Everything Nac

The Swingin’ Axes and Swingin’ Aces at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform a concert featuring works by Sammy Nestico, Gordon Goodwin, Pat Metheny and other jazz and big band greats at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 3, in Cole Concert Hall in the Wright Music Building on the SFA campus.

The Aces, directed by Dr. J.D. Salas, associate professor of tuba and euphonium studies in the SFA School of Music, will perform arrangements of “Splanky” and “Day In, Day Out” by Nestico, long time composer/arranger for the Count Basie Orchestra. Nestico recently celebrated his 93rd birthday.

The Aces will also perform “Groove Merchant” by Thad Jones and a unique arrangement of “All The Things You Are,” as performed by the Stan Kenton Orchestra.

The Axes, directed by Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone at SFA, will perform a varied program of old and new classics, including Goodwin’s “The Phat Pack” and Metheny’s “(It’s Just) Talk,” arranged by Bob Curnow.

The Axes will also perform “15 Step” by Radiohead, arranged by Matt Harris; “Li’l Darlin'” by Neal Hefti as recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra; “(Meet) The Flinstones” by William Hanna, Joseph Barbera and Hoyt Curtin, arranged by Dave Barduhn; and “Crusin’ For a Bluesin'” by Andy Weiner, arranged by Peter Blair as recorded by Maynard Ferguson.

The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of “Without Bound: Perspectives on Mobile Living” at 7 p.m. Friday, March 3, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

“Without Bound” is a documentary by SFA’s own Michael Tubbs, media specialist for the College of Fine Arts, and SFA alum Aaron Harlan, about those who choose to ditch their permanent homes and opt for a mobile lifestyle, living out of recreational vehicles or vans. The film focuses on the personal philosophies of the individuals who choose this form of nomadic lifestyle.

“I held the view, probably shared by most Americans, that home ownership was both a noble and worthy aspiration, providing stability, safety, comfort and even a sense of identity,” Tubbs said. “I wondered how anyone could feel secure, comfortable or fulfilled living out of a van or a camper. The more I learned, the more my attitude shifted from ‘why’ to ‘why not?'”

Tubbs is a multimedia artist who merges traditional art materials and techniques with digital processes. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics and a Master of Fine Arts in digital media from SFA. Tubbs has taught graphic design and digital media courses in the School of Art and advanced advertising courses in the Department of Mass Communication at SFA. His areas of specialization include vector graphics, videography and motion graphics. Prior to joining the College of Fine Arts dean’s staff, he was gallery preparator for the SFA Galleries.

Harlan is a 3D artist, researcher, human factors engineer and creative director at FoVI3D, a light-field display company in Austin. As creative director, he is responsible for the majority of content creation at FoVI3D, including branding, web design, video, print, 3D content generation for holographic imaging and dynamic light-field projection. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Fine Arts in design from SFA.

This screening is part of the School of Art’s monthly Friday Film Series and is sponsored in part by William Arscott, Nacogdoches Film Festival, Karon Gillespie, Mike Mollot, David Kulhavy, Brad Maule, John and Kristen Heath, Galleria Z, Jill Carrington, Jean Stephens, Jim and Mary Neal, Richard Orton, Main Street Nacogdoches and Nacogdoches Junior Forum.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

Ashlee Brewster, a 2013 Stephen F. Austin State University graduate, was named the 2016-17 Teacher of the Year for Mountainview Elementary School in Waco.

“I am incredibly honored to have achieved this award,” Brewster said. “I feel as a teacher, I must be a role model to my students. I hope through this achievement, I have inspired them to do their best to reach their goals.”

Brewster has taught second grade at Mountainview since August 2014, but her passion for teaching reaches back to her childhood.

“As a child, I wanted to be a teacher,” Brewster said. “This dream was confirmed when my teacher asked me to peer tutor another student in elementary school.”

Brewster has always loved interacting with children. As a teenager, she babysat for families in her hometown, Rosebud. In high school, she served as a mentor in pre-kindergarten and first grade classrooms.

“These experiences led me to my future career choice in teaching early-childhood-aged children,” Brewster said.

Brewster entered college with 30 dual credit hours and graduated from SFA summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary studies. While at SFA, she worked as a Math 127 and 128 tutor at the Academic Assistance and Resource Center and as a teacher’s aide in the toddler classroom at the Early Childhood Laboratory — two of her favorite places, she said.

“From student progress to relationship building, I feel that my path to teaching has been very rewarding,” Brewster said.

As an elementary teacher, Brewster believes students learn best by doing.

“I believe the inquiry-based approach to learning is the best way to teach,” Brewster said. “I love teaching hands-on and engaging lessons. I connect our concepts to real-life experiences through questioning so my students can see the purpose in learning the content.”

Along with teaching, Brewster serves on various committees and is involved with a number of programs, including the Hospitality Committee, Pedagogical Leadership Team, Waco ISD Succeed Mentor Program and more. Additionally, she works in partnership with Baylor University pre-service teachers.