Kansas City Kansas Community College has signed a new articulation agreement with the University of Kansas-Edwards Campus that will allow students who complete two years at KCKCC to transfer directly to KU-Edwards to complete a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.
“This will provide a direct link to continue their education to earn a bachelor degree in exercise science,” said Susie Myers, coordinator and professor in the exercise science program at KCKCC. “KU-Edwards campus is only 20 minutes away and easily accessible to our students.”
Once the KCKCC course work is finished, the articulation agreement begins. KCKCC exercise science students will complete all 68 credit hours listed in the KCKCC course guide. Once they have completed their associate’s degree, all credits will transfer to the KU-Edwards campus in Overland Park in a smooth, streamlined manner. They can then start work immediately on their bachelor’s degree.
The program starts in fall 2014. The 2+2 Program is similar to agreements KCKCC has with other major universities including Kansas State University, Park University, Pittsburg State University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, among others.
Only courses in which a student has earned at least a C will be transferred. In addition, students must have a minimum overall grade point average of 2.75. Other requirements might also need to be met to fulfill the University of Kansas admission process.
For more information on the exercise science articulation agreement, contact Susie Myers, coordinator of the exercise science program at KCKCC, by calling 913-288-7261 or by email, [email protected]. The contact at the KU-Edwards Campus is Mindy Patton, adviser, 913-897-8568 or [email protected].
Information on KCKCC’s other articulation agreements and transfer programs can be found on its website, www.kckcc.edu/academics/catalog/programsDegrees/articulationAgreementsTransferPrograms.
Gold medal winners from Kansas City Kansas Community College will go on in the SkillsUSA national competition. (KCKCC photo)
by Kelly Rogge
Students at the Kansas City Kansas Community College’s Technical Education Center have had a successful year and not just in the classroom. The school has 33 medalists in the SkillsUSA program with 12 of them going onto the national competition this summer.
“I think we did great,” said Jake Carmack, major appliance technology/HVACR instructor at KCKCC-TEC as well as the SkillsUSA adviser. “We are really pleased with how well we did, especially with so many of our students going to nationals.”
SkilssUSA is a career and technical student organization in the United States that is geared toward those enrolled in programs for skilled, technical and service occupations. The organization serves more than 300,000 students and instructions each year at the high school and post-secondary level. It also gives industry leaders and opportunity to not only mentor but recruit students into high demand positions.
Students, who wish to compete in SkillsUSA, can do so at the local, state and national level. Categories range from culinary, building maintenance and automotive service technology to basic health care skills, collision repair technology, entrepreneurship and job skill demonstration. The idea is to give students the opportunity to compete in real-world, hands-on situations. First place winners at the state level move onto the SkillsUSA Championships the last week of June in Kansas City.
KCKCC-TEC students that received medals included:
• Ryan Krueger – plumbing, first place.
• Danny Rausch, Jr. – plumbing, first place.
• Horton Ponyell, plumbing, second place.
• Shawn Carter, plumbing, third place.
• Andrea Allen (Contestant) – nail care, first place.
• Savannah Castrol (Model) – nail care, first place.
• Wendy Miranda Alvard (Contestant) – nail care, first place.
• Jocelyn Jones (Model) – nail care, first place.
• Norma Uribe (Contestant) – nail care, second place.
• Gabriela Arzabala (Model) – nail care, second place.
• Megan Ebbert (Contestant) – nail care, second place.
• Etoi King (Model) – nail care, second place.
• Brianna Willcutt (Contestant) – nail care, third place.
• Angelica Cossio Rios (Model) – nail care, third place.
• Yamileth Corderp (Contestant) – nail care, third place.
• Dulce Delacruz (Model) – nail care, third place.
• Daran Powell – restaurant service, first place.
• Kortnee Fielder – cosmetology, first place.
• Dafne Miranda – cosmetology, first place.
• Ann-Druney Prince – cosmetology, second place.
• Eloi Jurariz – cosmetology, third place.
• Santazia Nelson – esthetics, first place.
• MaShayla Hickerson – esthetics, first place.
• Sadie Brouhard – commercial baking, second place.
• Gabriel Nava – commercial baking, second place.
• Wesley Spears – culinary arts, third place.
• Paw Way – culinary arts, third place.
• David Scherer – major appliance, third place.
