Two PTC automotive technology students win big at annual SkillsUSA conference

Two outstanding PTC automotive technology students, Shayne Bontjes and Jake Charpentier, stole the show at the SkillsUSA Minnesota Leadership and Skills Conference held Mar. 23 through Mar. 25 at the DoubleTree/Hilton in Minneapolis, Minn.

Bontjes received a third place award and is tentatively planning a May, 2013 graduation with an A.A.S. in automotive technology. Charpentier received an honorable mention/fourth place award and also is tentatively planning a May, 2013 graduation with an automotive technology diploma.

"Everyone in the auto shop is very proud of Shayne and Jake. They represented PTC very well at the annual conference, and they are both excellent student leaders in the auto program, as well as across campus," says Jeff Ruth, Automotive Technology Instructor and PTC SkillsUSA Chapter Advisor.

The SkillsUSA organization is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce; the organization is comprised of more than 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territories and focuses on serving students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. Bontjes and Charpentier are members of the PTC chapter.

Photo at top: Automotive Technology students Shayne Bontjes (left) and Jake Charpentier (right) showcase awards won at the SkillsUSA Minnesota Leadership Conference.

PTC welcomes sixth-grade girls for annual Women in Technology event

Pine Technical College is in the midst of hosting its twelfth annual Women in Technology (WIT) two-day event. The event means PTC will host more than 260 sixth-grade girls from six area schools, on campus to learn about careers in hi-tech industries. The event, organized by PTC faculty and staff members, features hands-on demonstrations, a tour of the college and guest presentations such as "Making Silver Metal," "The Energy Industry," "Virtual Reality," "What’s in My Lipstick?" and more. The event started earlier today and ends tomorrow, Wed. Mar. 7.

"Research has shown girls at this age begin to formulate ideas regarding what careers they may see themselves pursuing in the future," says PTC Dean of Student Affairs Nancy Mach. "We’ve designed this event to help young girls see and imagine themselves in roles where they are contributing to advanced, hi-tech industries. Many girls at this impressionable age are forming thoughts about what they want to do when they grow up, and this kind of field trip makes a lasting, positive impression," Mach adds.


Photo above: An ambassador from the Science Museum of Minnesota delivers the closing keynote address entitled "Energy Connections."

Photo at top: Terri Nelson, Healthcare Alliance Program Coordinator, demonstrates the technology used within healthcare training by showcasing a SimMan.

Shooters' Association hosts successful 29th Annual Gun Show

The Pine Technical College Shooters' Association hosted the 29th Annual Gun Show over the weekend, and firearms enthusiasts and collectors from all corners of the Midwest turned out to trade, buy, sell, and browse guns, rifles, knives, and outdoor gear.

"We had about 2,700 people come through," says Doug Pieper, PTC Gunsmithing Technology instructor and Shooters' Association Advisor. "We really look forward to hosting this event each year; it's a chance for our gunsmithing students to showcase projects they've been working on in class to industry professionals as well as an opportunity to show off our gunsmithing program," Pieper adds.

Next year's event, the 30th Annual Gun Show, is scheduled for Feb. 23 and 24, 2013. For information regarding registering as a vendor, call 320-629-5168.

Photo at top: Gun Show attendees browse, buy, sell, and trade guns, rifles, and knives in PTC's Automotive Technology lab - outfitted to accommodate the annual event.

PTC's Chris York releases new book, COMIC BOOKS AND THE COLD WAR, 1946-1962

PTC’s own Dr. Chris York, a favorite instructor among PTC students, has co-written and co-edited a new book, COMIC BOOKS AND THE COLD WAR, 1946-1962. York worked with his brother, Rafiel York, who teaches English at a high school in Jackson, Minn., to create and release the book, now available via Amazon.com and McFarland publishers.

"Comic books as an academic area is relatively new, and a significant gap in the literature exists," York says. "No one has done a lot of visual analysis of the comic books from the early cold war era that the book covers or has studied the narrative of the text themselves or the way the images relate to the text and the narrative," York adds.

At PTC, York teaches College Composition, Introduction to Creative Writing, Advanced Composition, and Popular Culture and American Social Dynamics. York has been an active participant in the Comics and Comic Art Area at the National Popular Culture Association Conference for nearly a decade, and his comics scholarship has appeared in the International Journal of Comic Art.

It’s well-known around PTC that York’s favorite comic book character is Batman; after all, he wrote his master’s thesis on the character: LETTERS FROM THE BATCAVE: POPULAR CONSTRUCTION OF THE BATMAN MYTH. York earned his master’s degree in American Studies from California State University, Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in American Studies from Michigan State University.

More about COMIC BOOKS AND THE COLD WAR, 1946-1962
Conventional wisdom holds that comic books of the post-World War II era are poorly drawn and poorly written publications, notable only for the furor they raised. Contributors to this thoughtful collection, however, demonstrate that these comics constitute complex cultural documents that create a dialogue between mainstream values and alternative beliefs that question or complicate the grand narratives of the era. Close analysis of individual titles, including EC comics, Superman, romance comics, and other, more obscure works, reveals the ways Cold War culture – from atomic anxieties and the nuclear family to communist hysteria and social inequalities – manifests itself in the comic books of the era. By illuminating the complexities of mid-century graphic novels, this study demonstrates postwar popular culture was far from monolithic in its representation of American values and beliefs.

