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​Leadership Elk & Cameron Meets with Elected Officials in Virtual Format
 
The Community Education Center’s Leadership Elk & Cameron program recently held their monthly session virtually. In lieu of the class’s annual trip to the Capitol in Harrisburg, the participants met virtually with Congressman Thompson, Senator Scarnati and Representative Matt Gabler. They discussed the current issues at the Federal and State levels and how the branches of government interact. Mr. Dom Surra, Assistant Principal for St. Marys Middle School provided the class with a State Government 101 presentation; and Andy Surra of Malady-Wooten, Inc, a native of Kersey, talked with the group about the role of lobbying, advocacy and public policy in Harrisburg.
 
 
Leadership Elk & Cameron is a community-based leadership program for individuals who live and work in Elk and Cameron Counties. The CEC is now accepting applications for the next class which kicks off in September 2020. For more information, visit www.communityedcenter.com or call 814-781-3437.

Become a part of the region's only Leadership network of 200 alumni. Click here for for more information and an application.

Adult education night class for customers who are not able to attend during the day. This will be a short term class from February 10 through April 2 at the CEC.  The class will be held Monday through Thursday evenings from 5:00 to 7:30. 

​Teachers will be Leanne Ryan and Georgann Barnett.  Lyndsey McAndrew will be doing the TABE testing and will serve as the point of contact.  Customers interested in attending should contact Lyndsey by phone at 814-781-3437 or by email at lmcandrew@iu9.org.   Customers will need to sign up by February 5 so we can determine if there is enough interest to hold the class.  

The St. Marys High School hosted the annual Elk-Cameron Regional Post Secondary/College Fair on September 25th.  Students from St. Marys, Ridgway, Johnsonburg, ECC and Cameron County schools participated in the event. Several vendors stayed after school for a parent session.  Over 30 vendors such as Colleges, Trade Schools, Military and State Police were on hand to talk to students about post secondary opportunities available to them. Students received information on admissions procedures, costs of attending, financial aid available, housing options, programs offered and much more.  This is an important step for students as they are planning for life after high school.  Students were encouraged to follow up with contacts they made and to attend an upcoming open house at the campuses to learn more. Vendors that attended were pleased with the student turnout and reported that students were “engaged, pleasant and asked great questions”.  This event was coordinated by the Community Education Center's (CEC) DISCOVER Partnership and sponsored in part by The Stackpole-Hall Foundation, Workforce Solutions for North Central PA and The MEE Foundation. Additional upcoming opportunities for students and parents include Financial Aid Night on October 16th at 6:00PM at the St.Marys High School and FAFSA Training on October 22nd at 3:00 and 5:00 at the CEC.  Contact the CEC at 781-3437 for details.

The Community Education Center’s Leadership Elk & Cameron Program welcomed its 12th Class this month. The welcome reception was held at the Fox Township Firemen’s Club & Social Hall in Kersey on September 11th. The event was sponsored, in part, by Northwest Bank. The first monthly session followed on September 12th at the Flying Dove Ranch in Ridgway. The ten month program is aimed at educating its participants in the strengths and weaknesses of Elk and Cameron Counties in order to develop informed, civic oriented volunteers to help direct the future of the region. 
This month’s first session focused on assessing the individual participants’ personality and leadership styles; team building activities; and communication strategies for working with diverse personalities. Terry Hinton, Advising Coordinator for Penn State Dubois led the session. In addition, Jonathan Johnson, Senior Staff Analyst for the Center for Rural PA, provided a presentation on the demographic and economic trends of the region. Six nonprofit agencies also presented their community improvement projects to the participants: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jefferson, Elk and McKean Counties, Boys and Girls Club of St. Marys, Ridgway Animal Haven, St. Marys Heritage Preservation Group, Elk County Council On the Arts, and the Elk County Community Foundation. Lunch was sponsored by Advantage Metal Powders.
The 2018-2019 Leadership Elk & Cameron participants are sponsored by their employers which include: St. Marys Area High School, Northern PA Regional College, Clarion Sintered Metals, Elk County Veterinary Clinic, LEDVANCE, Horizon Technology, Johnsonburg Borough, Cameron County Magisterial District, Johnsonburg Library, Dickinson Center, Assured Testing Services, City of St. Marys, Penn State DuBois, Penn Highlands Elk Community Nurses, Allegheny Coatings, Domtar, Ridgway Main Street Program, and Northwest Bank.
More information about the program can be found at www.communityedcenter.com, or by contacting the CEC at (814) 781-3437.

