GCC

Press release:

The Genesee Center for the Arts at Genesee Community College is pleased to announce the calendar of spring events for its 20th season at the Stuart Steiner Theatre. The Center for the Arts is proud to bring in a jam-packed schedule with a variety of artists and productions to the community at large.

Live Performances in the Stuart Steiner Theatre:

"Extremities" by William Mastrisimone, staged by the Aegis Project of Buffalo, for one performance at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16. The Aegis Project is an initiative to raise rape awareness through theatrical productions on college campuses throughout the region. Tickets are $3 for all ages and all proceeds go to the Aegis Project for local rape awareness projects. Please note this production is appropriate for ages 16 and over.

Hailed as "WNY's Father of Country Music," Ramblin' Lou brings his Family Band, to the Genesee Center for the Arts for an afternoon of classic country music beginning at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors (55+), $5 students and GCC faculty/staff, $3 GCC students with valid ID and $2 discount for GCC alumni with alumni card.

Genesee's Forum Players present "God's Favorite," a Neil Simon comedy, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, March 29 - 31, with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. on April 1. Directed by Maryanne Arena, this is a modern tale, loosely based on the Book of Job, in which God and Satan make a bet, and God puts his trust in Joe, a wealthy businessman living with his family in suburban Long Island, to keep his faith. God's messenger, sent to test Joe's faith, is a wisecracking guy from Queens. Simon poses questions about life, but never loses his sense of humor! Tickets are $8 adults, $5 seniors (55+), students, and GCC faculty/staff, $3 GCC students with valid ID. No children under the age of 5 permitted. Please note that this production is appropriate for ages 16 and over.

The Genesee Center for the Arts continues its commitment to introducing performing arts to children, families, and schools throughout the Western New York area with "The Princess and the Goblin" by Stuart Paterson, a magical tale of young Princess Irene finding the strength to take on the world. Packed with fun and adventure, it's a rich and magical play for the entire family! The Genesee Forum Players featuring GCC students as the cast and crew, and Norm Gayford, GCC English professor will be directing. Daytime performance dates are scheduled for Wednesday, April 18, Thursday, April 19 and Friday, April 20, with invitations sent to all the local schools. There will be one public performance at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 20. Tickets are $8 adults, $5 seniors (55+), students, and GCC faculty/staff, and $3 GCC students with valid ID and $2 discount for GCC alumni with alumni card. Children under the age of 12 free!

The Fine and Performing Arts Committee at the Genesee Center for the Arts is participating in March's Arts Awareness Week with two workshops that are free and open to the public. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27 in the Forum of Batavia's main campus, local artists will be demonstrating origami, bookbinding, pottery, needle felting, painting, photography and more in hands-on workshops. On Thursday, March 29, Jeffrey Sweet will be presenting a workshop on playwriting, as well as doing a one-man performance of "You Only Shoot the Ones You Love." Please note that this short play is appropriate for ages 16 and over.

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra returns to Genesee Community College for its 64th season with one performance at the Stuart Steiner Theatre: "Musical Safari" at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26. A second concert, "Musical Salute," is scheduled at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 at the Elba Central School auditorium. Tickets are $12 adults, $8 seniors (62+), $5 students (18 and under or GCC students with a valid ID) or $30 family (parent plus children 12 and under). For full schedule and tickets, visit the GSO at www.geneseesymphony.com

A special GCASA jazz event taking place at the Stuart Steiner Theatre will be the Glenn Miller Orchestra, with an opening act of the Genesee-Orleans All-Star Jazz Ensemble, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. This is a fundraising event for GCASA, and tickets are $30 adults, $15 seniors (65+) and $15 students with ID. All tickets are general seating and expected to sell out early, so get your tickets soon at Roxy's Music Store and the GCASA office in Batavia. The Genesee Center for the Arts Box Office will also have tickets available, cash or check only for this event, but call ahead to check tickets availability.

The last event of the season is a collaborative event with the Genesee County Mental Health Association and Maryanne Arena, director of fine and performing arts at GCC. A one-act play by Marsha Norman " 'Night, Mother" will be performed at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 11. Starring Maryanne and Jaime Arena, it features a daughter, Jessie, and her mother, Thelma, in a story about suicide. For ticket prices and selling locations, visit GCMHA at www.gcmha.org. All proceeds will benefit GCMHA. Please note that this play is appropriate for ages 16 and over.

For general information, contact the Genesee Center for the Arts Box Office at 345-6814, or by email at boxoffice@genesee.edu. For door-to-door directions sent via email, visit www.genesee.edu.

