Copy Editor

Photos by Chris Allison | David Newman announces the purchase award winners.

The Brookhaven College School of the Arts hosted an awards reception for the Spring Juried Student Art Exhibition on May 8.

Student work was displayed and awaited critique in both the Studio and Forum galleries from April 23 to May 3.

The pieces represented many types of artistic techniques, including metalwork, ceramics, drawing, painting, design, digital media, printmaking, photography, watercolor and sculpture.

A crowd of more than 50 people gathered in the Forum Gallery long before the awards were presented.

The reception’s attendees included art students, faculty, friends and family. BCSA Dean Rick Maxwell served as the function’s grill master, providing burgers and other grilled delights for artists and admirers.

Jurors Award recipients included student Virginia Robertson, who won first place for her oil painting “Return to Room F114;” second place winner Oscar Chacon, for his oil painting “Ruidoso, NM;” and third place winner Amy Titus, for her ceramic and mixed media piece titled “Gun Debate Over Coffee.”

student Amy Titus’ third-place ceramic and mixed media piece, “Gun Debate Over Coffee,” lies among the Juried Student Art Exhibition held May 8.

Students Tori Baker, Jennifer Brandon, Dan Markham and Kenneth Rajspis received honorable mentions.

The awards “all involve an external review of the students’ work,” David Newman, Brookhaven’s Gallery Director and Visual Arts Coordinator, said. This year’s juror for the spring exhibition is Greg Metz, a senior lecturer of the University of Texas at Dallas’ School of Arts and Humanities. Metz is an active collaborator with the Dallas Museum of Art and has exhibited his work in Amsterdam, Germany and Ireland.

His artistic expertise aids the BCSA in preparing students for the real world by mimicking the critique process in professional galleries. Pieces are also selected from the exhibit for purchase by the school to be added to the permanent collection.

Aside from the benefit of handing starving art students checks, the purchase benefits the school as well.

The permanent art collection enhances the aesthetics of the campus and documents the strength of the program, Newman said.

Brookhaven student Virginia Robertson’s first- place painting, titled “Return to Room F114,” is displayed in the Forum Gallery

Brookhaven’s full-time art faculty selected 11 pieces for purchase for the Permanent Art Collection on campus. “The Permanent Collection includes a total of 354 pieces with these acquisitions,” Newman said to the crowd, who eagerly awaited the purchase award announcements.

Brookhaven College President Dr. Thom Chesney said he showed his support for the program by fighting through lunchtime traffic and “driving through a neighborhood he didn’t know existed” to attend the reception.

He congratulated the winners and underscored the importance of the school’s art program. “Our campus as canvas,” he said, “demonstrates our success by every definition.”

Opinion Editor

Next year, the new core initiative may require fewer math courses to satisfy the “quantitative reasoning” requirement under the new draft of the core curriculum.

Quantitative reasoning, communication, critical thinking and empirical reasoning are just some of the objectives that will frame the new core curriculum, which will take effect in Fall 2014.

According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s website, the Undergraduate Education Advisory Committee developed recommendations to revise the Texas Core Curriculum, the first revision since the approval of the 42-credit-hour legislation mandated in 1998.

The new draft of the core curriculum, crafted by the Core Curriculum Review Committee, is based on feedback from students, faculty and discipline committees. It is now available online for review.

With the new curriculum revisions, there may be concerns throughout the district about cutbacks to the current 46- to 48-hour course workload.

“Some disciplines are concerned they will have to teach their courses in a three-credit hour format instead of a four-credit hour format,” Matt Hinckley, co-chair of the Core Curriculum Steering Team for the district, said. “Others want to ensure they remain in the core.”

The new framework requires each course within the curriculum to address at least three of the six total objectives, such as critical thinking and communication, as mandated by the state of Texas.

Reducing course hours may create strain on courses that require coordinated lab work along with lectures, such as biology or anthropology.

