News : First Maple unit celebrates accomplishments at graduation

The AmeriChoir sings the National Anthem at the start of the Class XVI A graduation.

Assistant Director Rob Levis gave each member a high five as they entered the VSHS auditorium.

Maple 7 team leader Kelly Van Sickle hugs member Julie Slivka after she received her certificate.

Maple 1 teammates congratulate Matt Rossi after his closing speech at the Maple graduation.

Waverly city leaders came to Vinton to thank Maple 1 for their work there.

A parent looks over the displays that show what the teams did in the past year.

Maple 6 members spent some time working on the Mississippi River Museum.

Victoria Birch led the ceremony.

Julie Slivka takes a photo of her NCCC certificate and volunteerism medal.

Andrea Sebring shares her memories during the Maple Unit NCCC graduation Feb. 3, in Vinton.

Matt Rossi told his peers that those that know AmeriCorps graduates look at them differently now.

­­ Their names are the same as they were May 5. Their uniforms, too – although the boots are worn and covered with paint and other reminders of the hard work their wearers have done in several states for the past 10 months.

But the Maple Unit members of AmeriCorps NCCC Class 16A who graduated from the program Thursday night are leaving as different people.

“NCCC has changed us all,” said Maple 1 member Matt Rossi, who concluded the ceremony by sharing his memories.

Also, said Rossi, those who knew the AmeriCorps members before they began the program already see them differently.

The differences are subtle, he said. “People will look to us as natural leaders.”

But those differences can also be specific.

After telling his audience of AmeriCorps graduates and their families, as well as the Vinton campus NCCC staff of the project in Urbana where Maple 1 replaced a toilet in a city park, Rossi recounted a conversation he had with his mother, who told Rossi that now that she knows he can replace a toilet, maybe he could replace a toilet and maybe some tile, in the family home.

Another member who spoke during the graduation was Maple 1 member Andrea Sebring. She told the audience that being in NCCC was a “surreal, unforgettable” experience, and said she hoped they all remember why they chose to serve their country this way.

Daniel Milnes, the North Central Region Campus Director, told the graduates that they came to, in the words of the AmeriCorps pledge, “to get things done.” And, he said, they did.

Of the 70 members who received their certificates Thursday in the Vinton-Shellsburg High School auditorium, 60 of them received the Congressional Award for achieving goals in volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration. Another 47 received the Presidential Award, which required 200 hours of service, another 100 hours of independent service project (ISP) volunteering and leading and ISP.

In the 2010-11 session, the three NCCC unites completed 199 projects in 17 different states, including 86 in Iowa and more than 20 in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina

Assistant Director Rob Levis stood in the VSHS cafeteria, offering high fives to all Maple team leaders and members. The last person in that line was Maple 7 team leader Kelly Van Sickle.

Van Sickle said she is sad to see her team leave. She and the other team leaders will remain on campus for another week, reviewing the program with administrators.

Many of the members will return to college; others will go to work. Some will continue their AmeriCorps service through other organizations.

The Maple Unit arrived in May, while the Oak and Cedar units were in the middle of their AmeriCorps service. The addition of Maple brought the Vinton campus to its full capacity. When Class 17 arrives, it will have three units – Maple, Cedar and Oak – and approximately 240 members plus 25 team leaders. The team leaders have arrived in Vinton and begun training; the members will arrive in a few weeks.