Shelby County Today

September 4, 2017 Nacogdoches — Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St. George Edward Hull, horticulturist from Portland, Oregon, will present “From Over the Top to Down Under: Adventures in Horticulture.”

Hull’s career spans 40 years in the horticulture field. He has researched a variety of plant-based topics, including appropriate shade tree selections for cityscapes, production positions in the Southwest, and development of new cultivars for the nursery trade and teaching positions.

Hull is a frequent speaker and writer on uses of plant materials both in this country and abroad. His current projects focus on breeding and the introduction of adapted materials for the Southwest.

Many current selections in the Phoenix, Arizona, horticulture trade have been introduced by Hull. He holds plant patents on new Tecoma hybrids, which are being offered in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He also has taught at both the community college level and spent 10 years teaching plant materials to landscape architecture students at the Herberger Institute at Arizona State University.

Hull recently relocated to Portland, Oregon, to start a new chapter in horticulture, growing things nearly impossible to grow in the low desert.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare-plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

August 29, 2017 Nacogdoches — It’s 15 minutes before his elementary math education course begins at Stephen F. Austin State University, and that means only one thing — it’s time to dance.

Before every class, Dr. Jim Ewing, assistant professor at SFA, invites his students to arrive early for a dance warm up.

“I’ve always believed I can’t dance, and a lot of elementary teachers believe they can’t do math,” Ewing said. “So, I practice dancing and invite students to join. I’m vulnerable because I’m doing something I’m not very good at, and I’m taking a risk. Likewise, I encourage students to take a risk in teaching math.”

While this method may seem atypical for a math class, Ewing’s teaching style and strategies have been shared worldwide through his Ewing Learning website (ewinglearning.com), which he created to serve as a resource for educators teaching math to English Language Learners and students living in poverty.

“A lot of people believe math is math, yet ELLs aren’t doing as well as they could because teachers lack the necessary preparation,” Ewing said. “When I was growing up, it wasn’t necessary to have command of the language to teach math. Students would just do worksheets, but now it’s important to explain it.”

Ewing feels a kindred connection with ELLs. After a meeting with his advisor while an undergraduate studying sociology years ago, Ewing decided to combine his major with Spanish.

“When I left my advisor’s office, I saw this beautiful poster of Seville, Spain, and a month later I completed my final semester abroad,” Ewing said. “I liked Spain so much, I stayed for 24 years.”

While Ewing is now fluent in Spanish, when he first traveled to Spain he only knew a handful of words and recalls being confused when someone said, “Hasta luego (See you later).”

In Spain, Ewing taught elementary school for 24 years, and he also served as head of the primary school in Malaga, Spain.

Upon returning to the U.S. and earning his doctoral degree in teaching and curriculum from Syracuse University in New York, Ewing applied to 100 universities and joined the SFA faculty in 2015.

“It’s always been my dream to be a professor. My dad was a professor at Cornell University, and my mom was a teacher,” Ewing said.

As an assistant professor at SFA and a teaching consultant, Ewing has a dual responsibility to educate new teachers through his SFA courses and educate established teachers through Ewing Learning online.

“I have an international background and taught students from all over the world. I like to share that experience with other teachers and working at SFA and using Ewing Learning helps me accomplish that,” Ewing said.

At SFA, Ewing teaches elementary math education and serves as a field supervisor for teacher interns at the SFA Charter School. He also collaborates with staff members at Raguet Elementary School to offer SFA students the opportunity to work with ELLs and students living in poverty.

Additionally, Ewing serves as a mentor for Big Jacks, an organization dedicated to helping, educating and encouraging children in the Nacogdoches Independent School District. He has been nominated to serve on the diversity committee at SFA and has had several journal articles published. Currently, he is writing a book regarding strategies for teaching math to ELLs.

By Kasi Dickerson, a contributing writer who is a senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

August 24, 2017 - The Panola College Student Government Association will meet at 4pm every Thursday in the Community Room of the M.P. Baker Library. All interested students are invited to attend and participate in SGA.

Officers for 2017-2018 include President - Ryan Hamilton, Vice President - Melissa Herrera, Secretary - Julie Hernandez, Treasurer - Alexandria Lavender, Parliamentarian - Samuel Slone and Reporter - Andres Leon.

