Category: All News

Quinebaug Valley Community College has announced the names of 187 students named to the Spring 2021 Dean’s List:

Ashford
Diana Cone, Adam Gruszczynski, Daniel Xavier

Baltic
Erin Spitale

Bozrah
Hannah Goodwin

Bridgeport
Dwight Davis Jr.

Brooklyn
Aya Ashour, Stephanie Bellows, Hannah Bessette, Andrew Blanchard, Eric Borkiewicz, Angelique Caouette, Adam Cates, Hannah Cloutier, Connor Downing, Jacob Field, Kathia Gonzalez, Diana Gonzalez Caraballo, Madeline Guari, Caroline Hamill, Zada Hamill, Hayley Kuhn, Moriah Marquis, Dana Normandie, Jesse Paprota, Michelle Parmeter, Madison Rattray, Natalia Reali, Ethan Sheldon, Megan Shippee, Sarah Travers, Emma Turner

Canterbury
Bernardo Barron, Elenore Jolley, Colette Marchand, Matthew Moffitt

Central Village
Shania Scharlack, Sean Sweeney

Clinton
Andrew Emack

Columbia
Summer Polanco

Coventry
Maria Galarza-Ortiz

Danielson
Thomas Bernier, Crystal Brown, Kaya Cooper, Amber Daher, Emily Ernest, Jennifer Farquharson, Renee Gates, Jordan Mahon, Ethan Miller, Sheana Pimentel, Sisanmofe Rone, Kaileigh Somers, Ian Torrey, Brendan Trajanowski, Emily Watling, Chelsea Williams

Dayville
Liliana Baraybar, Philip Davis, Brandon Gervais, Gabriela Irving, Emily Keeling, Hannah Kipp, Olha Lacasse, Jarrica Rainville, Brandon Steen, Brandon Tucciarone

Eastford
Caleb Budd, Jonathan Latham, Zoe Marshall, Tyler Singleton

Enfield
Michele Girard

Griswold
Kayly Burelle, Mary Hayden, Kayla Martin

Hampton
Mackenzie Silk

Jewett City
Sarah Armstrong, Heather Emerich

Lebanon
Jenelle Abel

Lisbon
Rohankumar Patel, Mackenzie Smith

Manchester
Devon Long

Mansfield Center
Braden Lemire, Marisol Prather, Saman Pathma Kumara Vithanage

Moosup
Taylor Denning, Kyla Kampf, Tavy Lim, Nicole Mahon, Tara Tetreault, Hunter Turner

North Grosvenordale
Lacey Allard, Adrienne Guerin, Justin Phelps, Stephen Scrapchansky, Salvatore Simone, Lukas Skaradowski, Gianna Stoico, Gabriel Waldron, Sara Watson

Norwich
Michel Hernandez Quintero, Jeshly Morales

Pawcatuck
William Pisani

Plainfield
Tyler Ahearn, Alyssa Aubin, Jesse Fultz, Emily Goyette, Kevin Murphy, Nicholas Perreault, Alexis Rice

Pomfret Center
Drew Beaudry, Remi Benton, Emily Duhamel, Noah McNamara, Angela Short, Oda Sirimongkhoune

Putnam
Jordan Alexander, Hannah Bergeron, Kevin Champagne, Kelly Chausse, Taylor Copeland, Victoria Dias, Jaden Garcia, Sarah Hernandez, Natalie Ionkin, Brittany Kallio, Ismail Kiani, Xander Leins, Jerusha Morrissette, Jordyn Poole, Jeffrey Reed Jr., Katrina Suibielski, Andrea Thomas, Aislin Tracey

Quaker Hill
Heather Stetner

Quinebaug
Jacob Majorowski

Sterling
Colby Bodo, Kimberly DeMelo, Rebecca Gervais, Jason Leclair, Douglas McCormack, Zachary Moore, Angela Stone, Vincent Valenti

Storrs Mansfield
Steven Gagne

Thompson
Paige Audet, Francesca Cicarelli, Caroline Gagnon, Daniel O’Brien, Julia Paquette, Justine Petrella, Mary Walsh

