Two computer certificates to be offered
The Illinois Valley Community College Board of Trustees on Nov. 14 approved two new certificates designed to propel computer networking graduates to the next level in their technology career and amplify a manufacturing workforce capable of assembling and maintaining automation/robotics equipment.
The CISCO/CompTIA Certificate is a step forward in preparing students for positions in the networking or cybersecurity fields. The courses will allow students to upgrade networking skills.
A new series of stackable certificates in manufacturing robotics, mechatronics and automation could open new doors for technicians in a rapidly emerging online and automated environment.
In a report presented by Mark Grzybowski, Vice President for Student Services, the Board learned that fall enrollment increased. Fall enrollment includes 1,072 full-time students, a 2 percent increase over last year and 1,648 part-time students.
Also, the Board adopted a tentative 2024 tax levy requesting $17.1 million, including $2.1 million ear-
marked for a new microbiology lab and classroom.
The increase over last year’s extension of $14.9 million is due to the estimated increased equalized assessed valuation provided by the county assessor’s office, as well as an increase in the Protection, Health and Safety fund which will finance lab renovations.
The levy will result in a property tax increase of $7.96 for an average $100,000 home.
Since the requested increase is greater than 5 percent, a truth in taxation hearing will be scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 12, at the Board meeting.
The new microbiology lab will have advanced technologies and be relocated to the college’s lower level.
Other campus services being relocated as part of this update, including the IT department and the Assessment Center, will be paid for through fund reserves.
In other action, the Board: n Approved the following appointments: Juliana Dzurisin, CNA Instructor/ Program Coordinator and Michele Cheshareck, Nursing Instructor.
Spring tuition due Dec. 11
The first tuition payment for IVCC’s Spring 2025 classes is due Dec. 11, but students who establish a payment plan will receive a bonus – their first payment will not be due until January. Students must act by Dec. 11 to lock in their classes or they will be dropped and must re-enroll. To preserve their chosen class schedules, students can pay in full or arrange a payment plan or
notify the college that they receive Financial Aid.
“All the effort students put into arranging their class schedules around work and family obligations and graduation expectations could be lost if they miss the payment deadline,” said IVCC Comptroller Eric Johnson.
Payment plans, payments, and class schedules can be arranged online using the Self-Service portal.
IV Leader Graphic/Clare Phillips FINAL
IVCC final exams begin Dec. 9. Check with your instructor to ensure the final exam time for your class. Grades will be available in Self Service on Dec. 17.
Group pairs mentors with students
A mentor program that a group of young Ottawa executives launched recently for Illinois Valley Community College students may be one of the first of its kind in the region.
“It is unique. There are not many mentorship programs in this area,” said Caitlyn Carrier, vice president of ONYX (Ottawa Network of Young Executives).
Though mentor systems may exist internally for employees, she knows of none that extend to prospective or non-employees.
The program kicked off Nov. 19, at the IVCC Ottawa Center, 321 W. Main St.
ONYX leaders opened with a presentation, followed by comments from Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce Director Jay McCracken about the benefits of mentoring. ONYX is
an extension of the Chamber.
ONYX leaders gauged interest in a mentor program during a visit to the College campus a few months ago, where they invited questions from students about careers.
“Student feedback led to some valuable direction in creating the mentor program,” said ONYX President Anthony Williams.
The group intends to offer guidance, support and insight into career paths and help students build professional networks and create career goals and action plans.
Williams explained that mentorships are set to begin Jan. 1, 2025, for six months, or a college term.
The professional and student both agree to a set of mentor ethics covering best practices and confidentiality.
Therapy dog dies
Dog comforted students during periods of stress
By Ashleigh Mack IV Leader Staff Writer
Ruby, the service dog who visited the campus numerous times each semester, died on Saturday, October 26, 2024.
Throughout her 14-yearlong career, Ruby has undergone cancer, loss of vision, struggled with various heart conditions, and deafness.
