Hispanic heritage will be showcased tonight at Elizabethtown Community College.
The celebration will feature dancers from Central and South America, a PowerPoint presentation with images from Latin America, a live Latino band, salsa lessons, Hispanic cuisine and Latin bingo — a lottery-type game using words instead of numbers.
"I think it's important to show the community that the Hispanic culture is diverse," said Alberto Moreno, a Spanish teacher at ECC who is coordinating the event. "Unfortunately, too many people think all Hispanics are Mexican, but we are much more diverse than that, with around 20 Hispanic countries in Latin American."
The event, which will be held in the science building's auditorium, is free and open to the public. It runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
"What unites us is a language, but each country is different, and that's what makes us unique," said Moreno, who is originally from Nicaragua
"We want to show why dance, music and food are important parts of our culture."
Last year's event was a two-day affair and attracted about 200 people. Moreno is expecting this year's turnout to be about the same.
"Knowing about the Hispanic culture will give people a better understanding of the ethnic groups that make up this great nation," he said. "It's important for people to know about different cultures, and that Hispanics play an important role in our world."
ECC also has two Hispanic films remaining on a five-film series for its Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. The films will be shown at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and Oct. 30 in the science building's auditorium.
For more information, call Moreno at 769-2371, Ext. 4222.
October 18, 2002
Think quick! HCC to host collegiate academic tourney
A panel of college students from around the state will compete in a quick recall tournament this Saturday at Henderson Community College.
The 9:45 a.m. competition will be held at Henderson Community College and is part of the Kentucky Collegiate Quick Recall League Academic Team Tournament.
"Some questions are obscure," said Lorie Maltby, a history and political science professor at HCC. "It's more on academic-type subjects than on popular culture."
The tournament will include questions about biology, computers, history and math, among other subjects.
About six HCC students are on the team, Maltby said, and they have weekly practice sessions that have received support from college faculty.
Participating schools include Henderson Community College as well as Somerset Community College, Elizabethtown Community College, Georgetown College, Murray State University, Eastern Kentucky University, University of Louisville, Cumberland College and Pikeville College.
The teams are comprised of almost 100 students who are divided into Division One and Division Two groups. Division One teams are made up of college freshmen and sophomores, while Division Two teams contain juniors and seniors.
The tournament is one of eight scheduled tournaments being held throughout the state and in southeastern Ohio. The teams that win the most tournaments will be pronounced the league champions at the end of the year.
Plaques will be awarded to those teams that place first, second or third in the tournament.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Henderson Community College Student Center.
For more information, contact Maltby at 830-5228 or Maura Corley at 830-5222.
October 17, 2002
Adult education programs for jail inmates in Daviess, Muhlenberg and Ohio counties received grants Tuesday from the Kentucky Department for Adult Education and Literacy.
Daviess County received $28,597, Muhlenberg $9,639 and Ohio $9,261.
The programs aide inmates in earning their general education development certificates, raising literacy levels and improving basic skills, said Vicki Boyd, director of Skilltrain at Owensboro Community and Technical College, which oversees the program at the Daviess County Detention Center.
The money is enough to fund two instructors, who also teach at the Dismas House, a halfway house for women, Boyd said.
Other services available include English as a second language courses and employability and job readiness classes, according to a statement from Cheryl D. King, Department for Adult Education and Literacy commissioner and Council on Postsecondary Education associate vice president for adult education.
The inmates also can take classes such as how to deal with anger management, teamwork, parenting, health and nutrition, personal hygiene, financial education and dealing with life outside of prison walls.
Anyone in a correctional facility who does not have a high school diploma or GED or who functions below a 12th-grade level can participate in an educational program.
Last fiscal year, about 4,000 inmates statewide participated in these programs. So far this year, Skilltrain has served 112 Daviess County inmates, Boyd said.
"The main goal is to provide them an opportunity to develop the educational skills they need to become productive citizens and not return to jail," King said in a statement.
A U.S. Department of Education study based on Kentucky's state institutions found that participation in state correctional educational programs lowered the number of inmates reincarcerated by 29 percent.