Students gear up for Honors

Jim Carnett

It’s the highlight of every academic year at Orange Coast College.

Wednesday evening, $332,000 in scholarship funds will be awarded

to OCC students at the school’s glittering 47th annual Honors Night

awards ceremony.

Honors Night is at 6 p.m. in the Robert B. Moore Theatre on

campus. You could say it’s OCC’s version of the Oscars, Emmys and

Grammys all at once.. Nearly 1,000 students, parents and guests will

attend the formal ceremony.

And, just like the Oscars, there’s a big after-ceremony gala.

OCC’s Culinary Arts Department hosts a buffet for the attendees in

the Student Center.

Two hundred fifty corporations, service clubs, individuals and

campus organizations have contributed awards to this year’s program.

Fully a third of the scholarships are permanently endowed, meaning

they can, in perpetuity, be annually awarded to OCC students.

A total of 351 students will receive scholarships Wednesday

evening. Many will transfer next fall to four-year colleges and

universities around the state and the nation.

Others will return to OCC’s campus to continue their studies. A

few are graduating high school seniors who will become OCC students

next year.

An additional 200 OCC students will be honored for campus

leadership and for service to the local community.

Among the many awards to be given, OCC will honor its Student

Leader of the Year, Man of the Year, Woman of the Year, and Disabled

Student of the Year.

There will be special awards given to Student Leaders of

Distinction, and sterling lapel pins will be dispensed to other

student leaders.

“This is a wonderful event that recognizes our finest students for

their scholarship and service to the college and the community,”

Honors Night coordinator Kate Mueller said.

Mueller is the college’s dean of student services. “These students

are the cream of the crop on our campus. We’re very proud of them.”

Honors Night was inaugurated in May of 1959. It’s grown enormously

since that time -- more than 30-fold.

In its second year, on May 24, 1960, the ceremony awarded $11,650

in scholarships. Fifty-four scholarships were presented to students

that year, and 102 received leadership and service awards.

OCC LAUNCHES COAST ATHLETIC ALUMNI CLUB

The Orange Coast College physical education and athletics division

has established a new campus organization called “The Coast Athletic

Alumni Club.”

“This marks the first time in OCC’s 57-year history that a

boosters organization has been created on campus for athletics,”

athletic director Barbara Bond said.

Aside from the obvious purpose of raising funds to support OCC’s

athletic programs, Bond says the organization’s objectives are to

provide a network for former athletes, to promote and publicize

Orange Coast College athletic events and results, and solicit fan

support for contests. Additionally, the organization will assist in

researching graduation dates, degrees and professional status of

former OCC athletes; develop a mentoring and internship program for

current athletes; and recruit speakers for campus classes and events.

“We know that our alumni are successful, and we want to hear about

their success and link our current student-athletes to positive

leaders and role models in the business community,” Bond said.

“Additionally, we can better market our athletic program by

highlighting the successes of past athletes. We want to brag about

our graduates and encourage future student recruits to come to Coast

to compete for our teams.”

Bond says the school’s athletic department has compiled data on

former student athletes dating back to 1999 but would like to go back

much further.

“We need help in finding names, street addresses and/or e-mail

addresses of former athletes.”

Former Orange Coast College athletes -- or friends or relatives of

athletes -- are invited to contact Bond on campus, or e-mail her at

bbondocc.cccd.edu.

CHEER AND DANCE AUDITIONS THIS WEEKEND

OCC’s 14-time national champion co-ed cheer and dance squads will

conduct auditions for the 2005-06 season this Friday and Saturday on

campus.

The OCC dance squad captured a national championship in January at

the Universal Cheerleaders Association National Championships at Walt

Disney World/MGM Resorts in Orlando. At the same time, OCC’s

four-member women’s stunt team grabbed a first-ever national title.

Auditions for the 2005-06 dance team will be held on Friday, from

5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m., in Peterson Gymnasium.

Cheer auditions will be held Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m.

For audition information, call (714) 848-7223.

* JIM CARNETT is senior

director of community relations at Orange Coast College. He writes

On Campus at OCC biweekly. Reach him at jcarnettocc.cccd.edu or by

calling (714) 432-5725.