Molly Kirby, who completed her nursing degree in 2.5 years instead of the standard four, was given the Academic Achievement Award. Presenting the honor was Professor Ann Schaeffer, who said Kirby has already accepted a position as a nurse in a cardio-surgical intensive care unit and plans to eventually pursue a doctorate as a nurse anesthetist.

Valerie Rodeffer earned the Servant Leadership Award. Schaeffer shared that Rodeffer鈥檚 greatest accomplishment 鈥渋s being role model for her children, showing them you can do anything you put your mind to, no matter how old you are.鈥� Rodeffer will work as a nurse in Winchester and plans to begin her master鈥檚 degree at EMU next fall.

The Sacred Covenant Award, honoring the nursing student who most exemplifies the values of nursing as exemplified in the program’s , was given to Juni Schirch-Sanchez. Schirch-Sanchez says she values the relationships she builds with patients and the intimacy, vulnerability and openness that the profession calls for.

Vice President of Student Life Ken L. Nafziger kicked off the chapel by urging participants to join wholeheartedly into the celebration of the semester鈥檚 achievements. 鈥淲e often celebrate but in a muted fashion,鈥� he said, 鈥渟o let鈥檚 not be that way today.鈥�

Nafziger was joined on stage by representatives of several departments for the traditional event, held at the conclusion of each fall and spring semester. Many of the honorees were being recognized before departing for their cross-cultural during spring semester.

Academic Success Center

Director Linda Gnagey and Professor Vi Dutcher recognized three Academic Success Center tutors as 鈥済reat examples of dependable accessible support”: Lorraine Armstrong, political science tutor; Robert Propst, science; and Elisabeth Wilder, social work, sociology and writing.

Campus Ministries

Campus Undergraduate Pastor Lana Miller recognized ministry assistants who are departing on cross-culturals next semester: Shelby Alto, Taylor Martin, Elizabeth Witmer, Elizabeth Resto, Kieran O’Leary, Marina Baker, Esther Ghale, Lydia Musselman and Ethan Herman. Ministry assistants, known on campus as MAs, integrate faith into practice in their residence halls and volunteer their time to assist others. Miller thanked them for 鈥渏oining us as campus pastors.鈥�

Three pastoral assistants, known as PAs, were also recognized: Christina Hershey, Perry Blosser and Hannah Daley. PAs are students whose 鈥渄esire to serve God is integrated into life, work and relationships.鈥� Both Hershey and Blosser served on numerous committees. Hershey organized conversation groups, Election Day Communion and other communal events. Blosser 鈥減ulled together countless musicians and signing groups鈥� for chapel events, and he also leads the monthly hymn sings. Daley, who concluded her field hockey career this fall, leads the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes Speak and Athletes鈥� Bible Study.

Student Programs

Thirteen students received the Leadership Effectiveness and Development (LEAD) Series Certificate: Sammy Kauffman, Maddie Gish, Gillian Zehr, Hannah Daley, Tae Dews, Rachel Holderman, Ale Hartzler, Brittany Williams, Oksana Kittrell, Liana Hershey, Felix Kioko, Alicia Ygarza and Carlos Garcia.

The series focuses on leadership issues chosen by participants, said Director of Student Programs Rachel Roth Sawatsky, with this semester鈥檚 topics being communication, leadership dynamics, conflict, women in leadership and team-building. Students can choose to attend single events; regular attendance results in a certificate of completion.

Additionally, Gillian Zehr was recognized for her work as Common Grounds Coffeehouse products and marketing manager for the last two semester. She was responsible for taking care of product sales, trends and tracking; ordering and vendor relationships; and advertising. This semester, she also negotiated a new contract with a local coffee roaster, as well as negotiating for local suppliers of foods.

Theater Department

Actors Emma Roth and Belen Yoder were nominated from the fall production of 鈥淔ar Away鈥� by an independent respondent to participate in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCATF) Irene Ryan Scholarship Audition. They will participate in the Region 2 festival Jan. 3-7 at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Professor Heidi Winters Vogel presented the award.

Student Life

Outgoing Student Government Association members include Elisabeth Wilder, Taylor Esau, Ella Spitler, Abigail Shumaker, Delight Tigoe, Maria Yoder, Jeremy Brenneman and Caleb Schrock-Hurst.

Co-presidents Elisabeth Wilder and Quinn Kathrineberg also recognized Ken L. Nafziger, who retires in December.

鈥淜en has been a valuable member of SGA through his thoughtful insights, care for students, and impeccable knowledge of the SGA Constitution,鈥� Wilder said. 鈥淭here are few people I know that love EMU and its people more than Ken L. Nafziger.鈥�

鈥淜en is a deep listener, an energetic presence, and a steadfast leader,鈥� said Kathrineberg. 鈥淭hank you for your devotion to SGA, and thank you for the the consideration and respect you have for this EMU community.

Athletics

James De Boer, sports information director, recognized the following athletes for their awards during the fall semester.

