AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 19, 2018 – The Florida Orchestra, the largest professional symphony orchestra in Florida, comes to the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts at SFSC.
The concert, “Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World,’” takes place on Thursday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m. Tickets are $24 – $32. Tickets may be purchased at the SFSC Box Office, in front of the Wildstein Center, Monday through Friday, 11: 30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., or by visiting sfscarts.org. Students receive a 50 percent discount and groups of 12 or more receive a 50 percent discount plus one free ticket for the group organizer. Sponsors of the performance are Highlands Eye Institute/Highlands Optical, Carol Emery, and Dr. Andrew and Beth Kulick.
Prior to the performance, a Backstage Scoop pre-show talk will be conducted by Florida Orchestra Conductor Michael Francis. The talk is free for ticket holders and will take place in the SFSC Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC) at 6 p.m.
Praised for his “dazzling technique and rhythmic fire” in the Seattle Times and dubbed a “formidable virtuoso” by The Times of London, Cuban pianist and composer Aldo López-Gavilán excels in both the classical and jazz worlds as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber-music collaborator, film composer, recording artist, and performer of his own electrifying jazz compositions.
López-Gavilán has appeared in such prestigious venues as the Amadeo Roldán, Teatro del Museo de Bellas Artes, Teresa Careño, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Jordan Hall, and Royal Festival Hall. A milestone in his professional and personal life came in early 2015 when he joined the New York-based Harlem Quartet—co-founded by his brother Ilmar, the quartet’s first violinist—for concerts in Calgary, Seattle, and Phoenix. His partnership with the Harlem Quartet continued in 2016 with a United States tour that included concerts and residency activities.
In July 2017, he performed with violinist Joshua Bell and the Havana Chamber Orchestra, led by his wife Daiana Garcia, in a “Seasons of Cuba” concert at California’s Festival Napa Valley. He then returned to Chautauqua, where he performed his own music with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra under Garcia. Later that month, he debuted with Nevada’s Classical Tahoe Orchestra as a soloist in Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and in the premiere of his new piano concerto “Emporium.”
Conductor Michael Francis has quickly established himself internationally. Known for maintaining a diverse repertoire while paying particular homage to the composers of his native Britain, Francis enjoys great reception throughout North America, Europe and Asia. This season, Francis debuts with Berlin Radio Symphony, Philharmonia, and the Minnesota and Pacific symphony orchestras and he returns to Komische Oper Berlin, Seoul Philharmonic, and the Milwaukee and Indianapolis symphony orchestras. Furthermore, he will conduct the international ARD competition with Bavarian Radio Symphony.
Francis’ additional guest and return appearances in North America have included the Cleveland Orchestra and the orchestras of New York, Cincinnati, Houston, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. His European engagements have included Dresden Philharmonic, MDR Leipzig, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pflaz, Helsinki Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE Madrid and Mariinsky Orchestra. In the United Kingdom, he has worked with the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC Scottish Symphony. In Asia, Francis has conducted the NHK Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, the Hong Kong and Japan philharmonics, and he has returned to the Malaysia and Seoul philharmonics.
AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 15, 2018 – Growing up, Adam Martin, SFSC business professor, loved music and played it on vinyl, cassettes, and CDs. After battling post-traumatic stress (PTS), music would restore balance to his life and lead him to write and record his first album of original songs.
At the beginning of 2003, Martin’s Army Reserve unit was activated and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“When I came home from Iraq, it was a struggle reintegrating,” Martin said. “I was there for 15 months, and we were in combat situations. I struggled with relationships, sleep, all those things that come to people who experience post-traumatic stress. You go from an environment where survival and mission completion is on your mind 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for over a year. Then you come back to an environment that is none of those things. I had readjustment difficulties and struggled with it for a while.”
When he finally recognized the PTS and acknowledged it, he went for help.
“I got some great counseling and help from the VA,” Martin said. Although he didn’t sing or play an instrument, his counselor at the VA focused on his love of music. She suggested he learn to play an instrument. So Martin borrowed a guitar, locked himself in a room, watched YouTube videos, and taught himself how to play.
