Everything Nac

Summer vacation time has arrived, and that means the popular SummerStage Fesitval at Stephen F. Austin State University is just around the corner.

The School of Theatre and Dance at SFA selected the children’s musical “The Wind in the Willows” as this year’s featured show of the SummerStage Festival, slated for June 28 through July 1. Based on the book by Scot Copeland, W.S. Gilbert and Kenneth Grahame and music by Paul Carrol Binkley and Sir Arthur Sullivan, “The Wind in the Willows” is adapted from the book by Kenneth Grahame and the songs of Gilbert and Sullivan.

SFA SummerStage presents the story of Mole, Ratty and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets into trouble. Through clever and daring antics set to sparkling melodies, the woodland friends pull together, and the world is once again set right.

Although “The Wind in the Willows” is great entertainment for the entire family, its target audience is children who are still learning about the value of true friendship, according to Jen Malmberg, lecturer in the School of Theatre and Dance and the play’s director and choreographer.

“This story takes us on the journey of four friends: Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad. We see our four friends each evolve, through many adventures, into better versions of themselves than they were during that fine spring morning at the beginning of the musical,” Malmberg explains. “It is a twisty, turning tale that highlights the need for friendship to help us see the best version of ourselves. We cannot wait to bring audiences along for the adventure!”

This year’s festival is an abbreviated version of the annual summer event. The School of Theatre and Dance will be moving throughout the summer into the newly renovated and expanded Griffith Fine Arts Building, and time would only allow for one show to be rehearsed, staged and presented. Students and faculty are eager to move into their new and renovated spaces, according to Cleo House Jr., the SummerStage artistic director and director of the School of Theatre and Dance.

“The excitement around moving into the new building isn’t just about the new spaces we’ll be getting to utilize, but about all the great opportunities for our students and the more professional-level experience for our audiences,” House said. “In summer 2024, we’ll be back to doing our usual two SummerStage shows with “Little Women” and the musical “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.” It really will feel like ‘Christmas in July’ as we make the move this summer and anticipate all the wonderful things to come.”

All performances for “The Wind in the Willows” are in Kennedy Auditorium. Show times are 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 28; 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, June 29 and 30; and 2 p.m. Saturday, July 1. Tickets are $15 for adults; $10 for senior adults 62 and older; $8 for SFA faculty and staff; and $5 for youth. To purchase tickets, visit boxoffice.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

For more information about “The Wind in the Willows,” call the School of Theatre and Dance at (936) 468-4003 or visit sfasu.edu/theatre-dance.

Stephen F. Austin State University has partnered with Panola College to offer the Panola Pathway with SFA, which will allow students to expand on their associate degree to eventually earn a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from SFA.

The program, slated to begin its inaugural courses this summer, is pending approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

In this unique distance-learning education program, students who earned an Associate of Arts in teaching from Panola College will enroll in SFA courses taught online or on the Panola campus to eventually earn a BSIS from SFA. This program will also prepare students to sit for the Texas teaching certification exams.

“It’s important to create pathways toward teacher certification that remove barriers for students,” said Dr. Jannah Nerren, chair of SFA’s Department of Education Studies. “There is a nationwide teacher shortage that creates an urgency for bolstering the teacher pipeline. We believe in the power of a university-prepared teacher and want to work with our community college partners to provide pathways that produce high-quality teachers while understanding and creatively overcoming some of the barriers students face.”

Though primarily online, the program will offer at least one face-to-face course per semester on the Panola Collage campus beginning fall 2023. Students will choose between two concentrations — early childhood through grade 6 or 4-8 middle-level education. Students will also have six different areas of content focus to choose from, including core subjects EC-6; core subjects 4-8; English, language arts and reading 4-8; math 4-8; science 4-8; and social studies 4-8.

“Students will have the advantage of a distance education program with face-to-face support in their home area,” Nerren said. “There are many community college and university partnerships, but this one is unique in that SFA classes and certification testing support will be offered on the Panola College campus.”

Throughout the program, students will be exposed to field-based experiences and complete field hours, which are hours spent in Texas prekindergarten through 12th grade classrooms to provide hands-on, authentic experience with teaching.

Interested students will need to apply to SFA through the Apply to SFA page. Then, they will be prompted to send an email to Dr. Susan Reily, associate professor and program coordinator, at reilys@sfasu.edu indicating the certification path they are interested in pursuing and request additional information about applying for the Panola Pathway to SFA program. Once completed, candidates can begin enrolling now in summer 2023 online courses.

For more information, visit gosfa.com/panolapathway or contact Dr. Elizabeth Gound, assistant professor and program advisor, at goundeliza@sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the annual Wild About Woodies event at 9 a.m. June 30 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.

The event is meant to acquaint nursery professionals, landscapers and enthusiastic gardeners with an in-depth look at the woody ornamental collections at SFA Gardens, particularly new woody ornamentals for Texas and Louisiana. The garden is home to a vast collection of conifers, oaks, pines, taxodium, lagerstroemia, azaleas, camellias and more.

“The last three years of crazy climatic events have seen record hard freezes, the third worst summer heat and drought ever, and a flood of epic proportions,” said Dr. David Creech, director of SFA Gardens. “This is the perfect time to see what died, what survived and what thrived.”

To help lead the industry day, Creech will be joined by Dr. Andrew King, a fourth-generation owner of King’s Nursery — the oldest nursery in Texas; and Dr. Tim Hartman, specialist with Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, who will bring the world of fruit to the event.

Event sign-in will take place from 8:30 to 9 a.m. Lectures will follow, and a minibus will carry participants to the many themed gardens on SFA’s campus.

Participants will tour the PNPC, fruit research plots, crape myrtle collection, Lanana Creek taxodium collection, Mast Arboretum, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden and Gayla Mize Garden.

Parking is available at the PNPC, 2900 Raguet St., or Raguet Elementary School, 2708 Raguet St.

The event is $30 and open to all ages. For more information, call (936) 468-4404 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.