Men鈥檚 Cross Country: Abrham Amine: All-ODAC Second Team, ODAC Men鈥檚 Cross Country Rookie of the Year; Alec Thibodeaux: ODAC Runner of the Week, (Sept. 1-5), All-ODAC Second Team, Royals Athlete of the Week (Oct. 31-Nov. 6), All-South/Southeast Region Team.

Women鈥檚 Cross Country: Megan Good:聽 All-ODAC Second Team, Royals Athlete of the Week (Oct. 24-30); Kat Lehman: ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Scholar-Athlete; Juni Schirch-Sanchez: Royals Athlete of the Week (Nov. 7-13)

Field Hockey: Emily Augsburger: All-ODAC First Team; Lorraine Armstrong: All-ODAC Second Team; Hannah Daley: Royals Athlete of the Week (Oct. 10-16), All-ODAC Third Team; Emily Price: Royals Athlete of the Week (Sept. 19-25), All-ODAC Third Team.

Men鈥檚 Soccer: Emmanuel Boamah: All-ODAC First Team; Parker Leap: Royals Athlete of the Week (Sept. 5-11); Juan Luna: ODAC Player of the Week (Sept. 12-18); Royals Athlete of the Week (Sept. 12-18); All-ODAC Second Team; Matthew Overacker: Royals Athlete of the Week (Oct. 3-9). Dylan Polley: All-ODAC Third Team; Ryan Thomas: CoSIDA Academic All-District.

Women鈥檚 Soccer: Laura Rittenhouse: All-ODAC Third Team; Hannah Walker: Royals Athlete of the Week (Oct. 17-23).

Women鈥檚 Volleyball: Becca Hardy: Royals Athlete of the Week (Sept. 1-5), CoSIDA Academic All-District; Maria Yoder: Royals Athlete of the Week (Sept. 26-Oct. 2).

Men鈥檚 Basketball: Maleke Jones: Royals Athlete of the Week (Nov. 14-20).

Women鈥檚 Basketball: Chloe Roach: Royals Athlete of the Week (Nov. 21-27).

This holiday season, Community Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg will play host to a somewhat nontraditional rendition of the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph are there, and they’re still making a trek – but this time, they’re Latino emigrants trying to make it to America, where baby Jesus is born in a hospital – not a barn.

That’s how it goes in this updated take on the traditional journey to the manger in Bethlehem. Called "La Posada" ("shelter" or "inn"), the production is loosely based on the Latin-American traditional Christmas celebration of the same name, where neighbors trek from house to house in search of shelter, until the final home welcomes them in to a holiday party.

The Harrisonburg production is funded by an Arts Council of the Valley grant, sponsored by NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center and follows a script similar to an original one used by a bilingual Latino theater group at 草莓社区 called Teatro Chirmol.

Edwin Bonilla (standing), who plays Jose, a modern-day Joseph in this take on the Christmas story, checks on Armando Sanchez during a scene in "La Posada." The play was performed at 7 p.m. on Dec. 5 and 6 p.m. on Dec. 6 at Community Mennonite Church. Photo by Nikki Fox

"We’re bringing our own participants’ sensibility to it, but it is back to those original people and the great work that they did," said Heidi Vogel, an associate professor in EMU’s theater department and the show’s director.

The show has about 15 cast members, spanning a broad range of cultural and ethnic heritages. The show, said Vogel, will incorporate Christmas traditions from many of those cultures.

"This particular Posada is not aimed only at the Hispanic community," she said. "The idea is to create more of an overall community event, including voices from different minority communities as well as the majority, and bringing them together … it is not necessarily a religious event, but a cultural celebration."

Which makes it fitting for Harrisonburg. According to Tina Glanzer, special events coordinator for NewBridges, Harrisonburg has a thriving immigrant population – English is the second language for nearly half of the students in city schools, she said – so "La Posada," with its ethnically diverse cast and blended cultural interpretations of the Christmas story, is a perfect community-building event for the area.

"It’s exactly fitting for NewBridges, because [the cultures involved] are all the populations that they’re working with," she said. "And one of the outreaches of NewBridges is to pull people together and help them understand each other, and each other’s traditions, and appreciate what those traditions are."

Among the traditions incorporated in "La Posada" are multiple ethnic musical numbers. Some, Glanzer said, are traditional Christmas carols simply sung in different languages, but others are Russian or Spanish carols or bluegrass pieces by local band Daphna Creek. The songs are used as segues between the play’s vignettes, and Vogel said that while the production is in both English and Spanish, audience members don’t have to be fluent in either to enjoy the show.

"It is a chance for the many different cultures here in Harrisonburg to come together to celebrate the season," she said.

"La Posada" runs at 7 p.m. on Dec. 5 and at 6 p.m. on Dec. 6 at Community Mennonite Church, 70 S. High St., Harrisonburg. Featuring a barbershop quartet, Daphna Creek bluegrass band, Slavic Christian Church choir and Smithland Elementary Choir. Audience participation is encouraged. Free, with donations accepted for NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center. For more information, call 383-1105.