PRESS PACKET: AUGUST 1 -31

Food Shed Co-op Open House, Crystal Lake-Cary Patch, 8/3/21

Event Details:

Sun, Aug 15, 2021 at 2:00 PM

McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. 14 Commons Area, Building B, Crystal Lake, Illinois, 60012, United States

More info: https://go.evvnt.com/843022-0?pid=4509

Join us for the LAUNCH of our Community Investment Campaign at McHenry County College. Different investment opportunities that are available to fund construction of our community owned grocery store will be explained throughout the afternoon at this event. If you are interested in participating in our Community Investment Campaign you won't want to miss this party. The Food Shed Co-op Community Investment Campaign starts at this party on August 15th and runs through October 15, 2021. There will be information tables explaining how to invest, how to become a Food Shed Co-op owner, testimonials by current investors, and more! There is no charge for this event so RSVP now at https://www.foodshed.coop/cic_launch_party

State-by-state mask tracker: Colleges impose new COVID-19 mandates, University Business, 8/3/21

Most colleges and universities have cemented their decisions on COVID-19 vaccinations for the fall and have turned their attention to another fallback plan to protect populations: having students, faculty and staff mask up. Though many institutions were hoping to be mask free in 2021-22, they are instead choosing to mandate face coverings for all, following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some are simply requiring masks in public buildings, while others are asking individuals to keep them on at all times. More than 150 institutions in the past few days, including those that don’t have vaccine requirements, are reinstituting the safety strategy.

“We are still emphasizing the need to wear masks or face coverings while on our campus,” Alabama State University President Quinton Ross said in a statement. “This protocol applies to all who live, learn and work on our campus. The mandate also applies to visitors to our campus. We believe that the mask- mandatory rule has been a vital part of our success in preventing a major outbreak of COVID-19 on our campus. We do not plan to drop our guard now.”

Some colleges and universities, such as Alabama State, are simply maintaining protocols that have been in place. Others are reversing course, after removing mask requirements just weeks ago. Here is a list of those that have indicated mandates since the CDC’s updated its guidelines. (Updated at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 4):

ILLINOIS: College of DuPage, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, Elgin Community College, Heartland Community College, Illinois Valley Community College, Lincoln College, Loyola University Chicago, McHenry County College, Millikin University, Northwestern University, Shawnee Community College, Southeastern Illinois College, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Waubansee Community College.

Baseball brothers, Milton Courier, 8/2/21

As one season ends another begins. That’s true in sports and in life.

About this time of year, parents and athletes start thinking about heading back to school. Some going to college are already there and already being missed by family at home in Milton.

Milton High School in the 2021 spring season had two varsity baseball pitchers from the same family. Evan Jackson, 18, graduated in June. Broden Jackson, 16, will be a sophomore at MHS next month.

On Monday, the Milton Courier talked to the brothers separately by phone about the sport they love and played together and about what’s next for them.

Evan is at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Over the weekend, he moved into an apartment. His roommate is 2021 MHS grad Charlie Terrill. Both are playing baseball there.

When asked how he felt about Evan moving and being gone for one weekend, Broden said, “Nope, it’s been just one day.”

The comment acknowledged that he was cognizant of the time that had passed and already there were emotions.

“Walking down the hall and seeing his room empty is kind of weird,” Broden said.

Evan said he will “definitely” miss Broden, who has watched him, looked up to him and learned from him.

“He’s not the best at taking advice from me just because I’m his brother, but deep down, I think it kind of sinks in,” Evan said.

In turn, Evan doesn’t remember his brother sharing many words of wisdom with him, but said, “If I need a catch partner, he’s the one.”

As a Milton Red Hawk, Evan pitched and played second base. In 2019 he was first-team all-conference in the Badger South and this year he was first-team and pitcher of the year in the conference.

Broden was second-team all-conference in the Badger South this year.

The Red Hawks finished 13-1 in the conference and 21-5 overall and, clinched the 2021 Badger South Conference title and won the regional to advance to sectionals.

During the season, Broden pitched and played in outfield. Both were new positions and Broden commented he was glad Coach Kris Agnew trusted him to be in the outfield. “It’s something I can work on in the next couple years that might help the team out,” he said.

“Evan has always been the pitcher of our family,” Broden said. Before this last high school season, Broden hadn’t pitched. He said he tried to follow in his brother’s “footsteps” as much as he could but noted Evan is shorter than he is.

“I throw a different way than he does,” Broden said, “but I try to model a lot of pitches by what he does.”

