School of Fine Arts Presents Students with Academic Awards

The Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts recognized students for their scholarship at the Academic Awards Ceremony at the end of the spring 2015 semester.

Dr. Christina Lavorata, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. Constance Edwards, Interim Dean of the School of Fine Arts; and Jennifer Wade of the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. greeted the students. Music awards were presented by Dr. Anne Patterson, Coordinator of the Department of Music; communication and theatre awards were presented by Dr. John O’Connor, Coordinator of the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts; visual art awards were presented by Jeff Greenham, Coordinator of the Department of Visual Art.

Department of Music

Chyna Brown was named Outstanding Freshman and received the William White Scholarship.

Michael Carpenter received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship. One of his original compositions was performed at the West Fork New Music Festival. He was a member of the 2015 Collegiate Honor Choir for the West Virginia Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

Amy Farson received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship. She was a member of the 2015 Collegiate Honor Choir for the West Virginia Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

Brandon Haggerty was named Outstanding Senior, Education.

Jonathan Henry received the Music Theory Achievement Award and received the William White Scholarship.

Laura Hoggard received the $5,000 Underwood Smith Teacher Scholarship, which is a program of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.

William Johnston of Morgantown received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship. A 2015 graduate of University High School, he is a freshman Pre-Medicine major.

Kayla Keefover was named Outstanding Senior, Performance. She was admitted to graduate school in Music Therapy at the University of Ohio.

Matthew Morgan received the Excellence in Conducting award.

Dylan Nicholas was named Outstanding Sophomore and received the William White Scholarship. He was selected by national audition to perform in the Small College Intercollegiate Band at the annual meeting of the College Band Directors National Association.

Briana Pudsell received the Music Research and Scholarship Award, the Excellence in Performance award and the Blanche Kinney Scholarship. She was selected by national audition to participate in the University of Miami’s summer of voice study in Salzburg, Austria. She was a member of the 2015 Collegiate Honor Choir for the West Virginia Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

Rayme Pullen of Bridgeport was named Outstanding Graduate Student and received the Excellence in Performance award. She was selected for a masterclass with Barbara Nissman and was an alternate for the Music Teachers National Association Eastern Regional Competition. She is a 2008 graduate of Doddridge County High School.

Brian Reed received the Richard and Virginia Wellock Endowed Scholarship.

Luke Sambol received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship.

Aaron Sine received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship. He was a member of the 2015 Collegiate Honor Choir for the West Virginia Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

Elizabeth Tennant received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship.

Candace Walker was named Outstanding Junior and received the William White Scholarship. She was a member of the 2015 Collegiate Honor Choir for the West Virginia Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

Scholarships are generously supported by the following funds: Richard and Virginia Wellock Endowed Scholarship, Blanche Kinney Fine Arts Endowed Scholarship, Fairmont Concert Association Music Endowed Scholarship and the William White Scholarship.

The achievements of other current students also were noted. Herbert Baker was hired as a member of the house band for American Mountain Theater. Paige Bowser and Tyler Curfman were members of the 2015 Collegiate Honor Choir for the West Virginia Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. The Chamber Choir and Collegiate Singers sang Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass at New York City’s Carnegie Hall with choirs from Texas, New York, Minnesota and Michigan, under the direction of renowned choral conductor, Dr. Anton Armstrong. The Chamber Choir and Collegiate Singers also had a masterclass with Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo in New York City, working on stylistic refinements in compositions by the composer that are in the groups’ repertoire.

Music Alumni Award recipients were C. Douglas Bunner, B.A. Music Education (1973), and Jason A. Noland, B.A. Music Education (2009) and M.Ed. Online Learning (2014). Bunner and his wife Beverly and their children, Brent and Bridget, reside in Fairmont. Noland is West Virginia Society for General Music Teacher of the Year and was elected as the 2015-2016 president of the West Virginia Society for General Music. Other recent alumni include Brian Bailey, who is a published composer through Row-Loff Publishers; Hillary Barlow, who completed a master’s degree at Bowling Green State University; Liz Bertovich, who was accepted into the graduate program in Music Therapy at Shenandoah Conservatory; and Chris Dickey, who accepted a band and choir teaching position at Grafton Middle School.

