MCC’s Board of Trustees and college President Dr. Suzanne Owens recognized citizens from Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties. Pictured from left to right are Julena Young McQueen representing her father Earl Young, Lynne Hensley, and Shannon Nicole Deyton. Others who were recognized included Mark McWilliams, Fred Stout, and Rachel Deal of Avery County, Brandi Deyton, Jerry Duncan, and Hal Harrison of Mitchell County as well as Cathy Dobson, Read Marie Underwood, Martha Guy, Paul and Beatrix Hicks, Carolyn Munro Wilson, Read Marie Underwood, Cathy Dobson, Will Shurley, Jim Morton, and John Keen.

 Local Citizens Honored at Open House

   Mayland Community College’s Board of Trustees honored individuals from Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties in the area of Alumni, Service, and Citizenship on November 2, during an Open House event at the college’s Main Campus in Spruce Pine.
    Shannon Deyton of Yancey County was presented with the Board of Trustees Distinguished Alumni award. In 2000, Deyton graduated from Mayland Community College with an Associate in Arts degree as an honors student. She then transferred to Appalachian State University where she majored in Elementary Education. Deyton graduated from ASU in 2004, again with honors, while becoming a mom to not one, but two beautiful boys. Deyton taught both kindergarten and second grade, and currently balances her duties as a pastor’s wife while home schooling her sons Isaac and ZackDeyton is the wife of Bart Deyton.

   Lynne Hensley of Yancey County was given the Board of Trustees Distinguished Service Award.
Hensley currently serves as the Finance Director for Yancey County on a part time basis. Her career in finance began in 1967 at UNC Greensboro in the Financial Aid Office. In 1969, she became the Finance Officer for Yancey County Schools where she retired in 2007. Hensley is a charter member and current chairman of the Yancey County Schools Foundation, and was the first female president and current committee chair for the NC Association of School Business Officials. Additional committees she serves on include the Yancey County Library Steering Committee, the State Employees Credit Union Advisory Board, and the Brookside Rehabilitation and Care Family Council. She has received such awards as the NCASBO Lou Thompson Distinguished Service Award and NC State Treasurer’s Governmental Financial Management Award. Hensley has the following philosophy, “The business of public education is THE most important business in our community with THE most important product.”

   Earl Young of Yancey County was honored with the Mayland Board of Trustees Distinguished Citizenship Award. Young, best known as the former President of Young and McQueen Grading, is the husband of Betty Banks Young and father of Julena Young McQueen and Samuel Young. His business skills with Young and McQueen have brought McQueen such awards as the Businessman of the Year. The success of his business has played a great part in boosting the economy of Yancey County by providing stable employment to many of the residents of this community. Even with the challenges of operating a successful business, McQueen has found time to participate in the activities of Higgins Memorial United Methodist Church, the Masonic Lodge, the Burnsville Fire Department, County Commissioners, and Chamber of Commerce. His interests and hobbies include being involved in the affairs of the community, traveling and playing golf.

   The following were recognized for their outstanding and dedicated service to their community Jerry Duncan of Mitchell County and Fred Stout of Avery County.
   Hal Harrison of Mitchell County and Rachel Deal of Avery County were also recognized with the citizenship award.
Mayland alumni recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and success also included Mark McWilliams of Avery County and Brandi Deyton of Mitchell County.
   Mayland’s President Dr. Suzanne Owens also recognized individuals for their leadership and commitment to education through work with the college’s Foundation. These recipients included Martha Guy, Paul and Beatrix Hicks, Carolyn Munro Wilson, Read Marie Underwood, Cathy Dobson, Will Shurley, Jim Morton, and John Keen.
 

 Global Education on Honduras

Juan Molina, a native of Honduras, will be the guest speaker for Mayland Community College’s Global Education presentation on November 24.

Molina will speak on Honduras for the month of November at the college’s Main Campus beginning at 12 p.m. in the college’s Sam Center Auditorium.

He first arrived to the United States in 2006 to work with Coats America in Marion. When he arrived in the United States he did not speak English, but learned the language and now hopes to attend Bible college and become a public speaker. Juan's parents still live in Honduras and he desires to bring them to live near him in the United States.

