Student Art Sale to Benefit Art Department

El Camino CollegeJust in time for the holidays, the annual Student Art Sale will open on the art patio from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. December 9. Handmade artwork including jewelry (earrings, bracelets and pendants), ceramics and other gift items will be on sale. Students work on the art pieces all year and donate them as a way to raise money to support campus art programs and the Art Department scholarship program.

 

“The nice thing about this longtime tradition is that new and different works of art are created each year,” said Art Professor Irene Mori. “I am amazed with what the students come up with – the creativity is incredible.”

Forensics Team – Victory!

El Camino CollegeEl Camino College’s highly ranked forensics team recently had its most successful tournament in the program’s more than 25-year history. Competing against 37 colleges and universities including UCLA, University of Texas, ASU, University of the Pacific, California State University, Long Beach and the U.S. Air Force Academy, El Camino College was the top school in overall sweeps and debate. Additionally, the team finished third overall in individual events. On the first day of competition at Concordia University, ECC “closed out” the semifinal bracket of Novice Parliamentary Debate – all four remaining teams in the tournament were El Camino College teams!  More...


In Senior Parliamentary Debate, the second-year team of Robert Maxwell and Stirling McKenzie made it to the final round where they lost on a 2-1 decision to Point Loma. This is a truly remarkable accomplishment when you consider that Robert and Stirling were the only community college students to successfully compete as seniors, a division normally reserved for university students. The next day, the ECC team traveled to Azusa Pacific University where four novice teams and one senior team collected a total of five medals, more than any other school at the tournament.

In individual events, ECC had six students make the final round of novice extemporaneous speaking. The team ultimately swept the top three spots with Jenna Bradford placing third, Mark Faaita placing second and Richard Ewell placing first. In novice Impromptu Speaking, ECC had eight students in the final round with Sydney Awakuni placing third and Richard Ewell placing first. Our students also did well in Oral Interpretation of Literature with Whitney Gamble and Stirling McKenzie placing first in Novice Duo and Kory Fonvergne placing third in Novice Prose.

Congratulations to the team, coached by Francesca Bishop, Mark and Diana Crossman, and Mark Urista!

Woodworking Student Lands Prestigious Internship

El Camino CollegeFor Renee Smith, woodworking started as a hobby – a time spent with her father, working side-by-side on projects. From a family pastime, the hobby has grown into a passion. Smith is a recent graduate of the El Camino College Women in Technology Program (WIT), which supports women who want to pursue non-traditional careers. As a working mother of three young children, she found the program to be flexible enough to fit in with her busy life.

 

A woodworking/cabinet making major, Smith’s hard work has already paid off. She recently won the prestigious AWFS (Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers) internship, a program that drew quite a few applicants from as far away as England.

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Athletes of the Month

El Camino CollegeJose Lezama, cross country and Kiley Tamblyn, volleyball were named Athletes of the Month for September by the California Community College Sports Information Association and California Community College Athletic Association.

 

El Camino CollegeJose took first place in each event that he competed in during the month of September. He was first place in the Ventura Invitational, the Orange Coast Classic and the Golden West Invitational. Lezama also competed in the University of California at Irvine Invitational against a field of mainly four-year universities and turned in a 19th overall finish. Kiley was named the Most Valuable Player of the San Diego Mesa Tournament while leading her team in digs.

ECC “Superfan” is a true Warrior   

El Camino CollegeErnest Thompson has seen it all. A “superfan” of El Camino College football for six decades, Thompson attended the first game in Murdock Stadium when it opened on Thanksgiving Day 1949, nearly 60 years ago. From that day on, Thompson has been dedicated to following the Warriors. At age 91, he is a fixture at ECC home games – right at the 50-yard line – and continues to attend as many games as possible. He has been to games all over the state and has watched many championships. Read more of this entry.  

 

STEM Conference Planned

Students are invited to attend a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Student Conference on November 20. The conference is a professional development opportunity for students interested in pursuing an education or career in any of the STEM fields. From engineering to biotechnology, to teaching in the math and sciences, students will learn about the latest careers in STEM field, as well find out about transfer information and the degree and certificate programs offered at El Camino College.
Interested students should register online by November 17, or pick up, complete and return the application to the MESA Center (MCS 100F), Job Placement Center (SSV 204) , or the Natural Science Division Office (LS 101).

New Course Offerings at ECC Compton Center

El Camino CollegeECC Compton Center’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) department is now offering Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) courses. The HVAC program prepares students for employment in the field and provides upgrade opportunities for those currently employed. Students can work toward an associate degree, certificate, or transfer program. In addition, a new sign language class was added. American Sign Language is the third most widely used language in America, and there are numerous benefits for hearing people to learn ASL, including communication with the hearing impaired, occupational use, recreational use, and pursuing a career as an interpreter. For more info on these classes, check the class schedule.

Cross Country Alumni News  

El Camino CollegeECC alumnus Humberto Sanchez placed 7th in the Long Beach Marathon with a tremendous first-ever marathon performance of 2:40.01! In other alumni news, many former ECC students ran in the Manhattan Beach 10k run: 10th place Alex Gorney @ 35:41 (now at USC); 14th place Rick Dodson @36:48 (now at UCI; 5,000m school-record holder); 21st place Sean Sheil @ 36:59 (ECC assistant coach and part-time faculty); 46th place Tyler Stover @ 38:32 (ECC/CSU Channel Islands); 56th place Kevin Elliott @ 39:49 (ECC/USC/ former No. 6 800m runner in the U.S.) In the women’s division, 3rd place went to Cambria D’Amico @ 37:35 (now at CSUDH); 9th place Renee Williams-Smith @ 41:04 (ECC/Kansas State); and 11th place Diane Silva @ 42:18.

EET Event a Success 

El Camino CollegeThe Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour (EET) at Marsee Auditorium was a success, with more than 500 people in attendance, by far the highest numbers to date in the EET’s statewide stops at community colleges. Students came from ECC, ECC Compton Center, and area high schools; youngsters as well as the young at heart also came from the community at large.   More...


The event was lively, inspirational and motivational. Tables were set up in the lobby for several ECC and ECC Compton Center organizations to promote their programs. The Q&A session at the end drew many great questions from the audience, addressed to a panel of successful entrepreneurs that included the two keynote speakers, an El Camino College Compton Center faculty member, local business owners, and even a high school student with his own business.

ECC Compton Center Offers Fall University Tours

All students are encouraged to take advantage of upcoming free university tours sponsored by the Transfer Center. Field trips are planned for the following dates: November 13, USC; November 20, UCLA; and December 11, California State University, Long Beach. Representatives from several universities will also visit El Camino College Compton Center this semester, including the California State University campuses of Dominguez Hills, Long Beach, and Northridge, as well as visits from UCLA and Mount St. Mary’s. Group workshops, individualized help, and other student services are also available year-round at the Transfer Center.