Both boys also played basketball, then decided to focus solely on baseball starting their sophomore year of high school.

Without baseball, Evan said, “I would have too much free time.” And, possibly he said he wouldn’t have a lot of friends.

“A lot of my friends are former teammates,” he said.

Broden said he always played better baseball than basketball “and enjoyed it much more.”

He enjoys both the competitive nature of the sport and being part of a team.

Had Evan not played baseball, Broden suspects he would have tried the sport, but said, “I think Evan paved a path for me to follow him.”

When asked if Evan was a good big brother, he said, “He’s been an amazing brother.”

Evan’s helped him a lot in baseball, he said, “and I love him for that.”

Baseball has been a way of life for the Jacksons and even the extended Jackson family. That has meant going to a lot of games and in between, a lot of raffles and other fundraisers.

Summer weekends were booked with travel team tournaments and sometimes the boys’ parents, Corey and Amber Jackson, went different directions so Evan and Broden each had someone in the stands.

Family vacations at the end of summer included a professional baseball game.

“We’d stop at the (ball) parks we hadn’t been to,” Evan said.

The brothers started playing T-ball, then baseball in the Janesville Youth Baseball & Softball Association in Janesville. Their grandparents encouraged them with “buck balls.” Anything they hit into the grass (outfield), earned them a buck.

In 2019, Broden’s JYBSA team played in the Babe Ruth World Series in Boston.

As they got older, the boys worked harder.

Last season, their mother said she could tell how hard they were working on the mound by the crazy faces they make. Evan has puffed up cheeks. Broden has an angry face.

On Monday, Evan will begin playing college ball and practicing baseball with the Scots. When he’s not playing baseball, he will be working on an associate degree, studying finance and getting a bachelor’s degree.

Evan’s advice for Broden and other Red Hawks is “Use the offseason to the best of your ability and get stronger. Work out.” Earlier in the day, Broden was spotted at the Parker YMCA doing just that.

Broden remembers his brother trying to keep him humble and “in his position, as much as he could. I was always the younger kid trying to be better than him and I think he’s helped me try to realize it’s not being better than people. It’s being your best self.”

Playing baseball he said has helped him learn a lot about the sport and life.

“Try to stay humble when you’re on top and try to bring yourself up when you’re on the lows,” he said.

Broden’s goals include building Milton’s reputation for baseball.

Both brothers helped with Milton Mayhem U11 team at the end of the season and enjoyed it.

Broden’s advice for Evan was what he remembers Evan telling him: “Work hard and try to stay humble.”

Coach Agnew described the Jacksons as “great kids.”

He said he, too, is going to miss Evan.

“Consistency is what I appreciated the most about coaching him,” Agnew said. “He showed up all the time and you knew what you were going to get from him. He worked hard in the off season, on his own and in open gyms, showed up and practiced the right way all of time. And his production on the field speaks for itself. He’s been the best pitcher in the Badger South since he got here. He’s the kind of leader that you want for your program, a good student, humble and hardworking and obviously very talented.”

Agnew said he’s just getting to know Broden but he has a very bright future ahead of him.He added, “He works hard and has the all-around skills to be one of the best players in our conference over the next three years.”

MCC's new agriculture program has successful first year, Chicago Daily Herald, 8/6/21

McHenry County College is getting ready to welcome a new crop of Entrepreneurial Agriculture students this fall.

The program, which trained its first group of students last year, is designed to prepare both degree- seeking students and food and farm innovators for a successful and rewarding future in the regional food economy.

"Our students are gaining direct, hands-on experience all the way from seed to sales," said Emily Zack, farm practicum director at MCC. "This spring, our 'Intro to Farm Practicum' class started seeds in the greenhouse, planted in one of our high tunnels, and harvested for an on-campus pop-up farm stand.

"Students in another class interviewed local and regional agriculture professionals to learn more about opportunities in the industry. The program really gives students a taste of what it's like to work in the food and farming economy."

The group also regularly provides produce to the MCC Café and Culinary program, and will be starting a weekly on-campus farm stand to showcase their produce. "This will be structured like we are heading to a market," said Zack. "We will harvest, wash, bag, weigh, and display the morning of the stand."

Prior to the program's inception, MCC spent over a year talking to local farmers and agricultural and business experts throughout McHenry County and the surrounding region to put together a curriculum that provides the training students need to make a difference in the world of food production.

"What sets our program apart is that -- in addition to learning about basic growing -- we've also incorporated business and marketing classes so students will graduate ready to create a profitable, scalable business," said Zack.

