High school students graduate Beyond the Bricks program at UAPB

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) Beyond the Bricks (BTBP) Community Producers Program Graduation was held recently in Cross-Phipps Auditorium of Caldwell Hall. There were nine young men who finished the program: Brian Donald, Cedrick Parker, Dedrick Parker, LeDarrius Walker, Victor Ryland, Jr. from Pine Bluff High School and Dontarius Slater, CharMarr Parks, Nicholas Dickson, and Jeremiah Young from Dollarway High School . During the program, BTBP program instructor Leroy Brown talked about how they had grown since they started the program and how they taught him how to be patient and to deal with people who environments are not the same.

Ralph Owens, Program Operator for BTBP at UAPB touted the efficacy of the program because it taught the young men about friendship and challenged them to look at their community to see how they view the city they live in.

“Since we have had those conversations they have challenged me to do more and to become more involved in my community,” said Owens.

Vivian Flowers, Director of Recruitment for Diversity at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) stated that these young men had a great opportunity to soar and grow noting that some of them were quiet when they first started and really didn’t talk to each other – after about three sessions they were like brothers. Ms. Flowers talked about the danger of a single story and how powerful the media is when it comes to defining our single stories.

“These young men now see that they can be doctors, scientist and mathematicians and have been taught that they have the ability now to define their own single story,” said Flowers.

Dr. David Rainey, Superintendent of the Dumas School District congratulated the individuals who had the vision and foresight to understand that we are losing a lot of young men because we are not addressing their needs and these young men need mentors.

“There are individuals in the audience who have entered into your life to assist you to accomplish some goals,” said Rainey. “There are young people coming after you will who will set their goals based on what they see you do. The people who worked with you in this program see you as an investment for the future.”

Rainey recounted graduating from high school with the main goal to get a job and buy a car. He realized he wanted to get a college education while working in Altheimer moving bricks from railroad cars.

“If you look at statistics and come from a broken home it is said that you do not supposed to go to college,” said Rainey. “From this point you will have an opportunity to make some decisions in your life because you have a support structure. Committee yourself to lend a hand to help someone else.”

Derek Koen, Executive Director of Beyond the Bricks Films stated that the program was empowering young black boys to know that they have a voice. He related to them that they have something to offer and something to say.

“We want to empower you to go out and change the story that’s has been told around black boys,” said Koen.

Beyond the Bricks has a fellows Institute comprised of one graduate from each BTBP site. Brian Donald, a student at Pine Bluff High School and the son of Floyd and Patricia Donald, was selected to attend the fellow institute in New York to be held in July. While attending the institute, Brian will have the opportunity to enhance his knowledge in video and media production and will be taught leadership and life skills.

About BTBP

The Beyond the Bricks Project (BTBP) is a media and international community engagement initiative to encourage and promote community based solutions to increase educational and social outcomes for school age Black males. The BTBP takes a grassroots approach to improving those outcomes by engaging community members including the young men themselves, educators, civic leaders, and other stakeholders to craft solutions to the challenges the young men face in their schools, neighborhoods, and cities. Importantly, we encourage the young men to examine their roles as leaders and community citizens. Learn more at www.beyondthebricks.com .

UAPB Cultural Fest celebrates diversity

Bobbie Handcock | School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences

Joyce Bracy Vaughan, left, director for Student Counseling, Assessment and Development at UAPB, visits the Nigeria exhibit by UAPB student Terrence Haynes during the Cultural Fest hosted by Dr. Janette Wheat’s Families Across Cultures Class.

 PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The Cultural Fest recently held at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff featured food from various cultures, fashions, live music, dance and more. Hosted by Dr. Janette Wheat’s Families Across Cultures Class, the event featured the theme “Global Flavors: A Multicultural Circle of Unity.”

“The purpose of the cultural festival is to promote unity, demonstrate an appreciation and tolerance for a diversity of cultures, and showcase an array of international foods/cuisine, fashions, arts, music, mores, traditions, and customs of multi-ethnic families’ way of life within a global society,” said Dr. Wheat , assistant professor.

