A little snow did not stop Blackhawk Technical College from hosting its annual Letter of Intent Signing Day on Thursday, Feb. 13. Over 50 high school students representing 16 different high schools signed their letter of intent to attend Blackhawk beginning in fall 2020. Students and families celebrated alongside faculty, staff, and current students of Blackhawk Tech.

Blackhawk Technical College and the School District of Beloit announced a very special opportunity for Beloit Memorial High School (BMHS) students beginning in fall 2020. The opportunity, called Collegiate Academy, is an early college model that allows college-ready BMHS students to pursue post-secondary training in the following areas: Automotive Technician, Business Management, Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education, Foundations of Education, Pre-Nursing, and Welding.

In recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Blackhawk’s Multi-Cultural Alliance and its advisor, instructor Rubina Jan hosted screenings of Visual History Testimonies, a documentary production of Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. After creating the award-winning film Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg established the Foundation to videotape and preserve the testimonies of Holocaust survivors and witnesses.

Real-world experience benefits technical college instructors in the classroom. That is especially true in the Criminal Justice program at Blackhawk Technical College. Nick Cervantes, a Criminal Justice student agreed, “One of the many things I like about Blackhawk, is that all the professors have had real-life experience in the field that they are teaching. This allows the professor to explain the topics from firsthand experiences and helps the students understand how things work out in the field.”

Blackhawk Technical College offers a number of classes for personal growth and continuing education. The community is invited to take courses ranging from painting to electrical to gardening and more. While classes are offered throughout the spring semester, there are a number of classes that begin next week.