Hagerstown Community College

Dance classes offered this fall This fall, the Continuing Education and Community Services Division at Hagerstown Community College will offer a variety of dancing classes for all ages and skill levels. Courses include "Ballroom Dancing - Beginning," "Swing Dancing - Beginning" and "Middle Eastern Dancing. " "Ballroom Dancing - Beginning" will be offered on Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., beginning Sept. 13 and ending Dec. 13. "Swing Dancing - Beginning" will be offered on Mondays from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m., beginning Oct. 10 and ending Oct. 31. "Middle Eastern Dancing" will be offered on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., beginning Sept.

Sometimes, circumstances make putting your best foot forward extremely difficult. Very few people know that quite as well as Boonsboro senior Britton Beard. Before Beard became a football standout for the Warriors - helping lead them to a 10-2 record and their first playoff victory in a decade - he had to overcome being born with two severe clubfeet. “I remember the second surgery,” Beard said Tuesday at the 31st True Grit Awards at Fountain Head County Club in Hagerstown.

Hagerstown Community College's Continuing Education and Community Services Division will hold a one-day seminar titled, "Invest in Your Debt," Wednesday, April 20, from 6 to 9 p.m., at HCC's Valley Mall Center. Taught by Ray Goss, the seminar is intended to help participants learn how to pay off their consumer debts, including credit cards, car payments and student loans, in three years or less without refinancing and balance transfers. Participants are encouraged to bring a list of their debts with balances and monthly payments and a calculator to class.

Hagerstown Community College recently held its annual adult education commencement ceremony. The following students graduated from the General Educational Development and External Diploma programs. GED graduates  Boonsboro — Ryan Hinkle, Amanda Moore  Clear Spring — Joshua Jacobs  Frederick, Md. — Pamela Clark   Funkstown — Williams Williamson Jr.   Hagerstown — James Ancell, Jasmine Armstrong, Andrew Austin, George Casper, Amanda Coller, Kimberly Cooper, Brook Crosby, Terria Deloso, Trey Dragenhart, Garrett Garns, Dennis Hadley, Jason Hall, Amanda Hovis, Daniel Hults, Linda Hurley, Eva Kelley, Faree Lambray, Alison Loveless, Dixie Moore, Sarah Otzelberger, Nicole Pagnotta, Jessica Rager, Cassandra Rivera, Kelsea Rohr, Beth Schildtknecht, Shelby Schroyer, Sydney Shaffer, Beverly Stitely, Christine Washington, Dena Wengert   Hancock — Stephen Ray   Keedysville — John Daugherty, Debra Hurley, Samantha Sheridan, Dennis Smoot, Donald Sottile   Smithsburg — Shirley Crown, Nicholas Perras   Williamsport — Kristi Alger, Wesley Harmon, Della Jackson External Diploma graduates  Boonsboro — James Peck   Fairplay — Andrea Ramirez   Gapland — John Stipanovic   Hagerstown — Cheryl Barklow, Donna Belair-Schaufele, Wendy Bitner, Batheea Brusch-Chambers, Tammy Crosten, Crystal Davis, Crystal Dodson, Samantha Ford, Kelly...

Hagerstown will make its way into homes across the state this month when Maryland Public Television highlights the city in its second installment of “Our Town.” Hagerstown and its surrounding attractions will be featured in the one-hour documentary that will air June 14 at 8 p.m., said Matt Rains, coordinating producer. The documentary will give people across Maryland an intimate look at the Hagerstown community, he said. From landmarks like Krumpe’s Do-Nuts, Gordon’s Grocery and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts to lesser-known parts of the area, its people and its history, the documentary will show Hagerstown’s unique flavor and culture, Rains said.

A caregivers conference will be held from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. Friday, Oct. 7, at Hagerstown Community College, Athletic Recreation Community Center (ARCC), off Robinwood Drive, east of Hagerstown. The seminar will focus on the unique challenges faced by individuals providing care to older persons with cognitive impairment. To register for the conference, call 301-790-2800, ext. 2236. The registration fee is $30 for health care professionals and $15 for caregivers. Deadline is Thursday, Oct. 6.

The Herald-Mail's Wisdom Expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, at Hagerstown Community College, Athletic Recreation Community Center (ARCC), off Robinwood Drive, east of Hagerstown.  It is free to the public and will feature educational and informative exhibitors from a variety of organizations and businesses that provide products and services to our community.