Photo at top: Dr. Chris York with a copy of his book, COMIC BOOKS AND THE COLD WAR, 1946-1962.

Illusion Theatre brings award-winning play, "My Antonia," to Pine City

Illusion Theatre is bringing Willa Cather's vibrant character of Antonia to life with a statewide tour of the award-winning show, "My Antonia," and the show comes to Pine City Fri. Mar. 9. Theatre management, in collaboration with Pine City Public Schools, Community Education, the Pine City Public Library, Pine City Arts Council, and Heritage Theatre present this critically acclaimed production locally, funded in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, at 12:30 p.m. at the Pine City Elementary Auditorium on Friday, March 9th. All local partners extend a special, free invitation to PTC students, staff, and faculty.

"What a wonderful opportunity!" says Joan Bloemendaal-Gruett, Dean of Academic Affairs. "We have been extended an invitation to attend this award-winning presentation at no charge. It's not often such opportunities arise, and I encourage anyone who is able to attend," Bloemendaal-Gruett adds.

To reserve your seat at the performance, R.S.V.P./e-mail Bloemendaal-Gruett (BloemendaalJ@pinetech.edu) with your intent to attend no later than Fri. Feb. 25. Attendees must arrive and be seated by 12:15 p.m. on Mar. 9, for the production to start at 12:30.

About "My Antonia"
In 1918, Willa Cather wrote about 1880s European immigrants who came to the U.S. to make their American dreams come true. They endured bitter winters and struggled to make things grow in the hard, scrabble soil of the windswept Nebraska prairie. Moore's new adaptation is told through the memories of narrator Jim Burden, who after 20 years of living in the East, returns to his small prairie town to see Antonia, the Czech immigrant girl who shaped his understanding of life. The story is wrapped in an environment of the changing prairie created by the actors, set, and sound.

The one-and-a-half hour drama will relate to high school students and the public in the East Central Region of Minnesota -- an area also populated by Czech immigrants whose culture and language enriched local history. The 2010 production of "My Antonia" was the recipient of two Twin Cities Theatre Ivey Awards.

Photo at top: Actors portray a scene from "My Antonia." (photo courtesy of Illusion Theatre.)

PTC’s Gunsmithing Technology students learn from notable alum, Kevin Muramatsu

Kevin Muramatsu graduated from PTC in 2007, having earned both the Gun Repair Certificate and the Advanced Gunsmithing Diploma, and now, Muramatsu revises the textbooks that today's students use.

Muramatsu says he is fascinated by the inner workings of the ‘tools’ (guns) and also the art of being a good and consistent shooter. Muramatsu also claims the reason why many people may have not discovered the shooting sports is because they don’t have enough information about guns and shooting and may not know where to turn to for the right start.

“There are basic, easily-taught concepts such as safety, recoil management, and competitive opportunities,” Muramatsu says. “The first gun a youngster – or any beginner – shoots should not be a .44 Mag, or a .30-06. Gun safety is simple, but absolutely necessary, and the repetitive efforts in ensuring it bring confidence,” Muramatsu adds.

Muramatsu is an NRA-certified instructor, teaches carry/permit classes, and is a lead instructor at the School of Outdoor Sports in Woodbury, Minn.

Photo: PTC Gunsmithing Technology student Marcus Lhotka studies the GunDigest® Book of Rimfire Rifles, revised by Muramatsu.

PTC's new Wellness Room takes shape

Not only is Pine Technical College’s landscape changing as the college is in the midst of several construction projects, but the college's interior also is changing to accommodate growth. Over the past few years, the college has experienced growth in enrollment, an increase of staff and faculty members, and growth in the variety of programs available to students and services available to students and the community.

“We’re seeing the investment in our future take shape, and at the moment, that translates to a handful of structural changes,” says President Robert Musgrove, Ph.D. “Our master plan includes a focus on using the space available to meet the needs of our community and our growing student population,” Musgrove explains.

Part of the changes on campus include accommodating the ever-growing Nursing Department and incorporating an all-new Wellness Room into the college's plans.

“We’re very excited to bring the Wellness Room to PTC. It will serve as a place of peace for students as they move through the ups and downs of college life,” says Director of Nursing, Krista Hoekstra. “For example, it will be a calm and inviting place where students are able to meditate. Also, it will serve as a more private place for breastfeeding mothers on campus. We want our students to relieve stress and discover a healthier and more balanced way of living while remaining efficient and productive,” Hoekstra explains.

Construction of the Wellness Room is funded through a recent federal health training grant the college was awarded in Oct. 2011. The room is located between the Employment and Training Center and the Nursing staff offices. The Wellness Room remains unlocked during all campus hours and is available to all students, staff and faculty. Uses for the room may include (but are not limited to):

• Mediation
• Prayer
• Lactation
• Medical Administrations
• Quiet Time

Photo at top of page: The inside of the new Wellness Room was designed to provide students with a high level of privacy and comfort.

Photo above: To see what it's all about, student Aaron Kohner peeks into the new Wellness Room.