Montco Feud

Photos by Justin Patrick Oakes

Team Montco Radio

Daija Moore-Evans; Host

Cami Hernandez; Executive Producer

Team CAPG

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Rock N Tribute

by David Aston
The Montgazette Staff

We pay tribute to fallen heroes and loved ones in many ways. Some lay flowers at the site of a tragedy. Others visit resting places or say prayers. This November, Montco Radio paid tribute to one of Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC’s) own fallen alumni during its annual Rock N Cans charity event.

The all-day event featured special Montco Radio broadcast shows in support of Jenna Burleigh, an alum of MCCC who was tragically killed at the start of this semester. Dozens of people came to the Central Campus and donated nearly 500 cans of food for Jenna’s Blessing Bags for the Homeless, a charity set up by Burleigh’s family in her memory.

During the Rock N Cans event, Burleigh’s parents stopped by the Montco Radio station in the Advanced Technology Center, and were greeted by MCCC President Dr. Kevin Pollock. While on air and after, the Burleigh family expressed their gratitude for the overwhelming support and generosity of the likes of which Jenna was known for.

Montco Radio station comanager, Donnell Peake, who also met with Burleigh’s parents, expressed his pride. “I was very pleased with the members of Montco Radio who came out [and] helped with sorting, counting and donating cans.”

Peake’s pride resonated throughout the event and with all involved in making Rock N Cans. Many MCCC Alumni donated canned food, and some won prizes donated by local sponsors. The prizes, donated from sponsors such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Yankee Candle and the Movie Tavern, were raffled away in a lottery drawing of those that donated cans to Jenna’s Blessing Bags.

One of the most touching moments of the Rock N Cans event followed after the prizes were raffled off. As members of the MCCC community were showing up at the Mustangs basketball game that was sponsored by the Veterans Club later on that day, many insisted on donating to the cause, knowing there was no prize to be won.

This is an act that exemplified Jenna Burleigh’s life. All those who knew her and befriended her knew that this selfless act of helping the homeless was how she lived her life. Montco Radio is grateful to the Burleigh family for allowing Burleigh’s memory to be publicly honored by her friends, classmates, fellow alumni and the MCCC community as whole.

A grand total of 500 cans were donated to Jenna’s Blessing Bags thanks to the Rock N Cans event held in November.  ~Photo by Erin Ilisco

Montco Radio Co-Station Managers Donnell Woods (left) and Allanah Richman (right) in studio, holding one of the prizes – a Hohner acoustic guitar – raffled off during the Rock N Cans event. ~Photo by Erin Ilisco

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Hard Work, Phillies & Merging MCCC Media Clubs

Dave Aston
The Montgazette Staff

Today’s media are increasingly synergistic. Not a day goes by when KYW NewsRadio doesn’t post a video on Facebook or the Phillies doesn’t broadcast their games in print, audio and video. Donnell Peake, Montgomery County Community College’s station co-manager of Montco Radio, recently experienced how that works in the real world and how he plans to apply it to Montco’s media clubs.

On September 14, Peake and other representatives from Montco’s media clubs attended a networking event courtesy of the Philadelphia Phillies in the press room of Citizens Bank Park. An experience Peake called “electrifying,” the Montco student representatives met several members of the Phillies’ media business and front office. Each member relayed stories of how hard work eventually paid off.

“[Some] of the people on the panel got rejected more than three times, but they still pursued their dreams, and now they are head of the [Human Resources] Department for the Phillies,” Peake said. “Being able to hear [about] peoples’ journeys and what it took for them to get in the position they are now really [speaks] to me.”

Peake wishes events like this would happen more often “because having opportunities to speak with people in the broadcasting industry is like winning the lottery.”

This winning attitude is what motivates this Montco media club leader every day. Over the summer, Peake invited leaders of the other major media clubs of Montco, The Montgazette and Communicating Arts Production Group (CAPG), to discuss a plan to team up for long-range projects and promotions to help club members become better prepared for work in the media business.

“[The Phillies] experience can be used to enhance the Montco Media Clubs by organizing the three media clubs for different events that involve MCCC. [This] would help show the students who are involved what the industry is going to be like,” Peake said.