Voluntown
Adam Eaton

Waterbury
Jonathan Fullbright

Wauregan
Angelica Imbacuan, Kathryne Vegiard

Willimantic
Melanie Alicea, Miata Arroyo, Rut Castro, Ryan Dowdell, Giselle Galarza, Kate Hemingway, Doralis Lozano-Santiago, Maximiliano Navarro Romero, Megan Trueblood, Cyd Marie Valentin Padua, Milagro Velasquez

Willington
Jenna Bernard

Windham
Katarzyna Shamshad

Woodstock
Abigail Brousseau, Olivia Burrell, Samantha Eddy, Haley Farley, Melissa Fish, Marshal Gohn, Karissa Herlihy, Caleb Leboeuf, Zachary Mowry, Eric Tellier

Woodstock Valley
Erin Carlson, Tarryn Desrosiers, Abigail Kilburn

Out of State

Dudley, MA
Bartlomiej Jakobkiewicz

New Bedford, MA
Britney Cabral

Chepachet, RI
Rowan Coleman

Cranston, RI
Kaytlyn Betters

North Providence, RI
Jacob Kaufman

Visit to the Quiet Corner Included stop by Commissioner Lehman and Local Officials

A visit to The Quinebaug Valley Community College Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (AMTC) was part of the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), David Lehman’s tour through Killingly. Hosted by Killingly Town Manager, Mary Calorio, a QVCC alum, and the Killingly Economic Development Director, Jill St. Clair, Lehman had the opportunity to hear, first-hand, the impact the AMTC has in the community and region.

QVCC Director of Advanced Manufacturing, Steve LaPointe, and Assistant Director, of Advanced Manufacturing, Jodi Clark, provided a tour of the 10,000 square foot center and expounded upon the success of the program and continued demand for graduates by local and regional business partners. While visiting Putnam Plastics and United Natural Foods Inc., in the Killingly Industrial Park, Lehman had the opportunity to meet graduates of the program who offered high praise for the program. LaPointe stated, “Our students and graduates not only have fun learning while learning skills in our programs, they continue to succeed in their real-world experiences. They have careers that have a foundation with what they learned at QVCC. We keep in touch with our graduates and it’s a great feeling to see them succeed and add to the growth of Northeast Connecticut.” LaPointe added, “We have opportunity for additional growth by expanding our programs to Willimantic and hope to see this become a reality sooner than later.”

Calorio stated, “We are an innovative area and are here to help retain our local businesses and help them with expansion and unlocking space for new growth.” St. Clair added, “Growth and expansion stems from education. We have the pieces here and just need to make the connections. This is a special program.”

Also joining in on the visit were Connecticut State Senator Mae Flexer, Northeast Connecticut Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Betti Kuszaj, and Shawn Johnston, a QVCC alum.

LEARN MORE:

Advanced Manufacturing Certificate
Mechatronics Automation Technician Certificate

Release: June 23, 2021

DANIELSON — The following events at Quinebaug Valley Community College are free and open to the public:

INFORMATION SESSIONS: MEET WITH ADMISSIONS
Tuesdays, June 15, 22, or 29 at 5:30 pm | Virtual
Learn about our 50+ degree and certificate programs, get your questions answered about the admissions process, and hear how you might qualifty for FREE tuition. It’s always FREE to apply to QVCC. Register now at QVCC.edu/virtual-information-sessions.

ACCEPTED STUDENT DAYS
June 23 or 24, 2—6 pm | Virtual or *On Campus
You’ve been accepted to QVCC! Not sure what your next steps are? Attend one of our Accepted Student Days and receive personal, one-on-one assistance, virtually or by appointment on campus. The Admissions Team can help you complete your Accepted Student Checklist, create your schedule for the fall, and more!

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING & MECHATRONICS TOUR AND INFORMATION SESSION
June 23, 4 OR 6 pm | *On Campus 
There is a huge demand for our graduates by local and regional businesses. Meet our team, tour our facilities, and learn about internships and job placement for graduates. No RSVP needed!

