Cuyamaca College Powwow returns for third year

The head man dancer is Richard DeCrane.

The Native American Student Alliance (NASA) at Cuyamaca College is hosting its 3rd Annual Powwow 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, Feb.4, in front of the Communication Arts complex, Building B.

The free, public event aims to promote Native American heritage, with a variety of activities, including Bird Singing, a native singing style of the Kumeyaay people, and a series of competitive dances honoring the culture and traditions of local and distant tribes.

The head man dancer, an important role in any powwow, is Richard DeCrane, a member of the Navajo and Crow tribes. As the head man dancer, DeCrane will lead the dancers in brilliant regalia in the powwow’s opening procession.

DeCrane’s prominence in the powwow is profiled in the event program, from his early years on the Crow Reservation in Montana and his move to the Navajo nation, where he was raised by his maternal grandparents in Standing Rock, New Mexico. A military enlistee straight out of high school, DeCrane served for 15 years in the U.S. Navy, including as a plane captain signaling pilots on the E-2C Hawkeye radar surveillance plane during carrier takeoffs aboard the USS Carl Vincent and USS Abraham Lincoln. He was recognized for his service in the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraq, and Afghanistan. 

Still time to register for spring classes at Cuyamaca, Grossmont colleges

Spring semester starts Monday, Jan. 30, at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges, but late registration is still an option at East County’s community colleges, where nearly 30,000 students are working toward a degree, university transfer, workforce training or just increasing their knowledge.

The cost of the courses is $46 per unit, with most classes offering three units of college credit. Online registration for the regular semester classes ends Jan. 29, but late registration with an add code obtained from the instructor is possible until Feb. 10.

The two colleges are offering more than 2,600 class sections this spring, up nearly 10 percent from a year ago. Since last fall, the number of online and hybrid classes at both colleges has risen by an average 15 percent. For the spring semester, Grossmont College is offering 50 percent more Saturday classes than last fall, when the courses were added to provide more scheduling options for students.

Black History Month events at Grossmont, Cuyamaca colleges

Music, art, a poetry slam, and a discussion on black activism at Grossmont College and a Martin Luther King Jr. tribute, a panel of young African-American professionals, and a presentation on institutional slavery at Cuyamaca College are among February’s Black History Month events.

A rich selection of events are being offered at both colleges to honor the traditions, legacies and movements of African-Americans. Also known as National African-American History Month, Black History Month grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African-Americans.

Jasiri X to speak at Grossmont.

Highlighting Grossmont College events are a trio of African-American notables who have made their marks in today’s world: musical artist and activist Jasiri X, animator Tony Washington, and the NFL’s first African-American starting quarterback Marlin Briscoe.

“We are excited and looking forward to seeing each of these individuals who will be on campus for a presentation, discussion and Q and A session,” said Grossmont College counselor James Canady, one of the event coordinators.

College district's 13-year record of spotless independent audits remains intact

With the closing of the books on Proposition R, the voter-backed 2002 construction bond funds that transformed the campuses of Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges, a final accountability report was presented to the Governing Board that keeps the bond’s streak of spotless audits intact.

With the last of $207 million spent of Proposition R revenue, the Board received its final financial and performance audits of the construction bond that by all measures has proven an unqualified success.

Grant funds viticulture program at Cuyamaca College

Cuyamaca College has secured a grant of nearly $260,000 to bolster its new viticulture apprenticeship program and cover the cost of a planned two-acre vineyard on the Rancho San Diego campus.

The viticulture apprenticeship program, the only one of its kind in Southern California when it launched in the fall of 2016, is aimed at addressing a shortage of qualified workers knowledgeable in vine and pest diseases, irrigation practices and harvest operations that are critical in the growing viticulture industry.

“Even though San Diego County has 115 wineries, we’re not recognized as a premium wine-growing area, and that has made finding skilled labor difficult,” said Izaac Villalobos, general manager at Fallbrook Winery. “The Cuyamaca College program will go a long way in helping to alleviate the challenge of finding skilled labor.”

Cuyamaca College alum Jesus Banderas: From high school dropout to plant biologist

It wasn’t too long ago that Jesus Banderas saw school as something of a nuisance. Which is why he dropped out as a 16-year-old high school junior and found full-time work at his father’s landscaping business.

Then he discovered Cuyamaca College. And his life hasn’t been the same since.

“I never really saw myself as college material,” he said. “I was just interested in taking a couple ornamental horticulture classes and picking up some information to help out my dad and his business. It turned out to be the best thing for me.”

That’s because Banderas kept pushing himself to greater heights.

'Inside the Actor's Process' tours 15 local high schools

Grossmont College’s Theatre Arts Department will take its 11^th annual Inside the Actor’s Process production to 15 high schools throughout San Diego County starting Jan. 30 as part of an ongoing effort at exposing teen audiences to the finer points of stage performance. 

Directed by Jerry Hager, this year’s production is titled Inside the Actor’s Process: Ensemble, and it is aimed at illustrating how storylines are developed in an ensemble cast – in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance.  

“Inside the Actors Process is a unique theatre adventure that is based in the heart and soul of the actors who present live theatre,” Hager said. “Actors share their journeys and discoveries through not only through performance, but also in a forum with their audiences, which allows the high school student to ask questions or make comments.  This type of back-and-forth conversation is an important part of the process of understanding how a character is built.” 

Grossmont College Nursing Students Earn Their Pins

They’re ready to heal the world.

Two dozen students who have completed Grossmont College’s renowned nursing program were saluted Thursday night, Dec. 15, in an emotional nurse pinning ceremony marking the end of the training needed to embark on their careers as health care providers.

Graduates at the event, which took place at Cuyamaca College’s Performing Arts Theater, included several immigrants and the mother-and-daughter team of Colleen and Kayleigh Dotson.