Posted on Friday, April 12, 2019
Students from all over the state will be joined by their parents and teachers here Saturday for the 2019 National History Day Georgia State Contest. This is the first time LaGrange College has hosted the state competition.
There are 550 students registered to present 299 total entries in categories including exhibit, performance, documentary, historical paper and website.
Registration will begin at 8 a.m. in front of Callaway Auditorium, followed by a welcome program at 9:15 a.m. inside the auditorium. Judging will be held at sites in West Side, Lewis Library, the Whorton Room and Bailey Room in Smith Hall, as well as classrooms in Callaway Academic Building and Callaway Science Building.
More than 100 volunteer judges will spend the day interviewing and evaluating the work of the students. An awards ceremony will be at 3:30 p.m. in Callaway Auditorium.
Dr. Kevin Shirley, Professor of History, has been involved with the National History Day program for years and has orchestrated Saturday’s event.
NHD encourages middle school and high school students to engage more deeply in the historical process by conducting and presenting historical research, he said.
“It is also great exposure for the college,” he said. “We plant a lot of seeds by trying to introduce as many folks as we can to LaGrange. But the main purpose of the competition is helping students build their skills and helping them grow intellectually.”
He praised the efforts of volunteers from the college who will be helping throughout the day.
“There is no way we could do this without them,” he said. “We have faculty, staff and students who will be assisting all over campus. They have been wonderful in their willingness to step in and do whatever is needed. And of course, National and ARAMARK have been outstanding partners in this effort.”
Dr. Shirley was instrumental in leading the college into a co-sponsorship of the state contest with Georgia Humanities in 2012. Since then, with Dr. Shirley as co-coordinator, the program has doubled in participation and expects to reach 12,000 students this year. The college hosted the regional competition in March.
Dr. Shirley also leads an annual summer workshop for teachers to help prepare them to conduct NHD programs in their schools. Hosted by the college, that event has drawn participants from as far as Washington state and Minnesota.
With so many people expected Saturday, he asked for everyone’s patience.
“There will be a lot of people on campus that day,” he said. “Parking will be at a premium, with several places designated for special needs participants and others. We know everyone will extend the legendary LaGrange College hospitality to our guests.”
National History Day Georgia is a program of Georgia Humanities and LaGrange College. Regional competition sponsors include Augusta University; Bibb County School District and Houston County Board of Education; Clayton State University and the National Archives-Atlanta; Coastal Georgia Historical Society; Georgia College; Georgia Southwestern State University; Kennesaw State University; Thomas County Schools; Troup Historical Society and LaGrange College; and the University of Georgia.
The annual celebration of Earth Week will be held next week, culminating with the Sustainability Fair on Thursday.
Various departments, student organizations and community groups will talk about their sustainability efforts, and how to get involved.
The festivities kicked off Thursday with the Epps Lecture that featured Dr. Karen Piper, a climate fiction author. Her appearance was jointly sponsored by the English Department and Sustainability Council.
On Tuesday, vegan athlete Dominick Thompson will be speaking at 11:15 a.m. in Dickson Assembly Room. Thompson is a vegan athlete, activist and entrepreneur who will give a different perspective on a plant-based lifestyle.
He competes in marathons and triathlons, and undergoes intense training in swimming, running, boxing, cross-fit and weight- and power-lifting. He has been featured in magazines such as Men’s Muscle and Fitness Magazine and Esquire, and has more than 160,000 followers on Instagram.
The annual Sustainability Fair will be from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on the library plaza. Dr. Patricia Marchesi, Assistant Professor of English and member of the Sustainability Council, said the event is a great opportunity to have fun and learn more about the topic.
“Often, people think sustainability is a political stance, or associate it with an activity like recycling or an issue like climate change,” she said. “We hope the students will see that sustainability includes practices and behaviors that promote health, fairness and compassion. Ultimately, sustainability is about looking to the future and creating a better world for all – an idea that perfectly aligns with the values of LaGrange College.”
Features at this year’s fair include:
“We are working to include groups and communities who may not have been traditionally part of the sustainability conversation in the past," said Dr. Elizabeth Appleby, Associate Professor of French and a member of the Sustainability Council. "The Sociology Department will have a display on social justice this year.”
Lunch will be served outdoors on the plaza, and everyone is encouraged to recycle properly.
“We will have four bins this year lined up by the stairs,” Dr. Appleby said. “Only bottles and cans should be put in the bins. Styrofoam, dirty napkins and plastic cutlery should go in the trash.”
