Everything Nac

Dr. Maggie Leysath, professor of art education at Stephen F. Austin State University, will provide art instruction for students participating in summer programs with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Deep East Texas.

Through virtual programming, Leysath will instruct not only Nacogdoches participants, but also students who participate in Boys and Girls Club summer programs in the Lufkin and Diboll clubs and in other communities served by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Deep East Texas.

BGC clubhouses will begin re-opening on June 1 under established city, county and state social-distancing guidelines for childcare and youth services, according to Steve Davidson, president and CEO for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Deep East Texas. Student participants will have the option of attending in-person clubhouse activities, or participating in virtual activities only.

Art lessons will be scheduled weekly throughout June, and SFA art education students, in cooperation with BGC staff, will plan and provide art instruction during scheduled class times.

“This collaboration is a continuation of the good working relationship the SFA School of Art and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Deep East Texas have developed over the past several months,” Davidson said. “Our after-school art lessons with art education students had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic this spring semester. BGC administration and art education faculty stayed in communication as plans for reopening moved forward.”

The Zoom art lessons provide safe instructional support for BGC staff, and the lessons also offer opportunities for art education students to implement curriculum and instruction in their chosen field of art education, according to Leysath.

“This is a win-win situation,” Leysath said. “We are so happy to be involved with the BGC in this way and to strengthen our relationship with this vital community program.”

For more information about summer programs with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Deep East Texas, visit bgcdet.org. For more information about the School of Art, visit art.sfasu.edu.

Young local writers who want to attend this summer’s free Nacogdoches/Stephen F. Austin State University Barrio Writers workshop need to complete the application at https://forms.gle/kWU8w1n3C9qaWJjRA by Memorial Day.

Because of COVID-19, this summer’s workshop will be held via Zoom and limited to 20 participants who meet the following requirements:

want to publish their own writings
want to attend college
are between the ages of 13 and 21
can access Zoom and Google Classroom via the internet
can attend virtual workshops from noon to 1 p.m. on June 1, 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12
and want to write two pieces in any style (poetry, short story, essay, hip-hop, spoken word).

The workshop will culminate in a live reading at 6:30 p.m. June 12 on Zoom.

“We continue to be amazed by the work our local youth produce during the weeklong workshop,” said Dr. Lauren Burrow, associate professor of secondary education. “We hold these workshops because we believe in our local youth and want to support them as they develop their voices and grow into adulthood.”

As a chapter of the national Barrio Writers organization, the Nacogdoches/SFA program has hosted 30 East Texas students for this free workshop every summer since 2015 to help build their skills in reading, grammar, creative writing, critical thinking and freedom of expression through cultural arts.

Four writing advisors from SFA’s James I. Perkins College of Education will lead the students through the workshop: Burrow; Dr. Heather Olson Beal, professor of secondary education; Dr. Chrissy Cross, associate professor of secondary education; and Dr. Amber Wagnon, assistant professor of secondary education.

Founded by author Sarah Rafael Garcia in 2009, Barrio Writers is designed to empower the teenage community while establishing a self-sufficient educational program that represents community pride, perseverance and endless possibilities for following generations.

For more information, email sfabarriowriters@gmail.com or follow the Barrio Writers Facebook page for updates.

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

Jordan Stanford, a sophomore agricultural development major at Stephen F. Austin State University, was recently selected as one of 14 university students from across the U.S. to serve as a 2020-21 National Teach Ag ambassador.

“I have always felt called to agricultural education,” Stanford said. “To help others find their calling in this amazing career is something I look forward to as a part of this program.”

Stanford serves as a student representative on the Teach Ag Texas Committee. The national ambassadors begin training this summer and will later be tasked with engaging students visiting the Teach Ag booth at the 93rd National FFA Convention this October in Indianapolis, Indiana. They also will host similar booths and workshops in their own states to promote the need for high-quality, diverse agriculture teachers.

The National Teach Ag Ambassador Program was developed in an effort to address the current, nationwide high demand for agriculture teachers in the U.S. This need is the result of retirements, current program growth, new programs opening, as well as current teachers leaving the profession to explore other career opportunities.

“I am excited for Jordan, and I know she will make a great contribution in recruiting future agriculture teachers in Texas,” said Dr. Candis Carraway, assistant professor of agriculture at SFA. “We know the training she receives through this program will enable her to make a bigger impact in our state.”

The National Teach Ag Campaign is an initiative of the National Council for Agricultural Education, led by the National Association of Agricultural Educators. Funding for the National Teach Ag Campaign is provided by the CHS Foundation, Corteva Agriscience, Growth Energy and BASF as a special project of the National FFA Foundation. For more information about the campaign, visit http://www.naae.org/teachag.

Students from Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Geology recently achieved the department’s highest overall performance score in a decade on a national standardized assessment designed to test core knowledge and retention.

The group score of 12 graduating seniors was in the 94th percentile on the Area Concentration Achievement Test in Geology, testing in four content areas – historical geology, mineralogy, petrology and physical geology. These scores demonstrate to potential employers the students’ foundation of knowledge and job preparedness.

“SFA geology majors performed well in all content areas,” said Dr. Liane Stevens, assistant professor of geology. “Our graduates are well-prepared to start careers in any of the diverse disciplines in today’s geosciences field.”

The department employs faculty with expertise in geochemistry, petrology, petroleum geology, structural geology and paleontology, ensuring students have access to a wealth of knowledge in a variety of emphases. Through a diverse selection of courses and undergraduate research opportunities, students acquire a varied skill set and are prepared for a range of fields.

Senior geology student Andrew Henry said his performance on the exam was due in large part to the faculty’s commitment to student success.

“The department really strives to ensure each and every student is prepared for the professional world,” Henry said. “They do this by challenging us to think like geologists and focus on learning concepts, not just the memorization of words.”

To learn more about SFA’s Department of Geology, visit sfasu.edu/geology.

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