By: Tyler Lopez

The Boger Gallery at College of the Ozarks currently is displaying the exhibition “Seeing Christ Through Darkness.” The exhibit runs through September 30 in the Boger Gallery, located on the ground floor of the Jones Learning Center.

Rounault was a modern artist, known for gloomy and depressing works associated with the Christian faith. Throughout his life, his work was rejected by the Church, and it was near his death that he received a church commission. Rounault’s work identifies with suffering, but also the salvation that Christ brought to the afflicted.

“Seeing Christ in the Darkness” features more than 35 original print from his Miserere Series, as well as works from Fleurs du Mal (I and II) and the Passion Series.The works displayed are from The Bowden Collection, Chatham, Massachusetts, a substantial collection built over many years and many trips to Europe.

This Boger Gallery event, sponsored by the College of the Ozarks Art Department and the Missouri Arts Council, is free and open to the public. Boger Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 1-5 p.m. weekends. For more information contact Richard Cummings, Boger Gallery Director, at 417-690-2268, or e-mail [email protected].

Branson, MO – September 6, 2012 – The Ozark Mountain Legacy initiative recognizes the unique “Ozark Mountain Spirit” that permeates life in our community. This spirit flows from the area’s unique core values – Family, Faith, Friends, Flag, and ensuring a preferred Future. It has defined our area since its beginnings and continues to influence the way we live today.

“For over 100 years, Stone and Taney counties have been a ‘special place,’ both to live and visit. Our Ozark Mountain Legacy simply describes what makes us ‘special,’” said Jack Herschend, co-founder of Herschend Family Entertainment. “It also defines what we want to be in the future.”

Ozark Mountain Legacy acknowledges, however, that in order to preserve this ‘special place,’ we must be intentional. “The decisions that we make today in our local governments, businesses, schools, organizations, and families, will determine what this area looks like years from now,” said Dean Kruithof, Branson City Administrator. “The Legacy is a positive statement of our community’s values on which we can choose to build our future.”

Recently, several “catalyst” teams have been meeting in both Stone and Taney Counties. The goals of these teams are to help connect fellow passionate citizens who want to preserve the values of our culture and to create hands-on opportunities for community-wide engagement in passing on those values to the next generations.

Taney County Legacy Catalyst members have championed the Legacy Youth Institute, which is designed to equip young leaders to “shape the culture” as they position themselves to influence the future of Ozark Mountain Country. Starting this fall, ten Taney and Stone County high schools will send junior representatives to participate in the six-session program.

Stone County Legacy Catalyst members have developed EarthWise Recycling Center by partnering with Reeds Spring Schools and students, area businesses, and passionate volunteers. EarthWise will initially be open on Saturday mornings from 8:00 a.m. until noon at their location on the Reeds Spring High School campus. Both the EarthWise Recycling Center and the Legacy Youth Institute will kick off on Saturday, September 22nd.

“We hope that these opportunities will train and equip our youth to preserve and pass on the values of our community,” said Jory Rolf, Executive Director of Ozark Mountain Legacy. “When the youth become passionate about our area’s legacy, we can be sure that the Ozark Mountain Spirit will be transferred to the next generation.”

For more information about the Ozark Mountain Legacy initiative or either of these catalyst projects, please contact Ozark Mountain Legacy at (417) 598-1314, or visit www.ozarkmountainlegacy.org.

American Red Cross Swim Lessons Offered
By: Turner Brock

College of the Ozarks, in conjunction with the American Red Cross’ “Learn to Swim” program, will offer swim lessons for two weeks, September 17-20 and September 24-27, at the Howell W. Keeter Athletic Complex Natatorium.

Lessons are offered to children ages six months through 15 years. The “Parent and Child Aquatics” program, available to students six months to four-years-old, will begin at 5 p.m. nightly. The “Learn to Swim” program, available for students ages five to 15, will be offered in two different sessions. The first session begins at 5:30 p.m., and the second begins at 6:15 p.m. Participants will be divided into groups based on abilities, and each group will have its own instructor.

There are eight lessons in the program, and the registration fee per student is $60. Participants may register beginning Monday, September 17, by calling Associate Professor of Physical Education Bill Keeter at (417) 690-2567 or C of O Athletic Department at (417) 690-2393.

Special Speakers Shari Braendel and Ted Cunningham to Address Men-Only and Women-Only Crowds
By: Turner Brock

Shari Braendel, author of Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad, will speak to women only at College of the Ozarks on September 5, 2012, at 6 p.m. in the Youngman Agricultural Center.

That same evening, at 7 p.m., Ted Cunningham, the founding pastor of Woodland Hills Family Church in Branson, will speak to a men-only audience in the Jones Auditorium.

Braendel has become one of the nation’s preeminent speakers for fashion and beauty for Christian women. She will discuss fashion “DOs,” and explain why it is important to dress the for body you have and not the one displayed on the cover of the latest fashion magazine.

