Lions donate electric scooter to PTC

Three local Lions service organizations collaborated to donate a scooter valued at $1800 to Pine Technical College. The generous Rock Creek Lions, Pine City Lions, and Pine Area Lions worked together to raise funds and purchase the electric scooter now used by PTC student Steven Hintz.

"I'm so grateful to the Lions; it was generous of them to come together to give such a gift as this to the college," Hintz says. "And, now that PTC has this scooter on hand, when my need for the scooter has been met, it will the there for other PTC students or staff in need," Hintz adds.

It is not by accident that Hintz is able to take advantage of the scooter. Hintz suffers from a medical condition that resulted in the amputation of all his toes on one foot and ulcers on the other, and without the aid of the scooter, Hintz may not be attending classes and working toward his practical nursing diploma. Hintz has been advised by his physicians to walk on his feet as little as possible for several months; however, until the Lions donated the scooter and he was able to use it, he was attending classes and walking on the balls of his feet.

"He is so dedicated to learning and his career plan that he was risking his health," explains Gloria Baker, PTC's Director of Disability Services. "I met with Hintz on a few occasions, but he took the initiative to ask a number of statewide companies and organizations if there was a scooter on hand to simply borrow, rent or lease. Just a week later, he informed me of the Lions' generosity and that they collaboratively purchased the scooter as a donation to the college," Baker explains.

The scooter is a gift to PTC, and Hintz is its sole user. After Hintz no longer needs the scooter or upon his graduation, the scooter will be made available to another student who has a need for it.

"He is so upbeat and positive, and he's a terrific student," Baker says. "Now, with the scooter, if it's possible, he's even more excited about his classes and learning!"

Inspired by his own medical condition, Hintz began his coursework in the nursing program in Aug. 2010 and is tentatively planning on a May, 2012 graduation.

Photo at top: Steve Hintz browses medical books in the PTC Learning Resource and Technology Center.

Student Senate launches toy drive to benefit servicemembers' families

The Pine Technical College Student Senate is in the midst of hosting a toy drive benefitting Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, a nonprofit agency (a part of the Minnesota National Guard) that provides assistance to families of military service personnel.

Through Friday, Dec. 3, students, staff members, faculty members and anyone in the community may drop off unwrapped, new toys at PTC. People should look for the blue shopping cart at the college's main entrance.

"Teaming up with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is such a worthy cause," says Torfi Arnarson, PTC Student Senate President. "This is one way we can say 'thanks' to servicemembers and add to a child's holiday -- it's part of being a community," Arnarson adds.

Gifts should be valued at no more than $10, and all items are locked during non-business hours. For more information, contact Amanda Spencer, PTC Student Senate Advisor, 320-629-5127.

Photo at top: PTC Student Senate President Torfi Arnarson showcases the first items collected from the toy drive.

Ace the Accuplacer with "Accuplacer Prep" course

"What's the Accuplacer?"

The Accuplacer exam is a placement test for students who wish to study at technical colleges, community colleges and universities in the United States. Accuplacer testing includes general assessments in sentence skills, reading comprehension, arithmetic, elementary algebra and college-level mathematics.

The testing assessment measures whether incoming freshman students have the necessary skills for college or university study, or whether they would benefit from taking developmental courses designed to improve key academic skills. The exam is a computer-adaptive placement test and is delivered online, and its questions on each part of the test generally get more difficult as the test progresses. Pine Technical College uses the Accuplacer test to check student skill levels and place new students in either college-level classes or foundations classes.

Lucky for PTC applicants, Sally Seville of the St. Croix River Education District (SCRED), teaches "Accuplacer Prep" courses -- all right at home, on campus at PTC. Seville also teaches Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes for students preparing to gain their high school general equivalency diplomas (GEDs). All courses are funded by the state and free to students.

"Many older students have been away from coursework for a number of years and need to brush up on basic skills before taking the test," Seville says. "And, anyone can benefit from going online and taking an Accuplacer pretest, which shows them what will be on the test. Plus, it will show them where they need to improve their academic skills before attempting the Accuplacer," Seville explains.

The Accuplacer Prep class is a two-hour weekly class. For more information about Seville's class, call 320-629-5100 (PTC's main number), and PTC's helpful Student Affairs staff will provide you with a brochure. To contact Seville directly, e-mail sseville@scred.k12.mn.us.

PTC Veterans Center Liaison Doug Davis celebrates Veterans Day

Besides its long-standing association with the clans and districts of Scotland, tartans have been associated with the military, namely the Scottish regiments of the British Army and other Commonwealth Nations such as Canada, Australia and South Africa. The United States military also has such associations, albeit a much younger one. During the American Civil War, the 79th New York Regiment based their uniforms on the 79th Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, including the adoption of the Cameron of Erracht tartan. While historians debate the use of kilts or tartan trews by the New Yorkers, the popular image of "kilted Yankees" has been documented in Civil War folklore.

During and after the Second World War, American military personnel began to form pipe bands after witnessing the pipes and drums of British and Commonwealth forces in that conflict. A U.S. Marine Pipe Band was formed in Londonderry, Northern Ireland during the war, but ironically, band members did not wear traditional Highland attire. Since the Second World War, a number of U.S. military branches and individual units, such as the famed 7th U.S. Cavalry (Custer’s command), the U.S. Marines, the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis) and the U.S. Coast Guard have organized pipe bands and have "adopted" tartans.

Today, military tartans are often worn at social and formal functions by serving and retired military servicemen and women. In the image below, four examples of tartans adopted and worn by branches of the U.S. military are featured. These U.S. military tartans are often made into kilts, ties, scarves and more.


Doug Davis, PTC's Veterans Center Liaison, is a Vietnam War Veteran and served in the Marine Corps from 1964 to ’68. Today, Nov. 10, is the birthday of the Marine Corps, and Davis, in the photo below, proudly wears his kilt in honor of both Veterans Day and the 235th birthday of the Marine Corps -- organized and formed in 1775.

PTC students take part in Election Day

The Pine Technical College Student Senate initiated a "Get Out the Vote" campaign in early October, and the results are impressive. PTC student leaders registered 102 voters just in time for yesterday's election.

"Our goal was to register 25 voters, and we ended up registering more than 100," explains PTC Student Senate Treasurer Heather Hansen Mead. "As student leaders, we think it's important for everyone to have a voice and take part in the democratic process," Hansen Mead adds.

The campaign was part of a larger effort led by the Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA). MSCSA held a "Voter Cup" contest among Minnesota State College and Universities system institutions -- a friendly competition whereby the winning institution would take home a Cup for registering the most voters. Although PTC did not win the Cup, PTC student leaders and administration are proud of the results, considering ten percent of PTC's total student population are newly-minted voters. (For more information about the "Voter Cup," go here.)


Photo: Student Tina Selix proudly showcases her "I Voted" sticker.