Everything Nac

Who said math couldn’t be fun? Certainly not the early childhood through sixth grade elementary education online teacher candidates at Stephen F. Austin State University, who used games and interactive stations to put a twist on math curriculum.

Recently, teacher candidates from across Texas, who are enrolled in SFA’s EC-6 online early elementary education field experience II and mathematics methodology courses, hosted a math career carnival for fourth and fifth grade students enrolled at Brooks-Quinn-Jones Elementary School in Nacogdoches.

SFA students collaborated online to develop carnival booths that highlighted math skills. Each booth offered an interactive activity that helped elementary school students practice math skills and connect those skills to a career such as a professional athlete, architect, librarian, contractor, banker, zookeeper and more.

Teacher candidate Shannon Grimm, Willis senior, designed an activity where students threw balls into receptacles of varying sizes and were awarded points. The students added their points to determine the professional sport they may be best at based on their sum.

“The goal behind the carnival is to incorporate careers and jobs into the math environment and curriculum so the students can make connections with the real world,” Grimm said. “In school, it allows them to have engagement and excitement for what they are learning in a fun and entertaining way.”

SFA students divided the carnival into two sessions — one serving fourth graders from 9 to 11 a.m. and the other serving fifth graders from 1 to 3 p.m. Overall, approximately 200 BQJ elementary school students participated in the event.

“When you get kids out of their seats and moving there is more blood flow to the brain, which allows them to learn more, remember, adapt and be involved in the activity,” Grimm said. “Teaching in this atmosphere makes it not so much like you are sitting in a math lecture class. It’s more fun and engaging. The kids don’t even realize they are learning.”

SFA Assistant Professors in the Department of Elementary Education, Paula Griffin and Mark Montgomery, created this pilot project as a way to engage online teacher candidates in a real-world teaching experience.

“This carnival is a fabulous opportunity for our teacher candidates to develop and hone their teaching skills and for elementary students to interact and make connections between math and the real world,” Griffin said.

Montgomery agrees the benefits of this project are twofold.

“First, kids don’t always get a chance to see careers they can use math for, so one of our goals was to introduce the students to the different careers that use math,” Montgomery said. “Second, this teaches our teacher candidates how to bring relevant activities into the classroom and tie those activities to the content they need to teach.”

SFA’s EC-6 elementary education online degree completer program offers non-traditional students an opportunity to earn their teaching certification and Bachelor of Science online. For more information about the program, visit http://www.sfasu.edu/elementaryed/97.asp or email ec6online@sfasu.edu.

U.S. Army Capt. Caitlin Moore, a 2010 graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Bachelor of Science in forestry program, has received the distinguished honor of participating in the 75th National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration held in Hawaii.

Moore, who is serving in the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, will lay a memorial wreath honoring U.S. Army service members who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor, which took place Dec. 7, 1941.

Moore graduated from Plano Senior High School where she was a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Upon enrollment at SFA, she joined the SFA Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and was commissioned as U.S. Army second lieutenant May 14, 2010.

Moore comes from a family of military service members. Both grandfathers served in the European Theater during World War II. Following World War II, her maternal grandfather, Robert W. Jackson, was discharged from the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant. Her paternal grandfather, Harry A. Moore, continued to serve in the U.S. Air Force for more than 22 years before retiring with the rank of master sergeant.

“There aren’t any words for how honored I am to carry the wreath for the U.S. Army,” Moore said. “Representing soldiers from the past, present and future, including both of my grandfathers, is something I will cherish forever. I am extremely humbled for being given this opportunity.”

Unit commanders choose wreath bearers based on past performance and level of excellence and professionalism.

The 75th National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration, beginning at 11:45 a.m. Central Standard Time, will be streamed live on a variety of platforms available through pearlharbor75thanniversary.com/live-stream/.

Four Stephen F. Austin State University donors will be honored during the 28th annual SFA Gala Saturday, Dec. 10, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom.

This year’s Gala honorees include Elvin “Buddy” and Tommie Jan Lowery, Mattress Firm, the Bone Hill Foundation, and Kathy and Robert Lehmann.

“We are looking forward to this year’s Gala,” said Jill Still, SFA vice president for university advancement. “We are excited to again recognize the commitment and kindness of donors who support SFA’s programs and students, as well as faculty members who give so much of their time to the university community.”

