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.

                        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.
   Brandi Deyton of Mitchell County was presented with the Board of Trustees Distinguished Alumni award. Deyton graduated Mayland with a Business Administration degree and has put her education to work as a legal assistant for the Mitchell County District Attorney’s Office.
Deyton is the wife of Brett and the mother of Logan. She is a lifelong member of Union Hill Freewill Baptist Church and enjoys spending time with her family.
   Jerry Duncan of Mitchell County was given the Board of Trustees Distinguished Service Award.Duncan is the co-founder and former President of Mayland Home Center. He also served as an Executive Vice President of Northwestern Bank and owner of Duncan and Sons Grocery. Duncan also invests his time in his community. He is a member of Bear Creek Baptist Church and the Spruce Pine Vesper Lodge as well as serves as a board member of the MAY Coalition, an organization stimulating the economy by providing loans to start up ventures and existing businesses. He is a former board member of the Bakersville Medical Clinic, Mitchell County School Board, Chamber of Commerce, Mitchell County Economic Development, the North Carolina Manufactured Housing Board, and founding board member of First Western Bank. Duncan and his wife Annette, are the parents of Van and Jon Duncan.
   Hal G. Harrison of Mitchell County was honored with the Mayland Board of Trustees Distinguished Citizenship Award. Harrison is a partner at the law firm of Harrison and Poore, P.A. and has served Mitchell County and the surrounding area for over 31 years in the areas such as civil and criminal litigation, real estate law, juvenile law, domestic relations, and government law. He has also served as a resident Superior Court Judge for the 24th Judicial District of North Carolina. Harrison’s service, however, does not stop there. He has also served as the Twenty Fourth Judicial District Bar President, has been named an Outstanding Young Man in America, been a member and past Master of the Vesper Lodge #554, and served as a trustee for both Mayland Community College and Spruce Pine Community Hospital.
Harrison and his wife Connie are the parents of Ben and Amber Harrison.
   The following were recognized for their outstanding and dedicated service to their community Lynne Hensley of Yancey County and Fred Stout of Avery County.Earl Young of Yancey 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 Shannon Nicole Deyton of Yancey County and Mark McWilliams of Avery 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.
 

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.”
 

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.”
 

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.
 

Four trustees were sworn in at the September Mayland Community College Board of Trustees Meeting. From left to right.  Fred Stout, Sarah Jane Hall, Darrell Ledford, and Julia Norris are sworn in as MCC Trustees by Melissa Phillips, Executive Assistant to the President and Board of Trustees. 

Four MCC Trustees Sworn in at the September Board Meeting

Four trustees were sworn in at the September Mayland Community College Board of Trustees Meeting.  Julia Norris was reappointed by the Yancey County Commissioners.  Fred Stout was reappointed by the Governor.  Darrell Ledford was reappointed by the Mitchell County Board of Education and Sarah Jane Hall is the Student Government Association Representative. 

Julia Norris lives in Burnsville and was first appointed to the MCC Board of Trustees in 1997 and has served continuously since.  Norris also serves on the Mayland Foundation Board.  She is a retired educator and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Florida State University and a Master’s Degree in Administration from Western Carolina University.   Norris is also a member of several community advocacy groups including the Child Advocacy Center Board. 

Fred Stout is a retired educator and business owner.  He has a Bachelors’ Degree in Vocational Education Administration from Mars Hill College.  Stout was appointed to the MCC Board of Trustees in 2006.  He lives in Newland. 

Darrell Ledford is also a retired educator from Mitchell County.  He was most recently the Assistant Superintendent in Mitchell County.  Ledford has a Bachelor’s Degree from Lincoln Memorial University and a Master’s Degree and an Educational Specialist Degree from Appalachian State University.  He is also a trustee at McKinney Cove Baptist Church. 

Sarah Jane Hall is the Student Government Association President at Mayland Community College.  She is also currently serving on the Mayland Foundation Board.  She is employed with the National Park Service and is a dance teacher at the Dance Center in Spruce Pine.  Sarah Jane is in the Associates in Arts Program at Mayland and plans to transfer to Milligan College to pursue a degree in Communications.