CMC Cross Country Team makes history

September 6, 2019 By cmctestgenesis

Colorado Mountain College’s first sanctioned cross country running team members are from left, Chris Rohlf, Tyrone Chavez, Connor McDermott, Caleb Neel, Jack Setser and Jason Macaluso. Photo Phil Dunn

CMC Cross Country Team makes history

Aug. 31, Colorado Mountain College Leadville hosted the 10,000 Foot Invite, officially introducing the college’s new cross country running team. The meet signified the first time CMC has ever had a sanctioned cross country team, which means it can now compete as part of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

The CMC Cross Country Team at their season opener. CMC’s racers all ran their fastest times for an 8K at altitude. Photo Phil Dunn

“I saw a lot of positive things today,” said Coach Darren Brungardt of the all-freshmen team, who competed against a cross country team from Colorado College. “These six men are trailblazers for the future of this team.”

Brungardt recruited five runners from high schools in Colorado, and one runner from Kansas.

“This is the highest collegiate cross country race in the galaxy,” Brungardt said, grinning, of the 10,000 Foot Invite. “Each man is dealing with our altitude in different ways. It is not easy, but they are a group that knew that this was going to be a challenge and are persevering.’

CMC’s Jason Macaluso graduated last June from Battle Mountain High School. He clocked the fastest time among CMC racers in the men’s 8K at Saturday’s 10,000-ft. Invite.

With a time of 32:22, the CMC freshman vied for top spots with two Colorado College seniors who came in at 29:41 and 30:29, respectively.

“Jason hung with runners that are, at sea level, 25:00 8K racers,” said Brungardt.

Brungardt said that all of CMC’s runners ran their fastest time for an 8K at altitude.

“We have been primarily working on being fast on our course,” Brungardt said following the race. “Now that we are done with the most challenging cross country meet of the season, we can focus on speed.

Jason Macaluso comes in with a strong finish for Colorado Mountain College at the 10,000 Foot Invite at CMC Leadville Aug. 31. Photo Phil Dunn

“I am so proud of each guy,” said Brungardt. “These men made history today as the first ever collegiate cross country team to race for the Eagles.”

Team members are Tyrone Chavez, Gilcrest Valley High School; Jason Macaluso, Battle Mountain High School; Connor McDermott, Elizabeth High School; Caleb Neel, Green Mountain High School; Chris Rohlf, Summit High School; and Jack Setser, Wichita North High School.

The team’s next meet is the Joe I. Vigil Open in Alamosa on Sept. 7. See the CMC Cross Country Team for more information.

Ski Ops Grad Lands Job at Hometown Mountain

September 3, 2019 By cmctestgenesis

Ski Area Ops graduate Dallas Zamora in the CMC leadville backyard terrain park

Ski Ops Grad Lands Job at Hometown Mountain

Returning to His Roots: Ski Ops Grad Lands Job at Hometown Mountain

DallasZamora SAO graduiate cmc leadville ski area operations professors

Retired Ski Area Operations Professor Paul “Bear” Rauschke (left), CMC graduate Dallas Zamora, and Professor Jason Gusaas at the Colorado Mountain College Leadville graduation ceremony

Dallas Zamora is returning to the mountains he grew up on, and bringing his career with him. Thanks to his degree in Ski Area Operations and three years of professional experience on his resume, Dallas landed a job as a Terrain Park Cat Operator at Powder Mountain in Eden, Utah—just 40 minutes from his hometown.

In 2019, Dallas graduated from Colorado Mountain College Leadville with his Associates Degree in Ski Area Operations and two certificates in Slope and Trail Maintenance. Thanks to the curriculum requirements and hands-on nature of the Ski Area Ops program, Dallas had accrued three years of work experience in Colorado before graduating.

“While I was living in Colorado and going to school, I worked park crew for Vail Resorts,” says Dallas, originally from Layton, UT, “I was hand crew so basically I was putting the finishing touches on all the features.”

While in school, Ski Area Ops students are required to get a job in their field for at least a full semester. The real-world experience jump starts their ski industry career – boosting their resume with relevant experience while getting paid and earning college credit. Dallas worked for Vail Resorts for more than three years, before deciding to take his passion back home to the mountains he grew up on.

As a natural hands-on learner, it’s no surprise that Terrain Parks and Snow Vehicle Maintenance were two of Dallas’ favorite classes. Small class sizes and close connections with instructors also contributed to his success at CMC. Professors became friends, extending their professional network and opening new opportunities at resorts around the world.

“I took advantage of every resource and networking opportunity while going to school at CMC,” says Dallas, “I asked if my instructors had any connections to Powder Mountain and they helped me get my foot in the door. Thanks to those connections, this winter I will be setting features and building terrain parks at Powder Mountain.”