“The lecture is fine, but the lab work is more hands-on,” Margarita Hernandez, a Brookhaven student, said. “Some professors have PowerPoints set up online, like on eCampus, so you can just go there and write your notes. But if they cut lab, it would hurt.”

Hinckley said the biggest difference between the old core and the new changes will be that some courses will have fewer options.

Also, fewer math courses will satisfy the curriculum requirements.

More math course pathways will likely open up for students. “Specifically, most students take college algebra at present. Within a few years, we likely will see more liberal arts majors take statistics to satisfy the math requirement,” Hinckley said.

Rodger Bennett, Core Curriculum Steering Team liaison, said he does not believe there will be a big difference with the new changes being implemented and expressed his positive views of the new core draft.

“I like the idea that it has a much tighter structure to it. Students have a much clearer picture in their 42 hours of what they need to accomplish,” Bennett said.

The new core curriculum, once implemented, will transfer in its entirety to any public college or university in the state.

Bennett said students will have demonstrated mastery of the six core objectives upon completing the new 42-credit-hour course load, “which I think is what the business world, the employers, are looking for,” Bennett said, “those skills.”

While these changes take effect Fall 2014, students who previously enrolled in courses in the Dallas County Community College District will still be able to complete the current core curriculum.

Regarding students pursuing the current core, Bennett said: “They’ll have options. It’ll be clearly laid out which direction they want to go. We will make sure the students won’t get caught in the crossfire.”

Bennett and Hinckley serve on the Core Curriculum Steering Team, which was implemented to create, plan and process what the district would do to revise the core.

The CCST is using the information it has collected from each campus in order to craft the final version for approval, which will be submitted to the THECB by November.

The current draft is now up for review on the www.dcccd.edu core resource website. Questions or comments about the new curriculum draft can be sent to Core2014@dcccd.edu.

New Media Editor

Photo by Nicholas Bostick | The donation box for the SGA student gift sits in front of the cashiers inside the Brookhaven bookstore.

The Brookhaven College Student Government Association is creating a class gift program to benefit future Brookhaven students.

The class gift will take the form of a scholarship, which is still in the planning stage, to be funded by current and former Brookhaven students. Former SGA president TonyChris Nnaka said the SGA plans to award the scholarship in 2018 at the earliest, to coincide with the college’s 40th anniversary celebration.

Former SGA officers met with Brookhaven administrators at the start of the spring semester. “We were looking for a way to make an impact in the school and things to do that would give back to students that are coming after us,” Nnaka said. “It hasn’t been done before. This is the first time they are doing it at Brookhaven College, even at DCCCD.”

The implementation of this class gift is an attempt to create a legacy for Brookhaven students. “Anyone who gives to the gift is a stakeholder in Brookhaven College and our future students,” Dr. Thom Chesney, Brookhaven president, said.

According to the American Association of Community Colleges, 45 percent of all 2012 college undergraduates and first- time freshmen were enrolled in community colleges in 2012. Twenty percent of community college students ended up transferring to four-year universities in 2012, and 60 percent of those who did went on to earn bachelor’s degrees.

“The public has caught on, and senior institutions that want to thrive, not just survive, are reaching out to us as we reach out to them,” Chesney said.

The increased role of community colleges in the higher education system and programs such as Brookhaven’s class gift help challenge the stereotype that community colleges have held. “A lot of students see community college as where the unfortunate people go, and a lot of people don’t value it that much, thinking that, ‘Oh, it’s just a starting point,’” Nnaka said. “Most people, after they get their degree, they never mention where they got their associate’s degree.”

Brookhaven is looking to change that stereotype with this new scholarship, which looks to former and current students to contribute. “The number one reason people don’t give [money] is because they aren’t asked,” Chesney said.

“Every dollar that goes toward this gift will go to Brookhaven students, nowhere else.” Chesney also said a lot of students who go on to become successful come to Brookhaven for a few classes without ever graduating.

This knowledge has spurred talk of creating a Former Students Association to connect all former students who want to give back to Brookhaven.

