August 14, 2006
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• Jaime Escalante to ‘Stand and Deliver’ at Lyon College • Dorothy Landis Gray to conduct alumni choir at Homecoming • Lyon choir director conducts European orchestra • Lyon Community Orchestra seeking musicians • Kluender to aid Northwest Arkansas Community Development • New putt-putt champs crowned • Four Scots stand out in summer baseball
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Lyon College to welcome new students Saturday as fall semester gets under way Lyon College is rolling out the “red carpet” this week as it begins its 2006-07 academic year. The “Red Carpet Days” welcome is for new students who will arrive on campus Saturday, Aug. 19. Upperclassmen are scheduled to move into residence halls Sunday. However, a number of students are already on campus. For instance, student-athletes on the soccer and volleyball teams arrived last week. Students who will serve as mentors and residence hall directors and assistants are also on campus to prepare for the opening of the fall semester. Lyon College faculty and staff will gather at 11:30 a.m. Thursday for the annual all-campus luncheon in Edwards Dining Hall. At the luncheon, President Walter Roettger will deliver his welcoming remarks, new faculty and staff members will be introduced, service awards will be presented and the Staff Member of the Year will be announced. Dr. Roettger and his wife, Peggy, will host a reception at Bradley Manor for faculty and staff at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The Roettgers will host new students and parents at a reception at Bradley Manor at 5 p.m. Saturday. Saturday is the annual “move-in” day when freshmen and their parents move the new students into the residence halls. Lyon faculty, staff and upperclassmen pitch in to help with the moving in. A number of special activities will greet the students and parents when they arrive. Balloons, including four-foot-diameter “Cloudbusters,” will be flying to mark the occasion. Signs, sponsored by area businesses who are members of the Lyon League, will be posted to lead the students and their parents to the campus. Bagpipers will be stationed around campus to “pipe in” the newcomers and acquaint them with the soon-to-be familiar sound of bagpipes.  Representatives of area businesses, churches and service organizations will be
set up in Edwards Dining Hall from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. to welcome and provide
information to the students. Bank representatives will be available to set up
accounts for students.“Goodie” bags filled with coupons and other promotional items from businesses and churches, along with maps and useful information, will be given to the students and parents. Door prizes will be given away to students who register at the event. In the past two years, a welcome tent was set up in front of the Lyon Building for the community welcome activities, but the event has been moved inside Edwards Commons this year. After the students have moved it, they will begin the orientation program for first-year students. The new students are divided into mentor groups facilitated by upperclassmen and faculty and staff members. The mentor groups not only assist during orientation but will continue to support the new students as part of the college’s first-year advising program. The matriculation convocation will be at 7 p.m. Saturday in Brown Chapel. Dr. Roettger will welcome new students and their parents, and the new students will sign the Roll of Honor, which is part of the student-led honor system at Lyon. By signing the pledge, the students agree to abide by the Honor Code, which prohibits academic dishonesty and binds the students together in a relationship of trust and mutual responsibility. At the conclusion of the convocation, the new students will walk to Bryan Lake for a candle-lighting ceremony. This will resemble the traditional torch-lighting ceremony held by the graduating class after baccalaureate each spring. On Sunday, a worship service will be held at Bryan Lake for students and their parents. Parents will depart campus immediately after a farewell brunch at 11:30 a.m. in Edwards Dining Hall. The new students will continue with orientation activities in the afternoon. Registration will be held Monday and classes will begin Tuesday. An all-campus picnic and the traditional raft race on Bryan Lake will be Monday, Aug. 28. A full schedule of activities for new students and parents and other orientation information is available on the Lyon website at www.lyon.edu. Click on the Red Carpet Days button to go to the information. |
Lyon Pipe Band qualifies for finals in World Championships
The Lyon College Pipe Band tied for second place in
its Grade 4A qualifying heat at the World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland,
last weekend. In the championship finals Saturday, the Lyon band, the only
competitor in its grade from the U.S., finished 12th overall.
The University of Strathclyde Pipe Band finished first in the Grade 4A
championship competition.
The Worlds,’ as the event is affectionately known, has been associated with
Glasgow since 1948 and brings the very best of Scottish music, culture and
dance. This year marked the 60th anniversary of the event. The competition is
truly global, with over 200 bands and 8,000 pipers traveling from as far afield
as Europe, Canada, USA, Pakistan and New Zealand.
Bands compete in eight grades including: 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, Juvenile and
Novice Juvenile.
Jaime
Escalante to ‘Stand and Deliver’ at Lyon College
The subject of an acclaimed motion picture is coming
to Lyon College to speak about his unique – and highly successful – style of
education.
Jaime Escalante will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, in Brown Chapel
Auditorium in conjunction with the fall meeting of the President’s Council the
following day.
Escalante is a high school teacher whose students – mostly underprivileged and
Hispanic – have set standards in mathematics that are all but unequaled in
American education. In 1988, the popular movie about his life, “Stand and
Deliver,” became one of the year’s most acclaimed films. Edward James Olmos of
“Miami Vice” TV series fame played him in the film.