A close loss to the Community College of Rhode Island, then ranked 8th in the country, in last weekend’s Cougar Holiday Classic tournament had the Genesee Community College men’s basketball team ready to host the #7 team in the country in Lakeland Community College on Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars saw the Lakers for the second time this season and jumped out to an early nine point lead. Genesee maintained the nine point advantage throughout the first half by scoring quickly in transition, avoiding the Lakers press defense. Kenton Chan-Man (Brooklyn, NY) scored 16 first half points for the Cougars who saw their lead vanish when Lakeland made a 10-0 run to close out the opening twenty minutes by causing turnovers with their press. Both teams were tied at 46 at the half.

The second half started much like the first as Genesee took an 8 point lead just three minutes in. Chan-Man helped the Cougars stay on top going four-of-six from three-point range. The Lakeland press once again allowed the Lakers to close the gap by turning turnovers into points and cutting a six point GCC lead down to one with less than two minutes to play. The Cougars hit four out of their last five free-throws to maintain the one point lead and came up with a game-winning defensive stop with five seconds to play to knock of the #7 Lakers, 89-88.

(#4 Tyshawn Ferguson scores in GCC's win over #7 Lakeland CC on Saturday afternoon)

Chan-Man finished with a game high 32 points and also grabbed five rebounds. Deylon Bovell (Brooklyn, NY) had a strong game with 17 points before fouling out late in the second half, and Tyshawn Ferguson (Chicago, IL) added 15 points and 6 boards.

Genesee improves their record to 6-5 overall and even the season series at 1-1 with Lakeland. They will resume play after the winter break on January 6th when the travel to Niagara College in Canada.

Coming off of a win in the final game of last week’s Cougar Holiday Classic tournament, the Genesee Community College women’s basketball team dropped an 83-80 contest in overtime to Lakeland Community College on Saturday.

The Lady Cougars played well defensively to start the afternoon, causing two early shot clock violations and empty possessions for Lakeland Community College. A back and forth first half saw the game’s first significant run halfway through the opening twenty minutes when the Lady Lakers turned a 21-21 contest into a 33-21 lead within a span of three minutes. After a Genesee timeout, the Lady Cougars responded with a 10-0 run of their own to cut the Lakeland lead to two. Lakeland scored 11 of the last 13 points of the first half and took a 44-33 lead into the intermission.

Genesee closed the gap early and stayed within reach for the majority of the second half thanks to consistent play inside from Carrie Blunt (Syracuse, NY) and Janelle Long (Rochester, NY). The Lady Cougars took a one point, 68-67 lead when Blunt finished a lay-up and drew contact for a foul with two minutes left to play in regulation. Lakeland took the lead back and held a two point advantage with ten seconds to play when Kayla Golden (Lackawanna, NY) scored a lay up to even the score at 72 and send the game into overtime.

(#2 Kayla Golen dribbles past a defender in an overtime loss on Saturday afternoon)

Genesee took the lead early on in the extra session but struggled at the free-throw line allowing the Lady Lakers to take the lead and hang on for the win. GCC was led by Golden who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Blunt also recorded a double-double ending the afternoon with 16 points and 17 rebounds. Jasmine Armstead (Rochester, NY) and Chyna Lennox (Moseley, VA) each added 11 points. Genesee drops to 4-11 on the season and will resume play after the winter break when they travel to Niagara College (Canada) on January 6th.

The Genesee Community College women’s basketball team snapped a nine game losing streak by beating the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) 67-40 in the final game of the Cougar Holiday Classic tournament on Sunday afternoon.

The Lady Cougars started strong in the opening half, jumping out to a 19-5 lead, and did not let up. Genesee took a 36-20 lead into the locker room at the half.

GCC stayed strong defensively allowing CCAC only seven points in the first ten minutes of the second half. The Lady Cougars never saw their lead drop below 16 in the second twenty minutes and they cruised to the 27 point victory, their first since November 8th.

(#23 Janelle Long scores two of her 16 points in GCC's win over CCAC)

The Cougars had a strong game from Freshmen Janelle Long (Rochester, NY – Eastridge HS) with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jasmine Armstead (Rochester, NY – Eastridge HS) also finished with 16 points and 2 assists. Armstead and Long were named to the All-Tournament Team. The Cougars are now 4-10 on the season and will take on the Lakeland CC Lakers at 1pm on Saturday December 17th at GCC.

The Genesee Community College Women’s Basketball team dropped their first game in the 2011 Holiday Classic with a 75-49 loss to the Green Knights of the Community College or Rhode Island (CCRI).