“It is going be a way to increase retention after graduation, not just once you graduate,” Nnaka said. Students are beginning to realize that community colleges are a pathway to a successful college education, and eventually, a successful career, Chesney said. Anyone interested in giving to the Brookhaven class gift can donate at the donation box in the campus bookstore or at the Office of Student Life.

“The entire idea of this is to make it student-centered and student-driven, with no extra funds coming toward it,” Nnaka said.

By Kathryn DeBruler

Staff Writer

Illustration by Vadim Dozmorov

There once was a time when soap ads featured soap, steam billowing out from beneath closed doors and generically attractive people lathering their hair into peaks like beat- en egg whites. There once was a time when companies were honest about wanting us to buy shampoo and when consumers did so because of “new and improved formulas.” In case consumers haven’t noticed, those days are over.

It’s not enough to sell a product anymore. Now companies have to sell self-actualization. I don’t know how Dove got clarity and perspective to fit into its bottles of body wash, but apparently, it did. According to its advertisement released in April, “Real Beauty Sketches,” – the latest in a series titled Campaign for Real Beauty – Dove provides a self-esteem boost right alongside the boost your hair is about to get from that cucumber-melon conditioner.

None of this is actually said, of course, but the implications are there – the subtext being “buy this, you’ll be a better person.” In case you haven’t seen the ad I am referring to, here’s a synopsis:

While oddly celestial back- ground music begins its inevitable swell, the camera pans to a man who is seated alone in a sun-drenched, semi-abandoned loft. “I’m a forensic artist,” he says.  Ok, not exactly how I’d start a soap ad, but then again I’m not Ogilvy and Mather, one of the most successful ad agencies in the U.S.

The next voice comes from a middle-aged woman, who says, “I showed up to a place I’d never been.”  The place she’s referring to is the abandoned loft with the forensic artist – seems legit. Then a different woman says, “We couldn’t see them. They couldn’t see us.”

Whoa, now – Dove, are you going to shed light on the spectrum of human emotion like you promised? It seems like the commercial is about to turn into some kind of weirdo séance involving a goat. There’s a woman talking about her chin, about how it kind of protrudes, especially when she smiles. Phew. Looks like everything’s going to be okay, folks. No goats here, just a bunch of upper-class people, middle-aged, mostly white, and mostly women, complaining about their looks.

But not just any old complaining – complaining with a purpose. The premise of the ad is to have unsuspecting women (who coincidentally appear coiffed and camera- ready) sit down with the forensic artist, who can hear them but not see them, and describe their facial features to him.

A few minutes and a lot of self-loathing later, the sketch is done. Then, a new person is ushered in who has supposedly become acquainted with the previous participant. They then describe the person, albeit in a much kinder fashion.  Finally, the two portraits are unveiled side by side, with the self-loather’s ugly version on the left and the acquaintance’s prettier, more realistic version on the right. Cue the dawning of self-realization and the fake crying.

I understand Dove is trying to convey the message that people are their own worst critics. I’ve got something to tell Dove: that is not news. I generally consider myself fairly knowledgeable about women, because I am one. I know what it’s like to look in the mirror, see imperfections and fixate on them.

There’s no mention in this ad that women don’t need to be physically beautiful – that Victoria’s Secret already has all the models it needs or that there are more important things in life than good looks. Why? Because this ad isn’t selling intelligence, creativity, independence, courage or quirk. This ad is selling soap to make your skin smoother, to make your legs look better, to make you look younger, to make you feel more like what other people already see – all under the guise of promoting real beauty.

I’m all for people feeling better about themselves. The only problem is, this ad doesn’t make people feel better – it makes its target audience feel better. Who is that audience? Attractive women. Dove, you don’t get a pat on the back for incorporating diversity into your ads when your older women are former models, your overweight women are more attractive than the majority of their slimmer counterparts, and your women of color and men get spliced in just long enough that the American Civil Liberties Union doesn’t start a campaign called “Dove: White Is Not Right.”

