International Studies Program: Motlow Smyrna Student Tim Niedzielski Explores Galápagos Islands

Interview By Ramona Shelton

Motlow Buzz Faculty Managing Editor

     Motlow Smyrna biology student Tim Niedzielski recently had a life-changing experience by studying abroad with a group of fellow college students as a participant of the Tennessee Consortium of International Studies Program. Here is his story. (Photos by Tim Niedzielski)

QUESTION: What made you decide that you wanted to become involved in Motlow’s international studies program and take a trip abroad?

ANSWER: I already had thoughts about the possibility of doing study abroad early in the fall 2018 semester last year. However, I think what really sealed the deal for me was when Motlow hosted its International Festival that was sponsored by the Tennessee Consortium for International Studies, or TnCIS. All it took for me was one glance at the study abroad course offerings and I found something that I was interested in right away. The possibility of me being in that foreign place studying the subject that I love began to grow on me, and soon I wasn’t able to stop thinking about it! I had to go! It was simply an opportunity that I could not pass up!

QUESTION: Had you ever been outside of the country before and if not, were you afraid to do this? How did you overcome any fears you might have had?

ANSWER: Actually, I have been out of the country before multiple times! My family has a Polish background, and we have lots of relatives on my mom’s side living in Poland. Every few years, we visit during summer and spend roughly a month there. So, because of that, international travel is nothing new to me. However, for anyone who has never been out of the country before, it can be both really exciting and nerve- racking. This was my first time going to a foreign country by myself and without anyone that I knew, and it just so happened that I chose one of the most remote locations offered. It’s one thing going to a foreign country, but to go to an isolated island region roughly 900 miles off the coast and spend a month there by yourself is an entirely different story!

As far as my fears about the trip went, I really didn’t have many. I just had faith that we would all get there safely and that the pilots/ boat captains knew what they were doing. All my luggage went there and back and I came back, a little scratched up and disappointed that the trip came to an end, but all in one piece. To anyone who is afraid of the unknown, don’t be scared to try new things. It was my first-time snorkeling, and for a guy who has glasses, can’t see 5 inches in front of him without them, and has never swum in 30-foot-deep water before, I really didn’t know what I was getting into. I was literally in something over my head. I had to learn to trust the members of my group, the instructors, the guides, and myself and have faith that nothing bad would happen.

QUESTION: What was the process of getting involved in the program?

ANSWER: The process was extensive! There were times in the process where I wanted to give up or thought that the whole thing would be all for naught. You have to fill out an application, get recommendation letters, send a transcript, pay fees, and so on and so forth! Then if you wish to get the study abroad scholarship, there is another application and an interview for that yet! I say these things not to scare off anyone who is considering doing study abroad, but to have you really consider the commitment that you are about to make. If you want it badly enough, don’t let anything stop you!

QUESTION: What kind of tips/tricks can you give us that will help future travelers as they begin their own application process?

ANSWER: Start now! Get everything done as soon as you can, so that you won’t have to worry about deadlines. It’s a lengthy process, but when everything is all said and done, hopefully you will realize that it was all worth it! Make sure to pay attention to important deadlines, manage your time, and constantly check to see if all the steps have been processed.

If you happen to make it to the interview portion of the Study Abroad Scholarship process, then treat is as you would any job interview. Be as professional as possible and come in prepared! 

QUESTION: Where did you end up going, and what made you choose this particular option?

ANSWER: The place that I ended up going to was the Galápagos Islands, a small archipelago located roughly 900 miles west off the coast of Ecuador. For me, there was almost no reason not to choose to go to that place! Galápagos, also nicknamed the Enchanted Islands, is a highly coveted travel destination for any biologist or person seeking an animal-related career. It is famous for being the birthplace of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, housing animal species that can be found living nowhere else in the world, and the famed Galápagos giant tortoise! As someone who is seeking a degree in animal-related biology, to have been given the opportunity to spend a month in the Enchanted Islands sounded like a dream come true.

QUESTION: Tell us about your trip! What kind of interesting and unique sites and adventures did you have? Would you go back again?