Though Dallas will be returning to Utah, he shares fond memories of his time at Colorado Mountain College Leadville.

“I loved living on campus,” says Dallas, “It was so much fun having your brand new friends all in the same building. Getting to ride in the backyard park, hit the climbing wall or play pool whenever you wanted. It was definitely a really fun experience.”

Ski Area Ops graduate Dallas Zamora in the Leadville backyard terrain park

Sopris Theatre Company Brings Home National Awards

August 14, 2019 By cmctestgenesis

From left, front row, Brad Moore, Kelly Ketzenbarger, Brittany Bays, Brittany McDermott and Jesse Monsalve; middle row, Brendan Cochran, Shannon Kittelsen and Evan Piccolo; and back row, Gary Ketzenbarger, Hadley Hiebert, Mike Monroney and Kris Shechter recently returned from the national American Association of Community Theatre Festival, where they ranked among the top community theater companies in the United States. Photo Lucas Turner

Sopris Theatre Company Brings Home National Awards

Sopris Theatre Company at Colorado Mountain College recently went on the road to discover that they are producing some of the best community theater in the country right here, for Roaring Fork Valley audiences.

The company returned in June from AACTFest 2019, the biannual American Association of Community Theatre competition, held this year in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. At this national festival they performed Sharr White’s one-act drama “The Other Place,” alongside 11 other top community theater companies from the across the United States and the U.S. military overseas.

“It was a terrific festival with many amazing companies,” said Brad Moore, CMC Spring Valley theater operations manager.

Among strong competition, Sopris Theatre Company was one of four companies nominated for Overall Outstanding Production. Additionally, two cast members also earned awards. Festival judges awarded Brittany Bays with Outstanding Achievement in a Supporting Role. Kelly Ketzenbarger received a National Award of Excellence for Acting.

Sopris Theatre’s cast and crew also received a National Award of Excellence for Outstanding Theatrical Moment for the final scene of “The Other Place.”

“We are very proud of our awards and to have ranked in the top few for outstanding overall production,” said Moore.

Long road to ‘The Other Place’

Sopris Theatre Company first performed “The Other Place” last summer at the Colorado Theatre Festival held in Salida. There they took first place show, three outstanding achievement awards and one excellence award.

Sopris Theatre Company’s strong performance in Salida allowed them to compete at the AACTFest 2019 in Gettysburg, joining award-winning companies from 10 regions throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Last fall, the company performed “The Other Place” at CMC Spring Valley, in the same format as when presenting the play for theatrical competition. And last winter the cast and crew presented the play at the Wheeler Opera House.

Both the Colorado Theatre Festival and AACTFest competitions judge every aspect of a performance, from acting to set design. Within a strict time frame, competing theater companies must set up their stage in front of the judges and audience, perform the production and strike the set – and all while being intensely critiqued.

Sopris Theatre former and current members

Current and former Sopris Theatre Company members received recognition at the 2019 Colorado Theatre Festival in Glenwood Springs in June. Photo Brad Moore

Sopris Theatre cast, crew, alumni score at home

Once the company returned home, both current and former Sopris Theatre Company members placed well at the 2019 Colorado Theatre Festival, held this year in Glenwood Springs June 27-30. Sopris Theatre Company won another round of dramatic arts honors for “Amateurs,” the company’s new production.

Current Sopris Theatre Company members JD Miller received Outstanding Achievement in Acting and Ciara Morrison earned Outstanding Achievement in Set Design for “Amateurs.”

Former Sopris Theatre Company members who are now with the Magic Circle Players in Montrose also received awards for their production of “Sylvia.” Jaime Walsh and Chris Walsh both received Excellence in Theatre for Acting awards, and the Magic Circle Players won the Excellence in Theatre for Ensemble Costuming and the People’s Choice award. All four of these award winners are recent theater graduates of Colorado Mountain College.

Sopris Theatre Company also won the Techtinabulation award, a word not found in the dictionary but one that Moore describes as a high compliment.

“I am proud of this award as it is awarded by the festival stage manager at her discretion to a theater for which the company, and most significantly the crew, demonstrates the true spirit of cooperation and a sense of knowing their craft,” Moore explained. “In other words, a joy to have in the festival.”

Sopris Theatre Company will open its 2019-20 season Oct. 18-27 with “Hope and Gravity” by Michael Hollinger. Directed by Brad Moore, it’s a comic and tragic play about how lives are affected after an elevator crashes in a major city. For information, including season tickets and more, contact Moore at 970-947-8187 or bmoore@coloradomtn.edu.

A New Class of Nurses in Steamboat Springs

August 14, 2019 By cmctestgenesis

Beginning spring semester 2020, Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs will offer associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing, joining CMC campuses in Breckenridge and Spring Valley, above, that offer nursing education. Photo Ed Kosmicki

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – For those who want to enter the field of nursing, or professional registered nurses who want to earn a bachelor’s degree but don’t want to leave home, Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs has good news. Starting with spring semester in January 2020, the campus will offer nursing degrees.

