Everything Nac

During the spring semester Stephen F. Austin State University students enrolled in History 308: Introduction to Public History, taught by Perky Beisel, associate professor of history, worked with SFA’s Stone Fort Museum and the East Texas Research Center to develop a museum exhibit on historical crime and punishment in Nacogdoches and East Texas.

Carolyn Spears, curator of the Stone Fort Museum, said that she and Beisel began discussing the collaboration during the fall semester. “Perky is a member of the Education Programming Committee, which was formed to develop processes for long-term exhibit planning and collaboration with academic departments,” Spears said. “When I mentioned that we were beginning to develop a new exhibit about crime and punishment in East Texas, we both saw an opportunity to collaborate.”

Beisel worked to develop her introductory course around the framework of the museum’s potential exhibit. “The key to public history is that historic research needs to be at the request of the public or designed for the public,” Beisel said. “We used the Stone Fort Museum’s upcoming exhibit to provide a platform to teach students how to convert ‘traditional’ research into label text and visual and descriptive materials found in museum displays.”

The students presented information tracing the history of capital punishment in Texas from the late 19th century to the 1960s, when lethal injection became the state’s favored method of execution. The students presented a few historical trials that resulted in execution: The State of Texas v. Jim Buchanan, in 1902 and the State of Texas v. George Kinney, in 1904.

Students also covered the history of slavery in Texas, noting the case of The State of Texas v. Raiford Fulgham, a slave owner who was tried and convicted for the mistreatment of one of his slaves, and presented information about convict leasing, a Reconstruction-era practice where private citizens and companies could pay to have chain gangs work in agricultural and infrastructure projects without pay.

“When their work on the panels was beginning, before class they held lively discussions about murders, gambling, prostitution, vice, slavery and executions,” Beisel said. “The students learned that local examples provide a way to connect with larger themes in American history.”

After the individual students conducted their research, Beisel paired students to produce visual displays to highlight aspects of their research. Beisel said that these displays are the first step in creating the Stone Fort Museum’s eventual exhibit. The posters feature images from Nacogdoches city and county documents, as well as the students’ initial label text.

Zach McSwain, a senior history major from Houston, said that the project forced students to conduct in-depth research. “We had to use local historical archives at the East Texas Research Center to find small historical events that hint at the larger historical significance throughout the United States. It was like trying to find a diamond in the rough,” McSwain said. “We relied on primary sources and conducted advanced research from archival county and district court records.”

The students’ displays will be located on the second floor of Steen Library in front of the ETRC for the next four to six weeks. Visitors are encouraged to leave Post-It notes on the display board to help provide feedback about the theme’s exhibit. Spears urges visitors who have materials or artifacts related to the exhibit to contact her.

The Stone Fort Museum plans to showcase the final exhibit in late 2018 or early 2019.

For more information, contact Spears at cspears@sfasu.edu

Seniors pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing recently held a disaster drill in conjunction with local emergency personnel to help better prepare in the event of a crisis.

Participants acted out two scenarios — an active shooter and a bomb scenario. During each scenario, nursing students played the role of patients while fellow nursing students served as nurses. Several Nacogdoches Fire Department trainees also assisted with additional employees from community organizations and agencies also working alongside.

Each fall and spring semester, the School of Nursing conducts a disaster day, organized by a student committee under the supervision of School of Nursing faculty members. The simulation helps condition nursing students to the hectic work environment of nurses, forces them to solve problems and communicate on the fly, tests their critical thinking skills and assessment and triage abilities.

“We work closely with school faculty, the Nacogdoches Police and Fire Departments, Nacogdoches Medical Center and Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital, Nacogdoches EMS, and the district attorney to come up with details for the simulation,” Jenelle Samaroo, SFA senior nursing major from Houston, said.

Drills began with a truck serving as the mobile command center where nursing students organized into quadrants and donned protective gear. Members of each nursing quadrant triaged patients using information on a card that each patient wore around his/her neck.

Student nurses dropped triage cards beside each patient that detailed their assessed condition — green for minor injuries, yellow for more serious conditions, red for immediate attention required and black for those whose condition was beyond the help of onsite medical personnel.

The NFD trainees accompanied the student nurses and, literally, helped with the heavy lifting. They assisted in putting patients onto backboards and carrying them to color-coordinated tarps that matched the patient’s triage cards and served as treatment areas.

Samaroo and Devin Assenheimer, a Longview nursing senior who helped organize the bomb scenario drill, watched as a handful of student nurses approached a patient covered in flour. “The flour is meant to represent anthrax,” Assenheimer said. “We didn’t tell the student nurses about that beforehand. We wanted to see if they took proper precautions.”

At day’s end, participants practiced addressing the media and speaking during a mock press conference.

“We’ve been doing these disaster simulations for a number of years,” Dr. Janice Hensarling, assistant professor in SFA’s School of Nursing, said. “It’s a great opportunity to engage with local emergency service agencies and introduce our students to the pressures that an emergency situation can generate. It also teaches them the importance of clear and effective communication, leadership and teamwork.”

Stephen F. Austin State University’s James I. Perkins College of Education recently honored outstanding students during the Biannual Clinical/Student Teacher Celebration.

Zachary Tarvin, kinesiology senior from Arlington, was awarded the Roy Hanna Outstanding Men’s Kinesiology Graduate, which Hanna created to honor the top male graduate each year from the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science.

“I’m honored and humbled by this recognition,” Tarvin said. “I have friends who are just as deserving of this award as I am. We’ve gone through this together, and it’s been a lot of fun. I worked hard, and it’s nice to see the fruits of my labor.”

Through Tarvin’s clinical/student teaching experience, he served as a junior high and high school clinical/student teacher within the Arlington Independent School District.

