CATA wins two state theater awards

MONROE — Central Academy of Technology and Arts brought home two awards from the state high school theatre competition.

“The kids did a superb job,” said Larry Robinson, who teaches the student actors. “We had a tremendous number of comments saying it was a strong show.”

The group won honorable mention in the ensemble acting category and Brandon Rogers took an individual acting award.

CATA performed “The Good War,” a book-turned-musical that was written by Studs Terkel, who interviewed survivors from World War II.

While still pleased with the honors, Robinson said the crew needed to turn its attention to its next performances. CATA will put on “To Kill a Mockingbird” in December.

School improvement meeting Monday

MONROE — A meeting to discuss the revision of the Local Education Agency District Improvement Plan for Union County Public Schools will be 3 p.m. Monday in Room 203 of the Professional Development Center, 710 Brewer Drive. Anyone interested in discussing the revision of the plan is welcome to attend.

Entrepreneur program offered

MONROE — The Small Business Center at South Piedmont Community College will offer the FastTrac NewVenture program to emerging entrepreneurs Nov. 30 through Dec. 17, Mondays thorugh Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Monroe campus, 4209 Old Charlotte Highway.

The FastTrac NewVenture program is a hands-on business development program designed to help budding entrepreneurs develop a business idea and then plan the critical steps to a successful business launch, including how to identify and reach target markets, plan and man operations, set financial goals and fund the startup. To enhance classroom instruction, participants will hear from successful entrepreneurs, receive coaching from business startup specialists and work in small-group planning sessions with fellow entrepreneurs. At close, participants will present their business plans for review by peers and coaches.

Through funding provided by Gov. Beverly Perdue’s Charlotte Regional Economic and Workforce Recovery Initiative, this program is offered at no cost to displaced workers wanting to pursue business ownership as a career. This program is part of FastTrac LaunchPad, a joint initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Deluxe Corporation Foundation.

To apply for admittance, go to www.fasttrac.org and complete the online application. Click on “Program Locator — Get Started” and enter your ZIP code. Select the Charlotte Region Programs for Displaced Workers, then follow the link for the SPCC location. The application deadline is Friday.

For more information, contact Vince Holloman, director of the SPCC Small Business Center at 704-290-5222 or vholloman@spcc.edu.