GEORGETOWN, KY – Dance Marathon Georgetown College (DMGC) raised nearly $6,000 for its 3^rd annual event in support of the Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington. At the start of the session, family members of children who have received treatment at the hospital spoke to the dancers about their experience to enable a better understanding of how funds raised benefit families and patients.

The multi-hour, non-stop dance culminates a year-long effort by students to raise funds which, to date, total $5,900. Ashley Fox, a Corbin junior who coordinated DMGC, says donations will be accepted “for another two weeks.” Anyone who wishes to contribute may do so online. “Just click on ‘donate now’,” said Fox.

Appreciation was expressed to local businesses, faculty, other students, and members of the local community who provided items and money in support of the 17 hour and 87 minute marathon which began the evening of Friday, March 22. “A giant thank you to our dancers, miracle families, and everyone who helped to make this year’s Dance Marathon great,” reads a post on the DMGC Facebook page. “Great work everybody!”

Dance Marathon is held on many campuses to raise funds for the benefit of hospital facilities associated with the Children’s Miracle Network.

GEORGETOWN, KY – “It’s going to be a great adventure!”

That’s what playwright and director George McGee, professor of theatre and performance studies, says of this spring’s Maskrafters premier of his original work entitled “Ireland’s Greatest Export,” a one-act play with music and dance, scheduled for April 20-22 in the Ruth Pearce Wilson Lab Theatre, College Street, on the campus of Georgetown College. Curtain at 7:30 p.m. Buy tickets at the door: $3 for students; $5 for adults.

“Ireland’s Greatest Export” brings to life the cause and contribution of the Irish diaspora in Ireland and North America. McGee reflects upon his own family leaving during the Great Potato Famine in the mid-1800s, and “coming to America in search of jobs and a place to call home,” he says, but eventually realizing that Ireland would always be home in their hearts.

Some cast members rehearsing with choral director and voice instructor June Williams.

The lyric in “Isle of Tears,” one of the tunes featured in the show about arrival at Ellis Island, goes ‘Isle of hope Isle of tears, Isle of freedom Isle of Fears. . .but it’s not the Isle you left behind, that Isle of hunger, Isle of pain, Isle you’ll never see again. . .but the Isle of Home is always on your mind.’

There are numerous other songs in the production, including “Danny Boy,” “The Fields of Athenry,” and “The Parting Glass.”

Choral Director is June Williams, a Georgetown, Kentucky, resident and well-known Scott County voice instructor.

Dance Coordinator is Jana Brill, Professor of Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures at Georgetown College.

Set Design and Technical Director is Robert Pickering, adjunct professor of design in GC’s Theatre and Performance Studies department.

The College’s ensemble cast includes Sam Adams ’15 (Theatre), Shelbyville; Meredith Cave ’13 (Political Science and Theatre), Nicholasville; Taylor Dillon ’16, Crestwood; Liz Duccilli ’15, Cincinnati; Morgan Fralick ’14 (English), Crestwood; Elizabeth Foote ’16 (Psychology), Independence; Hannah Kennedy ‘16, Lawrenceburg; Fiona McElrath ‘16, Altadena, California; Matt Moore ‘15, Taylorsville; Megan Norris ‘15, Albany; Abigail Smith ‘16, Bowling Green; Ethan Smith ’13 (Psychology and Philosophy), Cynthiana; and Ariel Wren ’16, Franklin.

This production by the oldest collegiate drama group in the Commonwealth also features guest musicians, singers and dancers drawn from Georgetown’s campus as well as the community-at-large. These include GC professors Sonny Burnett and Bill Stevens, musicians David Durlick and Thom Hall, and performers Daryl Toney, Hannah Krieger, and AnnaJoy Thompson. Also in the cast is Scott County High School student Sam Sinkhorn.

For more information, contact George McGee at 502-863-8162 or email George_mcgee@georgetowncollwege.edu.

GEORGETOWN, KY – Everyone loves a day at the races, especially when it’s Keeneland.

What could be more fun than tailgating from 11 a.m. -1 p.m. with other Georgetonians before Keeneland’s first race on Saturday, April 6, the second day of the 2013 spring meet.

Appetizers will be provided. It’ll be fun for the whole family!

Plan now to join other alumni and friends in the “Louisville Lot” which is easily accessible from Entrance 2 (the original Keeneland entrance) off of Versailles Road, U.S. 60. Once you enter the parking area, take an immediate left. Look for the GC flag and other orange/black displays.