Garrett Beier, an Entrepreneurial Agriculture instructor who also heads up the college's Horticulture program, added that it was very exciting to teach as part of the new program this year.

"You could tell how passionate the students were just by talking to them," Beier said. "They are really excited to combine the theory with the hands-on side of agriculture and farming. They love growing food, and just want to learn more. The feedback we've received from students has been overwhelmingly positive."

One of the new initiatives started through the program is Student Farm Week, an event where students can showcase their work and sell their plants and produce each May. The program has also added some equipment this year, including solar panels and a new tractor, and made considerable improvements to the greenhouse hydroponic system, including new systems and automated dosing and monitoring systems.

The Center for Agrarian Learning at MCC is garnering statewide attention as well. Sheri Doyel, director of the CAL, and MCC students Israel Sandoval, Amanda Story, and Kitt Garmisch were recently interviewed for the Illinois Farm Bureau's podcast and YouTube channel in April, as well as featured in Partners magazine and Farmweek Now newspaper.

In addition to the AAS in Entrepreneurial Agriculture, MCC offers an AAS in Horticulture and certificates in Entrepreneurial Agriculture Business/Marketing, Entrepreneurial Agriculture Production, and Floral Design. No prior experience is needed to join any of the programs.

"Anyone who is interested in any part of our food system -- someone who likes plants, working outside, or has an interest in environmental science and ecology -- would be an ideal candidate," said Zack.

"We teach every aspect, from saving seeds to soil health, harvest techniques to proper storage.

"The possibilities are really endless with this degree," she added. "Our graduates can pursue a variety of exciting career paths, including farm ownership and operations, greenhouse management, landscaping, floral production and design, or even bookkeeping and marketing specific to farm businesses."

Students interested in joining the program or learning more can visit www.mchenry.edu/ag or email [email protected].

Which Illinois universities are requiring masks, WGN9, 8/4/21 The start of a new college semester is drawing near for millions across the country. Last year the school year started with remote classes for many.

The publication University Business says while many higher education institutions hoped to be mask- free this year, they are choosing to mandate face coverings for all. That is also the new recommendation from the CDC.

The publication also has a list of which colleges in each state are requiring masks.

ILLINOIS: College of DuPage, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, Elgin Community College, Heartland Community College, Illinois Valley Community College, Lincoln College, Loyola University Chicago, McHenry County College, Millikin University, Northwestern University, Shawnee Community College, Southeastern Illinois College, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Waubansee Community College

You can see a complete list of all states on University Business’s website.

How We Got The Picture: President Biden at MCC, Chicago Daily Herald, 8/9/21

Being a photojournalist means being in the right place at the right time, and that often translates to hurry up and wait. Sometimes my job is filled with days like this.

Wednesday, July 7, was one of them.

President Joe Biden was slated to speak at 2 p.m. at McHenry County College, and the day started well ahead of that. I arrived in Crystal Lake around 9:15 a.m. to find quite a few people lining Route 14 carrying various signs, some supporting President Donald Trump and some supporting President Biden.

I sat in my vehicle in a queue to get into the parking lot and then made some images of the people along the highway. Slightly before 10:30, I grabbed all three of my cameras, my laptop and a step stool and joined the line to pass through security.

Secret Service personnel were on site and thoroughly inspected my bags and all my equipment, including having their bomb sniffing dog also check things out. I made it into the gymnasium where Biden was to speak around 11 a.m. -- three hours early.

I called our Senior Director of Photography Jeff Knox and let him know that I was in place, then called Deputy Director of Visual Journalism Paul Valade to coordinate with him and John Starks. They would be photographing outside while I was inside.

I found Mary Kate McTague, who was part of the president's advance team, and got the lay of the land. After looking at the risers and the vantage points available, I made a plan in my head of how I would approach photographing President Biden.

While prepping my laptop in the back of the gymnasium, two hours before Biden was due to speak, I could hear and simultaneously feel the thumping of the rotors as the giant Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey helicopters made their approach. The Secret Service had opened the southeast door of the gymnasium to let in some fresh air. I quickly grabbed a camera with my 100-400 zoom lens on it and asked if I could shoot the helicopters arriving. The giant Ospreys thundered in over the school and low to the parking lot and proceed to land in the ball fields east of the school and I had one of my pictures.

An hour and a half until Biden would speak, I quickly downloaded a few frames and sent them to our copy desk as Transportation and Projects Writer Marni Pyke prepared an early version of her story.

Biden toured the school and then spoke to the crowd.

I shot nearly 2,000 frames that day and sent 46 of them to our copy desk. Starks and Valade also sent a large collection of images for consideration.

