News from Oakton April 7, 2015

Oakton’s Des Plaines Early Childhood Center Receives Gold Circle of Quality Award from State Organization
The Early Childhood Center (ECC) at Oakton’s Des Plaines campus, 1600 East Golf Road, recently received the Gold Circle of Quality, the highest designation given by ExceleRate Illinois, the state’s new quality rating and improvement system for early learning and development providers. The award demonstrates an ECC’s continuous commitment to the families and children it serves.

“We are so privileged to have been awarded the Gold Circle of Quality,” said Nora Rucker, site coordinator for the Des Plaines ECC. “This just affirms the quality of work that has been going on here for years. We’re pleased and proud to provide an environment that fosters the love of learning and helps prepare children for life-long success.

ExceleRate Illinois Professional Development officials said the Gold Circle of Quality is given to a center after a rigorous process by an independent assessor who evaluates its environment, curriculum, teacher qualifications, and family involvement. The State organization evaluates centers that serve children from birth to age 5 on how facilities assist in the intellectual, social, physical, and emotional development of young children.

“It’s not something that is given out lightly,” ExceleRate Illinois Professional Development Counselor Sherri Stamp said. “To receive the Gold Circle of Quality, an early childhood center must go above and beyond meeting all training requirements for the Department of Children and Family Services.”

Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Oakton’s Des Plaines ECC provides full-day programs for 2- to 5-year-olds.

For more information about Oakton’s Des Plaines ECC, contact Nora Rucker at 847.635.1840 or nrucker@oakton.edu.

Documentary Screening at Oakton Examines the State of Masculinity in America
What it means to be a man in today’s society is the focus of free screenings of the documentary The Mask You Live In at Oakton Community College. The film, which debuted at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, will be shown at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, at the Des Plaines campus, 1600 East Golf Road (Room 1604) and 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, at the Skokie location, 7701 North Lincoln Avenue (Room 145-152).

Directed by Jennifer Siebel Newson, founder, director, and CEO of The Representation Project, the documentary follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity. .

The Mask You Live In also highlights the social and emotional needs of boys – demonstrating how healthy family relationships, alternative teaching strategies, and positive role modeling by mentors can have a positive influence on boys’ lives and alter their understanding of masculinity..

Sponsored by Women’s and Gender Studies at Oakton, screenings will be followed by discussions and refreshments..

For more information, contact Kathleen Carot at 847.376.7061 or kcarot@oakton.edu.

Examine One of Virginia Woolf’s Most Noted Novels at the 10th Great Books Symposium
Join students from Oakton Community College and Wilbur Wright College as they present short papers on Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway at the Great Books Student Symposium from 12:30 – 2 p.m., Wednesday April 22, at Oakton’s Des Plaines campus, 1600 East Golf Road (Room 1604). The event also includes a Q&A session.

Woolf’s 1925 book focuses on a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, an upper class woman who lives in England following World War I and was included in TIME magazine’s list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923.

For more information, contact Donovan Braud, Ph.D., Great Books coordinator and associate professor of English, at dbraud@oakton.edu.

Back by Popular Demand: Oakton Acclaimed Six Piano Ensemble Takes the Stage April 25-26
Get your tickets today for one of the most anticipated shows of the spring semester – the internationally acclaimed Oakton Six Piano Ensemble! This distinguished group will perform two spectacular concerts featuring popular, classical, and ragtime selections at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 25, and 3 p.m., Sunday, April 26, at the College’s Footlik Theater, 1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines.

Conducted and founded by Glenna Sprague, Oakton professor and coordinator of music, the Six Piano Ensemble has dazzled and delighted sold-out crowds with its rich layered sound, elaborate orchestral dynamics, sheer power, and virtuosity. Performances are played before packed audiences and generate standing ovations.

The Oakton Six Piano Ensemble will feature some of the most highly acclaimed musicians in the Chicago area, including Melissa Chen, Chicago; Beatriz Levi, Northfield; Greg Luberda, Lombard; Marianne Pyster, Chicago; Lina Schaal, Chicago; and Christy Stevens, Highland Park. Highlights will include rousing renditions of everything from Sonata in D Major by Mozart to “Waltz” from Khachaturian’s Masquerade Suite to Homage to Scott Joplin. This is one show you won’t want to miss! A reception follows each concert.

Tickets are $17 for general admission; $14 for students and seniors; and $12 for groups of 15 or more. For tickets call 847.635.1900 or order online at www.oakton.edu/tickets.