Department of Communication and Theatre Arts

Lance Beck received the FSU Debate Scholarship. A 2013 graduate of Weirton High School, he is a sophomore Sports Management/Marketing major and a member of the Debate Team.

Morgan Carder received the William White Scholarship and the Theatre Leadership Award. A 2014 graduate of Washington High School, she is a freshman Theatre major and a member of Masquers.

Colleen Dorsey received the William White Scholarship.

Anthony Edmond received the Theatre Leadership Award.

Katie Groover received the Matthew M. and Alberta R. Neely Communication Arts Endowed Scholarship.

Jacqueline Jelacic received the Matthew M. and Alberta R. Neely Communication Arts Endowed Scholarship. A 2014 graduate of Herbert Hoover High School, she is the daughter of Robert and Shelby Jelacic. A freshman Theatre major, she is a member of Masquers.

Bailey Kershner received the Matthew M. and Alberta R. Neely Communication Arts Endowed Scholarship.

Julian Pecora of Clarksburg received the FSU Debate Scholarship. A 2013 graduate of Notre Dame High School, he is the son of William and Andrea Pecora. He is a sophomore Political Science major and a member of the Debate Team.

Stephen Phillips received the Matthew M. and Alberta R. Neely Communication Arts Endowed Scholarship.

Schyler Pudsell received the Marion County Little Theatre Endowed Scholarship, the Matthew M. and Alberta R. Neely Communication Arts Endowed Scholarship and the B.J. O’Dell Sherman Endowed Scholarship.

Bekah Watson of Fairmont was named Outstanding Theatre Graduate. She will be attending West Virginia University in the fall of 2015 to pursue an M.A. in Fashion Merchandising. A 2011 homeschool graduate, she is a senior Theatre major.

J.R. Watson received the Matthew M. and Alberta R. Neely Communication Arts Endowed Scholarship and the Lundix and Angela Saverino Scholarship.

Travis Wilson of Morgantown received the Matthew M. and Alberta R. Neely Communication Arts Endowed Scholarship and the William White Scholarship. He worked at West Virginia Public Theatre in the summer of 2014. A 2011 graduate of Morgantown high School, he is the son of Neil Wilson and Ginger Canter. A junior Theatre major, he is treasurer for Masquers and a member of Alpha Psi Omega, the theatre honorary society.

Ann Marie Witkowski of Fairmont received the Theatre Leadership Award and the Forensics and Debate Leadership Award. A 2012 graduate of Grafton High School, she is a junior Communications major. She was publicity officer for Masquers, a member of the Speech and Debate Team and won first place in the 2015 M.M. Neely Persuasive Speaking Contest. She won the Leadership in Speech/Debate/Theatre Award in 2012, 2013 and 2014. She is a recipient of the William White Scholarship.

Rayleen Working received the Matthew M. and Alberta R. Neely Communication Arts Endowed Scholarship. A 2014 graduate of Bridgeport High School, she is a freshman Theatre major and a member of Masquers.

The following funds generously support scholarships in communication and theatre arts: Neely Freshman Communication Arts Scholarship, B.J. O’Dell Sherman Endowed Scholarship, Marion County Little Theatre Endowed Scholarship, Blanche Kinney Fine Arts Endowed Scholarship, William White Scholarship, Matthew M. and Alberta R. Neely Communication Arts Endowed Scholarship and FSU Debate Scholarships.

Other students were recognized for their accomplishments. Taylor Riffle worked at West Virginia Public Theatre in the summer of 2014 and will be a technical intern at the Utah Shakespeare Festival this summer. The Speech and Debate Team placed third in the state at the 2015 WV Intercollegiate Forensics Tournament. Theatre majors traveled to the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Nashville on a department sponsored trip funded through the Kinney Endowment.

Alumni Award recipients were Jeremy Crawford, B.A. Oral Communication Education (2004), and Bob Shreve, B.A. Theatre (1972). Crawford recently appeared in the role of Little John in American Repertory Theater’s production of “The Heart of Robin Hood” in Cambridge, Mass., and touring to Winnipeg, Manitoba and Toronto, Ontario.