A long day with some waiting and planning produced a lot of good images.

MCC's child care center accepting registration for fall, Daily Herald, 8/9/21

The Children's Learning Center at McHenry County College has opened registration for a variety of programs this fall semester, which begins Aug. 16.

The Center offers child care for 15-month to 3-year-olds and 3- to 5-year-olds, and preschool programs for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. All programs are available to MCC students, employees, and members of the community.

"We strive to make the CLC an affordable, convenient, positive learning environment for young children," said Lisha Linder, who leads the Children's Learning Center at MCC.

"We focus on cognitive, physical, and social-emotional skills, and engage children in hands-on activities that are designed to support their development. They receive many opportunities to practice independence, social skills, communication skills, and problem-solving."

The CLC also serves as a learning opportunity for MCC's Early Childhood Education students.

In the program, children are given individualized attention in small classes of less than 16 for toddlers and less than 20 for 3- to 5-year-olds. Each day includes several outdoor breaks to play, weather permitting. Child care includes two snacks and lunch provided daily, and rest time after lunch for children who wish to nap.

"I'm really looking forward to having children back in our classrooms this year," said Linder. "And we have two new beautiful playground spaces that I know the children will enjoy!"

The playground was recently rebuilt to include new climbing spaces, bike paths, sandboxes, shaded areas, and room for water play.

Childcare is available from 7:50 a.m. to 4:50 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Preschool classes are half- day programs that vary based on age group. Scheduling is flexible to accommodate the needs of parents/guardians; however, the same schedule needs to be maintained throughout the semester. The CLC also offers drop-in services for families who do not wish to commit to a weekly schedule. The CLC is a state-licensed child care center. MCC has also enhanced regular cleaning and sanitation protocols to help create a safe and healthy physical learning environment for all students.

To enroll your child in the Children's Learning Center, or for more information, visit www.mchenry.edu/clc. Financial assistance may also be available. To learn more, contact Lisha Linder at (815) 455-8555.

What suburban colleges are doing to motivate students to get vaccines, Daily Herald, 8/16/21

College of Lake County will give $100 checks to fall semester students with one string attached: proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

The college announced the incentive last Thursday morning to entice, but not require, students to get their shots. By that afternoon, more than 900 had submitted their vaccine documentation.

"I hope that the early response is a good sign of engagement by students," CLC President Lori Suddick said.

Other schools have offered rewards to attract students to roll up their sleeves for the jab. Harper College in Palatine held a drawing for vaccinated students, giving 10 winners an entire year of free tuition, books and fees, a scholarship valued at about $5,800.

While most Chicago-area community colleges are taking a similar approach and encouraging vaccinations, it's unclear if students are heeding the call. With the start of classes just a week or so away, many schools aren't keeping tabs on vaccination rates among students and faculty.

"We're not requesting that," said Jeff Julian, Harper's chief of staff. "Our focus right now has really been on just strongly encouraging students and employees to get the vaccine."

However, the students and staff at the College of DuPage, the state's largest community college, must be vaccinated before in-person or hybrid classes begin next spring. The COD mandate won't take effect until Jan. 1, officials say, so the school has time to set up an automated, confidential system of tracking vaccinations, and students are given a chance to comply.

Concerns over the surge of the delta variant and guidance from the Illinois Community College Board and Illinois Board of Higher Education factored into the decision to order vaccinations, COD President Brian Caputo said.

Both state boards strongly encourage colleges and universities to make vaccinations mandatory to protect campus populations and slow COVID-19 transmission in surrounding communities.

"We've got an incentive package that we're going to roll out to try to encourage or entice students to get vaccinated sooner rather than later," Caputo said. "But in the end, if we're going to have a safe campus as reasonably as possible, people need to be vaccinated."

Nationwide, 730 colleges require vaccines of at least some students or employees, according to a list compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Vaccine access

This summer, community colleges provided vaccinations at on-campus clinics, giving away gift cards and other freebies to those receiving shots.

At Elgin Community College, additional clinics will tie into the "Welcome Weeks" after the fall term starts Aug. 23.

While school officials say they're "vaccine champions," they've stopped short of a mandate. Waubonsee Community College and McHenry County College also won't require vaccines.

"All of the community colleges communicate with one another in our decision-making as we move forward in our mitigation efforts on campus, and to have some degree of consistency," ECC Vice President Peggy Heinrich said.

"Given that we are an open campus, we've made that decision to not require vaccination at this time, which is consistent with practice statewide, aside from COD."