​You never get a second chance to make a first impression.  But when living in a digital age, how do you know when you’ve made your first impression? Damaging financial decisions, Facebook posts, tweets and Instagram photos can be made before physically meeting your potential employers and colleagues, creating digital and financial stains that never go away.  
 
The DISCOVER Partnership has designed the workshop, “Preparing Your #Selfie for the Real World” to help college students prepare for the physical realities of living in a virtual world.
 
The workshop will be held at the Community Education Center, located at 4 Erie Avenue in St. Marys. The workshop is free and open to incoming college Freshmen to recent college grads living in Cameron and Elk counties. Attendees can choose one of two session dates: Monday, July 23 from 12:00-4:00 (lunch included) or Monday, July 30 from 5:00-9:00 (dinner included).
 
Workshop topics include:
·         Digital Responsibility: How your “digital footprint” can affect employment
·         What not to Wear: Tips on how to prepare for job interviews
·         Financing Your Future: Understanding your financial aid package, college loans and repayment plans.
·         Building Your Professional Network through LinkedIn:  Tips to Polish your resume, understand the art of volunteerism, and Create your own profile
·         Professional Dining Etiquette:  tips to help you mind your manners and make a good impression at your future business meals.
The registration deadline is June 30, 2018 by calling the Community Education Center 814-781-3437 or emailing cec@communityedcenter.com.

Mrs. Leigh Aaron, South St. Marys Street Elementary School Counselor, and the Community Education Center’s DISCOVER Partnership teamed up for the recent “Careers in Communities” Career Day.  Area Business and community members were stationed in the elementary school gymnasium to talk about careers within their company.  Students in grades 3-5 participated and visited with 3 companies to learn what career opportunities exist.  Students completed a career reflection during the event to assist them in making informed choices when selecting a career and setting career goals.  
Those in attendance included Christie Gardner, The Daily Press;  Kristi Wendell, Donna Hottel and Tom Buck, North Central Regional Planning Development; Matt Stoey, Student Services Specialist BC3@ Brockway; Brooke Forsythe, Northwest Bank; Lou Radkowski, Mayor City of St. Marys; Meredith Bon, Hoss’s; Aaron Simbeck, Advanced Computer Solutions; Sherri Lovett & Mark Greenthaner, Elk County Emergency 911 Dispatchers; and Marty Rosenfeld, Elk County Sheriff’s Office.
This event was funded in part by The Stackpole-Hall Foundation and coordinated by the Community Education Center's (CEC) DISCOVER Partnership, a business and education partnership that is aimed at helping students “DISCOVER” what the region has to offer by forming connections between students, local companies and communities.  If your school or company is interested in participating in a similar event, please contact Amy Goode at the CEC (814) 781-3437 or cec@communityedcenter.com.

Cameron County Rotary Club and the Community Education Center’s DISCOVER Partnership teamed up for the recent “Rotary Days Career Cruise”.  Students in 9th grade from Cameron County and Austin High Schools participated.  Students spent the morning networking and touring Embassy Powdered Metals and Cameron County Courthouse learning local career opportunities, employability skills and making connections with community members and potential employers.  Students also made a stop at Andrews Farm for a presentation from Ryan Magaro about his Bee business, which was a great lead into the afternoon program.  Students then joined together at the Fire Hall for an afternoon presentation from Abbi Peters with the PA Wilds.  Abbi’s presentation focused on Entrepreneurship and included a student activity that demonstrated the importance of shopping and spending local.  Her presentation ended with an Entrepreneurship Q&A Panel that included Ryan Magaro from Rich Valley Apiary,  Jim Wendel from Hygrade Inn, and Amanda Jones from Elk River Farms.  The afternoon concluded with a tour at the Hygrade Inn.  Lunch was provided by the Cameron County Rotary Club.
 
This event was funded in part by The Cameron County Rotary Club and Mee Foundation; and coordinated by the Community Education Center's (CEC) DISCOVER Partnership, a business and education partnership that is aimed at helping students “DISCOVER” what the region has to offer by forming connections between students, local companies and communities.  If your school or company is interested in participating in a similar event, please contact Amy Goode at the CEC (814) 781-3437 or cec@communityedcenter.com.