Associate of Applied Science and Bachelor of Science in nursing degrees will join over 60 other certificate and degree programs currently available at CMC Steamboat Springs. Both programs are state and nationally approved and accredited, and in-district tuition rates are among the most affordable in Colorado.

The Associate of Applied Science degree in nursing qualifies graduates to apply for the National Council Licensure Examination. From there, professional nurses may choose to enroll in CMC’s RN to BSN program, which provides graduates with an expanded knowledge base in nursing theory, research and leadership practice. In 2018, all bachelor’s graduates in the college’s RN to BSN program found employment after graduation.

Associate degree offered on campus, bachelor’s offered online

According to Kathy Kiser-Miller, CMC Steamboat Springs vice president and campus dean, interest is high for professional nursing education both locally and throughout the college’s district. The college currently offers both nursing degrees at its campuses in Breckenridge and Spring Valley near Glenwood Springs. The Steamboat Springs campus will be the third campus to offer nursing.

In Steamboat Springs, the associate degree will be offered live, on campus. The bachelor’s degree will be offered online, with onsite nursing faculty assigned to each student to track progress and provide additional instruction.

“Demand in the community and college-wide has been more than we can accommodate,” said Kiser-Miller. “We have over 200 applicants for nursing with only 40 slots available. Steamboat will start by adding 20 new slots this January.”

The college recently hired Susan Moreland, Ph.D., as the college-wide dean of the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Public Safety. Betty Damask-Bembenek, Ed.D., is the associate dean of nursing and is the chief nurse administrator for CMC’s nursing programs. The Steamboat Springs campus is also hiring two nursing faculty.

“CMC’s nursing program is ranked third in the state out of 23 nursing programs,” said Kiser-Miller. “Our program is competitive – and affordable.”

How to apply

Those who have not attended Colorado Mountain College must first apply to the college. Current or former CMC students applying for acceptance into the associate degree in nursing program can apply directly to the college’s associate in nursing program. AAS applications for the 2020 spring semester are due by Oct. 15.

Prospective BSN students who have attended CMC must have previously completed an AAS degree in nursing. BSN applications for the 2020 spring semester are due by Nov. 15.

For more information about CMC Steamboat Springs’ nursing degrees, the college will hold three information sessions (see breakout box). Contact Damask-Bembenek at 970-947-8257, 970-947-8251 or bbembenek@coloradomtn.edu, or visit https://coloradomtn.edu/programs/nursing/.

Nursing information sessions in Steamboat Springs

Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs will hold several information sessions about the college’s nursing program and application process:

Aug. 28

Sept. 11

Oct. 2

Associate degree sessions: 3:30 p.m.

Bachelor’s degree sessions: 4:30 p.m.

Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs Campus Library

1330 Bob Adams Drive

Third floor, Bristol Hall

Steamboat Springs

For more information, contact Betty Damask-Bembenek at 970-947-8257, 970-947-8251 or bbembenek@coloradomtn.edu.

CMC grad finds calling in health care

May 6, 2019 By cmctestgenesis

Jesus Salgado with his mom Emilia Delgadillo at the nursing graduation ceremony at Spring Valley. Photo Ed Kosmicki

CMC Grad Finds Calling in Health Care

By Donna Gray

Jesus Salgado collected a second associate degree from Colorado Mountain College this week, in nursing, adding to the Associate of Science in biology he earned in 2017.

Salgado was among more than 1,000 students receiving degrees and certificates from Colorado Mountain College this week, at 10 different graduation ceremonies held throughout the CMC district. The nursing pinning ceremony was on the morning of May 4, at Spring Valley.

During the second of Salgado’s two years in the college’s well-respected nursing program, he worked at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs as a care technician, helping nurses care for patients in the acute care department. There he discovered a great passion for nursing.

“He’s friendly, personable, authentic and such a great team worker,” said Dawn Sculco, administrative director of inpatient services at Valley View Hospital. “Everybody loves him. It’s a great day when Jesus is on.”

Salgado grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico, and moved from “a harsh life, very violent,” he said, when he was 12 years old. He graduated in 2012 from Coal Ridge High School in Silt. Although he had always intended to go on to college, he did not have legal residency in the United States. But he applied for and was accepted into the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. The federal program allows qualified undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors to receive a renewable two-year exemption from deportation and eligibility for a work permit. For Salgado, it allowed him to stay in the U.S., to study and work.

His plan now is to earn a bachelor’s degree from CMC, and then go on to earn a master’s, or doctorate degree – or he may apply to medical school. At this point in his career, Salgado is delighted to be in nursing.

“I have found a love for nursing. I get to help people and care for them,” he said.