CCRI started the game on a 16-4 run and Cougars were unable to overcome the pressure put on by the Knights. CCRI had a lead as big as 20 just mid-way through the opening half of play.  Freshman Jahira Smith (Norwich, Conn) had a huge game for the Knights as she finished with27 points. Fellow Knight Cartrecia Ward (Boynton Beach, FL) came off the bench and chipped in 16 points  .

Leading the way for the Cougars was Carrie Blunt (Syracuse) with eight points and Jasmine Armstead (Rochester, NY-Eastridge) had six points for the home squad.

With the win, CCRI is 6-2 on the season and will take on the Niagara County Community College Thunderwolves at 11am Sunday while the Cougars (3-10) will take on Community College of Allegheny County –South at 3pm Sunday afternoon at the Anthony T Zambito Gymnasium on the Batavia campus of GCC.

The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Green Knights came into the nightcap of day one of the Cougar Holiday Classic at Genesee Community College Cougars and came out with a 76-70 victory over the host Cougars.

After going back and forth for the majority of the opening half, the eighth ranked Knights were able to pull out to a 41-29 lead at halftime.

The Cougars started to climb their way back into the game as they trailed by eight early on in the second half. GCC continued to dwindle the Knights lead but CCRI continued to answer every call the Cougars made. However with less than six minutes remaining in regulation, the Cougars were able to come back to tie the score at 61.

Both teams went back and forth for the remainder of the game and CCRI sealed the deal by hitting foul shots down the stretch for their 10th win on the season.

The Cougars were led offensively by Kenton Chan Man (Brooklyn, NY) with 18 points, two rebounds and two assists. Dijon Wright (Philadelphia, PA) had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the host Cougars, who drop to .500 on the season with a record of 5-5.

The Knights were led offensively by Desmond Williams with 17 points and Anthony Henry had a double –double with 11 points and 12 rebounds for CCRI.

Kevin Manne, new media specialist at Genesee Community College has successfully completed the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations, entitling him to use the APR professional designation. He was recently award the designation after completing the challenging accreditation process and exam.

The accreditation program aims to improve the practice of public relations by assessing competence in 60 areas of knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the profession. The examination is designed for public relations professionals with five to seven years of job experience and/or a bachelor's degree in a communication field.

Candidates who successfully complete the rigorous process -- including presenting their portfolio to a Readiness Review panel of three peers and sitting for a computer-based examination -- are granted the APR.

"When I was a student at Buffalo State, one of my professors brought an APR into class to discuss the benefits of accreditation," Manne said. "Since then, earning the APR is something I've strived for to demonstrate my commitment to the profession and to its ethical practice."

At GCC, Manne leads communication efforts across social media, blogging, web and other emerging mediums. He previously served as communications and public relations specialist at Catholic Charities of Buffalo.

Manne earned his associate degree from Genesee Community College and graduated magna cum laude from Buffalo State College with a bachelor's degree in public communication.

He serves as secretary on the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Buffalo Niagara Chapter Board of Directors and on the Buffalo State College Alumni Association Communication Committee. He has received multiple awards from PRSA Buffalo Niagara and the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations for his work in social media and public relations.

The Genesee Community College men’s basketball team dominated the Medaille junior varsity team on Thursday night, defeating the Mavericks 118-59.

The Cougars were successful against the Medaille press all night, quickly transitioning to the offensive end of the floor and working the ball inside. GCC scored 40 of their 54 first half points from inside the paint, and shot better than 61% from the field. Terryl Coombs (Brooklyn, NY) scored 15 of his game high 23 points in the first twenty minutes, and Deylon Bovell (Brooklyn, NY) added 13 first half points. Despite being effective on offense, the Cougar defense allowed Medaille 38 first half points on 13 of 37 shooting.

(#10 Terryl Coombs dunks in blowout win over Medaille)

GCC allowed the Mavericks to within 14 points early on in the second half before going on a 37-3 run to take control of the game. Coombs tallied the game’s only double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. David Andrews (Bronx, NY) finished the night with 14 points and 9 rebounds, and Kenton Chan-Man (Brooklyn, NY) added 15 points.

Genesee out-rebounded Medaille 62-31 on the night and held the Mavericks to just six second half field goals. Thursday marks the first time GCC has gone over 100 points in a game so far this season.

The Cougars will travel to Mohawk Valley Community College for their next contest on Saturday afternoon at 3pm.

The Genesee Community College women’s volleyball team dropped their consolation round match to Iowa Central Community College in three sets on Friday afternoon and have been eliminated from the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.

