Campuses in the home stretch as deadline nears for Osher Scholarship Fund

June5, 2011 (El Cajon) – After several years as a stay-at-home mom with three young children, Vicki Watkins faced the prospect of going back to work after a marital split. She struggled at first to make ends meet with a near-minimum-wage job as a retail clerk, and then decided with some trepidation to return to school. At Cuyamaca College, she found the support she needed – an on-campus job and financial aid, including a $1,000 Osher scholarship, made possible by donations and matching dollars from the Bernard Osher Foundation.

Evelynn 6, Jordan 7, Cainaan 12
with mom Vicki

May 10, 2011 (El Cajon) – As construction funded by a 2002 bond measure nears an end, East County applicants are being sought for four upcoming vacancies on the citizens’ committee responsible for ensuring that money from the $207 million bond for projects at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges is spent as promised.

April 26, 2011 (San Diego)--A jazz concert benefiting the Grossmont College Music Dept. Scholarship Fund will be held starting at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 2, at Humphrey’s By the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Dr. on Shelter Island.

Performers include the college's music department instructors Derek Cannon, Paul Kurokawa, Steve Baker, Ken Ard, Fred Benedetti, Manny Cepeda, Doug Booth, Justin Grinnel, Melonie Grinnel and Chris Kilch. Alumni will also perform, including Jose Molina Serrano on guitar and Tom Stillman on drums. Serrano has played with some of the recording industry’s top names, including Bo Diddley, The Olympics, Thelma Houston, Joe Tex, Ike and Tina Turner, Red Bone, Spiral Staircase and Carlos Santana. 

April 16, 2011 (El Cajon)--A female student claims that she was sexually assaulted by a stranger while entering her vehicle in a parking lot at Grossmont College on Tuesday evening, April 12 around 9:45 p.m.

March 25, 2011 (El Cajon)--Grossmont College is soliciting assistance from the public for photos of campus activities from the 1990s for inclusion in its 50th anniversary commemorative book. The soon-to-be-published book will highlight the college’s history since it opened in 1961, and more photos are needed from the 1990s, college officials said.

Photos can be placed on flash drives or CDs or sent to the college via e-mail by Tuesday, March 29.

March 25, 2011 (La Mesa) La Mesa Police Department today arrested Domingos Oliveira, 50, of Spring Valley for soliciting the murder of his 19 year-old daughter’s boyfriend. Police were notified by the suspect’s daughter and boyfriend, after several posters had been placed on the campus of Grossmont College within the past two weeks.

By Alexander Nguyen

“Hamlet” is now playing at the Grossmont Stagehouse Theatre at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 16 through Thursday March 19. Matinee is on March 19 at 2 p.m.

March 14, 2011 (El Cajon)--Hamlet is the most revered and hated of Shakespeare’s plays, at least from an actor’s perspective. It is a role that has both made and broken careers. Even the noted Shakespearean actor Laurence Olivier once admitted to flaws in his earliest attempt at portraying Hamlet. There’s even a play titled “I hate Hamlet” by Paul Rudnick. The plot of Hamlet deals with emotions ranging from overwhelming grief to seething rage, from treachery to incest, from revenge to moral corruption. It is a leviathan task to take on, for sure. With that baggage in mind, the students at Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department did a commendable job.

March 3, 2011 (El Cajon)--The Grossmont College Art Council presents its annual fundraising Exhibition and Auction next week. The Hyde Gallery on campus will exhibit works of 18 established artists representing a variety of disciplines.

Editor's Note - February 22, 2011: location has changed to Faith Chapel Church of God in Christ, 4999 Holly Drive, San Diego, near Lincoln High School.

February 18, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- The Grossmont College Music Department‘s Grossmont College Gospel Choir and Grossmont College Master Chorale will celebrate Black History Month with two performances of gospel music.

February 12, 2011 (El Cajon)--Grossmont College seeks former students, faculty and staff members who met their spouses at the campus. Couples who respond to college officials will be invited to a free pre-Valentine’s Day reception next year on Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 at the El Cajon community college.

The event will be one of several that the college is planning as part of its year-long 50-year anniversary celebration from June 2011 to June 2012. The reception will feature live music--including love songs from the past five decades.

“To be, or not to be; that is the question.”--Hamlet

February 7, 2011 (El Cajon) – The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department will present Hamlet by William Shakespeare, directed by Jeannette Thomas.

Murder. Betrayal. Lust. Adultery. Those are among the themes in what many critics consider Shakespeare’s most profound play, which will be presented in the Stagehouse Theatre March 10-12 and March 16-19 at 7:30 p.m., as well as on March 12 and 19 at 2 p.m.

January 26, 2011 (El Cajon)--The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department will present “Inside the Actor’s Process: Improvisation,” a performance of student actors using improvisational skills, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 4 and 5, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5.

Through presentations of scenes and monologues, the show will demonstrate how student actors can develop such improvisational skills as timing, team work and listening.

January 24, 2011 (El Cajon)--The Grossmont College Hyde Art Gallery, located on Grossmont College’s campus in El Cajon, is presenting an exhibit of 24 wall panels featuring natural materials that display rain patterns that fell on campus during the 2009-2010 rainy season. The exhibit, called “Rain Events and Related Investigations", was created by Grossmont College art faculty member Jim Wilsterman. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, runs from January 24-February 24.