Sean Maher, a web and multimedia instructor at Hagerstown Community College, competed in the 2011 Adobe Educators' Choice Awards. He was a runner-up in the category of Higher Education Digital Arts and Media. Educators submit projects, lesson plans, curriculum, presentations or tutorials for the contest. Maher's submission was a tutorial showing how to create a multi-page website using Dreamweaver's template system. His tutorial is available for viewing at www.you tube.com/watch?

Teachers and graduates exchanged hugs, high-fives and smiles on-stage Wednesday morning as more than 200 people celebrated the graduation of students from the Washington County Job Development Program and Marshall Street School. As each graduate was recognized, an administrator read a list of that person's accomplishments, including the jobs the graduate had at companies, schools and community organizations. “We have worked hard to reach our goals,” said graduate William McCrary IV, one of four student speakers during the ceremony at Hagerstown Community College's Kepler Center.

Dolores Mae Hayes, 66, of Williamsport, Md., passed away Saturday, May 18, 2013, at her home, surrounded by her family and the loving care of Hospice. Born Monday, July 8, 1946, in Hagerstown, Md., she was the daughter of the late Emanuel Foster Wolfe and the late Kathryn Elretta (Mong) Wolfe. She graduated from North Hagerstown High School in 1964 and later from Hagerstown Community College. She was employed as a registered nurse with Washington County Hospital, retiring in 2010 after 28 years of service.

It was seconds after taking the stage that 26-year-old Elese Wade was choking back tears. “I've had sleepless nights, tear-filled days and my finances stretched to the limit. I can honestly say that being finished now feels so good,” Wade said. “I'm the first in my family with my bachelor's degree.” The daughter of a single mother, Wade became a single mother shortly after graduating from high school, she confided to the audience in University Plaza where the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown on Monday held its annual graduation celebration to recognize students getting degrees from USM schools that offer classes in Hagerstown.

The south end of Hagerstown's City Park was full of the sounds of love and heartbreak Sunday afternoon as the Hub Opera Ensemble performed excerpts from an upcoming performance of “Don Giovanni.” The performance was the first in a new series of events, to be held at 1 p.m. in the park every other Sunday through September, called “Arts in the Park.” The events are being produced by a partnership between Historic City Park Neighborhoods 1st...

The Pi Theta Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Hagerstown Community College recently received several awards at the Phi Theta Kappa Regional Convention. The HCC Pi Theta Chapter was awarded the Five Star Chapter Development Award; the 2013 Middle States Region Hallmark Award for its 2013 project, “College Completion Symposium,” which was held at HCC on Oct. 12; and the Distinguished Officer Team Award. Five-star status is awarded to chapters that complete a variety of service-learning projects intended to aid the college community and  the  community.

The inaugural award of the Women's Club of Hagerstown Foundation Scholarship was made during the club's annual meeting May 9 at the club on South Prospect Street. The recipient, Delrose Jackson of Hagerstown, is studying graphic design at Hagerstown Community College, and hopes to complete her education and continue to be a productive member of the community. The $500 scholarship was created to provide tuition assistance to women having experienced a life-altering event who seek to further their education and broaden their career skills.  The Community Foundation of Washington County administers thescholarship fund.

Kathleen Dorman talked Sunday about her days abusing cocaine and how she was “headed in all the wrong places.” Dorman - speaking during an adult education commencement at Hagerstown Community College - said she was told that she was never going to amount to anything and for seven years, she prayed to God for help. That help arrived in the form of a husband who she now credits with being an “angel” in her life. Dorman moved to Hagerstown from Baltimore and began seeking her high school diploma with help from the Washington County Family Center.

Thumbs up to the 13 Washington County high school seniors and one Hagerstown Community College sophomore who were honored this week with True Grit awards for overcoming hardships to remain members of their athletic teams. A tip of the hat also to the businesses and organizations that honored these young people for their abilities to overcome adversity.

Some closed their eyes, as though depicting on a canvas in their own minds the words that escaped a deep, gentle voice. Others bowed their heads, as if to let the words wash over them, saturating their skin. Such was the scene at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts on Friday when Maryland's poet laureate Stanley Plumly took the stage to wax poetic before an audience of a about 60 people. Some, like Nan Roberts, 39, came for influence. “I attempt to write poetry, and I wouldn't mind the inspiration from this,” said Roberts, of Hagerstown.

When Kathy McKenzie took to the podium Saturday to present graduate remarks at the Hagerstown Community College 66th Commencement, she said she was there as the result of a life change that made her want to “pay it forward.” On March 9, 2004, McKenzie had just returned to work after the birth of her second child. She was a senior project manager at a marketing firm, “totally career-minded, focused on my job, my status at the company, and the revenue that I generated,” she said.