The class has been hosting the annual cultural festival in the UAPB Department of Human Sciences since April 2006. Each year, UAPB students, faculty, staff and members of the community help make the gathering a success, Dr. Wheat said.

“(UAPB students) Kyunta McCoy (Mr. Human Development and Family Studies) and English Peterson (Miss Human Development and Family Studies) served as the mister and mistress of ceremonies for this festive event,” she said.

Dr. Shandra Williams, chair of the Department of Human Sciences, welcomed guests to the fest which featured live jazz and musical entertainment from Legoria Payton and Edwin Lawson.

Children from the UAPB Child Development Center wore a variety of cultural costumes as they opened the event with a parade of flags from different countries. The children also sang and played hand instruments.

One of the highlights of the evening was the international fashion show. Male and female models from Twisted Creations strutted and sashayed in a variety of cultural fashions and showcased diverse hair styles. Margaret Boyd-Owens served as fashion show coordinator and commentator. The owner of D ‘Virtuous Divas Boutique kept the audience entertained with commentary on the colorful outfits and details about how and when they are worn.

Latoya Geter and Marnay Kemp of Mt. Pleasant A.M.E. Church performed a praise dance and. Sheba Whitiker-Hawkins sang a solo, “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” Tangila Smith recited a poem and performed a song. UAPB Agriculture Department student Taurean Morrow shared a presentation about a mission trip that he and other students took to Haiti.

After Dr. Wheat presented certificates of appreciation to festival participants, audience members toured cultural exhibits, fellowshipped and tasted an array of multi-ethnic fare. Selections included food and refreshments from France, Italy, Nigeria, Guyana and Hawaii.

UAPB Agriculture Field Day Set for June 27

Carol Sanders | School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Agriculture Field Day will be Thursday, June 27, at the UAPB Agriculture Research Station on Oliver Road, off University Drive.

The field day begins at 7:30 a.m. with registration and welcoming remarks at 8:30 a.m. Tractor tours will take participants to educational stops. The first tour leaves at 9 a.m. and the last one at 10:30 a.m. Research scientists and Extension specialists will be at each stop to explain their research, give updates and answer questions.

Demonstration stop topics include sweet potatoes, rice disease, Southern peas, ornamentals and livestock. Some of the specific topics at the stops will be “effectiveness of herb plants as pest barriers for vegetables,” “evaluation of woody ornamentals (trees and shrubs) in southeast Arkansas conditions,” “using cover crops for weed control and nutrient cycling in sweetpotatoes” and “the influence of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the yield and nutritional quality of sweetpotato varieties.”

Tours of the sweetpotato foundation seed/biotechnology greenhouses, the swine complex, goat and cattle buildings and the value-added products center will also be a part of field day as will an antique tractor show.

Lunch will be provided by Tyson Foods, Inc. but only with a ticket included with registration materials.

Registration is free, but pre-registration is requested to aid in planning. To pre-register, contact Margaret Taylor at (870) 575-7144 or taylorml@uapb.edu. On-site registration ends at 10:30 a.m. on June 27.

Annual dance workshop rescheduled for July 22-26

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The Let’s Dance Summer Workshop is back for its seventh year to offer the youth of Pine Bluff an exciting, creative learning experience full of fun. The workshop has been moved to July 22-26 at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) in the Kenneth L. Johnson HPER Complex.

Coordinated and taught by Nia Lancelin, owner of Let’s Dance with Nia, several styles of dance will be offered for boys and girls 4-18 years of age via classes held each day from 1-6 pm. Adult classes will also be offered from 6-7 pm. A new component, Best Foot Forward, has been added to the workshop that will consist of a shoe drive that will allow Let’s Dance to give back to the Pine Bluff community.