^{*On the Danielson campus}

The Jobs for New England Recovery Grant Program, offered by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston to member financial institutions, is intended to assist small businesses and non-profit organizations that have experienced significant losses due to the pandemic. As a member, Jewett City Savings Bank was able to reserve grant funds for eligible organizations in the Bank’s service area. Jewett City Savings Bank focused its support to those organizations that had limited opportunities to participate in other funding sources that became available through the CARES Act and other government programs. One of those organizations was the QVCC Foundation.

“On behalf of the students who will benefit from this generous grant, I want to extend my appreciation to Jewett City Savings Bank. The bank demonstrates time and again their dedication to the communities they serve. QVCC is fortunate to be part of the JCSB community!” Peter Deary, President of the QVCC Foundation.

Photo Caption (L to R)
_{Jewett City Savings Bank President and CEO Kevin Merchant and Diana Rose, Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Chief Operations Officer present check to Monique Wolanin, Director of Institutional Advancement and Peter Deary, President of the Quinebaug Valley Community College Foundation.} 

PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Award given to the degree graduate with the highest academic average with at least 45 credits earned at QVCC.

Taylor Copeland (Liberal Arts and Sciences, 74 credits)

GRADUATES WITH A 4.0 GPA
Taylor Copeland, Samantha Delp, Kristina Dyba, Jacob Kaufman, Mark LaMountain, Douglas McCormack, Lacey Wood

FULL LIST OF GRADUATES

Andover
Estela Hernandez

Ashford
Nikki Burnett, Ashlyn Chebro, Diana Cone, Jared Green, Erin Lannon, Daniel Xavier

Baltic
Kasandra Fox, Matthew Thomas

Bozrah
Katherine Bennett, Thomas Kane

Brooklyn
Nicole Abbott, Aidan Anderson, Stephanie Bellows, Erin Berube, Angelique Caouette, Hannah Cloutier, Shane Dort, Ariel Flounders, Brett Graveline, Delaney Guimont, Zachariah Lehoux, Taylor Nicholson, Michelle Parmeter, Natalia Reali, Joseph Schley, Megan Shippee, Sarah Travers, Bethaney Tucker, Geoffrey Vallone, Rebecca Vincent, James Walters

Burrillville
Melissa Parent

Canterbury
Timothy Ferrigno, Amanda LaFromboise, Alexander O’Flaherty

Canton
Christian Rivera

Central Village
Madison Tatro

Chaplin
Brendan Cloutier, Maxwell Landeck, Amelia Nelson, Anthony Ricci

Clinton
Andrew Emack

Colchester
Rebecca Holinka

Columbia:
Michael Kivlin, Summer Polanco

Coventry
Melissa Morton

Danielson
Tyra Bergstrom, Emily Cioe, Kaya Cooper, Dylan Everson, Chelsey Fisher, Michael Flaherty IV, Kerri Fulton, Courtney Greene, Tamarin Kelley, Jennifer Kent, Candice Koolhaas, James Morowski, Kayla Picciarelli, Carlos Poch, Kevin Polaina, Megan Reynolds, Miranda Snell, Kaileigh Somers, Brandon Wallace, Emily Watling, Mya Windrow, Brianna Worden, Katie Zannini

Dayville
Carolyn Anderson, Brendon Auger, Liliana Baraybar, Richard Demars, Reid Dumas, Nicole Durand, Daniel Espeseth, Alexander Grenon, Lauren Hyatt, Gabriela Irving, Emily Keeling, Jordyn Malarkey, Angela Maynard, Isabella Notarantonio, Jarrica Rainville, Heather Souza, Brandon Steen, Tayler Tracy

