SALISBURY – Rowan-Cabarrus Community College held a ribbon-cutting at a recent Board of Trustees meeting to signify the completion of a new five-story fire training tower on the College’s North Campus in Salisbury.

The state-of-the-art training tower further enhances the Rowan-Cabarrus firefighter and emergency worker training program, which is the largest in North Carolina. The facility offers a safe setting for fire and emergency personnel to learn and practice high-rise firefighting and rescue operations.

The tower provides opportunities for navigating and escaping from hazardous environments, increasing the chances of emergency personnel survival and the rescue of victims. The facility allows the simulation of scenarios for the instruction and practice of operations such as ladder maneuvers, high-angle and rappelling rescues, upper-floor and stairwell rescues, and confined-space escapes.

“Rowan-Cabarrus is proud to educate many of our community’s heroes, and this cutting-edge facility is an example of our commitment to ensure that they are trained to be as safe and successful as possible on the job,” RCCC President Carol Spalding said.

The tower, which covers just over 3,400 square feet and sits on approximately a half-acre of land, was funded with assistance from the 2016 Connect NC public improvement bond. With a total project cost of just under $1.5 million, the training facility will have a lasting impact on local communities not only by ensuring top-notch public safety preparedness, but in terms of financial benefits such as lower insurance costs realized by optimal fire department response times and performance.

“This is more than a building. It’s a place where frontline firefighters will learn to save lives,”said Rowan-Cabarrus Fire and Emergency Services Director Roger McDaniel. “We are a statewide leader in public safety training, and this unique facility provides the latest and most innovative and specialized training available today for emergency response personnel. The result is better service for the citizens of our community.”

For more information about Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, please visit www.rccc.edu or call 704-216-RCCC (7222).

Stanly Arts Guild offers $1,000 scholarship

The Stanly Arts Guild Scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior planning to enroll, or a college freshman enrolled in a visual arts or arts education program, and may be a resident of Stanly or adjoining county (Anson, Cabarrus, Montgomery, Rowan or Union Counties). A total of $1,000 will be paid directly to the college in attendance of the scholarship winner. Application requirements must be completed and returned by 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, to be considered.

Carole Poplin, scholarship chair, states that applications for this award are available at the Stanly Arts Guild, 330-C North Second Street in Albemarle, or may be found online at www.stanlyartsguild.com and click the scholarship tab. You may also call or text Poplin at 704-438-4644 for more information.

The Stanly Arts Guild urges high school and college students to advance their career aspirations in art and to apply for this scholarship.

Salisbury student awarded CIC/UPS scholarship

SALISBURY – Thirty-six students at North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities have received CIC/UPS Scholarships in the amount of $3,000 for the 2020-21 academic year. The scholarships were made possible by a grant from the Council of Independent Colleges in Washington, DC, through the CIC/UPS Educational Endowment.

Andrea Valeria Garrido Lecha, a freshman political science student at Catawba College from Salisbury, was awarded one of the scholarships.

“UPS has been a valued supporter of independent higher education for more than 40 years,” said Hope Williams, president of NCICU. “The scholarships they provide to students at each of our 36 campuses are significant and help make it possible for students to meet their educational goals.”

Nationally, CIC provided more than $1.5 million in student scholarships through statewide offices of private higher education to make private colleges and universities more affordable and accessible to underserved students.