ANSWER: Would I go back...? Ha-ha. In a heartbeat!!! This trip was unlike any other that I have ever been on, and has radically changed my life. It’s that fantastic of a place!

Man, so much happened on this trip, it’s hard to even decide where to start. Just flying in and getting to town was an adventure! We ate great food, swam in pristine, blue water, walked along the beaches, hiked volcanoes, explored lava tunnels, and saw some of the coolest, weirdest, rarest creatures on Earth.

Some of my favorite memories are the 12-mile round trip endurance hike to the highest point of Santa Cruz Island, swimming with marine iguanas, shark pups (they mostly avoid humans, but still… keep your distance), penguins, and sea turtles, hiking to a ginormous volcano crater, finding a snake that can’t be found anywhere else on the face of the planet, and getting to see the coolest bird ever--a blue-footed boobie!

QUESTION: Did you go solo or were you a part of a group? If group, please tell us about your fellow travelers. Did they come from Motlow or from other colleges?

ANSWER: I went with a fairly decent sized group; however, I was the only student who represented Motlow. The large majority of students in my group either attended Pellissippi State or Nashville State Community College. It was scary for me to be the only one from Motlow and not know anyone else in the group. However, after attending a group information meeting about the trip and being stuck in an eight-hour flight layover, we became close rather quickly. Many of the students in my group were there for the experience or needed to complete their credits but do it in a unique setting. Only a small handful came for the same reason that I did. Over the course of the month, I managed to get to know each member of the group quite well, and we became a large family of sorts: not just having class together, but going on excursions and dining together as well. My roommate, Eric Rosenthal, was one member whom I particularly grew close to. We practically did everything together, from strolling through town to exploring the landscapes and beaches in search of wildlife and endemic snakes. He is an amateur herpetologist (someone who looks for and studies reptiles) as well as a Youtuber, gymnastics coach, and yo-yo trickster.

In all honesty though, everyone in our group was awesome. I miss them terribly and hope that a reunion can be arranged soon.

QUESTION: What parts of your trip turned out to be as good as or better than you expected? Was there anything that you regretted or turned out to be not-so-good?

ANSWER: Personally, I have very few regrets with this trip. I just wish that I could’ve done more and seen more yet, that I had brought more durable foot-wear, and that one of the captains wouldn’t have driven the boat in circles and made everyone sea sick! As far as expectations went, it was everything I had imagined and more! I was just amazed at how close the animals let you come to them. They’re not afraid of people! Also, I was underprepared for just how much wildlife there was; from teaming schools of fish, to geckos in your own hotel room! I kid you not when I say just how much of a gem the Galápagos Islands are. It’s one thing to read a book or see internet pictures of the place, but to physically be there and witness the beauty of the Enchanted Islands first-hand was something extraordinary that I’ll never forget. 

QUESTION: What is the learning environment like?

ANSWER: Although I’ve described this trip as if it were a paid vacation, yes, IT IS STILL A CLASS!!! That said it is very easy to get distracted. I personally found it a challenge trying to study in such a cool, foreign place, but I knew that if I didn’t do well the consequences would not be enjoyable. Don’t fall into the habit of getting too distracted. It’s not all fun and games! You represent your campus. You still have to do the work!

The classroom setting itself was very casual. For us it was usually at our hotel, either at an outdoor patio or on top of the roof. What was really fascinating is how whenever we went on a tour or excursion, whatever we read or learned about during class we would get to see it in real life and make those kinds of connections. For example, we would read about the effects of a certain invasive species and then as our group would be doing a tour, someone would spot that invasive specie and we would be able to have an on-site, min-lesson. I think that that is what my favorite thing about study abroad is. You’re not confined to a conventional classroom. The whole world is the classroom!

QUESTION: What do you miss the most about this place?

ANSWER: The quiet, the culture, not having to worry about crime or rough neighborhoods (It’s an island. All the locals know each other!), the food, the natural beauty, the unique wildlife, etc. Just all of it. The biggest thing for me would most likely be the sense of community. Here in the States, everything and everyone is so spaced out and individualized. Over there, we would laugh together, commute together, shares meals together, and study together. You don’t have to drive a long distance to go places, you either walk, take public transport, or sit in the back of a boat.