Recent alumni were recognized for their achievements. Lakyn Arrick is interning with Lexington Children’s Theatre in Lexington, Ky., and teamed with Dr. Francene Kirk and Nick LeJeune on a session called “Connecting with Classrooms and Communities: the Virtual Stage as Access, Education and Outreach” at the American Alliance for Theatre Education conference in Denver. Kelly Blake is finishing an internship at Playhouse on the Square in Memphis. Dylan Callery is the Assistant Technical Director at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Conn. Kurtis Dennison is an AmeriCorps VISTA associate for the Taylor County Collaborative and will be moving to Rwanda, Africa, in the fall to serve as an English teacher with the Peace Corps. Lillian Gaylord will be interning with the Berkshire Theatre Group in Stockbridge, Mass., this summer before entering Emerson College in the fall to pursue an M.A. in Publishing and Writing.

Department of Visual Art

Ethan Bolton received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship.

Ty Collins received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship. A 2012 graduate of Lincoln High School, he is the son of Danial and Pauline Collins. A junior Art Education major, he is Art Club president, the student liaison for Gallery 517 and works for the Art Department.

Gabrielle Cooper received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship and won the Composition Award in the Annual Student Juried Exhibition.

Sarah Cory received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship.

Quinn DeWalick received the Bruce Betts Scholarship.

Raven Flanigan of Shinnston received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship. A 2015 graduate of Lincoln High School, she is the daughter of Michael and Amanda Flanigan. She is a freshman Studio Art major.

Kylie Ford received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship and won the FSU President’s Award and the Print Award in the Annual Student Juried Exhibition. She received a Lincoln Scholarship to attend the Chautauqua School of Art summer intensive program at Chautauqua Institution, N.Y. She also had work accepted into the National Juried Exhibition at Middle Tennessee State, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Allison Gay received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship.

Martin Guerrero received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship and has won the first annual FSU Student Government Association Campus Mural Competition. A 2012 graduate of Fairmont Senior High School, he is a junior Studio Art major.

Alex Henderson received the James Brooks Scholarship. A 2013 graduate of Grafton High School, he is a sophomore Studio Art major.

James Jesmer won the Ceramics Award in the Annual Student Juried Exhibition.

Hannah Lenhart received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship. A 2013 graduate of East Fairmont High School, she is a sophomore double majoring in Studio Art and General Business.

Amanda Long received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship and received the Best in Show Purchase Award from Second April Gallery in Canton, Ohio.

Erin McKown was named Outstanding Graduating Senior in Studio Art. Her drawing was accepted and awarded top prize in Tamarack’s Best of West Virginia Exhibition and was awarded the show’s first People’s Choice Award.

Tiffany Richards received the William White Scholarship and won the Installation/Sculpture Award in the Annual Student Juried Exhibition. A 2012 graduate of Preston High School, she is the daughter of Timothy and Bertha Richards. A junior Art Education major, she is Art Club vice president.

Brigitte Satterfield received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship.

Christopher Schultz was named Outstanding Graduate Senior in Studio Art.

Loraine Smith won the Painting Award in the Annual Student Juried Exhibition.

Raye Sullivan-Trippett received the William White Scholarship.

Erinn Thorn received the Blanche Kinney Scholarship. A 2009 graduate of Morgantown High School, she is the daughter of Ronald F. Thorn II and Kimberly A. Calhoun. She is a sophomore Art Education major.

Other student achievements were recognized. Art majors traveled to Baltimore and New York City through department sponsored museum and gallery trips. The student driven Gallery 517 opened in the new Fairmont Community Development Partnership’s Business Excelerator on Fairmont Avenue in Fairmont.

Visual Art Alumni Awards were presented to Holly Groves, B.A. Art Education (2008), and Mica Smith, B.A. Studio Art and B.S. Graphics Technology (2010). Groves of Masontown is the daughter of Neal Groves and Lisa Cale.

Recent alumni accomplishments also were noted. Sandy Attia Ball accepted the art teacher position at Monongah Middle School. Kitty Dixon accepted the art teacher position at the Richard Allen Academy in Athens, Ohio. Josh Floyd accepted the artist in residence position at the NC Pottery Center in Seagrove, N.C. Greg Swiger accepted the Teaching Artist position at the Kennedy Heights Arts Center in Cincinnati. Stacy Elder, Trevor Oxley and Jason Spinks were invited artists for the Chelsea Art Fair in New York City.

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