Alumni Relations Director Laura Owsley has all the details and can answer your questions. Call her at 502-863-8007. Or email Laura_Owsley(at)Georgetowncollege.edu.

Alumni and friends of Dr. John Blackburn, Professor Emeritis of Chemistry, are cordially invited to the dedication of the Dr. John Blackburn General Chemistry Laboratory in Asher Science Center on Thursday, April 18, from 5:30-7 p.m. The dedication ceremony will be followed immediately by a reception.

For several months, efforts have been underway to raise the funds needed to make significant improvements to the lab. The goal of $50,000 is close to being reached, thanks to the generosity of those who remember Dr. Blackburn fondly and appreciate that his teaching helped prepare them so well for their careers.

There is still time to contribute, if you haven’t already done so. Just go online to make a secure credit card gift, or mail a check to Blackburn Laboratory, c/o Georgetown College, 400 East College Street, Georgetown, KY 40324.

Donors’ names will be listed on a plaque permanently placed in the laboratory, unless anonymity is requested.

GEORGETOWN, KY – The Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) has approved Georgetown College’s Environmental Education Endorsement Program for teachers and others working in environmentally-related jobs. The P-12 endorsement program helps bridge the gap between academics and practical application.

Enrollment begins March 13. This 12 credit hour course of study may be taken for professional development or be applied toward a Teacher Leader Master of Arts or Rank One in School Improvement Master of Arts degree. Individual courses may also be taken as electives without doing the entire 12 hour program.

Several teachers early-on enrolled in the program as a cognate, including Diane Lally at St. John School in Georgetown. “Through the coursework, I have honed my skills in not only teaching students about the environment that surrounds them, but also in cross-curricular teaching of a concept often presented exclusively in science classes,” writes the middle school science teacher in an email. She adds, “Going forward, I feel confident that having an endorsement in Environmental Education will prepare me to successfully implement the Kentucky Environmental Literacy Plan and the Next Generation Science Standards in my classroom.”

There are two required core courses in which all North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) standards and guidelines are met at least once. Participants may then choose from several electives for their other two courses, including ones in Environmental Science and English.

Emily DeMoor, PhD, Assistant Professor of Education, teaches the core courses and two electives. “The health and vitality of the Earth and its life systems is the overarching issue of the 21st century,” she says. “Knowledge, creativity, and innovation are called for at this historic moment of transition to a more sustainable way of being on the planet.”

Dr. DeMoor is passionate in her belief that education is key to this transition and that the Environmental Education Endorsement Program prepares educators to creatively cultivate environmental literacy across the curriculum so as to move forward into a hopeful and sustainable future.

Another St. John School teacher currently in the program is Barbara Mardell. “Dr. DeMoor’s course, “Topics in Education: Environmental Ethics and Education,” has enabled me to make deep connections to pressing environmental issues, and has opened my ears to the fundamental call of all people to reflect upon how our actions impact the environment, and what we must do preserve our natural environment,” she writes. “I cannot think of a better practice than the ‘best practice’ of connecting our students to the very planet which sustains us.”

One unique aspect of the Georgetown College Environmental Endorsement Program is that students may elect to explore and understand environmentalism from interfaith religious perspectives. It is an approach not currently offered by other colleges and universities in the Commonwealth and one that invites a spirituality of hope that is informed by science.

Another rather unique feature of the curriculum is the experience offered in partnership with St. John’s Educational Wetlands Restoration Center in Georgetown, Kentucky. Included are a one-day workshop, which is led by wetlands biologist Tom Biebighauser, hands-on learning, and data collection at the Wetlands site.

Other elements include nature writing and journaling, social justice and service learning to help cultivate a deeper understanding of diversity, culture, and justice in the context of the larger life community, and training in the implementation of the Kentucky Environmental Literacy Plan (KELP) for public schools, scheduled to be rolled out in the summer.

Georgetown College’s online and blended programs offer convenient and flexible options. The interdisciplinary project-based courses are designed to cultivate environmental literacy across the curriculum in both formal and informal settings.

For more information, contact Emily DeMoor, Ph.D., Rank I Program Chair and Assistant Professor of Education, at 502-863-8171 or email Emily_DeMoor(at)GeorgetownCollege.edu. Online: http://www.georgetowncollege.edu/education