“For the longest time, it was just me in my bedroom, learning how to play,” Martin said. “I was bad at first. It was like somebody was torturing cats or something. But one day, it just kind of clicked. I started learning how to play, what chords were, what song structure was.”
In time, Martin decided that he wanted to try to perform in front of an audience. The first show he played was at a restaurant inside Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales. “I didn’t get paid, but I got a free dinner out of it. I didn’t care. It was just me and an acoustic guitar. That’s how it all started,” he said.
One day, Martin ran into work colleague and fellow musician David Hale. Hale offered to back him up on bass and that began Hale’s musical mentorship of Martin.
“I knew nothing about music theory and how some of it worked,” Martin said. “Dave took me under his wing. I started writing songs and learning song structure, lyrics, and it steamrolled from there.”
“It was just us playing together for a little while,” he said. “Then we brought in a drummer, and we’ve been as much as a five-piece band at one time or another—me, drummer, bass player, electric guitar player, and a harmony vocalist.”
“We’ve played almost everywhere locally,” he said. “But we’ve also played at House of Blues in Orlando and Fun Spot-Orlando. We played at the big CountryFlo, a camping and music festival at River Ranch, and we played at the Runaway Country Music Festival in Kissimmee,” he said. Martin also continues to play solo performances.
Over time, Martin decided not to bill himself as Adam Martin but as Blackbird Anthem. The name comes from Martin’s love of Johnny Cash and the band Counting Crows. Cash was known for dressing in black and often called the Dark Bird of country music. “I thought, if I can take the songwriting and rebelliousness that Johnny Cash had doing his own thing, if I could embody even a fraction of that, and if I could take the performance and audience connection side of Counting Crows, and merge those in some way, then I think that kind of music is what people crave today. That idea became like an anthem, like a rally cry. That’s what we need to get back to. That’s what music, to me, is about.”
Martin recently cut his first full-length album, “Southern Ground,” that he recorded in a Fort Myers studio. The album, which features eight original songs written by Martin, hit the streets on Feb. 16.
“I released a four-track extended play record called ‘Stories I’ve Never Told’ about two years ago when I was first starting out,” Martin said. “It’s very much country. I knew I was in that realm but didn’t know exactly who I was as an artist yet.”
“This new album is very much who I am as an artist,” he said. “It’s a southern rock-style album, with driving guitars and strong drumbeats. The lyrics are gritty, and the songs all tell stories. It’s got songs about loss, love, whiskey and tattoos, and things about the South that make it special.”
At SFSC, Martin has been able to integrate his music into the business courses he teaches. “I run my band like a business,” he said. “All my songs are copyright protected, I do my taxes as a business, and I track all my expenses. It’s a small business, so I use those examples in the classroom. It’s cool because I have students who come to my show and students who buy my records. They see me not just as a professor but as a person. Music is something they understand, and they connect with it pretty easily.”
In his Introduction to Business and marketing classes, his band becomes a case study. “I discuss consistent branding, the message of the branding, and social media marketing. I use a lot of social media marketing and consistent branding across all platforms in promoting my band. It’s also a selling process because I’m reaching out to a venue, and I’m trying to sell them on hiring my band and having us come play.”
Given Martin’s background in business, it’s no surprise that his band has as its mission statement: Blackbird Anthem is on a mission to revive original southern music while giving back to the veteran community. “And that’s what I do,” he said.
In fact, Martin donates many of his performances to veterans’ organizations. However, he’s primarily involved with the Houston-based Lone Survivor Foundation that helps veterans across the country.
“I went through their veteran program, and it was life changing,” Martin said. “They provide retreat-type therapy for veterans who suffer from PTS, traumatic brain injury, and they have a separate section where they also help female vets who have suffered from military sexual trauma. It’s an intense five days. They offer individual sessions, group sessions, brain mapping, activities, equine therapy, and yoga. It’s a holistic approach, and you go through this with a group of seven or eight vets who are experiencing the same issues that you are. I’m involved because I believe in that organization so much and what it’s attempting to do.”
Martin is the only musician member of the Anteris Alliance, a consortium of 50 plus veteran-owned companies. The organization hosted an event in Las Vegas in January 2018 and had asked Martin to perform.
