Three Belmont Music Education graduates have been named “Teacher of the Year” at their respective schools for 2007. They are: Altricia Pruitt, Moore Middle School (Metro School System), Natalie Karnes, Trinity Elementary School (Williamson County Schools) and Carol Poston, Brentwood Middle School (Williamson County Schools).
Hare Earns Academic All-District Honors
For the second consecutive year, Belmont University junior Justin Hare has been named to the CoSida Academic All-District Men’s Basketball Team.
The 6’2 guard from Cleveland, Tenn., sports a 3.85 GPA in his chosen major of exercise science and health promotion.
Hare, among the most decorated players in Belmont basketball history, is the reigning Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP, a Preseason All-Atlantic Sun First Team selection, and a five-time Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honoree. Equally adept at driving or shooting from long distance, Hare has scored 1,163 career points to place him as one of seven Bruin players to eclipse the 1,000 point plateau (NCAA era).
Known for rising to the occasion in pressure situations, Hare has made a shot to win the game or force overtime a staggering 10 times. Hare’s career-high 32 point performance in the 2006 Atlantic Sun Championship game against Lipscomb propelled Belmont to its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. This season, he leads Belmont in scoring at 15.0 points per game.
Hare joins former Bruin greats Adam Mark and Wes Burtner as the only Belmont players ever to have received multiple Academic All-District distinction.
“It is rewarding to see a young man like Justin be honored for his hard work in the classroom as well as his performance on the court,” Belmont Head Coach Rick Byrd said. “Our basketball program and his teammates are happy for him as he earns his second consecutive All-District award.”
Joining Hare on the District Four First Team are Joe Reitz of Western Michigan University, Matt Lefeld of Bowling Green State University, Bobby Perry of the University of Kentucky and Ty Rogers of Western Kentucky University. Hare, Reitz, and Lefeld were on the 2006 Academic All-District First Team as well.
The Academic All-District teams are voted on by members of CoSida – the College Sports Information Directors of America.
First Team All-District honorees also receive consideration for ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-America awards.
Civil Rights Leader Will Campbell Speaks At Belmont
The Office of Spiritual Development at Belmont University hosted Will Campbell, a well-known preacher, writer and speaker Wednesday, Feb. 7. Throughout his life, he has been a notable white supporter of civil rights in the southern United States.
After serving in World War II Campbell studied at Yale Divinity School and participated in key events of the civil rights movement. He helped escort black students who integrated the Little Rock, Ark., schools and attended the founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) that was led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Video clip available here
King, Local Montessori Community Honored by Metro Council
Councilwoman Neighbors and Councilman Cole will present a resolution honoring Nashville’s Montessori schools to proclaim February as Montessori Education Month, with Dr. Merrie King, Belmont’s Department of Education, accepting the resolution on behalf of the Montessori Community. This will take place at the Metro Council Meeting on February 6 at 7 p.m. at the Metro courthouse.
The resolution will be at the beginning of the meeting. Public parking is available under the public square or at the Union Square parking lot across the street.
Belmont Student Appears on The Price Is Right
Belmont student Cheryl Bak appeared on “The Price is Right” on Dec. 13, and her show aired Friday, Feb. 2. The Beaman Student Life Center and The Division of Student Affairs hosted a viewing party to watch Bak on the show.
Harrington Presents at Tech Trends Series
Dr. Michael Harrington, professor of Intellectual Property in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, presented at the Tech Trends Series at Bowling Green State University in Ohio on January 26. Harrington discussed the counterinfluences of technology and law upon music, video and artistic expression on the internet, as well as the new issues facing YouTube, Second Life and Google. The Tech Trends series is an exploration of the issues and trends in technology, teaching and learning.
Belmont Alumna Receives Lewis Hine Award For Outstanding Service To Children and Youth
The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) announced that Belmont University alumna Stacy Schumaker Maciuk (’05) received its prestigious Lewis Hine Award on Jan. 29 in New York City. Schumaker Maciuk, an advocate for foster care children, was honored for her work with local and state agencies to bring awareness to the special needs and challenges of foster care children. Maciuk became a foster care child at 2 and spent 17 years in the system, attending 10 different elementary and secondary schools before graduating and attending Belmont, where she graduated with a degree in social work and gave the commencement address at her graduation.
While at Belmont, Schumaker Maciuk led a task force to develop a system for recruiting, identifying and meeting the needs of foster care students. With Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher and a committee, Belmont began providing housing for foster care youth duirng school breaks and raised scholarship money from outside donors for foster care youth. In 2003, as part of the Tennessee Youth Advisory Council, Schumaker Maciuk organized a suitcase collection drive to provide foster care children with a place to pack their clothes and possessions other than garbage bags. In both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly, she fought for college tuition waivers for foster care youth who have aged out of the foster care system. Schumaker Maciuk completed graduate school and now works in the Offices of Former Vice President Al Gore and Mrs. Tipper Gore.
Schumaker Maciuk is one of 10 recipients of the Lewis Hine award selected from hundreds of submissions across the nation. She received $1,000 and a trip to the awards ceremony in New York City.
The NCLC is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1904 and incorporated by an Act of Congress in 1907. Its mission is to promote the rights, dignity, well-being and education of children and youth as they relate to work and the workplace. In its 10th decade, the NCLC continues the work of its founding visionaries as a leading force in ensuring child labor law compliance, transforming the workplace into a learning environment, improving youth occupational safety and health, educating children and increasing public awareness of the rights of children.
Belmont Students Win Multiple Awards at Southeast Journalism Conference
Belmont journalism and public relations students attended the Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC) Jan., 25-27, in Birmingham, Ala. Belmont students finished second overall in on-site competition, finishing behind Ole Miss. The SEJC includes 50 member institutions from Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida and Kentucky.
Belmont won the following awards at this year’s conference in the on-site and “Best of the South” competitions, which awards entries previously submitted from colleges and universities:
On-Site Competition:
Sports Writing, Henry Nichols, First Place
Entertainment Writing, Andrew Cole, First Place
Web Page Design, Nathan Baker, First Place
Photojournalism, Chris Speed, Second Place
Feature Writing, Adaeze Elechi, Honorable Mention
Public Relations, Stephanie Phalor, Lisa Bates and Anne Roberts, Honorable Mention
“Best of the South” Competition:
College Magazine, Connect Magazine, First Place
Journalism Research Paper, April Watkins (’06), Second Place
Entertainment Writing, Andrew Cole, Second Place
Feature Writing, Adaeze Elechi, Third Place
Editorial Illustrations, Cody Taylor, Fourth Place
Web Site, BelmontVision.com, Fifth Place
News Reporter, Nathan Baker, Eighth Place
Linda Quigley, faculty adviser for The Belmont Vision, and Pam Parry, assistant professor of public relations, accompanied the Belmont contingent. Quigley and Thom Storey, associate dean of the school of social sciences, were appointed co-presidents-elect of SEJC and Belmont was selected to host the 2009 conference.
Music Business Hosts Explorers Program
The Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business held the first session of the Boy Scouts Explorers Program on Thursday, January 25. This session was entitled “Careers in Music Business,” and was led by instructors Dan Wujcik and Mark Volman. The Boy Scouts Explorers Program was created as an opportunity to present a glimpse of the music industry to young, inquiring students.
Belmont Grad Charms Idol Judges
The Tennessean reported Sunday on Melinda Doolittle, a 1999 Belmont School of Music graduate who wowed “American Idol” judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson during her audition in Memphis and advanced to the Hollywood round of the competition. Click here to read the article.
