Welcome New Employees
The College welcomes two full-time employees who have accepted staff and faculty positions over the past months.
Paul M. Decoteau, painter, studied elementary education at the University of Maine, Farmington, Maine. Over the past four years, he has held various positions at UNC Asheville as a painter, grounds worker and carpentry/plumbing assistant. He worked as a customer service representative and pre-production planner at Clark Communications for nearly four years. Prior to that, Paul was a pre-press operations manager for Knowlton & McLeary in Farmington, Maine, for 17 years.
James A. Sullivan, instructor, Civil Engineering Technology, earned his A.A.S. from Santa Fe Community College, Gainesville, FL, and his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida, Gainesville. He has had further education at Western Carolina University and UNC Asheville, and is a licensed professional engineer. James has held various positions at the N.C. Department of Transportation, including assistant resident engineer, division staff engineer and transportation engineering associate. He also served in the U.S Army as Sergeant for three years.
Piel Finds He is a "Perfect Fit" at A-B Tech
Robbie Piel, Instructor at Craggy Corectional Center
As a Foodservice Technology instructor at Craggy Correctional Center, Robbie Piel knew he wouldn't be walking into the typical culinary classroom he had come from at Johnson &Wales University.
"I was told I was a perfect fit for the job," Piel said. "I guess that came from my background."
Piel spent 10 years as a paramedic in Dallas, Texas, before he went to culinary school at Johnson & Wales in Norfolk, Va. During all this time, he never lost his passion that held his attention as a child martial arts.
After 26 years of studying and teaching martial arts, he has earned 10 black belts in seven different martial arts systems, including Jeet Kune Do, developed by Bruce Lee. Piel has a third-degree black sash, and is one of a few instructors of this martial art.
"I was kind of a quiet kid. I didn't hang out with a lot of people, but I was active in martial arts," he said. "I got my first black belt when I was 14. I remember watching Belt Black Theater when I was a kid. They were really corny movies, but I liked them."
He came to A-B Tech because the position was ideal for him. "I love being able to teach," he said, bringing 12 years experience with him. "A-B Tech had a really good reputation."
Piel teaches inmates culinary skills during the same school calendar used by A-B Tech curriculum programs. He has about a dozen students that go through the program. "In the summertime, I take the best of those students and put them through the diploma class," he said. "The students are well-behaved. They want to learn and know it is a privilege to have this opportunity."
Loel Beveridge Memorial Tree
Student Samantha Raught helps plant a tree in memory of Loel Beveridge, who passed away unexpectedly Oct. 2. Shown with Raught are other members of Drama Instructor Peter Carver's Acting I class. From left, are Jackie Baker, Elliot Blatt, Heart Rose Corwin and Jesse Lee. Beveridge was a member of the class and president of the Drama Club. SGA purchased a plaque honoring Beveridge and the Centennial Spirit Crepe Myrtle, which will produce fuchsia blossoms through the summer. It is located behind the Laurel Building facing the Simpson Building.
Together We Read
John Ehle and his friends greet one another during this year's presentation of Together We Read. Ehle's novel, "The Road" was chosen as the book to be featured during the region-wide reading and discussion program.
Members of the Readers' Theatre Cast perform a selection from "The Road" during the Together We Read program Oct. 2 in Ferguson Auditorium. This year's cast consisted of Linda Campbell, Robin Smathers, Bill Gregg, Liz Aiello and Jan Caldwell. Caldwell and Campbell are adjunct instructors at A-B Tech, while Gregg is an associate professor of theatre at Mars Hill College.