Many community colleges have expanded in-person offerings since the spring. At ECC, about 41% of classes are hybrid or face-to-face, up from 22% in the spring.

Class sizes are still smaller to accommodate six feet of distancing. Students must wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Free COVID-19 testing is available. And other precautions remain in place.

"Considering where we were over a year ago, when we had to completely shut down, the mere fact that we are open, offering opportunities for classes, I think we're in a much better position," said ECC Police Chief David Kintz, who is organizing the school's vaccination clinics.

At Harper, Northwest Community Healthcare has an on-campus outpatient care center offering free vaccines. College of Lake County will host clinics at its Grayslake campus Aug. 26, Sept. 23, and Oct. 21.

It launched the vaccine incentive program using $1.5 million in federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds.

"Even just setting up this incentive program took a significant amount of resources to get a system in place to be able to collect, track and process the incentives," said Suddick, CLC's president. "Establishing a mandate just comes with a lot of complex variables to navigate and manage something like that."

Private schools

Area private schools are taking a mixed approach. For example, while North Central College in Naperville is not requiring vaccinations, Aurora University has mandated them for students and employees before they return to residence halls and classrooms. Exemptions can be requested for medical, religious or personal reasons.

As of last week, 86% of Aurora's faculty and staff were vaccinated. The school continues to compile data on student rates. Officials also are following up in phone calls and emails with those who haven't yet provided COVID-19 vaccination records. "The university is very focused on identifying the status of each person, not to be intrusive, but so that we can make sure we're ready to take the right precautions," President Rebecca Sherrick said.

The school will calibrate testing requirements and other preparations to vaccination rates. The university also has reserved a "significant area" in a local hotel for quarantine and isolation, Sherrick said.

"We plan to be pretty aggressive all year long in making sure everybody is safe," she said. "We're not going to leave anything to chance."

More McHenry County schools begin new in-person school year as does McHenry County College, NW Herald, 8/16/21

Woodstock High School senior Sarah Cwik is ready to start her last year of high school, a year and half after finishing her sophomore year of high school online because of the beginning of the pandemic.

“I feel like I’m still a freshman,” the senior cheerleader said on her first day of school Monday. “I actually am a little nervous, but I remember being a freshman and being friends with the upperclassmen, so I hope I can be that senior through sports and classes.”

Cwik is one of about 1,000 Woodstock High School students, and hundreds more throughout Woodstock School District 200, returning to a full in-person school year.

Monday also marked the first day of school for McHenry County College; McHenry High School District 156, which is wrapping up a $44 million expansion at what is now its Upper Campus; and Prairie Grove School District 46, which pushed back its Aug. 11 start date because of an outage caused by last week’s storms.

Even more districts are set to start Wednesday: Huntley School District 158, Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47, McHenry Elementary School District 15, Harvard School District 50, Cary School District 26, Nippersink School District 2, Richmond-Burton High School District 157, Alden Hebron School District 19, Fox River Grove Elementary School District 3 and Wonder Lake-based Harrison School District 36.

They will be followed by Marengo High School District 154 on Thursday, Marengo Union Elementary Elementary District 165 next Monday and Johnsburg School District 12 and Riley School District 18 on Aug. 25.

Woodstock High School Principal Art Vallicelli said having kids back in school ready to learn, spend time with their friends and participate in activities made him excited for the first day of school.

“Seeing 1,000-plus students walk through the halls has us all thrilled,” he said.

Vallicelli and district Superintendent Michael Moan stood outside the high school’s front entrance Monday greeting students as they came in. The typical first day hiccups like a late bus still were there, but the day began without issues on the pandemic precautions as all students came with masks and avoided crowding in the halls. In Bridget Fujino’s first period Advanced Placement pre-calculus class, the day began as normal as any other school year. While students wore masks, the classroom was full as Fujino passed out the syllabus and learned student’s names.

Graphic design teacher Sandi Brainard said she was worried about coming back in person, even though she was fully vaccinated. But after speaking with the school nurse, she is excited to be back teaching students in the classroom.

“It’s so invigorating to see students in the building, and I can’t wait for my first class to get in here and start shaping those minds. It’s just healing,” Brainard said.

Teacher Bridget Fujino takes attendance in her Advanced Placement pre-calculus class during the first day back to school at Woodstock High School on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, in Woodstock. (Matthew Apgar)

While uncertainty lingers as COVID-19 cases rise and masks are a requirement, students and staff are looking beyond that at and focusing on what they can do.