While in the studio finishing up recordings for “Southern Ground,” he received a phone call from a Special Operations Charity Network board member. “They’re a veteran non-profit that provides funding and help to Special Operations warriors and military veterans that may need special assistance with health care, counseling, getting their vehicle remodeled if they’re an amputee, and so forth,” Martin said.
Special Operations Charity Network was hosting a concert at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas at the same time as Anteris Alliance’s event and asked Martin to perform. It was a benefit for both Special Operations Charity Network and for Vegas Strong, an organization that offers assistance to the victims and families of those killed and hurt on Oct. 1, 2017 when a man fired 1,100 rounds into a crowd from his Mandalay Bay hotel suite, killing 58 people and injuring 851.
Although Special Operations Charity Network said they couldn’t pay him, Martin didn’t care. He said, “I’m already there. I want to help.”
So, Martin found himself performing for more than 400 people on the Las Vegas Strip, as one of the opening acts for headliner, country music artist Mark Wills. Wills is known for the songs “Jacob’s Ladder” and “19 Somethin’” All proceeds from the fundraiser went to Special Operations Charity Network and Vegas Strong.
Martin quoted a staggering statistic: “On average, 22 veterans a day take their lives, die by suicide. That’s one about every 65 minutes. As a vet, it hurts and deeply saddens me. We can reach them. And that’s one of reasons that I do so much to help out my brothers and sisters.”
He considered that statistic and was moved to write a song called “22.” “There are people who write songs for the war heroes and for the guys that fall in combat and don’t come home,” he said. “No one writes the song about the guys who go to war and survive that war, come home, and lose the battle at home. The song is from the soldier’s perspective once they’ve made that decision to take their own life. It’s a sad song but one I felt needed to be written.”
The song can be found on iTunes and Amazon. All proceeds from “22” go to Lone Survivor Foundation in perpetuity.
“I know that music helped me,” Martin said. “For someone else, it might be woodcarving or whatever. I found a new mission and way to bring balance to my life. Now, I use it to help other veterans.”
AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 12, 2018 – SFSC student Erika Weaver-Coleman was one of 10 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) members nationwide to receive the 2017 Pearson Scholarship for Higher Education, along with its $5,000 award. The scholarship attracted nearly 700 applicants, and recipients were announced in September 2017. Since being awarded the scholarship, Weaver-Coleman has garnered the support she needs as a student, a mother, and a future educator.
“Basically, I get a total of $5,000 awarded in three installments—$1,000 to complete an associate degree and $4,000 over two years to complete a bachelor’s degree,” she said. “I can also get free Pearson textbooks and educational materials as needed along the way, and I’m paired with a mentor who I speak with in one-on-one sessions every month via video calls.”
The Pearson Scholarship for Higher Education is awarded to PTK members who are civically engaged in their community through service and who demonstrate leadership, academic rigor, and excellence. Preference is given to first-generation college students. PTK is an international honor society for two-year colleges and academic programs.
“The $5,000 scholarship has helped me focus on college and not worry about where the money is coming from,” Weaver-Coleman said. “My husband’s a high school teacher, and we have four kids. It’s hard to juggle going to school full time with four kids. But the biggest benefit of getting this scholarship is that my children have now seen, first-hand, how mom’s put in all this hard work for college and has been rewarded.”
Because of her dedication to academics, Weaver-Coleman’s teenage children also have developed an interest in furthering their education, and together they research various universities’ programs of study and potential scholarships.
Weaver-Coleman graduates from the college in May 2018 with an Associate in Arts degree. She plans to continue her education and earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and specialize in Exceptional Student Education (ESE). “I’d really like to stay at SFSC and apply to the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education program,” she said. “I’ve also researched a program at Warner University.”
A master’s degree may soon follow. “I’m leaning toward a master’s degree in cognition and learning,” she said. “I’m interested in why we learn the way we do. I’d like to see teaching as the science that it is, to take the methods of science and apply it to education.”
Weaver-Coleman’s confidence has grown, in part, because of the assistance of her Pearson mentor. “My mentor and I are well matched,” she said. “She also went through a divorce and supported her kids while going to college, and we have similar personalities. But she was a math major, and I’m taking statistics for the first time. She’s coaching me in statistics and helping me better understand that subject. I used to dread meeting with my mentor, but it soon developed into something I look forward to.”
