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High School Scribes Encouraged to Enter 37th Annual Poetry Contest
Bucks County high school students in grades 9–12 can submit three poems by March 15 for the chance to win $300 Bucks County Community College, which has been nurturing writers for more than 50 years, calls on creative young people to enter the 37th annual Bucks County High School Poet of the Year contest for the chance to win $300.
Students have until Friday, March 15 to submit three original poems, according to Dr. Ethel Rackin, director of the Bucks County Poet Laureate Program, which runs the Bucks County High School Poet of the Year contest.
The contest is open to freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors who live in Bucks County or attend a Bucks County high school. Home-schooled students may also enter. Previous winners are not eligible.
In addition to the prize money, the winner receives a proclamation from the Bucks County Commissioners, and the opportunity to read at a public reception. Runners-up and finalists in the contest will also be invited to read at the public event.
“Entering the High School Poet of the Year contest may give students a chance to discover and develop a talent they may not have realized they had,” said Rackin, a language and literature professor at the College. In addition, participating in the public poetry reading may help a student stand out in the college search.
“Mentioning the contest, public reading, and anthology on college applications will demonstrate initiative, writing skills, and public speaking experience,” Rackin added. “Clearly, there’s a lot to gain from entering this contest.”
Each participant must submit three original poems with an application form.
The contest will be judged by the current Bucks County Poet Laureate Tara Tamburello and the former poet laureate Tom Mallouk.
To learn more about the Bucks County Poet High School Poet of the Year program, visit the website. For more information, contact Dr. Ethel Rackin at ethel.rackin@bucks.edu.
Bucks Announces Monthly Virtual Paralegal/Legal Studies Information Sessions
The newly re-named Department of Business, Innovation and Legal Studies underscores the College’s commitment to legal education and career preparation. Bucks County Community College Announces Monthly Virtual Paralegal/Legal Studies Information Sessions The newly re-named Department of Business, Innovation and Legal Studies underscores the College’s commitment to legal education and career preparation.
The Business, Innovation and Legal Studies Department at Bucks County Community College is pleased to offer virtual information sessions every month from January through April making it easier for prospective students to learn more about the College’s Paralegal/Legal Studies associate degree and Paralegal certificate programs. These programs prepare students for in-demand careers as paralegals and legal assistants while also providing a pathway to a bachelor’s degree and law school.
The free online information sessions will be held via Zoom on:
Monday, January 22 at 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday, February 20 at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 27 at 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m.
To attend the information sessions, visit the website.
The College’s Paralegal/Legal Studies programs are approved by the American Bar Association and can be completed at the Newtown Campus or the Upper Bucks Campus in Perkasie, Pa. through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous online instruction.
Related programing offered by the Business, Innovation and Legal Studies department includes:
Continuing Legal Education in conjunction with the Bucks County Bar Association
Expungement Clinic in partnership with Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Student Mock Trial
Speakers and events including a trip to the U.S. Supreme Court
Wills for Heros in partnership with Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania
The College recently renamed the Department of Business + Innovation to the Department of Business, Innovation, and Legal Studies with unanimous support from the department faculty, as well as students and Advisory Board members. “The new department name emphasizes Bucks’ commitment to legal education and career preparation while enhancing the clarity of the department’s mission and academic offerings,” said Provost Kelly Kelleway, Ph.D.
The Business, Innovation, and Legal Studies Department at Bucks County Community College offers 23 programs of study that lead to either an associate degree or certificate in Business, Entrepreneurship, Culinary Arts, Hospitality, Fire Science, and Paralegal/Legal Studies. To learn more, visit the Business, Innovation, and Legal Studies Department page or email business@bucks.edu.
Unauthorized Practice of Law
No person shall engage or assist a person who is not a member of the bar in the performance of activities that constitutes the unauthorized practice of law.
Local Artists Invited to Showcase Their Work in Spring “Art in Bloom” Exhibition
Artwork Submissions Due February 7; Exhibition Runs February 12–March 21 at Upper Bucks Campus of Bucks County Community College; Opening Reception February 16 (Perkasie, Pa.) Bucks County Community College is pleased to announce their second art show in the brand-new Fickes Art Gallery in the North Building of the Upper Bucks Campus (1 Hillendale Road, Perkasie, Pa.). The gallery's spring exhibition, “Art in Bloom," is open to all members of the community and promises to captivate visitors with an array of diverse and inspiring works of art from talented local artists.
The College invites artists to showcase their creativity, incorporating the broad theme of spring being a time of new beginnings, rebirth, and revitalization, by submitting their work for consideration by Wednesday, February 7. For a nominal $10.00 fee, each artist can enter up to two pieces of art. Artists of all levels are encouraged to participate and contribute to the rich tapestry of artistic expression.
The exhibition is scheduled to run from February 12 until March 21. The gallery will be open to the public, offering a space for visitors to engage with local art and explore the diverse perspectives presented by the contributing artists. With affordable art in mind for this show, all pieces will be priced at $200 (plus tax).