While Dove theoretically promotes a message of self-acceptance, this ad only features those who deviate from what is commonly accepted as beautiful by the slightest of margins. Where are the women who look like the “ugly” portraits? They exist. And then they’re going out and buying Dove products because they want to support a company that supports women. Wake up, ladies. The only thing that Dove supports is women’s money.

As of press date, this ad was viewed approximately 45 million times on YouTube. The comment feed reflects over- whelming support: “Thumbs up if you totally cried watching this … so inspirational.” You know what’s really inspirational? Ogilvy and Mather. These companies have somehow managed to inspire millions of people (the majority of whom are women) to view this video, to share it and to rally for it, all while delivering a message that is inherently counterproductive and patronizing.

The ad ends with lots of lens flare as one of the featured women is embraced by her cute, denim-jacket-clad boyfriend while another woman says: “I should be more grateful of my natural beauty. It impacts the choices in the friends we make, the jobs we apply for, how we treat our children. It impacts everything. It couldn’t be more critical to our happiness.”

I didn’t realize that I’d get a Brooklyn romance, friends, career and a happy life out of the deal. That’s so much better than a new and improved formula. Forget what I said. I’ve learned my lesson about being a real woman. Thanks Dove.

Amy White

Staff Writer

Picture this: Long ago, a bunch of old guys are sitting around a wooden table, drinking coffee and stroking their scraggly beards. They are furiously writing math problems and constantly dipping their quill pens into inkwells. For fun, one of these mad mathematicians tells the group he has a wondrous idea: “We should devise new ways to add two plus two.  Just think of all the confusion we will cause in the future. And it will make us sound more intelligent when we discuss these ways with outsiders.”

Flash forward to today. We have the new math. Any student or anyone helping a student get through these difficult classes understands what I mean. It doesn’t matter whether the student is becoming a journalist, accountant or rocket scientist. They all have to take the math courses required by the state of Texas.

If all a person wants to do is obtain a college degree in basket weaving, why is math necessary? There are jobs in this world that do require the knowledge of how many ways one can add two plus two. However, there are careers in corporate America where -3(-4y+1)-(2y- 3)-8y+2=2y+2 will never show up. So why force everyone to take algebra?

Mathematics advocates, such as Huffington Post writer David H. Bailey and Scientific American blogger Evelyn Lamb, argue that college graduates with math or algebra courses included in their studies fare better in corporate America due to the problem-solving skills they learn.  Therefore, these students make better employees. School administrators work with businesses to determine degree plans and do the best they can to pick the college courses designed to prepare students for the real world.

People who can take direction, think logically and follow the rules in logical order make predictable and reliable workers.  This is what algebra does for the human mind. Math helps the brain to think a certain way, to follow a train of thought to a conclusion.

In Austin, Texas, there is an amendment to House Bill #3 before the House and Senate to change graduation requirements for high school students.  The new proposal would allow students to drop math classes and replace them with science and technology classes. Supporters argue the legislation offers additional pathways for students.

Opponents contend it waters down graduation standards.  Hopefully, the math department at Brookhaven College is watching this turn of events carefully, because the new bill will have a trickle effect and influence which math requirements would be needed to graduate from Brookhaven or any other college or university in Texas.

Brookhaven offers College Mathematics I (Math 1332), a life math class for those students who need the basics to graduate. According to the course description, this class is designed for liberal arts students and encompasses logic, mathematical systems, the mathematics of finance, an introduction to computers, statistics and matrices.

Rocket scientists, mathematicians, accountants and computer programmers: The list is long for careers that need workers to understand math. The world needs people like that. Where would we be without Microsoft Excel or Word?  Would we be writing by hand and using abacuses?  Our world is a better place because of those willing to study advanced math, and I am sure math was involved when penicillin was discovered or the polio vaccine developed. However, as math has changed the world, the way colleges teach it needs to be changed as well.