His fascinating and inspirational story gives a vivid picture of a man some have
called a “genius in the teaching profession.”
The subject of the book “Escalante: The Best Teacher in America,” Escalante is
an immigrant from Bolivia, He was officially inducted into the Teachers Hall of
Fame in 1999.
“I’m just a math teacher,” Escalante says. “I’m just helping my students achieve
their highest degree of personal development.”
But his persistent, challenging and inspiring teaching methods have made his
school the seventh-ranked high school in this country in calculus despite being
plagued by poor funding, constant violence, and atrocious working conditions.
“I don’t believe in the gifted,” he said. “If they have ganas (Spanish for
desire), I can make them do it.”
Challenging students who previously had little encouragement to aim high with
their lives; Escalante has helped wonderful things happen at Garfield High
School. His students, assisted by Escalante’s gentle coercion, deft showmanship,
and sheer force, push themselves to achieve at levels they never imagined
possible. He motivates them to perform through a combination of factors from
strict study requirements to discussing career possibilities.
Escalante has shown that one teacher can make a big difference in a lot of
lives. His energy, wit, caring and drive have joined with a love for teaching to
make outstanding performance in calculus a reachable, desirable goal.
He taught math and physics in Bolivia for 11 years until 1964, when he
immigrated to the U.S. After receiving an associate of arts degree in
electronics, he worked with Burroughs Corp. in the U.S. He later took a
considerable cut in pay to become a math teacher at Garfield High in East Los
Angeles in 1974.
Escalante’s appearance is being held in conjunction with the fall meeting of the
Lyon College President’s Council, which will be held Friday, Sept. 22.
The President’s Council is composed of distinguished business and civic leaders
from across the state and nation who provide support and counsel to Lyon
President Walter B. Roettger, the college’s Board of Trustees, administration
and faculty.
Lyon
College Announces Dorothy Landis Gray to Conduct Choir
Dr. Dorothy Landis Gray, former Jean Brown Professor of Music and choir director
at Lyon College, will return to campus to conduct an alumni choir for the annual Kirkin’
o’ the Tartans service at Homecoming '06 on Sunday, Oct. 22.
Gray, a graduate of Lebanon
Valley College (Anvil, Pa.), Westminster Choir College (Princeton, N.J.) and a
Ph.D. from Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.), taught at Arkansas
College from 1946 to1986. During her tenure, she accompanmied the choir on many tours
both around the United States and abroad, including a USO tour. She also
directed the Arkansas College Lassies and a community chorus. She was also
married to the late Dr. Paul Gray of Batesville.
The Dorothy Landis Gray award, named after her, was established in 1998 to honor
an outstanding, graduating choir member every year. Past recipients include
Denise Williams, Amy Huffman, Julia Barnes, Leticia Jones, Teryn McDuff, Stephen
Briner, Heather Grantham, Michael Horan and Skye Hart.
The rehearsal for the Alumni Choir will be from 2 – 4 p.m. on Saturday,
Oct. 21, in the choir room of Brown Chapel. Any choir alumni or community
chorus member who sang either under Dr. Gray or any other Arkansas/Lyon College
choir directors, or friends of the choir wishing to participate in this special
event are welcome to attend.
For more information, contact Joel Plaag at (870) 698-4259 or Donald Taylor, director
of alumni relations at (870) 698-4238.
Lyon
choir director conducts
European orchestra
Lyon
College choir director Joel Plaag spent much of his summer teaching and
performing.
Plaag, who is a graduate of Texas Christian University, Westminster Choir College (Princeton, N.J.) and in May received a Doctor of
Musical Arts degree from the University of Houston, was invited to
travel to Bacâu, Romania, during most of June to study with Maestro Ovidiu Balan
of Romania, Maestro Robert Gutter of North Carolina, and the Filharmonica
“Mihail Jora” of Bacâu as part of the International Institute for Conductors.
While there, Dr. Plaag rehearsed with the professional orchestra daily and
performed works by Wagner and Mozart in two different concerts. (At right, he
is shown conducting a rehearsal with the orchestra).
He earned a
place in the rigorous conductorship through a selection process consisting of a
video taped conducting audition and application process. Only five conductors
were invited – three from the United States, one from Korea, and one from Japan.
“It changed the way I look at gesture, and at the differences between conducting
orchestras and conducting choirs,” Plaag said.
Plaag is no stranger to professional orchestras, having sung with the New York
Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony, as well as prepared choruses for the
Houston Symphony, the Orquestra Sinfonica de Minería (Mexico City), and the New
England Symphonic Ensemble. He has also served as chorus master for Mozart’s
last opera, La Clemenza di Tito, and assisted in the preparation of the chorus
for Andrea Bocelli’s Houston concerts in 2000. He is well recognized as a choir
director; his choirs have appeared in numerous states, several state capitals,
and one gubernatorial inauguration. In April 2000, his choir was named “The
Governor’s Distinguished Collegiate Choir.”
The trip to Romania was also Plaag’s first time in Europe.