Ruby specialized in helping younger individuals including college students, elementary kids, middle and high school students, and patients at hospitals.
Ruby visited IVCC during stressful parts of the year including the first couple of weeks of school, finals weeks, and in the winter. She is survived by her owner Julie Condie, who has had Ruby for the entirety of Ruby’s service dog career.
The partnerships can be renewed or re-established with a new team after the term expires.
Professionals can mentor more than one student at a time, depending on the extent of the mentorship – whether it includes job shadowing or merely consultation.
As a bank manager who must maintain confidentiality, “I can’t do job shadowing, so for me it would be more about being a resource,” Williams said. “It also depends on the student, who might just have questions about what they should be looking for in a career.”
According to Williams, a handful of professionals and students have already expressed interest in the program.
ONYX also hopes to match students’ interests with professionals in
those fields, when possible.
Carrier said the group wants to reach out to the next generation of leaders.
“We want to make sure they are going where they would like to go in their careers, to have somebody to talk to and learn the ropes from and see what is right for them. We hope the experience will lead them to want to work in the field and stay in this area. Our main focus is helping to build their confidence,” Carrier said.
Williams said mentors can also learn from students. “They are the new workforce coming in. How can we help students develop in ways they didn’t know were possible?”
For information about the organization of the mentor program, visit https://onyxillinois.com/events
IV LEADER Graphic/Sonja Penney
IV LEADER Graphic/Clare Phillips RUBY Ruby, the service dog, is pictured with Julie Condie, during a previous visit to IVCC.
D I T O R I A L
Surviving finals week tips
A guide to thriving, not just surviving
Finals week. The words alone send shivers down the spines of students everywhere.
It’s a time of high-stress, long nights, and caffeine-fueled study marathons.
But while finals are tough, they don’t have to break you. With a little preparation and self-care, you can survive finals week and come out the other side feeling accomplished.
Make a Plan (And Stick to It)
The biggest trap during finals is procrastination. Start by listing everything you need to study, breaking it into manageable chunks.
Assign specific tasks to each day leading up to your exams. This way, you’re not cramming the night before—and trust me, your brain will thank you.
Pro Tip: Use the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused study followed by a 5-minute break) to stay productive without burning out.
Prioritize Sleep
It’s tempting to pull an all-nighter, but research shows that sleep is crucial for memory retention.
Instead of pulling a marathon study session, aim for 6-8 hours of rest.
Sleep is your brain’s reset button, allowing you to process and store the material you’ve learned.
Don’t Neglect Your Body
Healthy eating and exercise often fall by the wayside during finals. While pizza and energy drinks might seem like the easiest option, they can leave you feeling sluggish.
Opt for brain-boosting snacks like nuts, fruit, or yogurt. And even a quick 10-minute walk can help clear your mind and refocus your energy.
Embrace the Power of “No”
During finals, every moment counts. Learn to say no to distractions, whether it’s a last-minute hangout or an unnecessary TikTok binge. Your future self will thank you for staying focused.
Practice Self-Compassion
It’s easy to be hard on yourself during finals, especially if you feel unprepared or overwhelmed. But beating yourself up won’t help you learn calculus any faster.
Instead, remind yourself that one bad test doesn’t define your worth.
You’re doing the best you can— and that’s enough.
Take Breaks to Recharge
Finals are a marathon, not a sprint.
Schedule small breaks to do something that relaxes you: play
Trustee reports on events
Hello Eagles!
I hope your semester is going well and that you’re all enjoying some relaxing weeks before finals begin.
During finals week, there will be stress-relief activities available, along with snacks and drinks, to help everyone unwind.
I also wanted to let
everyone know that Art Club will be hosting a sale of members’ artwork in the front lobby on Dec 3 and 4.
At this month’s board meeting, two new stackable certificates were approved to help computer networking graduates enhance their technological careers and to expand the manufacturing
your favorite game, listen to music, or even meditate.
