Spotlight: Flowing Waters

Partnership program brings Texas State students into local classrooms

By Mary Kincy

Students examine slides under microscopes as part of a Flowing Waters exercise.

A partnership between Texas State and the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District is changing the way middle- and high-school students in San Marcos schools understand science — and just in the nick of time.

Studies show students in the U.S. are lagging in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and Flowing Waters is a hands-on program designed to engage students in the sciences, offering avenues of approach that promote interest and inspiration.

Each year, Flowing Waters places eight Texas State doctoral students in San Marcos schools, where these “resident scientists” encourage students to ask and answer their own questions using the scientific method.

Holidays: Presidents Day

Happy Birthday, George Washington! Presidents Day honors forefathers

George Washington wants YOU to have a great Presidents Day! (Portrait by Gilbert Stuart Williamstown)

What do you think of when you hear the name George Washington? A couple of things may come to mind: cherry trees, crossing the Delaware, wooden teeth and, of course, his role as the first president of the United States of America. We can attribute much of America’s success as a nation to the leadership of Washington and his successors, so we honor presidents past and present on Washington’s Birthday, the third Monday of February.

Also known as Presidents Day, the federal holiday was originally instated in 1879 to honor Washington’s Feb. 22 birthday. Since then, it has expanded in scope to become a day that recognizes the contributions of all 44 presidents — including President Lyndon Baines Johnson, a member of the Texas State University class of 1930.

Find out more about the history behind this holiday below.

Spotlight: Gabriella Corales

Student’s commitment to education to be fostered by national award

By Mary Kincy

Gabriella Corales

Gabriella Corales will be the first to admit life isn’t always easy. But for Corales, obstacles have proved to be opportunities in disguise, setting her on the path to becoming a mentor for those attending schools with high concentrations of at-risk students.

Corales, 21, will graduate from Texas State in May with a bachelor’s degree in English. Her minor is communication studies, and she plans to put that skill to work in reaching out to students she will teach in connection with her receipt of a 2012 fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson-Rockefeller Brothers Fund for Aspiring Teachers of Color.

Holidays: Valentine’s Day

Roses are red, violets are blue — celebrate Feb. 14 with trivia too!

"Ruff ruff" means "I love you."

According to reports, consumers spend $650 million annually on Valentine’s Day. While Feb. 14 is one of the most consumer-driven days of the year — filled with candy, chocolates, flowers and more — it all centers around that elusive human emotion, love.

Valentine’s Day is the premier time to show affection for those most special and dear; however, it wasn’t always that way. The holiday’s namesake dates all the way back to the third century when St. Valentine,  a priest who performed secret marriages in defiance of Roman Emperor Claudius II, was executed for treason on Feb. 14.

Although many people attribute the evolution of Valentine’s Day to Hallmark, there’s a mass of little-known facts behind this heartfelt holiday. Brush up on your trivia (to impress that special someone, perhaps?) below:

Happenings: Spread Love, Not Bugs

‘Spread Love, Not Bugs’ message
delivered for Valentine’s Day

From Health Promotion Services

“Spread Love, Not Bugs” is the theme for National Condom Day, which will be celebrated Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the mall area outside the LBJ Student Center on the Texas State University campus. The event is dedicated to spreading awareness about sexual health, pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention.

Around Campus: Baseball and Softball

Texas State athletics leads off
to a bright spring season

By Billi London-Gray

The first pitch of the Texas State softball season will be thrown this morning as the Bobcats take on Syracuse University in the Kajikawa Classic at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz. Texas State will play six games in the three-day meet, also facing Brigham Young University, the University of California, Arizona State, the University of Washington and the University of New Mexico.

According to the Texas State Athletics Department, Texas State opens the 2012 softball season as the favorite to win the Southland Conference Championship. Thirteen letterwinners will return to the field, including three-time all-conference and all-region selection Chandler Hall and the team’s two other pitchers from last year, junior Anne Marie Taylor and sophomore Crystal Alaniz.

Alumni: Curtis Grimes

From Texas State to Hollywood Hills, Grimes’ talent resonates with ‘Voice’

By Catherine Harper

Texas State alumnus and country singer Curtis Grimes got his start on NBC's "The Voice."

Texas State University alumnus Curtis Grimes could not have imagined that one call would change his life in January 2011. After auditioning earlier that month for NBC’s “The Voice” — a singing competition moderated by celebrity judges — Grimes’ country stylings hit the mark with producers and he was on his way to stardom.