Cunningham is the author of Young and In Love: Challenging the Unnecessary Delay of Marriage. He also co-authored four books with Dr. Gary Smalley including, The Language of Sex, From Anger to Intimacy, Great Parents, Lousy Lovers and As Long as We Both Shall Live.

Both convocations are free and open to the public. However, students receive priority seating; remaining seats will be available to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For more information, please contact the Dean of Students office at 417-690-2224.

College of the Ozarks Students Shop for Deals to Give Needy Children Basic School Supplies and Necessities
By: Linda LeNeve

There are tens of millions of children in developing countries who have never attended school. While a number of factors contribute to a lack of education among children in developing nations, one key component is access to basic school supplies.

However, this back-to-school season, C of O students are looking beyond their own school supply lists and making a difference in the lives of needy kids overseas. By maximizing back-to-school sales, they are stocking up on items for Operation Christmas Child, a year-round project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham. Participants fill shoe boxes with school materials, toys, necessity items, and letters of encouragement for children in poverty around the world.

This shoe box packing effort, requiring months of organization and preparation, is expected to bless over 9 million children this year suffering the effects of natural disaster, disease, war, terrorism, famine and poverty.

In 2012 Operation Christmas Child anticipates reaching a milestone—collecting and delivering shoe boxes to more than 100 million children since the project began in 1993. Through the power of a simple gift and the message of hope through Jesus Christ, children learn they are loved and not forgotten. For many of these children, the shoe box will be the first gift they have ever received.

Individuals interested in taking part in the Operation Christmas Child ministry this year can get involved by doing these things:
• PREPARE – Help enlist families, churches, scout troops, community groups and businesses to take advantage of back-to-school sales by collecting school supplies for shoe box gifts.
• PACK – Fill shoe boxes with school supplies, toys, necessity items and a letter of encouragement and drop off the gift boxes at College of the Ozarks during National Collection Week November 12-19.

For further information and brochures, contact Linda LeNeve, Relay Coordinator at 417- 690-3449.

The Princeton Review just released its guidebook of The Best 377 Colleges, available in bookstores and online. College of the Ozarks was included among Princeton Review’s best. The private, Christian work college also made a few other noteworthy lists included in the guidebook designed to help prospective college students find a quality college that best fits them.

The Princeton Review surveyed 122,000 students from the 377 institutions included in the book to rate their schools on dozens of topics and campus experiences. Sixty-two noteworthy lists in categories ranging from town relations to campus culture are included in the guidebook.

A few noteworthy lists that College of the Ozarks made are:
Got Milk?–#2
Scotch and Soda, Hold the Scotch–#2
Don’t Inhale–#4
Future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution–#2
Town-Gown Relations Are Great–#6
Most Religious Students–#7
Most Conservative Students–#6

College of the Ozarks Students Selling Milk

“This isn’t the first time that College of the Ozarks has been named to the popular Got Milk list,” said Elizabeth Hughes, public relations director. “We are honored to be included in such a select group and recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation by The Princeton Review.”
According to the Princeton Review profile of College of the Ozarks (pg. 184, Best 377), which intertwines direct quotes from students surveyed from the college with its own observations, ”’Partying is almost nonexistent, but students don’t seem to mind.’ They’re happy ‘creating lasting friendships while getting not only knowledge in the classroom setting but also working skills for future jobs.’”
The profile also says that “Students describe the academic experience at this tuition-free, Christian college as ‘very challenging and very rewarding.’”
For more information, please visit www.princetonreview.com.

The countdown has begun for the 23rd annual Honor America Celebration at College of the Ozarks on Sunday, June 24, beginning at 4:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend this old-fashioned patriotic celebration. Music, children’s activities and a picnic begin at 4:30 p.m.; the patriotic program and concert takes place at 8 p.m. Attendees may purchase barbecue items on site.

“Honor America has become a tradition that people of all ages can enjoy,” said Elizabeth Hughes, College of the Ozarks public relations director. “Kids can play with tinker toys, make bubbles and much more, while parents and grandparents can enjoy great music, barbecue and relax. Folks who attend will experience an atmosphere reminiscent a patriotic celebration of yesteryear.”

This year’s event will feature several musical favorites, including bluegrass by Copper Fox, the Mark McCauley and the Downing Street Boys who will entertain with traditional southern gospel music and the cast from Red, Hot… and Blue!, who will perform American classics from the 40s, 50s and 60s.

West Point Bugle and Drum Corps Hellcats

Before the sky lights up with fireworks, attendees will hear a patriotic concert and witness more than 200 years of tradition with the West Point drum and bugle corps, The Hellcats, as they perform a fantastic display of bugling and drumming.

After dark, an elaborate fireworks display will conclude the event. Honor America is free and is open to the public, but don’t forget your lawn chairs. Alcohol, tobacco products, fireworks and pets are strictly prohibited. For more information, please call the Public Relations office at (417) 690-2212.

2012 Honor America Program (PDF File)

July 7, 2012
8:30 AM-1:30 PM

Join award-winning Chef, Robert Stricklin, in The Keeter Center kitchen to see how local farming inspires his cooking style. Only 8 spaces available for this memorable experience! Reserve today!

$75 includes Cooking School, Nature’s Harvest Lunch, & Admission to the Smithsonian of the Ozarks: Ralph Foster Museum

Taneycomo Festival Orchestra – Branson and Hollister, MO, June 17-30, 2012

The Taneycomo Festival Orchestra is a new nonprofit organization that provides a free two-week concert series of classical music in Branson and Hollister, Missouri. We seek to break the 19th century tradition that attending a symphony concert is a formal and elitist event by providing an accessible and casual concert series while continuing to preserve these great works of art in our destination city. Come as you are and enjoy the beautiful music!

Besides providing a unique concert experience for Branson and Hollister locals and tourists, the TFO hopes to provide a unique experience for musicians to spend a couple of weeks in the beautiful Ozark Mountains to play in an orchestra with other students and local professionals. Students will be hosted by generous local families and may receive grants for travel and expenses.

The Taneycomo Festival Orchestra is set to debut June 17-30, 2012 and plan to give two symphonic concerts and three chamber recitals. At these concerts we will feature many talented musicians from the Branson are and around the country including soloists Tyler Vahldick (trombone), Cale Hoeflicker (guitar), Larkin Sanders (clarinet), and Steven Snowden (composer).

2012 Schedule

Chamber Concert – Meet the Musicians
Thursday – June 21,2012 at 8:00pm
Location: Vintage Paris 260 Birdcage Walk Hollister, MO

Symphonic Concert – Featuring Tyler Vahldick, Trombone
Friday – June 22,2012 at 8:00pm
Location:College of the Ozarks Newman Recital Hall
1 Industrial Place, Point Lookout, MO

Chamber Concert – Charming Chamber Music
Saturday – June 23, 2012 at 8:00pm
Location:Plum Bazaar Garden – 123 Main Street Branson, MO

Chamber Concert – Featuring Steve Snowden, Composer
Sunday – June 24, 2012 at 2:00pm
Location:Presbyterian Old Stone Church – Corner of 4th and Pacific Branson, MO

Quartet Concert – Featuring Echelon String Quartet
Tuesday – June 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
Location: Vintage Paris 260 Birdcage Walk Hollister, MO

Irish Music – Featuring Echelon String Quartet (Tenative)
Wednesday – June 27, 2012 at 8:00pm
Location:Waxy O’Shea’s – 235 Branson Landing Boulevard Branson, MO

Chamber Concert – Featuring Cale Hoeflicker, Guitar
Thursday – June 28, 2012 at 8:00pm
Location: Vintage Paris 260 Birdcage Walk Hollister, MO

Storytime Concert – Featuring Steve Snowden, Composer
Friday – June 29, 2012 at 4:00pm
Location:College of the Ozarks Newman Recital Hall
1 Industrial Place, Point Lookout, MO

Symphonic Concert – Featuring Larkin Sanders, Clarinet
Saturday – June 30, 2012 at 8:00pm
Location:College of the Ozarks Newman Recital Hall
1 Industrial Place, Point Lookout, MO

Contact: Larkin Sanders
Taneycomo Festival Orchestra
205 Woodson Bend Road
Branson, MO 65616
(417) 294-0500
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.taneycomofestivalorchestra.com

College of the Ozarks invites the public to attend the 23rd annual Honor America on Sunday, June 24. The event will begin with a picnic at 4:30 p.m. where attendees can purchase barbecue items, followed by a musical entertainment beginning at 5 p.m. and a patriotic program and concert at 8 p.m.

“Honor America has become a tradition that people of all ages can enjoy,” said Elizabeth Hughes, College of the Ozarks public relations director. “Kids can play with tinker toys, make bubbles and much more, while parents and grandparents can enjoy great music, barbecue and relax. Folks who attend will experience an atmosphere reminiscent of an old-fashioned patriotic celebration.”

This year’s event will feature several musical favorites, including bluegrass by Copper Fox, the Downing Street Boys who will entertain with traditional southern gospel music and the cast from Red, Hot… and Blue!, who will perform American classics from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Before the sky lights up with fireworks, attendees will hear a patriotic concert and witness more than 200 years of tradition with the West Point drum and bugle corps, The Hellcats, as they perform a fantastic display of bugling and drumming.

“Patriotism is a main focus at College of the Ozarks, and Honor America is a great way to celebrate that,” said Hughes. “I can’t think of a better way to begin your Independence Day festivities than by coming to the College’s beautiful campus to listen to music that encompasses the American spirit and to pay tribute to our nation.”

After dark, an elaborate fireworks display will conclude the event. Honor America is free and is open to the public, but don’t forget your lawn chairs. Alcohol, tobacco products, fireworks and pets are strictly prohibited. For more information, please call the Public Relations office at (417) 690-2212.

West Point Bugle and Drum Corps Hellcats