Y la ganadora es: Misty (McWilliams) Cunningham

The first-grade students of Misty (McWilliams) Cunningham '99 are learning about their world at the same time they learn their three R's. As a result, Cunningham was awarded the first-ever Arkansas City Human Relations Award.

The award was presented at the annual banquet Feb. 12 of the Arkansas City Human Relations Commission. It is the first-ever such individual award given by the commission, with similar honors presented to a small and a large business in the Arkansas City area.

Colleague Lisa Vetter nominated Cunningham for the award. "She has several ESL (English as a Second Language) students in her classroom, so every day she has a little Spanish class," Vetter explains. "She is trying so hard to make the Spanish-speaking students comfortable."

Cunningham, who studied Spanish in college but did not major in it, is in her second year of teaching at Francis Willard Elementary School in Arkansas City. She splits a position with Katherine Scraper '98, teaching Title I in the morning and taking over the first grade class in the afternoon for math, science, and social studies.

"The award just fit very well with Misty. It's nice to hear all the kids speaking Spanish," says Vetter.

Cunningham's innovation is not limited to her own classroom. She authored a $10,000 grant that has provided Francis Willard the resources to teach nutrition in the classroom and at home. The grant is a pilot project with four states (13 Kansas schools) participating. Students are taught good nutrition and then allowed to get their hands in the dough by making their own snacks. Training and consultation has been provided to the teachers as part of the grant.

Cunningham was a stand-out cross country runner at SC and is assistant cross country coach at Arkansas City High School. -by Joni Rankin

 

Two Grants Aid Leadership Southwestern

Leadership Southwestern will receive more than $35,000 for its programs thanks to two grants announced in the past few weeks.

A $35,000 Faith in Action grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will fund the coalition efforts of Leadership Southwestern with other area groups that provide economic assistance to the elderly, children, and single parent families.

The college organization already has coalitions with such organizations as the American Red Cross, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Cowley County, Grace United Methodist Church, Winfield United Methodist Church, the Winfield Rotary Club, and the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

"It's a nice recognition of the strong partnerships that Leadership Southwestern has with the community," says Cheryl Rude, director of Leadership Southwestern.

"These funds will help us extend our reach in meeting this specific area of need."

The second grant, a $750 minigrant from the Learn and Serve Initiative of the Community Service Program of Kansas State University, will help with several student-led programs.

These funds will help leadership students explore such projects as the hunger and homelessness awareness event, the Children's Health Insurance Program (a statewide fund that helps pay children's health expenses), a Southwestern College handicap accessibility plan, and Career Days.

 

Hall to Lead Men's Basketball

Doug Hall has been named head men's basketball coach, following the January resignation of Brad Horstmann.

As current associate head coach of the Builders, Hall has been a part of the program for the past five years. Hall, Horstmann, and head women's coach, Dave Denly, all played basketball for Wartburg (Iowa) College during the early '90s. They came to Southwestern as a team in 1996.

A native of Guttenberg, Iowa, Hall received his master's degree in sport management from West Virginia University in 1994. In addition, he has served as an intern in the athletic department at the United States Naval Academy for one year, and was sales coordinator at The Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the NBA Detroit Pistons, for 1½ years.

Hall also served as Phonathon director for Southwestern while he was on the coaching staff.

"I am extremely excited to be named Southwestern's men's basketball coach. Over the past five years, I have seen SC improve dramatically as an institution. I'm thrilled to be selected to help take the basketball program to the next level," he said.

He lists recruiting as a top priority, while making sure players are united in their goals. "I feel we have a huge advantage in our facilities. Who wouldn't want to play in Stewart Field House? I love that place," he adds.

Hall and Tiffany (Granzow) '98 were married last summer.

(Caption for photo above: The Christmas break meant a trip to Alaksa for the Moundbuilder men's basketball team. Dogsled races and trips to glaciers were new experiences for many of the players and coaches. The group included sports information director Mike Kirckland '82, coach Brad Horstmann, Angie Horstmann '99, Kyle Wollenberg '96, George Lowe '74, Tiffany (Granzow) Hall, '98, Doug Hall, and Brian Holthus '03.)

 

News Briefs

Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson of Louisiana's state supreme court will be Commencement speaker at Southwestern College Sunday, May 6.

A graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Justice Johnson was an exchange student at Southwestern College during the spring semester of 1962.

Graduation exercises will begin in Sonner Stadium at 4 p.m.

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Founders Day activities March 10 will honor friends and alumni who have made special contributions to the college. In addition to honorary degrees being presented to four trustees emeriti (see outside cover), special donors will be honored when plaques naming members of the Heritage Society (deferred gifts), President's Cabinet (annual gifts of $5,000 or more), President's Circle ($2,500 to $4,999), and President's Council ($1,000 to $2,499), are unveiled.

An estate gift from an alumna and her husband, Lavon Edwards Prokesh '28 and Hugh E. Prokesh, will be recognized when the small dining room in the Roy L. Smith Student Center is named in their memory.

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The Winfield Regional Symphony has been awarded the 2000 Governor's Arts Award for an arts organization, and will be honored April 10 at a ceremony and reception in Wichita.

Directed by SC adjunct faculty member Gary Gackstatter, the symphony has gained renown for its presentation of innovative programming, premiering works with non-classical musicians such as singer-songwriter John McCutcheon and Grammy award winners Tom Chapin and the Paul Winter Consort. The WRS also has performed Gackstatter-arranged premieres with the rock groups Kansas and Three Dog Night.

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Two representatives of Southwestern College-Steve Wilke, vice president for enrollment management, planning, and new ventures, and Bishop Richard Wilke, bishop in residence-visited Malaysia and Singapore in early December as representatives of the United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

The Wilkes visited Methodist College in Kuala Lumpur and Pilley Methodist Institute in Sibu promoting newly-established scholarships. Bishop Wilke preached at the consecration ceremony for the new bishop of Singapore.

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Construction on the new women's residence hall at Southwestern continues on schedule, with students scheduled to move in for the fall term. Track progress of the building, which will house up to 100 freshman women, on Southwestern's Web site at www.sckans.edu/campusnet/womenshall/.