The Tiger Woods Learning Center

Education first and preparation for the future

By Annie Rivera

At the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, education comes first and golf is secondary. Located at 1 Tiger Woods Way, the TWLC boasts a career center geared at junior and high school students.

The TWLC resembles a small university where kids have a sense of ownership in the facility. Students can kick up their heels in the student lounge area or grab a bite to eat in the cafeteria. "Students have access to computers either through the computer clubhouse or at the computer lab," said Marci Drake, Communications Manager. Students also get golf lessons out on the green as part of their recreation and as a break from their curriculum.

Students from as early as sixth grade are enrolled in the career orientation program where they learn about what it is like to be a forensic scientist in a 15-day forensic science program. "They collect evidence and learn how to do fingerprinting, DNA analysis and at the end of their experience they actually have a crime scene laid out where they collect evidence and they have to come up with a solution. They present that at the end of the program," said Katherine Bihr, TWLC Executive Director.

Some of the favorite features at the TWLC include a flight simulator and robotics where they get to design and build a new program. Kids can learn basic to complicated programs such as C++ programs.

The after school program is more focused on junior and high school students. They have hands-on opportunities and are introduced to a wide variety of careers like engineering, oceanography, technology, communications, video production, web design, multimedia, and aerospace.

The TWLC provides college preparation to "help propel kids in the direction they want to go," Bihr said. By exposing kids to a wide variety of career fields, the TWLC staff believes that kids have the tools to make decisions early on in their career paths.

The TWLC provides homework support for students and works closely with the school district and the Advancement Via Individual Determination program. AVID encourages college-bound students in researching colleges and universities; provide help in completing college entrance applications and applying for financial aid.

Kids are treated like young adults at the TWLC. "They're given choices. They don't necessarily have someone breathing down their necks telling them what to do when to do it. They're allowed to fail and make mistakes and we provide support in bringing them back on board in where they need to go," said Bihr.

"Pulling from the community colleges or local universities or even the high school key clubs and things like that is a great resource for us and we absolutely welcome that," Bihr said. "Volunteers are necessary to help keep the ratio with adults-to-kids at a reasonable level." From Jan. through June they received over 200 volunteers who have logged in over 500 hours in one month.

Kids from 5th to 12th grade are welcome. Sign-ups are only $5.00 for a membership card. "Where else can a kid get a bucket of golf balls to hit for 50 cents?" Bihr said.

Eldrick "Tiger" Woods, was raised in Cypress, CA; attended Western High School in Anaheim and Stanford University in Palo Alto. An American professional golfer, Woods is one of the youngest and most successful golfers of all time. In 2006, at the young age of 30, he won his 11th and 12th professional major golf championships. He has won 71 tournaments, of those 53 were on the PGA TOUR.

For more information visit www.tigerwoods.com.

Original post: 09/19/07

Media: Cypress Chronicle and CyChron.com

The Great Picture

The World's Largest Photo and The World's Largest Camera


By Annie Rivera

The world's largest photograph was unveiled by the Legacy Project at the former Marine Corps Air Station in El Toro, CA July 12. Four of the six-member team, are photography professors and artists at Cypress College.

The Legacy Project artists include Jerry Burchfield, Mark Chamberlain, Rob Johnson, Clayton Spada from Cypress College, and colleagues Jacques Garnier of San Clemente and Douglas McCulloh of Riverside.

To make the Great Picture they went back to the origins of photography and made what is called a camera obscura and used a six millimeter pinhole-sized opening rather than a lens. The group spent two months darkening an abandoned airplane hangar to create the world's largest camera. "We chose a particular airplane hangar not because of its size but because of the view of the control tower, the runways, the coastal hills in the background which signified the history of the base and would be the center of the Orange County Great Park," said Burchfield. "Once we picked that building, its size determined the size of the picture."

It was clear to the group that "no one has ever done this before," said Burchfield. This creative and artistic idea from its inception was also very expensive and they and their volunteers logged in hundreds of hours of meticulous hard work.

To make the picture, they had to custom order unbleached Muslin, a special woven seamless cotton fabric from Germany because "there was no fabric of the type and size we needed in the U.S.," Burchfield said. The Muslin material spanned at 32 feet tall and 111 feet wide. To make the fabric light sensitive "Liquid Light," a liquid emulsion costing $8,000 was used. The liquid had to be kept heated in order for it to lose its gel form.

The exposure of the photograph took 35 minutes after which the developing began. A total of 70 people were involved in developing of the photograph. John Halligan, a photography student and lab assistant, was one of 70 people involved in the washing and developing of the photograph. "Hanger #115, the interior was 45 feet high, 160 feet wide and 80 feet deep," Halligan said. It took 1,800 gallons of black and white chemistry.