An Opening Reception will be held on Friday, February 16, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Attendees will enjoy light fare, beverages, and entertainment, not to mention the perfect atmosphere for art appreciation and community networking.
As a testament to its commitment to education and community engagement, the Upper Bucks Campus will designate 25% of the proceeds from the sale of artwork to the Bucks County Community College Foundation in support of student scholarships.
"We were so impressed by the amazing pieces submitted for our gallery opening and initial exhibition and are incredibly excited to see what this tremendous community of artists has in store for this show" said Kevin Murray, Upper Bucks Campus Director.
The Upper Bucks Campus’ Fickes Art Gallery promises to be a dynamic cultural space that will foster artistic growth, community connections, and inspiration for years to come. For further information about the "Art in Bloom" exhibition, submission guidelines, and event details, please contact Kevin Murray at kevin.murray@bucks.edu or 215-258-7752.
Bucks Offers Free Career Training Through Aim & Attain Grant
Thanks to a grant awarded to the Bucks County Department of Workforce and Economic Development (WED), Pennsylvania residents who were previously enrolled in a degree or certificate program and were unable to complete it may be eligible for the Aim & Attain: Near Completer Grant at Bucks County Community College. Provided all eligibility criteria are met, students may complete their degree or certificate at no cost by enrolling at Bucks County Community College. Applications are being accepted through June 30.
To qualify, students must have exited their degree or certificate program with a minimum 2.0 GPA, or higher, after June 1, 2021. They also must enroll in a program that will be completed prior to June 30, 2024, and be interested in seeking employment within 12 months of program completion. The Aim & Attain program is open to unemployed individuals as well as currently employed individuals seeking to enhance their knowledge in their current field or gain skills to transition to a different field.
In addition to free tuition and the opportunity to complete your program of study and obtain your degree or certificate, benefits of the grant-funded program include free books and education supplies, mentorship, tutorial services, technology resources, guidance from a career services specialist as well as job placement resources and assistance for in-demand careers. Additionally, support services including childcare, transportation or internet access reimbursement may be available. The grant funding is provided from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.
The College offers a variety of short-term occupational programs including Dental Assisting, Pharmacy Technician, Building and Construction Trades, Electrical Training, Industrial Maintenance, and fully online Bookkeeping, Education and Information Technology courses.
Interested parties can request more information from Bucks County Community College.
College to Honor Three for Building on King’s Dream
Officials and trustees to hold third annual MLK Leadership Awards Friday, January 26 to honor Community, Corporate, and Humanitarian changemakers. Bucks County Community College, which has been making the dream of higher education a reality for nearly 60 years, will honor three individuals with the third annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Leadership Awards on Friday, January 26.
Tom Jennings, chair of the College’s Board of Trustees, and Associate Vice President Kevin L. Antoine, J.D., will recognize leaders of corporate, humanitarian, and community organizations who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and service to nondiscrimination, regardless of an individual’s station in life.
Jennings says the event serves as a reminder that the work of Dr. King continues for us all.
“We remember Dr. King for his courage, compassion, and unwavering commitment to justice for all,” said Jennings. “We honor three extraordinary citizens who live his values. They are the peacemakers of our time, and they enrich our college and our community by their good example, steadfast spirits and lives of generous service.”
Antoine, the AVP of External Affairs and chief civil rights officer at the College, says the honorees are being recognized for the work they do at the local level to ensure that all residents of Bucks County have an opportunity to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
“The MLK Leadership awardees demonstrate through their life’s work that civility, character, and fairness are unique to American democracy.” said Antoine. “What’s more, this program exemplifies the College’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by reaffirming that there is goodwill in the people of Bucks County, regardless of their station in life.”
This year’s honorees are:
Community Leader – Billie Barnes, Executive Director, Workforce & Economic Development, County of Bucks
Corporate Leader – Bernard Tynes, Chief Experience & Impact Officer, Penn Community Bank
Humanitarian Leader – Erin Lukoss, Executive Director/CEO, Bucks County Opportunity Council
The third annual Bucks County Community College MLK Leadership Awards, featuring live music from the College’s Madrigal Singers and jazz faculty combo, takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, January 26, in the Linksz Pavilion on the Newtown Campus at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa., 18940. The ceremony will be streamed live online starting at 5:30 p.m. on the College’s website. Special thanks to the presenting sponsors, Parx Casino and Penn Community Bank.
“Construction Time Again” Group Art Exhibition at Bucks County Community College
The artists and architects in the exhibition, “Construction Time Again," on view from January 19 - March 8, 2024, in Hicks Art Center Gallery creatively respond to social, cultural, architectural, ecological, and environmental sustainability in urban and rural environments through their projects. Named after the title of the 1983 studio album by Depeche Mode of the same name, the participating artists, and architects in “Construction Time Again” employ diverse materials, subjects and medias to address the impacts of construction and demolition on buildings, lands and people over periods of time in numerous locales. As the lyrics of Depeche Mode’s song, “The Landscape Is Changing” decry, “Now we’re re- arranging, There’s no use denying, Mountains and valleys, can’t you hear them sighing,” the objects and works in the exhibition challenge us to evaluate our collective responses and responsibilities to outcomes of our presence on Earth and to seek new ways of sustainable resourcefulness.