Peake’s plans to unite Montco Radio, The Montgazette and CAPG for major campus events so that each club can increase listeners, readers and viewers. One of his long-range plans is the introduction of a “Montco Radio Scholarship” for members in each of the media clubs.

In addition, Peake suggests that the college reach out to more media organizations. “I would say [the college should] get connected with…Fox 29, CBS 3, PHL17, 6ABC or NBC10 and see if there is [a way to] allow students to shadow someone who works for one of these media outlets.”

Merging Montco’s media clubs takes a lot of hard work, creativity and inspiration. With Donnell Peake and Montco’s student media club leaders, the hard work will pay off in ways to make all MCCC media students become tomorrow’s media professionals.

 

Photo by Donnell Peake

 

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Let’s Be Real

Bridget Depew
The Montgazette Staff

With all the talk of the general irresponsibility and self–centeredness of the millennial generation, there are a great many millenials who flip that narrative on its head. One in particular would be Noah DiMarcello.

A student here at Montgomery County Community College, Noah is a Communication major. He, like a lot of students who attend Montco, didn’t know exactly where his path would take him when he first entered the doors three years ago.

“I had no idea what to do. I started off as Liberal Studies, and I took the COM111 [class] and that’s what got me into it. I don’t want to write papers anymore. I’ve always been creative, and I thought, ‘How can I make a job out of that?’” said DiMarcello.

Like many of us, Noah initially allowed his fears and insecurities to prevent him from following his passion. But a lightbulb went on, and he realized he couldn’t let fear hold him back.

“A year ago when I first started coming up to the Blue Bell [campus], I saw the radio station and thought, ‘That’s really cool.’ And I thought I didn’t really have the confidence yet to do it, so I held off. I didn’t really know what to talk about.”

After struggling with where he wanted to go in life and how to get there, Noah said it just hit him. He gave himself a pep talk and garnered up the courage to tackle his dream.

“I was like, yeah, I’m gonna do it! I just marched in and was like, ‘Yo, I want a radio show, like now, we can call it Let’s Be Real.” And just like that, folks, Let’s Be Real was born.

Noah wants the show to be less about random happenings and more about a place where people can be real – with everything:relationships and even a place where people can be encouraged.

“I want people to share what they’ve been through and how they got out of it,” DiMarcello said. “I want to take what I’ve learned and share it with other people. I don’t want to get super deep, but deep enough to help others. Noah’s first guest was Carissa Mandracchia, a fellow Communication major here at Montco. Carissa, having shared the same struggles as Noah, said, “First of all, I want to support him because he’s my friend, and you need to support your friends, no matter what. Helping to contribute to this [was] awesome for me.”

Noah’s host name is Vee Nikitin. Not your average, run-of-the-mill name, so I had to ask its origin. Vee is short for Valentin. Noah DiMarcello, born Valentin Nikitin in Moscow, was adopted and brought over here to the United States as a baby. So this is a bit of a tribute to his roots.

I can’t think of a better way to talk about where you’re going than by acknowledging where you’ve been.

Check out “Let’s Be Real” every Thursday evening on MontcoRadio.com, 6-7pm.

 

Photo courtesy of Bridget Depew

 

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The MCCC Central Campus Club Fair — September 13, 2017

Photos by Erin Ilisco

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Class of 2017 Graduate David Aston

Sara Wilkerson
The Montgazette Editor-in-Chief

Commencement is upon us. It is that time of year where soon-to-be grads are cramming for finals, solidifying their plans on transferring to four year institutions, and saying farewell to their fellow classmates as they move forward in their academic endeavors. This issue, The Montgazette would like to shine a spotlight on one of the many graduates graduating on May 18th, 2017, and this graduate is our outgoing Editor-in-Chief, David Aston.

Aston’s journey at Montgomery County Community College started all the way back in 1996 when he was taking college credit courses while still in high school. Taking these college credits proved challenging, considering Aston had failed his junior year english class yet was taking English Composition 101 on Tuesday nights for three hours here at the College as a senior. With the help of the College’s professors, Aston managed to not only graduate high school but also further his education by taking a creative writing course in 2000.

