Everything Nac

The Children’s Performing Arts Series at Stephen F. Austin State University offers more than just great national touring shows for young audiences.

The series, hosted by the College of Fine Arts, gives potential future SFA students and their teachers and parents another opportunity to visit campus and learn about the many programs that are offered here.

Each year, CPAS features five shows designed to entertain, educate and engage young audiences of all ages. Careful consideration is given to show topics, which always include teachable classroom elements, according to Diane Peterson, Fine Arts Box Office manager and director of the series.

“CPAS shows are a great way to supplement class curriculums, and our in-depth study guides provide suggestions for pre- and post-performance activities and discussions,” Peterson said.

CPAS shows bring hundreds of students from schools throughout East Texas to the SFA campus to enjoy the productions.

“Our shows are often sell-outs, so we encourage teachers to book their classrooms early to take advantage of these great field trips that provide fun and educational outings for children,” Peterson said. “We also offer great discounts for large groups.”

The 2016-2017 series opens Thursday, Oct. 27, with “Pollyanna” presented by Stars Within Reach Productions and targeting children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Based on the best-selling classic by Eleanor H. Porter, the all-new, original musical tells the story of one little girl’s philosophy on life of always finding something to be glad about, no matter the circumstances.

“Celebration USA! America Sings!” comes to SFA on Friday, Dec. 2. Also presented by Stars Within Reach Productions, this high-energy revue takes the audience on a musical journey across the country tracking the cultural and historical moments that helped shape our nation. This show targets students in third through eighth grades.

The popular musical “Seussical,” presented by Theatreworks USA, is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 10. The Cat in the Hat is host as Dr. Seuss’s beloved characters find themselves intertwined in an incredible crazy-quilt adventure in which the power of imagination saves the day. “Seussical” targets students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Hans Christian Anderson’s classic tale of “The Little Mermaid” is brought to life on Tuesday, March 7, in a brand new production by The Panto Company USA. The show, which targets children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, follows the dreams of a young girl who believes there is a better life for her out of the water and features stunning scenery, beautiful costumes and original songs.

The longtime favorite Super Scientific Circus returns to the SFA campus on Thursday, May 11, with Mr. Fish and Trent the Mime once again proving that science can be fun and funny. They use amazing circus skills involving boomerangs, bubbles, beach balls, bullwhips and magic to introduce the principles of friction, inertia, centripetal force, aerodynamics and more. The show targets students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Performances are at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on show dates in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. Tickets are $7.50 for individuals and $6 per person for groups of 20 or more.

To order tickets, call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS. Visit the CPAS website at www.cpas.sfasu.edu for additional information.

Hospitality administration and fashion merchandising students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Human Sciences are raising awareness about sustainability with a “Green is the New Black” event from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, in the Culinary Café, located in the Education Annex Building on the university’s campus.

The event will feature a three-course dinner, a runway show and a fashion gallery tour, which will showcase the students’ event-planning, culinary and design skills.

“I am very excited about this student-led event that will showcase the event management, culinary and excellent customer service abilities of our hospitality students,” said Dr. Gina Causin, assistant professor in hospitality administration.

The meal is based on the farm-to-table sustainability concept where food ingredients are locally sourced. The menu includes a Mediterranean chickpea salad atop a fresh spring-green mix, smothered pork loin, creamed mashed potatoes and pound cake cupcake filled with mixed berries.

“This will be a farm-to-table themed dining experience in which guests will experience locally sourced food ingredients from Appleby Community Farm made into appetizing masterpieces,” said Haley Howland, SFA hospitality student event coordinator.

Fashion merchandising students also will use recycled materials, including denim, to create clothing for the runway show, which will take place between the Human Sciences North and South Buildings on the SFA campus. The runway show will serve as the community event for the Blue Jeans Go Green project, which is a recycle program encouraging people to donate denim to be “upcycled” into UltraTouch denim insulation.

Additionally, the fashion gallery tour will highlight the Blue Jeans Go Green project and educate guests on what happens to the recycled denim and the process of turning post-consumer denim into eco-friendly denim insulation.

Tickets, which include dinner, the exhibit and the runway show, are on sale now and cost $15 per person. Seating is limited, so guests are encouraged to purchase tickets early. Tickets are available at http://tinyurl.com/oz7p5cy.

Additionally, participants who would like to attend only the exhibit and runway show can donate one piece of denim for admission. Event proceeds will benefit the hospitality administration and fashion merchandising programs.

For more information, contact Causin at (936) 468-1411 or causing@sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of English and Creative Writing is hosting Dr. David Baker, a poet, professor and editor, who will read a selection of his personal works at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, in Dugas Liberal Arts North, Room 142.

“David Baker brings a considerable reputation and talent to the SFA community,” said Dr. Mark Sanders, SFA professor of English and chair of the department. “He is the author of numerous books of poems and criticism, a Guggenheim Fellowship Award winner and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Award winner. He is highly regarded nationally and internationally.”

Born in Maine, Baker is currently the poetry editor for the Kenyon Review, one of the top literary journals in the country, Sanders said. He also holds the Thomas B. Fordham Chair of Creating Writing at Denison University in Ohio and teaches in the Master of Fine Arts program at Warren Wilson College.

Outside of Baker’s public reading Thursday, he will be on campus during the week to work with SFA creative writing students.

“He’ll be working closely with a number of our creative writing students in a one-week seminar. His readings are evocative and powerful so students and community members will find his poetry of the highest quality,” Sanders said.

Among Baker’s many books are “Midwest Eclogue,” “Never-ending Birds,” “Heresy and the Ideal” and “Show Me Your Environment.” His most-recent collection of poetry, “Scavenger Loop,” was his 15th published book.

Thursday night’s reading is free and open to the public.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s online master’s degree program in educational leadership was named the third best and among the most affordable online programs in the nation, according to a recent ranking by Educational Leadership Degree Programs, a website dedicated to helping students select the degree program that best suits their needs.

“It is a terrific honor to be recognized for the excellence and value that we’ve always known our program to have,” said Dr. Barbara Qualls, assistant professor of secondary education and educational leadership and program coordinator at SFA.

Website editors based the rankings on specific criteria, including tuition, accreditation and size of the program. Site editors said SFA’s program “bolsters Texas’ status as the queen of online education leadership degrees.”

SFA’s nationally accredited program offers a 30-hour master’s degree in educational leadership and an 18-hour principal certification. The program is administered completely online through Desire to Learn, the university’s online course-delivery system.

Qualls said it is “essential to personalize the online experience with frequent communication, detailed and timely feedback, and respectful relationship building.”

Additionally, students in the program experience interactive sessions with other students, real-time communication with professors and extensive use of electronic media such as video production through SFA’s online program.

“Our students are the future of Texas’ educational leadership. They deserve and receive the best and most consistent educational experience we can give them,” Qualls said. “Most SFA students are full-time teachers while in the program; therefore, our faculty members allow them to work at their own pace and within their own schedule.”

The program utilizes a scholar-practitioner approach incorporating theory and practice-based learning that focuses on research-based practices, curriculum and instructional leadership.

“The primary function of this program is to assist students in expansion of their self-perception as a leader and to retain the nurturing qualities of a teacher while building flexible and marketable leadership skills that can sustain lifelong learning,” Qualls said. “Our graduates are leading campuses in all parts of Texas. Lumberjack principals are a gold standard for Texas educational leadership.”

For more information, visit www.sfasu.edu/secondaryed/103.asp.