Everything Nac

Two student groups in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Science are hosting the Move and Groove 5K at 5 p.m. May 5 beginning in front of the HPE Complex on campus.

SFA’s Organization of Athletic Training Students and Chi Tau Epsilon dance honor society are holding this 5K for the first time, but the students hope to make it an annual event, most likely during the fall semester.

“This fun run is a great excuse for the public and our SFA students to get out, relieve some stress and get moving during these restricting times and finals week,” said Jaida Crowley, historian for Chi Tau Epsilon and sophomore from North Garland.

The 5K hosts ask participants to arrive by 5 p.m., so they can join in a 30-minute stretch and warmup session. The race begins at 5:30 p.m.

“OATS is excited to join the public in this 5K to be able to educate and advocate for athletic trainers in the community,” said Maggie Canales, secretary of OATS and second-year graduate student from Arlington.

The entry fee is $15 for SFA students and $20 for the general public. Money raised from the 5K will cover race expenses and support the professional development and socialization efforts of SFA’s dance and athletic training students.

Preregistration by 5 p.m. April 26 ensures participants will receive a T-shirt commemorating the event. To preregister, visit sfasu.edu/movegroove5k.

By Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Pantry, Stephen F. Austin State University’s on-campus resource to help students in need, recently added baby supplies to its shelves with help from SFA’s Organization for Women’s Leadership and Equity.

“We learned last fall that there was a need for baby-related items in the food pantry on campus, but those were not being stocked,” said Dr. Heather Olson Beal, OWLE faculty co-chair and a professor of education studies.

OWLE worked with staff members in SFA’s Division of Student Affairs to develop a process to inventory and stock these items. Then the organization held a baby product drive to fill The Pantry’s shelves.

“Many of our members are mother-scholars themselves, so helping SFA students with babies and toddlers is personal for us,” said Sarah Sanchez, visiting lecturer of dance and chair of OWLE’s Mentoring, Outreach and Membership Committee, which manages the inventory of baby-related items for The Pantry.

Diapers, baby bottles, pacifiers, bibs and more were collected during the drive.

All registered SFA students are eligible for food and baby supply distributions. To request baby items, students need to complete the online form at sfasu.edu/studentaffairs/1319.asp.

For more information on The Pantry’s donation and volunteer needs, visit sfasu.edu/studentaffairs/1319.asp.

By Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Symphony Orchestra at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn and Jean Sibelius when the ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Conducted by Dr. Gregory Grabowski, director of orchestral activities for the SFA School of Music, the Symphony Orchestra’s centerpiece of the concert will be Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor,” a work Grabowski specifically chose to feature Dr. Andrew Parr, professor of piano at SFA.

“This is Dr. Parr’s last semester at SFA, and I wanted to showcase his amazing talent and give him the sendoff he deserves,” Grabowski said.

The concert will also include Mendelssohn’s “Hebrides Overture,” which Grabowski describes as a travel piece inspired by the composer’s visit to the British Isles.

“The music depicts the beauty, the majesty and the power of Fingal’s Cave in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland,” Grabowski said.

Sibelius’ “Rakastava,” the second piece of the performance, is a three-movement work originally for men’s chorus that the composer later adapted to a string orchestra.

The final piece of the concert, “Emperor” is unlike Beethoven’s (or anyone’s) earlier concertos, Grabowski said. “There is a clear projection of power in the whole piece,” he explained. “While Beethoven was composing for the next generation of virtuoso (the piece is incredibly difficult), it is not an overt display for the soloist (there are no solo cadenzas). Instead, Beethoven created a truly symphonic concerto.”

The concert will be open to a limited in-person audience; it will not be livestreamed. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602. The performance will be broadcast at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, on the SFA Symphony Orchestra YouTube page.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music will present its Concert in the Park at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 25, in the wooded area between Wright Music Building and the Baker Pattillo Student Center on campus.

The outdoor concert, featuring all SFA wind bands, is a community favorite but was canceled last year because of COVID-19.

Featured bands include the Wind Ensemble, directed by Dr. David Campo, director of bands at SFA; the Wind Symphony, directed by Dr. Tamey Anglley, associate director of bands and director of the Lumberjack Marching Band; Symphonic Band, directed by Dr. Chris Kaatz, assistant director of bands; and the University Band, directed by graduate conductors Felipe Hernandez of Lufkin, Jacob Bridges of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Abbigail Ramsey of Prosper.

Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma band organizations will sell food and band apparel as a fundraiser. Safety protocols such as facemasks, gloves, social distancing and hand sanitizer stations will be in place.

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Admission is free. For more information, contact the School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art will host the SFA Art Alliance 2021 Spring Show digitally this year, and the exhibition can be viewed at www.sfaart.weebly.com.

Selected entries can be viewed on the main monitor in the Art Building with 36 pieces selected for the show from more than 200 entries by SFA students. The show is open to all students.

Winners included Weelynd McMullan, art major from Nacogdoches, for “Bartholomew,” first place; Kate Tenenbaum, interior design major from Austin, for “Coming Apart,” second place; and Koi Johnson, theatre major from Waco with an additional major in art, for “Release What no Longer Serves” and Samuel Johnson, mass communication major from Nacogdoches, for “Faces,” both in third place.

Serving as juror for the show was Heyd Fontenot, director of the San Antonio nonprofit art center Sala Diaz. He is a former artist resident of Tulsa Artist Fellowship and a former director of CentralTrak in Dallas. He is a Dallas Museum of Art Dozier Travel Grant recipient, a Mastermind Award recipient from the Dallas Observer and was named one of the Observer’s top 100 Dallas Creatives in 2014. He is represented by the Conduit Gallery, Dallas’ premier contemporary art gallery.

For more information about the SFA Art Alliance, call the School of Art at (936) 468-4804.

Stephen F. Austin State University students pursuing a career in science or mathematics teaching will benefit from a $1.4 million collaborative grant from the National Science Foundation for SFA’s Talented Teachers in Training for Texas program.

Through the program, offered through the SFA College of Sciences and Mathematics, students considering a career in science or mathematics teaching shadow specially trained master teachers in a math or science classroom during a workweek. Students selected receive a stipend of $450 per week and can participate in a variety of mentoring and recruiting activities.

More than 100 SFA students have already benefitted from the program since its inception in 2011, said Dr. Keith Hubbard, T4 project director and professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Though SFA alumna Sarah Boon was ready for her own classroom after graduation, the time she spent in the program focusing on STEM education helped further prepare her for her current career as a math teacher.

“Our mentors in the program would model different teaching strategies by teaching a mini lesson during our meetings,” Boon said. “Participating in these lessons as a future teacher rather than just as a student opened my eyes to how effective these methods could be.”

Boon now teaches algebra at a charter school in Round Rock that focuses on inquiry-based learning and a global context. The support system she built through the program has been integral during her first year of teaching.

“Coming in as a first-year teacher, creating lessons that incorporate these ideas can be overwhelming; however, I graduated from SFA with the tools to create authentic and engaging learning experiences for my students,” she said. “I also have a huge support system, thanks to the T4 program.”

To learn more about T4 or to apply, visit sfasu.edu/jacksteach/t4.

By Joanna Armstrong, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.