Associated Students of Rio Hondo College is seeking donations of 150 toys for area children through Thursday, Dec. 10. Donors may drop off unwrapped toys at a bin at the Rio Hondo College Student Union, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. Gifts for boys and girls ages 9 and older are especially needed. Clothing, hygiene items for teens and gift cards will also be accepted. The student government is offering a $150 prize to the student group that donates the most gifts. The gifts will go to the Whittier Interfaith Food Center.
Rio Hondo College will host a free evening of star, planet and galaxy gazing for guests at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 at the Gordon D. Crowell Astrophysical Observatory, which houses one of the largest telescopes open to the public on a regular basis. Visitors should meet in the Rio Hondo College Child Development Center parking lot 15 to 20 minutes before the start time. Viewing nights are contingent on clear weather. The Crowell Observatory opened in 1972. It houses a 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Rio Hondo College is at 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier
Rio Hondo Launches 2nd Annual Backpack Drive to Benefit Foster Youths
Rio Hondo College’s new Guardian Scholars Program is conducting the College’s second annual Case of Hope suitcase/backpack drive through Monday, Nov. 30 to gather at least 100 new or gently used bags for foster youths, who often must abandon possessions when they shift homes or leave the system. Bins are in the Foster/Kinship Care Education Office and Student Union at the College’s Whittier campus, 3600 Workman Mill Road, and at the El Monte Educational Center, 3017 Tyler Ave., El Monte. The drive culminates in a lunch at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Rio Café. For information, contact Guardians Scholars Interim Counselor/Coordinator Marisela Saenz at (562) 463-7472 or msaenz@riohondo.edu.
Rio Hondo College’s Computer Science Club will hold coding camps at 11 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 for 77 fifth-graders at Whittier City School District’s Mill School and Technology Academy, 4030 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. The camps are part of a series being conducted by the 30-member club, led by computer science professor Shin Liu. A recent camp at East Whittier City School District’s Scott Avenue Elementary engaged 210 fourth- and fifth-graders in creating a winter wonderland based on the movie, “Frozen.”
Rio Hondo College will host 360 students from nine area high schools for its annual Intramural Forensic Tournament at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 at California High School, 9800 Mills Ave., Whittier. The event, organized by the Rio Hondo College Forensics Speech and Debate Team, shifted focus to an all-high school contest and changed venue due to its rising popularity. More than 100 additional contestants will compete in this year's contest, compared with 2014-15. The event includes competitions for speech and debate. More than 50 volunteers from the College will judge the event.
Los Angeles County Supervisor and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis will discuss how the regional workforce needs to evolve on Friday, Nov. 13 during an education program dedicated to connecting adults with careers in the trades. The Workforce Development Conference will run from noon to 3:30 p.m. at Rio Hondo College, 2600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. It will be followed by a regional Trades Night from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Both events will be hosted by the Rio Hondo Region Adult Education Consortium. The conference will bring together educators, counselors and administrators from adult schools and high school career/tech programs with workforce development service providers, large employers and labor to discuss ways to develop pathways for adults into trade apprenticeships and internships.
Fascination with zombies may be at an all-time high – “The Walking Dead” dominates TV ratings and “World War Z” scored big in theaters – but an expert on zombie literary symbolism says the creatures may say more about flaws in our culture than our taste in entertainment. Zombies reflect cultural values on racism, sexism and the ability of dominant ethnicities to objectify those they deem less human, according to Dr. Steven Pokornowski of Whittier’s Rio Hondo College. Pokornowski delivered a paper on zombie symbolism earlier this month at the American Studies Association annual conference.
Rio Hondo College will showcase college opportunities for up to 550 middle and elementary school students from 11 schools in eight local districts at its first-ever Discover Rio Day! from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18. Students will learn about Rio Hondo’s public service career programs in nursing, firefighting and police services, how to prepare for college and about campus programs that help students start at Rio and transfer to four-year colleges or universities.
Noted LGBT Activist, Scholar to Conclude Rio Hondo College Lecture Series
Dr. Ronnie Sanlo, a noted LGBT rights activist and scholar, will headline the final installment of Rio Hondo College’s first-ever Fall Lecture series at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 in the College’s Wray Theater, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. Sanlo will screen the 2014 documentary, “Letter to Anita,” which relates the impact of her decision to come out as a lesbian during Anita Bryant’s anti-gay campaign in the 1970s. Sanlo will comment on the documentary and join a post-screening discussion. Documentary director Andrea Meyerson will also attend. The series included presentations by noted sculptor Mario Chiodo and cartoonist/satirist Lalo Alcaraz.
Rio Hondo College has invited community members to an afternoon of Halloween fun with family-friendly videos and cartoons, live entertainment, popcorn, cider and a costume contest with prizes – all free for the community. Presented by the Division of Arts and Cultural Programs, the family event takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 in the Wray Theater at Rio Hondo College, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier.
