McKendree forms show choir

By Scott Wuerz

McKendree University has announced the formation of a new show choir group called the Showstoppers.

According to school leaders, the new group will begin performing in 2014 at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts on campus. Adam Pulver has joined the university staff as the Showstoppers coach and recruiter.

"Show choir utilizes vocality, choreography, staging, costuming and production simultaneously," Pulver said. "It takes all of our favorite aspects of performing arts and molds it into one cohesive and powerful show. Show choir is not focused on musical theater or 'Glee'-esque songs, but instead performs songs from different genres, from gospel to Broadway, proving its strength and versatility. Expect great things from show choir; it is the highest form of entertainment."

The Showstoppers will be a select group of 20-40 students that will perform at the 488-seat Hettenhausen Center, the university's performing arts showcase for student talent. Eventually the Showstoppers will participate in competitions, host a high school invitational, and perform at community festivals and fundraisers.

Pulver is the founder of the Academy of Performing Arts at Statesboro, Ga., which includes a dance team, men's and women's ensembles and a mixed choral group. From 2007 until 2011, he founded and directed the Adrenaline Advanced Show Choir at Georgia Southern University. In addition to leading the Showstoppers, he will work with high schools and community colleges to recruit new choir members, and meet with prospective students and their parents throughout the admission process.

To find out more about the Showstoppers, contact ajpulver@mckendree.edu or call 537-6482.

Southwestern Illinois College will offer a humanities course in the spring that comes with one heck of a field trip.

The three-semester, credited course includes a trip to France from May 22-June 2, the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

The 12-day trip will feature tours of Paris and of the D-Day beaches of Normandy, including Omaha, Utah and Juno; and the serenity of scenic destinations such as the Chateaux of the Loire Valley, along with the picturesque countryside of Provence and the French Riviera.

"This is an amazing opportunity to see the cultural and architectural wonders of France, and the rich diversity of the country as a whole," SWIC Instructor Catherine Kreher said. "Travel is the ultimate educational experience."

The trip begins in Paris with a dinner cruise along the River Seine, followed the next day by a panoramic tour of the city featuring the Arc de Triomphe, Cathedral of Notre Dame and the Champs Elysees.

A stop at Normandy, including a visit to the Omaha Beach Cemetery, will be a highlight of the trip. The journey also will feature stops at Sainte Mere Eglise, the American Airborne Museum; Chateau du Clos Luce, Leonardo da Vinci's final residence; the walled city of Avignon, Provence; the Nice Flower Market; and the principality of Monaco.

The Humanities Travel/Study trip, HUM 200, is a three-semester-credit class for $4,949 based on double occupancy booking, plus tuition.

The Psychology Club at Lindenwood University-Belleville is having its first public book sale Thursday. All proceeds will benefit the Psychology Club.

More than 1,000 gently used books from a wide variety of genres will be available for purchase, all for 50 cents each. The sale will not include textbooks.

Formed in 2012, the Psychology Club's mission is student development through psychological principles outside of the classroom.

"On behalf of the Psychology Club, I would like to thank all the faculty, staff, and students who donated books and have assisted in the book sale," said Dr. Diana Jacobs, department chair of psychology and faculty sponsor for the club. "The Psychology Club's goal is to enlighten and inform the Lindenwood and Belleville communities of the usefulness and prevalence of psychology in all fields of study. We hold events on campus year round, including field trips, discussions, community service events, and fundraisers. Please come purchase a book and support the Psychology Club."

Lindenwood University-Belleville is located at 2600 West Main Street in Belleville. For more information on the book sale, contact Melanie Williams at 239-6179.

Leave a Reply