An altered class schedule will occur on November 24 so students may participate in the presentation and other events celebrating Honduras. There will be catered Honduran food for purchase, salsa lessons, contests and more. The public is welcome to attend. For more information on the upcoming Global Education presentation schedule call 1-800-4-MAYLAND or 765-7351, ext. 215.
 

Pictured are MCC nursing students Megan Hardie, Jessica Grindstaff, and Amberly Rogers (dressed for Halloween) who learned about other cultures in their class with MCC Nursing Instructor Lyn Cain, second from right.

MCC Nursing Students Study Multicultural Healthcare

Nursing students at Mayland Community College studied multicultural healthcare this fall.

Students in Lyn Cain’s first year course learned about caring for patients in different cultures.

“There is a very real chance that these students will care for patients of other cultures so they need to be respectful of the patients’ traditions,” said nursing instructor Lyn Cain whose first year class participated in this curriculum. “Many students said they have already encountered individuals from other countries in their clinical rotations, so this class is timely and very relevant. The world is a small place and our students need to know what other cultures are like, what they hold dear, and how they respond to Western medicine.”

As a part of the curriculum, Mayland students studied the traditions of Hindu, Muslims, and Latinos as compared to the American culture of which they are so familiar. The students learned that both Hindu and Muslim individuals refrain from pork and pork products, which includes the gelatin used as capsules for many medicines. Muslims may require that certain meats be prepared in a particular way, which means they may refrain from eating hospital food altogether.

“It was neat to learn that not everyone lives the same as we do here in America,” said MCC nursing student Jessica Grindstaff.

Nursing student Amberly Rogers recounted her time living in a Muslim country, and the how the birthing experience is much different that here in the states.

“The use of midwives is much more prevalent there,” Rogers said. “Coming from the states, that was much different than I was used to and made me a bit uncomfortable.”

The students also learned that different cultures will work with hospital staff in different ways. For instance, Hindus and Muslims are very modest and prefer same-sex caregivers. They also learned that Americans are much more expressive than Latinos when relating levels of pain, so it is important to look for facial expressions or other nonverbal forms for pain.

“As our students have more clinical experiences, they will encounter more people unlike themselves,” said Cain. “Classes like this are very important for them when they go to work.”
 

MCC Medical Assisting students recognized local people in their field of study during Medical Assisting week. Pictured from left to right are MCC students Crystal Elliott, Kasey Barnett, MCC Coordinator of the Medical Assisting Program and instructor Shannon Atkins, and Tammy Connor.
 

                                 Medical Assisting Program

Mayland Community College Medical Assisting students celebrated Medical Assisting week by recognizing local people working in their field.

The class recognized past Mayland students, as they traveled to inform and educate the community about what a valuable and versatile asset Medical Assistants are and will always be in the healthcare realm.

"It is important for us to recognize current Certified Medical Assistant's (CMA) and their employers because we are a network of past and present students working along side of the employers to achieve the best possible care for our patients,” said the current Medical Assisting class president Crystal Elliott.

The students and program coordinator Shannon Atkins visited local medical offices, the Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, as well as Buck Stove, which has a CMA running their first aid station. Medical Assisting week was Oct. 19-23.

Mayland’s Medical Assisting program prepares multi-skilled health care professionals qualified to perform administrative, clinical, and laboratory procedures.

Students learn how to schedule appointments, code and process insurance accounts, how to do billing, collections, medical transcription, computer operations; assisting with examinations/treatments, performing routine laboratory procedures, electrocardiography, supervised medical administration; and learn about ethical/legal issues associated with patient care.

“I had no idea how in-depth the curriculum for MA is. From drawing blood to immunizations and the whole administrative side of billing and coding and electronic medical records,” said Tammy Connor, current Medical Assisting class Vice President.

The graduates of CAAHEP-accredited medical assisting programs, such as the one offered at Mayland, may be eligible to sit for the American Association of Medical Assistants’ Certification Examination to become Certified Medical Assistants. Employment opportunities include physicians’ offices, health maintenance organizations, health departments, and hospitals.

“The job criteria is wide open, you don’t have to work as a Certified Medical Assistant only, you can do billing, you can do phlebotomy, or you can even do transcription,” said Connor. “There are all different aspects to pick and choose from. I am very excited about the future.”

Pictured learning from the Wizard of Oz are PGCDC students on the front row are Emma, Caitlin, Elijah, Hailey, Ayden, Ava, Addison.  On the back row are assistant teacher Lisa Greene, PGCDC students Reynaldo, Gavin, Adrianna, Jayme, Annabelle, Jacob and lead teacher Debbie Byrd.

The Wizard of Oz Comes to Life at PGCDC

“When you’re dealing with young children, there are always occasions to celebrate,” says Debbie Byrd, lead teacher of the two year olds classroom at Phillips-Gwaltney Child Development Center. “Giving the children an opportunity to incorporate local history with pre-literacy skills brings The Wizard of Oz to life in my classroom every October.”

While Byrd contemplated her October lesson plans for eighteen two year olds, she wanted something new that would involve local history, interest the children, and be more creative than the typical holiday crafts that occur in the month of October.

“That is when I thought about the Wizard of Oz,” said Byrd.

She got the idea from an Avery County tourist attraction on Beech Mountain.

“I thought it would be a great way to let the children dress up in characters, use their imaginations and get an overview of the traditional story,” said Byrd.

Each year, the theme invades the two year old classroom, first with a homemade tornado, followed by Dorothy’s upside down house (that the children paint) and lots of costumes, with all activities and art projects center around The Wizard of Oz theme.

“The children don’t even realize how much they are learning,” said Liz Silvers, PGCDC Director. “They stuff brown paper bags that become scarecrows; they make delicious looking lollipops to line the yellow brick road leading to their classroom; they create witch faces from handprints and design their own tornados out of waterbottles to take home. The best part is watching them do all these activities and projects while dressed as Dorothy, The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, The Scaredly Lion and both the good and bad witches.”

Parents also get in on the fun by trying on ruby red slippers and listening to their children recount their favorite parts of the story.

“We use this opportunity to teach pre-literacy skills with the story,” says Lisa Greene, assistant teacher. “It’s always funny to hear the children’s version of the story. Sometimes their stories are far better than the original version.”

When asked their favorite part of The Wizard of Oz, most of the children point to the upside down house, hanging from the ceiling over the home living center. Parents tend to like the yellow brick road lined with colorful lollipops, both of which were art projects for the children, leading to the classroom.

“It just goes to show how much children learn, especially when they are having fun and getting their hands dirty,” says Silvers. “Literacy is very important at all age groups. Connecting reading with other activities in the classroom is always a big hit.”

Phillips-Gwaltney Child Development Center is located on the campus of Mayland Community College. They are currently accepting children in all age groups. For more information, call 765-1401 or drop by for a visit.
 

QUALITY LEADERSHIP AND TEACHERS RECOGNIZED AT PHILLIPS-GWALTNEY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Phillips-Gwaltney Child Development Center, located on the campus of Mayland Community College, recently received the 2009 Professional Development Award for it excellence in staff and staff training.

“At PGCDC our focus is the whole child,” said Liz Silvers, Director of Phillips-Gwaltney Child Development Center. “We are so pleased to have been recognized statewide for our quality, excellence and wonderful staff by the North Carolina Institute,” said Silvers. “This is a very prestigious honor.”

A total of 281 four and five star early childhood programs applied for the 2009 prestigious award through the North Carolina Institute. A total of $10,700 was awarded to only nine programs throughout the state of North Carolina. These programs exemplified a commitment to the professional development of their staff, which in turn shows their commitment and dedication to the children served.

Phillips-Gwaltney Child Development Center serves 117 children, ages six weeks to twelve years. Liz Silver said “I chose PGCDC as a mom over eleven years ago. I was so impressed with what happens within the walls of PGCDC, I had to be a part of it.
Currently, there are openings available in several age groups. For more information call the Phillips-Gwaltney Child Care Center at 828-765-1401.