Through May 31, 2012 the Todd Art Gallery hosts the remarkable work of five MTSU photography students. The exhibit entitled, “In Light: Works from Five Photographers,” features the artistry of Patrick Casey, Malina Chavez, Bradley Marshall, Chris Donahue, and Darby Campbell.

Of his work, Patrick Casey states, “I offer no philosophy, no deep meaning, and no striking social observation. Instead I only wish for you, the viewer, to look at my work and to find yourself,” in his photography which he expresses as the representation of a search for something.

Malina Chavez’s focus is “about connectedness, loss… and personal desires in a world full of mediated social programming.” Her “…work then considers how our interactions with new technologies constantly force us to re-think our current notions of what it means to be human.”

For Bradley Marshall photography is an ongoing study of the contemporary landscape and the imprint that humanity makes upon the natural world. His work explores, “…the tensions and impacting relationships between suburbia and the ever-changing Southern landscape that we continue to shape over the years.”

Darby Campbell’s works are selections from her series, “A Short Commentary on the Female Condition.” She deals with women’s issues, roles, and place within the social landscape. Darby also has included sculptural and installation elements to the exhibit that are drawn from her interests in the free thought movement, natural world, science, and the people in her life.

Chris Donahue’s body of work features an eclectic variety of people and places with a focus on the diversity of everyday people, whether through race, belief, or profession; an interesting study of the human condition as lensed through his camera.

The Todd Art Gallery is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. with all exhibitions, receptions, and lectures free to the public.

For more information and parking on In Light: Works from Five Photographers contact Eric Snyder at 615-898-5653.

Murfreesboro, TN - Rutherford County school officials unanimously voted Wednesday night to dismiss a tenured high school teacher who is under investigation by local law enforcement.

Richard Kimberly, a criminal justice teacher and soccer coach at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, was suspended without pay last month after the board said it was investigation his alleged inappropriate conduct with students.

The Rutherford County Sheriff's office has said it is investigating the allegations.

In documents submitted Wednesday to the Rutherford County School Board, Schools Director Dr. Harry Gill said he received a report on April 13 that Kimberly had restrained a student and tickled him while on a bus going to an away soccer game.

Click here for full article and video, courtesy of WKRN Nashville News 2

Murfreesboro, TN – As part of its free spring speaker series, “Hot Topics for Raising Healthy Kids”, LearningRx Murfreesboro invites the community to a free ADHD “Lunch and Learn” on Wednesday, May 16th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the LearningRx Center located at Suite 1584 in The Avenue.  Guests will enjoy complimentary lunches as they hear from local psychologist Dr. Jerry Campbell Jr., who will discuss the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD symptoms as well as coping mechanisms for children and parents.

Dr. Campbell has been in private practice in Murfreesboro since 2004. He previously saw patients at Centerstone Mental Health Center in Nashville, where he treated both adults and children.

Dr. Campbell received a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Pacific University’s School of Professional Psychology.  He also has a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from MTSU as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

“For parents who are wondering if their child might have ADHD, this will be a good opportunity to learn what ADHD is, as well as whether they should pursue an evaluation for their child,” Campbell said.

LearningRx Murfreesboro’s “Hot Topics for Raising Healthy Kids” speaker series offers lunch and timely information for today’s parents.   Featured speakers are members of our community who are experts in their fields.  General admission to the ADHD “Lunch and Learn” is free and open to the public. However, guests who wish to attend should call as soon as possible to register, as seating is limited.

LearningRx Murfreesboro specializes in treating the causes, not the symptoms, of learning struggles, including those associated with ADHD. The program’s game-like exercises and 1:1 trainer-to-student ratios can provide dramatic improvement in as little as 12 to 24 weeks.  LearningRx Murfreesboro’s “brain training” can help children and adults increase the speed, power or function of their brains.

LearningRx is located in Suite 1584 of The Avenue, at 2615 Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro (upstairs next to the University of Phoenix).

For more information on the event or on brain training, visit www.learningrx.com/murfreesboro/, or call (615) 867-8717.

Murfreesboro, TN - Bradley Academy, an Arts Integrated School, is now accepting zone waivers for new K – 6th grade students seeking to join Bradley for the 2012-2013 school year.

Bradley Academy offers art integration throughout the daily curriculum and is an excellent school choice for children exceling in the arts.  In coordination with standard curriculum, Bradley students attend drama classes weekly and experience a continuum of art studies including playwriting and performance including drama, music, chorus, instrumental music and art.

Bradley Academy boasts a low pupil to teacher ratio and is located in the heart of Murfreesboro. To schedule an individual tour or to meet with the principal, please call 895-2672.  Registration for Bradley Academy is completed on site.

Murfreesboro City Schools consists of twelve schools committed to the academic and personal success of each child.