“I enjoyed student teaching at both schools. You learn a lot of nuances as far as taking attendance and grading efficiently,” Tarvin said. “Student teaching gives us experiences we wouldn’t have otherwise. It prepares us before we go into our own classroom.”

During his first three years at SFA, Tarvin served as the SFA men’s basketball team’s manager. After graduation, Tarvin hopes to teach and coach basketball.

Dr. Deborah Buswell, SFA associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, presented Tarvin with the award.

“Having this young man in class has truly been a privilege during the past several years,” Buswell said. “Zachary is a dedicated student, and it has been a pleasure for us to see him blossom during his SFA career.”

Dr. Christina Sinclair, associate dean for assessment and accountability within the college, echoed Buswell’s praise.

“Zach has been one of the most outstanding students I’ve had since I’ve been at SFA,” Sinclair said. “He exemplifies the knowledge, skills and dispositions we hope to develop in all our teacher candidates.”

Wendy West, early childhood through sixth grade senior from Azle, Texas, was awarded the Janice A. Pattillo Outstanding Graduate award.

“I’m overwhelmed. This was very unexpected,” West said.

The Department of Elementary Education’s scholarship committee members select the award recipient. The award is presented annually to an outstanding early childhood graduate.

West was involved in SFA’s online completer program and has been a paraprofessional working as a teacher’s aide in a computer lab for 15 years. Dr. Paula Griffin, assistant professor in the Department of Elementary Education, taught West in the online program.

“When Wendy was considering the online program, she came to campus to better understand how the program would work, what was expected and to gather every piece of information before she started the program,” Griffin said. “Once she started, she never looked back. Her assignments were always top notch and turned in way before the due date. She is a lifelong learner.”

Additionally, Terrill L. Davis Jr. (TJ), theatre education senior from Beaumont, was awarded Exemplary Clinical/Student Teacher for the Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership.

“The award means a lot to me. This whole journey of going to college is worth it and knowing that you’ve been in the classroom making a difference in the students’ lives means so much,” Davis said.

Each semester, the Exemplary Clinical/Student Teacher award is presented to recognize students for their outstanding teaching performance. Clinical/student teaching is a requirement by the Texas Education Agency for all candidates seeking educator certification in Texas. Candidates are placed in school for 15 weeks under the supervision of SFA faculty members and the classroom teacher.

“TJ is very passionate about theatre,” said Dr. Neill Armstrong, associate professor in the Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership. “He engages his students and exemplifies the characteristics of a student-centered teacher.”

Davis conducted his clinical/student teaching at Nacogdoches High School and worked alongside theatre teacher Victoria Perry.

“It was a really good experience working with Victoria Perry because she is amazing. She let me have full control of the classroom, so I had to solve problems as I was teaching, which was an interesting experience,” Davis said.

Rebecca Jordy, a speech-language pathology graduate student from Stephen F. Austin State University, was awarded the East Texas Regional Speech, Language and Hearing scholarship for her academic and clinical excellence and leadership abilities.

“I was completely surprised. I’ve been at SFA for four years, so winning a scholarship after graduate school is a huge blessing,” Jordy said. “It’s a big accomplishment to know that the program thinks I’m worthy of receiving this recognition.”

A Lake Jackson native, Jordy first became interested in SLP when visiting with a neighbor. After some research, she decided this was the career path she wanted to take. Jordy graduated with her master’s degree in SLP May 13 and already has a job secured with Home Health in Tyler, where she will be working with children with communication disorders.

Dr. Lydia Richardson, assistant professor in SFA’s Department of Human Services, describes Jordy as a well-rounded student who is highly deserving of this scholarship.

“Rebecca is a phenomenal student. She is always timely on everything and puts forth her best effort in everything she does,” Richardson said. “As far as a clinician, she always has great rapport with her clients and demonstrates the knowledge to treat as well as evaluate her clients and make the best decisions for them.”

Jordy expressed some of her best memories from the past two years in graduate school were the friendships she made and the clinical work she experienced.

“SFA does a really good job of trying to get you out in the real world and get you as much experience in different areas as possible,” Jordy said. “Gaining the experience through hands-on work was great, and I’m looking forward to starting my new career.”

Nominations are being accepted for Stephen F. Austin State University’s Stone Fort Museum’s Cum Concilio Club Heritage Preservation Award, which honors those dedicated to preserving Nacogdoches and its history.

Nominations are due by 5 p.m. Friday, June 30. Visit sfasu.edu/stonefort to download a nomination form with instructions, or contact Carolyn Spears, museum director, at (936) 468-2408 or stonefort@sfasu.edu.

“The museum’s award is different in that it recognizes achievements across the spectrum of heritage preservation, including art, archives, architecture, natural history, historic objects and the built environment,” Spears said. “In 2015, the first award was presented posthumously to Dr. F. E. Abernethy for his vision and perseverance in the development of the Lanana Creek Trail, now part of Nacogoches’ cultural landscape.”

The Stone Fort Museum’s biennial heritage preservation award was established in honor of the Cum Concilio Club’s dedication to the preservation of Nacogdoches’ cultural and historic landscapes. The award recognizes an individual or group who has made significant contributions to the preservation of Eastern Texas history and Nacogdoches’ heritage.

Preservation of Nacogdoches’ rich heritage began in earnest with the loss of Antonio Gil Y’Barbo’s stone house in 1902. The Cum Concilio Club recognized the importance of the building and mounted a campaign to save the historic landmark. While the club was unable to stop the demolition of the stone house, the club’s preservation efforts struck a chord throughout Texas. The 1936 reconstruction of the stone house on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College as a regional history museum is a tribute to the club’s dedication to heritage preservation.