These moments of rest will help you stay sharp and motivated.
Take Care of Yourself
Remember to take care of yourself and prioritize your mental health during finals.
One grade doesn’t define the rest of your life. Taking a moment to step back and breathe is not a waste of time—it’s essential.
Lean on Your Support System
You’re not in this alone. Whether it’s venting to a friend, forming a study group, or reaching out to a professor for clarification, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Finals week is tough for everyone, and leaning on your community can make all the difference.
Final thoughts
Finals are important, but they’re not the be-all and end-all of your academic journey.
In a year, you might not even remember the grade you got on that biology exam, but you will remember the resilience and effort you put in.
So, breathe.
Trust yourself.
And when in doubt, close the books for a moment, step outside, and remember you’ve got this.
Good luck, everyone—you’re going to crush it!
workforce by training individuals to build and maintain robotics equipment.
Finally, two faculty appointments were approved. Juliana Dzurisin will serve as the CNA Instructor/Program Coordinator, and Michele Cheshareck has been named the Nursing Instructor. Again, don’t hesitate to
IV LEADER STAFF
Editor: Emma Coss
Sports Editor: Sam Bima
Photo Editor: Ashton Watkins
Graphics: Sonja Penney
Illustrations: Brianna Sanchez
Sports Photographer: Makade Rios
Staff:
Clare Phillips, Lydia Kunkel, Brianna Sanchez, Grace Mertel, Noah Girard, Xochitl Gutierrez, Ashleigh Mack, Mia Solano-Cassani, Cameron Creed, Nicholas Graham.
IV Leader, a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, is published monthly by students of Illinois Valley Community College. Editorials and columns express opinions of student and staff members and do not necessarily express the views of IVCC, the administration or the Board. Editorial opinions are those of a student editorial board.
Letters to the editor must be signed and should be addressed to the IV Leader Office E-321, IVCC, 815 N. Orlando Smith Ave., Oglesby, IL 61348-9691.
contact me at K002D7E1@ ivcc.edu with any questions or concerns you may have.
Read the IV Leader online, meet the staff, apply for a staff position, and explore the newspaper’s long, distinguished history online.
To join the staff, contact lori_cinotte@ivcc.edu
Trustee’s Corner
BY EMMA GARRETSON STUDENT TRUSTEE
Three opinions offered on ‘Red One’
Movie enjoyable, but not a favorite ‘Red One’ overall is underwhelming
By Brianna Sanchez IV Leader Staff Columnist
First things first, I am not a big Christmas movie watcher, so when I went to watch the new movie Red One, I did not have any expectations. That being said, the movie overall was good and enjoyable. It’s not one of my favorites, but it could be seen as a family movie. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J.K. Simmons, and Kiernan Shipka.
While the movie was good, there were times when I felt like the plot was a little too predictable. Johnson also has this tendency to play the same character. Not to say he doesn’t do a good job, as I rather enjoyed his character, Callum Drift, and the dilemma he faces within the movie was nice to watch throughout the movie.
Chris Evans is no stranger to the screen, playing both hero and villain alike. Whether it be his iconic characters from the MCU, Knives Out, and Scott Pilgrim Universe. I feel like Evans can extend his comfort zone to expand and play different characters. His character, Jack O’Malley, is mischievous and sarcastic, and Evans dives into this comedic performance with a character whose moral compass is fairly twisted, which was fun to watch.
Overall, the movie was good, but with a few iffy moments. It was certainly not one of my favorite Christmas movies, but it is one to just watch for the holidays and enjoy.
By Xochitl Gutierrez IV Leader Staff Columnist
I went to go watch Red One in theaters on Friday Nov. 15, and it’s safe to say that I was underwhelmed.
The plot was fun, and the acting was great, I mean, duh, it’s Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson, but the special effects needed a lot of improvement. With a budget of $250,000,000, I expected a lot more from this film in that sense.