Copy Editor

Photos by Scott Mitchell | Michael Hogue addresses the crowd at his Atrium Gallery reception April 28.

More than 50 works of brightly colored art covered the walls of Brookhaven College’s Atrium Gallery from March 25 to April 26.

Pieces ranged the spectrum of artistic techniques. Newspaper illustrations and paintings done on scrap pieces of wood captivated students and staff alike during the March 28 reception.

The display was the result of a meeting between Dallas Morning News Graphic Editor Michael Hogue and Brookhaven Visual Communication Professor Ray-Mel Cornelius. Their friendship began with a fortuitous choice of clothing, a chance encounter and the ensuing conversation between them.

Cornelius first met Hogue in the late 1990s at a grocery store. Noticing Cornelius’ T-shirt, which read “Dallas Society of Illustrators,” Hogue said he was also an illustrator and was new to Dallas.

The two went on to discuss the organization (now defunct) and business in the area. The meeting began a friendship and working relationship that has endured to the present. Hogue has commissioned illustrations from Cornelius to be published in The Dallas Morning News. Hogue always wanted to be an artist. His grandmother was constantly around to provide blank paper and words of encouragement. He worked for a greeting card company while in college and later had a rocky start once he moved to Dallas and began freelancing.

His ups and downs have not kept him from encouraging others, however. “If you have a strong enough passion for it and you’re willing to work really hard, you can definitely make a living doing it,” Hogue said. “As far as being an illustrator’s concerned, if you’re not completely into it, do something else,” Cornelius said, concluding Hogue’s point.

Despite his reluctance to take a job in a corporate setting, Hogue accepted a job with The Dallas Morning News about 10 years ago, due in large part to his wife’s urging him to try it out.

Hogue had struggled as a freelancer and found the newspaper job to be more liberating than expected. Working for a newspaper allowed him to use different artistic styles and techniques. “Freelancers tend to get pigeonholed into a particular style,” he said.

Hogue’s work displayed in the Atrium Gallery made his point, with various types of media including pen and ink, digital, acrylic, watercolor, Prismacolor, silkscreen and collage.

“Students need to be exposed to the work of professionals who are making a mark in the industry the students are trying to enter,” Cornelius said. “They need to know not only is it possible to succeed in this industry, but also the level and quality of work that will be expected of them.”

Brookhaven students could not have a better example than Hogue. He has received more than 50 international awards for his illustrations and a wealth of exposure due to his position as a graphic editor with The Dallas Morning News.

“As someone who is not only very accomplished, but also very enthusiastic about the visual communications field, he’s a perfect example of the level of professional practitioner we want to bring into the Atrium Gallery,” Cornelius said. Hogue’s passion for his work once led to cancelling a trip to see one of his favorite musicians, Willie Nelson, in concert to work on an ad campaign for Toyota.

Hogue also tempered his expertise with some valuable advice for future illustrators.

“The most important aspect of anything is having mutual respect with people,” he said. “Human nature comes into play in every business, so get along.”

Movie Review

By Azure Wedan

Managing Editor

The Illuminati strike again, this time with a $127 million blockbuster film adaptation of “The Great Gatsby,” replete with Jay-Z, Kanye and Beyoncé tracks. Extravagance and glamour radiate from Australian producer Baz Luhrmann’s fifth full-length movie. The screenplay, co-written by Craig Pearce, is based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which at times has been referred to as a sort of handbook on American social history. The book and movie focus on the excess and excitement of the 1920s.

The film begins with an interesting twist on the narrator character Nick Carraway. As the leading voice of the story with a sometimes-unreliable account, Carraway’s character is explained a bit deeper with a new approach to the narration Luhrmann introduces.

Actor Tobey Maguire makes for a believable Carraway as he expertly embodies a fitting blend of inexperience and naiveté. Not so fitting, however, is Isla Fisher as Myrtle. Her appeal is far too evident to play the mistress of Tom Buchanan, who was described by Fitzgerald as containing “no facet or gleam of beauty.”