Despite his initial success at the start of his college career, Aston’s personal life began to interfere with his studies. In the middle of his first semester, Aston lost the full time job he had and ended up moving to Lafayette Hill with his family. The sudden shift in his personal life caused Aston to not return to the College for over a decade as his concerns were focused primarily on supporting himself and his family.

Aston did not want to settle for the life that he had, which is why he came back to Montgomery County Community College as a digital audio major. Aston is grateful for his time at the College, stating, “This is the place where you achieve your dreams… it is where you have the freedom to be who you are without the pressures of having it forced upon you what somebody else wants you to be. You have the freedom, you have that openness. Grasp that, and God can’t stop you. And you become better because of it.”

With the support of many individuals on campus, including but not limiting to professors Gail Ramsey, Jerry Collom, Allan Schear, Jeff Asch, Stan Feingold, Matt Porter, David Ivory as well as former College President Karen Stout, Aston was able to complete his studies and find his passion. Aston claims that the professors at the College, “…find the importance and value in you and make you realize that you matter to yourself, if to no one else.”

Through the many obstacles that Aston has faced over his time in college, from dealing with age differences, adjusting to his editorial position of The Montgazette, and being a part time student while balancing his full time job, family and school life, Aston has remained optimistic and passionate about his future as he transfers to West Chester University in the fall as a communications major.

Based on his experiences over the past two decades, David Aston has proven that second chances do exist, as long as one believes in themselves. This is why Aston’s advice to readers that when it comes to self doubt, one should not let doubt cloud their ambitions. “Put the worries away, just do it. The worries will be there, they’re not going to go away… but if you focus on the worry, you won’t get anything done. Take it from someone who let the worry drag him down for 15 years. Don’t do it.”

David Aston; 2017 Graduate Photo by Erin Ilisco

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DJ B-Rad in the Afternoon

Jack Wisniewski
Montgazette Contributing Writer

A student club favorite of many students and faculty at Montgomery County Community College  is Montco Radio, featuring music and talk shows produced and hosted by the students. The club offers a great opportunity to gain media and communication experience by hosting your own show, and one student is taking full advantage of the opportunity. The man behind “Let There be Rock Radio” which airs Fridays from 1-3 P.M. is Brad Sacchetti, also known as DJ B-Rad.

His show features rock music genres from the 80’s and 90’s, as well as different kinds of hard and classic rock. During his show, he addresses the recent and hot news in Rock and Roll along with great songs for a truly enjoyable 2 hours. Brad tries to make every listener’s day better any way he can and to inspire them with a healthy dose of good music.

After being diagnosed with Leukemia, a potentially dangerous form of cancer, Brad turned to music as it helped him get through all the tough times. Artists such as Roger Daughtry, Dave Grohl and the members of his favorite band Metallica continue to inspire him, and Brad as DJ B-Rad aims to inspire others as well. One of Brad’s favorite moments was when he met Roger Daughtry during the rough times of his treatments.

DJ B-Rad puts a full effort into every show he does. “[I’m] always looking forward to doing the show.”  He also feels very proud of his show and that he has achieved the goal of having fun and sharing the music with the Montco Campus and beyond. He wants to spread the positive impact music has had on his life to others.

Brad works hard at his show to learn as much as he can during his time at Montco. He plans to pursue a career in radio and sound recording which goes along with his major in communications.

Anyone can tune into Brad’s Show live each Friday through Montco Radio’s montcoradio.com or stream it through the Tune-In app for most smartphones.

Photo courtesy of Brad Sacchetti: DJ “B-Rad” Brad Sacchetti sits on the famous “throne” of Foo Fighter Lead Singer, Dave Grohl. The chair was used by Grohl when he broke his leg while on tour.

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From the Editor

David Aston
Montgazette Editor-In-Chief

The hot summer is falling away and a contentious presidential election is still to come. In between is Montgomery County Community College pressing on with a new academic year.

This year heralds a bunch of firsts for Montco and The Montgazette.