Another component of the scholarship allows the students to post to a blog on the Pearson website, and Weaver-Coleman recently wrote “From Playing School to Becoming a Teacher: One Student’s Journey to Discovering Her Career Path” to introduce herself to her fellow Pearson scholars. The scholars can also participate in an online forum called Student Insiders that is similar to a Facebook page. “I can now easily network with current and former scholars,” she said. “I have the support of those who are in college and those who’ve already been through it.”
“Erika certainly represents the best of SFSC,” said Dr. Sonji Nicholas, SFSC PTK co-advisor and professor of sociology. “We are so proud that Erika was selected for this prestigious award.”
“I really love being part of this experience,” Weaver-Coleman said. “It’s helping me a great deal and is a constant reminder to focus on both the journey and the prize.”
AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 7, 2018 – The Associate in Science Degree in nursing Program at SFSC hosted a successful site visit by three Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) nursing program evaluators, Jan. 30-Feb. 1, serving as the second step of its four-step accreditation process.
ACEN is the leading authority in nursing accreditation, and its goal is to strengthen the quality of nursing education, in all types of nursing programs. ACEN accredits certificate-, diploma- or degree-granting programs in secondary, postsecondary and hospital-based organizations.
“Accreditation is a comprehensive process that encompasses every aspect of an educational program,” said Dr. Michele Heston, dean of health sciences at SFSC. “From the curriculum, to program outcomes, to graduate and employer satisfaction, the process engages the entire program, college and community in its review. A debt of gratitude is extended to our students, faculty, SFSC colleagues, community partners, and alumni for their collaborative spirit and unparalleled support. The ACEN program evaluators commented that it was ‘refreshing to know that there are programs like yours out there, that are caring not only for your students but for your entire community.’”
The SFSC program is seeking to continue its accreditation, having earned initial accreditation of the Associate in Science program in 2013. On Feb. 1, the program evaluators’ exit interview with the nursing education department and senior administrative team was positive. The evaluators cited full compliance with all Standards and Criteria. Several highlights of the exit interview included the following comments by the evaluators:
- “Your community values and appreciates the work that you do. It was evident from all the meetings conducted throughout our visit that your caring influence reaches far beyond the classroom and is felt by this college and the community.”
- “It is refreshing to know that there is a two-year RN program in this community that is not only doing excellent work, but is doing stellar work.”
- “Your graduates articulate The Seven C’s of Caring upon which your curriculum is based. They feel it has allowed them to flourish in caring for the community.”
“Our department has a deep appreciation of the accreditation process and its role in the facilitation of continuous quality improvement,” said Mary VonMerveldt, director of nursing education at SFSC. “We are pleased with the conclusion of a productive ACEN peer evaluator visit and would like to offer our sincerest gratitude to all who assisted in the evaluation process. It is with great pride and humility that we serve as members of the South Florida State College family and local community.”
An accreditation decision by the Board of Commissioners is expected in July following the June Evaluation Review Committee meeting. For more information about the accreditation process or the nursing programs at SFSC, contact the Nursing Department at 863-784-7118.
About the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
ACEN supports the interests of nursing education, nursing practice, and the public by the functions of accreditation. Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review, self-regulatory process by which non-governmental associations recognize educational institutions or programs that have been found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality. Accreditation also assists in the further improvement of the institutions or programs as related to resources invested, processes followed, and results achieved. The monitoring of certificate, diploma, and degree offerings is tied closely to state examination and licensing rules and to the oversight of preparation for work in the profession.
AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 5, 2018 – SFSC students showed off their knowledge of dental hygiene during the It’s Hygienic competition, on Saturday, Feb. 3, on the SFSC Highlands Campus.
SFSC’s Blue team, who called themselves the Molar Bears, came in first place and were presented with a trophy. The dental hygiene students on the team were Isabel Cardenas, Amanda Head, Ashley Marquez, and Donna Miranda. In second place was SFSC’s Red team, called the Prophy Wives. Team members were Eliana Almendarez, Amber Cheraz, Erika Olvera, and Elizabeth Rivera.