Regardless of my dislike toward the special effects, the plot was great.
I’m sure movies with similar plots have been made before, but I have never seen them, so this was a fresh spin on Christmas movies. It was funny, entertaining and it tugged on the heart strings.
The character development we see in Johnson’s character was perfect because it didn’t feel out of place or sudden, it was almost like a natural progression.
Evans’ character, on the other hand, felt forced and sudden in terms of character development.
I am not really a huge fan of Christmas movies in general and it takes a lot for me to fall in love with them, so I judge them rather harshly.
With that being said, I would rate this movie a solid 5.25/10 with its saving grace being the character development we see from Dwayne Johnson’s character.
‘Forever Plaid’ rated a must see
By Clare Phillips IV Leader Columnist
The IVCC theatre department production of “Forever Plaid” is a must see.
“Forever Plaid” is a small but mighty crew that brought laughs and positive energy to the audience at its Nov. 14 opening night.
As the musical featured well known songs and not-so recognizable songs, the four talented singers, Jake Jakielski (Frankie), Gennaro Picco-
lo (Smudge), Don Grant Zellmer (Sparky), and Lucus Fraga (Jinx) made the night go by fast each adding their own element to the songs, while doing a phenomenal job as dancing freely but not sloppy.
Nonetheless, the
crew — involving stage builders, stage crew, and spotlight operation John Piccolo, Gennaro Piccolo, Azlyn Bachman, Kaitie Monaghan, Michael Shaw, William Bates and Tyler Bienemann, — did a fantastic job providing a well-done set.
The set featured a disco ball, smoke, and a variety of colored lights with the addition of capturing the 1962 vibe.
The production featured some entertaining crowd interaction, and comical jokes.
Acting makes film top notch
By Ashleigh Mack IV Leader Staff Columnist
Red One just hit theaters on Nov. 15, 2024.
The film directed by Jake Kasdan, stars Dywane “The Rock” Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, and JK Simmons.
The film is about a tracker (Chris Evans) specializing in finding people and items for a high price on the black market.
When his character, Jack releases the location of the North Pole to a high buyer, the North Pole is turned upside down when Santa Claus is kidnapped days before Christmas.
Dywane Johnson’s character, Callum, is Santa’s right-hand man and bodyguard. Callum and his task force bring in Callum to get Santa back.
During this film, a father and son reconnect, two brothers who have not spoken in a long time finally get over their differences and come together, and a villain gets brought down by an ELF. I believe this is a great film. The movie had an easily understandable plot. The acting was top-notch.
It was a comedic and adventurous film to watch near the holiday season.
Furthermore, I was thoroughly impressed, and the performers did an outstanding performance on their first night.
Do not forget to “Woo-hoo,” and clap because this musical deserves attention.
If watching “Forever Plaid” made you eager to get on stage, IVCC theatre production is doing “Hello Dolly” as their spring musical and auditions will be announced on IVCC Fine Arts group on Facebook.
IVCC Fine Arts Facebook photo Gennaro Piccolo (left) and Don Grant Zellmer perform in “Forever Plaid.”
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: A Return to Chornobyl
The long-awaited sequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, has finally released, and it was worth the wait. Return to the Zone and face off against the monsters inhabit it, whether they be mutants, people, or anomalies.
Essentially, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are surviving supernatural Chornobyl. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 perfectly captures the magic of the original games. Every fight is just that, a real fight. 4.
In most games, you don’t really worry about failing, because you are the main character, but not in S.T.A.L.K.E.R., instead, you are just as mortal as the bandits you fight against, forcing the player to think strategically. This makes every fight exciting, and making even one bad choice could send you back to your last save.
I was glad to see that GSC Game World, the developers, didn’t streamline the game to make it easier for first timers, because that
takes away the fun of discovering the difficulty.
