NEWS & CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

The Tusculum College Community Chorus will present its spring concert on Monday, May 2.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum College campus.  David Hendricksen is the conductor for the group and James Winfree is accompanist.

The first half of the program will feature repertoire for choir and organ.  Beginning with British composer Martin Shaw’s setting of “With a Voice of Singing,” the choir will display both reflective and jubilant moods in “Grant Us Thy Peace” by Felix Mendelssohn; “All You Works of the Lord, Bless the Lord” by American composer Kenneth Jennings; “Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee” by Johannes Brahms; “Festival Te Deum” by Benjamin Britten, and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” arranged by Gilbert Martin.

Following intermission, the chorus will sing a variety madrigals, folk songs and spirituals, Broadway tunes, and conclude “America the Beautiful.”

Throughout the evening, a variety of Community Chorus members will sing solo roles as well, including  Candace Babb, Beth Brimer, Patricia Chesnut, Jill Jones, Jo Knabel, John Maddux, Phil Thwing, Angel West and Martha Wiley.

The chorus expresses appreciation to Cates Music Center of Johnson City, which has provided a temporary installation of an Allen digital organ for use for concert.

Founded in 1996 as a way to involve singers from throughout the community in a broad range of sacred and secular repertoire, the Tusculum College Community Chorus has grown to over 50 singers.

For further information about the chorus, please contact conductor David Hendricksen at 638-0409 or at conductordavid@embarqmail.com.

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Three new band groups will be featured in the Tusculum College Band Program’s Spring Concert on Sunday, May 1.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum campus.

Featured will be performances by three new band groups at the college, the Pioneer Jazz Band, the Handbell Choir and the Concert Band. The concert will also feature a performance by the percussion section and a special performance by vocalist Russ Crum. The bands are under the direction of David Price, director of the music program and special events at the college. This is the first year for the band program at the college.

Starting the program will be the Pioneer Jazz Band, which will make its premier at a dinner/dance on April 28 at the General Morgan Inn. The band will be performing some well-known favorites: “In the Mood” arranged by Michael Sweeney, “Caravan” arranged by John Berry, “Save the Last Dance for Me” arranged by W. Scott Ragsdale, “Sing, Sing, Sing” arranged by Victor Lopez and “God Bless the USA” arranged by Mark Taylor.  The jazz band will conclude its performance with “Hey Jude” arranged by John Berry.

Next on the program will be the Tusculum College Handbell Choir.  This group, which will be making its premier at the concert, will play: “Enter With Joy” by Kathleen Wissinger, “Hymn of Promise” arranged by Martha Lynn Thompson, and “I’m Just a Poor Wayfaring Stranger” by Tammy Waldrop.  Joining forces with the Concert Band, the choir will conclude its program with “America!  God Shed His Grace on Thee” arranged By Douglas Wagner.

The Tusculum College Concert Band, which first played at the Inauguration Ceremony of Tusculum President Nancy B. Moody last fall, will play: “Tailspin” by Rob Romeyn, “The Witch and the Saint” arranged by Matt Conaway, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” arranged by Michael Brown, “Primeval Stormfront” by Matt Conaway, “With Each Sunset (Comes the Promise of a New Day)” by Richard Saucedo and “Music from Glee” adapted for band by Ted Ricketts.  The Concert Band will conclude the performance with a Karl King march titled “Prestissimo” arranged by James Swearingen.

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The Reformation and the Renaissance became more than concepts in a textbook for a group of Tusculum College students who discovered the art and architecture of the periods in a recent trip to Italy and Germany.

The group of Tusculum students were primarily students in a “Cultural and Literary Heritage of the West” course that includes study of the Reformation and Renaissance. The students shared their experiences on the March trip during a presentation April 18.

“It is amazing for the students to see in person what they would later be seeing in the textbook,” said Dr. Nancy Thomas, associate professor of English, one of the professors that accompanied the students and teaches the Humanities course.

As an instructor, the trip also had benefits, Thomas said. The Reformation and Martin Luther are two of the significant topics covered in the Humanities course, she noted. “Going to Germany, seeing the places he had been and going to his museum fleshed him out. He is real to me now.”

Dr. Joel Van Amberg, assistant professor of history who also accompanied the students, encouraged those at the presentation to travel abroad. “You will learn things you didn’t anticipate and be stretched in ways that you did not expect,” he said. “The unexpected is the most exciting thing of foreign travel, the broad range of experiences you get when you go abroad.”

The trip began in Rome, where the students visited such sites as the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pantheon and the Circus Maximus. “The most amazing part of Rome is the architecture,” said Marcus Taylor, an English major from Kodak, Tenn. “You can’t imagine what it is like until you are actually there.”