Dudley
Gage Cobb

East Killingly
Bryan Highley

Eastford
Caleb Budd, Tyler Singleton

Griswold
Corey Longhurst

Grosvenordale
Michael Carminati

Groton
Kacelynn Banks, Jennylyn Duyan

Hampton
India McDermott Arriola, Phoebe Miller

Jewett City
Sarah Armstrong, Jacob Haugland

Killingly
Elizabeth Downey, Bethany Oliver

Lebanon
Jenelle Abel

Lisbon
Derek Butts, Mackenzie Smith

Manchester
Devon Long

Mansfield Center
Braden Lemire, Sarah Moore, Ruth Soderberg, Saman Pathma Kumara Vithanage

Mansfield Depot
Anita Sanchez

Meriden
Quyen Di Sabino

Moosup
Gabrielle Cimino, Taylor Denning, Michael Guilmette, Nathan Johnson, Erik Laats, Raymond LaRose, Nicole Mahon, Zachary Matteau, Anjuli Pickett, Ethan Rain, Ashley Salvas, Angel Stewart, Jason Sweet, Tara Tetreault

New London
Julian Botero Castro

Niantic
Shawn Dobo

North Grosvenordale
Tyler Baker, Laura Durand, Matthew Durand, Adrienne Guerin, Sylwia Helwig, Ashley Klein, Stephanie Medine, Jakob Skaradowski

North Windham
Skye Budney, Tatiana Oliveras

Plainfield
Tyler Ahearn, Kathryn Ballou, Jessica Bedard-Plummer, Andrea Filbert, Taylor Gageby, Makayla Kneeland, Cassandra Miller, Kevin Murphy, Christensen Nguyen, Nicholas Perreault, Alexis Price, Joshua Sandage, Alexis Sangillo, Jennifer Spinney, Cameron Verrette, Renee Vezina, Nicole Wilcox, Patricia Wilson, Rijon Zekiri

Pomfret
Dawn Libby

Pomfret Center
Daniel Harrington, Angela Short, Lacey Wood, Eric Yost

Preston
Jordan Lawrence

Putnam
Jason Barber, Ashley Bonnette, Kevin Champagne, Kelly Chausse, Taylor Copeland, Zachary Davis, Samantha Delp, Michael DiColella, Trenten Haddock Gould, Sarah Hernandez, Natalie Ionkin, Mark LaMountain, Heather Montie, Abigail Poirier, Jeffrey Reed Jr., Katrina Suibielski, Aislin Tracey, Breana Weidele

Quaker Hill
Hannah Arevalo, Heather Stetner

Stafford Springs
Sean Mitchell

Sterling
Colby Bodo, Anna Carpenter, Carmen Colon Berrios, Lauryn Hart, Jason Leclair, Douglas McCormack, Courtney Robicheau

Thomaston
Alexis Thompson

Thompson
Megan Bates, Roxanne Booth, Francesca Cicarelli, Kaitlyn Morton, Julia Paquette, Michael Salisbury, Michael Southwell III

Wauregan
Alex Maddox, Gina Maddox, Jay Patel

Westfield
Kristina Dyba

Willimantic
Shani Acevedo, Victoria DeJesus, Karen DeLos Santos Dominguez, Ryan Dowdell, Lynn Drouin, Carolina Feliz, Arely Garcia, Deana Gonzalez, Jordy Gonzalez, Shane Goodrich, Maximiliano Navarro Romero, Gabriel Perez, Yarixa Rodriguez

Windham
Elijah Nicholson, Deborah Phillips, Charles Steiner, Logan Vertefeuille

Woodstock
Seth Benoit, Kayleigh Bradrick, Willard Brin, Abigail Brosseau, Danette Busby, Hunter Campbell, Antonia Carminati, Devin Foisy, Julia Fox, Marshal Gohn, Joseph Gottlieb, Christopher Harris, Seth Kelly, Cameron Lotter, Lillian Mandeville, Dylan Martin, Margaret Noe, Jolisa Peabody, Tristan Raszka, Eric Tellier, Christian Wolfe