After spraying the muslin canvas with chemistry, they used sixty 55-gallon drums to dispose of the chemistry. Fire hoses were used to wash the material. Since there was no power in the building and the risk of "powering it up" posed a fire hazard, generators were used. "To develop it took about five hours. The actual time it spent in the developer was five minutes," Burchfield said. The finished photograph weighed-in at over 1,200 pounds and totaled $65,000 in costs.

Burchfield is a photography professor at Cypress College and began taking his students to the El Toro Marine Corps base in April 2002. "I wanted to give them a real life experience and an opportunity to photograph a place that had historical significance," said Burchfield. It became a difficult process to get clearance as there was an ongoing battle over the property and its future. Johnson, Chamberlain and Spada would later join him on his outings. The photography class was divided into groups. Each professor would take a group and explore and photograph the Marine base.

They later invited McCulloh and Garnier to join them and they plan to continue to photograph there until the Orange County Great Park is created. "Collectively we have taken around 80,000 photos in four years," Burchfield said.

"We documented every single structure and every single open space. We went into every single room of every one of the 1,800 structures on base."

They have documentation of the perimeter of the base and made a video which "combines 3,080 sequential still images which showing the view of the base from the outside looking in," said Burchfield. They plan to return in 2015 to re-document the perimeter of the base. In addition, Global Positioning System readings were taken to determine their position. Once the structures are torn down they will have a frame of reference for when they return in 2015.

The concept for the Great Picture was suggested by Spada after teaching in China during the summer of 2005. Spada's students collectively came up with a project to make a big pinhole camera and take it out in the field to make one-of-a-kind photographs of Chinese tourist sites. They created a camera big enough to take photographs that were 13 feet by 22 feet. When Spada returned, the six members of the Legacy Project agreed this was a great idea.

Plans for a public viewing and a reception for the Great Picture are forthcoming in May 2007 but the picture remains in storage until then. A book deal is also in the works and will be released later.

According to Burchfield, this record setting project qualifies for two categories in the Guinness Book of World Records: the world's largest photograph and the world's largest camera.

For more information please call the Photography Department at Cypress College at (714) 484-7000.

Original post: 09/19/06

Media: Cypress Chronicle and CyChron.com

Pickler Picks the Players That Wanna Play

By Annie Rivera

Scott Pickler's foresight of the Cypress College baseball program began in 1985 and has been worth a world of knowledge to players both past and present.

"We graduate 90% of our kids and move most of our kids on. We run a disciplined program in the classroom and on the field," Pickler said. "It just keeps getting better every year."

Players like Gerald Laird who went to the minor leagues before making his major league debut in 2003 with the Texas Rangers. Also Pitcher Trevor Hoffman began his career at Cypress College then moved on to University of Arizona before coming to the San Diego Padres in 1993.

Teresa Wang, Sports Information Director at Cypress College, said other noted players drafted and signed by MLB teams, or went on to universities before signing with big league teams are:

Taylor Green, signed with Milwaukee in 2005. David Huff graduated in 2005 before transferring to UCLA and was later drafted and signed with Cleveland. Josh Tamba, drafted and signed by Baltimore in 2006. Alex Jordan, in 2006 was drafted by Cleveland but did not sign. Kevin Smith played for Cypress before transferring to Oklahoma and later was drafted and signed by the Yankees in 2006. Ben Ornelas, in 2006 was drafted but did not sign with Chicago.

Pickler and his coaching staff recruit players from high schools. They look for players who have talent and are good people on and off the field. "The good kids that can play don't want to leave this program. They see what has happened in the past and they want to stay," said Pickler. "We have a pretty good history." High school ball players come to Cypress College with high hopes of furthering their talent by signing "pro contracts" or getting individual scholarships. "We had 16 out of 17 kids get scholarships last year," Pickler said. Named National Coach of the Year for California Junior Colleges four times, Pickler said he hopes to instill in players "how to play the game the right way and know how to act on and off the field the right way."

Pickler is highly recognized by his colleagues and athletes in "running a good baseball program," said Clyde Wright, father of New York Yankees pitcher, Jaret Wright. Pickler measures his success and that of the school's program by how many players are successful at the next level. "This is to see if we're doing our jobs," said Pickler.

When asked what piece of advice he could share with young baseball enthusiasts and players who dream of playing in the Major or Minor Leagues, Pickler said, "The big thing is take care of today and not to worry about tomorrow. Do well in the classroom and on the field. In this game every level is an adjustment. Making your adjustments: from travel ball to high school; high school to college ball; college to pro ball. Make adjustments at every level."

