Drive-In Movie nights are back with a vengeance at Cerro Coso Community College. You’ll want to bring plenty of friends with you to share the screams and watch your back as you all sit in your cars and enjoy a nightmarish viewing of the 2018 edition of Halloween, just one night before the new edition is released. 

A spooktacular movie experience like no other set up on the hill with dark views of the city and valley below will take place on Friday, October 29, 2021, at 7 p.m. in the college main parking lot. 

The year is 1963, the night: Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that 15-year-old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death, by her 6-year-old brother, Michael. After being institutionalized for 15 years, Myers breaks out on the night before Halloween. No one knows, nor wants to find out, what will happen on October 31st, 1978 besides Myers’ psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it, it’ll be too late for many people. The film is rated R.  

Moviegoers are encouraged to get cozy with blankets and pillows…you’ll need them to cover your eyes and stifle your screams. You will definitely need someone to hide behind and panic with for this show. 

The Student Government of Cerro Coso (SGCC) is hosting the frightfully scary event to the public for FREE. No tricks just treats there will be free popcorn and whole pizzas for sale for $10 (while supplies last). 

Beware…Michael Myers is on the loose – should you not want your viewing experience to be disturbed by the menace, please let staff know prior to the start of the movie.

Attendees are encouraged to remain in their vehicles, wear a mask in large groups or when entering the building, and stay in direct proximity to their vehicles for the safety of all guests.

It would be a grave mistake to miss all the Halloween fun. Join us won’t you!


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Parents who have questions about their child’s path to college success are invited to attend an upcoming Cerro Coso Community College virtual Parent Information Night and see firsthand what CCCC offers. From career-training programs that include Nursing, Welding, EMT, and Cyber Security, to Associate Degrees for Transfer, and Associate Degree programs, CCCC provides the education and training students need for success in rewarding, high-demand career fields.

Helping parents navigate the college planning and enrollment process, Cerro Coso’s Parent Information Night will enlighten parents of prospective students on college costs and how to pay for college—including financial aid and scholarship availability. Representatives will share details on available resources, enrollment process, transfer requirements, vocational programs, and information on how high school students can earn college credit through dual and concurrent enrollment classes. Time will be allotted for questions and answers.

Cerro Coso’s Virtual Parent Night will be held on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Reserve your spot at www.cerrocoso.edu.

The college is currently OPEN to the public. Counseling and other student and community services are available via email, phone, and in person. Contact your local Cerro Coso Community College Counseling Department for assistance.


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The Cerro Coso Community College Foundation and Mac’s International Cuisine are teaming up to host a Wine and Food Pairing Fundraiser on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Learn the art of Wine and Food Pairing with Wine Expert Eric Le Barbé from France. 

A Sensory Experience that includes a four-course gourmet meal by Mac's Owner and Chef Kent McGowan, and a series of discussions and exercises ranging from identifying basic wine characteristics, including visual, aroma, taste, and texture (acidity, sweetness, oak, tannin, body, etc.), to basic food characteristics and anchors of each (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, fattiness, body, etc.).

Learn how these characteristics contrast and complement each other from Wine Expert Eric Le Barbé drawing on his restaurant experience in France and the UK and working 18 years in Sensory Research for E. & J. Gallo Winery.

This event is a fundraiser for the Cerro Coso Community College Foundation that supports the financial needs of the students and college.

Wine sponsored by Ridgecrest Coldwell Banker Best Realty. Ridgecrest’s #1 Real Estate Office!

Tickets are $100 per person and include a donation to the CCCC Foundation. Purchase online at cerrocoso.ticketspice.com/wine-food-pairing-fundraiser.

Seating is limited to 40 so get your tickets early and join us for an intimate, informative, engaging, and memorable wine and food pairing experience that includes six superb wines, and four gourmet courses, each perfectly matched to teach you how to predict excellent food and wine pairings.

The Cerro Coso Community College Foundation relies on partnerships with community and corporate leaders who share a commitment to ensuring that students have access to an affordable, quality college education.

Contact Natalie Dorrell for more information at 760-384-6260.

Wine Expert Eric Le Barbé

Eric Le Barbé


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Being a college student right now can be overwhelming, especially when the world keeps shifting under your feet. Back-to-school is anything but ordinary. In addition to books, students are carrying the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic. Covid-19 has brought this vulnerable population into renewed focus highlighting inequalities that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations including access to free medical and mental health services.

Cerro Coso Community College now offers 24/7 FREE medical and mental telehealth for students through Timely Care. With Timely Care, students can talk to a licensed provider from their smartphone or any web-enabled device, anywhere in the United States day or night, for FREE! The virtual clinic was created with a dual mission of addressing service gaps while reducing face-to-face clinical interactions and providing students with experience in caring for their medical and mental health needs during these unprecedented times. “Students have many responsibilities both inside and outside of school and it is incredibly important that they take care of themselves. We want everyone to know that the college offers these services and encourage all students to sign-up. Even if someone feels like they have everything under control, it is always helpful to have extra support,” said Counseling Director Christine Small. “Taking care of medical and mental health is important to everyone’s success.”