Plaag also taught three workshops this summer – two on conducting, held in
Batesville, and one on curriculum mapping in music, held in Alma, Ark..
His article, “Hold It – Name that Fermata,” appeared in the August edition of The
Instrumentalist magazine. The Instrumentalist is a nationally circulated
magazine for public school ensemble directors. In it, he discusses how to
conduct a fermata, or hold, one of the most difficult issues facing conductors.
His major research area and recently finished dissertation are on teaching
conducting.
Lyon
Community Orchestra seeking musicians
The Lyon Community Orchestra, a community ensemble of about 45, is looking for
students and area community instrumentalists who can participate on Thursday
nights from 6:30 – 8 p.m. in Brown Chapel on the Lyon College campus.
The class, course number MUS 145, is also available for credit. Players need
three years' experience or more on their instrument. The orchestra needs players
of violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, bass clarinet, oboe, bassoon, trumpet,
trombone, French horn, tuba, timpani and percussion.
The first meeting is Aug. 31, and a concert is scheduled for Nov. 14.
For more information, contact Barbara Reeve at (870) 698-4359, or by e-mail at:
breeve@lyon.edu.
Kluender
To Aid Northwest Arkansas Community Development
From The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas
Rachel Kluender, a 1996 graduate of Lyon College, has been named community developer for Northwest Arkansas by the
Arkansas Department of Economic Development.
Kluender will help communities implement the Arkansas Community of Excellence
program, a strategic planning process that helps Arkansas communities focus on
economic growth.
"With a strong background in economic development, Rachel is well-qualified to
help us continue moving in the right direction," said Larry Walther, director of
the Arkansas Department of Economic Development.
Kluender previously worked for the Institute for Economic Advancement at the
University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Kluender earned a bachelor's degree in history from Lyon College in Batesville
and a master's degree in anthropology from the University of New Mexico in
Albuquerque.
New putt-putt champs crowned
From the Batesville Daily Guard, originally published on Thursday August 3, 2006
New champions were crowned all around Wednesday night (August 2) at the Putt-N-Putt course.
Aaron Holley, Leslie Bragg, Maggie Carlile and Myles Malone are all first-time
winners of the Putt-N-Putt Golf Tournament, a regular event of the White River
Water Carnival.
Holley shot a 3-under-par 105 to win the men’s 54-hole competition. Chad Edwards
finished three strokes back. Sawyer Dowell placed third, another six strokes
back.
Leslie Bragg and Julie Church, both former Lyon College golfers, finished 1-2 in
the women’s division. Bragg won with a 4-over 76 for 36 holes. Church, who was
recently hired to coach Lyon’s golf teams, shot an 85. Kelly Spillars, the 2004
champion, placed third with an 87.
Myles Malone and Maggie Carlile won the boys and girls titles, respectively.
Malone shot an even-par 72. Carlile won with a 79.
Parker Gitz (78) and Laman Fountain (79) finished second and third among the
boys. Sarah Rutherford (83) and Elana Dover (86) placed the same among the
girls.
Fifty-four golfers competed in the 16th edition of the tournament.
Baseball
Four Scots
stand out in summer baseball
From the Batesville Daily Guard, originally published on Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Lyon College baseball players
Justin Frost, Andy Bettis, Justin McGarity and Mike Sanchez made an impact on
summer league teams.
Two recently received honors for their play.
Frost, who will begin his senior year this fall, was awarded the David Eckstein
Sportsmanship Award while playing for the Sanford River Rats in the Florida
Collegiate Summer League.
Frost played in the middle infield and pitched for the Scots last season.
“It’s perfect that Justin Frost won the Florida Collegiate Summer League award
named after his idol and role model, David Eckstein. Both Eckstein and Frost are
players who give 110 percent all the time and achieve results that no one
thought possible ... The Sanford native is the ultimate team player and does
nothing but show sportsmanship,” Mike Whiting, an FCSL official, said.
Bettis was named to the Southern Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Team in
North Carolina. He was also selected to participate in the Home Run Derby.
Bettis played for the Morganton Aggies. He led the league in home runs, runs
batted in and runs scored.
“Andy had a phenomenal summer as he led his league in three offensive
categories,” Lyon Coach Kirk Kelley said. “After his season, he was picked up by
a team in the Coastal Plains League, where he went four for six in his first
game with a double and a home run.”
The two-time First Team All-Conference player will be a senior for the Scots.
McGarity, a pitcher, was a late-season addition for the Chillicothe Mudcats of
the Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas (M.I.N.K.) League, where he played for
former Scot Matt Parker.
The Mudcats qualified for the NBC World Series.
“Justin was a late-season pickup to help stabilize their bullpen,” Kelley said.
McGarity will be a junior for the Scots. He led the 2006 team with 10 wins.
Sanchez played for the Ozark Generals of the M.I.N.K. League.
“Mike started every day in centerfield for the Generals and had a good summer,”
Kelley said.
Sanchez is entering his senior season.
Lyon was TranSouth Athletic Conference Tournament runner-up last season. The
season was halted in the third round of the Region XI Tournament.
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