QUESTION: Why do you want to go back?

ANSWER: There is still so much more to see! I still haven’t seen everything on my bucket list. I want to visit more islands, go scuba diving, see a whale shark or hammerhead shark migration, and possibly come back as a field researcher!

QUESTION: What advice would you give the next Motlow student who is planning to go to the same place as you did?

ANSWER: First, come prepared! Especially weather-wise! Climate can differ slightly from island to island. One may be lush and verdant, while the other is extremely arid and almost dessert-like. Weather also differs depending on your altitude; closer to sea-level, it will be more tropical. In the highlands, rainy, wet, and overcast. You’ll need to have your raincoat just as handy as you do your sunscreen.

Second, bring good quality footwear! Along the beaches and in town, you’ll want something that can go between both land and sea and is capable of draining sand and water. For the excursions/ volcano hikes, hiking books are a must have! The entire archipelago is made up or volcanic rock, so be prepared to walk several miles over rugged terrain.

Third, bring a camera/ Gopro! Take as many photos and videos as you can! A good majority of the animals are critically endangered and disappearing fast, with many species on the islands already gone. Have something to remember them by and share to others as I have done.

Lastly, explore! Have fun and don’t be afraid of new situations or new things! 

‘A Woman’s Voice: Stories of Strong Women in History’

By Ramona Shelton

Motlow Buzz Managing Editor

        Beginning in 1987, March was officially recognized in the United States as Women’s History Month, but the story does not start there. In 1978, a group of teachers in California proclaimed the first Women’s History Week because they felt that International Women’s Day, a celebration begun in 1911, was not enough. This group focused on the struggle for women to receive the right to vote, a fight spearheaded in the late 19^th and early 20^th century by equality activists such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul. The success of these women opened the door to the passage of the 19^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which finally gave suffrage to the women of this great nation.

        Thanks to the success of the Sonoma teachers, the Women’s Action Alliance and the Smithsonian Institution began calling in 1980 for not just a week but a full month of celebrations of the contributions women have made in American and World History. It took them seven full years of fighting but beginning with President Ronald Reagan, every U.S. President has set off Women’s History Month with an official proclamation.

        In 2011, the Obama Administration issued “Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being,” an official study showing not only the current status of women in the United States but also how it had changed throughout the decades. The last time such an official study was done was during the Kennedy Administration’s 1963 Commission on the Status of Women, a domestic offshoot of the United Nations committee of the same name. The question begs to be asked… over the course of the 48 years between these two studies, how much had actually changed for women in this country? The simple answer is nowhere near as much as it should have! It is all too easy to think that women had little impact on history until 2011 or 1987 or even 1911, but the real truth is that women have always been the backbone of history and the stories of these women going all the way back to ancient times deserve to be told.

Telling stories about remarkable women are (from left) Jamiyah Richardson, Joan Holland, James Wilkinson, Debbie Stockdale, Amy Campbell, Ramona Shelton, Jena Clew, Jessica Barber, Kamron Holliman, Ashley Holt, and Stacy Dowd. (Photos by Charles Whiting)

        With this in mind, the Motlow Smyrna History Club sponsored “A Woman’s Voice: Stories of Strong Women in History,” a spoken word event, on March 27. Students, faculty and staff were invited to tell the stories of women, ancient and modern, American or international, famous or not, who had an impact on history. Speakers were encouraged to wear purple or green, the official colors of Women’s History Month. Purple was chosen because historically it was the color of royalty, and green was chosen by the early leaders of the Women’s Suffrage Movement.

        Over a dozen speakers presented details on women whose stories they believed deserved to be told. Stacy Dowd, biology professor, spoke on Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor in American History. Dr. Blackwell managed to get into medical school at a time when women were seen as too weak for such a thing. Her acceptance was seen as a joke, but she refused to back down. In addition to not only getting her degree, she was a pioneer in this country in simple things like handwashing to lessen the spread of infection.

