Angelina College Visual and Performing Arts Host Scholarship Ceremony

Date:

Arts Programs Celebrate New and Returning Students

Angelina College’s School of Visual and Performing Arts honored both incoming and returning students in a scholarship ceremony held Thursday inside the Angelina Center for the Arts building on the AC campus. 

Twenty students were on-hand for the ceremony, with this particular group signing to participate in Choir, Visual Arts and Graphic Arts. 

Because the programs have experienced such growth in recent years, the School will host another ceremony in August.

VPA Chair Beckie Compton addressed the 

“Today is all about our students who have worked so hard in both academics and in their particular skills as artists,” Compton said. “This is a fun event, but we’re really just so excited to see you getting started in the fall. 

“We also want to thank all the families and support systems for their encouragement, and we can’t wait to work together in the coming school year.” 

AC president Dr. Michael Simon mentioned the institution’s overall mission of “helping students, individuals and the community reach their full potential.”

“One of the things I think is critical for any community to thrive is having a thriving arts community within it,” Simon said. “Not only is it our goal to help you develop your artistic expression in whatever form that takes, but also for you to think about how you can take those talents back to your community once you leave here.”

Following is the list of signees, with home towns and chosen disciplines listed as well:

Tatum Smith (Nacogdoches), Theater; Julian Chavez (Lufkin), Theater; Sam McMullen (Kennard), Theater; Naomi Hawkins (Lufkin), Choir; Rachel Couch (Zavalla), Visual Arts; Brynn Jones (Lufkin), Visual Arts; Morgan Peterson (Lufkin), Visual Arts; Amy Masi (Lufkin), Visual Arts; Alexia Roman (Lufkin), Graphic Arts; Yolanda Crain (Zavalla), Graphic and Visual Arts; Amber Kennerly (Woodville), Graphic and Visual Arts; Kelrick Thomas (Lufkin), Graphic and Visual Arts; Matthew Rivere (Lufkin), Graphic and Visual Arts; Dedric Smiley (Lufkin), Graphic and Visual Arts; Isaac Flores-Gonzalez (Lufkin), Graphic and Visual Arts; Noemi Muniz Ramirez (Lufkin), Graphic and Visual Arts; Kattie Randles (Lufkin), Graphic Arts; Emily Miller (Lufkin), Graphic Arts; Allie Armstrong (Lufkin), Graphic Arts; and Bethany Reeves (Lufkin), Graphic Arts.

To view the upcoming 2025-2026 schedule of Visual and Performing Arts events, visit the AC website at  https://www.angelina.edu/vpa-calendar/

For further information on VPA programs and scholarship possibilities, contact Beckie Compton at bcompton@angelina.edu

Gary Stallard
Gary Stallard
Sports Information Director Gary Stallard, who also serves as a Liberal Arts Instructor, begins his eleventh season with Angelina College. Following a career as a U.S. Marine, Stallard completed his bachelor’s degree at Stephen F. Austin University, where he majored in English and Journalism. For more than 16 years, he has worked as a sports writer/columnist/photographer for the Lufkin Daily News; he continues to contribute free-lance articles on occasion. Stallard has won several awards for writing, including the Golden Hoops Award for basketball writing in 2003, Regional Sports Writer of the Year in 2004, and the Texas Press Association’s first-place award for column writing in 2007 and in 2014. He has also done basketball, football and baseball radio and live streaming play-by- play and color commentary for an ESPN affiliate. Currently Stallard serves as play-by-play broadcaster for AC basketball, baseball and softball games. Prior to arriving at Angelina College, Stallard taught English at Lufkin High School for four years. He currently teaches Developmental Writing classes at AC. He and his wife Susan live in Lufkin.

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