She received a prize package which included an all expense paid opportunity to represent Arkansas in the Miss teen USA competition in Pasadena, Calif., at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The event will be aired on NBC Universal Television on Aug. 24.

"I’ll be leaving for Pasadena on August 12, and I’ll return home after two weeks in California," Tiffany said. "I've never been to California, but I am greatly looking forward to the experience of a lifetime."

The official Miss Teen USA website is www.missteenusa.com , and several days after the contestants' arrival, the public will be able to vote for Miss Photogenic through a poll on the website.

Tiffany’s hobbies include showing pleasure horses, something she’s done since she was five years old; dancing ballet and jazz, reading novels and writing

In addition to being named Miss Arkansas Teen USA, Tiffany was recognized as the valedictorian of her graduating class at Izard County Consolidated High School.

Miss Teen USA is run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 15-19. The pageant was created in 1983 as a sister pageant to the Miss USA system.

Peggy Roettger, wife of Lyon College President Dr. Walter Roettger, has accepted the position of interim director of alumni and parent services at Lyon College, replacing Donald Taylor who began his new assignment as registrar today.

Her first official responsibility was facilitating the Batesville chapter’s annual Couch Garden picnic June 26.

More than 100 local alums and friends gathered for an outdoor picnic and a toast to the Burks family which recently endowed a memorial scholarship to honor their parents. Though they never attended college themselves, the late Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Burks put seven of their 10 children through Lyon College between the years of 1941 and 1954.

Next up is Lyon College Night with the Arkansas Travelers in the new Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, slated for Thursday, July 5. Peggy is also developing the Homecoming schedule as well as multi-purpose fall receptions in Springdale, Dallas, Little Rock and Jonesboro.

Peggy comes with considerable experience in special events and alumni planning. She held various positions at the University of Hartford where she served for 11 years. These included director of University Summer Programs, director of Intercollegiate Athletic Marketing (NCAA Division I), and assistant to the vice president for Academic Support Services. After she and Dr. Roettger left Hartford, she became the Player Relations and Resources Coordinator for the New England Patriots NFL football team.

Upon their move to Westminster, she served for two years at the interim director of the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library.

Peggy can be reached through her e-mail address: proettger@lyon.edu, or by calling her office at 870-698-4238.

Lyon’s director of Scottish Heritage, Jimmy Bell, went up against some of the world’s top bagpipers on June 16 and walked away with a second place overall finish.

The competition is broken into March, Strathspey and Reel and a Piobaireachd contests. Bell won the M/S/R, and took third in the Piobaireachd for a second place overall finish. Alisdair Gillis of Pittsburgh, Pa., took first place.

Competing at the United States Piping Foundation at the University of Delaware, Bell was one of a handful of professional pipers to win one of nine regional qualifiers. Bell took the Arkansas Scottish Festival overall event win, thereby qualifying him to compete in the championships.

In addition, all former winners of the Gold or Silver medal competitions at Oban and Inverness, Scotland, and all former winners of the Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal in Canada also qualified to compete in the USPF Professional Championships.

Bell went up against two of the world’s best pipers, and beat them.

Vividly illustrating the effectiveness of Bell’s instruction, one of his students, Vince Moore, won the U.S. Amateur Championships in Alma. Mich., over the Memorial Day weekend.

The U.S. Piping Foundation was founded in 1986 to promote a superior standard of piping for Professional Players in the United States. To ensure competitiveness in the international arena, piping standards were set at the highest level accepted in Scotland.

When a Lyon College psychology professor and one of her former students made a recent presentation at the 19th annual convention of the Association for Psychological Sciences, they went in armed.

The APS accepted a research presentation submitted by Lyon’s assistant professor of psychology and education Dr. Nikki Yonts (above right) and Peggy Ford (above left), a psychology major who graduated from Lyon in 2006.

In May, the two traveled to Washington, D.C., to deliver their presentation at the convention. The two are shown above with the poster presentation.

Their paper, "Gun Usage in Popular Movies: A Content Analysis," looked at 135 movies produced from 1989–2005. All the films were rated G, PG or PG-13. The team didn’t include any R-rated films in the study.

"We wanted to see if guns were portrayed, and if so, how were they portrayed," Yonts said, "Did the good guys use them, the bad guys, both? If guns were used, was it justified?"

Of the 135 films studied, 11 were rated G, and of those, four featured guns on-screen.

"Those were movies marketed specifically to children," Yonts said. "Movies like Pocahontas, Tarzan and the Toy Story movies."

That has Yonts considering a second study, this one focused on G-rated films produced during the past 20 years and marketed primarily to children, to see if gun usage has increased or decreased.

As film ratings go up to PG and PG-13 and beyond, gun usage and violence increase, Yonts said.

In the 135 films Yonts and Ford analyzed, they found 715 incidences of gun usage, and 60 percent of all the films contained guns.

It’s difficult to quantify how much influence watching violence portrayed on the screen has on children, but research indicates that exposing children to guns in a controlled and responsible way helps to decrease incidents of accidents involving firearms.

