dean Johnson!

Stacey Johnson, Dean of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences at Palo Alto College, received the very first "Chancellor's Administrative Leadership Award" for Outstanding Leadership during the ACCD Board meeting, May 15. Pictured with Dean Johnson (C) are ACCD Board Chairman Roberto Zarate (L) and ACCD Chancellor Dr. Bruce Leslie.

Dean Johnson is also being nominated for the "Carl M. 'Cheesie' Nelson Administrative Leadership Award."

Johnson has worked within the ACCD for 20 years and has been with Palo Alto College since 1987. The Chancellor commented during last night's Board Meeting that Johnson has used her status as an Olympic Fencer to bring education and programming to the youth of San Antonio through her work with the San Antonio Sports Foundation.

PAC to go Tobacco-Free!

In November 2006, the ACCD Board approved the smoke-free policy that will go into effect September 1, 2007.

New Policy (effective September 1, 2007)
SMOKING PROHIBITED
Smoking shall be prohibited in all classrooms, laboratories, offices, conference rooms, hallways, and all other rooms in all buildings of the College District, and on all property, which is owned, leased, rented, or otherwise under the control of the College District.

EDUCATION PROGRAM
In addition, each college and the College District as a whole shall make every effort through education, counseling, and training to inform all students, faculty, and staff of the harmful effects of smoking or smoke inhalation. Programs of instruction and other materials shall incorporate information on the adverse effects of tobacco.

How did PAC decide to expand from smoke-free to tobacco-free?
The Student Affairs Council and the Student Government Officers reviewed the smoke-free awareness plan on March 21 and 24, 2007 respectively. With a few exceptions, the majority of the members advanced recommendations to expand the smoking-free initiative to include all tobacco products.

For more information, please go to: www.accd.edu/pac/nosmoking

I STILL HAVE FREEBIES LEFT OVER FROM YESTERDAY!

Freebies

I have one (1) 3XL South San Little Bobcat Football Camp t-shirt

I have two (2) more XL Delta Farce t-shirts available--the movie opened on Friday!

First come, first served!

Commencement Thank You!

Rachel Montejano and I would like to thank everyone from Palo Alto College; the always wonderful and patient folks at District; Freeman Coliseum; Aramark; Freeman Decorating; Holiday Interiors; Flash Photography; the PAC Jazz Ensemble led by Dr. Armin Tadeo Marmolejo; Ginger Carnes; Sirena Abrego; and Councilman Richard Perez for making PAC’s Commencement Ceremony a success! We especially want to thank the Commencement Committee, as well as everyone in the Instructional and Innovation Center, plus the District personnel who picked-up, delivered and returned all our equipment and supplies to the Coliseum from PAC. Finally, we want to thank all the staff and faculty members who volunteered to give up their free time to help us run the ceremony, or participated in it, along with Chancellor, the Chairman of the ACCD Board of Trustees, and attending Board Members. Without everyone’s help, it never would have gotten done.

Rachel and I would also like to thank our hardworking staffs who really deserve the credit for putting the Commencement Ceremony together.

A “BIG THANK YOU” to all the graduates who participated in the ceremony and gave themselves, family members and friends a night to remember!

If you attended the ceremony, please take a moment to email me and let me know what areas need to be improved on, or give me your ideas for something new to try next year.


With Sincere Appreciation to Everyone,
Rachel Montejano
Vincent Bosquez
PAC Commencement Committee Co-Chairs

Your Commencement Committee:
Linda Cooke, Maria Antonieta Galvan, Mark Hogensen, Steve Mardock, Luis Mercado, Delia Muraira, Therese H. Palacios, Chuck Squier, and Lisa Strain

Commencement Marshals
Dr. Dan Rodriguez, Joan Osborne, Weldon Riggs, Larry Rodriguez, Cakky Brawley, and Mark Hogensen

Delta Farce Give-a-Away

From Reinhart Marketing and Public Relations:

Larry the Cable Guy joins Bill Engvall and DJ Qualls in Lionsgate's DELTA FARCE, a hilarious new comedy about three blue collar heroes on the military's front lines. Down on his luck after losing his job and his girlfriend on the same day, Larry decides to join his neighbor Bill, and his combat-happy buddy Everett, for a relaxing weekend of drinking and target practice. When the three hapless guys are mistaken for Army Reservistst by the hard-nosed Sergeant Kilgrove, they're loaded onto an army plane headed for Fallujah, Iraq -- and mistakenly ejected in a Humvee somewhere over Mexico.

www.lionsgate.com/deltafarce

I have three (3) extra-large Delta Farce t-shirts and 10 movie posters to give-a-away on a first come, first served basis. Only one t-shirt per person--you can't pick one up for your co-worker!

Tejano Conjunto Festival

Conjunto Master and PAC Music Instructor Juan Tejeda sent me an email this morning regarding his latest event. If you enjoyed what you heard during PACfest when Juan and his conjunto students took the stage, you're going to really enjoy the 26th Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio! Here's his email:

Camaradas de Conjunto: You may have heard by now that I was contracted to curate this year's 26th Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio 2007, which is a fancy way of saying that I booked the bands, programmed the line-up.

This is the first time I've done this in nine years since I left the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in 1998. I think we have an excellent and exciting line-up in a year that has seen the festival reduced to three days, May 10-12. We have revived the TCF Poster Contest and the Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and we have returned to the raices, acordeon y bajo sexto.

We are presenting some of the most popular performers in the history of conjunto music. My intent was also to showcase those distinctive styles and stylists within conjunto music, like Valerio Longoria, Tony de la Rosa, Paulino Bernal, Ruben Vela, Mingo Saldivar, Ruben Naranjo and Flaco Jimenez, and to show how, even after some of these conjunto greats have passed on, their style and legacy continues in their sons and daughters and the genre in general, such as is the case with Flavio Longoria, Los D Boys, Ricky Naranjo and Linda Escobar.

