.......The Southeast Community College Theatre Arts program has announced plans for the annual production of "A Christmas Carol," as adapted by Michael Corriston, Theatre Arts Director.
.......The SECC Players will perform the play on December 5 and 6 at 10:00 a.m. and noon as school matinees and on December 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Appalachian Center Theatre on the Cumberland campus. The newly revised script for "A Christmas Carol" incorporates puppets throughout the production and includes new characters and set design.
.......The new set will accomodate Gail Morfesis' production of scenes from the "Nutcracker Suite," which will be performed on alternating dates, Dec. 4 at noon for school matinees and Dec. 8 at 3:00 p.m.
.......Corriston said that two folk dances have also been added to "A Christmas Carol," with choreography by SECC folk dance instructors Jim and Martha Blair.
......."This year's production should prove to be one of the best ones yet by the SECC Players," said Corriston. "The script has improved, and the actors have more experience and have proven their skills in other productions here at Southeast."
....... Cast members, chosen during auditions on Oct. 21 and 22, range from middle and high school students to community members and college students.
.......The cast includes Eric Creech of Benham, "Marley;" Tiffany Jackson of Cumberland, "Ghost One"/"Sara;" Heather Deal of Cumberland, "Ghost Two"/"Woman;" Brandon Williamson, Totz, "Ghost Three;" Brent Williams of Cumberland, "Scrooge;" Sidney Fowler of Harlan, "George"/"Christmas Future;" Melissa McArthur of Benham, "Ethel"/"Martha;" Chris Creech of Cumberland, "Man"/"Soliciter;" Chris Williamson of Totz, "Fred;" Elana Scopa of Cumberland, "Chorus One;" Leah Johnson of Cumberland, "Chorus Two; Dustin Haley of Cumberland, "Chorus Three"/"Young Scrooge;" Brent Barker of Cumberland, "Bob Cratchet;" Brooke Eads of Cumberland, "Christmas Past;" Tara Smith of Totz, "Christmas Present."
....... Corriston advises school groups to make reservations early; for further information or to make reservations, call the Appalachian Center Box Office at 589-2145 or 573-9654, ext. 2013.
return.......Life is filled with valuable lessons though some are never learned, as several faculty and staff members on Southeast Community College's Cumberland campus revealed. David Simpson, associate professor of mathematics said the lesson he never learns is, "Letting kids make up tests, 14 weeks after its due date."
....... "To say no--I still get over-involved in things," replied Karl Winegardner, director of the Academic Support Center. Roberta Pratt, associate professor of education said the lesson she has never learned is "speaking before I think." Roy Silver, associate professor of sociology revealed "riding my bicycle when it's too cold or raining."
......."Procrastination," says Robin Pennell, assistant professor of English. "As I get older, I tend to put off things until the last minute. Also, giving students too many opportunities on projects," explained Bobbie Dixion, instructor of computer science.
.......Judy Parrott, secretary, Physical Science Division, offered, "I will probably never realize that every car that I stop beside at a red light does not want to race with me when the light turns green. It's surprising how many of them do, though!"
......."Procrastination, even though I tell my students not to do the same thing," revealed Carlton Hughes, associate professor of communication.
......."Learning to put the top back on my writing pens before I put the pens back into my shirt pocket," explained Rich Richmond, Special Services counselor.
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.......Human Potential (PY 185) is a basic introduction to the principles of relating to self and others, primarily designed for self growth.
.......In the past, the class has been used as tool for everything from preparing students for transferring to a four year university to developing study skills. The addition of GE 100 (Introduction to College) has given PY 185 the chance to be the class it was originally intended to be.
......."We decided that we ought to have at least one course on campus in which individual students would have the opportunity to look at themselves as a whole person, not just as a student transferring to a four year college, but as a living, breathing student dealing with work and life issues," says Rich Richmond, counselor for Special Services and instructor of PY 185. The course covers numerous work and life issues that students deal with on a daily basis.
....... Topics addressed include: work and leisure, wellness, love, loneliness and solitude, relationships, sexuality, and death and loss.
....... According to Richmond, topics such as these have traditionally been framed within a counseling setting, but PY 185 offers them to a group of students within a class setting.