“They reached out to me at first with an e-mail saying they’d like me to audition after they’d seen some of my shows on YouTube,” Grimes says. “The whole experience was awesome.”

After flying to Hollywood, Grimes worked with music coach Cee Lo Green each week of auditions, making it to the quarter-finals on the show. His success with the singing competition has awarded him national exposure, with his new album Doin’ My Time hitting the Top Texas 15 and his new single “Irresponsible” on airwaves last month.

Before his singing success, Grimes was immersed not in music but in baseball as a pitcher at Centenary College in Shreveport, La. After transferring to Texas State in 2005, however, Grimes struck a chord with the music scene in San Marcos.

“Texas State definitely influenced me music-wise, since the country scene is so strong down there,” Grimes says, speaking from his tour stop in West Texas. “It’s kind of a central hub of country music. There were artists like Randy Rogers and Ryan Turner coming from there, so it’s where I found a lot of my influences.”

Bobcat Faces: Jennifer Foster

Texas State theatre major
takes the classroom off-Broadway

By Mary Kincy

Jennifer Foster. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Edwards Photography.

The walls of the classroom have widened for Jennifer Foster, a sophomore majoring in musical theatre at Texas State who is set to star in an off-Broadway musical  starting next month.

Foster, 21, won a place in the ensemble cast of “Fat Camp” after a New York City audition she rearranged last semester’s finals to attend. She says the ability to participate in the musical without jeopardizing her academic career is part of what makes the musical theatre program at Texas State special.

“At most universities, they don’t have a head of department who is still a professional, working actress and who has been on Broadway and off-Broadway,” Foster says of Kaitlin Hopkins, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance. “To have Kaitlin is so rare and so special. She knows what we’re going through because she’s been through it.”

Happenings: Black History Month

Black History Month looks
to the past in remembrance

Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and Black History Month.

In 1915 — half a century after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States — historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland set out to document the struggles and achievements of black Americans and other peoples of African descent. In 1926, they hosted the first national Black History Week, spurring nationwide celebrations.

The founders chose the week of Feb. 12 as Black History Week — which eventually became Black History Month in the 1960s — to honor the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, who had been leaders in the fight to abolish slavery.

In 1976, Black History Month was officially recognized by President Gerald R. Ford, who stated that the celebration was important to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Black History Month honors the past and looks to the future each year to remember this fight for freedom. Check out Texas State’s Black History Month events:

• Last Chance for Eden: Conversations about Race, Sex and Privelege, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 1-3 p.m., LBJSC 3-13.1
• A Day in the Life of Poverty, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m. (Contact MSA for location details: 512.245.2278.)
• Box 13 Collective: Right to Assemble, Art exhibition opening reception, Thursday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m., JCM Gallery II
• My Family Portrait, Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., LBJSC 3-15.1
• Red’s Lounge, Friday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m., LBJSC George’s
• Texas State Desegration Black History Picnic, Saturday, Feb. 11, noon to 4 p.m., Calaboose Museum, San Marcos
• Black History Month Movie Night, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m., LBJSC Ballroom
• “Calling All Worshippers” Gospel Fest, Saturday, Feb. 25, 6 p.m., Centennial Hall Teaching Theater

For a deeper look into Black History Month, learn about the integration of Texas State. Read more about prominent figures and events celebrated by Black History Month below.

Around Campus: Outdoor Recreation Center

Texas State’s Outdoor Center offers Bobcats adventures out of bounds

By Catherine Harper

Amid a beautiful campus and sunny days, it’s almost impossible to stay inside as spring approaches at Texas State. Luckily, there are many resources to facilitate outdoor activity provided by Texas State’s Outdoor Recreation Program — a fast and easy way to connect with campus and beyond in the great outdoors.

The Outdoor Center, located in Sewell Park, houses information about the program, offering students and faculty a direct path of interaction with Texas State’s beautiful surroundings. Among a wide variety of activities, the Outdoor Center provides access to regional and national outdoor resources as well as opportunities for trip planning and preparation guidance.

Additionally, the Outdoor Recreation Program is comprised of six main program areas including the RockWall Climbing Center, Sewell Park, Equipment Rental, University Camp, the GOAL Challenge Course and the Adventure Trip Program.

Jump into the six program areas below: