Chaparral 2020-2021: 29.5 Milestones

Friday, April the 9th was the one year anniversary since Diana Rivera’s (English) beloved 12 year old chihuahua mix officially moved in and became part of the family. During the previous 11 years she was always a visitor but last April she never left. Happy to say that their home has become the retirement chapter in her life and Diana would not have it any other way. She has ALWAYS preferred the company of cats but now, thanks to Cookie, she knows that the company of a dog is just as heartwarming. Her personal milestone is one year exactly as a proud dog mom!

Rosemarie Shamieh (Noncredit Business & Life Skills) is pleased to announce that her daughter, Britney M. Shamieh, said "YES" to Alex Padilla who asked her to be his bride and lifelong partner on Easter Sunday. (They needed this celebration after a year of unprecedented number of funerals.)

Reut Cohen Schorr (Journalism) and her husband, Eric, welcomed their first child on Feb. 25. Amalya Hadar Schorr is named in honor of her maternal (Amal) and paternal (Helen) great-grandmothers. Mama and baby are doing well. And Mama is in love!

Reut Cohen Schorr and co-author Dr. Nathan Durdella (CSUN) presented their research at the American Educational Research Association 2021 Conference on April 10. Their study is entitled "Exploring How Social Media Marketing Practices in Community College Academic Programs Shape Student Engagement."

Bill Sparks (Child Development) has participated on campus and in the community with several enriching events. A new movie illustrating the Anti-Bias Education with Young Children work has been released and is free to all. The movie supplements the Anti-Bias Education text we use at our college and is in the bookstore.

The AFT/Guild Journal The American Educator published an article on Anti-Bias Education by the textbook’s authors. This is in the Winter Issue:

“Teaching about identity, racism and fairness.” American Educator, Derman-Sparks, L., Edwards, Julie Olson with Goines, Catherine. (2021, Winter 2020-2021).: A Journal of Educational Equity, Research and Ideas, 44, 45.

The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center’s Social Justice Committee recognized five members who have been active at the Temple and in the community for the last three years. The award is The Rabbi Marv Gross Social Justice Award. Bill Sparks is one of the five recognized. They held two community meetings attended by hundreds and volunteered with refugee and asylum agencies. They also distributed 750 lawn signs.

Shatha Sbeta (Political Science) runs an art enterprise called De-Orientalzing Art which brings artwork made by Libyan female artists for women empowerment and cultural connectivity. For each piece that sells, the artists make 2/3 profit which gets sent to Libya.

De-Orientalizing Art, Female Libyan Artwork

“Using art as a force to foster women's empowerment and cultural connectivity” De-Orientalizing Art is a social enterprise that provides a platform for Libyan female artists to share their artwork with the West for economic, social, cultural and political progress.

https://www.de-orientalizingart.org/

Dominique Margolis (Computer Labs) would like to share her newest publication, a personal essay called “The Throwaway Rocktrumpet” in the April issue of The Dillydoun Review.

Brenda Jones (Library) would like to share that she is retiring at the end of the spring 2021 semester after 30 years at GCC. During those 30 years she has served under five GCC Presidents and there have been eight heads of the library (including herself - for 3 ½ years). The campus itself has been transformed with new and remodeled buildings, work that seemingly never ends.

She has found many interesting documents while going through 30 years of files. Highlights are the memo informing the library staff a new librarian (Brenda Jones) was starting on June 24, 1991 and the memo she wrote to Division Chairs in Fall 1991 about a thing called the “Internet.”

It’s sad to be retiring during the pandemic when we can’t gather for the annual retirement/recognition luncheon and see each other in person, but Brenda has some great memories of her years at GCC and of many of you. She and her husband, Greg, plan to return to Southern Illinois to be close to family as soon as they can figure out how to make that happen.

She would love to receive a goodbye message from those of you who know her: bjones@glendale.edu. You can also give Brenda a goodbye message (with selfie!) here: https://www.groupgreeting.com/sign/a588a84c47df92b. Thanks so much!