A Pine Bluff native with more than 20 years of dance experience, Nia was first introduced to the dance at the Belmont School of Dance where she studied ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, acrobatics, and later added modern, contemporary, hip hop, and African to her repertoire. Her dance teacher asked her to become a part of the competition team at 10 years old and this is truly when her passion for dance began. Her passion for teaching began not long after when she became a teacher’s assistant at the age of 14. After her high school graduation she joined the National Dance Alliance as an instructor where she was able to travel the country teaching young dancers. She was promoted to the head instructor position after 3 years of working with the company. To this date Nia continues to teach at numerous schools and studios in the Atlanta Area.

Nia attended UAPB where she danced as a Golden Girl for 2 years and held the head captain position her sophomore year. Going into her junior year of school Nia transferred to Spelman College. Presently in her professional career, Nia has performed on the BET Hip Hop Awards, AIDA with the Atlanta Opera, nationally televised Georgia Lottery Flashmob, CiCi Kelley”s Phazes of Love, the world premiere musical I Dream directed by Jasmine Guy in which she was a principal dancer and international tour Drumline Live as a soloist dancer and singer. She has also performed as a ballet pointe soloist with the internationally acclaimed Universoul Circus.

Registration for the workshop is $50/person and can be obtained by contacting Bonita Corbin at (870)575-8317 or corbinb@uapb.edu. You can also visit www.letsdancewithnia.com for more information about the company and to register early.

Symposium to feature discussion on achievement gap in congressional district 4

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The Arkansas Commission on Closing the Achievement Gap in partnership with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff – School of Education Literacy Institute will host a symposium Friday, June 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Sylvester Early auditorium of Henderson-Young Hall (Business Building).  With the theme, “It takes a Village to Educate a Child,” the symposium will provide a forum for citizens in Congressional District 4 (Union, Yell, Ashley, Scott, Clark, Polk, Madison, and Drew counties) and the State to discuss the rising concerns and sense of urgency in closing the achievement gaps of students in schools.

Several presenters will speak on topics focusing on the achievement gap of students: 1) funding; 2) parental and community involvement; 3) barriers interfering with student achievement; and 4) Common Core State Standards.  During a roundtable, several representatives from local school districts will share their strategies and progress to remove their school(s) from being a “Focus or Priority” school in need of improvement as defined by the state.

The Arkansas Commission on Closing the Achievement Gap was amended and voted into law in 2009 during the 87th General Assembly, Regular Session by former State Representative David Rainey.  Through a partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education, the Commission strives to ensure that all children have an opportunity for an equitable education that will eliminate the disparity in test scores between and among diverse learning communities of students. 

During the year, the commission members meet to address the factors contributing to the achievement gap in schools throughout Arkansas. School district representatives — teachers, instructional facilitators, education service center directors, career coaches, building principals, parents, community, and civic leaders are invited to offer their input on the issues. 

The Commission is made of representatives from K-12, vocational, higher education, and legislative backgrounds: Dr. Dawn Tirado Simpson, Commission Chair, Arkansas Career Training Institute; Dr. Jesse Hargrove, Philander Smith College; Mr. Gus Williamson, Batesville School District; Dr. Eddie McCoy, Consultant; Ms. Elfreda Boyd, Pine Bluff School District; Mr. Jonathan Fulkerson, Blytheville School District; Dr. Vera Lang Brown, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Dr. Luis Fernando Restrepo, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville; Ms. Lillian Williams, Arkansas Department of Higher Education , Ex Officio Designee for Shane Broadway; Mr. Shane Broadway, Department of Higher Education, ex officio; Dr. Tom Kimbrell, Arkansas Department of Education, ex officio; Ms. Susan Harriman, Arkansas Department of Education, Ex Officio Designee for Tom Kimbrell; Mr. Charles Killion, Retired Educator; and Jack Crumbly, Former Arkansas State Representative.

The symposium is open to school teachers, school administrators, parents, community members/leaders, university faculty/administration, teacher education majors, organizations, ministers, state and local officials.  There are no registration fees for this event, and participants attending can receive professional development clock hours.  Registration will continue through June 6.  For more information, please contact Dr. Vera Lang Brown, coordinator of symposium at (870) 575-8275 or langbrownv@uapb.edu or Dr. Tirado – Simpson at Dawn.Simpson@arkansas.gov.