"A lot of kids who come from hunting families are trained in how to use guns, and they are safer with them than kids who aren’t exposed to them," Yonts said. "If they’re properly trained, they respect guns more and know how to be safe with them."

Ford said the results of their study showed that hero type characters used guns more often for self defense, and villain type characters used guns more often to harm another character.

"This study can be a stepping stone in better understanding how children view gun usage," Ford said. "Going to the Association for Psychological Science Conference was a very educational experience. I recommend that every undergrad attend a conference relating to their field of interest."

Yonts’ and Ford’s appearance at the convention gave Lyon College exposure before thousands of academics from across the globe. To make the trip possible, the psychology department and John Peek, vice president of Academic Services and dean of the faculty, paid Ford’s expenses jointly, Yonts said.

Ford has recently been accepted into a master’s degree program in counseling psychology.

Though she was pleased with the outcome of the project, Yonts said the real story is how Lyon taught another student the skills needed to successfully research, write and present material in a formal setting.

Marshall E. and Ura McCulloh Burks never attended college, but they were "determined that their children get a good education."

To honor their parents’ commitment to education, the Burks siblings established the Marshall E. and Ura McCulloh Burks Memorial Annual Scholarship and just recently upgraded it to an endowed scholarship. It will be awarded annually to a student from Independence County.

The scholarship’s namesakes had 10 children, seven of whom graduated from Lyon College. Five of those became teachers.

Five of the seven children who attended Lyon College included (pictured from left) Wanda Burks Johnston, Arvie Burks, Arvil Burks, Charles Burks and Ura Fae Burks Kramer.

All of them attended the Batesville Area Chapter of  Alumni, Parents and Friends Couch Garden Picnic and Cookout held June 26 in their honor. Music was provided by Danny Dozier.

For more information on establishing an annual or endowed scholarship at Lyon College, contact either Tim Bruner or Claudia Marsh at (870) 698-4211, or e-mail  tbruner@lyon.edu or cmarsh@lyon.edu.

A Lyon College professor and two students from Lyon College took part in an international medical/scientific conference on June 2-5. Dr. Barry Gehm, assistant professor of biochemistry, and his students Aaron Baldridge and Stephen Foster, attended the 89th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, an international organization of physicians and scientists working in the field of endocrinology. This year’s meeting, held in Toronto, Canada, drew an estimated 7,000 attendees from around the world. Dr. Gehm, a member of the Society, presented a poster describing research he had done with previous Lyon students on plant compounds that have estrogen-like effects on human cells. Baldridge and Foster, who began working with Dr. Gehm this summer, are continuing this research. Pictured left to right are Dr. Gehm, Aaron Baldridge and Stephen Foster.

Migrant agricultural workers help put food on America’s tables, and a program held at Lyon College each summer helps return the favor by giving their children a chance to make up school credit lost due to moving in the course of their work.

The Moving Up Arkansas Migrant Education Program advocates for migrant families, identifies and recruits all eligible students, and provides supplemental education programs, health and/or personal services to meet the unique needs of this growing population.

Children of families who earn their living in agriculture-related jobs such as farm workers or those employed by companies such as Tyson or Con-Agra, are eligible to participate in the program.

The Arkansas MEP provides textbooks, teachers and academic records exchange. The program’s mission is to ensure correct grade-age placement, transference of course credits and school enrollment opportunities.

Moving Up Arkansas principal Mary Jackson said students in the program can receive up to one and half high school credits in subjects including physical education, English, creative writing, math, biology, science, history, civics, geography and more.

Students also get to experience field trips to places such as the Clinton Presidential Library, an Arkansas Travelers baseball game, museums and Blanchard Springs Caverns.

Jackson said 44 students who were on campus this summer came from nations such as Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Peru, Thailand and the U.S. All the students from the U.S. are currently enrolled in Arkansas public schools. This year’s students ranged in age from 15 – 19, and the program is now in its eighth year.

"We held the first four at ASU Beebe and the past four here at Lyon," Jackson said. "The people here have been amazing to us, especially Terry Bryant, Gayle Silberhorn and Barb Dyer."

The program features two bilingual teachers, Jolynn Dixon and Jason Garvey, both teachers at Greenwood, Ark. Jackson and her husband Sidney serve as the residential teachers in the program.

"We’re their mother, nurse and everything else," she said.

Additionally, Beverly Joyner, Mason Moody and Bill Davis serve as day teachers in the program here at Lyon.

The vast majority of the students didn’t lose credits due to failing, Jackson said. "Most of them missed school work when their families were moving."

For more information on the Arkansas Migrant Education Program, call Mary Collins, Moving Up Arkansas’ director at (501) 724-6277, or e-mail William Cosme, state MEP director, at wcosme@arkedu.k12.ar.us.

The students involved with a powerful learning program at Lyon College are moving up in the world.

Elaine Severs, director of the Upward Bound Math-Science program at Lyon, said its purpose is to help students strengthen their academic skills and obtain the motivation and confidence they need to successfully enter college and complete a degree in a math or a science field.

Students selected for the program must qualify as a member of a low-income family or come from a family where neither parent has completed a college degree. Two-thirds of program participants must be both low-income and potential first-generation college students.

