Online Press Room

Celebrate the drive, spirit and diversity of women at the fourth-annual Women's Film Festival from 1-4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 15 at McHenry County College. Held in conjunction with MCC's celebration of Women's History Month: Caring for Ourselves: Women's Health, Wealth and Well Being, the festival will feature two documentary films by and about women. A panel discussion made up of past and present MCC students will lead a discussion between films. Refreshments will be available. A $5 admission fee will help defray the cost of the films. Admission is free for MCC students.

The Black Box Theatre at McHenry County College will present the zany, dark comedy "Reckless" by Craig Lucas and directed by Dan Scott. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on March 5-7, 12-14, and 19-21 in the Black Box Theatre, Room D167 at the college, located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14, Crystal Lake. Tickets are $7 for students, faculty/staff, seniors and alumni and $14 for general public.

A special concert of Irish music and dance will be featured at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 12 at McHenry County College in the conference center, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14, Crystal Lake. The musicians include Pat Gaughan and L.J. Slavin who will perform favorite Irish songs, ballads and instrumental tunes. The McNulty Irish Dancers will perform traditional Irish jigs, reels and hornpipes, both in soft shoe and hard shoe. The concert is free and open to the public.

An ACT practice test is available for interested high school students from 1-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 28 at McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14, Crystal Lake. Parents and students should understand that this is only a practice timed ACT college entrance exam using a booklet and questions supplied by ACT. This practice test is intended to give students the experience of taking all four tests at one sitting and for students to see where they may need some additional study time. The score a student received on the pre-test in no way guarantees that he or she will achieve the same score on the actual test. Cost is $20.

Adults who are interested in earning a degree and may be hesitant about starting school over again are invited to attend a "Getting Started" seminar at McHenry County College from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 25 or from 10-11:30 a.m. Friday, February 27. The "Getting Started" seminar gives returning adults a chance to meet other students like themselves, learn about degree and certificate requirements, start the financial aid process and tour the MCC campus. These seminars are free of charge. Reserve a seat today.

Richmond Burton High School and Barrington High School were the top winners in two divisions in the 2009 McHenry County Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) competition, recently hosted by McHenry County College. Richmond Burton earned first place with a team score of 497 in their Division with a student population of up to 1,500 students) and Crystal Lake Central High School finished second with a score of 432; Barrington High School earned first place with a team score of 486 and Cary-Grove High School placed second with a team score of 471 in their Division that includes a population of 1,500 or more students.

Explore career or job opportunities in the healthcare field at a Health Career Information Session at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at McHenry County College's Bersted Lecture Hall, A240. Degree and non-degree options will be explored, including nursing (certified nurse assistant, licensed practical nurse and registered nurse), physical therapy assistant, occupational therapy assistant, dental hygiene, medical imaging/x-ray technician, and many others. Free and open to the public. Reservations are required by calling (815) 479-7565. Update February 25 Seminar is full.

McHenry County College will host free tax assistance for those who qualify through April 15 (excluding March 22-29 spring break week) Wednesdays from 5:30-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Room A106 at the college, 8900 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Clinic prepares tax returns for individuals with incomes of less than $20,000 and families (i.e., more than one person in the home) with incomes less than $45,000.

McHenry County College political science and history instructor Todd Culp, Ph.D., will present a lecture and discussion on “The Road to Gaza: How did we get there?” at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 12 in the Employee Dining Room, B177C, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14, Crystal Lake. Culp will discuss the situation of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and analyze the key events leading up to the Gaza War. Culp visited the Middle East three times in the last two years and witnessed the devastating results of the ongoing conflict. These visits prompted his book, “The Friends Whose Names I’ll Never Know,” which Culp hopes to publish this year. The seminar is free and open to the public.

Learn how beautiful and profitable your garden can be with entertaining and educational classes offered by McHenry County College’s Continuing Education Department. Classes include Farmers’ Market on February 21 from 9 a.m. to noon and Landscape Design on March 7 from 1 to 5 p.m.

McHenry County College will host several events in celebration of Black History Month. This year's theme is "Believe, Achieve and Succeed" and events are open to the public and at no charge. The first event is Faces of Black History, a live musical show featuring spirituals to Rap on February 4 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the conference center.

McHenry County College's Corporate and Continuing Education Department is offering introductory Welding Boot Camp classes beginning in February. Additional classes begin throughout the spring. The introductory Welding Boot Camp program is a 40-hour course designed to provide students with a basic understanding of and hands-on experience in the welding profession.

The Office of Financial Aid and Veteran Services at McHenry County College will host a free hands-on workshop from 5-7 p.m. on February 26 to complete the federal financial aid form online. The 2009/2010 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form students must complete in order to be considered for federal and state grants, work-study, and student loans. The FAFSA workshop will be held in Room A123 at the College, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14, Crystal Lake. The workshop is free, but appointments are required. Call (815) 455-8761 after February 1 to reserve a seat.The workshop is filled; we are no longer accepting appointments.

The Illinois Small Business Development Center at McHenry County College is offering solutions for area business owners. Several classes offered in February include Tools for Strategic Planning, Cash Flow Analysis and How to Develop a Business Plan. The next scheduled class is Starting a Business in Illinois from 6-8 p.m. February 3. All classes are held at the Shah Center, located at 4100 W. Shamrock Lane in McHenry, near Centegra Hospital-McHenry.

Create metal art sculpture, learn charcoal or pencil drawing, or discover the world of color with enjoyable art classes for all age levels offered through McHenry County College's Continuing Education Department. The next scheduled class is Metal Art Sculpture, which will meets from 2-5 p.m. on January 24, February 7 and 21, March 7.

McHenry County College Shah Center is offering two separate series of courses to educate employees and/or managers, including an Association for Operations Management (APICS) course series and a DDI Supervisory Leadership Series, both beginning Thursday, February 5. The first class in the APICS series is "The Basics of Supply Chain Management," which will meet from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on February 5, 12 and 19. The DDI Supervisory Leadership Series will meet from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. February 5 through March 26.

The McHenry County College Second Sunday concert series will host jazz/pop artists Michael Bazan and Maureen Christine at 3 p.m. Sunday, February 8 for an afternoon of "You Light Up My Life And Other Love Songs" in the MCC Conference Center. The valentine concert will include popular love songs and great American standards. The concert is free and open to the public. The college is located at 8900 U.S. Route 14, Crystal Lake.