As a basis to the exhibition, seeing through filters of air, water and traceries of building sites is vital to interpreting what is constantly changing in the environments that surround us. But what are the nuances of perspective when atmosphere, distance and other phenomena are constantly mediating our vision both indoors and outside? Gwen Kerber’s floor installation serves as a launchpad to visualize how we perceive not only the natural world, but also built environments. Using grids, color and vantage, Kerber’s “Wading; Field of Vision Looking Down at a 45 Degree Angle from About Two Feet Away” brings us closer to our bodies’ limits, depths, and confines.
Arden Bendler Browning’s AR video/painting works collide gestural, seemingly abstract paintings with buildings and landscapes that take the viewer on mesmerizing journeys through moving colors overlayed on and woven through familiar and wild sites. Like Kerber, Bendler Browning uses vision and sight as tools to convince us that the act of observing is imperative to comprehending movements of our surroundings that could be life-threatening or affirming.
With Kerber’s and Bendler Browning’s works addressing the tasks of perception acknowledging change, Diane Burko’s diptych, “Deforestation 1 and Deforestation 2” confronts the fact of the Amazon’s rapidly diminishing natural filter that prolongs life on earth head on. With the encircled word “DEFORESTATION” on one fiery panel hung next to another depicting a cropped map of South America with the Amazon outlined in the same white as the circle on the opposite panel, the viewer has no escape from being implicated as holding great responsibility to environmental cataclysm through the proliferation of fossil fuels and corporate greed.
Borrowed from the Museum for Art in Wood, Jean-François Delorme’s mixed media sculpture “Broken” is the artist’s personal narrative of his body suffering a fall and a material also breaking apart but still maintaining perfection. In the exhibition context, the upturned crutches and breaking sphere represent the Earth being barely held up in space while breaking apart—a macabre warning.
Around 358,500 accidental fires in urban areas occur every year. The aftermath is not always documented or publicized. After a fire destroyed property that her father owns, Deborah Riccardi’s family banded together to fight the local government that surreptitiously issued eminent domain over the valuable building and land in Ambler. Deborah and her sister photographed her father in the devasted buildings along with the surrounding property and some of the images are on view in the exhibition. The Riccardi’s meticulously sorted the debris and recycled as much as they possibly could, reducing the environmental impact on not only the immediate vicinity but in the local landfill.
Architects are essential to make new and renovated buildings environmentally sustainable while using building materials that do not add as much greenhouse gas emissions or use an overabundance of water such as the production of concrete. One highly revered architectural firm that believes in designing buildings that are not only beautifully designed for public interaction but also demonstrations of sustainability is Frederick Fisher and Partners. Videos and printed plans documenting several of their exemplary projects such as the renovation and rebuilding of the Santa Monica City Hall and the rehabilitation of Guyot Hall at Princeton University are featured in the exhibition.
As discreet objects, Soo Kim’s sliced and cut image constructions simultaneously obliterate and piece together land and cityscapes that conflate what we imagine to be real or built through our memory and historical events. In “Construction Time Again,” Kim’s works call attention to the Western influence of the master planned city of Chandigarh by Le Corbusier onto a newly post-colonial society striving to remain independent.
Another artist in the exhibition addressing architecture, however from a more localized sociological and historical lens, is Nicolo Gentile. Parts of his sculptures were fabricated using melted down metals from a building, now demolished, that once housed the 12th Street Gym in Philadelphia, which was vital to the gay community as a hub promoting health and well-being. Now, Gentile’s sculptures are almost all that is left as physical memories of an important community gathering spot.
Depletion of natural resources is one of the central themes in Kristen Neville Taylor’s recent body of work “End of Days.” With personal ties to glass production and installation, her father worked as a glazier, Taylor’s pate de verre’s, videos, and sculptures reveal myths and lore around the evolution of the sand mines of the New Jersey Pine Barrens that are mostly vanished except for massive lakes of blue water that appear to be natural.
The Bucks County Historic Association’s Mercer Museum generously allowed Hicks Art Center Gallery to borrow two objects that were once used to pump and to channel water: one from the earth and one from a barrel. From a curatorial perspective, it is important to include such objects in an exhibition such as this to historicize the industrialization of the extraction of natural resources, especially water.
While all the artists, architects and museum as well as their objects and projects in “Construction Time Again” are very different in appearance, each are examples showing us what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen to our environment in a collective effort to help all to see how we can keep our Earth a place that is habitable for many generations to come—not just a few.
All are welcome to the opening reception on Wednesday, January 24 from 4:30 – 7 p.m. at the Hicks Art Center Gallery on Bucks County Community College’s Newtown Campus (275 Swamp Road, Newtown, PA 18940).
Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturdays from noon – 4 p.m.
For more information, please visit the Hicks Art Center Gallery website and follow on Instagram @bcccartscomm.
Image credit:Kristen Neville Taylor“End-of-Days and Workers Wake Up” installation viewpate de verre (cast glass)2022