Original post: 09/05/06

Media: Cypress Chronicle and CyChron.com

The Academy Awards

Invitation Only
By Annie Rivera

Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest co-star Keira Knightley is among the 120 who received an invitation for membership to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a highly prestigious honor for distinguished creative artists and executives. Dakota Fanning (Man on Fire, 2004) and Terrence Howard (Best Actor, Hustle & Flow 2005) were also among the nominees. According to Publicist Leslie Unger at AMPAS, "The group will be the only new voting members invited to join the organization in 2006."

"The Academy decided to become even more selective in choosing members," said Academy President Sid Ganis. Not all those who meet the minimum qualifications for membership will be invited. Instead invitations for membership to the Academy will be done by the committee comprised of noteworthy representatives from 14 different categories - art, directors, executives, film editors, etc. "Only those with the most exceptional qualifications will be selected," Ganis added.

Committee members or two current members in the nominee's respective branch can recommend an artist or executive.

AMPAS members are mostly from the U.S. but there are many from other countries. New members will be honored and welcomed to the Academy at an invitation-only reception on Wed., Sept. 20, at the Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills.

Historically, the Academy Awards are presented every year in March and has become the highlight of AMPAS. The Academy exists to advance the arts and sciences of motion pictures.

Posted: 08/22/07
Media: Cypress College & CyChron.com
Photo: Courtesy of Academy Awards

Side by Side

A Journey With Depression
By Annie Rivera

The Cypress College Health Center in cooperation with the Associated Students presents Brian Wetzel in Side by Side: A Journey With Depression, a one-man show and funny look at serious survival, directed by Lizanne Bassham.

Mary Lou Giska, FNP, certified family nurse practitioner in the Health Center belongs to a professional organization called Health Services Association of California Community Colleges. The HSACCC is comprised of directors of health centers all over the state. In his autobiography, comedian Wetzel, who struggled with chronic clinical depression and subsequent addiction for many years, spoke at the HSACCC conference in the spring 2005. Giska said, "Brian got so sick of people saying to him 'snap out of it' and he developed a one-man show that is extremely moving very poignant. You're laughing and crying at the same time." Giska is optimistic this production will be excellent and is hoping for a sellout crowd, standing room only.

"Clinical depression is a diagnosis and needs professional treatment," Giska said. "Anyone who suffers from depression, or thinks they suffer from depression or know someone who is suffering from depression should attend. This will help bring it to the forefront."

Students, faculty and staff are invited. Other students from Long Beach City College and Golden West College are also expected to attend. Performances are October 17 and 18 in the Theater Arts building. There is no charge for admission.

The Theater Arts building is located at Cypress College 9200 Valley View St. For show times or more information please call (714) 484-7361 or visit www.wetzelproductions.com.

Posted: 08/22/06
Media: Cypress Chornicle & CyChron.com
Photo: Courtesy of www.wetzelproductions.com

A New York City Police Officer's Perspective on 9/11

By Annie Rivera

Tony Rendo, NYPD police officer, recounts the day America was attacked by terrorists. With the five year anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks drawing near, to Tony, 9/11 should be the day to celebrate his only son's birthday, but instead this historical day will be etched in his mind forever.

Annie: Where were you on the morning of 9/11?
Tony: I just got home from work.

Annie: What was your initial reaction?
Tony: I thought it was some kind of accident, some type of attack.

Annie: Did you know anyone who perished in the attacks?
Tony: No, I didn't, thank God.

Annie: Were you called back into work?
Tony: I called the station to see if they needed us and at first they said "No," then two hours later they called everybody to come in. I drove to work into a black cloud of smoke.

Annie: How was your precinct involved?
Tony: We had to set up barriers where no one other than government officials could go in. They set up a certain perimeter. You had to get cleared by the Police Department first before you were allowed to go down there. It was a pretty expanded security area.

Annie: What were your responsibilities?
Tony: We were on tactical alert. We weren't allowed to take any days off. We worked 12 hours shifts, 7 days a week. We were on a 2, 3, 2, 3 schedule. In other words we worked 2 days then off 3 days, etc., for a month.

Annie: Do you think the terrorists have done what they set out to do to America by bringing chaos and division?
Tony: They accomplished for us to be more aware. They did not succeed in dividing our country. Their main goal was to hurt us economically. Everything is more expensive now. Government has to spend more on security.

Annie: How has this changed your outlook on foreigners/immigrants?
Tony: It's called "Racial Profiling." We're briefed on certain things. People get mad when we have to do our jobs even today. If we have to stop a foreigner they get mad. If you want to live in this country, you have to help us out. If you don't want to live in this country, then don't get mad when we have to do our jobs.

