Not only can Kansas City Kansas Community College boast one of the toughest volleyball schedules in NJCAA Division II, the Blue Devils take on the nation’s most demanding opening schedule.
Off to a 3-1 start in western Illinois last weekend that included upsets of No. 4 Parkland and No. 17 Illinois Central, the Blue Devils played in Miami, Oklahoma, Monday where they dropped a 3-1 decision to Southeastern Oklahoma A&M.
And now it’s back to the shores of the Mississippi River in West Burlington, Iowa, Friday and Saturday for four matches in the Southeastern Community College Invitational. KCKCC will take on North Iowa Area and Hawkeye community colleges Friday at 4 and 6 p.m. and then meet St. Ambrose at 8 a.m. and play Southeastern at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
On the road at Cloud County Sept. 4 and Coffeyville Sept. 9, KCKCC finally returns for its home opener against Johnson County Wednesday, Sept. 11.
The Blue Devils opened with a 25-17 win at Southeastern Oklahoma Monday only to wear down, losing the next three sets 25-21, 21-18, 25-9.
“We probably got a little fatigued but we can’t use that as an excuse,” KCKCC coach Mary Bruno-Ballou said. “The best part we didn’t get anyone hurt. The gym we played in was not air conditioned and it was really hot and the floor very slippery.”
Freshman Cassidy Crist of DeSoto led offensively with 11 kills while Wichita Northwest Tara Mattingly had 10 with 14 digs.
Sophomores Malaysia StClair of Beaumont, Texas, added five kills and Gracie Golay of Wichita Trinity Academy and Holton’s Lauren Leavendusky four each. Golay also had 26 assists and 11 digs. Sophomore Natalia Vega Apointe of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, again led in digs with 19.
For five years, Kinsey Huwaldt worked with Kansas City Kansas Community College athletes as an athletic trainer.
Now she’ll be working with KCKCC coaches and athletes as coordinator of compliance and eligibility. Huwaldt succeeds Debi Baker, who retired July 1 after 27 years as athletic secretary.
“Really excited to have her back working with our student athletes,” KCKCC Director of Athletics Tony Tompkins said. “She’s extremely organized, a quick learner and has great rapport with our coaches and student athletes. With her background in the athletic department, it makes for a very smooth transition. She knows me and my expectations, how I work and my vision for our department and will be super supportive in moving the department forward.”
Huwaldt said the new position will allow her to expand her administrative skills while continuing to remain in athletics.
“I’m excited; it’s going to open new doors for me,” said Huwaldt, who will coordinate eligibility for nearly 150 KCKCC student athletes. Huwaldt left her position as athletic trainer in late June to travel with her husband, Chris Huwaldt, while continuing her work as a trainer on a part-time basis. The couple married Oct. 14, 2017, and reside in Overland Park.
A graduate of Texas Tech University in Lubbock with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Sciences in 2012, Huwaldt earned a Master’s in Athletic Training at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in the spring of 2014. While at Texas Tech she worked as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for the Lady Red Raiders basketball team.
Huwaldt is a certified athletic trainer by the National Athletic Trainers Association. Since joining the KCKCC staff in 2014, she has completed a variety of lower certified, fascial manipulation level 1A&B, Graston Level 1 provider, 3DMAPPS certification, and is an American Association of Sports Dieticians and Nutritionist – nutrition specialist.
During the summer, renovations were made to the “watering holes” at Kansas City Kansas Community College, and also to some classrooms. There is a new mural on the wall. (KCKCC photo)
by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC
Summer 2019 has been a busy one at Kansas City Kansas Community College. In addition to the typical summer projects, there have been big changes made in the student area known as the “Watering Hole” as well as to four new technology-enhanced classrooms.
Ambient learning spaces – watering hole
Another view of a “watering hole” at the KCKCC main campus. (KCKCC photo)
The Humanities Watering Hole, on the lower level of the Humanities Building, a popular study spot on the KCKCC Main Campus, has been freshly painted with a new color scheme and has a brand new mural on the south wall by artist Vania Soto. New furniture has been added to make the area more conducive to studying, socializing or just relaxing.