“I’m just excited to see all my friends again,” senior Sam Berry said. “I want to do well in school, but I’m more excited to see my friends.”

Cwik also wants students to focus on what they can do to keep classes in-person.

“I really hope that everyone this year can really come together as a district community and really come past COVID and just follow all the guidelines we can to really make this year as best as we can, so we can actually be here the entire year,” she said.

Woodstock students were able to return to the classrooms during the second semester last year, but many remained home, Vallicelli said.

Woodstock High School also has another reason to celebrate the new school year. 2021 is the building’s 100th year.

“We’re rocking our T-shirts today,” said Vallicelli, wearing a T-shirt marking the building’s anniversary.

“I don’t think you’re going to find a 100-year-old building that’s in as good of condition as this,” Vallicelli said. “It’s in incredible condition. You get some of the art work up on the walls, and it it keeps tradition alive.”

The school plans to celebrate the building’s centennial in October.

At McHenry County College, students returned to the classroom Monday with the same optimism.

“I haven’t really had any human interaction in a long time,” said second-year student Anthony VonderHeide of Lake in the Hills. “I’m excited to build a relationship with people again.”

Even for experienced students like VonderHeide, Monday was a new experience with classes coming back in-person.

“I liked online because you’re doing all the work from home. Now that we’re back in person, we have to actually try harder again, not that I wasn’t trying, and build a routine again,” he said. Lucy Klimkowski of Oakwood Hills had a math class for her first college class. The Prairie Grove High School graduate missed the end of her junior year and most of her senior year because of pandemic restrictions, and now finds herself a college student.

“I’m really excited for the rest of my classes,” she said.

The things she missed over the last year and half and the lingering pandemic restrictions left her describing her first day of college as “anti-climactic.”

“It just it wasn’t as exciting as I really thought it could be just because of COVID and the masks,” Klimkowski said “It’s just weird. It hasn’t settled in yet that I’m going to college.”

Horse sense: MCC workshop teaches emotional intelligence through interactions with horses, Daily Herald, 8/18/21

The McHenry County College Workforce Training program and Main Stay Therapeutic Farm are teaming up to offer an innovative new class this fall.

"Harnessing the Power of Emotional Intelligence for High Performance" is a one-day workshop that invites attendees to visit the farm in Richmond to learn emotional intelligence skills through meaningful interactions with horses. The class will be held from 8:30 a.m. -- 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9.

"Developing our emotional intelligence is essential but not always easy to do," said Pat Kallaus, coordinator of Shah Center operations at MCC. "We get stuck in our habits, stories, and patterns of behaviors and we can't see our path to change. This workshop gives participants the opportunity to evaluate and work on their emotional intelligence in a special, hands-on way."

Kallaus and Main Stay's program director, Jean Maraist, came up with the idea for the workshop after many discussions about possible collaborations between their two programs. Earlier this spring, Kallaus and Catherine Jones, MCC's Associate Vice President of Workforce Development, visited the farm to experience a sample of leadership development classes using the horses.

"After that, I knew this was a unique opportunity we needed to offer our business leaders and community," said Kallaus.

The workshop combines traditional classroom discussions and activities with specific interactions with the horses at Main Stay.

"Horses are prey animals and have an innate ability to read and respond to our inner emotional state. They are masters at spotting our patterns and giving us immediate feedback so we can change our feeling and behaviors to produce desired outcomes," Kallaus said.

In the course, participants will learn how and why emotions play a critical role in effective leadership; develop their emotional intelligence by learning to recognize, listen to, and appropriately respond to their emotions; identify emotional blind spots that keep us from connecting, motivating, inspiring, and positively impacting self and others; learn to adapt their behavior to achieve desired outcomes; and draw upon the equine experience to create practical strategies to accelerate their performance. "This program is ideal for business leaders, mangers, top performers, and emerging leaders," said Kallus. "It's really a great opportunity for anyone who wants to better manage their own emotions, strengths, and skills, or the emotions and skills of their employees."

The program costs $799. No horse experience is necessary to attend. All horse interactions will take place on the ground; no riding involved.

To register, visit www.mchenry.edu/workforcetraining.

McHenry County College adds new solar array to power campus high tunnel, Daily Herald, 8/24/21

McHenry County College has added a new renewable energy source on its main campus to help power two of its newest programs. The Sustainability Center, Center for Agrarian Learning, and Entrepreneurial Agriculture program at the college recently collaborated to incorporate a solar array that will power one of the high tunnels that students use to grow a variety of crops year-round.

A high tunnel is a series of metal hoops covered in plastic that allows for temperature and water control, no matter the season.

