A Sweet Treat For Valentine\u2019s Eve<\/b><\/p>\n
To celebrate Valentine’s Day<\/a>, the JCCC Student Lounge will be hosting another fun, and interactive event. Students can attend the Cotton Candy and Chorus event<\/a> on Feb. 13 from 12 -2 p.m. in GEB 154, the Student Lounge.<\/p>\n Students will be able to compete in two challenging song games:<\/p>\n This event will allow students to bring friends, make new ones, and celebrate Valentine\u2019s Day, all while enjoying free cotton candy, while supplies last.<\/p>\n – Sammie Magee<\/p>\n Get A (College) Life In The County\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Hanging around JCCC as a college student can feel surprisingly tough if you don\u2019t know the right spots. You can only sit in the student lounge for so long, and when the library closes at 9 p.m., the big question hits. \u201cWhere should we go next?\u201d<\/p>\n After talking with students at JCCC, I made a list of go-to hangout spots that people actually recommend, and trust me, there’s no gatekeeping here. Whether you\u2019re looking for live music, trivia nights, arcades, or just somewhere to unwind after class, there\u2019s more out there than you might think.<\/p>\n Students mentioned Fox & Hound<\/a> for some Burgers and Billiards, Guitars & Cadillacs for some swing dance lessons 6-7pm or to learn a line dance from 7-8pm<\/a>, Up-Down for its various events<\/a>, and Brew Lab, known for live music, trivia, and even upcoming arcade additions<\/a>.<\/p>\n If karaoke is more your thing, Johnny\u2019s Tavern and Tanner\u2019s Bar & Grill rotate regular karaoke nights that students swear by.<\/a><\/p>\n For bigger group outings, District Eat and Play in Overland Park<\/a> keeps things lively with games and a social atmosphere. Dave and Busters offer a free Tuesday Trivia night for groups up to 6.<\/a><\/p>\n One thing to keep in mind is that some venues like Fox and Hound may start turning away guests under 21 after 10 p.m., so it\u2019s always smart to check ahead. Luckily, there are still late-night options like Tap In\u2019s<\/a> and Topgolf<\/a>, which often run \u201cafter-hours\u201d deals so students can keep the night going without blowing their budget.<\/p>\n – Harper Wainscott<\/p>\n Sweat With Spring 2026 Wellness Series Drop-In Classes<\/b><\/p>\n When you\u2019re on campus, and want to get in a quick 40-50 minute workout, you are in luck. Take advantage of JCCC\u2019s Spring 2026 Wellness Series of drop-in classes provided by JCCC’s Student Wellness<\/a>.<\/p>\n These quick workouts are free for all JCCC students attending classes, require no registration, and welcome all.<\/p>\n To view the class schedule, enroll in the Virtual Student Wellness<\/a> Canvas course (must be logged in to use this link).<\/p>\n After enrolling, go to Home<\/a> and you will find announcements and the list of classes offered in the Spring 2026 Wellness Series.<\/p>\n During the Spring 2026 Wellness Series Feb. 2 to March 13, the center offers the following classes:<\/p>\n Mondays<\/p>\n Tuesdays<\/p>\n Wednesdays<\/p>\n Thursdays<\/p>\n Questions? Stop by the Barbara Gill Lifetime Fitness Center<\/a> GYM 103 or call 913-469-4432 during business hours, Monday-Thursday 6 a.m. \u2013 9:30 p.m., Friday 6 a.m. \u2013 7 p.m., Saturday 6 a.m. \u2013 3 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m. Or email Student Wellness<\/a>.<\/p>\n – Mike Kemper<\/p>\n Jazz Programs At The Winterlude Festival<\/b><\/p>\n The Winterlude Jazz Festival<\/a> will be taking place in the Midwest Trust Center at Yardley Hall and Polsky Theatre on March 7 and 8, an opportunity to support and celebrate jazz.<\/p>\n The weekend lineup is looking pretty sweet with both days packed, including JCCC\u2019s own Jazz Band playing on Sunday, and the New York native jazz composer Arturo O\u2019Farrill and his group, the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra<\/a>, headlining.<\/p>\n The\u00a0 festival will highlight a jazz ensemble led by Ryan Heinlein, director of the JCCC Jazz Band, an opportunity to showcase one of JCCC\u2019s many jazz courses<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Midwest Trust Center is also offering discounted tickets for students at only $5<\/a>. This goes for all events, not just the Winterlude Jazz Festival.<\/p>\n – Ian Buhrle<\/p>\n Peer Into Your Future At The Career Development Center<\/b><\/p>\n One of the many invaluable resources on campus is the Career Development Center<\/a>, or C.D.C.. Located on the second floor of the Student Center, it is nestled in the left corner of the Student Success Center, along with the counseling and financial aid offices.<\/p>\n The C.D.C. helps beef up your resume and LinkedIn page, and keeps you up-to-date on internship and career opportunity information.<\/p>\n Last semester they launched a Canvas course, so if you haven\u2019t already, let\u2019s enroll<\/a>, as it will make the rest of this article much easier to navigate.<\/p>\n Once you are in, take a minute and check out the plethora offerings.<\/p>\n Unsure which direction to take as you start your educational journey? Might I suggest:<\/p>\n A bit further along the path, how about a resume review<\/a>\u00a0 or a look at current job postings<\/a>?<\/p>\n Throughout the semester, the C.D.C. hosts several career panels, professional workshops, and a wide range of other career-related activities. Check out the calendar<\/a> for dates and times.<\/p>\n And the best part is that all of this is available, easily accessible, and free.<\/p>\n – Justin Prowell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the JCCC Student Lounge will be hosting another fun, and interactive event. Students can attend the Cotton Candy and Chorus event on Feb. 13 from 12 -2 p.m. in GEB 154, the Student Lounge.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1000,"featured_media":2890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[124],"class_list":["post-2889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life"],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Messenger Staff","author_link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/author\/mhumph18\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2026\/02\/pexels-alleksana-6478826.jpg","coauthors":[{"link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/author\/mhumph18\/","display_name":"Messenger Staff"}],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Life<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Life<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 7 months ago","modified":"Updated 7 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on February 11, 2026","modified":"Updated on February 20, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on February 11, 2026 1:42 pm","modified":"Updated on February 20, 2026 1:46 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":124,"user_id":1000,"is_guest":0,"slug":"mhumph18","display_name":"Messenger Staff","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1d550cfefcbdb3d51b5ca80ce32ea21defada2724e3cd6d8373f27c880e25be9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"Messenger","last_name":"Staff","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2026\/02\/pexels-alleksana-6478826.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1000"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2889"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2891,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889\/revisions\/2891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2889"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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