The Montage

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LifeLong Learner Takes a Detour to Class

PATRICIA C. TESSLER GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

NOTE: The Montage is pleased to present a personal narrative by Patricia Tessler, a 72-year old STLCC student enrolled in continuing education courses.

On a bright September morning, the once-familiar sea of cars in the parking lot at Meramec Community College had been transformed into a desert of Cahokia dirt mounds. At the entrance, the sign warned: “DO NOT ENTER. UNDER CONSTRUCTION.”

Plans to appear studious and on time for my first class in 25 years went down the drain as I nervously drove to a second parking lot (now thinking I would be marked tardy). Reliance on GPS had dulled my natural navigational skills, so I flagged down an elderly gentleman just getting out of his old Toyota, carrying pottery and clay figures.

“Excuse me. I’m trying to find the Science West Building, and I’m late for class. Are you familiar with the campus?” I asked.

“I’m not sure where that building is, but hop in, and we’ll go find it,” he said. Under normal circumstances, I would

Safety and inclusivity in Meramec’s new buildings

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THE ONGOING BATTLE

Exhibition by Meramec alumnus Craig Norton

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WOMEN’S SOFTBALL

Coach Swiderski discusses the team

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never have accepted such an offer from a stranger, but I was desperate, and the gentleman was as vintage as his car.

Jumping into the passenger seat, I was immediately transported back to the past by the roll-down window handles and the static guitar music from the cassette on the dashboard. All I needed were my embroidered bell-bottom jeans, and we’d make quite the 1970s couple.

A few zigzag detours around the school’s construction zones allowed Frank time to talk about his neargenius grandchildren and his passion for taking pottery classes. Meanwhile, we had no luck finding the building until we stopped a campus security officer, who gave us perfect directions.

Checking my watch, I thanked Frank as he pulled up to the walkway, expressed my eternal gratitude, and said I’d be on my way. But being ‘old school,’ Frank insisted on escorting me to my classroom while carrying my notebook and laptop.

“Well, okay,” I said. There was no time to argue, though I, like a high school girl, didn’t want my classmates to get the wrong impression that Frank and I were a couple.

We went down a hallway lined with rock and fossil displays, tempting us to

stop and look. Instead, we climbed a flight of stairs to room 108, and I was relieved to see the sign on the door:

“WELCOME TO FREELANCE WRITING FOR FUN AND PROFIT Instructor, Charlene Oldham.” Frank handed me my materials at the door, and we wished each other good luck in our second careers. Mrs. Oldham and the students introduced themselves after I apologized for being late. No one seemed judgmental, including Mrs. Oldham, who later suggested I call her Charlene. I breathed easier as I listened to several younger classmates talk about their professions: a pattern maker for women’s clothing, a realtor and a sports writer. A variety of personalities and expertise filled the room, all with the same desire to write articles about their particular interests.

I set up my new contemporary Windows 11 laptop and opened my notebook, quickly filling the blank page with Charlene’s words, pushing me into new territory and wishing to extend the four-hour morning into a full day. We studied the stacks of magazines and books on publishing that Charlene had brought into class and examined interesting articles, including their text features. Later, we visited certain

websites and read blogs by famous writers, including several of Charlene’s published articles. I realized MCC had provided us with a top-notch teacher who was also an experienced writer. At the end of class, Charlene assigned us to write an article for a specific publication and bring it to class the following week. Before returning to my car, I took a self-guided tour of the first-floor rock collection. Some stones were exquisite aqua, others smooth and gray with embedded crystals; all had survived prehistoric ocean waters and terrain. I meandered down a hall to an art exhibition, stopping every few steps to view students’ artwork on the walls. The scent of oil paint and clay drifted from the classrooms, where students were bringing creativity to its highest level.

An idea for Charlene’s assignment flashed into my head, and I didn’t have to go far, since the story had taken shape right here in these halls. I would write about how a high-achieving school reaches out not just to the young and hip but also to the old and hippy. We are all students who share creativity, a zest for learning and an appreciation for detours that lead to perfect destinations.