Stacy Dowd

Jena Clew

Jasper Emerton

        World History students Jasper Emerton and Jena Clew spoke on two powerful women from Egyptian History, Cleopatra and Hatshepsut. Both of these women became Pharaohs of Egypt, a position traditionally held only by men. As successful rulers, both of these women managed to increase Egypt’s wealth and power though both had sad endings. Hatshepsut died from bone cancer likely caused by the chemicals in ancient cosmetics, while Cleopatra committed suicide rather than being captured by the Roman military, to whom she had just lost a war.

Amy Campbell

        Some of our subjects still have an impact to this very day. Amy Campbell presented the story of Elizabeth Jennings Freeman, a woman who refused to give up her seat on a trolley car. In history classes, we often discuss how Rosa Parks did something similar in the 1950s, but Mrs. Jennings’ actions happened decades earlier. Like Parks, Jennings refused to back down and took her discrimination case to the courts. 

Jamiyah Richardson

        Jamiyah Richardson spoke on Madam C.J. Walker, the first African-American female self-made millionaire. Madam Walker started a home business selling hair products for African-American women and became so successful that she was able to continuously expand her business.

Joan Holland

James Wilkinson

        The subjects of James Wilkinson’s and Joan Holland’s tales were women who began a fight for recognition and equality that is still ongoing. James thought about telling his grandmother’s story, a woman who was a part of the Women’s Corps in World War I, but since he thought she might not have impacted enough people in history, he switched to Helen Keller. Helen Keller was born with sight and hearing but lost those senses at 18 months when she suffered from a bout of Scarlet Fever. Not knowing what to do with a child with disabilities, Keller’s family essentially allowed her to turn into a holy terror. As she got older, they brought in Anne Sullivan, a teacher connected to Alexander Graham Bell, and she got Keller on a path to lifelong education. Keller graduated from Radcliffe College and published multiple articles and books. Nelly Bly, the subject of Joan Holland’s speech, was the pen name of journalist Elizabeth Cochran. Bly is best known for her newspaper expose’ of the treatment of women in asylums. It was common for women to be committed to insane asylums for the slimmest of diagnoses and once inside their doors, they were not likely to be heard from again. Bly managed to get herself committed so she could report firsthand on the deplorable conditions. Getting in was easy but getting out was not. She had to get her editors to fight for her release because, as an inmate, she was unable to “prove” she was sane.

        Ashley Holt and Jessica Barber told the stories of two women who set out to encourage others in very different ways. Ashley’s subject was Jane Addams, a woman who came from a well-to-do family in Chicago near the turn

Ashley Holt

of the 20^th century yet realized that her city was filled with people who did not have the same advantages as she did. Jane Addams took money that she inherited from her father and used it to start Hull House, a place for women and children to not only find shelter and food but also support and education. Without Jane Addams, so many would have died on the streets, and the world recognized her work with a Nobel Peace Prize. As Jessica Barber pointed out, helping women break the mold they were forced into by

Jessica Barber

male-dominated fashion gave women a sense of control in their lives. This was the life’s work of Coco Chanel. In the time after the World Wars, Chanel realized that women’s fashion was dictated by men and was quite often used to force women to create personas that “kept them in their places.” Taking her cue from men’s fashion, Chanel first morphed menswear into female forward clothing and then she created something that women to this very day still embrace- the “Little Black Dress.” Thanks to Coco Chanel, women had the opportunity to dress for themselves rather than to impress the men of the world.

        The idea of the strong woman who has an impact on history does not mean that she had to be a famous woman. Two of our speakers told the stories of local women who have inspired others. Nursing student Kamron Holliman

Kamron Holliman

spoke about Nashville area Dr. Melan Smith-Francis. Dr. Smith-Francis does not sit in an office and wait for patients to come to her. Rather she goes out into the community and brings care to those in need. Her hands-on and caring approach ensures that those most at risk do not fall through the cracks. Dr. Smith-Francis has inspired Kamron to become a nurse himself so he can follow in her footsteps and help others. Tierney Finnie took a different tactic with her subject, a teacher who is no longer

Tierney Finnie

with us. Rather than tell the story of Lisa, a middle school teacher who inspired Tierney herself and countless other students, Tierney honored Lisa’s memory with a personally written poem directed at Lisa herself. It is easy to imagine this amazing woman smiling down from above, knowing that in her lifetime, she inspired so many students like Tierney to follow in her footsteps and help others.