OUT OF STATE

Chepachet, RI
Rowan Coleman

East Providence, RI
Christopher Salce

Foster, RI
Felicia Galipeau

North Providence, RI
Jacob Kaufman

Pawcatuck, RI
William Pisani

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jordan Keith

Three Rivers, MA
Maria Miranda

Waco, GA
James Murphy

Nestled in the valley of Woodstock, Connecticut lies the Chamberlin Mill, a rare example of a water-powered circular sawmill originating back to the early 1800s. The two-story post-and-beam structure still boasts the same historic cast iron gears and flat belt pulleys that transferred all the waterpower to the circular saw on the main level. Impressively, a mill has stood at the site along the Still River since the 18th century, however, the sawmill ceased its operations in the late 1960s, leaving it unused for over forty years. That’s where QVCC’s Dan Xavier comes in.

Dan Xavier, a Technology Studies major at QVCC, is also in the computer-aided design (CAD) certificate program, which led him to his project at the Chamberlin Mill. One of Xavier’s instructors Jakob Spjut, Professor of Engineering Science, was approached by Jeff Paul, former CEO of Whitcraft, about doing some modeling of the moving parts at the Chamberlin Mill.

“In fall 2020, I had Dan in my Intro to Engineering class, and he was looking for an interesting CAD course to take to finish his CAD certificate, so we worked out an independent study for him this spring 2021 at the Chamberlin Mill. We’re building on some work done previously by Woodstock Academy students, supervised by Peter Sumner, to model the turbine part of the setup,” explained Spjut, elaborating that “There’s really no substitute for applying technical skills to a real project for deep learning. If you don’t understand something, you can’t just take a 75 on an exam and move on. You need to figure it out.”

Throughout his extensive work at the mill, Xavier visited the mill frequently to take measurements of the many parts he needed to render the 3D solid models. He depicted relevant 2D prints, combined the parts into an assembly, and created an animated video that demonstrates the model moving with a narration explaining the function of the different moving parts.

Interestingly, Xavier is not QVCC’s only connection to the Chamberlin Mill. William Lonsdale Tayler (who, with his wife Pearle Chamberlin Tayler, were owners of the Mill property for many decades until their deaths in the 1990s) was instrumental in the founding of QVCC. Dr. Tayler served on the CT Regional Community College’s Board of Trustees from 1969-1973. A newspaper report from 1983 notes that, “in 1971 [he] realized a goal he had sought since 1948 was the establishment of a community college in northeast Connecticut.”

“I think it would give Dr. Tayler great pleasure to see the link forged between Quinebaug Valley Community College and Chamberlin Mill by Jeff Paul, Jakob Spjut, and Daniel Xavier through this project. Daniel’s work should be useful to the Mill for many years to come,” says Jean McClellan, President of Chamberlin Mill, Inc., the non-profit organization responsible for the mill.

Thanks to the work done by local students at Woodstock Academy and Dan Xavier at QVCC, Chamberlin Mill, Inc. intends to preserve and sustain its site as a historic and educational asset for the enjoyment of future generations. Once the mill is operational, it will expand its current calendar of walks, demonstrations, local school programs, experiential learning, and participation in regional and national programs and events. Artifacts now in storage will also be returned to the site for exhibition.

For more information, please contact Jakob Spjut at jspjut@qvcc.edu or Jean McClellan at chamberlinmill@gmail.com.

The Quinebaug Valley Community College Foundation is pleased to announce that 102 scholarships, totaling over $125,000, have been awarded to current and future QVCC students in support of a debt-free education.  Students from Northeast Connecticut, Central Massachusetts and Western Rhode Island round-out the list of winners.

In addition to current QVCC students, several area high school students were scholarship recipients. New for 2021, matriculated students may use scholarship funds for summer college, fall, winter intersession, or spring of the 2021/2022 academic year. This is an expansion to the typical fall and spring semester usage of funds by students.

Peter Deary, President of the QVCC Foundation, offered his best wishes to the recipients, “On behalf of the entire QVCC Foundation, it’s my honor to congratulate our 2021 Scholarship Winners, who have distinguished themselves in numerous ways. We are proud of your efforts and look forward to celebrating your future accomplishments.” Deary also shared his appreciation for donor and community support of Foundation scholarships, “It is thanks to the generosity of many donors who believe in education as a “hand up” that the Foundation is able to provide these scholarships and additional block grants to students. To our loyal supporters, current and former, heartfelt thanks.”

