by Shahin Soltan '09. This week at work was a little bit different than the other weeks. I had been working on a power presentation for all the Food Lion interns in Salisbury, N.C. I was supposed to present what I've learned so far and how those results compared to what I had expected to get out of this internship. Also, I talked about how Food Lion had prepared me for coming over here and whether that was adequate preparation or not.

More than 50 people participated in the first of the 2008 Freshman Retreats held June 19-21 at John's River Camp. There was a lot of information shared in response to questions, concerns and hopes and dreams between faculty, staff and incoming students of the College.

Discover the clues to unlock your creativity and musicianship skills at the piano through music including themes from the feature films "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "National Treasure." Students will be grouped according to ability level and will participate in activities including Theory, Ensemble (Duets), Repertoire, Improvisation and Technique. Snack and Musical Recreation time will also be included...

Source: CarolinaNewswire.com. Phil Kirk, vice president for external relations at Catawba College and longtime state education leader, has been named the sixth chair of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, a not-for-profit policy think tank that has made significant contributions to the advancement of North Carolina schools. Kirk will become the organization's volunteer leader on July 1, succeeding N.C. Sen. Katie Dorsett.

By Sara Gregory, www.salisburypost.com. Catawba College student Elizabeth Mae Edwards, 21, will represent North Carolina at the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship's first Student Congress. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole nominated Edwards, who interned in Dole's office during her freshman year at Catawba. Edwards is majoring in political science.

by Shahin Soltan '09. My fourth week was a bit more exciting than the previous one. Monday probably was my favorite day at work so far. We cracked a lot of jokes and laughed together at work, but we also got plenty of stuff done. I was given a task to analyze this year's budget for the different entities of the Delhaize Group. It wasn't an easy job considering the organization is large.

Two Catawba College Alumni from the class of 2008, Jon Rhodes of Virginia Beach, Va. and Aileen Thomson of Burlington, Vt., have accepted positions in South Korea working as English teachers (English as a second language) at private language school operated by Reading Town. The school is located in Jeonju (2 hours south of Seoul). The two begin work July 21 under a one-year contract at the institution.

Catawba College will host the 69th annual session of Tar Heel Boys' State June 22-28. This is the sixth consecutive year that the weeklong event has been held on campus and approximately 250 participants, all rising high school seniors from North Carolina, are expected.

by Brad Ross '09. After a fun-filled night in Beijing, the following day we had to pack up our overstuffed luggage and begin the long trip back to the U.S.A. But during the 20+ hours of flying and the four connecting flights, Catawba College's China Ten had plenty of experiences to reminisce about.

By BRADLEY S. KLAPPER, Associated Press Writer. U.S. diplomat William Lacy Swing, a former U.N. envoy to Congo, won a two-thirds majority of votes from the member countries of the International Organization for Migration for a five-year term to be its director. The 125-nation agency, which has an annual budget of nearly $800 million, has been run by an American since 1969, and has long been viewed as a U.S.-dominated body.

Catawba College's Teacher Education Program has been reaccredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). At an April 2008 meeting of NCATE's Unit Accreditation Board, Catawba's Teacher Education Program application for accreditation was considered and approved as meeting all required standards.

by Shahin Soltan '09. This week was a fairly calm week in Brussels. My friend Arvin left on Tuesday which wasn't very much fun, but what made things better was that my mom came to see me the same day. I felt bad for my mother because she took the bus all the way from Sweden. She left Sweden on Monday and didn't get here until Tuesday. It was more than a 24-hour bus ride.

by Jane Snider, Staff Member. The West Teaching Scholars with mentors and chaperones loaded a chartered bus to begin the trek across the state to the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks are a 200 mile stretch of barrier islands and comprise approximately half of the northern coast of North Carolina.

by Brad Ross '09. The city of Beijing was the last stop for Catawba College's China Ten and their tour of the country. In order to experience the numerous sights the city had to offer, we were given four whole days to get a feel for the growing metropolis.

by Shahin Soltan '09. My second week in Belgium was very interesting. On Tuesday, my friend from Sweden named Arvin came to visit. Sweden is only a two-hour flight from here so it wasn't too long of a flight for him. I was very glad that he came to visit because I don't get to see my friends from back home very much considering I am in the United States most of the time.

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Twenty incoming freshmen for Catawba College's fall 2008 semester have competed successfully and been awarded the college's prestigious First Family Scholarships. These students were among 73 who vied for the awards at a First Family Scholarship Weekends held in November and February on campus.

The conclusion of work on the 7,000 square foot addition to Catawba College's Cannon Student Center this month marks the end of a multi-year facilities improvement effort at the institution which began in the summer of 2006. According to the College's Director of Facilities Henry Haywood, "The renovation of the Cannon Student Center completes a phase of projects associated with the College's master plan projection."

By Kathy Chaffin, Salisbury Post. In the meantime, Steve, a music professor at Catawba College, was getting ready to lead his first Community Band rehearsal when his family came running into his office. "The kids are crying," he recalls. "Kim's saying, 'I want to move. I'm not spending one more night in that house.'"