        The event was bookended by its organizers, Professors Ramona Shelton and Debra Stockdale who both spoke on impactful First

Ramona Shelton

Ladies of the United States. Professor Shelton told the story of Martha Washington, a woman most often dismissed as her far more famous husband’s frumpy, dumpy little wife. In reality, Martha Washington was as much of a fighter as her husband. She helped him with many of his successes during the American Revolution and in the establishment of the United States. Martha Washington definitely deserves to be remembered as one of our greatest Founding Mothers. Professor Stockdale closed the show with the story of Barbara Bush, wife to one President of the United States and mother to another. Despite satirists making fun of her for her looks- saying she looked more like Bush 41’s mother than his

Debra Stockdale

wife- and her white hair -- which was caused by the shock of losing her three year old daughter to leukemia -- Mrs. Bush never backed down. Her platform as First Lady was literacy education.

        The History Club would like to thank everyone who attended or helped with the event. This was one of the first such Women’s History Month events held in Smyrna and thanks to campus-wide support, it was a huge success.

A Trip to the Cheekwood Mansion and Museum

By Ramona Shelton

Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

        Nestled within Belle Meade, an area of Nashville known for its old mansions and very expensive new builds made to look old, is the Cheekwood Mansion and Museum. This large estate dating from the early part of the 20^th century was the venue for the latest MSCC Smyrna History Club trip.

        At the time we went, Cheekwood was holding its “Cheekwood in Bloom” festival. To get to the mansion itself, visitors have to walk through all the site’s grounds and lush does not come near to describing the landscaping. The grounds looked like someone had painted them in strokes of orange, yellow and cream thanks to the thousands of tulips currently blooming. On the day that we went, there were several families there with their young children, using the floral explosion as backdrops for some really cute kid pics.

Cheekwood is known for terraced patios (Photo by Ramona Shelton)

        Just outside of the house itself was a series of terraced patios. The bottom patio overlooked the small pond on the property but the higher up the yard we went, the more beautiful things got. After climbing a set of steps marked with the ominous sign “Historic Steps, Traverse Carefully at Your Own Risk” (which this author is proud to say that she successfully traversed without falling and breaking anything!), we arrived at the second patio level. This one had a small reflecting pool bracketed by stone statuary and an even more beautiful view of the grounds. But the top level, with its covered patio just off the back of the house, offered breathtaking vistas of not just the Cheekwood grounds but also different sections of Nashville. At the time when the mansion was built, there would not have been a skyline, so the family’s views would have been farmlands for miles.

History Professor Ramona Shelton (center) with members of the Motlow Smyrna History Club

        As we walked into the mansion’s entryway, we were greeted by a docent who told us the story of the family behind the mansion and grounds. Nashville’s Cheek family made the first chunk of their wealth in the coffee industry. In the 1920s, their Cheek’s Special Blend was sold nationwide and garnered the attention of General Mills, a company best known for their cold cereals. GM wanted to branch out into other groceries and saw Cheek’s Special Blend as a good jumping off point. In 1928, GM paid the Cheek family $40 million for proprietary rights to the coffee formula and the farms where the coffee beans came from. Interestingly, this sale occurred just before the Great Depression hit so the family’s wealth was solidified. But don’t worry about GM spending so much money at such a time. This coffee is still available for purchase to this very day under the name General Mills gave it -- Maxwell House.

        The ground level of the mansion includes the entryway where the docent told us about the family and its coffee, as well as the family parlor which opens up onto the top-level patio mentioned before. While this room is still set up fairly similar to how it looked when the Cheek family lived there, it is different than most museums. Since the Cheek family often had guests over and played games in the room, there are several tables still set up that people can still sit down at to play checkers and other games.

