Everything Nac

SFA Gardens at Stephen F. Austin State University will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St., in Nacogdoches. Dr. David Creech, SFA Gardens director, will present “SFA Gardens: Is this Garden Adventure Out of Control or Is there a Well Thought Out Plan?”

Creech’s annual year-in-review lecture will lead the audience through the highlights of the past year — plants, people and plans — and will aim to educate, entertain and enlighten. Additionally, he’s promised to make an announcement that will leave everyone smiling.

Creech has been at SFA since 1978 and is director and founder of the SFA Mast Arboretum, Ruby Mize Azalea Garden and Gayla Mize Garden. He also co-directs the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.

Creech received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in horticulture from Texas A&M University and his master’s degree from Colorado State University. His research efforts have focused on blueberry germplasm and production studies, alternative crops and technology, crop nutrition and evaluation of new plant materials for the South. He and his wife, Janet, are both active gardeners and love to travel.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month at the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture’s SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center. A rare plant raffle will be held after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series Fund are appreciated.

Parking is available at the nearby Raguet Elementary School, 2428 Raguet St., with continual shuttle service to the Brundrett Conservation Education Building.

For more information, call SFA Gardens at (936) 468-1832 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University received the No. 1 ranking from topcounselingschools.org for having the top-value counseling master’s degree in Texas.

Topcounselingschools.org is an organization committed to helping students find the best higher-education counseling programs. The rankings were created using the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs online directory to find accredited counseling programs in Texas.

The top 10-ranked schools were based on program completion rate, job placement rate, licensing exam pass rate, accreditation length, research productivity, and tuition and fees.

Dr. Le’Ann Solmonson, director of SFA’s professional counseling program and professor, said she is thrilled to see this level of recognition for SFA’s program.

“We recognize and take seriously the responsibility of training professional counselors. We have high expectations for our students, and they rise to the challenge,” Solmonson said. “We believe we do an excellent job training counselors. This ranking provides validation to the strength of our program.”

SFA’s 60-hour master’s in professional counseling program includes three degree concentrations: school counseling, clinical mental health counseling and clinical rehabilitation counseling. The program is a combination of online and face-to-face courses.

Solmonson boasted the program’s unique philosophy and approach. Students in the three programs take a common set of classes comprising 48 hours and then take 12 hours in their specialization. This arrangement provides students with exposure to all three areas. Regardless of their specialization, students have strong clinical training, Solmonson said.

All three programs lead to the Licensed Professional Counselor credential. The school counseling and clinical rehabilitation counseling students also are certified in their specialization, Certified School Counselor and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor.

“The ability to obtain dual credentials is another unique aspect of our program,” Solmonson said. “We have students who have received their degree at other universities and come to us for the additional coursework to get the second credential.”

The program’s size is another feature that sets it apart from competing universities.

“With an enrollment between 65-80 students, we know our students and develop relationships with them. We love watching them grow as people and as professionals,” Solmonson said. “We receive very positive feedback from employer and internship site supervisors and consistently hear that our students stand out.”

The Children’s Performing Arts Series at Stephen F. Austin State University will present two performances of “Celebration USA! America Sings!” on Friday, Dec. 2, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Presented by Stars Within Reach Productions, “Celebration USA! America Sings!” features a variety of musical styles – from soulful gospel to sultry swing, heartfelt country to rock-n-roll – to track the cultural and historical moments that helped shape the nation, according to Diane Peterson, Fine Arts Box Office manager and coordinator of the series.

“This high-energy revue will take students on a musical journey like none other, with a historical trip across the country through song and dance,” Peterson said.

“Celebration USA! America Sings!” targets children in first through eighth grades. Performances are at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $7.50 for individuals and $6 per person for groups of 20 or more.

“Audience members will travel through defining eras in American culture from past to present with a mix of classic and original tunes,” Peterson said.

Presented by the SFA College of Fine Arts, the Children’s Performing Arts Series annually features five shows designed to entertain, educate and engage young audiences of all ages, according to Peterson. Study guides provide suggestions for pre- and post-performance activities and discussions for teachers to use in the classroom.

Other upcoming CPAS performances include “Seussical” on Friday, Feb. 10; “The Little Mermaid” on Tuesday, March 7; and Super Scientific Circus on Thursday, May 11.

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

The A Cappella Choir at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at an Evensong Service at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church in Lufkin.

Directed by Dr. Tim King, director of choral activities for the SFA School of Music, the ensemble will perform music that the choir will record the following day at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston.

St. Cyprian’s is located at 919 S. John Redditt Drive.

As Stephen F. Austin State University senior Morgan Dison from Tatum flips open the book, colorful illustrations cover the page and invite the kindergarten students sitting in front of her to learn more about Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic female astronaut.

Recently, SFA elementary education students in Dr. Lauren Burrow’s social studies methods course wrote and illustrated children books about lesser-known historical figures for a class project. On Monday, SFA students shared their books with a kindergarten class at Brooks-Quinn-Jones Elementary School in Nacogdoches.

“In social studies, we talk a lot about untold stories and lesser-known historical figures,” Burrow said. “We want all students — both SFA and the students we work with in elementary schools — to become more familiar with and celebrate the accomplishments of people from all walks of life.”

Dison and her classmates, seniors Jenny Nance from Pearland and Corie Nonken from Hemphill, were one of eight groups to create a book for this project.

“This was a learning process because it was hard to figure out how to fit the story to a kindergartner’s mindset,” Dison said.

Nance, who works at the Boys and Girls Club in Nacogdoches, worked with children there to illustrate the book.

“This is the coolest thing ever. It’s great to see it through and actually get to read the book to the kids and do an activity with our book,” Nance said.

Group members read their book to and completed a related activity with the kindergarten students.

“This project is like the rest of our education classes because you get to experience everything firsthand as a teacher,” Nance said. “That’s what I think is so great about our classes — they actually put you in the situation you’d be in as a teacher.”

The class dedicated and donated the books to the BQJ Library, and Burrow said she hopes to do this project again.

The Stephen F. Austin State University SFA Gardens will host a garden seminar, “Deck the Halls: Using Evergreens to Decorate for the Holidays,” from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Evergreen branches and garlands once served as symbols of enduring life and a fruitful year to come. Join Dawn Stover, research associate at SFA Gardens, to learn how to create elegant wreaths and garlands using materials from the garden.

Participants will learn principles of wreath, garland and centerpiece construction and make a wreath to enjoy and take home for the holidays.

In addition to the traditional wreaths and garlands, Stover will introduce new crafts using natural items from the garden and forest. All materials will be provided.

Class size is limited, so register in advance by calling (936) 468-1832 or emailing sfagardens@sfasu.edu. The cost is $25 for SFA Garden members and $30 for non-members.