At the museum at the Vatican, the students were able to see masterpieces of the art in various forms. “One of the things that amazed me was the tapestries, the sheer magnitude of them,” said Ben Sneyd, an English major from Unicoi, Tenn. “You can look at them in a book, but you will never understand about the size or magnitude and never really see the detail and understand the work that must have gone into them until you see them.”

The students’ next destination was Florence, where they continued to explore the art and architecture of the Renaissance. One of the sites they noted was the Florence Baptistry where the saw Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, two solid bronze doors containing panels with intricately designed illustrations of events from the Old Testament.

Traveling on an overnight train, the students headed to Germany and Wittenberg, which was very different than what they had experienced in Italy. “Rome and Florence were big cities and then we get off the train in Germany at a stop with just some gravel and a bench,” said William Hogg, a political science major from Pikeville, Ky. “Wittenberg was a very quaint town.”

The students noted that Germany was cleaner than the Italian cites and the people were more friendly.

In visiting the various sites related to Martin Luther, Isiah Lyman said they were able to see how he grew as a person through the various stages of his life.

While in Germany, the students also visited Coburg where they able to visit a castle. “It was amazing to see a castle up close and see the way it looked,” said Lyman, a history major from Boiling Springs, S.C.

One of the rooms in the castle had a display of weapons with a wide variety of swords and the cannons and ammunition used to defend the castle walls, said Codie Fleming, a political science major from Washington, Ga.

Dr. Thomas, Dr. Van Amberg and the students expressed their appreciation for those who had made the trip possible at the college and the travel professionals who found them clean and comfortable youth hostels to stay in along the journey.

International trips are in the planning stages for the next academic year, said Dr. Geir Bergvin, director of Tusculum’s Center for Global Studies. Planned are trips to Ecuador and Spain, a fall trip to London and service-learning trip to Belize.

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Gareth Rowlands, a senior majoring in middle childhood education, has been recognized as “Student of the Block” at Tusculum College for the Seventh Block.

Rowlands was honored at a ceremony Thursday, April 21, in the Niswonger Commons. The Student of the Block Award is presented each block by the Office of Student Affairs to recognize students for academic achievement, leadership on campus and contributions to the college community. A plaque honoring Rowlands’ accomplishments will be displayed in the Commons and other campus buildings.

The native of Benllech, Wales, was described as the embodiment of the core values and skills that Tusculum wants to instill in its students - personal integrity, civic responsibility, a strong sense of community, appreciation for critical thinking and reflective judgment and commitment to continual growth.

Rowlands has maintained a 3.22 grade point average within the rigorous education major while balancing a heavy extracurricular load. His aspiration is to become an educator in order to positively affect the lives of youth as a teacher and coach as others did for him. He credits Pauletta Johnson, director of field experience and assistant professor of education, as a helping hand along his educational journey. “Dr. Johnson is always straight to the point and always willing to help,” he said. “She has always gone above and beyond any request given to her and is an asset to Tusculum.”

What brought Rowlands to Tusculum is football. He came to campus to continue his athletic career as a kicker/punter for the Pioneer football team. Shining in his position, Rowlands garnered numerous awards including the Don Hansen All America first team, the Daktronics NCAA II All-America first team, Associated Press Little All-America second team, 2010 D2Football.com All-America second team and an invitation to play in the 2011 Cactus Bowl, the NCAA Division II Senior All-Star game. He holds the school records for consecutive field goals and consecutive extra points.

With this success, Rowlands remains the same humorous, light-hearted, intelligent and compassionate person he was when he arrived on campus. He said that involvement with the football team “has not only allowed me to improve my athletic abilities, but has allowed me the opportunity for personal growth. Being on the team has made me realize the importance of family and teamwork. I have realized that the vast majority of work that goes on behind the scenes, and you only get good results based upon the amount work that is put in.”

Looking for a challenge and an opportunity to become more involved on campus, Rowlands began serving as a resident assistant. “Gareth is one of those rare RAs who knows a great deal of the student body and can manage a situation with ease because of his positive rapport with students,” said Bonnie Weston, senior student life coordinator. “His ability to manage his commitment to the residence life program, his other commitments with football and the Boys and Girls Club of Greeneville/Greene County never ceases to amaze me, and I fully appreciate the work he has put in to make our campus community what it is today.”

Rowlands works with the Boys and Girls Club, mentoring the youth and has become a favorite of the employees of the organization. “Gareth has worked approximately 480 hours at the Boys and Girls Club where he represents Tusculum as a positive role model in the Greeneville community,” said Bette Dowd, former assistant certification officer and COG office coordinator, who nominated him for the award. “He is well admired by the children of Greene County as well as the professionals he works with.”

Campus Safety Captain Josh Jordan, who also nominated Rowlands for the honor, also pointed to his efforts at the Boys and Girls Club as well as what he has done on campus. “He has done a lot for the Tusculum and greater Greeneville community,” Jordan said.

