Belmont student will play self-penned song ‘Tribute to a Tree’ on live broadcast
On Wed., April 21 at 6:30 p.m., Belmont University will participate in the “Hope for Creation” simulcast, a live international broadcast to churches, campuses and other organizations to celebrate Earth Day and explore the biblical vision for care of the planet. The simulcast includes the presentation of a short film titled Hope for Creation and a conversation about global consequence hosted by Dr. Matthew Sleeth, executive director of Blessed Earth, a non-profit organization dedicated to creation care. Belmont student Adam Marks will sing an original song, “Tribute to a Tree,” as part of the broadcast. The song can be heard on Marks’ Web site, www.adammarksmusic.com.
Marks, a native of Johnstown, Pa., said, “The number of people in support of Blessed Earth’s message of ‘hope for creation’ pretty much speaks for itself, and I’m honored to have been given the opportunity to participate in such an historic event.”
As part of the celebration, Belmont’s Our Natural Environment student organization will also be screening the National Wildlife Federation’s documentary Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming. The webcast highlights colleges with green jobs programs, game day recycling, community gardens and carbon neutrality initiatives.
Allison Berwald, president of Our Natural Environment, said, “I think it will be great to combine the spiritual significance of environmental stewardship that will be discussed in the simulcast by Dr. Matthew Sleeth with ideas about specific actions students can take.”
Additional campus events planned in conjunction with Earth Day include lectures on mountaintop removal and the King Corn documentary, a fundraiser for the Nature Conservancy’s project to protect Duck River, a visit to a recycling center and a canoe cleanup of the Harpeth River.
Belmont Celebrates Earth Day with ‘Hope for Creation’ Simulcast, Other Events
Harms Receives Prestigious Community Service Award
Belmont University senior Tim Harms has received the 2010 Harold Love Outstanding Community Involvement Award. This notable distinction is awarded annually by the State of Tennessee Higher Education Commission to five students and five faculty or staff members in higher education in Tennessee to honor significant public service.
Harms is a double-major in finance and accounting and has maintained a 4.0 grade point average. He is the president of Belmont’s nationally recognized Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team, which was recently named SIFE USA Regional Champions for the fifth consecutive year. Harms was one of six Belmont SIFE students who presented at the competition and will again join the Belmont team when they advance to the SIFE USA National Exposition May 11-13 in Minneapolis.
Harms mentors at-risk African-American students in Metro Davidson County high schools, teaching them financial literacy and helping with ACT preparation. He also leads a business ethics essay competition in more than 15 local high schools.
Volman Participates in Local ‘Dancing’ Benefit for Safe Haven
Mark Volman, CEMB faculty member and founding member of The Turtles, was paired April 9 with a professional dancer for the “Dancing for Safe Haven Family Shelter” benefit event. Acclaimed musician, producer and former host of TV’s “Prime Time Country” Gary Chapman and Ericka Dunlap, Miss America 2004, served as emcees and were joined by a cast of judges. Local stars were paired with professional dancers to dazzle the community with their dancing talents. Safe Haven Family Shelter partnered with Studio 1406 in East Nashville to serve as the dance studio hosting the rehearsals.
The garnered funds will provide shelter and transitional services to homeless families with children, empowering them to achieve lasting self-sufficiency. Click here for additional information on the event.
Holliday Earns A-Sun All Freshman Honors
Belmont women’s tennis player Catherine Holliday has earned Atlantic Sun All-Freshman honors as announced by the conference office Wednesday afternoon. Holliday, who saw her first season with the Bruins cut short in March due to a knee injury, finished with a singles record of 8-14 while competing at the number two and three positions. Her eight wins tied for second most on the team this season. The Tupelo, Mississippi native also earned five doubles victories with three different partners.
Catherine is the sixth Belmont women’s tennis player to earn All-Freshman honors and the first since Abby Leatherwood in 2008. It also marks the eighth time in nine years that the women’s tennis program has had at least one All-Conference or All-Freshman honoree.
Ivie Named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
Junior closer Jon Ivie was named to the National College Baseball Writers Association 2010 Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List on Wednesday with seven saves and a 1.99 ERA. Ivie’s seven saves leads the Atlantic Sun Conference and ranks 10th in the nation. The Summertown, Tenn., native has 14 strikeouts through 22.2 innings pitched with a 3-1 record while inheriting eight base runners and allowed only two to score. Currently Ivie is on an eight-game scoreless appearance streak. Click here for more on this story.
Little Hosts In-Service Training for Education Professionals
Annette Little (Education) hosted an in-service training for education professionals on April 7 titled “Supporting Language and Communication for Individuals with Autism.” DynaVox, the Tennessee Association for Behavior Analysis (TABA) and Belmont co-sponsored the event so that there was no cost to participants. Speech/Language Pathologists were offered free American Speech/Language Hearing Association Continuing Education Units (ASHA) CEUs through DynaVox, and Behavior Analysts were provided free Board Certified Behavior Analyst Continuing Education Units (BCBA) CEUs through TABA. The main focus of the presentation was combining speech/language techniques with behavior management strategies to teach people with autism how to communicate through both low and high tech devices. Approximately 70 participated in the event and feedback from participants was positive and indicated a need for similar additional training opportunities.
