Community colleges offer more than just affordable, quality education. Parkland College offers a wide range of activities and opportunities for students with varying interests. Just in case you haven’t found the time to explore the campus and all it has to offer, here are five things that Parkland students and staff love about our college:
1. Parkland Theatre
Dr. Amy Penne, Professor of English in the Humanities Department at Parkland College, has been at Parkland since 1997. She has always loved the theatre. She said, “I especially love the fact that we have a black box theatre now. It’s just a beautiful space. Theatre is my roots and blood; it’s all I did in high school and college, and so I love going to see all the shows at Parkland College.”
The Parkland Theatre is back for the 2021-2022 season and has a lineup of incredible shows coming up. “She Kills Monsters,” written by Qui Nguyen, runs from November 4th through the 14th and already has several sold-out shows. If that doesn’t tell you how incredibly talented the Parkland Theatre is, I don’t know what does.
2. Giertz Art Gallery
Dr. Penne said, “I think we get some of the best exhibits, and our Gallery Director, Lisa Costello, is just a genius at doing exhibits and doing museum work, and curating, so we always have wonderful art exhibits.”
Currently, the Giertz Art Gallery has an exhibition titled “2021 State of the Arts Ceramics Biennial: The Living World in Clay.” This exhibition is curated by Chris Berti, Parkland College Professor of Art and Design, and will run through Sunday, February 5 of 2022.
3. The faulty, staff, and school climate
Parkland College is full of faculty and staff who pride themselves in working to benefit your success in your education and life. Haley Sappenfield, Elementary Education major at Parkland College, said, “I love how caring and involved all of my professors have been since the moment I started here. They are always ready to answer my questions and support me. It’s not just the professors, either. Everyone at Parkland is always willing to help students succeed. The faculty and staff all care about each student and that is such a comforting feeling.”
Parkland student Julianne Harper said, “I just love the environment and quality of education at Parkland. Everything is clean and secure, and I always feel at home and safe here.”
4. The William M. Staerkel Planetarium
After being shut down for 17 months, the William M. Staerkel Planetarium re-opened in August. Dr. Penne said, “You can’t not love the planetarium. Nobody else has a planetarium around here and when you get to experience the full-on shows, they are just the best.”
In November, you can look forward to many opportunities to see the magic of the sky right here at Parkland College. With three different shows playing throughout the month, primarily on Friday and Saturday nights, you are in for quite the experience.
5. The course catalog and class sizes
Shawn Derby, a Parkland student, said, “My favorite things about Parkland College are the smaller class sizes and the fact that most classes are only about 50 minutes long. It’s the perfect length for a class and gives you extra time to work on homework and the chance to talk with professors.” Prospectus Editor-in-Chief, Halee Fyke, added, “Parkland College’s course catalog is full of classes that cater to any and every interest out there. Something I love about Parkland is that, even if you have your major decided, you can still venture out and find new passions and interests.”
Dr. Penne explained, “I think about 73% of our students come here to transfer, so we are here for students to come explore the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, and the arts, or just anything they are interested in.”
Parkland College puts the “community” in community college. With everyone they have to offer, both educationally and opportunity and activity-wise, it’s hard not to love it.
