August 3, 2001
Lyon pipe band second in Scottish Championships; prepares for World
Lyon placed second in the Grade 3B championships. There were competitions for Grades 1-4 with Grades 3 and 4 broken into two divisions each. The band was competing at the Scottish Championships as a precursor to the World Pipe Band Championships that will be held in Glasgow on August 11.
In June, Lyon placed second to the U.S. champion Kansas City Saint Andrew’s Pipe Band at the Kansas Highland Games. Lyon’s drum corps took the first place trophy. Saint Andrew’s will also compete in the World Championships.
Margaret Rendina, a Lyon College sophomore, won her age group at the Highland
Dancing Regional Championships held in Kansas City, Kansas, recently.
Her win earned her the honor to compete at the National Championships in Long Beach, California, which were held at the end of July. After that competition, Rendina and Victoria Muirhead, daughter of Will Muirhead, director of the Scottish Heritage Program at Lyon, will travel to Scotland in August to compete in the British Overseas Championship in Edinburgh and the world dancing championships in Glasgow.
When classes resume in the fall, Rendina will again teach Highland dancing to boys and girls ranging in age from elementary to college level. Pipe Major Will Muirhead will teach the bagpipes for second graders through high school.
If you are interested in taking Highland dance or piping lessons this fall, please call the Scottish Heritage Program at Lyon for more information at (870) 698-4298.
37 participate in AEGIS program
Thirty-seven high school students have participated in the AEGIS program “Shakespeare: Page to Stage” at Lyon College this summer. In the three-week residential program, students study the plays and the music of Shakespeare and learn the elements of classical design. They attend classes to learn the process of Shakespearean acting. They rehearse, build sets and costumes, hang lights and perform scenes and music from the plays of William Shakespeare. Participants are rising sophomores, juniors and seniors in Arkansas schools. The program, in its fifth year at Lyon, is directed by Michael L. Counts, associate professor and director of theatre. Funding for the AEGIS (Academic Enrichment for the Gifted in Summer) program is provided by a grant from the Arkansas Department of Education.
AEGIS students work on the stage that will be used for the production of scenes from Shakespeare's plays that concludes the three-week program.
Sisson joins enrollment services staff
David Wilkey, vice president for enrollment services, is pleased to announce that Ms. Deborah Sisson will be joining the enrollment services staff as director of marketing, operations, and research.
Ms. Sisson, a 1986 Lyon College graduate, was a visiting instructor in the business department this past academic year while Dr. Alan McNamee was on leave.
Ms. Sisson received her M.B.A. from the University of Central Arkansas. Prior to her return to Lyon she was employed at the Nabisco Corporation. Her background in sales and marketing will be translated to her position in the enrollment services department.
In addition to her duties in marketing and research, she will work within the office to develop an operation plan that will allow better service to students and other offices of the college. She will also serve as the point person for transfer student recruitment.
“We welcome her to the staff and look forward to working with her,” says David.
Ms. Sisson started her new position July 16.
Thomas lectures at Kennedy Space Center
Dr. David Thomas, assistant professor of biology, recently gave a lecture entitled, “Artificial Ecosystems: From Test-Tubes to Terraformation,” at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The lecture was given as part of NASA’s Space Life Sciences Training Program - a summer research program for undergraduate students. Lyon student, Amanda Price, accompanied Dr. Thomas as part of her summer research experience at Lyon.
Lyon campus summer renovation projects update
By Mr. Ken Rueter
Vice President for Business and Finance
This article is the fourth in a series of updates to keep everyone informed
as to what is happening on campus this summer. These projects are being funded
by the $3 million bond issue that the College issued two years ago.
Becknell Gymnasium – Renovation work in the lower level of Becknell
(locker rooms and training room) has now been completed with the exception of
the new women’s varsity locker room. The end result of this renovation is a
larger and refurbished training room for Lyon College athletes, a new women’s
varsity locker room, and other minor structural changes in the area. Relockering
of the men’s and women’s locker rooms and the varsity women’s locker room
will take place later this summer.
Nichols Administration Building – Much of the renovation work has
now been completed in this building. The new carpeting has been installed, the
walls and other areas have been painted, and the groundwork for the new
electrical and data wiring has been completed. The employee snack room area has
been spruced up and has a new door. We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of
the new furniture and work stations to make the building complete. The new
furnishings are scheduled to be delivered August 9 and the tentative date for
the occupants to move back is August 13. Once everything has been completed and
everyone is back in the building, we will have an open house for everyone on
campus to come visit and view the new environment.
Residence Halls – Carpeting has now been installed in McRae/Rogers
Hall. This now completes all the carpeting work that was planned in the
residence halls for this summer. Love Hall is now in the process of having a new
chiller unit installed. This will complete the installation of all the new
chiller units on campus.
Small Chapel – Carpeting and painting have been completed in this
area.
Tennis Courts – Construction is underway on two new tennis courts.
These new courts are located just to the south of the existing courts next to
Becknell Gymnasium. This will give the College a complex of six tennis courts,
which is the benchmark number to hold intercollegiate matches. The other four
existing courts have been resurfaced.
Derby Science Center update
Work on this project has continued throughout the summer in design
and budget meetings. Almost everything is now in place and work should commence
on site in the very near future.
(Above) Students, many of them accompanied by their
parents, sign in for the summer orientation held at Lyon College July 23. It was
the second orientation day for incoming students; the first was held in June.