Looking back on his time at Tusculum, Rowlands cherishes most his memories of being a member of the football team and meeting his girlfriend. His advice to his fellow students is to “enjoy it while it lasts and never leave your own fate in someone else’s hands.”

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Students from Tusculum College’s Athletic Training program will hold a benefit car wash on Saturday, April 23, from noon to 4 p.m. in the parking lot at Big Lots on the 11E Bypass.

Donations will be accepted. All proceeds from the car wash will go to the Athletic Training student program.

The Athletic Training program is one of the most rigorous academic programs at Tusculum College. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). It is designed for those students who want to meet the course work and clinical requirements established by the National Athletic Trainer’s Association Education Council, the Board of Certification and CAATE. In addition to course work, students must complete six semester-length clinical rotations working under the supervision of a BOC-certified and state-licensed athletic trainer, who is an Approved Clinical Instructor (ACI).

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Jeanne Stokes, director of the TRIO programs at Tusculum College, is serving as president of the Tennessee Association of Special Programs (TASP).

Stokes was installed as president of the organization on Feb. 28, during the regional meeting of TRIO professionals. She will serve a two-year term.

As president, Stokes will preside at all meetings of the association and make all appointments to both standing and special committees with the advice and consent of the organization’s Executive Board. The president of the organization also serves as a board member of the Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (SAEOPP).

TASP was established in 1973 to bring together those persons who have an active interest in broadening access to postsecondary education to low-income and first generation individuals in Tennessee. The TRIO programs, which Tusculum hosts, are federally funded initiatives that provide educational and enrichments programs and resources to encourage middle and high school students who would be first-general college students and/or whose families meet income requirements to continue their education after high school. The TRIO programs also provide similar support services to college students.

Stokes has been involved in the Tusculum TRIO Programs for 20 years at Tusculum, joining the staff as coordinator for the Talent Search program. She has been an instructor at Tusculum and Warren Wilson colleges and also worked as a teacher at Concord Middle School and EastView Elementary. At Tusculum, she also serves as a member of the Judicial Review Board, the Quality Enhancement Plan Steering Committee and as an advisor for students.

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Trio Ginga will bring the music of Brazil to the stage at Tusculum College on Tuesday, April 26.

The musical group will perform at 7 p.m. in the Behan Arena Theatre on the lower level (side entrance) of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building. The performance is part of Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s 2010-11 Acts, Arts, Academia performance and lecture series.

Trio Ginga is the result of three virtuoso musicians who truly love Brazilian music coming together to create something beautiful while making people dance. Bassist Tony Nagy, guitarist David Martin and percussionist Dann Sherrill form the core of the group. “Using folkloric Brazilian rhythms, we aspire to create and play the music that we might hear in North America if transplanted Africans had been allowed to keep their drums,” says Sherrill of the band’s mission and vision.

The group’s music can be described as a combination of the Afro-Folkloric sounds of the Brazilian Northeast and the Bahia with the jazzy urbanity of Rio de Janeiro and a touch of some funky American soul.

Debora Brazil, the group’s featured vocalist, is from Florianopolis in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. She adds the Brazilian vibe and a tropical fashion sense to the group, drawing on her experience as an accomplished fashion designer.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 60 years of age and older and $5 for children 12 and under.

For more information, please call Tusculum College Arts Outreach at 423.798.1620, e-mail jhollowell@tusculum.edu or visit http://arts.tusculum.edu.

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Expanding Tusculum College’s Community Garden, at left, and tree tours of the campus, at right, were part of the Earth Day Extravaganza on Thursday, April 14. The event, focusing on environmental education and sustainability, was open to the public. Sponsored by the Pioneer Green Team, the event was centered in two primary areas. One was on the lawn outside of McCormick Hall on campus, where there were a number of displays providing information about topics as varied as preserving local wildlife to the dangers of radon, as well as children’s craft activities. Setting up displays were Rural Resources, Bays Mountain, the Cherokee Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Coca-Cola and the U.S. Forest Service, which also brought along Smokey the Bear. Student volunteers worked all day at the other central location, the college’s Community Garden at the Honors Residential House near Doak Elementary School. The students planted a number of new flowers, shrubs and trees at the garden and added decorative stone pavers.

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A Tusculum College professor and student recently served as volunteer assistants at the Major of the Year Award and Reception Ceremony of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE).

Dr. Kirpal Mahal, professor of physical education, and Kate Prisco, a junior from Rogersville, volunteered to help at the ceremony for the association, which is the leading authority for physical education standards. The ceremony was held during the 126^th Convention of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), which was held in San Diego from March 30 to April 3.

This was the first time that Prisco attended the AAHPERD convention. She said serving at the NASPE ceremony was a great experience in that she was able to meet a number of professionals and learn about their work. As a volunteer, Prisco said she felt like an important part of the event and the association, which she described as open-minded with the right goals, enthusiasm and drive to get professionals active in its mission.

