Everything Nac

Registration is underway for the annual Summer Art Academy offered by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art for the two-week camp that will meet June 11 through 22 on the SFA campus.

Students going into kindergarten through sixth grade may enroll in classes that include drawing, painting, sculpture and ceramics.

“Art Academy is an exciting opportunity for local youth to work with SFA graduate and undergraduate art students to create original projects using a variety of materials.” said Dr. Cala Coats, SFA art instructor and director of the academy.

Classes will meet from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Art Building on Wilson Drive. An exhibition of the students’ work will be at 5 p.m. Friday, June 22, in the Art Building. Afterward, the students may take their work home.

The registration fee on or before June 1 is $185 and includes all art supplies, exhibition expenses and daily refreshments. Late registration after June 1 is $200. Registration information is available at http://www.art.sfasu.edu/artacademy or in person at the School of Art.

For additional information, contact Coats at (936) 468-4264 or by email at coatsc@sfasu.edu

Registration continues for summer lessons and camps offered by the Music Preparatory Division of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music.

Lessons are offered in piano, voice, guitar, cello, Suzuki violin, violin/viola, percussion, ukulele and other instruments.

Guitar Camp, with Chance Moore as director, will be from 2 to 3 p.m. June 25 through 29 at the Music Prep House. The lessons are designed for students ages 10 and up. Tuition is $40, and guitar rental is $10. Lessons are provided in rock, country, classical and jazz. Class size is limited to 10 students.

Dr. Mario Ajero will direct the Kids Piano Kamp for children in first through third grades. Classes are 10 a.m. to noon July 16 through July 20 in Room 223 of the Boynton Building on the SFA campus. Tuition is $100, and class size is limited to 16 students. Registration deadline is June 4.

Dr. Ping-Ting Lan will instruct an adult piano class from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Mondays, June 25, July 2, 9, 16, 30 and Aug. 6 in Room 223 of the Boynton Building. Tuition is $105, and class size is limited to 16 students.

Registration forms and more information can be accessed at www.music.sfasu.edu/prep, or contact Music Prep director Pat Barnett at pbarnett@sfasu.edu or musicprep@sfasu.edu, or call (936) 468-1291. The Music Prep House is located at 3028 Raguet St.

Lydia J. Lim has joined the faculty of the Music Preparatory Division of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music as a piano teacher.

An active soloist, chamber musician and accompanist, Lim holds Bachelor of Music, Master of Music and professional study degrees from Manhattan School of Music and has taught in private music schools throughout New York and New Jersey.

She has won awards in numerous competitions, including competitions in London, England, Korea and New York.

To register for private lessons with Lim or other Music Prep instructors, contact director Pat Barnett at pbarnett@sfasu.edu or musicprep@sfasu.edu, or call (936) 468-1291. The Music Prep House is located at 3028 Raguet St. Visit www.music.sfasu.edu/prep for more information.

Through a real-world project, Stephen F. Austin State University students in the Rusche College of Business have experienced business in a professional format.

For the second year, Dr. Rajat Mishra, assistant professor in SFA’s Department of Management and Marketing, has tasked students in his project management course with creating a project as if they were implementing their plans in real life. Projects ranged from building a new disc golf course to constructing a laser tag arena in Nacogdoches.

“This class is about mentorship and community involvement,” Mishra said. “My goal with this project is to help students learn and launch their careers so they can become leaders in their fields.”

The class was divided into groups to research and plan throughout the semester. Each group was assigned an industry mentor. Mentors included Janet Watson, vice president for strategic sourcing at Baylor Scott and White Health in Dallas; Rob McCaughey, district sales manager for ArcBest in Houston; and AJ Dhakal, senior lead engineer at Schlumberger in Houston.

“This course brings the community and class together,” Mishra said. “It is a great experience for students to have access to these professionals.”

In researching their plans, groups worked with local businesses and contractors to receive advice from experienced professionals. A few students had the opportunity to work with the Nacogdoches mayor’s office to better understand how to work within city policies and gain insight on how city projects unfold.

“We always enjoy partnering with SFA students. As these students know, local ordinances and state laws are a part of doing business,” said Nacogdoches Mayor Shelley Brophy. “Hopefully, we allowed them to see that the permitting process and zoning ordinances are not difficult and how our offices assist with the ins and outs for any private citizen, company or developer wanting to open a new business in Nacogdoches.”

This course is open to all majors and is not limited to business students. Senior economics major Chris Hinton worked as the manager for his group’s disc golf course project.

“We had to get true numbers and meet with people from the field,” Hinton said. “It was a lot of fun, and we learned more of what you would do in the real world as a project manager.”

After working all semester and providing three status updates to Mishra and project mentors, students presented their final projects to a panel of mentors and Rusche College of Business professors. Mishra added students learn communication skills, how to budget, negotiation tactics and more in this course.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Wires, red plastic cups, magnets and other gadgets blanket the table as eager students await instructions. Dr. Hector Ochoa, assistant professor in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy, explains how students can use the household items on the table to create a speaker. Soon, students begin constructing their own devices.

This activity was part of the SFA School of Honors’ Maker Fair, an event that introduced students to various disciplines through hands-on activities.

“I really enjoyed showing students that engineering is not as complex as we think,” Ochoa said. “You can use household items to create things that we take for granted, like a speaker.”

Across the room, more students roll up their sleeves and begin to learn printmaking from Neal Cox, associate professor in the School of Art. After learning the proper way to ink a roller, students take turns running the press to print their own image of a tree.

“The goal of the Maker Fair was to provide an opportunity for honors students to interact with each other and with faculty members from across campus while also introducing them to different subjects,” said Dr. Megan Condis, assistant professor in the Department of English and Creative Writing.

The Maker Fair featured activities from four of SFA’s six colleges. Students first visited the Emerging Technologies Lab in Steen Library to participate in a virtual reality demonstration and learn about 3-D printing.

“The overall experience was amazing, and I had fun during each section,” said Jamie Morreale, junior interdisciplinary studies major pursing certification in early childhood through sixth grade education. “I loved learning new things, such as coding, making butter, virtual reality and 3-D printing. I would go to another Maker Fair.”

Sara De la Garza, Nacogdoches junior interdisciplinary studies major, also said she enjoyed the event and added that it informed her of all the resources available at SFA. De la Garza intends to become certified as a teacher of students in early childhood through sixth grade.

Students learned to code for an hour with Elizabeth Hutchison, lecturer and interim assistant to the chair of the Department of Computer Science. Additional activities included learning how to make butter and LED bracelets.

“The Maker Fair taught me creativity is more than just painting or writing; it’s a range of activities,” said Emily Crider, Arlington junior studying English and secondary education. “Any passion or hobby becomes creative the minute you add your own ideas or emotions. As college students, we’re so often inundated with grades and GPAs that we sometimes forget to just have fun. In the end, that’s what creativity is — having a good time doing what you love in your own individual way.”

Organizers are planning to host additional Maker Fairs in the future.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.