Sixty students are currently enrolled in UBMS, coming from a five-state region, including Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas. They spend two and a half hours each morning in their research groups, where they learn to do hands-on research in the laboratory and sometimes in the field, Severs said.

"There are about ten students in each group and, under the direction of the Research Mentor, they work together to carry out the experiments and calculations, and prepare a final technical report of their work and their conclusions," she explained. "At the end of the Summer Session, they present their findings to the entire UBMS group, usually via a PowerPoint presentation. Near the end of the summer, Dr. Roettger visits each research group to talk with the students about their work."

In addition to their research, the students also take classes in ACT Reading and English, English Literature, ACT Math and a choice class selected from French, art or history. They are in class from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., with a 50-minute break for lunch. In the evening, they have supervised study seminars related to their research, tutoring as needed, and also work in the library and computer lab, Severs said.

"We also take them on cultural and educational field trips and invite speakers in to talk with them about math- and science-related careers, financial aid, and other topics that will benefit them in successfully completing high school and college," she added.

The Summer Session began June 2 and concludes July 14. The group departed June 28 for a four-day trip to Houston tol visit the Pyramid Aquarium on Galveston Island, the Lone Star Flight Museum, Houston Museum of Natural Science & Cockrell Butterfly Center, and Space Center Houston. They were also to see a live production of One Monkey Don't Stop No Show, at the Ensemble Theater in Houston.

For more information on the Upward Bound Math-Science program at Lyon, contact Severs at 793-1783, or by e-mail at: esevers@lyon.edu.

Lyon College will welcome new students and their parents at a second Summer Orientation on Friday, July 13. A third session is scheduled just prior to Red Carpet Days in August.

The Summer Orientation events are tailored for students who have sent in their enrollment deposit and will be attending Lyon in the fall as freshmen.

Students will meet with mentor groups, have their ID picture taken, get parking permits and have an opportunity to receive assistance with business office matters, computer and mailing services, financial aid and other areas of interest.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. in the rotunda of the Lyon Building, and at 9 a.m. in Nucor Auditorium, also in the Lyon Building, Lyon President Dr. Walter Roettger will welcome everyone and introduce the faculty, staff and student mentors. He and Dr. David Pace, assistant professor of chemistry, will discuss the day’s events.

Athletics Department personnel will also be on-hand during the day.

Various sessions and events will be held throughout the day, giving parents and students valuable insights into what to expect at Lyon College such as meeting their roommates, touring the residence halls, an introduction to Lyon’s Honor Code and Social Code, and shopping at the bookstore.

Lunch is provided from 11:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m., and the day concludes at approximately 4:45 p.m.

For more information, contact the College at (800) 423 2542, or by e-mail at: admissions@lyon.edu.

Sports

Former Lyon College Athletic Director Terry Garner has been voted into the 2007 class of Arkansas Softball Hall of Fame in a special ceremony at Sherwood Park on July 6, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The inductees joining Garner in the Class of ’07 are Phil Burnett, Rick Cline, Barry Hickingbotham, Darren Hurt, Matt Jones, Frank Kelly and Jeff March.

The Softball Hall of Fame was founded in 1999 and has inducted 75 current or former players, coaches or sponsors.

Lyon Night at the new home of the Arkansas Travelers baseball team will be Thursday at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. The picnic begins at 6:10 p.m. (when the gates open) and game between the Arkansas Travelers and the Frisco Rough Riders starts at 7:10 p.m.

Morgan Taylor of North Little Rock, the first Pipers softball recruit, will throw out the first pitch. Lyon bagpipers will play "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch.

Cost will be $12 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under. The picnic will be sponsored in part by Nabholz Construction and Kirchner Architecture.

Please RSVP to the Alumni Office by July 2 by calling 870-6984240 or e-mailing alumni@lyon.edu. You also may register online at https://www.lyon.edu/secure/alumni/travs_sign_up.htm

Dickey-Stephens Park is located in downtown North Little Rock, Arkansas at the corner of Broadway Avenue and the Broadway Bridge.  The ballpark's address is 400 W. Broadway, North Little Rock, AR 72114.

From I-40 Follow I-40 east into North Little Rock.  Merge onto I-30 west and take to the Broadway exit.  Turn right off the highway and follow Broadway six blocks to the ballpark.

From I-30 (south of Little Rock)
Follow I-30 over the Arkansas River and into North Little Rock.  Take the Broadway Exit and make a left off the highway.  Follow Broadway six blocks to the ballpark.

Fromt I-30 (north of North Little Rock)
Follow I-30 west into North Little Rock and exit at the Broadway exit.  Make a right off the highway and go six blocks to the ballpark.

From I-630 Exit highway at Broadway in downtown Little Rock and go north.  Go over the Broadway Bridge and the ballpark is to the right at the end of the bridge.

Parking Fans are encouraged to park in the paved lot on the west side of the Broadway Bridge.  Each car will cost $3 per game, but there is free parking available in North Little Rock for most games.  Fans can also park in Little Rock and walk over the Broadway or Main Street Bridges to the game.