Story and photos by Ron Logan

January 2, 2010 (El Cajon)-- Cypress College defeated Mt. San Jacinto College to win the Grossmont College 23rd Annual Holiday Tournament for women's basketball held on the Grossmont campus in El Cajon December 28 - 30. The Grossmont Griffins finished in fourth place.

December 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Howie Hawver, former soccer coach at Grossmont College and Patrick Henry High School, died December 5th following a two-year battle with Amyotrphic Lateral Schlerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, December 27th at St. Andrew’s, 8350 Lake Murray Blvd.

December 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Howie Hawver, former soccer coach at Grossmont College and Patrick Henry High School, died December 5th following a two-year battle with Amyotrphic Lateral Schlerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, December 27th at St. Andrew’s, 8350 Lake Murray Blvd.

December 20, 2010 (El Cajon) -- The Grossmont College Lady Griffs women’s basketball team will host its 23rd annual Grossmont College Holiday Tournament, Tuesday through Thursday, Dec. 28-30, at Grossmont College in El Cajon. The public is invited to attend.

November 29, 2010 (El Cajon)--Grossmont College Music Department will present “Jazz Night,” an evening of Grossmont College students performing a recital of various styles of jazz music, starting at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5, in Room 220 on the Grossmont College campus. The public is invited to attend. Also performing at the event will be Grossmont College Music Dept. co-chair Derek Cannon and Kamau Kenyatta of the Cannon/Kenyatta Project.

Former Miramar College administrator will head counseling, enrollment services

November 10, 2010 (El Cajon)-- Outside of her professional career in higher education, Wendy Stewart is a self-taught songwriter and musician who dreams of turning on the radio one day to hear one of her pieces being performed by a famous recording artist.

November 5, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department will present Time Flies and Other Short Plays by David Ives, directed by Beth Duggan. Performances will be in the Stagehouse Theatre on December 2-4 and 8-11 at 7:30 p.m. as well as matinees on December 4 and 11 at 2 p.m.

A press release issued by Grossmont states, “Don’t miss this collection of witty and wildly original one-acts teeming with hilarious characters pondering life’s metaphysical questions."

November 4, 2010 (El Cajon) – Henri Migala, former executive dean at Cuyamaca College, has accepted a new post. Migala has relocated at Grossmont College, where he is working under the chancellor to manage grants for the department.

October 12, 2010 (El Cajon) – Kerry Kilber has been named dean of learning resources and technology at Grossmont College. Kilber comes to the district from the University of San Diego, where she served as the director of a web-based master’s degree program in supply chain management in the college of business administration.

Over 7,000 East County Students & Parents Expected to Attend Largest Career/College Fair in San Diego County

October 8, 2010 (El Cajon) The Grossmont Union High School District will host its seventh annual “Got Plans?” Career & College Fair for 9 - 12th grade students and parents on Wednesday, October 20, 2010, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Cuyamaca College.

October 8, 2010 (El Cajon) -- The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department will present Tin, written and directed by Jerry Hager, October 22 & 23 at 7:30 p.m. and October 23 at 2:00 p.m. in the Stagehouse Theatre. All tickets for this event are $6 each. The story, Tin, is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story The Steadfast Tin Soldier, an adventurous tale in which toys come to life in the shadows of night.

October 16, 2010 (San Diego's East County) -- The Grossmont College Foundation, a fund-raising organization that supports Grossmont College students and educational programs, will host its 2010 Dinner Gala and Auction fund-raiser starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16, at the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. The public is invited to attend.

Festivities for this year’s ninth annual Gala will begin at 6 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, followed by dinner starting at 7:30 p.m., live auction and live entertainment. The 2010 theme is “Griffin Gold Rush: 49 Years of Excellence.”

October 5, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Artwork created by faculty members of the Grossmont College Art Department will be on display through Oct. 28 at the Hyde Art Gallery, located on campus. The public is invited to view the exhibition of approximately 55 pieces from 29 different art department instructors.

October 2, 2010 (El Cajon) -- The Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department will present The Miser, directed by Henry J. Jordan, Oct 7-9 and 13-16 at 7:30 pm and Oct 9 and 16 at 2:00 pm in the Stagehouse Theatre.  

The Miser, written by the famed French playwright Molière, stands out as one of the great comic masterpieces. Harpagon, a miserly father, creates the ultimate dysfunctional family when he decides to marry his son’s girlfriend, wreaking havoc with his daughter and her beau, all leading to a revelation which unveils the Miser’s true nature.

September 13, 2010 (El Cajon) -- The Grossmont College Adult Reentry Program will host “Who Foots The Bill,” a free informational meeting for adults interested in returning to school to reenter the workforce, learn a new career, earn a college diploma or upgrade skills for a job promotion. The event is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Speakers include financial experts offering advice on estimating and planning for college expenses, along with information on admission procedures, transfer programs and financial aid.

September 9, 2010 (El Cajon)--The Grossmont College Guitar Guild will present “Odeum Guitar Duo,” a fund-raising performance for the Guitar Guild by two Grossmont College guitar instructors Fred Benedetti and Robert Wetzel, starting at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17, at the College’s recital hall, room 220.

August 30, 2010 (El Cajon -- Hyde Art Gallery, located on Grossmont College’s campus in El Cajon, is presenting  through September 16 an exhibit of 31 paintings from three different artists: Wade Cline and William Glen Crooks, both of San Diego and Suong Yangchareon of Los Angeles. The paintings feature local landmarks and sights, including famous traffic intersections and waterfront scenes from San Diego, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Pasadena, San Francisco and New Mexico.