Recent News

GCCLC Appearing on NCTV!

For those of you who get the Nevada County television station, NCTV, be sure to tune in to Channel 11 Saturday, 7/31/2010 at 3:00 PM or Wednesday, 08/4/2010 at 6:00 PM to see the Patti McClure and Mike Green interview with Paul Minicucci that was taped last week. If you would like to watch it on the Internet, go to the NCTV website www.nevadacountytv.org and click on "Live Streaming" at either of the above times. After the 7/31 broadcast, the interview can be viewed by clicking "Video on Demand". In the Search Archives box, enter the Keywords "Nevada County Interviews". Scroll down to Jul 31, 2010, and click on Video. Our two superstars did a great job promoting GCCLC. Thank you Patti and Mike!

Our New President - Martha Metropulos

I was born in Wisconsin and raised in Midwestern university towns where my Dad was a professor, my Mom a grade school teacher. I met and married my husband John 40 years ago; we have 2 children and 3 grandsons, with another grandchild on the way. We moved from Illinois to Grass Valley in 1990 and enjoy our hilltop home with a wonderful local view and the time we are able to spend with family. John and I have worked together creating several successful business enterprises based upon our shared enthusiasm for antiques, stained glass and art.

I have been involved with GCCLC since the first meeting with Senior Net 8 years ago. I jumped right into teaching word processing without realizing what I was getting myself into! I served as Co-chair of the Curriculum committee and took over as Education/Curriculum Director when the two merged. The Education committee has been a rewarding and challenging job. With many talented, resourceful volunteers we have developed procedures and revised the current manuals. As the computer industry continues to change, we will need to update right along with it, focusing on the needs and interests of our students and our volunteers.

I have just begun my term as President of GCCLC and look forward to making a valuable contribution to the growth and prosperity of GCCLC. I plan to get acquainted with our volunteers and students, but you must join me in that effort as I am one and you are many!

Please contact me with your questions and concerns as well as your creative suggestions and ideas to improve GCCLC.

My email inbox is always open!

Martha Metropulos President GCCLC

Director of Education appointed

The GCCLC Board of Directors is pleased to welcome our newest member.

Mike Green has been elected to serve as Director of Education.

Mike will work with our Instructors and Coaches to promote a sense of teamwork and consistency in working with our students.

We have separated the position of Director of Education and Curriculum. The Curriculum Committee will develop new ideas to update Computer Basics and integrate Microsoft 7 into our courses. We will continue to expand our advanced classes and enhance our digital series to present our students with new material and challenges. As Director of Education, Mike will oversee the Curriculum Committee.

We are continuously growing and expanding our programs to meet the needs of our students and look forward to Mike's contribution to making it a success.

Thank you Mike!

Patti McClure, our New Vice President

Please join us as we welcome Patti McClure, our newly elected Vice-President and member of the Board.

Patti was born and raised in Auburn. After retiring five years ago, Patti and her husband built their home and moved to Grass Valley.

For the past 20 years, Patti has been actively involved with non-profit organizations. She has served on many levels: as a volunteer, a board member, a team member, and as a paid administrator.

Patti became involved with GCCLC about 3 years ago -- coaching, teaching, revising manuals, plus a few other volunteer opportunities. Patti says she enjoys working with GCCLC and our community.

Thank you, Patti, and we are happy to have you with us.

GCCLC now a member of the Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce

GCCLC recently became a member of the Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce.

As part of our welcome to the group, the Chamber organized its "ribbon-cutting" ceremony at the Learning Center on June 4th.

Representing GCCLC at the event were: Helyn Frazee, Carol Kuhwarth, John Morris, Bob Reeves, Gary Wade, and Jane March.

 

Jane March named as Publicity Director

The GCCLC Board is pleased to announce that Jane March has been elected to serve as Publicity Director for the Computer Learning Center. Jane’s major focus will be in getting the word out to our Community about who we are and what we do.

The position of Publicity was created when GCCLC was organized as a non-profit in March 2007 but has remained unfilled until now. Members of the Board and some Volunteers have stepped in and performed many Publicity tasks. For instance, Nancy Thornburn arranged, organized and managed our presence at Home and Garden Shows and Helyn Frazee is developing the Speakers Bureau, which we believe will be an excellent method of getting the word out about us. These efforts, while effective, need a focused approach with an overarching theme.

Jane’s background enables her to hit the ground running as Publicity Director. She has spent all of her working years in IT (Information Technology). Her career has included computer programming, application design, and project management.

For ten years she had her own computer consulting business. For the last 16 years she worked for Wells Fargo, managing computers systems that support government compliance applications.

Jane retired at the end of 2008 and is now happily spending more time traveling to be with family and grandkids. Jane enjoys interests and hobbies especially gardening, photography and art.