The competition covers the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) from core sciences to case study applications in a five-round quiz show format and serves as a means to prepare students for the national exam.
Other colleges participating in the It’s Hygienic competition were Eastern Florida State College (Cocoa), Indian River State College (Fort Pierce), and State College of Florida, Manatee/Sarasota. Each college fielded two teams of second-year dental hygiene students. This is the first year that the It’s Hygienic competition has been held in Florida.
“The It’s Hygienic competition is a rare opportunity for students from a number of colleges to work together and challenge each other in their knowledge of the topics in dental hygiene,” said Dr. Deborah Milliken, chair, dental education at SFSC. “This competition is unique in that it provides students with challenging questions that are typical of the NBDHE questions. The questions are vetted by dental hygiene instructors from around the country, so they are tested and deemed valid and relevant to the national board exam. It is a tough competition because most of the questions are presented orally; only the case study questions are written. Every question response is timed so the game has a rapid pace.”
It’s Hygienic is part of Board Games, L.L.C., which was created in 2015 by Maura Ordovensky and Bianca Harris, who are dental hygiene educators.
AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 5, 2018 –When Bobby Sconyers, South Florida State College (SFSC) dental assisting professor, was 10 years old, he decided he was going to join the army and retire from it. He did and, little did he know, the army would train him for a long career that he loves.
AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 2, 2018 – CareerSource Heartland, Wells Fargo and SFSC are collaborating to offer local businesses employee development training. These two-hour workshops are free to attend and cover Conflict Management, Professionalism in the Workplace and Harassment in the Workplace.
All workshops will be offered at the SFSC Hardee Campus, 2968 US 17 North, Bowling Green, in Room 118, and are as follows:
- Harassment in the Workplace will be offered Friday, March 9, 10 a.m. Learn how to protect your business by learning what constitutes harassment on the job, how to stop it from occurring, and how to handle it if it does happen.
- Conflict Management in the Workplace will be offered Friday, March 23, 10 a.m. Conflict happens in all corners of the workplace. Attend this workshop to learn the key to effective communication and negotiation skills so employees can learn to manage their own conflicts. Managers will learn when it is necessary to get involved to mitigate the situation and tips to deal with difficult employees.
- Professionalism in the Workplace will be offered Friday, March 30, 10 a.m. This workshop will teach the importance of professionalism in business and give actual examples to help demonstrate the point more clearly. Employees will learn that there is a line that should not be crossed between work and personal life. Managers will learn how to encourage employees to improve their level of professionalism. When these strategies are implemented, it will ultimately lead to a better work environment and positive financial impact to the bottom line of the business.
Space is limited. To reserve your spot, email corporatetraining@southflorida.edu or call 863-784-7033.
AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 1, 2018 – Five members of South Florida State College’s (SFSC) Brain Bowl team will participate in the prestigious National Academic Quiz Tournaments Community College Championship Tournament (NAQT CCCT) which will be held March 2-3 in Rosemont, Ill. All two-year, junior, and community colleges from across the United States are eligible to compete in the NAQT CCCT event; however, only five members of a team may participate.
The SFSC Brain Bowl team goes into the tournament with an 18th place ranking out of 24 teams. The five team members are Rubi Barajas from Arcadia, Carolina Bowden from Arcadia, Mathew Daniel from Arcadia, Juan Perez from Arcadia, and Josh Gurll from Sebring. Their coaches are Lena Phelps, David Zorb, and Dr. Brian Deery.
“SFSC’s players love the idea of competing for a national title and going head to head with the best at the two-year level,” said Phelps, chair of library services at SFSC.
SFSC Brain Bowl teams were previously invited to the NAQT CCCT in 2016, 2015, 2012, and 2009.
According to Phelps, NAQT provides the competitors with a list of topics that officials will cover at the tournament in Chicago. “The questions asked are supposed to complement what the students are learning in their classes,” she said.
To prepare for the national tournament, the students practice at the SFSC DeSoto Campus in Arcadia on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at the Highlands Campus in Avon Park on Mondays and Wednesdays. On the way to state tournaments, they make use of the time by quizzing each other.
