Sound Bites - Issue #18 - February 2015

Game Time: Enter Our Photo Contest!

Student Piero Desopo's photo of
Disney Concert Hall taken in our class
"On the Street with Your Camera"

SMC Community Education is excited to sponsor its first-ever Photo Contest, and the winning image could be the cover of the Fall 2015 class schedule!

"We've been blown away by the pictures taken by our students, not only in our popular photography classes, but also students in other classes as well," said Alice Meyering, Program Coordinator of Community & Contract Education. "And we received so much positive feedback from our Fall 2014 cover, shot by our student Gloria Novi, that we decided a photo contest is the perfect way to display our students' incredible talents."

The winner will be featured in our monthly newsletter, Sound Bites, and in addition to the winning image, some of the other photos entered into the contest will be included as well.

Student Aaron De LaTorre's picture
taken in downtown L.A. in our class
"On the Street with Your Camera" .

A few simple rules and reminders:

The contest is open to all past or present Community Education students.

Images should be submitted by May 1, 2015 to commed@smc.edu.

More than one image may be submitted, and contestants should indicate their names as registered, as well as any information about the photo they want to include – such as, where it was shot and whether it was taken as part of a Community Ed class.

So share your vision with us – and good luck!

Looking Back: Open House a "Home Run"!

Jocelyn Winn, with Luis Jauregui, shows the name of one of the winners of the raffle

SMC Community Ed's first-ever series of Open Houses exceeded expectations as over 40 new and former students signed up for classes, instructors met personally with prospective students, gifts were handed out, and three prizes were raffled off.

Held for four hours each day Jan. 26-30 in the Community Ed office at the Bundy Campus, the Open Houses gave prospective and current students a chance to meet instructors and staff members – including Lady J – receive 15 percent discounts on classes and sign up for the raffle. A choice of gifts – including travel mugs and reusable bags – were also handed out.

The winners of the raffle are Regina Alayvilla, $99 electronic voucher for a class; Christine S. Kadir, a $50 electronic voucher; and Pamela Klein, a $25 electronic voucher.

"We thought maybe 10 people would trickle in, so to get over 40, plus a dozen instructors, was very exciting," said Jocelyn Winn, also known as Lady J, administrative assistant and main host of the event. "It was fun for the staff, and students were comfortable in this environment giving feedback, which is very helpful for us."

Voice instructor Heather Lyle shows Jocelyn Winn image of her when she was on "Indian Idol".

There were elements of serendipity to the event as well. One woman came in to sign up for several classes and met Italian instructor Paola Barcaccia, who got the woman excited about registering for the Italian Conversation class after her retirement this spring. In another case, film and screenwriting instructor Simone Bartesaghi assured an 18-year-old filmmaker that he would qualify for the Advanced Screenwriting class because of his experience, despite his youth.

Some instructors took an extra step to be welcoming. Yoga instructor Lois Leonhardi – who will be teaching the brand new Spring Cleanse class this spring – brought in a crock-pot full of her homemade French lentil stew. Student Jodi Shannahan loved the dish so much she asked Leonhardi for the recipe.

Film instructor Simone Bartesaghi speaks with an 18-year-old student who signed up for his Advanced Screenwriting class.

 "It was a real blast for us, particularly when we had several students and instructors crowded into our office, creating an exciting energy," said Alice Meyering, Program Coordinator of Community & Contract Education.

Meyering and Winn said the idea of the Open Houses came out of a discussion between them about how rewarding it's been to meet those students who come into the office to register in person.

"We live in a time that human-to-human interaction doesn't occur very much," Winn said. "We wanted to get people in to meet us in person, to show we're friendly and open, and to invite their candid feedback and suggestions for new classes. Many times we will create classes based on the demand of our community."

The Open Houses were so successful that Community Ed plans to do them again – only this time on a Friday or Saturday to attract more people who can't attend during the week.