Another thing that GSC once again excelled at is the atmosphere. Every step you take in game, you’re never completely at ease, even it seems to be safe. There could be bandits hiding in the trees, or invisible mutants stalking you, or there
could be nothing, but this uncertainty has the player constantly surveying the area, fearing what could be just out of sight.
The gunplay follows the trend of the previous games, giving a responsive and realistic feel to each and every firefight.
I do, however, have a couple gripes, one of which being that there are some bugs that need to be patched. Personally, I haven’t experienced as many as others, but I’ve still gotten the occasional dialogue or audio glitch, which can just take you out of it. I’m willing to give some lenience to this though, because GSC has had a rough couple of years.
For context, GSC Game World is a Ukrainian game development studio, meaning they have been extremely impacted by the Russia-Ukraine War, especially since one of their lead devs was killed in said war, so in my eyes, it’s a miracle S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 even came
out at all.
I do have a slightly pedantic gripe about the name as well, because it isn’t the second S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, it’s the fourth, but that’s just me being frivolous.
Overall, I’d rate S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl a 10/10, it’s probably my game of the year. It just so perfectly captures the difficulty and horror of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, and there just so much to explore. If you feel like exploring the ruins of Chornobyl, fighting mutants, and collecting strange artifacts, then this is certainly the game for you.
WORLD VIEW
BY NOAH GIRARD IV LEADER COLUMNIST
Live From New York; It’s Saturday Night!
By Brianna Sanchez IV Leader Columnist
The film “Saturday Night” came out this year with a wide release by Sony Pictures on Oct. 11.
It stars Gabriel LaBelle as the creator and producer of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels, and Rachel Sennott, who played Michaels’ wife, Rosie Shuster.
Dylan O’Brien and Matt Wood played the iconic Blues Brothers duo Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, and Cory Michael Smith played the first Weekend Update anchor, Chevy Chase.
The movie also stars Ella Hunt, Emily Fairn, Kim Matula, Lamorne Morris, Andrew Barth Feldman, and Cooper Hoffman, who play Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Neil Levy, and Dick Ebersol, respectively. And Nicholas Braun, who played both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson.
The movie “Saturday Night” shows how the writers are stoned and complaining about censorship, the set is a complete mess, not complete, and falling apart, the actors are physically assaulting each other,
the crew is in open revolt and leaving, and they only have 90 minutes to get their act together before the network pulls the plug.
The movie takes place on Oct. 11, 1975, at 11:30 p.m. and revolves around the behind-the-scenes of the 90 minutes leading up to the first Saturday Night Live broadcast. It portrays the ensuing chaos that follows the young upstart writers and comedians.
Overall, I really loved this movie. I especially loved the portrayals of Aykroyd, Belushi, and Chase. Obviously, when making a movie, it will never be completely accurate, and the director must add more drama to it. It was funny, it was serious, and it gave this anticipation.
It brought some of the most Iconic original sketches from the first season, like Aykroyd’s iconic Hard Hats sketch, Andy Kaufman’s Mighty Mouse, Belushi and O’Donoghue’s Wolverines, and Chevy Chase’s first Weekend Update, to life again.
There were so many different stories and actions taking place that it never got boring or too confusing.
The little attention to detail that
not many would notice was amazing.
The fact is that it was not only the actors who had to step into these intimidating roles but the extras as well.
Jason Reitman, the director, wanted the set to be as accurate, so they had to rebuild it on how it looked in 1975.
All the cameras that were from that era were real, and the extras had to learn how to use them again. The crew had to learn these jobs that were cool to learn about. I loved the attention the actors put into their roles; they didn’t want to overdo it.
This movie relates a lot to mass media; it took a bunch of kids in their 20s who were trying to make a name for themselves and change comedy and television in the span of one night.
They were communicating to the world something never done before, like new entertainment, comedy, and worldwide news.
In the movie, one of the media-related issues is that Tommy Dewey, who played Michael O’Donoghue, was at odds with a
church woman determined to censor any offensive sketch. There was an association that did exist in censoring inappropriate language, and it was something the writers had to deal with.