The Gala cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a candlelight dinner at 7 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by Blind Date, featuring seven of Austin’s most accomplished musicians whose repertoire ranges from dance music to jazz, rock, country and hip hop.

Tickets are $175 for orchestra seating and $125 for ballroom seating. Proceeds from the Gala help build a permanent endowment created by the SFASU Foundation to honor faculty achievement. For more information or to purchase tickets, call April Smith at (936) 468-5406.

Elvin “Buddy” and Tommie Jan Lowery

The Tommie Jan and Elvin Lowery Court in the William R. Johnson Coliseum on the SFA campus is named in honor of Elvin, the university’s first graduate to play in the NBA, and his wife, Tommie, a former SFA history professor. The couple donated funding to renovate the nearly 30-year-old court, officially unveiled in August 2015, and also have provided funding for student scholarships.

Elvin “Buddy” Lowery was born in Nacogdoches County and attended Huntington High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from SFA in 1959. Elvin played for the Lumberjack basketball team under coach John O. Stephens from 1957-59. During that time, he led the Lumberjacks with 391 points, was named to the all-conference team in 1959 and received the Todd Memorial Award. Elvin later played in the Industrial Basketball League for the Technical Tapers in New York City and professionally for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball League.

Buddy serves as chairman of the board of Huntington State Bank. Civically, he has served as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department deputy game warden in his free time. He became acquainted with the department through the exotic game ranch he owns.

Tommie Jan Lowery was born in Huntington and graduated as class valedictorian from Huntington High School. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SFA in 1957 and 1960, respectively, then went on to attend the University of Virginia. Tommie taught at Lufkin High School before joining the SFA Department of History where, after 37 years, she retired as an associate professor of history.

Tommie served as secretary for the East Texas Historical Association and in many other civic roles, including as president of the McMullen Memorial Library Board.

The Lowery’s son, Lane Lowery, is a director for KTRE-TV of Lufkin. Their daughter, Shana De Paoli of Dallas, serves as advisory director to the board of Huntington State Bank and is married to Dr. Ernest De Paoli. The couple has two children: Morgan, a senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia; and Grant, a sophomore at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas.

Mattress Firm

The name “Mattress Firm” has been well known on the SFA campus for years due to ties with Steve Stagner, an SFA alumnus now serving as executive chairman of the Mattress Firm Holding Corp. Most recently, Mattress Firm financed a renovation of a portion of the first floor of the Rusche College of Business to create the Mattress Firm Commons.

The Mattress Firm Commons creates an environment that fosters collaboration and teamwork, according to Amanda Robbins, vice president of talent acquisition and retention for the company. Robbins spoke at the January ribbon cutting on behalf of the company.

“This building is very near and dear to my heart. I’ve spent many hours on this campus, not only as a student, but also here attracting and acquiring top talent,” said Robbins, who also is an SFA graduate. “SFA has really been one of the main pillars of success in our company.”

With more than 3,500 company-operated and franchised stores across 49 states, Mattress Firm has the largest geographic footprint in the United States among multi-brand mattress retailers. Founded in 1986, Houston-based Mattress Firm is the nation’s leading specialty bedding retailer with over $3.5 billion in pro forma sales in 2015.

Through its brands, including Mattress Firm, Sleepy’s and Sleep Train, the company offers a broad selection of both traditional and specialty mattresses, bedding accessories and other related products from leading manufacturers, including Serta, Simmons, Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, Stearns & Foster, King Coil, and Hampton & Rhodes.

Bone Hill Foundation

The Bone Hill Foundation was established in 1967 with the goal of helping those in need by Will Bridges, owner of the Bone Hill Ranch in Shelby County. Since 1991, the foundation’s board has focused on providing scholarships for students pursuing higher education and actively encourages high school graduates to prepare for the future through college or vocational school training, according to Rick Campbell, Bone Hill Foundation board member.

Bone Hill has funded scholarships for hundreds of SFA students in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, James I. Perkins College of Education, Rusche College of Business, College of Sciences and Mathematics, Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing, School of Art and engineering program.

The management and sale of timber from the ranch provides income to the foundation, job creation in the timber industry and, most importantly, scholarships for students from Shelby County and the surrounding areas. The Bone Hill Foundation has provided more than $2.8 million in scholarships for Shelby County students.