Daisy Buchanan, woman of scorn and cynicism, is a stretch for actress Carey Mulligan. Her representation of the character suggests more of a conflicted woman than a shallow or materialistic one.

While critics rate Robert Redford’s 1974 version of protagonist Jay Gatsby above that of Leonardo DiCaprio, I disagree. DiCaprio’s Gatsby was far more fitting than Redford’s. His prowess for showing the uneasiness, insecurity and vulnerability of the hope Gatsby possessed made his character the most developed of the film.

I have been a Luhrmann fan for years and I enjoyed the movie, but I would have liked to see more development of the Jordan Baker character. The relationship she and Carraway had in the book was skimmed over in the movie, and the illustration of the “new woman” she exemplified was also missed.

Fitzgerald’s complexities may be difficult to put on screen in such a brief amount of time, but if less time were spent on the visuals, perhaps the development and storytelling would have been richer. Because of the lack of character development, anyone who skipped out on or has forgotten their high school reading of “The Great Gatsby” may leave the theater with questions.

Luhrmann does not disappoint when it comes to the visuals. Scenes switch between various camera effects and screen shots ranging from Super 8 footage to superimposed images. The beautiful costume design is stunning, and the most decisively perfect placement for moments of impact in 3-D make it a treat for the eyes.

Beautiful as it is, all the complicated and dizzying movements can become over- whelming at times. As is typical with many of Luhrmann’s movies, the background is rich with added detail and storytelling. Watch for the woman on the drum set at one of Gatsby’s parties as an example.

The music for the film, produced by Jay-Z, is all over the place. It includes a 60-second sound bite of his chart-topping hit “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” a jazzy cover of wife Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love,” a rich powerhouse vocal melody by Florence Welch and the Jack White song from the trailer to satisfy rock fans.

The music is as over-the-top as the  movie. At times, the music may seem contrived, although it draws a unique comparison to some of Fitzgerald’s style. Luhrmann’s tendency to place musical selections that don’t always make sense together (think Butthole Surfers in his 1996 rendition of “Romeo and Juliet” or his “Elephant Love Medley” ending with a Whitney Houston ballad in his 2001 film “Moulin Rouge”) meshes well with Fitzgerald’s blend of fictional geography and chronological inconsistencies amid actual events and places in history. It’s a way to pepper in the creative details.

Listen for a familiar orchestral arrangement when Daisy and Gatsby first meet that is very reminiscent of the Des’Ree song “Kissing You,” which played during Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting in Luhrmann’s 1996 film.

The two-and-a-half hour movie provides plenty for the senses, and I recommend spending the extra money to see it in 3-D. Luhrmann’s version of “The Great Gatsby” parallels the original storyline better than earlier versions of the movie and better illustrates the important symbolism, such as the green light and the eyes of T.J. Eckelburg.

Literary snobs and Fitzgerald diehards may find the movie lacking in character development, but Luhrmann fans and fans of special effects and design will be pleased.

By Bradley Varnell

Staff Writer

The two-week run of Theatre Brookhaven’s “Almost, Maine” closed May 5, following eight performances. The cast of 12 captured the ups and downs and the laughs and tears that come along with relationships.

Set in the snow-covered, fictional town of Almost in northern Maine, the two- hour-long comedy followed nine couples through eight vignettes, a prologue and an epilogue, as they found, experienced and lost love.

Almost got its name for being a city that “never got around to getting organized,” according to East, one of the show’s characters. At times bordering on the absurd, the citizens of Almost showed the crazy things men and women all over the world go through for love. Behind the laughs was a message the cast hoped audiences would take with them. Jason Martin, who portrayed East and Randy, said he hoped audience members left the show realizing what could happen when you neglect the people you care about.

Yanira Canales, a recent Brookhaven graduate, played Marvalyn and said she felt the stories were relatable and hoped that audience members would see the stories on stage and relate to them.