Annie: When you think of 9/11, what goes through your mind?
Tony: I think about all the people that died. How can anybody come into my country and attack us like that. It shouldn't have to be that way. You can almost compare it to Pearl Harbor or WWII. You wonder "Could the government have stopped it? Did the government allow this to happen?" There's always a reason for something. Maybe it's a wake up call for us. Hopefully we will never forget. This is how this county is. You forget what other people did.

Annie: Do you think America is much more united than before the tragedies or about the same?
Tony: It stayed about the same. Some didn't even care. They even joked and threw Osama Bin Laden jokes at us. These are people who live for free, off the government. Then there were others who were really angry, pissed off.

Annie: Do you feel people are more respectful towards the Police and Fire Departments?
Tony: Where I work, they're about the same. There are some who are a little bit more respectful - those who are a little bit more educated.

Annie: With the five year anniversary coming up, how will you tribute 9/11?
Tony: I'll try not to think about it since it's my son's birthday. For myself, I'll say a prayer and hope that we'll never be attacked again.

We Watched
By Aimee, age 12

We watched as people suffered and died,
as orphans and widows prayed and cried,
as the planes hit the towers the world held its breath,
as everyone saw the destruction and death,
the workers stopped working the teachers stopped teaching,
all the alarms sounded and the preachers kept preaching,
we could all feel the pain of the people stuck up there burning,
and when another person jumped our stomachs started churning,
everyone was on their knee's praying for the souls,
that were going up to heaven and had lost their dreams and goals,
we were losing all hope as the number of death's got higher,
and our anger kept growing in our hearts like fire,
the day September 11th would now be a very important date,
the day everyone everywhere would question their fate,
this would be the day that our courage shows bright,
for everyone around was helping with all their might,
all those people dead with not even a grave,
but the helpers still worked with the hope that another they might save,
after all the destruction was done all we could do is give,
so we waited in lines miles long to give blood so someone might live,
now where the twin towers had once stood is a pile of ash,
and everyone alive will always remember the day of this terrible crash,
that took the lives of so many that didn't want to die,
this day when smoke and ash filled the New York sky,
this is our country, the land of the brave and free,
this is a country that everyone should see,
with our colors red, white and blue,
and forever and ever we will shine through.
This is our country and it is AMERICA!

Posted: 08/22/06
Media: Cypress Chronicle & CyChron.com

Hurricane Katrina

One Year Later
By Annie Rivera

On this, the one year anniversary of America's worst natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina, residents from New Orleans are still awaiting assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"I have to go from family to family because I'm still waiting on FEMA," said 19-year old Marques Legier, who is one of thousands of residents displaced by Katrina. Legier evacuated his home to Lafeyette, 135 miles away, about one to two hours before Katrina swept through New Orleans, Louisiana.

"When I saw it, I was more like in disbelief, I couldn't believe what I seeing," he said. Katrina damaged many homes, buildings and other structures during her fury in late Aug. 2005. "Somehow during the storm a tornado touched down and tipped our house," Legier added.

According to www.fema.gov, more than $210.77 million has been awarded to the storm's evacuees in Georgia; $10.7 million to the storm's evacuees in Kentucky; $29.33 million to the storm's evacuees in North Carolina; $14.86 million to the storm's evacuees in South Carolina; $71.64 million to the storm's evacuees in Tennessee for rent, personal property replacement, health and medical, and other approved expenses.

To date, FEMA has approved nearly $975 million in Community Disaster Loans in Louisiana and Mississippi to help fund services such as law enforcement, schools and fire services in the hardest hit communities, including a $120 million loan approved for the City of New Orleans (more than $715 million directly to Louisiana communities). FEMA has provided more than $6 billion directly to Hurricane Katrina victims for housing and other needs assistance through the Individuals and Households Assistance Program (*all numbers as of Aug. 18, 2006).

Despite these figures, today many Katrina victims feel as though efforts to rebuild and restore New Orleans, has been abandoned. Although national and local TV stations displayed heavy military presence as well as rescue personnel Legier lamented "the part of town I evacuated from they never even came."

Restoration and recovery efforts are slow but ongoing. "As far as production, as far as homeowners, it's going slow," Legier added. Many people are still waiting for grants from a program called "Road to Recovery." The first issues of checks were sent to hurricane victims less than a month ago.

Like other residents Legier continues to call New Orleans his home among the debris, abandoned streets, and condemned houses. When asked what keeps him there, Legier said, "New Orleans will always be home. You can't change that. There's something about that place that calls us back. If it came down to the point where we have to go, then yes, we'll go. But it's not going to change my mind and my emotions to go."

Posted: 08/22/06
Media: Cypress Chronicle & CyChron.com - Cypress, CA
Photos: Courtesy of www.funlol.com