Brian Naples, government professor, and Jody Harris, student activities coordinator, sponsor the SGA. Follow SGA activities on the official Panola College SGA Facebook page and in the Pony Express online at www.pcponyexpress.org.

August 23, 2017 Nacogdoches – When Cleo House Jr. first stepped foot onto the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University, it was to attend the High School Summer Theatre Workshop presented by the School of Theatre. Little did he know as a young aspiring actor in the early 1990s that he would return to SFA in the summer of 2017 as the director of the School of Theatre.

"It’s truly a full-circle type of … well it’s more than a moment,” House said. “It’s a life event … a full-circle life event that has brought me back to SFA and the School of Theatre. It was here that I discovered that I wasn’t alone in my passion for theatre.”

Athletics was an important part of House’s early family life. Growing up mostly in Hooks, Texas, his dad, now deceased, was a free agent for the Miami Dolphins. His brother graduated from SFA and played Lumberjack football on scholarship. His sister is a volleyball coach at Springhill ISD. His mother is a gospel minister.

But it was the theatre that captured House’s attention.

“In a way, SFA helped me solidify my life’s journey,” he added. “I was never one of those people who had doubts about their professional path, and there were plenty of folks who had questions about the choice for a life in the theatrical arts. But I knew theatre was it for me. I had always felt like a life in education was what I wanted, but it wasn’t until I found theatre that I realized what subject in education would be my specialty."

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M Commerce and a Master of Fine Arts from Texas Tech University. He taught and eventually served as coordinator/chair of theatre and performing arts programs at Penn State University – Berks, Texas Southern University and Clark Atlanta University.

Professionally, he acted in a production of “Macbeth” that was co-directed by Aaron Posner and Teller (of Penn and Teller fame) and performed for two preeminent authors in their plays – August Wilson (“The Piano Lesson”) and Wole Soyinka (“Death and the King’s Horseman”). He has worked in a variety of theatre venues, such as The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., The Lantern Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Two Rivers Theatre Company in Red Bank, New Jersey. Recent directing credits include “Miss Julie,” “Lend Me a Tenor,” “Dreamgirls” and “Medea.”

The diversity of the SFA theatre faculty and the school’s student body attracted House to apply for the director’s position, which was left vacant when former director Scott Shattuck became associate dean of the SFA College of Fine Arts.

House also feels a connection to SFA theatre students.

“I believe that how I grew up is very similar to the type of student that SFA attracts,” House said. Because of opportunities like UIL One Act Play and the summer theatre workshop, House believes many students come to SFA with a “burning desire” to establish the kind of work ethic necessary for a successful career in theatre.

“I also knew Allen Oster, and he was a fantastic teacher that influenced many like myself who attended the high school theatre workshop at SFA,” he said. “But even more than all of that, Scott Shattuck has done an excellent job leading the department and establishing the School of Theatre’s reputation as a school of choice for many in the South.”

House said he is looking forward to learning more about the culture of SFA, the College of Fine Arts and the School of Theatre.

“I look forward to continuing the relationships the School of Theatre has developed over the years with the community,” he said. “Ultimately, I’m excited about the opportunities this new era presents for the School of Theatre.

“The School of Theatre has a great opportunity to capitalize even more on the diversity that is represented among the students,” he added. “Another factor that makes working at SFA desirable is the fact that the School of Theatre is supported by the university in a real and tangible way.”

Although he plans to spend a good deal of time initially “listening and learning,” House said his ultimate goal for the school is to “shoot for the stars.”

“It’s my intention to make sure that everyone knows how awesome our students and faculty are,” he said. “I want to find more opportunities for our students and faculty to gain recognition for their talents beyond our walls – which in turn increases the profile of the School of Theatre. It’s very important to continue to lessen the divide between a professional career in theatre and being a student at SFA. I want to increase the number of students we have going into graduate programs; to increase interdisciplinary collaborations with other SFA departments and the community; to get off campus to see theatre; and to support all the things the School of Theatre is already doing so beautifully.”

House officially takes over Sept. 1 as director of the School of Theatre. Dr. Rick Jones, who has served as interim director for the past year, will return to full-time teaching this fall.