• Aaron Fible – major appliance, first place.
• David Steffens – major appliance, second place.
• Cierra Ehlers – precision machine, second place.
• Joel Smith – precision machine, third place.
• James Caldwell – carpentry, third place.
All students at the KCKCC-TEC are members of SkillsUSA. However, only around 81 are active in the Kansas SkillsUSA competition. In addition to the national qualifiers, KCKCC-TEC received awards for the highest membership in the state of Kansas for a secondary/post-secondary combined chapter as well as an award for an increase in membership.
Skills USA’s National Conference will be from June 23 to June 27, with the contests being conducted on June 26. This is the last year that the conference will be at Bartle Hall in Kansas City. Competition day is open to the public to observe.
“All of these contests are administered and judged by people from business and industry,” Carmack said. “It helps to bring together people from both sides and gives these business and industry experts an opportunity to find students to be potential employees.”
For more information on the SkillsUSA program at KCKCC-TEC, contact Carmack at 913-288-7858 or by email at [email protected].
KCKCC-TEC has more than 30 medalists in the SkillsUSA competition. (KCKCC photo)
Reaching a new personal pinnacle in wins in a 24-8 season wasn’t enough for Kansas City Kansas Community College coach Valerie Stambersky. Now she wants to do it again.
Working closely in conjunction with assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Shaun Burki, Stambersky has eight signees for the 2014-2015 season with what could be one of KCKCC’s best recruiting classes.
“This group is going to bring so much more versatility and depth, especially to the guard position where we needed more depth this past year,” Stambersky said. “With a good corps coming back, it’s exciting to think about this group for next year.”
The Blue Devils return seven players from this year’s team including five players who started 15 or more games.
Two of the newcomers, teammates Cierra Gaines and Erin Anderson at Edwardsville, Ill., High School, are already in the Blue Devil camp having transferred in at the start of the spring semester. A 5-7 shooting guard, Gaines averaged 12.7 points and 5.6 rebounds at St. Louis Community College while Anderson is a 5-8 guard who signed with Southwestern Illinois but redshirted because of a knee injury.
“Both are legitimate starting prospects with their ability to score, rebound, play defense and compete along with the benefit of being here for a semester and understanding of the expectations both offensively and defensively,” says Stambersky.
Point guard depth will come from 5-3 Aricca Daye of Des Moines East and 5-7 Artasia Carnes-Marshall of Memphis East. A first team all-conference selection, Daye averaged 10.3 points and 4.1 assists on a 20-3 East team that finished ranked No. 7 in Iowa while Carnes-Marshall was ranked among the top 25 players in Tennessee. Averaging 12 points and 3.6 assists, she originally signed with Kennesaw State, an NCAA Division I member.
They’ll join Cassidy Harbert, an honorable mention All-American, at the point guard position. “All three are different and will provide depth,” Stambersky said . “Arrica is more of a ball distributor; Artasia can also play the two position.”
Two Kansas standouts will be in the mix at the small forward position, 5-10 Janay Jacobs of Wichita’s Kapaun-Mt. Carmel High School and 5-9 Sierra Roberts of SM South. Jacobs was a member of a team that won the state championship in her sophomore season and was fourth and third the last two seasons. A participant in the Kansas-Missouri All-Star game, Roberts averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds to earn first team all-conference honors.
“Jacobs is a blue collar athlete who can shoot, rebound and works hard; Sierra has a great shooting touch from the outside. Smart, she can also get to the rim,” Stambersky said.
The Blue Devils will also get valuable help from a pair of standouts from Bradley Tech High School in Milwaukee, 5-9 guard Ky’Ana French and 5-11 forward Myranda Keeler. One of the top 20 players in Wisconsin as a senior, French averaged 18.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists while Keeler averaged 9.8 points and 11.8 rebounds with season highs of 24 points and 23 rebounds.
“A lefthander, French is a slasher with a great scoring mentality; Keeler brings a lot of athleticism – a rebounder and shot blocker who runs the floor,” Stambersky said.
In addition to Harbert, the Blue Devils will return guards Rashaun Casey and Alyson Weber, forwards Janai Mitchell, Iland Shurn and Eirenei Alesana and post Julia Garrard.
“We’re not done recruiting yet,” Stambersky said. “There’s always a place for good players.”
