No matter how he does in the national finals of the “American Ninja Warrior” competition, OTC alumnus Adam Arnold is already a winner. Since appearing on the finals for the first time last year in Las Vegas, Arnold’s life has just gotten better and better. He bought a house, got engaged and has wedding plans…
The $2 million plan to build out the unfinished space at the OTC Table Rock Campus continues to take shape. The project, funded by the Branson tax levy and private gifts, will nearly double the campus’ student capacity. OTC officials hope to have the build out completed by October 2016. The fourth floor, which was…
Progress continues at the OTC Richwood Valley Campus in preparation for the start of classes Aug. 22 and beyond. The biggest project involves the transformation of the FEMA storm shelter into the home of five new classrooms, three two-person faculty offices, an adjunct faculty office area, and some workrooms. The work is expected to be finished…
Matt Simpson is twice as interested in the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics as most fans. Matt, OTC’s college director of research and strategic planning, is a citizen of both the U.S. and Brazil, where the Olympics are being held starting Friday. He got his Brazilian citizenship through his mom who emigrated here from Brazil, although…
OTC culinary arts student Michelle Higgins has such a busy life that she needs two, sometimes three names, just to get through it all. She’s known as Michelle to some, Susan to others, and she’s even used S. Michelle on occasion. At OTC, Higgins is known as Susan, a student in the Culinary Arts and…
Don’t judge Josh Ray on first glance. Sure, he may be wearing a Kansas City Chiefs T-shirt and hat at work. There may be a Mr. T doll from the “A-Team” television show on his desk, and a “Masters of the Universe” toy box on a table behind him; but, yes, Josh Ray is the…
All it took were two words — chocolate and sugar — to convince Chantal Cheevers to enroll in the OTC Culinary Arts program where she eventually earned a national championship in commercial baking. Chantal, who graduated from the OTC’s Culinary Arts program in May, won the gold medal in commercial baking at the national SkillsUSA…
As an aspiring writer, Anthony Hendrickson knows the definition of family; and it’s been families, both his own and the one he has at the OTC Table Rock Campus, who have been his biggest supporters over recent months. “OTC is a pretty fascinating place. I’d always wanted to come here,” Anthony said. Anthony is one of two…
When Karen Craigo sits in front of a television to watch reruns of “Bewitched,” the OTC adjunct English instructor doesn’t consider it wasting time. She calls it research. Craigo, who teaches English Composition I and II at the OTC Springfield Campus, is also a successful poet and is currently working on a book of poems…
SPRINGFIELD — Two Ozarks Technical Community College instructors have been selected to receive the Missouri Association for Career and Technical Education’s Outstanding Service Award, and the college’s Electronic Media Production program has been awarded the association’s Certificate of Appreciation Award. Danelle Maxwell, chair of the Industrial and Manufacturing Department and an agriculture instructor, and Carl…
Mary Datema was surprised how easily the idea for her book about kids with special needs became crystal clear. “I was driving in the car when it came to me. It took about 20 minutes,” said the OTC adjunct Early Childhood Education instructor. And now Datema’s book “We Are All Stars” is available through Amazon.com.…
The audience at the April 6 High School Equivalency (formerly GED) graduation ceremony sat in silence as OTC student Ashley Smith told her emotional story of overcoming family and health issues to earn her high-school equivalency diploma, her college degree and a job with OTC. “School was my getaway,” she said. “I did well in…
If you like getting your hands dirty while also studying the environment, then there’s a perfect program waiting for you at OTC. The Environmental Science Technology program offered at OTC’s Richwood Valley, Waynesville and Lebanon campuses, gives students a chance to focus on laboratory and field testing to monitor the environment and investigate sources of…
It’s a good thing that Delilah DeRosa paid close attention when the subject of seizure care was discussed in her OTC Career Center Health Science class. Not long after that section of the class was discussed, Delilah had to put her knowledge to use helping a student back at her high school after he suffered…
The OTC Table Rock Campus is undergoing major changes thanks to a $1.9 million build-out of the nearly three-year-old building. OTC Table Rock President Cliff Davis led some Branson-area media through the building on Tuesday, April 12, pointing out the various changes and additions undergoing construction. Workers are busy on all of the floors installing,…
A group of OTC nursing students are headed to Nicaragua on April 9, but they aren’t going for a spring break vacation. They’re going with a purpose — to provide medical care to villagers who have little access to medical services. The 10 students and three faculty members will travel to several communities outside of…
History came alive at the Springfield-Greene County Library Center on Monday, March 28, thanks to some members of the OTC faculty and staff. The Ozark Mountain chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution presented the event, entitled “A General, A County and Two Soldiers,” during a meeting of History Explorers. The presentations by OTC…
From the age of 3, Lauren Sweet dreamed of being a zookeeper. Now, at age 21, the OTC graduate is living the dream as a zookeeper and giraffe trainer at Dickerson Park Zoo. “I loved animals growing up and always wanted to work with them,” said Lauren, who graduated from OTC last May with an…
More than 200 Robberson Elementary students spent the day with some of OTC’s technical education instructors as part of the school’s “What I want to be when I graduate high school” intersession field trip. Kids from kindergarten through fifth grade came to the Springfield campus and took part in hands-on demonstrations involving robots, landscaping, musical…
Exploding ping pong balls. Foaming test tubes. Bubbling beakers. All were part of the demonstrations presented to more than 200 high school students who came to the OTC Richwood Valley Campus Friday, March 18, to take part in a chemistry olympiad. The students took a first-year and advanced chemistry exam. The advanced exam was a…
Something other than baseballs was flying through the sky at Hammons Field recently. A group of OTC drafting and design students were at the baseball field Thursday, March 3, to watch a demonstration of drones and how they are used in the field for civil engineering and land surveying. Representatives from Olsson Associates, a civil…
A group of OTC dental students is finding out first hand what the OTC motto “Start Here, Go Anywhere” really means. From Feb. 27 through March 7, the students are in Managua, Masachapa, and San Rafael in Nicaragua to work at a community hospital and nearby villages offering dental services to the residents. A total…
Every year, Donnie Kendrick rubs elbows with some very special folks. The OTC Bookstore employee gathers with everyone from Dawn Wells of “Gilligan’s Island” to Lulu of “Hee Haw,” not to mention dozens upon dozens of presidential descendants. Kendrick is gathered with celebrities because of his family connection to Mary Todd Lincoln.
A small classroom on the OTC Springfield Campus is filled with the excited chatter of students hard at work assembling parts to build a small machine. “I get to be one of the first to do this,” said Tyler Letterman, an Industrial Maintenance Technology student from Fordland. “It’s cool to be the first in the…
Kyle Houston knew he wanted to be a chef when he was just a youngster watching his grandmother make rolls at 6 in the morning. But it wasn’t until he came to the OTC Career Center as a senior at Republic High School that he was able to change his dream into reality. “I was…