Accessibility and Safety at Meramec NEWS

GRETA MCGLAWN GRAPHICS EDITOR

It has been one full semester since the grand opening of St. Louis Community College Meramec’s new Financial Services and Emerging Technology buildings. The $450 million dollar project was expected to be completed by 2026. At the beginning of the school year, many aspects of the buildings were still in-the-works and even now there are the Student Center and other projects yet to be finished. However, some students and staff find the accessibility is lacking.

“The new buildings are never going to be the same as the old buildings because the architecture is completely different, the codes are different, and even the way that we study is different,” said Mariela Tapia-Alpaslan, director of Engineering and Design; she is overseeing the whole project from start to finish. Tapia-Alpaslan explained how she works with and coordinates the contractor, Clayco, the architect, Arcturis and the construction managers, S.M. Wilson & Co.

“When an architect is going to design,

safety is paramount, both for an architect and for us as guardians, because in this case, we are the owners of the project,” Tapia-Alpaslan said. “So that’s our main job, and definitely safety, especially in a public institution like this one, because all eyes are on us. These are public funds, and we definitely don’t want any issues.”

Amy Hufker is a student at STLCC and also the People First vice president in the STL chapter. People First is a selfadvocacy nonprofit program that works to empower disabled individuals. Hufker described the challenges of navigating the campus’s old and new buildings as someone who uses a scooter. For starters, the elevator at the main entrance in the Student Center is a horizontal elevator with a single door and is a tight fit for a scooter. “You have to do, basically, like parallel parking,” she said.

“The SARC office [accessibility] is horrible. And it’s supposed to be for all the students,” Hufker said.

The current SARC office, Student Access and Resource Center, is in a difficult to access space with small meeting rooms and not enough space for more than five

people to move around comfortably.

“They said, from my understanding, [the new location] is going to be on the second floor, which already sounds like a problem,” Hufker said.

Challenges will always arise during the ever-changing construction scene, but it is the job of those in charge to attend to the needs of the people using the campus.

Tapia-Alpaslan explains how ADA requirements are taken into consideration within the design. “For example, very old buildings, like these ones, have bathrooms that are really small. And then if you’re going to renovate every single bathroom, it’s a huge amount of money, so you need to really study and select what you are going to do. Maybe these renovations work better for us, to demolish the buildings and build brand new ones,” Tapia-Alpaslan said. “Sometimes people expect over and beyond, and if we are able to provide over and beyond, then definitely we’ll consider it, but our responsibility is at least to meet that code requirement that ensures safety for everyone.”

These construction projects make it can make it difficult for some, as they are complex and complicated with a lot on the line.

“The construction is just making everything more difficult, and with all the snow, that’s been a nightmare because students have been using the ramps more for some reason,” Hufker said. “Luckily my scooter works with it, but the angle of the homemade ramp to get into the cafeteria doesn’t meet ADA standards because it’s a little too steep.”

When it comes to coordinating the construction of these new renovations and buildings, Tapia-Alpaslan said, “[Everyone] needs to work together, because everyone has their rules to follow. And at the end, you know, it’s like an orchestra. Everyone is doing their part. There is no room for lacking.”

Husker said more understanding of the obstacles is necessary.

“People need to understand that being disabled is not a bad thing and just a different way of life,” Hufker said.

Neal, STLCC settle wrongful termination case

The former Meramec Professor’s lawsuit against the college appears to have ended

JACOB POLITTE

ONLINE EDITOR

Dr. Emily Neal’s case against the college will never go to trial, as the two sides reportedly have settled, according to documents found exclusively on PACER. As part of the settlement, Neal’s lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning she can not bring the case to court again. Both parties are on the hook for their legal fees.

This comes several months after both sides had agreed to move the case to a third-party arbitrator. In documents found exclusively on PACER, the two sides agreed to move the case to arbitration in July, though a motion for extension was granted the following month.

