Olney Central College Instructor Heather Sandy’s artwork, Protect and Respect, won first place in the 2021 Art for Health and Unity Competition sponsored by Unity in Action Magazine in Champaign. Sandy used both Procreate, an iPad app, and Adobe Illustrator to create the digital piece, which features four individuals walking together as the COVID-19 virus lurks in the background.

Olney Central College is excited to announce line dancing classes are returning this fall. “I’m anxious to get back,” said Instructor Vickie Smith, who has been teaching the classes since 2003. “A lot of the same people signed up every semester and I have really missed them.” In addition to familiar faces, Smith hopes to welcome new students as classes resume.

Olney Central College Baseball finished the 2021 season with a 34-21 record and was named an Academic All-American Team with a 3.24 team grade point average. Several players earned postseason honors. Those named Great Rivers Athletic Conference All-Conference were: • Peyton Meredith, who finished with a .419 batting average and 29 runs batted in;

Olney Central College Basketball has scheduled its Summer Shoot Outs and Elite Camp. June 4 — 7th & 8th Grade Boys Shoot Out - 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. June 7-8 — Junior Varsity & Varsity Boys Shoot Out - 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. June 11 — Elite Camp. The camp is for high school students who are being recruited for the future.  This is for incoming sophomores in high school through seniors. All freshmen that have signed for next year will be attendance as well.

The Olney Arts Council and the Olney Central College Theatre are partnering again this summer to provide a 3-week summer theatre workshop for students in Grades 3 through entering freshmen. Rehearsals are weekdays from 1 to 3:30 p.m. July 6-23.  Participants will learn valuable skills in the theatrical arts including set design, makeup application, healthy vocal production, characterization, costuming and more. The workshop will conclude with a production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr., presented by all workshop participants.

Olney Central College Assistant Professor of Life Sciences Sarah Bergbower has completed training as a citizen scientist in the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center's Illinois RiverWatch Program. The Illinois RiverWatch is a volunteer stream monitoring program administered by the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC). Established in 2002, NGRREC’s scholars and scientists study the ecology of the big rivers, the workings of the watersheds that feed them and ties to the river communities that use them.

A photograph by Olney Central College student Troy Green is among the works included in Northern Illinois University’s Community College Student Juried Virtual Exhibition. Green, a student in Heather Sandy’s online Introduction to Photography course, was one of 79 artists whose works were selected from more than 150 submissions. “I was honored, impressed and humbled all at the same time,” said Green, who resides in Geismar, La. “I thought it was a good photo, but I didn’t know how it would compare to other photographers’ work. It’s a high honor to be included.”

Associate Dean of Nursing and Allied Health Dr. Theresa Marcotte is retiring after 22 years with the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges District. During her career, Marcotte has worked in a variety of positions at all four colleges — Frontier, Lincoln Trail, Olney Central and Wabash Valley. She has been a nursing instructor, department head and administrator. She was Dean of Instruction at Wabash Valley College from 2007 to 2010 and has served the last five years in her current position at OCC.

Olney Central College’s Information Systems Technology Program recently refurbished and donated 10 computers to the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges’ TRIO Student Support Services Program. “We are thrilled PJ (Zeilstra) thought of us and our students,” said TRIO SSS Director Wain Davis. “These computers will help students get access to the technology they need to further their education.”

Olney Central College is offering three summer hybrid math courses students can complete in just 6 weeks. MTH 1105 Trigonometry will meet from 8 to 8:50 a.m. and MTH 1102 College Algebra will meet from 9 to 10:50 a.m. OCC is offering MTH 1103 Liberal Arts Math for the first time as a summer course. The class, which meets math requirements for graduation, will be held from 11 to 11:50 a.m.  All three courses will meet Monday through Thursday, from June 7 to July 19, with Instructor Lisa Benson.