Nick Kennedy can’t remember the last time he went to the zoo. He thinks he might have been 7 or 8 years old. But Kennedy isn’t likely to forget his most recent trip to the Dickerson Park Zoo, which he took last week with other students in his OTC biology class for a behind-the-scenes look…
The fourth-annual OTC Community Day will offer visitors a chance to experience how to survive a zombie attack, donate to a worthy cause and check out the latest in beautifully restored cars and trucks. Community Day is April 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the OTC Springfield Campus. Dozens of programs will conduct…
Thanks to a new outreach pilot program, tutors from OTC’s Speckman Tutoring and Learning Center are expanding their services to younger students in need of a bit of assistance. Working in conjunction with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Springfield, a number of tutors from the tutoring center are spending several hours on Tuesdays helping students…
Students usually head to the library to find a required book or some other printed study materials. At the OTC Richwood Valley Campus learning resource center, anatomy students can now get the materials they need for their studies body parts. A number of body-part replicas are available for human anatomy classes offered at Richwood Valley…
WAYNESVILLE Rosalind Pride cant wait to welcome everyone to the new OTC Waynesville Center this fall. As the one and only director of the center since it opened in 2008, Pride is excited to see the center move into a more spacious building located just west of Waynesville High School along Interstate 44. “There will…
A humble Paul Sundy will accept the 2013 OTC Excellence in Business Award when its presented to him next month. “Obviously, there are a couple of folks who have received it who are in a category that I have aspired to be like. Its very humbling. I dont feel like Im there or even…
When Roger Gray speaks, he hopes people listen. The 73-year-old OTC student has been lending his rich, baritone voice to radio commercials and audio books for several years but recently enrolled at the college to expand his knowledge in audio engineering through the Electronic Media Program. “Hes been doing voice-over work at the house for…
OTC dental students are getting an intense lesson in providing patient care this week as they treat hundreds of poor villagers in a small Nicaraguan village. Six dental students and four dental program alumni, along with several faculty members and other supporters are in Nicaragua this week as part of dental mission trip organized by…
While the halls at OTC are filled with college students, there are a number of students who come to the college still enrolled in high school. Thanks to the OTC Career Center, they can get a jump on their college education. More than 500 students learn and develop skills in one of 19 technical education…
Becky Seiler sat down in front of a large video monitor on the second floor of the Graff Building at OTC and dialed the phone to call her mother. But instead of the call going directly to her mom, a young man appeared on the screen wearing a headset. Becky signed a message to the…
OTC’s fire science program is working to bring its students so close to firefighting training that they can see it and touch it. The program is gradually migrating its classes to the Springfield Fire Departments Engine House No. 6 of West Battlefield Road where the city’s Regional Training Center is also located. Former Springfield fire…
Start spreading the news the Ozarks Technical Community College Concert Choir and Chamber Singers are heading to New York City. The college’s vocal ensembles have been invited to participate in the Distinguished Concerts International New York Concert Series to be held Memorial Day weekend, which includes performing in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. OTC’s…
When Michael Horn says he took the long road to earn his degree in culinary arts at OTC, he’s not exaggerating. Horn, a Jefferson City resident, traveled the 130-mile trip from the state capital to Springfield every Monday at 4:30 a.m., spent four or five days in classes and then drove home to share the…
To say that Rick Hughlett has been involved in Ozarks Technical Community College is quite an understatement. Even before the start of OTC, Mr. Hughlett was right there getting his formal automotive training at Graff Vocational Technical School, which later became OTC. He was on the Automotive Technology advisory board at Graff and then continued…
A collaboration by two OTC instructors, one in music and the other in art, has resulted in a unique music instruction book for those looking to learn to play the Native American flute. The Mel Bay-published book, “First Lessons Native American Flute: How to Sit on a Rock” was developed and written by music instructor Andrew…
Real-world experience is the best kind of experience students can get when learning about a profession. The OTC’s Electronic Media Production program is trying to bring some of that reality to its students. A major makeover of EMP’s TV production studio is scheduled to take place with the addition of a professional news studio set…
When Tom Stage looks at a pile of scrap metal, he doesn’t see it heading to some recycling site. He sees it taking shape as a piece of art. Stage, who teaches welding at OTC, has been dabbling in metal art for many years, sharing his work with family and friends. Now, he’s branching out…
The demand for robotic programs has been on the rise since the first programmable digital robot was brought to life in the 1950s. At OTC, the study of robots is approached from several aspects, making use for both the ominous-looking robotic arms and the building and programming of machines that come in a kit and…
At first glance, the trio of oversized TV screens, an oversized operator’s seat and authentic mobile ambulance may all look like some elaborate video game setup. But what the system actually is used for is serious business, teaching emergency personnel and law enforcement officers the ins and outs of defensive driving in a safe way.…
To some, they may appear to be lifeless imitations of human beings made of hard plastic and stuffed with wires and electronics. But to Michelle Howard, director of OTC’s Simulation Center, the electronically elaborate manikins represent the cutting edge in medical training that will eventually save lives. These manikins mimic a myriad of medical conditions…
Matt Duzan has two classrooms he works in as an instructor at the OTC Richwood Valley Campus. The first one is filled with traditional desks, chairs, lab equipment and wall cabinets. The second has a bubbling creek running through it, a canopy of lush trees and blue skies serving as the ceiling, and a wide…
As the new president of Missouri Community College Association’s board of directors, Joan Barrett wants to continue to help advocate for the state’s two-year colleges any way she can. “I have served the organization for the past two years and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my community college colleagues across the state and have…
Kevin Renick calls it a “cosmic coincidence” when the St. Louis songwriter refers to the tremendous break he got when he wrote a song entitled “Up in the Air.” “I was handed a music career,” said Renick, who spoke to several music and songwriting classes and the general public at OTC recently. Renick told students…
Two OTC students were presented with the Missouri Community College’s Student Leadership Award last week during the MCCA convention in Kansas City. Fran Ferguson and Christina Polosky earned the awards based both on their grade point average and their outstanding leadership qualities throughout their time at OTC. Both are members of Phi Theta Kappa. MCCA’s…
Maricia Zaharuk is a long way from her native country of Romania but the 32-year-old feels very comfortable in her new location in Springfield and at OTC. “I feel like I was born here. Here is where I belong. I like it here,” Zaharuk said. Not only is Zaharuk trading countries but careers, too. The…