The activities this weekend at OTC showed some of the many ways that we are the community’s college. Our spring picnics provide a fun way for our campuses to reconnect and for our students, faculty, staff, retirees, and local community to come together to celebrate. At Friday’s picnic, we also got to re-experience one of the things that make OTC a special place to work. Everything was set up on the Student Plaza and going smoothly with just a few scattered raindrops. Then after some thunder and high winds, the OTC squad jumped into action to help move everything inside to the Atrium. After a little chaos, everything was set back up inside and running smoothly again. Many hands make light work. Back when the college was young and moving frequently from Cox North to North Town Mall to new buildings on campus, it was common place to see faculty and staff moving furniture. It is nice to see that same willing spirit to jump in and do what is necessary is still alive and well.
We had a beautiful day for our Community Day event this past Saturday. This event would not have been possible without many people from our campus community spending hours of extra time preparing for the events and participating. The Technical Education division sponsored the annual car show and plant sale. Many of our Allied Health groups had information booths to examine ears, take blood pressure, and teach about back pack safety and proper dental care. A “Wishing Wall” created by Kat Allie allowed everyone to write their wish on a colored piece of paper and insert it in a large picture. Once this wall is complete, the colored wishes will form a replica of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night painting. The Fine Arts department also entertained the crowd with student performances of short plays and music. The entertainment went off smoothly due to the effort of our Fine Arts department in conducting hours of auditions, setting up the stage, organizing the performers, and managing the event. As Cathy Clemens points out, “Sometimes I hear comments about wondering what it would be like to come to work and teach classes and then be able to go home. We laugh and understand that is not the way we’re wired. All of us are willing to go above and beyond our job expectations for the good of our students and saying no is seldom in our vocabulary.” Luckily, that is the spirit we see exhibited over and over throughout the college.
This weekend also featured several performances of our spring play, “The Good Doctor”. This play is a tragicomedy that features several vignettes about the disparity between the haves and the have-nots in ways that make us both cry and laugh. Although the setting is Russia, the universal nature of poverty and social inequity could easily have similar scenes taking place in Springfield. Five of our students played all of the various roles with their own special style and flair. There is another opportunity to see our Fine Arts students in action on Thursday, May 10th at 7:00 pm as our Concert Choir performs at the Evangel Performing Arts Center. Please join us for another evening of entertainment.
Bad joke to start the week
A Courier New script and a New-Times Roman font walk into a restaurant and ask for a menu. The waiter takes one look at them and says, “Sorry, we don’t serve your type here.”
Last thought
“The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe