Southwestern Community College's annual iHire Employment Fair is scheduled for Wed., April 4, 2012, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., in the Student Center gymnasium on SWCC’s Creston campus.  More than 40 employers are expected, representing business and industry, education, and the military.

During the employment fair, individuals will have opportunities for one-on-one contact with human resources professionals, on-site interviews, career exploration, and possible employment offers.  The services of a sign language interpreter will be available at the fair courtesy of Vocational Rehabilitation. Read more: Southwestern to Host Annual Employment Fair

Southwestern Community College's automotive programs will be hosting the 2012 Automotive Open House for students considering a career in the automotive field on Friday, March 30, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the automotive department on the north side of the Instructional Center, on SWCC's Creston campus. Read more: SWCC Automotive Programs to Host Open House

The Osceola high school carpentry class will be traveling to Joplin, MO, from March 11-17, 2012, to assist with rebuilding efforts following the Joplin tornados.  Charlie Mundy, SWCC carpentry instructor, organized the trips through the Fuller Center for Housing.  Fourteen students, two chaperones, and Mundy will be making the trip.  This story was recently featured on KCCI-TV, Des Moines.  To watch the story, visit http://www.kcci.com/video/30648085/detail.html.

The president of the Fuller Center had heard about similar work the Osceola students completed for storm-ravaged homes in Louisiana a couple of years ago.  The Fuller Center is excited about the students’ skill sets and looking forward to putting them to work.  Many times volunteers travel to assist with projects such as this without any prior construction knowledge.  During their time in Joplin, the students will be working on miscellaneous construction projects including construction of bunk beds, tool storage units, and completing the stucco on the exterior of a house.  The group will be staying in a gymnasium at a local church in Joplin.

Riding high off an upset of Ellsworth in regional tournament play on Tuesday, Southwestern tried to keep the magic rolling against #3 seed Iowa Central on Thursday.  For a while, it looked like the ride might continue.  In a slow-paced and methodical game, Iowa Central shooters could not get on track early.  For the Spartans' part, they too had trouble finding offensive conversions early, but with 12 minutes left in the first half had built a 12-7 lead. The Tritons kept attacking, but could not get a good flow going until just before the half when they grabbed a 17-16 lead going into intermission.  Read more: Spartans' Tourney Run Ends in Fort Dodge

To upset Ellsworth, ranked number two in the region, AT Iowa Falls, the Spartan youngsters knew they would have to rebound and be good with possession of the ball—they did both on their way to a 62-61 upset victory over the Panthers on Tuesday night. Ellsworth came out of the gate strong, jumping to a 10-4 advantage on the strength of two three-point goals early. Southwestern stayed methodical, keeping the pace slow, and got key baskets from Delby Halcomb and  Devin Kastrup to stay within striking distance at the half, trailing 36-28. When the Spartans found  Marquealis Edwards cutting to the basket for a lay-up in the first possession of the second half, Southwestern seemed to be in the game for the long haul.

Creston, IA—Southwestern Community College (SWCC) recently announced the addition of men’s and women’s track and field starting with the 2012-13 school year.

According to Dr. Matt Thompson, SWCC dean of students, the decision to add an intercollegiate sport was made after a lot of thought and consideration by the college’s administration.  SWCC has had men’s and women’s cross country programs in place since 2006.  The Spartans’ cross country teams, under the direction of Head Coach Bill Huntington and Assistant Coach Cari Stalker, have been national contenders throughout the years.  During the 2011 season, the women’s team was ranked in the top 20 nationally. Read more: Spartans Adding Track and Field Program