Join us Sunday, Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. in Shove Memorial Chapel for this year’s Winter Commencement. This special ceremony celebrates students completing their undergraduate studies ahead of May Commencement. This year’s ceremony will be held in Shove Memorial Chapel. It will feature remarks from Interim President Manya Whitaker and the Commencement Address by Dr. M. Nickie Coomer, CC Assistant Professor of Education and the current holder of the Manya Whitaker Professorship in Education.

We invite the entire CC community to come together and cheer on our newest graduates!

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By Alexa Gromko

CC has received a Career Connected Campus Designation from the Colorado Department of Higher Education. This honor recognizes institutions that excel in integrating academic curriculum with work-based learning experiences, empowering students with the skills and knowledge to thrive in high-demand, high-wage careers. Dean of the College and Chief Operating Officer Pedro de Araujo says receiving this designation is a testament to the incredible work of college faculty, the Career Center, and the educational model of the Block Plan.

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Rocky Mountain BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) is hosting the 2024 Denver BEST Regional Championship at Robson on Dec. 7 and 8. Rocky Mountain BEST is a free STEM education program for middle and high school students, with the purpose of inspiring students to pursue careers in engineering, science, technology, and mathematics through robotics design.

The Regional Championship will feature 28 teams from the eight BEST hubs from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. On Saturday, Dec. 7, teams will be at the Arena from 7 a.m.– noon for registration and Team Robot practices. Competition and awards happen Sunday, Dec. 8 from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. We are expecting approximately 300 people on Saturday, and 800 people on Sunday. Teams, staff/volunteers, and spectators have been instructed to park in the Robson garage, with busses parking at Palmer High School.

What happens when Santa’s elves forget that he has retired? The handbook says we must have a new Santa before Christmas Eve and... it's the week before Christmas!! Our elves must come together through song, dance, and doughnuts to search for the next Santa before it's too late. But someone seems to have intentionally sent them on an impossible path. This hilarious, poignant and ultimately heartwarming musical is exactly the escape you’re looking for this holiday season.

Searching for Santa runs Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. in Kathryn Mohrman Theater. Don't miss this exciting collaboration between students from CC and the Colorado Springs Conservatory.   

Reserve your tickets now. Admission is free for CC students, faculty, and staff with ID.

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Photo provided by Polly Panasenko ’28

By Ellie Bond ’25

Polina “Polly” Panasenko ’28 is an ambitious first-year planning to double major in English and Political Science with a minor in Journalism. Originally from Ukraine, Panasenko has a long history of community engagement. She taught English at the National Children’s Hospital in Kyiv and, when she moved to Maine, she continued providing English lessons to child refugees. She has also volunteered with various organizations to support affordable housing initiatives through cleaning and construction projects. Upon moving to the U.S. as an international student, Panasenko became increasingly concerned about the issue of food insecurity, a problem she describes as “alarming” especially at CC. She has known friends to skip meals and pursue part-time jobs alongside their rigorous studies to meet their nutritional needs. She is now combining her passion for community service and concerns around food insecurity in her newsletter, The Meal Plan Guard.

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Photo by Tom Kimmell

A People’s History of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, opening Dec. 6 and running through Spring 2025, invites the community to act as co-creators of this installation telling the FAC’s story. From the 1919 founding of its precursor, the Broadmoor Art Academy, through its 1936 visionary origin as the nation’s first major multi-arts center housing a museum, performing arts, and an art school under one roof, to the present and into the future, the FAC has been cherished by the community and is central to the cultural identity of Colorado Springs.

As part of the process of creating new exhibitions from the permanent collection, this installation welcomes stories and insights from the Colorado Springs community to help unearth lesser-known aspects of the FAC’s complex history. Opening with a basic timeline to serve as a framework, this installation incorporates selected events, artworks, and printed ephemera which act as landmarks, highlighting past inflection points. Visitors can participate in the creation of the installation through written notes and discussion with curator Pat Musick, who will be at work in the gallery at scheduled times, adding viewers’ contributions to the timeline. The stories, themes, and insights emerging from this interactive process will serve to further inform the historical segment of the permanent collection reinstallation.

A group of people on a meditation walk at sunset and moonrise while on a retreat at Baca Campus in November. Photo by Kate Holbrook