        While the upper two floors are set aside as art galleries, there are still several rooms that are much like the Cheek family left them. The second floor included a loggia, a formal sitting room with a grand piano, as well as a formal dining room and ladies’ parlor. The top floor included Mr. Cheek’s study which had the family crest in a stained glass window. Both of these floors currently had art exhibits including several paintings on loan as well as art pieces done by Belmont University students inspired by pieces from the Cheekwood collection. The top floor also had a couple of interesting displays. One was a series of photos and sculptures by a local artist who takes pieces of serving crystal and breaks them into smaller shards for display. The other, and slightly more disturbing, display came from another artist who works with plexiglass furniture. The centerpiece of the display was a Lucite baby bed with the left side sinking into the ground, leaving the cradle at a 45-degree angle. According to the description, the piece was made to show the juxtaposition of birth and death.

An example of fine art on display at Cheekwood Mansion (Photo by Ramona Shelton)

        Sadly, at the time that we went, the items connected the Cheekwood collection I most wanted to see were not on display. The Cheekwood Museum is one of the few museums to have displayed Fabrege Easter Eggs from the Romanov Dynasty. As a part of the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation, the Cheekwood has served as home for three of these priceless pieces of art history.

        To learn more about Cheekwood, visit http://www.Cheekwood.org.

The Story of St. Patrick

By Ramona Shelton

Motlow Buzz Managing Editor

            While March of 2019 is best described as WET, March in general is most often known for one holiday - St. Patrick’s Day. Everybody knows that St. Patrick’s Day is synonymous with Irish, green, and leprechauns but the true story behind St. Patrick and the day set aside to honor him is more interesting than our watered-down traditions.

            Sorry to burst your bubble, but Patrick himself was not Irish. Shocker, I know since he is the Patron Saint of Ireland, but according to History.com, Patrick was actually born into a moderately wealthy family in modern-day England in the 5^th century AD. His family was wealthy because of his father’s position as a deacon in the local Christian church, but that does not mean they were particularly devout. Because Christianity was still finding its foundations in Britannia at that point, becoming a church leader allowed Patrick’s father to have tax breaks and incentives.

            This wealth earned Patrick’s family the attention of rouge Irish tribesman. When Patrick was 16, Irish raiders attacked his family’s home and carted him off as their prisoner. They kept him as prisoner for over six years. In his journals, he noted that he dreamed of the voice of God telling him it was time to go home but that he would return to Ireland as a missionary. It took him 15 years of study to become an ordained Christian priest, but at that point, he asked for and was granted a position in Ireland, ministering to the Christians there. This debunks a couple of long-held beliefs about Patrick. Firstly, if he was stationed there to minister to Irish Christians, that tells us he was not the one to bring Christianity to Ireland. Also, for some reason, stories about Christian missionaries in Ireland like Patrick always include miraculously converting the populace as a whole by driving the snakes out of the land. Scientists at National Geographic argue with this part, saying that there were never that many snakes in Ireland to start with. It was covered by glaciers for so long during the Ice Age that snakes had already found homes in other places.

            Regardless, Patrick was successful and popular as a minister to the Christians already in Ireland as well as serving as a missionary to bring more Irish people into the Christian fold. The vast majority of the Irish people were pagan, so Patrick did what other early church leaders did - superimposed Christian connections over their traditional pagan beliefs. For example, the Celtic cross that is still used in the region to this very day looks different than the typical Christian cross. It has a circle in the center where the two bars cross. Patrick knew the Irish pagans were sun worshippers, so he added the sun to the center of the cross. Didn’t Jesus, the Son of God, hang at the center of that cross? Therefore it is an easy jump to say sun = Son of God. Part of the Irish pagan beliefs were tied to the oral tradition of their heroes. Patrick took up those stories with a Christian spin, showing how the Christian God backed those men of legend and gave them the ability to become heroes. Talk about adding to some origin stories! Stan Lee ain’t got nothing on St. Patrick!

            Interestingly, as much as this man is revered as a saint and is truly considered to be the Patron Saint of Ireland, as far as the Catholic Church is concerned, this is a misnomer. To truly be considered a saint by the church, a person has to go through the full canonization process, including his supporters providing proof that he performed at least one miracle and being acclaimed by the church hierarchy as a saint. According to History.com, this process did not exist until several centuries after Patrick’s life, and while there are several saints who were put successfully through this process posthumously, Patrick was not one of them. However, the Catholic Church does acknowledge the fact that Patrick attained sainthood through popular acclaim.