“I’m impressed with his strong work ethic, his striving for improvement and desire to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Betty Damask-Bembenek, acting dean of the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Public Safety at CMC. “He’s very caring and compassionate.”

Salgado believes he owes his present success to the quality of education and outstanding support he’s received at CMC. “I’m truly grateful for that,” he said. “I would not change anything. Every teacher has been great and worked with me very closely.”

He especially appreciates having access to many campuses in the area. “While working full time, if I couldn’t get one class at a certain time or day, I went to another campus.

“It was great to have that flexibility to line up classes on my days off.”

And, he said, working with different professors in different fields gave him a broader education.

“I felt so welcome,” he said. “Every opportunity and privilege I received I’m grateful for. I’ve found love and passion for a career, and have been able to fulfill a calling through CMC.”

Sustainability in everything she does

May 6, 2019 By cmctestgenesis

From left, Julia Farwell, Kevin Hillmer-Pegram, sustainability studies professor, and Heather Exby, CMC Spring Valley campus dean and vice president at the Spring Valley bachelor’s graduation. Farwell was named outstanding bachelor’s graduate during the ceremony. Photo Ed Kosmicki

Sustainability in Everything She Does

By Mike McKibbin

SPRING VALLEY — When it comes to sustainability, there may not be another Colorado Mountain College student who has done more to make a difference than Julia Farwell. Her five-year journey ended with a Bachelor of Arts in sustainability studies at Saturday’s commencement ceremony at the Spring Valley campus.

More than 1,000 graduates are receiving degrees and certificates from Colorado Mountain College May 2-6, at 10 different graduation ceremonies held throughout the CMC district. Graduates from Aspen to Glenwood Springs could choose to participate in ceremonies at the college’s Spring Valley campus.

After growing up in Danville, Illinois, about 120 miles south of Chicago, Farwell earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Illinois and moved to Carbondale in 1996. For 16 years, she worked in the area’s hospitality industry, including management.

“I decided I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life,” she said, so in 2012 she worked for Osage Gardens and took a sustainable agriculture class at Sustainable Settings. It was at Sustainable Settings where she met CMC sustainability students and Adrian Fielder, then instructional chair of sustainability studies and director of the college’s Lappala Center in Carbondale.

Those experiences piqued her interest in the field of sustainability and two years later she took her first class in the program: Leadership, Ethics and Social Responsibility.

“I was hooked,” she said.

Another factor that pushed her toward sustainability was growing up playing in the woods in her backyard in Danville.

“My mom instilled a respect for nature in me,” Farwell said. Farwell originally wanted to get a certificate in sustainability from CMC, but her counselor urged her to seek a bachelor’s degree.“So I took one to three classes a semester,” she said. “That’s why it took as long as it did. But it was really rewarding. CMC staff and faculty are really caring; they are passionate about helping students with whatever it is they need to be able to succeed.

Farwell had an internship at EverGreen ZeroWaste and joined the Carbondale Environmental Board. She initiated several sustainability efforts for the Town of Carbondale including expanding waste diversion options at annual waste-disposal days and helped the town adopt an Ecological Bill of Rights. And she also brought source-separated glass recycling to South Canyon’s recycling facility.

She volunteered for numerous activities that helped to change how the Spring Valley campus embraces sustainable practices. Farwell organized zero-waste events at CMC, convinced staff to install healthy food vending machines, and helped establish composting at the Spring Valley and Glenwood Springs campuses. That led to similar changes at Morgridge Commons in downtown Glenwood Springs. Those changes helped the college divert the waste it sends to landfills.

In naming Farwell this year’s Outstanding Bachelor’s Student at the Spring Valley campus, program staff have noted that she “embodies sustainability in everything she does.”Along with her classes, Farwell has worked part-time since 2017 for the City of Aspen’s Environmental Health and Sustainability Department. Her boss is Liz O’Connell Chapman, also an adjunct faculty member in the college’s sustainability studies program.

With her degree, Farwell said she has future plans to spend a year with the AmeriCorps program and seek her master’s degree in communication.

“I want to combine communication with sustainability so I can engage diverse groups of people with sustainable initiatives more effectively,” Farwell said. She has already signed up for some communication and new media classes for fall semester.

Farwell praised O’Connell Chapman, as well as Johann Aberger, associate professor of outdoor education, and Adrian Fielder, now Spring Valley assistant dean of instruction, for helping guide and motivate her toward completing her degree. She also praised Kevin Hillmer-Pegram, Spring Valley’s full-time sustainability professor, for his efforts in making “real life” projects part of his courses.

“The program is very experiential, very hands-on, so you don’t have to wait until you graduate before you put what you learn to use,” Farwell said. “The small classes and the student interaction were great, too. I’ve really enjoyed this journey. It’s been such a joy.”