SNL was part of a revolution for television in the ‘70s. Another example was Hoffman’s portrayal of Dick Ebersol, where he in the movie would walk through the set and tell the young actors to do product placements of the Polaroid as it would benefit them. Although in real life, this was not the case, in the movie, he does and upsets Michaels and his cast.
One of the main stories in this movie was the NBC Brass being impressed with Chase and how they are almost ready to pull the plug on the show. These executives have the power to change his life, and Chevy Chase would become the first SNL breakout star.
Overall, these young upstarts ripped out the television from the older generation and molded it into their own.
And 50 years, they are still saying, “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night!”
Basketball seasons underway
By Sam Bima IV Leader Sports Editor
Men’s and Women’s basketball have officially tipped off with the Lady Eagles starting on Nov. 7 and the men starting on Nov. 2.
As of press time, the Men started with a 3-5 record this season while averaging 67.6 points per game, while the women have a 1-5 record with 29.3 pointer per game.
The Lady Eagles received their first win against Harper College on Nov. 21.
Freshman Jasmine Garman leads the team with 12.5 points, while Shantell Morton leads with 10.5 rebounds per game.
Freshman Esmeralda Avila leads the team in assists with 4 assists per game.
On the men’s side, their last three games have resulted in wins.
Roderick Watson-Pearcey leads the team with 15.9 points per game while Qu’amar Hobbs is right behind him with 12.6 points. Roko Jurasovic leads in rebounds with 8.9 boards per game. Watson-Pearcey also leads in assists per game with 2.8.
Opinion
Cross country hosts Eagles Run
Dozens of local high school and middle school students turned out for the inaugural IVCC Eagles Run races on Nov. 16 on the Illinois Valley Community College campus.
Hosted by the IVCC Cross Country program, the event included a middle school 2-mile race and a high school 5KM race.
The top two male and female finishers in each race were awarded special IVCC gifts.
Recognized runners in the 5KM were Connor Me-
The curse of Chicago sports
By Sam Bima IV Leader Sports Editor
The curse of the Billy Goat left the Chicago Cubs in 2016, but seemingly has come back.
The White Sox had the worst record in baseball history this past season, the Bulls seem to come up short every year, and the Blackhawks haven’t made the playoffs since Covid.
The Chicago Bears were the topic of the year in the off-season. They made major changes in the front office and made big moves in free agency. Those all call for a big year out of the monsters of the midway, but their prized possession was first overall pick, Caleb Williams.
Williams was a former Heisman winner and a highly sought first overall pick the year prior if he didn’t choose to stay a year in college.
As a Bears Fan, I was in major prep for a big year that would hopefully end in our rookie quarterback raising the
Lombardi Trophy with the city of Chicago chanting his name for miles and miles around.
We have seen the opposite of my dream during this season.
I love those little stats when it comes to sports, one of them being “If the halftime score was the final of each game, this team’s record would be...” If this stat was examined for the Bears; unfortunately, their record would not change.
The constant improvement out of the rookie quarterback was evident this year. I believe this Chicago team has potential to turn around with their weapons. They were able to provide so many talented players for Williams to throw to, but who would be protecting Williams. The defense is not the problem for Chicago, but it is mainly the offense.
I choose to support this team, year after year, because I have hope. Maybe if this team had the hope I do, then they would be in the playoffs, but better luck next year.
dina of Marseilles, Anthony Kelson of Mendota, Addyson Miller of Marseilles, and Hannah Schumacher of Toluca.
In the two-mile race, Kole Caldwell Wesley of Toluca, Dane Hawkins of Ottawa, Lumen Setchell of Mendota, and Bethany Kasperski of Oglesby brought home special prizes.
Top sponsors for the event were Eakas Corp. and Peru Federal Savings Bank.
Submitted photo
Local high school and middle school students participate in the Eagles Run event hosted by the cross country program.
IV Leader graphic