The event is eligible for a Sustainability CE credit. Students are reminded to pick up a “check card” – at least 12 displays need to sign the card for student to receive CE credit.
In case of rain, the fair will be inside Lewis Library.
President Dan McAlexander (left) was presented the Tourism Visionary Award at Tuesday’s LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce meeting. He was selected for his role in promoting tourism, especially his leadership in bringing the USA South Spring Sports Festival to the community for three consecutive years. The event attracts more than 800 athletes, their coaches and families to the area.
Political Science majors Robert Allen, Seth Golden and P.T. Alford presented their senior seminar papers Monday at Tuskegee University at the Pi Sigma Alpha conference. Robert’s was on African-Americans running for governor or senator and the role of experience. Seth’s was about at-large districts vs. single member districts, and representation. Pete’s was on economic freedom and social capital.
A ribbon-cutting for the latest college portion of The Thread will be at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the “roundabout” with benches below Price Theater. This section of The Thread begins at the corner of Panther Way and Vernon Street and moves toward Price, then running between Price and Lamar Dodd Art Center and continuing behind Cleaveland Field, ending back on Panther Way at the entrance to the ballfield.
The college’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is partnering with Harmony House for a “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event from 10 a.m. until noon at Granger Park. Men are encouraged to wear high heels to raise awareness for sexual assault and gender violence; however, high heels are not required to participate in the event. The walk will begin at 100 Hunnicutt Place, with registration at 11 a.m. The event is free for students with an ID and $10 for adult walkers. High heels for walkers are available on a first come, first served basis, and walkers are encouraged to bring their own if possible.
Dr. Jon Ernstberger, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Mathematics; Dr. Lydia Rosencrants, Chair of Business and Nonprofit Studies and Graduate Program Coordinator for Philanthropy and Development; Dr. John Tures, Professor of Political Science; and Gus McMurray, Assistant Professor of Taxation and Information Systems, recently attended a workshop at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where they explored how smaller liberal arts colleges can more effectively teach data science and data analytic skills.
The Nursing Department has formed a March for Babies LC Team to raise money for the March of Dimes. Those interested in participating in the walk on May 4 can register here.
More than 30 students will be presenting at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research being held this week at Kennesaw State University. The conference has a competitive submission criteria, and LaGrange has twice the number of projects as most other schools in the region. Read more about it in next week’s @lagrange.
Jamal Shakir ’19, a Digital Creative Media and Film major, will be screening his first movie, “The Land of No Pity,” at 8 p.m. Thursday in Beason Recital Hall at West Side. It is based on the book of the same name.
The Sports Management program and Club are sponsoring an LC night with the Georgia Swarm, April 20 at 7 p.m. Enter the promo code DocJ for a ticket discount or contact alum Nicholas Rawls (who works for the Swarm) at 740-419-6289 or nrawls@georgiaswarm.com.
Today (Friday)
Saturday
Tuesday
Thursday
LC alumni, remember how special your days on the Hill were? How you had professors who cared and classmates who became family? Consider giving back and helping students through donor-funded scholarships and campus resources. Help reach this year’s goal of 1,100 alumni by making a gift before June 30. Any amount helps.
Softball
The Panthers (11-13, 7-7 USA South) swept a USA South doubleheader from Wesleyan at the LC Softball Complex, winning 4-2 and 7-2. Payton Thomas picked up both wins in the circle for LC.
Men's Tennis
LC (8-3, 7-2 USA South) swept Huntingdon 9-0 for the second time this season without losing a set.
Women's Tennis
The Panthers (5-6, 2-3 USA South) lost 9-0 at Huntingdon in a USA South match.
Women's Lacrosse
The Panthers (0-8, 0-8 USA South) lost 20-4 to Piedmont. Davida White scored three of the goals and now has 99 for her career.
Saturday, April 12
Men's and Women's Tennis vs Covenant, 1 p.m.
Softball at Berea (2)
Women's Lacrosse at Salem
Sunday, April 13
Women's Lacrosse at Pfeiffer
Tuesday, April 16
Softball at Judson (2)
Winning weekend for the Panthers – LaGrange Daily News, April 8, 2019
Walk-off win for the Panthers – LaGrange Daily News, April 6, 2019
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event coming – LaGrange Daily News, April 6, 2019
Key series for the Panthers – LaGrange Daily News, April 4, 2019
Panthers split doubleheader – LaGrange Daily News, April 3, 2019
Category: Global engagement, Academics, Community, Events, College
Keywords: National History Day, Sustainability, Earth Day, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, March for Babies, The Thread
