Valdosta State University is doing some serious name-dropping this week. On Wednesday and Thursday, Valdosta State University English Department hosts well-known historian Douglas Brinkley. VSU’s Jeff Vasseur and Mark Smith made this visit happen.
Brinkley is the author of numerous history books, including his latest “The Wilderness Warrior,” which he is expected to discuss during his visit. “The Wilderness Warrior” details the outdoor and conservationist life of Theodore Roosevelt as an individual and as President of the United States.
Winner of numerous awards and placement on The New York Times bestseller lists, Brinkley is regularly seen on television news shows as a presidential expert. He most recently worked as a commentator on the historic impact of the presidential State of the Union speech.
Later this week, Valdosta Symphony Orchestra hosts violin virtuoso Robert McDuffie. With the orchestra, McDuffie will perform Tchaikovsky’s challenging Violin Concerto, but he’s spent most of his recent time preparing for a tour of performing composer Philip Glass’ “Concerto for Violin No. 2, The American Four Seasons.”
An acclaimed and even Oscar-nominated composer, Glass composed this concerto specifically for the internationally known McDuffie.
Valdosta Symphony Orchestra conductor Howard Hsu met McDuffie a decade ago in New York City. They developed a friendship. This friendship coupled with McDuffie being a Macon native, whose name is given to Mercer University’s Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, helped bring him to Valdosta for this weekend’s performance.
Within its own faculty and student body, VSU has several talented individuals willing to share their gifts with Valdosta-Lowndes County. It’s good that VSU’s talented individuals also have a talent for attracting prestigious names to the region.
What We Think
What We Think: Big names coming to VSU
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Leaving NCLB behind
Georgia schools may be sighing in relief today, following the announcement that the U.S. Department of Education granted a waiver to the state, along with nine others, from the rigorous requirements of the No Child Left Behind act.
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Don’t jettison landmark
While we respect the request to relocate the F-86 aircraft from outside Mathis City Auditorium to the new Moody Air Force Base Airpark, we would hope the city and MAFB would reconsider moving it.
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Shame in Berrien County
Unfortunately for Sherrie Williams of the Berrien County school-based health clinic, she talked to The Times and praised the program that she oversees. This pride in her work led to the loss of her job.
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Grading policy: A second chance?
In clarifying the Lowndes County Schools’ controversial grading policy, Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith spoke of second chances.
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Be up to any weather challenge
Georgia’s Severe Weather Awareness Week starts today and runs through Friday. The idea behind the week is to prepare Georgians for weather emergencies and how to keep these situations from becoming tragedies.
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Parents and schools
There is a lot of talk lately about school systems and grading policies, and how all of a child's problems come back to a lack of parenting. But is it really that simple? Can it be a case where the school systems are so focused on the problem few that the majority of students are ignored?
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Thumbs up, thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To Brooks County High School engineering and technology teacher Don Morgan and his students. They recently received national attention for their work with biodiesel fuel. They collect used cooking oil from area fast-food restaurants then process this oil into biodiesel. Morgan hopes to next interest the Brooks County school buses into running on the fuel created in his class. This classroom not only prepares students for the future but may prepare all of us for an alternative energy source.
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Take me out to the ball park
The Valdosta State baseball season begins today. The Blazers host Lindenwood at 2:30 p.m. Nothing beats quality baseball played in warm weather with a great venue like Billy Grant Field.
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What We Think: Signing Day
Wednesday was National Signing Day, the day when high school athletes across the country make official announcements about what school they’ve chosen to sign with.
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School policy fails expectations
Lowndes County Schools recently implemented new grading guidelines for students. These guidelines have left many parents upset ...
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Leaving NCLB behind