            St. Patrick died in Ireland on March 17, 460/461 AD, so that date became the day to celebrate his accomplishments. It is easy to assume that as Irish immigrants made their way to the United States over the years, they brought traditions such as St. Patrick’s Day parades, Irish flags flying, and dying everything green with them. However those assumptions are incorrect. In the mid-1500s, an Irish Franciscan friar named Luke Wadding solidified the idea of honoring Patrick’s death date into a true Catholic feast day, but this was much more of a day of introspection than of a bacchanalia-like celebration. In 1737, Irish immigrants in Boston, tired of being belittled for their Irish customs, decided to step up the celebration game. They were the first ones to add the parade and wearing green aspects to the feast day. Green was the color of Ireland, and Patrick was their patron saint, so these immigrants took to the streets to celebrate their heritage. Three decades later, the parade aspect spread to New York City. But Ireland’s official website says that the parade idea did not take hold in the motherland until Waterford held Ireland’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1903 and Dublin finally joining the club in 1931.

            It is not just Ireland and Irish immigrants in the United States that hold a green out each year to celebrate Patrick. In recent years, the Colosseum in Rome, Sacre’-Coeur in Paris, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, and the London Eye have all shined green on March 17. While U.S. celebrations tend to include dyeing rivers green and going on pub crawls, this amazing man’s story is one the world remembers and honors each year.

Being 'Hip' at the HIPS Conference

     Motlow Smyrna faculty members (aka "The HIP Seven") gather between educational sessions at the 2019 High Impact Practices Conference at Western Kentucky University. 

Being "hip" at HIPS are (from left) Professors Khalid Tantawi, Ramona Shelton, Tamara Jones, Debbie Stockdale, Mary Jo Johnson, Stacy Dowd, and Charles Whiting.

'A Woman's Voice' to Feature Stories of Strong Women in History on March 27

Team Faculty Wins 'Trivia Night'

By Ramona Shelton

Motlow Buzz Managing Editor

            

        SMYRNA -- Back by popular demand this semester was "Trivia Night," hosted by the Motlow Smyrna History Club. Last year’s reigning champs, Stephen King’s I.T. (our wonderful IT crew), was not there to defend their crowns, so when the night started, everyone knew there would be a new team to win the bragging rights.

This year, eight teams participated, including six student teams made up of four to six members each and overseen by Professor Liala Syler. The competitors were rounded out by Team Faculty made up of professors Kate Benson, Nathan Fisher, Tamara Jones, and Adjunct/Librarian Extraordinaire Paige Hendrickson, as well as Team Doughnuts manned by the members of Diamond Doughnuts, our evening food vendor.

Several grueling rounds of questions came from all sorts of categories such as math, biology, chemistry, movies and TV shows, comic books and games, and of course the dreaded history questions.

The competition was stiff, but once the last question was answered, the winner was clear -- the Fall 2018 bragging rights go to Team Faculty!

If you think you have the chops to defeat them, History Club is planning the next "Trivia Night" for Spring 2019. Start getting your team together!

Motlow Smyrna Employees Experience Bagpipes and Kilts at Middle Tennessee Highland Games

By Ramona Shelton

Motlow Buzz Managing Editor

        The sound of bagpipes… the plaids of the kilts… the corgis roaming. These are all things you would equate with the Highlands of Scotland rather than Nashville, Tennessee, but the two worlds collided at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage on Sept. 8, 2018, and Motlow Smyrna was there to see it all!

        This was the fourth year the Middle Tennessee Highland Games were held on the grounds of Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, and plans are already being made for the 2019 event next summer. Motlow attendees this year included current Motlow student Kayla Dyer, Motlow alumni Brittany Jones, Financial Aid guru Donna Dunaway and her family, Professors Stacy Dowd, Tamara Jones, and Ramona Shelton, as well Smyrna librarian extraordinaire Paige Hendrickson, and Motlow Smyrna’s own academic first family, the Fitches.