The festival begins at 5:00 pm today and continues through Saturday. Hope to see you there. Nos vemos. Juan

Education Secretary Recognizes Teachers Appreciation Week

The following is from Education Secretary Spelling:

It's my pleasure to join the nation this week in recognizing the tireless efforts of our teachers. It is no secret that teaching is one of the hardest jobs in the world and, undoubtedly, one of the most important. This week, and every week, we thank teachers for their hard work.

As U.S. Secretary of Education, I have had the privilege of listening to teachers across the country share stories of their classroom successes and challenges. These are some of the most memorable and rewarding moments of my job.

If there is one thing that I have learned throughout my travels, it's that education is not a "one-size-fits-all" enterprise. Through the No Child Left Behind Act, our teachers can fine-tune instruction to make sure that every child is learning. They have more tools to measure student progress and better data to identify which strategies are most effective.

A lot of good work is being done in our classrooms. Quality teachers are making it happen, and students are responding by making impressive gains. Reading scores for nine-year-olds have increased more in five years than in the previous 28 years combined. And achievement gaps between poor and minority students and their peers are finally beginning to close.

Nothing helps a child learn as much as a great teacher. As a mom, I know this to be true. And I offer my gratitude for their work on behalf of our nation's children and future.

LRC Updates; Dia de los Muertos Video

Congratulations to Camille Fiorillo, Lead Reference Libararian at PAC, on her selection as the Volunteer of the Year by the Friends of the Great Northwest Public Library!

And speaking of the LRC, there is a new addition to report--Nancy Monroe has joined the library staff as the new Administrative Secretary to the Dean of Learning Resources. Nancy comes to us from Northwest Vista College.

In case you haven't noticed, an exciting new video has been posted on the PAC website. The video is from the "Dia de los Muertos" event hosted by the college in November. Greg Pasztor was behind the project and it can be seen at: http://www.accd.edu/pac/htm/Community/VideoGallery/default.htm
under "PAC Promotional Videos." Please let Greg and me know what you think!

Garibaldi at Palo Alto College

Palo Alto College and the Mexican American Business and Professional Women’s Club of San Antonio, Inc. will host “Garibaldi at Palo Alto” Mariachi Fiesta-val, May 18 and 19, 2007. The festival is a scholarship fundraiser for the Mariachi Program at Palo Alto College.

The event, a “first-of-its-kind” for community and family, promises a learning and performance experience for mariachi aficionados: students, teachers, instructors, and the community.

A music clinic will schedule workshops on technique, style, stage performance, music selection, and specialized topics beginning at 9 a.m. on both days. Instruction and workshops are designed for students in grades 6-12. Mariachi groups from area schools and individuals have been invited to participate.

The internationally renowned Campanas de América will provide instruction for event workshops. With nearly 30 years of experience, Campanas continues to prove they are one of the most sought after mariachi ensembles in performance and instruction. Other special guest artists and clinicians have been invited to participate as well.

The registration fee is $250 per school or professional mariachi group. Individuals not associated with any group may register for $40. Enrollment is limited and on a first-come-first-served basis. Registration deadline is Friday, May 11, 2007. Fee includes classroom instruction, folders with music parts for individual classes, all adjudicator audio recorded and written critic sheets, and participation and entrance fees for evening Garibaldi events.

The campus Courtyard will transform into “Garibaldi at Palo Alto” with strolling mariachis and a variety of food and novelty booths adding a fiesta flair to the event from 5 to 9 p.m. on both days. Garibaldi is a park in Mexico City that attracts strolling mariachis and other artisans that entertain visitors to the park.
The evening event is free and open to the public.

On Another Note:

Just heard that Sandi Hood is in 7th place for Librarian Idol! From the “Save Half on Books” website: Librarian Idol contestants from Private Schools, Independent Libraries and Universities will compete for the "Independent Librarian Idol" title. The independent librarian with the most votes by September 15, 2007 will win $500 in FREE books for their library!

Click on the link: http://savehalfonbooks.com/Idol/section8.asp
And vote for Sandra!!

PAC Update

Here are some events that occurred at Palo Alto College during the past week:

--PAC’s Ozuna Learning Resource Center (LRC) lobby is the host location for the Congressional High School Arts Competition, sponsored by the Honorable Ciro D. Rodriguez, U.S. Congressman, 23rd District of Texas. Artwork is currently on display in the LRC from high school students in the 23rd Congressional District, with a winning entry to be selected May 5. The first place entry of the juried exhibit and the student artist will fly to Washington, D.C. where the artwork will join other winners from the rest of the U.S. congressional districts.

--PAC’s “President’s Speaker Series” featured San Francisco author Malin Alegria, April 25. Alegria spoke to students and faculty members on ways to become a published author and answered questions on how to achieve life goals and ambitions. Alegria read from her novel “Estrella’s Quinceanera,” signed books, and attended a reception in the foyer of the Performing Arts Center.

--PAC hosted “PACfest 2007” an official Fiesta San Antonio event, on its campus April 26. Thousands of students, faculty, staff, and community residents attended the day-long celebration to hear free entertainment such as Rick Trevino, Grupo Fantasma, and Mazz. Fiesta Royalty and Military Ambassadors also attended PACfest, which is the only official Fiesta event in south San Antonio.

PAC Graduation Update

Palo Alto College
Commencement Ceremony
Friday, May 11, 2007
6 p.m.
Freeman Coliseum


Students participating in the Commencement Ceremony need to pick up their cap and gown by Monday, May 7, in the Palomino Center, room 102.