Food Lion, LLC is in its second year of a nationally-recognized college internship program. The program had been named a semi-finalist for the Food Marketing Institute's Maximizing People Award. This honor is given annually to a wholesaler or retailer that develops an initiative to improve employee performance or that leads to the achievement of a key business goal.

The Volleyball Reunion is scheduled for Friday, October 31st and Saturday, November 1st, 2008. Details to follow in mailings going out in late August. Please call Gordon Kirkland at (704) 637-4394 or e-mail gakirkla@catawba.edu with any questions. Be sure we have your current address!

The Field Hockey Alumni Game and Reunion are scheduled for Saturday, October 4th, 2008. Details to follow in mailings going out in late July. Please call Gordon Kirkland at (704) 637-4394 or e-mail gakirkla@catawba.edu with any questions. Be sure we have your current address!

2008-09 Membership information and Football season ticket renewals are being mailed to all 2007-08 Chiefs Club members the week of June 2nd. Chiefs Club President Eric Slipp has set a goal of 525 members which is up from a record membership of 516 in 2007-08.

by Brad Ross '09. The China Ten woke fairly early to get a good start on a landmark day in our tour of China, visiting the terra-cotta warriors. But before we could see the emperor's clay army, Lucy [group's tour guide] had a factory tour lined up with the Kami Corporation.

A total of 116 students have been named to the Presidential Honor Roll List for the 2007-2008 academic year at Catawba College, according to Dr. Jesse McCartney, Provost. Students named to the Presidential Honor Roll List have achieved a 3.7 grade point average in 30 or more semester hours.

A total of 250 students have been named to the Dean's List for the spring semester at Catawba College, according to Dr. Jesse McCartney, Provost of the College. Students named to the Dean's List have achieved a 3.5 grade point average in 15 or more semester hours.

On May 10, 2008, 286 members of Catawba's Class of 2008 crossed the stage and received their diplomas. The college awarded master's degrees in education, bachelor of arts degrees, bachelor of business administration degrees, bachelor of fine arts degrees and bachelor of science degrees in two separate ceremonies in Keppel Auditorium.

For the seventh consecutive year, Catawba College will host Tar Heel Girls State June 15-21. Close to three hundred girls from across North Carolina, all high school juniors who are academically in the top third of their class, will attend the 69th annual, weeklong session, sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of North Carolina.

When the Carolina RailHawks women take the field on Friday, June 6th against the Bradenton Athletics at Wakemed Soccer park at 7:30 p.m., there will be four new players on the roster. Head Coach Jay Howell has added Nicole Danford, Ashley Gregory, Kim Crowley and McKenzie Burman to the official roster. Tickets for the first chance to welcome the newest RailHawks are only $8 and can be purchased at the LGFCU Box office or by calling 919-859-KICK.

Catawba College Community Music students enrolled in the piano studio of Mrs. Angela Robbins participated in the Piano Guild Auditions on April 26, 2008. Students included George Mobley, Gabe Steinman, Rachel Hopler, Anna Chamberlain and Mason Jennings. All of Mrs. Robbins' students scored a Superior rating at this year's Guild Auditions - the highest rating that can be received.

The Catawba Community Music Program hosted several spring recital events for students enrolled in the program. Piano recitals were held Sunday, May 18 in the Peeler Crystal Lounge at Catawba College...

Phil Kirk, Catawba College's Vice President for External Relations, has been named one of the 2008 Charlotte Impact Education Leaders in the May 2008 of Charlotte Business Leader magazine. Others on the list included include Dr. Richard Brownell, retired president of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College; Dr. Pamela Davies, president of Queens University of Charlotte; Dr. Phillip Dubois, chancellor of UNC Charlotte; and Dr. Peter Gorman, superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

by Shahin Soltan '09. After arriving a few hours late and missing our plane due to my traveling buddy's ticket issues, we got on the next available flight and arrived safely in Brussels, Belgium. Because of the fact that we were late, our driver had left us and we had to pay 40 euros (equivalent of about 65 U.S. dollars). At the time, we didn't think of how expensive a 15 minutes drive was in Belgium, all we could think about how nice it could be to have a bed to lay down on.

by Shahin Soltan '09. The first week of work for Delhaize here in Brussels turned out a lot more exciting than I thought it would be. I didn’t think the associates of Delhaize would be as compassionate and helpful duties as they were. Everybody working for Delhaize corporate is very friendly and polite. They like the fact that people from the United States come over to their country and work. Almost everybody speaks English here, which is very impressive considering most people here speak both D

by Brad Ross '09. We could not have began our trip to Xian any better then with the smooth flight from Shanghai. At the airport, we met up with our Xian tour guide Lucy who wasted no time to get us loaded on the buses and off to our first destination, the Xian history museum. On the way there, Lucy told us a little background about the oldest city in China and how Xian's main attraction, the terra-cotta warriors, have helped put her on the map.