Jane has already started in her new job. She has scheduled a photo shoot with the Chamber of Commerce at the Leaning Center for an upcoming article in the Chamber Newsletter. The photo shoot and article was done as a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

As the Director of Publicity Jane will head the Publicity Committee whose job is to publicize and market the Computer Learning Center to attract more students and volunteers and to enhance GCCLC’s public image.

Welcome, Jane and best of luck to you and to members of your Publicity Committee.

New Seminar Coordinator

Jim March has agreed to be our Seminar Coordinator working jointly with Joan in finding presenters for our monthly seminars. Jim states that he needs Joan’s help to co-chair this effort with him because of her eight years of experience in the job.

Our seminars have been quite successful over the years. We often have a near capacity crowd at many of the Seminars. Hanging from the rafters so to speak. But, all of the behind the scenes work in putting the Seminars together doesn’t come easy. Topics have to be decided upon and a Speaker must be arranged.

Speakers are often reluctant to take on the task of speaking at a Seminar because of the prep time required. Seminars only last a couple of hours plus, but the speaker often spends ten, twenty hours or more preparing the material.

Jim brings impeccable credentials with him. He has been software engineer throughout his working career. He has been self-employed as a computer consultant for the past 25 years and has been a manager in computer software development and has co-founded three startup companies. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has a solid foundation in modems, operating systems and computer hardware in addition to his extensive background in writing software for desktop computers as well as software for embedded microprocessors.

Jim will collaborate with Joan in determining the topics for the Seminar and the Speaker. Welcome, Jim, we’re glad to have you on job.

GCCLC Recognizes more 5 Year service awards

GCCLC recently held an All Volunteer Meeting with 40 people in attendance! We had a successful, productive training session based upon the insightful comments from the student Class Evaluation forms. We had a good discussion, sharing ideas and suggestions about how to enhance and improve our programs for our students. 5 year service pins were presented to John Morris, Jacqueline Simonson, Sammie Grib, Barbara Gwiazdon, Rosalee Clanton, Liz Rees and Roger Thornburn. (Pictured) Not present: Ginny Gleason. Every one of these members has a can-do attitude that inspires all of us to try new things, and to learn from each other in a spirit of teamwork and friendship. We cannot successfully run GCCLC without the generous contribution and commitment of time, energy and knowledge of members like these eight people. Thank you to all our volunteers for your enthusiastic association with GCCLC.

Martha G. Metropulos - Director of Education (I will remember that Lunch is a good promise!)

Workstations

Sometime at the beginning of March of this year, Carol Kuhwarth, our head of Administration and Registrar of Students turned to her husband Jack and said, “You know those tables at the Center are really looking sad.” Jack asks, “What tables?” Carol says, “You know the ones at the Center that the computers sit on. They are sagging in the middle from the weight of the computers and they just don’t look professional at all.” Jack says, “Hmmm. How much would some new tables cost?” Carol says, “I don’t know. There are four tables so maybe a thousand.” An idea forms in Jack’s mind. Jack is a member of the Foothill Lions Club of Grass Valley and he is quite familiar with the good works the Lions Club has done in the past. So at the next meeting of the Lions Club he tells some members about the contributions the Computer Learning Center has made to the Community by conducting much needed computer classes and how they are in need of some new tables for their classroom. First thing you know the Lions Club has approved a donation of $1000 to the Computer Learning Center for four tables. Wow! That was fast! Now let’s find some tables. Various volunteers of the Computer Learning Center started looking around for tables. The problem was all the good tables were heavy and expensive to ship. They weren’t able to come up with tables that cost $1000 or less when the cost of shipping was included. Lions Club to the rescue! They asked, how much is shipping? Well, the tables we want with shipping included bring the total cost to $1330. The Lions Club said, “That’s okay, order your tables.”

The next thing you know Roger Thornburn is invited to the next Lions Club meeting to receive a check for the tables.

Roger Thornburn, Director of Technology for GCCLC Left is presented a check from George Woods, right, President of the Foothill Lions Club of Grass Valley as a donation for the purchase of workstations for the Computer Learning Center. Because of the Lions Club generosity our tables have been ordered and should be shipped around May 7. These tables are specifically designed for classroom use because the monitor sits on a lower level of the workstation enabling the students to more easily look over the top of the monitor to see the projector screen.

Our thanks to the generosity of the members of the Foothill Lions Club of Grass Valley. Bob Reeves, President Gold Country Computer Learning Center

These are sturdy workstations that will support the monitors and computer towers without sagging. The tables are unique because the monitors sit at a lower level enabling the students to see over the top of the monitors to view the projection screen.