Audience member Renee Derr said, “It was cute, and it was funny and it was very entertaining.” The rest of the audience seemed to agree. All were lively during the May 2 performance, in which two vignettes proved especially popular:

The first involved two characters literally “falling” for — and over — each other, while the second brought to light the inconvenience the multiple layers required by chilly Maine weather can cause when two lovers in the throes of passion are trying to take things up a notch. It is very hard to look sexy when taking off ski pants.

Although the moments of brevity and laughter were plenty, the show was not without its somber moments.

One particularly poignant scene showed Phil and Marci in a spot where many other couples find themselves: asking where the love went.

Theatre Brookhaven’s last show of the season will be the musical “Little Women.” Auditions are by appointment only May 13-16 and 20-23. Performances will be at 8 p.m. June 27-29 and July 5-6 and at 2:30 p.m. June 30 and July 7.

For more information on auditions or tickets, individuals may contact bhcTheatre@dcccd.edu.

A&E/Sports Editor

Photos by Kathy Tran, Scott Mitchell Earl Ward | A handmade “God bless West” sign serves to raise the spirits of those in the area.

The explosion of a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, killed 15 people and injured more than 160 on April 17, as reported by the Associated Press. Through all of the death and tragedy, the small town of approximately 2,800 hosted thousands of volunteers seeking to help those who were affected by the blast.

On April 19, the roads leading to the site of the explosion were still blocked by police cars. Smatterings of press representatives gathered around the town recording clips for their news segments but were unable to get near the plant.

Damage caused by the blast was visible from the police barricades.

Houses with blown-out windows recently sealed with plywood or storefronts displaying damaged signs could be seen among the devastation.

The Village Shoppe’s sign was missing a letter that had been blown off by the force of the blast.

Gladys Quilter, the store’s owner, said that the blast damaged not only the exterior, but also the interior of her store. “The ceiling is from the 1890s,” Quilter said while pointing up, drawing attention to shallow cracks running across the teal-colored wood.

Quilter was at her home when the fertilizer plant exploded, devastating four blocks around the site. Her home is far enough away from the plant that only her windows were shattered by the concussive blast. After the initial shock, Quilter rushed to West Rest Haven, the nursing home where her sister lives. As she drove down Reagan Street, she said the road had debris along it, and West Middle School and the surrounding apartments had suffered severe damage.

All of the major damage remained on the interior of the quarantined area, but much of the activity around West was outside of the zone.

The town bustled with people, many of whom were not residents of West.  Church groups came in to set up barbecue stations, food trucks drove in from other cities, Starbucks served coffee and the entirety of the festival grounds were transformed into a massive donation center.

Matt Kuta, his son Blaine Kuta, and his son’s friend Seth Wilson, from a church in Anderson, Texas, cook up hamburgers.

In addition to the wave of community service, many federal agencies set up shop at the local Methodist church. Entities such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and law enforcement from surrounding counties used trailers as bases of operations.

The variety of community service was as diverse as the plethora of federal agencies present. Among those present was Therapy Dogs International, an organization that enlists volunteer-certified therapy dogs. The dogs serve a simple purpose — reducing the stress of people in disaster-stricken areas. Lee Boedeker, the main organizer of TDI at West, said, “The power of the dog is unbelievable.”

Various church groups also drove in from surrounding counties to give assistance to West. A group from Chapel Creek Fellowship in Fort Worth turned their trailer into a miniature kitchen. Debbie Day, wife of Senior Pastor of Chapel Creek Keith Day, said the group served two hot meals a day to more than 500 people.

Pastor Day said: “Whenever the community sees you reach out, it does something for them. It gives them hope, and it starts something.”

Danny MacDonald, a resident of Temple, Texas, drove down in his pickup with a trailer and barbecue grill in tow. He drove to West the night the explosion occurred, bringing $600 of food and drinks with him. He made three more trips by Friday. “I couldn’t just sit there being that close,” MacDonald said.