Dr. Gary Kronrad, who is the Bone Hill Foundation Distinguished Professor within SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, also serves as board chair of the Bone Hill Foundation. He has worked with the foundation to develop a management plan that includes timber resources and wildlife to provide an appropriate balance of the natural resources.

Kathy and Robert Lehmann

The Lehmanns are a gracious, well-known couple who have a distinct, long-standing relationship with the university, both personally and professionally.

Robert “Bob” Lehmann is recognized for his contributions in the advancement of the latest surgical techniques in the management of eye diseases and has been instrumental in bringing new technology to the field of ophthalmology. Kathy, his wife, is a nurse and the administrator of Lehmann Eye Center. She attended SFA from 1977-79, completing her prerequisites for a bachelor’s degree in nursing prior to the university establishing its nursing program.

Through the years, they have supported the College of Fine Arts, Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing, Department of Modern Languages, hospitality program, College of Sciences and Mathematics, Archie McDonald Speaker Series, student scholarships, athletics and Women in STEM. Kathy also serves as an SFASU Foundation trustee.

The couple’s passion for the sciences, along with their long-standing commitment to SFA, will help catapult SFA students to success.

The Lehmanns are a remarkable couple who complement each other through their community service and family business.

Faculty Awards

Two faculty awards presented during SFA’s annual Gala recognize innovation and excellence in teaching and research. Dr. Emmerentie Oliphant, professor in SFA’s School of Social Work, is the recipient of the 2016 Faculty Achievement Award for Research. Dr. Kevin Langford, SFA associate professor biology and the director for the university’s pre-professional programs, is the recipient of the 2016 Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching.

Cellphones in hand, a crowd of intrigued Stephen F. Austin State University students sits in the McGee Business Building with an open mind ready for the next quiz question. With a flash of color, the screen changes and another question about extremism is projected at the front of the room.

Recently, SFA students in the Rusche College of Business hosted an on-campus event to help educate attendees about violent extremism as part of a worldwide collegiate competition.

SFA students in Marketing 352: Advertising and Promotion have been gathering primary research and building a marketing campaign using social media for the Peer to Peer: Challenging Extremism competition since the beginning of the fall semester.

The recent classroom promotional event served as part of the students’ campaign strategy to build awareness and promote their message of, “We are M.O.R.E – Motivating Others to Recognize Extremism.” The event included a video about ancestry, a PowerPoint, an interactive online quiz, a survey and giveaways.

“The goal of the on-campus event was to demonstrate that people do have prejudices, and we wanted to break through their prejudices,” said Ida Groth, a senior international business major from Sweden who has been instrumental in building SFA’s competition campaign. “We wanted to counteract ‘Islamophobia’ and spread awareness and hope to discourage young people from wanting to join extreme organizations.”

EdVenture, an organization connecting clients with educational partners to help engage with millennials, is sponsoring the competition globally.

SFA students are competing against more than 230 schools worldwide to create a campaign that counteracts violent extremism.

“This is a sensitive topic, and I think being able to talk to other students about it in a welcoming environment while also educating them is important,” said Miguel Rodriguez, SFA Allen senior international business major.

The competition’s goals include: motivating or empowering students to become involved in countering violent extremism; catalyzing other students to create their own initiatives, products or tools to counter violent extremism; and building a network or community of interest focused on living shared values that also counter violent extremism, according to the competition’s website.

During the competition, students form a student-led social media agency and research a target audience. Dr. Marlene Kahla, professor in SFA’s Department of Management, Marketing and International Business, divided her class of 33 students into teams to work on the campaign. Students are treating the challenge like a mini business with executive, creative, social media, promotional and financial teams.

Students work with their faculty advisers to review client objectives and program resources. Each team receives funds to produce a campaign and Facebook ad credits to design, pilot, implement and measure the success of a social media or digital initiative.

SFA students have been promoting their campaign on Facebook (@sfaMOREmovement) and on Instagram (@themoremovement). The class also created a campaign website at http://themoremovement.weebly.com, designed T-shirts and buttons, and produced videos to help spread its message.

Top teams can enter and win all-expense-paid travel to regional competitions, and global finalists can win all-expense-paid travel to Washington, D.C., where they will present to senior government officials, practitioners and Facebook leadership to earn scholarships. Student teams will submit their final campaigns to judges on Dec. 7.