Ramona Shelton, Paige Hendrickson, Stacy Dowd, and Tamara Jones (left to right) attended the Middle Tennessee Highland Games at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage in Nashville.

        The Middle Tennessee Highland Games began in 2014 for charitable, educational, social and athletic purposes. The idea was to create a forum in which the general public could come together to learn, appreciate and preserve Scottish and Celtic culture. In addition to the Highland traditions, the games also support Operation Restored Warrior, a non-for-profit organization that is dedicated to helping soldiers returning home to Middle Tennessee deal with PTSD and the stress of combat. The idea of the MTHG partnering with Operation Restored Warrior comes from the 1320 Scottish Declaration of Arbroath.

“For as long as a hundred of us remain alive, we will yield in no least way… For we fight, not for glory nor for riches, nor for honours, but only and alone for freedom, which no good man surrenders but with his life.”

        Festivities started off with recognition of several veterans from all branches of the military who were a part of Operation of Restored Warrior. They were given the opportunity stand front and center as the national anthem was played.

(Photo from the Middle Tennessee Highland Games website)

        Following this honoring and humbling recognition, it was time to let the clans represent! The Presentation of the Clans occurred when the clans all gathered and marched in front of the Master of the Games. This year’s honored clan was Clan Campbell, a group having their Annual General Meeting as a part of this event. As the clans walked through the athletic field in alphabetical order, each showed their clan tartans and presented their flags and swords to the master. Dozens of clans were represented with not only Clan Campbell but also Clan Stewart, the Royal Clan, and the Clan of the Hero, Clan Wallace, being specifically recognized.

(Photo from the Middle Tennessee Highland Games website)

        Outside of the formal clan presentations, each clan also had areas set up along the festival grounds where attendees could learn more about the family. Kayla Dyer, Motlow Smyrna student and charter member of the History Club, learned that her family name was a subset of Clan Davidson. If you are interested in discovering any Celtic roots your family may have, check out www.midtenngames.com for info on the clans presented at the event.

        Of course, no gathering of the braw Scottish lads and lassies would be complete without the tests of strength so common to any Scottish gathering! Participants were broken into three groups: women, men under 40, and men 40-plus, and it is safe to say that muscles abounded! These amateur athletes participated in several events traditionally seen in the true annual games in the Scots Highlands. These included the stone put, similar to the shot put but using a 28-pound and 56-pound stone or rock rather than a steel ball. During the hammer throw, the announcer and judge often warned (in a joking manner) the crowd to be ready to duck if the throw went wild. Joking or not, this advice should be taken seriously because this event entails the thrower grasping a 3-foot 11-inch rope with a 16-pound (men) or 8-pound (women) weight at the end, do three or four increasingly fast circular rotations to build momentum, and then let the hammer fly to see who could get the most distance. Considering that our group was sitting directly behind the throwing point, we took the ducking advice seriously.

(Photo from the Middle Tennessee Highland Games website)

        Arguably the two events most impressive in the true Highland competitions were just as spectacular when translated into our Middle Tennessee venue. The sheaf toss is an event in which a burlap sack filled with 16 pounds of hay is grabbed by a pitchfork and tossed over a bar. For those who cleanly get the sack over (not touching the bar) in round one, advancement to successive rounds means an ever-increasing height on the bar. Of all the events, this one seemed to be essentially the same whether the competitor was male or female.

        If you thought throwing a 16-pound bag of hay wasn’t interesting enough, the caber toss would be the event for you. Caber is derived from “cabar,” the Gaelic word for a wooden beam. In the Highlands, this beam is typically carved from a Larch tree and is 19 feet 6 inches long. I’m not sure if the caber used here was from Larch wood, but they definitely got the height the same. Competitors hoisted the telephone-pole like beam up and cast it end over end to see who could throw it the farthest. If a viewer got anything from any of these events, the takeaway is “don’t mess with someone who knows Scottish athletic events. They can whip you up with a telephone pole!”

        If you are interested in finding out more about the games, the clans, or Operation Restored Warrior, check out www.midtenngames.com.