Dr. Mahal commended Prisco for the professional manner in which she performed her duties at the ceremony and the way she presented herself and represented Tusculum College very well.

During the NASPE ceremony, Tusculum senior Simon Holzapfel, from Nuremberg, Germany, along with 90 other undergraduate students in the physical education and exercise science fields from various universities, was awarded the NASPE Major of the Year Award. Holzapfel said it is a great honor to be the recipient of this award as only one student is nominated annually for the honor by the faculty of Tusculum’s Physical Education and Sport Studies Department.

Dr. Mahal accompanied a group of Tusculum students majoring in physical education or sports studies to the convention, including Elisa Andriano of North York, Ontario; Calvin Britt of Augusta, Ga.; Dean Hopewell of Leicester, England; Cassandra Melnike of Pickering, Ontario; Angie Michaud of Surgionsville, Tenn., Holzapfel, and Prisco.

At the convention, the students had the opportunity to meet and mingle with scholars and professional leaders in sports, health and physical education fields. The convention offered around 700 sessions, presentations and events on a variety of topics related to the students’ fields of study.
The students had the unique opportunity to tour to the U.S. Olympic Training Center at San Diego. The facility is one of only three Olympic training centers in the U.S. and is a gift from the San Diego National Sports Training Foundation, a group of dedicated business and community leaders, as well as volunteers, who raised the funds to build the center. The complex is mostly outdoors and covers 155 acres.

Dr. Mahal, Holzapfel, Michaud and Prisco also attended a social event sponsored by Springfield College, meeting its faculty and alumni. Springfield College, located in Massachusetts, is one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions in exercise science and physical education.

Holzapfel was one of only three student delegates selected to represent the entire student membership of AAHPERD and attended the Alliance Assembly, its governing body, on April 2. The delegates voted for the next president-elect of the Alliance, Irene Cucina, and approved motions including that “the Alliance work toward one unified national organization with a focus on comprehensive physical education, physical activity, and health.” This vote will result in the five organizations that comprise AAHPERD being transformed into one comprehensive organization.

Attending the convention was an exceptional experience for most of the Tusculum students. Prisco said she had an excellent experience attending sessions, presentations and meeting other professionals of various physical education and sports-related fields. She said it was inspiring to see so many people working passionately for the same goal of increasing the public’s activity level and improving their health.

The students also expressed appreciation for Dr. Mahal’s initiative and efforts that made the trip possible to provide the students with such an important learning experience and part of their professional development.

Dr. Mahal and the students also expressed appreciation for the financial support from the Tusculum administration, the Teaching and Professional Growth Committee and the Physical Education and Sports Studies Department.

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A Tusculum College class presented a donation to the CHIPS (Change Is Possible) organization on Wednesday, April 6, following its studies and activities focusing on gender issues.

Students in Dr. Angela Keaton’s “Theory and Practice of Citizenship” course hosted a Women’s Fair on Monday and Tuesday, April 4 and 5, in the Niswonger Commons to provide information about these issues. As part of the Women’s Fair, one group of students from the class hosted an unique bake sale to highlight the gender pay gap. The proceeds from the bake sale were donated to the CHIPS program, which is dedicated to helping victims of domestic abuse. Keaton is an assistant professor of history and director of the Honors Program at Tusculum.

To help illustrate differences between pay for men and women, the students sold baked goods at different prices, $1 to males and 75 cents to females. The packaging for the baked goods also contained information about gender pay issues.

As part of the Women’s Fair, another group of students collected a large box full of old wireless phones and accessories to donate to HopeLine, Verizon Wireless’ program that works to prevent domestic violence and raise awareness about the issue. The HopeLine program has awarded more than $7.9 million in grants to domestic violence agencies and organizations throughout the country and has distributed more than 90,000 phones with the equivalent of more than 300 million minutes of free wireless service to victims of domestic violence.

A third group of students developed interactive activities for the Women’s Fair to provide information about women’s heart health.

Following the presentation of the donation, Carolyn McAmis, the executive director of CHIPS, talked to the students about the organization’s service. The CHIPS organization provides a free, confidential and safe shelter to victims of domestic abuse in Carter, Greene and Unicoi counties. In addition, the organization provides individual and group counseling, case planning and referral to appropriate support services and criminal justice/legal advocacy for help through the legal process.

While CHIPS receives grant funds for operating expenses and revenue from its thrift store in Unicoi County, McAmis said, donations such as the one from the Tusculum students are also important to provide for special needs of those it serves.

She explained that some victims leave an abusive situation with only the clothes they are wearing, some have had to leave essential medications or have had a pair of glasses broken by their abuser, and CHIPS helps provide for those and similar needs.

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