For more information about the QVCC Foundation, please contact Monique Wolanin, director of Institutional Advancement at 860-932-4174 or mwolanin@qvcc.edu.

Release: May 13, 2021

QVCC will proudly celebrate our 270 degree and certificate recipients in the 49th commencement on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, from 3 – 7 p.m.. The college is hosting a drive-through diploma distribution, outdoors, at the main campus at 742 Upper Maple Street in Danielson. The rain date will be Thursday, May 27, 2021, from 3 – 7 p.m.

Graduating students who have chosen to participate in the celebration are instructed to come to campus, in one vehicle including their family and friends, at a designated time according to their last name. Timeframes are as follows:
• 3 – 4 p.m. A – C
• 4 – 5 p.m. D – H
• 5 – 6 p.m. I – P
• 6 – 7 p.m. Q – Z

All participants will have the opportunity to receive their diploma, cross the stage and have their photograph taken by QVCC staff photographers. Faculty, staff and the QVCC Foundation and Alumni Association will be on-hand to cheer our graduates.

DIPLOMA EVENT DETAILS

Generous Donation from Steve and Marge Townsend, the Buttner Family, and LiR members

**As of May 27, 2021 all funds have been expended**

DANIELSON – The Quinebaug Valley Community College Foundation is pleased to announce a $25,000 block grant for 2021 Summer College courses. For any matriculated QVCC student, including incoming and existing QVCC students, who are pursuing careers in health care, may register for the following courses free of charge until funds have been expended:

• HLT 141- Intro to Phlebotomy
• MED 125, Med. Terminology
• HLT 170, Law and Ethics

Professor and Medical Assisting Program Coordinator Brian Clinton states, “This funding is serving students at different stages of their education. For those interested in new career fields and who need quick training, they can start with phlebotomy and medical terminology.  For those students getting nearer to the end of their training, the health care law and ethics introduce students to the complex issues of bioethics, maleficence, and justice. These are often topics on the national board exams student take upon completion from the allied health programs.”

Director of Intuitional Advancement, Monique Wolanin, praised our donors for their continued support, “This generous donation from Steve and Marge Townsend, the Buttner Family and LiR members is truly a “win-win.” For our hardworking students, they don’t have to worry about the financial burden of paying for these courses, while the greater community also wins as these same students will eventually graduate and go on to serve others in their chosen medical fields. As the pandemic has shown, health care providers are essential in all communities.  These donors are helping educate our future essential heroes.”

There are three summer sessions offered, two five-week sessions and a ten-week session, beginning June 7. If you qualify as a matriculated student, funds to cover the cost of the course will be applied to your account. For additional information, contact Jennifer Hyatt

For more information about the QVCC Foundation, please contact Monique Wolanin, director of institutional advancement at 860-932-4174

Release: May 11,2021, UPDATE May 27, 2021

Quinebaug Valley Community College announced it is working to help build consumer awareness about the Emergency Broadband Benefit, a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program.  The temporary benefit will help to lower the cost of broadband service for eligible households during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The $3.2B Emergency Broadband Benefit program provides a discount of up to a $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for qualifying households on qualifying Tribal lands. The benefit also provides up to a $100 per household discount toward a one-time purchase of a computer, laptop, or tablet if the household contributes more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase through a participating broadband provider.

A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:

• Has an income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid or the FCC’s Lifeline program;
• Approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, in the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year;
• Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
• Experienced a substantial loss of income through job loss or furlough since February 29, 2020 and the household had a total income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers; or
• Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.

Emergency Broadband Benefit enrollment will begin on May 12, 2021. Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) using an online or mail-in application.

Additional information about the Emergency Broadband Benefit is available at www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit, or by calling 833-511-0311 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. any day of the week.