After falling behind early in the first set, the Lady Cougars came back to win four straight points and take a 4-2 lead. GCC held its largest lead at 7-3 before Iowa Central, ranked #10 in the country, took control. Deliane Lessard (Rochester, NY) made one last push for Genesee in the first set, serving to three straight points to get back within four at 16-12, but the Lady Tritons held off GCC’s advance and took the set 25-19.

In the second set, both teams went back and forth to start and were even at 17 before Iowa Central won eight of the last nine points to win the set 25-18.

Down two sets to none, Genesee battled throughout the third set. Carrie Blunt (Syracuse, NY) earned a kill and a block in succession to draw GCC within two at 13-11. Sabrina Wilhoite (Letchworth, NY) blocked a spike attempt at the net, putting a halt to a three point run from Iowa Central and inching GCC within two at 19-17. The Lady Tritons would win six of the final seven points however, and took the third set 25-18 and the match three sets to none.

Genesee ends the season with a 22-21 record, earning the District L and a Division II Region III titles in the process.

The Genesee Community College men’s basketball team sailed past Pittsburgh-Titusville on Thursday night, defeating the Panthers 94-62.

A 10-0 run to start the game set the tempo for the Cougars who shot better than 60 percent from the floor in the opening twenty minutes. Deylon Bovell (Brooklyn, NY) Kevin Nascimento (New York, NY) and Kenton Chan-Man (Brooklyn, NY) each reached double figures in scoring by halftime for GCC, who were five of eight as a team from beyond the arc. The Cougars held a 51-28 lead at the half.

(#35 Dijon Wright scores a second half basket in a 94-62 win over Pitt-Titusville)

Dijon Wright (Philadelphia, PA) scored all ten of his points in the second half as Genesee kept up their momentum and never saw their lead drop below 22 points. Chan-Man led all scorers with 23 points and he also collected 6 rebounds. Bovell finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds, Wright earned a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards and Nascimento and Michael Glenn (Fairport, NY) each added 14 points.

Genesee improves to 3-3 on the season and will not take the floor again until December 1st when they host the junior varsity team from Medaille College at 7pm

The Genesee Community College women’s volleyball team dropped their opening round match of the 2011 NJCAA Division II National Tournament to Cowley College (KS) in three sets on Thursday afternoon. The 16th seeded Lady Cougars went up against the overall number one seed in Cowley, a team that increased their win streak to 20 games with the win on Thursday.

Behind strong serving and size up front, Cowley built a 5-0 lead to begin the match and did not trail in the opening set, winning 25-12. GCC started strong in the second set, taking a 5-2 lead before the Lady Tigers came back to regain momentum and win the second set 25-12. Genesee stayed with Cowley to start the third set, trailing 8-11 at one point, before the Lady Tigers won the next six points and eventually went on to win the third set 25-10.

Genesee (22-20) will play in a consolation match tomorrow at 12pm. They will take on Iowa Central who lost their opening round match to Central Community College on Thursday afternoon.

The Genesee Community College men’s basketball team came back from a two-loss weekend by dominating the Houghton College JV team 84-35.

After back-to-back losses to Monroe College and Harcum College this weekend, the Cougars (2-2) came out shooting better than 55% from the floor in the first half, and took a 46-14 lead into the break.

The second half was more of the same as Genesee kept an above 50% shooting mark, and cruised to the 49 point victory.

Michael Glenn (Fairport, NY) finished with a game-high 24 points on a 10 of 15 shooting night. Kenton Chan-Man (Brooklyn, NY) added 10 points and Dijon Wright (Philadelphia, PA) finished the night with 7 points and 7 rebounds.

Genesee improves to .500 on the season and will travel to Lakeland Community College for their next game on November, 12th at 3pm.

The Genesee Community College women’s basketball team cruised past the Houghton College JV team on Tuesday night, by a final score of 70-42.

The Lady Cougars began the night on an 8-0 run and did not trail in the game. GCC controlled the tempo by out-rebounding the Lady Highlanders 50-43 in the game, with Carrie Blunt (Syracuse, NY) and Erica McDaniel (Buffalo, NY) combining for 15 of them.

Genesee was led in scoring by Kayla Golden (Lackawanna, NY) who finished the night with 14 points. Blunt had a strong night netting 10 points and Jasmine Armstead (Rochester, NY) also added 10 points.

(Kayla Golden leads the Lady Cougars with 14 points in win over Houghton JV)

The Lady Cougars improve to 3-1 and will play again tomorrow night at 6pm when they host Onondaga Community College for their first conference game of the season.