Neal’s suit, first filed in the fall of 2024, centered on her claims that the college terminated her employment

following several conflicts with the college administration; Neal had been an outspoken member of the faculty union.

Campus President Feleccia Moore-Davis, Dean Patrick Mallory and the now outgoing Vice President of Academic Affairs Andrew Langrehr are named in the suit, with several allegations directed at Dean Mallory in particular.

Rumblings about the circumstances behind Neal’s abrupt departure had circulated around the campus for years before the lawsuit became public knowledge. According to the lawsuit, it came about after what she said were years of issues. She had notably clashed with STLCC’s leadership over the years, and specifically during Chancellor Jeff Pittman’s ongoing tenure. In this lawsuit, she detailed a few of those incidents, including an incident in 2017 where she received a written reprimand for comments she made during one of her classes about the college’s board of

trustees, which she says was contrary to the college’s policies at the time. She argues that this incident was retaliatory, as was another incident in 2021, where she claims she was reprimanded again for what the college alleged was “improper word choice and tone” in an email to a colleague regarding their unauthorized access to one of Neal’s online class spaces. The college’s reprimand was overturned but Neal claims that her work environment progressively worsened after filing another grievance against Dean Mallory regarding that incident.

Specifically, the one direct event that allegedly led to her removal were comments she made at an off-campus lunch in mid-August 2022 with members of her department regarding the activities of other administrators, including allegations of an affair between a highlevel administrator and a subordinate and that another senior administrator

permitted their child to bypass the waitlist for enrollment in a popular degree program. After several months, Neal was formally terminated in March of 2023.

Neal was legally represented by Laura E. Schrick, a member of the Mathis, Marifian & Richter firm out of Belleville, Illinois.

STAFF

ELIZABETH

JACOB

BRINN

LINDSEY

LINDSEY UNNERSTALL SPORTS EDITOR

After nearly two years of STLCC’s Transformed Renovations to the new and current buildings, many projects have started to wrap up, including the first floor of the Student Center. The Student Center has been undergoing lots of construction carried out from the start of the summer through the end of the fall semester.

Whats New in the Student Center? NEWS

moved into their new locations. The Cafeteria remains in the same location.

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Previously located in the Student Center, the library has moved to the Emerging Technology building and now encapsulates a much larger space and offers new services like private study rooms. The Montage student newspaper has also moved locations and is now located on the first floor of the Communications North building.

Most of the work on the first floor of the student center is now complete, with services such as Campus Life, the STLCC Campus Store, New Student Programs, and TRIO Student Support

As of January 2026, the Access Office, Student Advocacy and Resource Center (SARC), Campus Police, Counseling, Continuing Education and Veteran Affairs are all moving into their new locations in the Student Center.

With the Student Center nearing completion and all of the campus services moving into their new spaces, the

demolition of the Continuing Education and Campus Police buildings will begin this month, with the demolition of the Clark Hall/ Administration building following after that.

These renovations are to provide more updated, easily accessible resources for the Meramec campus community. The STLCC-Meramec Community Forum will take place on Feb. 12.

ART & LIFE

The ongoing battle

Craig Norton’s ‘Freedom of Speech is not so Black and White’

GRETA MCGLAWN GRAPHICS EDITOR

“I have always done work based on getting involved in the community,”

said Craig Norton about his exhibition “Freedom of Speech is not so Black and White,” which is being featured in STLCC Meramec’s Contemporary Art Gallery. This body of work encapsulates this statement, as it covers resistance movements from across the globe and throughout time. Spanning from the American Civil Rights movement to the ever-prevalent struggles of Palestinians.

A feature of the show is the contrasting view of the history of human struggles. Norton portrays issues of all kinds, not necessarily aligning with his ideology.

“I have my own feelings, my own tastes, my own beliefs, and my own moral compass,” he says. “I tried to do varying protest riot themes; they’re all from real

things. I do all of it in here, because that’s the truth. That’s history there.”

There are both pro-life and pro-choice depictions as well as Proud Boys and Black Lives Matter protests. This is an interesting concept of including opposing views, all depicted fighting for their position. It shows a similarity between humans that is not often thought of. Norton uses these opposing views to create an “ongoing kind of almost battle” throughout the gallery space.

Norton’s pieces are dynamic and expressive while using a simple material: a ballpoint pen. He explained about his style, “The way I do these, though, I don’t make them gory, because that would lose a lot of audience, you know?”

Norton said, “Like that one of the Proud Boy guy flexing to me, that’s based off a picture of a real guy that was flexing, and I felt like it was interesting, because I don’t stand up for hate. I’m against hate, but I felt like him flexing; he didn’t have muscles, and he’s tattooed out and everything. I think he’s got this false strength.” He said he does this to bring opposing views to the audience to start conversations that are not one-sided.

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Norton can be found at Craig Norton Art on Instagram and TikTok. The exhibition will be open from Jan. 22 to Feb. 24, Mon-Thurs, 12-4 p.m., or by appointment.

The People’s Voices

What Students Want the World To Hear

HIBA OBEED ART & LIFE EDITOR

As the 2026 school year begins, students around campus were asked what they would like the world to hear. Here is what some students had to say.

“Sometimes all you need is a good loaf of sourdough,” said Hailey Hayes Some express more detailed feelings.

“There is such a deficit of people that want to become creative, there’s not enough young people that really strive to grow their creativity and to expand their ability to be creative. Being creative is such a skill that nobody’s training for and nobody’s teaching anymore. You can do the drawing classes and all the things, but it’s not teaching you to be creative, It’s teaching you to draw. For example Drawing I is teaching you to draw the forms and shapes, but it’s not teaching you to be creative. There’s such a neglect of how impactful creativity is to a society and how much it’s

needed to make a structurally stable society that people need to understand. It’s as vital if not more vital, to teach a kid to be creative, then it is to teach them to use that creativity because if they’re creative- if they have that skillthey will express it; it’s going to happen. If you never teach them or encourage that creativity they can’t do anything with it. That’s where you hit the ‘flow state,’ where creativity and ability intersect. If you only have the ability and not the creativity or the drive to do it, you never hit that spot where you have the passion. And boycott ICE and boycott MAGA and boycott all of the institutions trying to separate people and separate ideas when, really, we’re connected,” said Asher Bloom

Another student shared their thoughts.

“Under normal circumstances, what I want to say is everyone deserves medical care. Under these circumstances, what I must say is we are not the enemy.” said David Wade.

Success in STEM Tutoring

Jeff Howell’s strategic vision for student learning

FARAHNAZ NAZARY STAFF

Behind every successful tutoring center are not just dedicated tutors, but a strong manager at the helm ensuring every session is a thoughtfully charted voyage toward student success. Since relocating to its new space in the Emerging Technology Center, the Meramec Tutoring Center has seen a record increase in student engagement. This success isn’t due to the bright new walls alone, it is the direct result of Manager Jeff Howell’s strategic vision. By focusing on fostering a welcoming and collaborative environment, he has changed how students view and access academic support.

“I started working at the Meramec campus as a supervisor,” Howell said.

“I went to Florissant Valley and took a position as the campus manager of tutoring for almost two years. Finally, in June of 2021, I returned back to Meramec and started as the manager of STEM tutoring district-wide, so I oversee the STEM tutors at all five campuses.”

Howell’s decision to return to Meramec was largely influenced by his own history as a student at the campus and his subsequent success in securing a management position within the institution.

Howell inspires his team to work effectively with students.

“I make sure that my team is motivated by encouraging them to educate students about the value of early intervention and coaching, framing tutoring not as a last resort for struggling students but as a proactive tool for all students to maximize their potential,” Howell said. “I also encourage them to see the direct

ART & LIFE

Advising the Future at Meramec

Mary Beth Overby’s leading role as a manager of advising

results of their efforts by hearing back from students about improved grades.”

According to Howell, tutors are trained before the beginning of each semester. Throughout the semester, the tutors are observed and given feedback on their performance.

While his immediate focus is managing the tutoring center, Howell has a clear vision for his future to continue his professional journey on campus and expand his expertise by earning a project management certification.

“My favorite part of my job is the people,” Howell said. “Everyone goes out of their way to make you feel welcome when things are tough, and everyone is there to work as a team and to provide assistance when faced by challenges.”

FARAHNAZ NAZARY STAFF

Beyond the day-to-day work of course approvals, the role of a manager of advising is to build a foundation for student success. This is a task that Mary Beth Overby has mastered, transforming a transactional process into a developmental one. Overby’s educational background, combined with her three decades of life in St. Louis, has made her a cornerstone of the advising department.

Overby explained her professional background. “I started at STLCC in 2015 as a Student Support Specialist at our South County Center. I was in that role from 2015 to 2021. From 2021 to 2023 I worked part time for the district ACT Advising office. In 2023 I started at the Forest Park campus as a Student Success Advisor. I started my position of Manager, Student Success at the Meramec campus in August 2025.”

In Overby’s opinion an important key to helping students is listening to the questions and concerns they bring to their advisor. Each student brings their own set of needs, and it is important as an advisor to meet the students where they are and help them reach their goals.

Overby notes that there are lots of fantastic free resources on campus and online to help students succeed. Advisors can assist in career and major exploration and offer tools available to assist students wherever they are on their career path.

Overby adds that they work closely with all their partners in Student Affairs and Academic Affairs to plug

students in to the resources they need inside and outside of the classroom. They always encourage students to reach out to their advisor if they don’t know where to go, so it always helps students to choose the right direction.

Ultimately, with a clear vision for the future, Overby’s commitment to learning and connection is not simply a plan but a guiding philosophy. It promises to build a more dynamic, knowledgeable and integrated advising team that will continue to elevate the campus experience for years to come.

“My favorite part of my job is supporting my team as we help students reach their goals. I love problem-solving, and each day brings new challenges we solve together,” Overby said.

Jake’s Take: Warranted Insubordination

Is disagreement really disobedience?

JACOB POLITTE ONLINE EDITOR

Any deep-dive into The Montage archives will prove to our more recent readers that I’m a huge “Law and Order: SVU” fan (copaganda notwithstanding). I even wrote recaps of SVU episodes for two seasons before the pandemic happened.

I don’t write weekly reviews anymore, but I still do watch the show when it airs every Thursday night. The recent finale cliffhanger scene in the episode “Showdown” provoked quite a reaction out of me.

In the scene, Captain Olivia Benson has an intense (for this show) discussion with her direct superior, Chief Kathryn Tynan. Tynan, embarrassed by the unit’s failure to help secure a conviction, sulks into the squadroom which leads directly to a confrontation where she confronts Benson for improperly doing her job and “not understanding her role as a captain.”

On the show so far this season, Tynan has been portrayed as a quasi-villain of sorts. Almost every scene she’s in has an air of discomfort. She, more than any other chief in the history of the show, has truly ruffled Benson’s feathers in ways both big and small, and has made it clear that she sees Benson in a different role than the one she’s held for the last 12 years, and in a different place than she’s worked for the last 27 years. Benson, however, sees things differently, almost to a fault. She doesn’t want to

change her environment. She’s happy where she is and happy doing things her own way. Benson does not believe she’s doing her job improperly, and openly tells Tynan such with her entire being. She plays the “I’ve been here for a long time” card, citing her experience to defend her style of leadership and her priorities.

It pains me to say it, but while I agree with Benson’s attitude, Tynan is objectively ethically correct in her assessment (though since this is SVU, it’s not a spoiler to say Benson’s going to come out on top in the conflict currently between the two). For far too long, Captain Olivia Benson has acted like the detective she was at the start of the show long after the promotions that ascended her up the corporate ladder should have rendered that impossible.

Part of this nonsensical behavior is simply due to television logistics; Mariska Hargitay is the highest paid actress on the show and thus she should be featured the most out of anyone. There’s nothing interesting about her sitting behind a desk delegating if you’re going to pay her ungodly amounts of money.

But let’s stop thinking practically for a second and pivot to the real topic here. This fictional dilemma also broached an interesting question for me personally: when is the right time to push back against a boss who doesn’t understand your work ethic? Especially when that method has a proven track record of success?

It’ll probably hurt any future job opportunities I pursue to say this, but I’ve had moments similar to this fictionalized one where I have had the same mentality as Benson. And in this day and age, that’s not a hard thing to feel. As a viewer, it was a bit triggering to hear Tynan’s dismissive tone and hear her attempt to flex her authority seemingly to spite her opposition. It’s my personal opinion that some people in management positions are examples of the “peter principle” and have no real place being in the positions that they’re in.

To be quite honest, it’s probably a common opinion amongst many in the workforces across the spectrum that, more often than not, a micromanaging boss is more of a nuisance than an asset, regardless of if that boss is skilled or not. Tynan is an example of a competent micromanager, but she too really has no idea the depth of the pool that she waded into.

Benson was out of line. But Benson, at the same time, was also justified completely in standing up for herself. I’m sure it’s different as a cop. But even there, a chief or authority figure can act out of line too. They’re not automatically in the right because of their rank, and they’re not immune from consequences because of it. Or at least they’re not supposed to be.

In the real world, though, at what point is it appropriate to vocalize that? And for what reasons? In the first half of SVU’s season 27, Benson seemed to be biting her tongue for a good long while, and

even as she went off on her boss, it was clear she was taking responsibility for her team. Is a harsh verbal retort and/or defense justified if it’s for the right reasons?

Before, I would have said no. But now? Having been in Benson’s shoes? I’m not so sure. Those in power can act out of line too, and I’m not sure that their job title should shield them from criticism or even a reprimand from those of a lower rank. Perhaps there should always be a compromise of sorts, a balance between what works and what needs to happen, because again, those things are often not mutually exclusive.

Trump’s Obsession with Greenland

CALEB CARR STAFF

In early January, President Donald Trump took a keen interest in the autonomous territory of Greenland, Denmark. Trump has said in multiple statements that the U.S. must act, giving his supporters the narrative “if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor.”

The president views Greenland as a strategic asset that the United States needs to help protect itself from foreign powers, such as Russia and China, which he claims have multiple naval vessels near Greenland and around the Antarctic. Numerous reports from the European Union (EU) and senior Nordic diplomats with NATO intelligence have stated that the Russia-China threat in the Antarctic and Greenland is actually minimal, showing Trump’s reasoning for wanting Greenland to be false. Trump has also claimed that Greenland being part of the United States could help detect incoming missiles from Russia, giving the United States more time to prepare for the attack. The one issue with his claim is that the United States already has missile detection systems in Greenland at the Pituffik space base, showing that this is

another false claim to hide his personal reason for wanting the island.

Another reason for Trump’s personal interest in Greenland is their vast, untouched natural resources, including iron and oil. Trump wants these resources to help alleviate the dependency on China and Russia’s resources and possibly expand his own wealth along with his billionaire allies.

On Jan. 16, after Trump’s threats of annexation toward Denmark, several EU countries– including France, Sweden and Germany–have since sent military personnel to the territory for exercises and security purposes. The next day, Jan. 17, Trump threatened new 10% trade tariffs on any and all goods sent to the United States from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland if those countries do not support his plans. It is also worth noting part of the reason

for Trump’s aggressive behavior toward Denmark is because he was not awarded a Nobel Peace Prize last year which he has been desperately wanting nearly since the beginning of his presidency in 2017. The president almost starting a war and possibly causing the destruction of (NATO) is not only extremely petty but a gross abuse of power as the president.