Dr. Kevin Pollock begins his first full academic year as the college’s president. Starting with this issue, The Montgazette is bringing back the sports schedules. Also, you’ll see we’ve added a new section called “College Spotlight.” Each month, The Montgazette will showcase a MCCC partner college or university. These spotlights will present important information you need to know so you can make an informed choice on where to transfer so you can continue to achieve your dreams after your time at Montco.

For all of the new students for this academic year, Welcome! The Students Office of Leadership and Involvement hosted the club fair at the start of the semester and numerous students clubs were represented. I am here to encourage you to get involved! We have included in this issue a few highlights from the club fair. Enjoy!

If you would like to join the team here at The Montgazette, we welcome your story perspectives. During my time at Montco, I have put my all into making this paper thrive in a climate that says the paper is dead. You, the readers of The Montgazette, have proven the naysayers wrong. You see the value in bringing your voice to the world and I am humbled to be the leader that has made that a success.

So this, in the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a famous novelist, “Stories matter.”

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Welcome Radioheads/Montco Radio: Where Your Kind of DJ Rules

By: Brad Sacchetti
Montgazette Contributing Writer

Montgomery County Community College’s Club Fair drew the attention of new and returning students. Among the many student clubs, Montco Radio broadcasted a show live so everyone at the fair could hear and feel what it’s like to be a radio show DJ, like Howard Stern or Preston and Steve.

Montco Radio doesn’t follow the traditional format of regular radio stations. Instead, students, like MontcoRadio DJ Ryan Hackett, pick what they like and broadcast it through the station’s live stream on montcoradio.com.

“You’re show is specific to you,” Senior Producer and Technical Services Director and co-advisor of Montco Radio Matt Porter said. “If you want to play the heaviest metal on the planet, the next show might be playing polka. And that’s the best part; we don’t say you have to play that song or this song. The diversity of the students is the hallmark of Montco radio.”

Hackett added, “What they gain is the experience of what it’s like to work at a radio station. You get to work the [sound] board yourself, you get people call in [to] talk to you and you can talk about whatever you want.”

Montco Radio broadcasts from the first floor of the Advanced Technology Center, or ATC, 24 hours a day and can be streamed to yourfavorite mobile device through the TuneIn app. The Montco Radio club meetings are held every Monday12:30 pm- 1:20pm in the ATC in room 107. The club is open to any MCCC student who wants his or her voice heard by the world.

For more information about Montco Radio, or to join the club, stop by one of their meetings, join the club via OrgSync or go to montcoradio.com.

Photo by Brad Sacchetti: A Montco Radio Club representative discusses opportunities with students.

Photo by Brad Sacchetti: Montco Radio Club representatives take a moment out of their busy day to pose for a photo.

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Montco Radio Alumni Day: You are Invited! April 16, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

By: Joshua Kellem
Montgazette Staff Writer

I’ll bet you didn’t know that the
Montco Radio club Montgomery County
Community College started as a record
spinning club back in the 80s, and the
actual radio station was in College Hall,
not the ATC. With the rapid advancement
of the Internet, came the evolution of what
Montco Radio formerly WRFM is now
online radio, broadcasting around the
world.
The Montco Radio Alumni event
will be more than a mix of old members
reminiscing about yesteryear on current
members shows. It’s the passing of the
torch, so to speak as the Montco Radio
Club has entered a massive re-branding
period. Montco Radio will mark the
beginning of much more success for
the Montco Radio Club and our efforts
to increase listeners. So, come on out.
Hear the stories of those who were in
the club at the beginning, and as always:
there will be food and refreshments.
A special highlight of the event will be
the unveiling of a new banner for Montco
Radio to go up every Music Wednesday
ATC building from 12:30-1:30 and there’s
more. Not only does the club want to
celebrate itself, but also the public. One
lucky student in attendance will have the
opportunity of a lifetime to obtain the
highly coveted inaugural Montco Radio
scholarship. The only requirement, for
the inaugural scholarship, is to show up to
the Montco Radio Alumni event April 16,
8 a.m.-6 p.m. When will the scholarship
winner be announced? You have to stay all
day to find out.
For more information, Montco Radio
holds weekly meetings on Mondays in
ATC 107 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Stop by
if interested in a show, or engineering.
Any suggestions, or ideas send an email:
Montcoradio@hotmail.com.

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