Festival of Stars

Honors students enrolled in the fall 2014 Honors Seminar class chose the Arkansas Children's Hospital "Festival of Stars" as their service project.  "Festival of Stars" is a toy drive that enables parents to "shop" for their child who is hospitalized at Christmas.  There is a personal connection for many of the Honors students to ACH, so this was a project they took to heart.  Throughout the semester, the students accepted donations of toys and cash.  On December 12, the students who were able took a trip to ACH to deliver toys.  On the way, we stopped at Walmart in Sheridan to purchase additional toys with the funds that had been raised.  The students worked hard at making their money go as far as possible while still staying within budget and choosing items from the list supplied by ACH.

There was quite a bit to unload and deliver!

Anna Dunn (and Addi), Nicole Boer, Marcus Copeland, Jessica Flannigan, Talon Gray, Holli Brown

After unloading and placing the items in the donation bin, we were invited in for hot chocolate and a time to visit.

Then, we ate lunch together at the Purple Cow.  As usual, Anna's daughter, Addi, was the star of the show!  She finally warmed up to Marcus during lunch!

In recognition of the donations, the Honors Program received a nice certificate from Arkansas Children's Hospital.  More information is available on the "Festival of Stars" on the Arkansas Children's Hospital website.

Getting to know you.....

The fall 2014 semester is in full gear, and the Honors students are all amazing me! It is so fun to see the faces of the returning students and to get to know the new Honors students.  I have been amused to see the differences in this years' Honors Seminar and last because of the differences in personality. This is fun!!

We have done a couple of things this year to help everyone get to know each other.  The two groups blended for a pizza lunch recently.  It was the first real opportunity for the new and returning students to meet. I think it was a great time with food, fellowship, and a lot of noise!!

Ask Ronald Nance Jr about the balloon!!  It has a name!

Two of the Jessica's! They are such sweethearts!

Then, we met up for a bowling party on Saturday night.  The students were encouraged to bring their families for an evening of fun!  I really enjoyed getting to know some of the families and time spent with some little ones.  We had chips and cheese dip, meatballs, chocolate chip cookie bars, and mocha brownies (that I still think tasted like coffee).  Just like last year, a few people forgot socks.  But, this year, they just decided not to bowl. I think I should invest in extra socks for the next bowling party!  It was a great opportunity to get to know these students outside the classroom and for the new and returning students to get more familiar with one another!

Keyonte doesn't look too happy with his score!

Someone said something that was funny to the Sanders' girls....wonder what in the world was so funny!?

Honors' sisters, Jessica and Christina, brought Jessica's husband and sweet baby girl, Aubree!  

Taylor and Anna took turns with Addison so that Anna could bowl!  Tag team at it's best!

 

Jaxxon wanted to bowl with Jessica and Mikey too!  

And we have to keep that sweet little guy happy :)

More pics of future SAU Tech Honors students! 

After several months of planning, the Honors study lounge is now open for business! And the students have been using it!  I went to take pictures and found 3 students in it! It includes a computer, seating area, and snack center (complete with a Keurig)!  I'm so thankful for the generosity of Mr. Gunnels to provide this space!

The students named the tree "Fred the Ficus"

We are going to have a great year!  Plans are already being made for our next activity, so stay tuned!

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Most of the Honors students are enrolled in an Honors Art Appreciation course during the spring 2014 semester.  So, we took a trip to visit the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.  The original art pieces, sculpture, pottery, architecture, and landscaping were breathtaking. Seeing works by Andy Warhol, Georgia O'Keefe, Norman Rockwell, and other famous artists made art come to life.  Learning about art in the classroom is one thing, but the students were "Wow'd!!" by the original works.  As we walked through the museum, the excitement on their faces and in their voices was priceless!  Each of us had a favorite thing about the museum.

This was one of Keyonte's favorites (but we quickly found out that he had a lot of favorites)!

And this is another of Keyonte's favorites!

Tiffany says this one is "beautiful!"

The picture doesn't do this justice.  It was done with charcoals, and the details were astonishing. 

Some of the pieces aere huge!!  NaCenya was admiring this one, and you can see the size of the painting compared to her.  We were amazed at the ability to do a scene justice on such a large scale. 

I love the lantern painting.  The colors in the lanterns were so vivid that it looked like there was a light in it!

Made of buttons, lace, etc.

There were scale models of different buildings.  The one to the left was of a college student center from the 1950s.

.....and a little modern art.....yes, some of us thought we could even make this kind of art!!

This is actually 3-dimensional.  It was really cool in person!

Yes!  That's a giant ear coming out of the wall!

Coca Cola by Andy Warhol

Dolly Parton by Andy Warhol

Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell

A giant horse....sticks or bronze??

The students all had commented that some of the pieces looked like things we could create.  As we got to a display case in the hall, I made a comment about the "paper bag" and how it doesn't take much to make it into an art museum.  Then I realized it was pottery!  Oops!







There are several trails on the museum grounds.  Some of the trails have art pieces on them; others are just beautifully landscaped. One trail had large picture frames on stands.  We couldn't turn down the photo op!

Stanley is being a deep thinker!

The grass on the lawn trail was immaculate.  It looked like it would be so soft to just lay down in.  So, Tiffany and Keyonte decided to try it.  I still think it looks fun!

sitting on Chaise Gabion

There were some areas of the trails that were off limits due to "unstable ground."  But we found some places to explore too!  I'm not sure if sitting on the sculptures is allowed or not!

Shore Lunch by Dan Ostermiller

Shore Lunch by Dan Ostermiller

Keyonte, Tiffany, and Stanley standing on a rock bridge

Jessica and NaCenya

Lowell's Ocean by Mark di Suvero

Stanley read to us about art while we cooled off after walking the trails!

The museum building itself was a piece of art.  The architecture is incredible!! It blends in to the surroundings while still standing alone and attracting attention.

Just before leaving on the trip, Beverly Ellis (advisor at SAU Tech) received an envelope from a child from out of state.  The child's class was doing an activity using Flat Stanley.  She was more than excited to take Flat Stanley on some adventures.  He went to Crystal Bridges with the Honors students!

What good is a trip without good food?  Most of us (students, Mrs. Sanders, Mr. and Mrs. Scott) had dinner together at Chili's, and we all ate lunch at Dixie Cafe on the way home.  We discovered that Tiffany likes hotter "hot wings" than NaCenya and that Keyonte and Stanley drink more mango tea than Mrs. Scott.

As a chaperone, I can't think of a better group of young people to go on a trip with.  Keyonte, Tiffany, Stanley, Jessica, and NaCenya each brought their own unique personality on this trip.  We made some great memories, established some new nicknames (like me being "Mom" to the whole group), learned about art and about each other, and had a great time.  I feel so blessed to have these "kids" in my life!  I can't wait for the next trip!!

For more info on the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, go to www.crystalbridges.org. I highly recommend the museum....and admission is FREE!