Flynn-Hopper, Elkins Present at Literacy Conference
On Feb. 23, Dr. Rachael Flynn-Hopper (Education) and Belmont University Reading Specialist and M.Ed. alumna Stacey Elkins were the keynote speakers for the spring meeting of North Central Reading Association (NCRA), an organization made of teachers, reading specialists and literacy coaches in Sumner and Robertson counties. They presented a session on vocabulary development in the elementary classroom that included strategies, research, and practical ideas for teaching vocabulary. In addition, Dr. Flynn-Hopper hosted and was the keynote speaker for the spring meeting of Middle Tennessee Reading Association (MTRA), an organization made of teachers, reading specialists and literacy coaches in the Middle Tennessee region. Her presentation addressed the use of expository books in the classroom as a way to complement fictional texts as well as presented strategies to improve comprehension of these types of texts.
Parry Receives Second Grant for Dissertation Research
Pam Parry, associate professor of journalism, has received a second grant from the Eisenhower Foundation to support her dissertation research on the public relations strategy of the Eisenhower administration. She plans to spend the month of June at the presidential library in Abilene, Kansas, conducting archival research.
School of Music Honors Grand Ole Opry with Applause Award
General admission tickets still available for Saturday’s President’s Concert
Belmont University’s School of Music will honor the Grand Ole Opry with the Applause Award at Saturday night’s annual President’s Concert. The Applause Award is given each year to a person or organization that has greatly benefited the arts community in Nashville. The President’s Concert honors the leadership of Belmont President Bob Fisher and celebrates the talent and diversity of the School of Music at Belmont. Tickets to the concert, which starts at 8 p.m., are available for purchase for $15 at the Curb Event Center box office (460-8500). Seating is general admission.
Dr. Cynthia Curtis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, said, “There could not be a better choice for Belmont’s 2010 Applause Award than ‘The Grand Ole Opry.’ It’s Nashville’s own music, and besides, the stage of the Opry is filled with Belmont grads!”
What began as a simple radio broadcast in 1925 is today a live-entertainment phenomenon. Dedicated to honoring country music’s rich history and dynamic present, the Grand Ole Opry showcases a mix of country legends and the contemporary chart-toppers who have followed in their footsteps. The Opry, an American icon and Nashville, Tennessee’s number-one attraction, is world-famous for creating one-of-a-kind entertainment experiences for audiences of all ages. Opry members scheduled to be in attendance as special guests at Belmont’s President’s Concert include Little Jimmy Dickens, Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White, The Whites, Opry Announcer Eddie Stubbs and Connie Smith. Skaggs, White and Smith are also scheduled to participate with select ensemble performances during the concert.
The President’s Concert features School of Music student ensembles and groups that highlight the musical diversity of the program. The Applause Award is presented during the concert. All funds raised by the dinner and concert provide scholarships for students in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, which includes the School of Music as well as the Department of Art and the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Previous Applause Award honorees include ASCAP, Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins, The Beaman Family Foundation, BMI, Patricia Taylor Bullard, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, James Cotham, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Donna Hilley, Ronn Huff, Martha Ingram, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, Nashville Symphony, Barbara Massey Rogers, SESAC, Steinway & Sons, Kenneth Schermerhorn, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Jerry Warren and Sam Wilson.
Belmont University Celebrates Tenth Annual Family Literacy Day
Belmont University’s Tenth Annual Family Literacy Day was held Sat., April 10 at Rose Park in the Edgehill community. The event, aimed at children from pre-K through grade 6 and their families, is designed to celebrate the joys of reading with a free afternoon of interactive story times, crafts and games. The primary focus of the event is Reading Circles, hosted by various campus groups such as the Student Government Association, the English Club, fraternities and sororities, the Black Student Alliance and the Student Athlete Council. Each group picks a different theme and offers a variety of books for all ages. Click here to view a gallery of images from the event.
In addition to the many activities that have been enjoyed in previous years, this year’s Family Literacy Day also offered its first-ever “Favorite Story” Children’s Poetry Contest. As part of the contest, 69 students representing 13 different Metro Public Elementary schools submitted poems about their favorite stories. The Belmont English Club selected the top five submissions, and the finalists worked with local songwriters, including three with No. 1 hits, to set their poems to music. All poets in attendance at the event were recognized. Click here to listen to all the songs and cast your vote for the winner, which will be decided later this week.
Tim Stewart, director of Service-Learning and advisor to Belmont Volunteers for Literacy, said, “In addition to our current students participating, we invited our alumni who’ve participated in a previous Family Literacy Day to come back and help us celebrate 10 years of promoting the joy of reading.”
Belmont’s Family Literacy Day is only one of many components of the Belmont Volunteers for Literacy program, which includes ongoing tutoring programs at Carter-Lawrence School, and relationships with Book’em, PENCIL Foundation and the Nashville Adult Literacy Council to promote student involvement in literacy efforts throughout the city. Family Literacy Day is designed to serve as a celebration of the year’s activities, giving the children and student participants of the ongoing programs a chance to have fun and reflect on their accomplishments. It also serves as a way of encouraging additional Belmont students, faculty and staff to get involved in the literacy effort in the community.