"The solar energy powers several things in the high tunnel that are hooked up to a thermostat for temperature control," said Sheri Doyel, director of the Center for Agrarian Learning. "These include roll- down sides, an exhaust fan and shutters at the peak, and a blower fan that inflates the two layers of plastic on the top. The two layers of plastic -- with that air in between -- helps to insulate crops that are growing in the winter. The roll-down sides and the exhaust fans help to cool the house when it gets too hot in the summer."

High tunnels allow farmers to better control when their plants are ready -- and in turn can help them grow a more profitable business.

"Farmers can plant tomatoes earlier, for instance, and have them ready for harvest in early July rather than early August -- which means they can charge more for those tomatoes before the markets are flooded with field-grown tomatoes," said Doyel. "Likewise, cold-hardy crops like spinach, carrots, and kale can be planted in late August or early September, and still be harvestable as late as December or January, when outdoor crops are long since frozen."

The Center plans to use the new solar panel as not only an on-campus resource, but also as a demonstration for the farming community.

"Farmers sometimes need to locate high tunnels in an area where there is not easy access to electricity. We wanted to provide an example of what it would look like to power a tunnel on solar for farmers who may be looking into this option," said Doyel.

The solar panel was fully funded by an Illinois Green Economy Network Grant. IGEN is a consortium of Illinois community colleges that shares resources, common experiences, best practices and curricula across the state. The program offers yearly grant opportunities to all participating schools. MCC has worked with IGEN on several previous projects, including a larger solar panel array at the college's Shah Center location in McHenry. "One of the wonderful things about this project is its size," said Kim Hankins, director of the Sustainability Center at MCC. "It's relatively small -- just four panels -- so it makes the idea of using solar energy more approachable, doable, and teachable. Community members and students from a variety of classes will be able to access the energy production data from the online dashboard, or take a walk outside and check them out anytime."

The college is always looking for unique opportunities to educate students and the larger community, added Hankins.

"This fall, we will be working with CAL to provide educational materials and tours at the Green Living Expo in November and developing workshops with area solar vendors on small scale solar options for farmers."

For more information about the Center for Agrarian Learning, visit www.mchenry.edu/cal. To learn more about sustainability at MCC, visit www.mchenry.edu/green.

MCC to offer two new online marketing classes in spring 2022, Daily Herald, 8/25/21

McHenry County College is offering two new marketing courses in spring 2022. Both classes will focus on effective, modern tools marketers and business owners can use to share their message and better engage with their audiences.

"Paid Advertising in Social Media" is an eight-week online course that will explore paid advertising opportunities using major social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Google. Students will learn to develop targeted advertising strategies and campaigns, utilize pixels and other tools to retarget select audience members, and optimize for increased reach and conversion. The curriculum will also explore backend platforms and tools available to business profiles, best practices for effective ad design, and methods for analyzing ad results. The class will be offered Jan. 18 -- March 11, 2022.

"Messenger (Chat) Marketing" is another eight-week online class that will be offered March 14 -- May 13, 2022. Messenger marketing is a modern strategy that uses mobile chat apps to automate conversations between businesses and customers using the Facebook Messenger platform. Students will be introduced to a variety of apps that can interface with the platform and will learn the capabilities of the apps, strategies to attract and engage subscribers, best practices for bot development, and opportunities to build a brand, drive traffic, and provide value. By the end of the course, students will build a bot within the messenger platform.

"No matter what your business, getting the word out, connecting with your audience, and making sure they can find you is essential to overall success," said Sherry Ridge, who leads the Marketing and Business departments at MCC. "This class is great for students working or interested in social media marketing, and will help them increase their skill level as they learn to successfully implement and measure social media marketing campaigns."

The courses are considered electives that can count toward a number of Marketing/Business degrees or certificates at MCC. They are open to any student regardless of major. General registration for spring 2022 classes opens in early November.

For information on MCC's marketing programs, visit www.mchenry.edu/marketing.

Pirates split four matches at Illinois tournament, Victoria Advocate, 8/23/21

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Victoria College began the 2021 volleyball season by winning two of four matches in the McHenry County College Tournament over the weekend.

The Pirates opened the tournament Friday with a 25-16, 25-18, 26-24 loss to Joliet Junior College. Anisa Martinez had five kills to lead VC. Maddison Heibel tallied a team-high 17 assists and 13 digs.

John A. Logan College held off the Pirates 25-22, 25-21, 25-21 in the second game. Mikela Mireles recorded 10 kills for the Pirates. Heibel had 14 assists and 11 digs.

