New KU orientation assistant a graduate of Piper High School

The University of Kansas Office of First-Year Experience has announced 17 new orientation assistants and two orientation coordinators for the 2014-2015 year, including Jessica Guilbeaux, of Kansas City, Kan.

Guilbeaux, an orientation assistant, is the daughter of George and Rhonda Guilbeaux and a graduate of Piper High School. She is a sophomore in computer engineering.

Orientation assistants are students whose job is to make the transition to KU a positive and engaged experience. These OAs will guide first-year students and their families through their orientation, assist with advising and enrollment, answer questions and offer their perspective on life as a Jayhawk.

Students beginning KU in the fall 2014 semester will attend orientation and enroll in classes starting in April for transfer students and June for freshmen.

Orientation programs continue throughout the summer. OAs and OCs will serve more than 10,000 new students, parents and guests as part of the orientation program.

First-Year Experience works in partnership with new students to create environments that help them discover, engage and belong at KU. Programs such as this contribute to the university’s goal to increase retention among students and improve the graduation rate.

Blood drive to be March 25

The next scheduled blood drive in Wyandotte County is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 25 at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Francisco Lounge, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Kansas City, Kan.

Another upcoming blood drive is from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 4 at Sumner Academy, old gym, 1610 N. 8th, Kansas City, Kan.

To register for these Community Blood Center blood drives, visit https://www.esavealifenow.

 

Officers graduate from training

Five local officers recently graduated from training at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, near Yoder, Kan.

Lt. Col. Alan Stoecklein of the Kansas Highway Patrol congratulated 53 new law enforcement officers during their graduation from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on Feb. 28.

The new officers were members of the 227th basic training class at the center. Located one mile west and one mile south of Yoder, near Hutchinson, the center is a division of University of Kansas Continuing Education.

The graduates, who began their training Nov. 4, 2013, represented 37 municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas.

Five graduates from Kansas City, Kan., include:

Kenneth Blount, a patrol officer with the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools Police Department;

LaTrina Johnson, a patrol officer with the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools Police Department;

Mark Ming, a patrol officer with the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools Police Department;

James Minich, a deputy with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department; and

James Shepherd, a deputy with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department.

Graduates receive certificates of course completion from KLETC and Kansas law enforcement certification from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s law enforcement licensing authority.

The training course fulfills the state requirement for law enforcement training. Classroom lectures and hands-on applications help train officers to solve the increasingly complex problems they face in the line of duty.