A participant in the 2009 Summer Art Academy shows off her work-in-progress. The School of Art will once again offer its half-day, two-week program for students in kindergarten through sixth grade June 7 through 18 in the Art Building on the SFA campus.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Registrations are now being accepted for the Summer Art Academy offered by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art.

The Stephen F. Austin State University Pineywoods Native Plant Center will host the fifth Lone Star Regional Native Plant Conference June 2 to 5 on the SFA campus in Nacogdoches.

Naturalists, horticulturists, nurserymen, landscapers and gardeners are invited to hear educational lectures on several topics ranging from green roofs to landscape design and native azaleas.

The Department of Computer Science at Stephen F. Austin State University will host a series of summer youth camps and professional development workshops for teachers designed to enhance their technology skills.

The Computer Science Summer Program will consist of four-day camps designed to provide fifth through ninth grade students with a broad exposure to a variety of computing topics through the use of robotics and 3D animation for storytelling. The four camp sessions will run from June 14 to July 15.

A team of forestry students from Stephen F. Austin State University recently placed second at the 2010 Association of Southern Forestry Clubs Forestry Conclave at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

The SFA Sylvans Forestry Club competed in events such as axe and knife throwing, pole felling and climbing, crosscut sawing, log chopping, timber estimation, and wood and wildlife identification. A total of 15 universities accredited by the Society of American Foresters participated in the event.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Music Preparatory Division of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music will present a series of recitals Monday, May 3, through Saturday, May 22. The recitals, which provide an opportunity to showcase the talents and accomplishments of the students enrolled in the various programs, are free and open to the public.

Harp students of Mollie Marcuson will perform at 6 p.m. Monday, May 3, in the Music Recital Hall, Room 160 of the Wright Music Building located at 2210 Alumni Dr. on the SFA campus.

Russell Cannon, junior composition student from Garland, received the Texas Student Composer Award at a recent conference of the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Composers/USA.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - For the third consecutive year, a composition student from Stephen F. Austin State University has taken top honors at the annual meeting of the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Composers/USA.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Stephen F. Austin State University bands will present a free "Concert in the Park" at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 2, in the wooded area in front of the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the SFA campus.

Beginning at 1 p.m., Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, honorary band service fraternity and sorority, will be selling $5 hamburger plates that include a hamburger, chips and a drink.

"We invite the SFA and Nacogdoches community to come join us for some great music by all four bands," said Fred J. Allen, SFA director of bands.

Cast members of Theatreworks USA's production of "Freedom Train" rehearse a scene from the children's musical, which the SFA Children's Performing Arts Series will present at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. Photo by Jean-Marie Guyaux.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Seats are still available for Theatreworks USA's production of "Freedom Train," which the Stephen F.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and Friends of the Visual Arts will present a one-night screening of "American Teen" at 7 p.m. Friday, May 7, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, 329 E. Main St. in downtown Nacogdoches.

The touching and hilarious film follows the lives of four teenagers-a jock, the popular girl, the artsy girl and the geek-through their senior year of high school in a small Indiana town, explained Christian Cutler, director of SFA galleries.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The combined choirs and orchestra at Stephen F. Austin State University will present Joseph Haydn's choral masterwork, "The Creation," at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 7, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

"Even though Haydn is noted as the 'father of the modern symphony and string quartet,' the composer considered 'The Creation' to be his greatest work," said Tim King, director of choral activities at SFA. "We are delighted to be presenting it to East Texas."