Students at all stages of their education are now experiencing remote teaching and learning. First-generation students and those from underserved backgrounds face further disadvantages with difficulties navigating education opportunities. Timely Care is just one of many resources now available to Cerro Coso students. “Students are our priority,” said Vice President of Student Services. “We are trying to strike a balance in students continuing to progress toward their educational goals while maintaining a safe and stable environment. We have expanded resources substantially to support our students, recognizing the many challenges they are facing. We highly encourage students to connect with us. From Counseling and ACCESS assisting with education plans to financial aid support, laptop loans, food resources, childcare, and access to free medical and mental health care, the college is here for them.”

Students can go to timelycare.com/CoyoteTelehealth to register with their school email address and receive services like: Medical 24/7, on-demand or scheduled access to a medical provider that can treat a wide range of common illnesses like cold and flu, sinus infection, allergies, and more; TalkNow 24/7, on-demand access to a mental health professional to talk about anything at any time; Scheduled Counseling – scheduled appointments to meet with a licensed counselor; and Group Sessions, weekly guided meditation and yoga group sessions, plus specialized sessions throughout the year. 

A smart approach to health now can easily pay much larger dividends later.

Timely Care. It’s for students. For FREE.


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Cerro Coso Community College’s Business Office Technology program provides a framework of business technology knowledge and skills that can adapt to any company’s operation. The program prepares students for employment in challenging positions as administrative assistants and office managers through courses in communication, industry-standard computer applications, business, and bookkeeping to meet the needs of the technologically dynamic office.

The college is offering several 8-week late-start classes this fall in Computer Literacy (BSOT C075), Microsoft PowerPoint (BSOT C127), Microsoft Outlook (BSOT C129), Intermediate Computer Keyboarding (BSOT C132), Beginning Adobe Acrobat (BSOT C135), Intermediate Excel (BSOT C153), Advanced Word (BSOT C161), and Advanced Access (BSOT C165). All are online classes for your convenience.

Career opportunities for students mastering these classes include Office Assistant, Bookkeeper, Data Entry Operator, Filing Clerk, Office Clerk, Administrative Assistant, Receptionist, Front Office Professional, Payroll Clerk, Accounts Receivable Clerk, and Accounts Payable Clerk. Cerro Coso offers an Associate of Science in Business Office Technology, Business Office Technology Certificate, Administrative Office Assistant Certificate, and an Office Clerk Certificate.

The job outlook for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants is expecting 324,300 openings each year, on average, over the decade according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the median annual wage was $40,990 in May of 2020.

Train to become a Business Office Technology Professional at Cerro Coso this fall. A complete listing of late start classes is available on the web at www.cerrocoso.edu. Cerro Coso Community College – Your Hometown College.


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Founding President of Cerro Coso Community College, Dr. Richard Jones, returned to the Ridgecrest campus on Monday, September 13, 2021, to tour the facilities for the first time in almost 50 years. 

In 1950 Bakersfield College began offering an A.A. degree in Ridgecrest in conjunction with an apprentice program on the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS).  In 1961 those college classes became the Desert Division of Bakersfield Junior College. Dr. Omar Scheidt was the first dean and had the first full-time faculty of three that included now-retired long-time professors Don Rosenberg and Gary Matulef.  In 1966 Dr. Schedit left and Dr. Jones was appointed Dean. He immediately began his work of establishing a new college here in the high desert. 

Before coming to Ridgecrest, Dr. Jones was an English and Journalism instructor and served for three years as a counselor at Bakersfield College. He was also the Director of Student Housing for BC for four years. In 1968, the Desert Division became the Desert Campus. Still located at Burroughs High School, only evening classes were held until 1967 when a third relocatable building was secured allowing for the first-day classes to be offered.  

In December of 1969 the state approved a new college in the area and Dr. Jones became the founding President of that new college, yet unnamed, that would become Cerro Coso Community College. 

He returned to the Ridgecrest campus with his wife Mary Lou and met with Cerro Coso’s 8th President Dr. Sean Hancock. “It was a joy to see how the vision of 50 years ago has grown beyond early expectations but stayed on target with its students’ first orientation and promise to distant communities,” said Dr. Jones. 

He left in 1975 to become the President (Superintendent) of Clark College in Vancouver, WA, and in 1981 became Chancellor of the San Bernardino Community College District. 

“It was very enlightening to meet with the founding president of Cerro Coso,” said Dr. Hancock. “To hear the stories and struggles of becoming an independent college, sharing the positive impact on the lives of thousands in the communities we now serve. Once a vision, now a reality, it was with great pride that I shared with him our many successes.


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It's not too late to take a Fall class!
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Cerro Coso Community College is offering a number of late start classes this Fall.

In addition to taking late start classes to pursue a degree, students can also opt to take late start classes for professional development, and personal enrichment.

Late start classes are offered in a variety of formats including completely online, hybrid, schedule Zoom, or on campus.

With a variety of start dates, the college is offering an array of classes in Administration of Justice, Anthropology, Business Office Technology, Child Development, English, Health Careers, Information Technology, Spanish, and so much more.

A complete listing of late start classes is available on the college website at www.cerrocoso.edu/class-schedule.

Do something for yourself this fall and register for late start classes at Cerro Coso Community College.

More information available on the web at www.cerrocoso.edu. Contact a counselor today.


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