......."The class is not counseling--there are no individual or group counseling sessions that are components of the class. What there is, is the opportunity for individual growth and experience in relation to other people, primarily the instructor and the classmates," Richmond assured.
....... Richmond suggests any student enroll in PY 185 who wants to pursue a career that will contain a lot of personal, sometimes intimate, contact, especially nursing, education, social work, psychology, business management, and pre-med majors. "This class allows the students to get in touch with their own personal feelings about major life issues and to help others get in touch with their own personal feelings about major life issues," Richmond said.
....... PY 185 is grounded in Humanistic Psychology orientation. According to Richmond, the Humanistic focus portrays the self as "a thriving, growing potential-laden entity that is only limited in growth by his or her creativity or impositions placed upon them by society."
.......Rebecca Hellams, another instructor of the course, believes the benefit of a student reaching his or her human potential is "to realize his or her own talents, skills, innate kinds of abilities to their fullest and to not get bogged down in life by things that you might be able to handle, rise above, get around, or just go on with. Whatever your situation is, to be able to take full advantage of your life."
....... Hellams continued, "You have the power to change, to stay the same, to do whatever you want to do. You are not just a victim of life. "This class helps students think. It helps them think about themselves and the way they relate to other people. It helps them think so that they won't take things for granted," Hellams continued, "so that they will have an attitude that allows them to be open to the ideas of others even if they don't want to change their own ideas."
.......Both Hellams and Richmond believe that, due to the nature of the course, a PY 185 student should understand that others may be sharing personal thoughts and opinions with them and vice-versa. They should agree that anything others may choose to share with them will be confidential and will not go beyond the class. Students are expected to keep an open mind about their classmates' beliefs and opinions and not to gossip about classmates--basically to respect each other.
.......Richmond's and Hellam's students are required to do formal paper writing and take textbook quizzes.
.......Richmond believes that PY 185 is a very beneficial course. "The student is going to have the opportunity to get to know him or herself better. He or she will learn how to interact with other people more effectively.
......."This class can give students an opportunity to establish personal goals and to learn a way to go about exploring themselves and their values. They will be able to eventually come up with a strategy to achieve the goals that they want," Richmond concluded.
....... A former Southeasterner staff member is now using the skills she
learned at Southeast in her new job in the professional field of
journalism.
.......Teresa Pruitt Thompson, former editorial page editor of The
Southeasterner, has moved on to the Harlan Daily Enterprise,
where she serves as a general assignment reporter and
photographer while attending Eastern Kentucky University part-
time.
.......Thompson began attending SECC enrolled only in journalism classes
to satisfy her passion for writing. Not too long after, she
realized writing was a requirement of many classes, and
therefore, she enrolled full time.
.......Thompson has been a writer all of her life.
She said of her earliest writing experiences, "I was begging my
Mom for paper probably even before I could spell. I remember my
Mom running all over the house looking for something for me to
write on."
.......Thompson has not limited her writing to newspapers--she is also a
poet. Thompson has published several poems, one of which,
entitled "Growing Up," was selected Golden Poem of the Year in
1991 for the World of Poetry. Thompson wrote the poem about her
daughter; it is published in a book titled Diamonds and Rust.
The Harlan County Native is a divorced mother of two daughters,
Sheena and Shasta, and she said, "I am very active in their
school activities."
.......Thompson graduated with an Associate of Arts degree from SECC in
Spring 1996. She is currently majoring in journalism and
minoring in law administration at EKU.
.......Among those Thompson gave credit for influencing her life the
most were SECC associate professor of communication and
Southeasterner adviser Carlton Hughes and his wife Kathy, State
Police Detective and part-time SECC instructor Alice Chaney, and
Thompson's late grandfather, Charles Pruitt, Sr.
Thompson added, "the person I feel who has been the greatest
influence and encouragement in my life is Vickie Qualls, a
teacher at Hall Elementary School and my best friend for the past
16 years. She has always been there when I needed someone. She
may teach students everyday, but she will never teach anyone else
what she's taught me through our friendship--the meaning of the
word 'unselfishness.'"
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FORMER SOUTHEASTERNER STAFFER ADVANCES TO
BIG LEAGUES AS FULL-TIME REPORTER
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by Bethsheba V. Hollon