VC rallied to win two matches on Saturday. Miyah White posted eight kills and Mireles added seven as VC beat Lake Land College 25-16, 25-12, 25-23. Isabela Dominguez had four service aces.

The Pirates concluded the tournament by defeating Elgin Community College 25-8, 25-17, 25-12. Kennedy Willoughby had nine kills and four blocks and Heibel added 14 assists.

VC next plays a non-conference match against Ranger College at 11:30 a.m. Friday in Beeville.

McHenry County College offers leadership workshop with Main Stay Therapeutic Farm, NW Herald, 8/28/21

The McHenry County College and Main Stay Therapeutic Farm will offer a one-day workshop this fall that helps attendees develop emotional intelligence skills through interactions with horses.

The workshop, called “Harnessing the Power of Emotional Intelligence for High Performance,” will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at the farm in Richmond.

“Developing our emotional intelligence is essential but not always easy to do,” said Pat Kallaus, coordinator of Shah Center operations at McHenry County College. “We get stuck in our habits, stories and patterns of behaviors, and we can’t see our path to change. This workshop gives participants the opportunity to evaluate and work on their emotional intelligence in a special, hands-on way.”

The workshop combines traditional classroom discussions and activities with specific interactions with the horses at Main Stay.

“Horses are prey animals and have an innate ability to read and respond to our inner emotional state,” Kallaus said. “They are masters at spotting our patterns and giving us immediate feedback so we can change our feeling and behaviors to produce desired outcomes.”

The McHenry County College workforce training program and Main Stay Therapeutic Farm are teaming up to offer “Harnessing the Power of Emotional Intelligence for High Performance” this fall. The one-day workshop invites attendees to visit the farm in Richmond to work on their emotional intelligence skills through meaningful interactions with horses. (Provided by McHenry County College) During the course, participants will learn how and why emotions play a critical role in effective leadership; develop their emotional intelligence by learning to recognize, listen to and appropriately respond to their emotions; identify emotional blind spots that keep people from connecting, motivating, inspiring and positively impacting themselves and others; learn to adapt their behavior to achieve desired outcomes; and draw upon the equine experience to create practical strategies to accelerate their performance.

“This program is ideal for business leaders, mangers, top performers and emerging leaders,” Kallaus said. “It’s really a great opportunity for anyone who wants to better manage their own emotions, strengths and skills, or the emotions and skills of their employees.”

The program costs $799. No horse experience is necessary to attend. All horse interactions will take place on the ground; no riding is involved.

To register, visit www.mchenry.edu/workforcetraining.

Man gets 30 years in prison for attempted murder in hammer attack on two women in Crystal Lake, Lake and McHenry County Scanner, 9/7/21

A Woodstock man was sentenced to 30 years in prison on an attempted murder charge for a random hammer attack on two women in 2019 on a Crystal Lake trail.

Angel R. Cardoza, 50, of Woodstock, was indicted on attempted murder, armed violence and four counts of aggravated battery.

The incident happened around 5:15 p.m. on September 24, 2019, on the Ridgefield Trace walking and bike trail near Crystal Ridge Drive and Oak Street in Crystal Lake.

Prosecutors said that Cardoza, who was riding a bicycle, repeatedly hit a woman on the head with a hammer as she was walking home on the trail.

Another woman was riding her bicycle on the path and saw Cardoza hovering over the victim, who was yelling for help.

The bystander yelled at Cardoza to stop and that she was going to call 911, prosecutors said.

Cardoza stopped attacking the first woman and ran towards the bystander, striking her in the arm with the hammer before fleeing the scene, prosecutors added.

The two women were transported to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital with non-life- threatening injuries, police said. They were both released from the hospital within a few days.

McHenry County Conservation District Chief of Police Laura King said at the time they were assisted by the Crystal Lake Police Department, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, Woodstock Police Department and McHenry County College Police.

Cardoza was taken into custody three days after the attacks by the McHenry County Sheriff’s SWAT Team at his Woodstock home. Ridgefield Trace is a 7 ½ mile trail that extends from Woodstock to Crystal Lake. Police and prosecutors have not released any motive for the attack.

In July, Cardoza pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder, a Class X felony, and one count of aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony.

Class X felonies are punishable by 6-30 years in prison and Class 3 felonies are punishable by up to 2-10 years in prison.

Coppedge sentenced the man to 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge and five years in prison on the aggravated battery charge. Cardoza will the sentences consecutively.

The case was investigated by the McHenry County Conservation Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Randi Freese and Jim Newman.