News from Your Community College

CCC-Hastings to Offer Dog Obedience Class (Hastings, Neb.) - A dog obedience class will be offered from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays from March 25 through May 27 at the Imperial Mall in Hastings. The class is sponsored by Central Community College-Hastings. Participants will learn how to teach their dogs to heel; walk; sit, lie down and stand and stay; recall and finish; automatically sit when stopped; and other basics. Dogs must be at least six months old. Owners must provide verification of shots and a signed health form signed by their veterinarian and complete a Dog Owner’s Liability Agreement. Class size is limited so preregistration is required to reserve a space. The cost is $59. For more information or to preregister, contact Hastings Community Education Coordinator Susan Rinker at (402) 461-2431; toll-free at 1-877-222-0780, ext. 2431; or by e-mail at srinker@cccneb.edu. Middle, High School Students to Compete in Robotic Competition (Hastings, Neb.) - Fifty to 75 middle and high school students will be competing in the first-ever Robotics Academy Competition March 10 in the Dawson Building Gym at Central Community College-Hastings. The competitors will use VEX robots to test their skills. In "The Cone Game," they’ll try to get as many tennis balls as possible into the top of a cone-shaped dome. The "Clean Sweep" challenge involves a 12-by-12 playing field that is divided in half. The two teams earn points by knocking and/or pushing round balls and football-shaped objects onto their opponents’ side. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with competition from 9 a.m. to noon. Lunch and a 1 p.m. awards ceremony will conclude the day. Participating schools are Aurora High School, Doniphan-Trumbull High School, Grand Island Northwest High School, Hastings Middle School, Holdrege High School, Kenesaw High School and Superior High School. Teachers from these schools completed their training on the VEX robots in January. The robots are designed to offer students an exciting way to learn about science, technology, engineering and math careers. Funding for the academy is being provided by a Community-Based Job Training Grant titled "Molding Careers to Learn, Earn and Live" to promote advanced manufacturing careers. Minden Class to Focus on Using Facebook in Business (Holdrege, Neb.) - Central Community College-Holdrege will offer a class, "Using Facebook to Enhance Your Business," from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 23 at Brewer’s Coffee House in Minden. Once thought of as a college version of MySpace, Facebook has become the most popular social networking Web site. Students will learn how to tap into the power of this networking giant to reach new customers, connect with target demographics, and keep their business at the forefront of Facebook users’ minds. They also will learn how to build a page for their business, recruit fans and advertise. Class size is limited so preregistration is required to reserve a space. The cost is $22. For more information or to preregister, contact Diana Watson at CCC-Holdrege at (308) 995-8133; toll-free at 1-877-222-0780, option 6; or by e-mail at dwatson@cccneb.edu.