St. Mary’s College of Maryland graduated 28 students with the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) on Saturday, June 6. The Commencement address was delivered by St. Mary’s College President Tuajuanda C. Jordan.
President Jordan spoke to the graduates on the value and importance of their future profession. “Those of you who have been called to pursue this noble profession will positively impact our society in ways not yet imagined,” she said. “Who, besides the parent, has the greatest responsibility and role in shaping young lives into the productive and responsible citizens we need? The teacher. You.”
MAT graduates Jennifer Kolb and Samantha Cameron were chosen as this year’s student speakers. Kolb told her fellow graduates to “make the choice to be the best teacher you can be for yourself and for your students.” In her remarks, Cameron spoke of her faculty mentors. “We are amazed and inspired that every year they [faculty] pour themselves so selflessly and tirelessly into this program,” she said.
The student speakers were followed by a musical selection, “Soundbrush/Coagulate,” an original composition by graduates Grace White and Gino Hannah.
Faculty of the Educational Studies Department gave a collective charge to the graduating class. Department Chair Katy Arnett told the graduates to “strive to be active in effecting change—whether it is in students’ attitudes, hearts, minds, or lives.”
The Master of Arts in Teaching degree at St. Mary’s College is a full-time, 11-month program. Certification programs exist for elementary certification in grades one through six, and secondary English, math, social studies, biology, chemistry, physics, and theater for grades seven through twelve. Art, music, and foreign language majors may also certify in their disciplines for grades pre K-12. To learn more about the program, visit www.smcm.edu/mat or email mat[at]smcm.edu.
Students’ Independent Study Project Gives Glimpse into County’s African-American History
Lifelong St. Mary’s County residents Elfreda Talbert Mathis and Dr. Janice Walthour narrate the six-minute video, filmed and produced by St. Mary’s College of Maryland students.
A new video featured on the St. Mary's County Division of Tourism site, www.visitstmarysmd.com, provides a glimpse into St. Mary’s County’s African-American history and heritage. It was filmed and produced this spring as an independent study project by St. Mary’s College of Maryland students.
Students from St. Mary’s College’s “Anthropology of Tourism” class, taught by Assistant Professor Liza Gijanto, and students Dylan Hadfield and Eli Ayres, of the Department of Theater, Film and Media Studies, collaborated on the six-minute clip, which is narrated by two lifelong county residents and highlights historic sites and museums.
Production assistance was provided by documentary and experimental filmmaker David Ellsworth, who is associate professor at St. Mary’s College, and Azie Mira Dungey, creator of the "Ask a Slave" YouTube series. Dungey aided in the project during her time this spring as visiting scholar with the college’s Center for the Study of Democracy. The scholar is asked to deliver a public lecture at the college, be a part of an ongoing class, and spend time in small groups with students.
Funding to support the project came from a three-year grant received by the college in 2012 by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant funds initiatives expanding civic-engagement and service-learning opportunities in the college’s core curriculum.
The video is now available on the African-American Heritage webpage of the county tourism site, under the Activities and Attractions tab, Special Themes and Interest subtab.