Over 200 Murfreesboro City School children will compete this Friday in the TryBoroKids Race. TryBoro is a program to challenge kids to get out and be active. Students have been preparing for the TryBoroKids 2.5k/5k race challenge by logging physical activities since February.

"We want our students to be active, " says Kymberly Campbell, MCS Coordinated School Health. "Whether they are playing tag or running a marathon, a child needs to be moving. That's the goal of the TryBoroKids Challenge."

The TryBoroKids Challenge 2.5/5 k is Friday, May 11th for students ages 5-14. Registration is from 4:30-6:00 pm and the 2.5k race begins at 6:30 pm under the lights at Gateway Island in Murfreesboro. The race is open to all students from any school that would like to participate.

TryBoroKids is a partnership of TryBoroKids, Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth, Murfreesboro City Schools, Tennessee Coordinated School Health and Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation.

For more information, visit www.tryborokidstri.org.

Murfreesboro City Schools is a proud district committed to the academic and personal success of each child. With its unique focus on prekindergarten through sixth grade learning, Murfreesboro City Schools is creating a vision that embodies the highest levels of collaboration, professionalism, and excellence.

Murfreesboro, TN - Bradley Academy Theatre and Murfreesboro City Schools invites the public to attend the production of Fantastic Mr. Fox on May 9 and 10 at Bradley Academy.  Performances are scheduled for both nights at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The production features Mr.Fox and his fantastic ways. By day, Mr. Fox writes for the local newspaper.  By night, he has a secret hobby - stealing food from the local farmers that could end in trouble for everyone.

Tickets are on sale now at Bradley Academy. Seating is limited and can be purchased by calling 895-2672.

Bradley Academy is an arts integrated school located in the heart of Murfreesboro. Bradley students attend drama classes once a week and learn everything from playwriting to play performance including drama, music, instrumental music and art.

Fantastic Mr. Fox was written by Roald Dahl adapted for the stage by David Wood.

Murfreesboro City Schools consists of twelve schools committed to the academic and personal success of each child.

A Metro elementary school teacher was placed on administrative leave Monday after an audio tape of her insulting her students surfaced.

Noelle Smith teaches third grade at Sylvan Park Elementary School in Nashville.

Concerned parents told Nashville's News 2 they placed a tape recorder in their daughter's backpack after the student made a disturbing statement.

"She made the statement a couple of nights ago and it just killed me," said the parent who asked not to be identified.  "[She said], 'Well, maybe I should just die.'"

Read Full Story

Courtesy of Nashville's News 2 WKRN

There’s no denying that Rutherford County got swept up in Hunger Games mania this year. Murfreesboro placed on Amazon.com’s list of the top 20 cities most obsessed with the dystopian thriller, and the county has been buzzing about Katniss and her bow and arrow for months.

In Rutherford County, it started with an initiative called One Book, a program created by local literacy non-profit Read To Succeed aimed at promoting literacy in our community. One Book is a collaborative project of Read To Succeed, Barnes & Noble, Linebaugh Library System, and United Way, created to challenge readers in Rutherford County to join in reading the same book.

In case you’ve missed this year’s One Book madness, Read To Succeed’s choice The Hunger Games tells the story of a totalitarian state called Panem that has risen from the postwar ashes of North America. Each year, a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 to 18 are chosen from each Panem district to compete in the Hunger Games, a gladiatorial competition in which only one teen can survive. This battle is televised and played throughout all of Panem, forcing its residents to watch with a mix of grisly fascination and tyrannical obligation.

It’s a bloody, at times gruesome, tale wrought with messages about our culture’s fascination with reality television, our desensitization to violence and the danger of an all-too-powerful government. And from its intended young-adult audience to their parents and grandparents, we can’t stop reading.

As the fifth year of this event comes to a close, One Book's committee invites the community to formally submit their opinions—whether you loved or loathed The Hunger Games— in a survey and to keep reading this summer with One Book's 2012 supplemental reading list.

Visit readtosucceed.org/onebook.htm to fill out a quick survey before July 1st and you will be entered to win a gift card to JoZoara’s coffee shop in Murfreesboro.

Read on to find out what One Book thought about choosing this year instead of The Hunger Games and for a list of what to read next if you loved the young adult novel.

Suggested Summer Reading (including titles considered for 2012’s One Book)

• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer - A boy embarks on a New York City treasure hunt, following clues from his father, killed in the World Trade Center attacks.
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks - The incredible journey of a 15th-century Hebrew manuscript is discovered through a series of microscopic clues; this fictional take on a real-life event makes for spellbinding novel.
• Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes - The brutality of war is detailed in this extraordinary novel by a decorated Vietnam veteran. Matterhorn is considered by many critics as one of the best accounts of the Vietnam war to date.
• The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman--The lives of a group of misfit reporters and editors of an English language newspaper in Rome is portrayed in their lovable imperfection.
• Kindred by Octavia Butler - A young woman is transported from her life in modern-day California to the antebellum South in this magical novel.
• Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann - A look at the intertwined lives of New Yorkers in the 1970s, connected through a tightrope walker at the top floor of the World Trade Center.
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee--An American classic told by young Scout Finch who, along with her brother Jem, are caught up in the racially charged events in the Deep South in the 1930s.

NONFICTION

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (the runner-up choice of this year's One Book): A young African-American mother of five who died in 1951 has likely saved your life. Her cells, harvested without her consent, started a medical revolution and multimillion-dollar industry, yet her family can’t afford health insurance.
• A Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure (MTSU's Community Summer Read for 2012): The first woman to row alone across an ocean
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand: A World War II story of survival, resilience, and redemption
• Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall: A modern-day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together

If You Loved The Hunger Games, try:

• Camp Half-Blood Series- Rick Riordan, Follows the story of Perseus “Percy” Jackson as he discovers his true heritage as a descendant of Greek gods and fights to save his friends and family on Mount Olympus.
• The Chronicles of Narnia- C.S. Lewis, Fantasy series following the stories of the Pevensie children and their friends, who enter the magical land of Narnia through portals in their own homes and backyards, and their adventures with the lion Aslan, the King of Narnia.
• Ender’s Game- Orson Scott Card, A gifted young boy, Ender, may be the earth’s only hope in a global war against an alien army.
• The Inheritance Cycle Series- Christopher Paolini, A fantasy series in which a teenage boy, Eragon, and his dragon, must lead a rebellion to overthrow a wicked lord.
• The Lord of the Rings- J.R.R. Tolkien, Fantasy series in which Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, must band with his fellowship of hobbits, elves, dwarves, men, and wizards in order to destroy the Ring of Power created by the evil Lord Sauron.
• A Wrinkle in Time Series- Madeleine L’Engle, Science-fiction series based on the Murry family whose gifted children seek to find their father, a government agent, who has mysteriously disappeared into a fourth dimension.

With the correct spelling of the word “auditorium,” Central Magnet School sixth grader Shawn Zheng became the 2012 Read To Succeed Read To Bee champion.

After nine rounds of spelling, Zheng beat out Ana Klukowski from St. Rose Catholic School and Ellen Francis from Providence Christian Academy for the title.

Each student participating already won an individual bee at their school to qualify for the annual Read To Bee. The event, in its ninth year, is hosted by Read To Succeed in an effort to show that a concentration on literacy needs to continue into middle school, high school and beyond.

"All of the students participating in the Bee were winners before they ever stepped onto the stage,” said Read To Succeed Executive Director Lisa Mitchell. Mitchell also commended the parents and teachers that came to the Bee to show support for their spellers.

Judges this year included attorney J.D. Kious, Diane Mackey from Rutherford County Schools and Murfreesboro City Schools Director Linda Gilbert. The judges follow the rules of the Scripps National Bees carefully. The sixth grade bee strictly follows the rules of the 7th and 8th grade bees, which directly feeds into the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Elizabeth Church from Rutherford County schools served as the pronouncer, with Rutherford County School’s Barbara Powers serving as Mistress of Ceremonies.

Zheng took home a $100 savings bond from MidSouth Bank and a gift card from the Learning Circle for his teacher.

With the correct spelling of the word “auditorium,” Central Magnet School sixth grader Shawn Zheng became the 2012 Read To Succeed Read To Bee champion.

After nine rounds of spelling, Zheng beat out Ana Klukowski from St. Rose Catholic School and Ellen Francis from Providence Christian Academy for the title.

Each student participating already won an individual bee at their school to qualify for the annual Read To Bee. The event, in its ninth year, is hosted by Read To Succeed in an effort to show that a concentration on literacy needs to continue into middle school, high school and beyond.

"All of the students participating in the Bee were winners before they ever stepped onto the stage,” said Read To Succeed Executive Director Lisa Mitchell. Mitchell also commended the parents and teachers that came to the Bee to show support for their spellers.

Judges this year included attorney J.D. Kious, Diane Mackey from Rutherford County Schools and Murfreesboro City Schools Director Linda Gilbert. The judges follow the rules of the Scripps National Bees carefully. The sixth grade bee strictly follows the rules of the 7th and 8th grade bees, which directly feeds into the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Elizabeth Church from Rutherford County schools served as the pronouncer, with Rutherford County School’s Barbara Powers serving as Mistress of Ceremonies.

Zheng took home a $100 savings bond from MidSouth Bank and a gift card from the Learning Circle for his teacher.