The fairgrounds, the center of community service, had been turned into a warehouse of necessities, from general hygiene products to pet food. Piles of items such as clothes, shoes, toothpaste and dog food were organized throughout the day. Jamie Jordan, a volunteer organizer at the donation center, said more than 800 volunteers helped to organize donations or feed people at the grounds.

At the end of each day, the goods were packed in boxes, put on pallets, wrapped in plastic and loaded onto 18-wheelers (many from HEB) to be driven to the main donation reception center in Hillsboro, the nearest town to West.

Roy Lee, a victim of the blast, gathers necessities for himself.

Brookhaven College responded to the needs of West as well. On April 23, Brookhaven hosted the American Red Cross for a blood drive.

The drive was in response to the recent West and Boston tragedies and their inevitable need for blood donations.

Brookhaven nurse Mildred Kelley said, “When there is a tragic event such as West, the demand for blood goes up, hence the increased need for donation.” Kelley said that more than 25 people donated blood during the April 23 blood drive.

Brookhaven Phi Theta Kappa also put up a West, Texas donation booth during the 2013 graduation party.

There are many organizations hosting donation campaigns for West, such as the car show to benefit West in Waco, Texas, on May 18 and the variety of Support West T-shirts being sold. West still has a need, and there are plenty of outlets for the public to meet the need of the West residents.

Senior Staff Writer

Photos by Earl Ward | an eagle from the Birds of Prey exhibition screams.

The Scarborough Renaissance Festival covers 35 acres and hosts more than 2,000 performers, artisans and staff. The Faire has been held in Waxahachie, Texas, just south of Dallas on Interstate Highway 35, for 33 years.

Army Lt. Colonel Cyle Richard brought his family to this year’s opening weekend. Richard said: “We love the festival and everything that there is to do here. Fun, good food and a lot of fun entertainment — what more could you ask for in a day?”

Customer “playtrons,” the title given to visitors coming to the Faire in costume, consume more than 20 tons of giant turkey legs at the festival each year.

Kelley Franklund, a Brookhaven College student, was at the festival with a few of her fellow roller derby teammates. “I have been going to the festival off and on for the past three years,” Franklund said. “Last year was the first time that I got to go to the TRF [Texas Renaissance Fair] down in the Houston area, which was so much fun.”

Sparrow Dynamic, Brookhaven student Kelley Franklund (derby name WreckLiz N Dangerous), Ares Fury, Diablo Codeine, and Slayer Delilah of Assassination City Roller Derby pose in their festival dress with Tim.

The Scarborough Festival has an annual attendance of more than 200,000 people. Live entertainment featured on 21 stages included numerous bands and musical acts, comedy routines and magic shows.  There were also artisan demonstrations, such as glassblowing, stone carving and woodturning. The festival’s blacksmith also drew a crowd as sparks flew from his anvil while he shaped hot metals.

Bill Casteel was one of the many craftsmen at the festival. “I love coming to this festival and have been showing my copper and bronze sculptures for 20 years here,” Casteel said. “I travel down from upstate New York and stay in my trailer here on the grounds during the festival.”

When Casteel sells one sculpture, he makes another, because he brings a portable workshop to the festival. A Birds of Prey show, presented by Last Chance Forever Birds of Prey Conservancy from San Antonio, Texas, is held four times a day.  Last Chance is a rescue and rehabilitation center for birds of prey.

On the other side of the festival grounds is the Jousting Arena, where three times a day the knights joust and spar with swords. This is not for those with a weak stomach. On occasion, some blood (albeit fake) has been spilled.

Knights reenact a joust.

The Faire runs every weekend from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through May 27. First-time visitors are advised by organizers to wear comfortable walking shoes. The regular ticket price is $24 for adults and $10 for children five and older. Children ages four and younger are admitted free. Discounted tickets are available at any of the Tom Thumb stores in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area or at the Brookhaven Cashier’s Window in the S Building. Adult tickets are $18 and children’s are $9 with the discount. Advance tickets are also available online at www.srfestival.com.