Barbara Clark-Evans, director of the KCKCC Intercultural Center and Shai Perry, coordinator of KCKCC’s Art Gallery, said the watering hole has been an underutilized space. An original feature of the college, it has not been updated since the building was constructed. They said the new design for the space enhances the original architecture with a contemporary, updated appearance.
The Watering Hole is the first location to be completely renovated as part of the Ambient Learning Spaces project.
A new mural is at the cosmetology area of the Dr. Burke Technical Education Center at KCKCC, at 65th and State Avenue. (KCKCC photo)A mural of J. Paul Jewell, longtime history and economics instructor at KCKCC, has been added to the Lower Jewell building on the campus at 7250 State Ave. (KCKCC photo)
In addition, there is a new mural by former KCKCC student J.T. Daniels at the Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center and a mural of J. Paul Jewell by Billy Peters in the Student Activities hallway in the Lower Jewell building.
Creating ambient learning environments and adding more art and culture across the college is one of KCKCC President Greg Mosier’s initiatives. Funds have been identified to continue this work in the years to come.
“This is the perfect place for students to do assignments. The space is now equipped with new electrical outlets and spaces for individual or group work,” said Perry and Clark-Evans of the Watering Hole. “We like that the college is becoming more colorful and celebrating local history, the college’s history and diversity. It’s great to work with local artists, historians and community members.”
Student classrooms
Some classrooms added mobile furniture and wall monitors during the summer at KCKCC. (KCKCC photo)Another view of a classroom that has been refurbished during the summer at KCKCC. (KCKCC photo)
The four new student classrooms are located in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Hallway across from the President’s Office. Each room is equipped with three or four large wall monitors (depending on the size of the room), individual white boards, and all of the classrooms have mobile furniture.
The mobile furniture allows the professor to easily configure and reconfigure the room to support different methods of instruction and active learning strategies.
Dr. Jelena Ozegovic, faculty director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and professor of psychology, said this type of configuration allows for students to sit anywhere in the room and be able to see the monitors.
It also creates a space where there is no “front of the room,” and the space can be reconfigured to support group work. At least one of the smaller size rooms is a “Zoom” room that allows students from another campus to “Zoom” in and be part of the class.
“KCKCC classrooms are being revitalized to support and reflect the best practices in education,” she said. “Specifically, the classrooms need to have mobile furniture and innovative technology that supports active learning strategies and collaborative learning models.”
Ozegovic said during the 2017-2018 academic year, several KCKCC faculty members completed the ACUE (The Association of College and University Educators) certificate course in Effective College Instruction.
As part of this course, KCKCC faculty viewed online videos filmed at colleges and universities across the country. She said the classrooms showcased in these videos all had mobile furniture that supported innovative instruction and active learning. So in Spring 2018, Faculty Senate voted to send a request to the President’s Cabinet to form a Learning Spaces Task Force and asked that funds be allocated for the 2018-2019 fiscal year to begin the project.
“Acting President Dr. Jackie Vietti, incoming President Dr. Greg Mosier and the KCKCC Board of Trustees were all supportive of this initiative and recognized the importance of creating new classrooms that support best practices in education using innovative learning strategies and techniques,” she said.
Ozegovic said the new classrooms are a result of the collaboration of faculty, staff and administration who worked on the Learning Spaces Task Force during the 2018-2019 academic year. She said the Facility Services crew worked tirelessly over the summer to get the construction completed by the start of the fall 2019 semester.
“This is a truly exciting time at KCKCC, and the new spaces allow for tremendous flexibility in teaching,” Ozegovic said. “Some faculty members might choose to rearrange the room into a u-shape for a classroom seminar. Another faculty member might rearrange the furniture into smaller table groupings to support group work. A third faculty member might rearrange the room into a ‘fishbowl structure,’ so that an outer grouping of students could observe the discussion – problem-solving of a small group in the middle of the room. The mobile furniture we selected has wheels on both the tables and chairs, and this allows the instructor and students to easily reconfigure the space.”