After the tariff threats were made, Greenlanders protested Trump’s ambitions to take over the country.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, prime minister of Greenland, was part of what many of the island’s population described as the island’s biggest protest, drawing nearly a quarter of Nuuk’s population. Others held rallies and solidarity marches across the Danish realm. The residents of Greenland protesting against Trump’s hostility towards their home shows that his claims of Greenlanders wanting to be part of the United States is completely

wrong and actually the opposite of what he said. Greenlanders are disgusted by the idea of their island being a part of the United States, even after being offered over a hundred thousand dollars each to move away.

Trump dropped the tariff threat after speaking with the secretary of NATO, saying that he has “the framework of a deal” with Denmark over Greenland. The details of what the deal entails are still not known, but it is known that the prime minister of Greenland will not negotiate the sovereignty of their island.

Trump’s borderline imperialist ideals of taking over the Northern Hemisphere has no place in our modern world and left unchecked could lead to all out war with another country if not an entire continent. The Greenland fiasco should be a wake up call for Americans, if not already from the multiple other questionable actions of the president and his administration since he took office last year. Americans need to speak out and take action against our country’s current administration’s reckless behavior before we start a conflict with another country, possibly causing an all out war that could affect not only our country but the entire world itself and throw it into pure chaos.

Women’s Softball Winds Up for Season

Coach Kristi Swiderski sees ‘big improvements’ in team

LINDSEY UNNERSTALL

SPORTS EDITOR

As the Meramec Archers gear up for the spring 2026 sports season, the energy is high for the men’s baseball and women’s softball teams just weeks ahead of their season kickoff. After a long fall semester of practices and training, both teams play their first season games the first few weeks of February.

Women’s softball Head Coach Kristi Swiderski said she believes the team is stronger than ever this year and has a good chance at making it to the National Tournament.

“The biggest improvement I have seen in the off season is our strength and quickness. They have hit the weight room hard. Every player on the team has exceeded their weight training goals, which is a good indicator of how strong and quick we will be,” Swiderski said.

The regional championship isn’t the team’s only goal though, Swiderski said. After a year of training they are aiming to break records.

“The team has been working hard since August. We are excited to see the benefits of that hard work in action,” Swiderski said. “Our team is fast this year. I am excited to see the girls run and steal bases. I am confident we will break the program’s stolen base record. They will be fun to watch.”

“Our team is fast this year... I am confident we will break the program’s stolen base record. They will be fun to watch.”

It won’t be easy though, as the team faces harder teams and a new level of competition this season, she said. “Based on the NJCAA preseason polls, we will be playing nine teams ranked in the top 20 nationally. It will be fun to see the girls rise to the occasion. I have confidence that they will,” Swiderski said. “We have a stronger pitching staff than we had last year. We have several ladies that can throw around 60+ mph from 43 feet away, which is tough to hit.”

-Coach Kristi Swiderski

After losing the regional tournament last year and surrendering a title the team had for six years in a row, the girls’ motivation to reach that goal again is higher than ever.

“We hit an offensive slump going into the post-season last year, which killed us. My goal this year is consistency from start to finish and of course getting the regional title back,” Swiderski said.

Swiderski said she hopes the performance of the team will keep the community engaged and coming back to the games all season long.

“The game of fastpitch softball itself is fun to watch. It is different than baseball because it is faster in general. These determined ladies are fast, strong and can hit the ball over the fence,” Swiderski said. “I think most people will be pleasantly surprised with what they see and want to come back for more.”

Archer Spring Sports Ready to Swing

Finishing off the winter season, the STLCC Archer’s men’s and women’s basketball teams continue to play against a variety of schools as they inch closer toward conference championships.

Upcoming spring sports starting this month include men’s baseball and women’s softball. The baseball team’s first season game is this Saturday, Feb. 7 against Southwest Tennessee Community College at USA Stadium. Their first home game isn’t until Friday, Feb. 20, against Rochester Community and Technical College.

The women’s softball team kicks off their season on Thursday, Feb. 12 with a game against Rock Valley College at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. Their first home game is on Tuesday, March 3, against Lewis & Clark Community College.