The summit will be held at 91短视频’s Suter Science Center (1194 Park Road, Harrisonburg, Virginia) with events starting at 9 a.m. It aims to bring together students, educators, and community members to explore undergraduate research, innovative initiatives, and real-world solutions.

Students will attend from Sustainable Shenandoah Valley’s five member institutions: Blue Ridge Community College, Bridgewater College, 91短视频, James Madison University, and Mary Baldwin University.

鈥淏y celebrating the impactful work already happening across the region, this event seeks to inspire new ideas, partnerships, and pathways toward a more just and sustainable future,鈥� the summit鈥檚 website says.

A schedule on the website lists presentations by local students and officials, posters and networking opportunities, and a keynote speech by John C. Jones.

Jones is an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability at Virginia Commonwealth University. His main research interests surround the intersection of urban food system development, urban food insecurity, local governance, and the challenges facing America鈥檚 cities. In recent years, he has begun to research interventions to mitigate college student food insecurity. 

91短视频 students Ciela Acosta, Kate Stutzman, Jenna Oostland, and Tara Cahill are among those who will deliver presentations at the summit.

Acosta will present on examples of campus organizing and advocacy that have taken place on 91短视频鈥檚 campus, including bell ringing for Palestine and direct action for sustainability, according to the summit’s website. Her presentation will include an empowerment discussion for students to be able to notice where inequity is present on their own campuses and be able to effectively and peacefully call for change.

Stutzman, Oostland, and Cahill will lead a comprehensive analysis of 91短视频’s carbon emissions for the 2024-25 academic year in accordance to the university’s climate goals. Emissions from a number of sources are considered including, but not limited to, food production and waste, purchased electricity, natural gas, fertilizer and pesticide use, student and faculty travel, and 91短视频’s solar grid.

Register for the summit .

For more information, visit the event鈥檚 website .

She is recognized as this year鈥檚 Young Peacemaker, an honor given to 鈥渁 young adult or teenager who has already demonstrated a clear devotion to peace and justice work,鈥� according to an Aug. 28 from MC USA announcing the award recipients.

Acosta is involved in Mennonite Action, 91短视频 Peace Fellowship, and the 91短视频 Chamber Singers. She credits her participation in a nonviolent civil disobedience action on Capitol Hill with Mennonite Action as a pivotal moment in her vocational call. 

Joe Roos, a founder of Sojourners magazine who served as its publisher, was honored by MC USA as this year鈥檚 Legacy Peacemaker.聽

MC USA鈥檚 Bring the Peace awards are designed to draw attention to the peace and justice work that people within the denomination are doing and to encourage and inspire more people across the country to engage in similar endeavors, according to the release.

鈥淲e came out and we owned that stage,鈥� said 91短视频 sophomore Ciela Acosta, an alto in the choir. 鈥淭he energy in that room was palpable.鈥�

91短视频 senior Reah Clymer, a soprano whose grandmother lives at the community, recounted 鈥渓ots of clapping, lots of smiles and lots of tears and dancing鈥� at the concert. 鈥淚t was packed,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey had to bring in a couch from the outside foyer for my grandma because the entire chapel was full.鈥�

Students in the auditioned touring chamber choir estimated that well over 100 people attended the Tuesday evening show, where they were joined by the Lancaster Mennonite High School choir. It was one of about a dozen performances throughout Pennsylvania and Virginia by the Chamber Singers during its spring break tour from March 1-6. Twenty-two members of the choir sang songs of hope and unity, the theme of the tour, at four churches, four high schools, a music learning center, and the aforementioned senior living community.

91短视频 junior Eli Stoll, who sings bass in Chamber Singers, said that the performance at Landis Homes 鈥渄efinitely felt like the concert where we made the best sound and had the most fun as a group.鈥�

Part of the excitement of that show stemmed from just how many close ties there were to 91短视频. Acosta said that at the beginning of the concert, Chamber Singers Director Dr. Benjamin Bergey asked for a show of hands from those who had either attended 91短视频 or had a child attend. 鈥淎lmost every single person in that room raised their hand,鈥� she said. 鈥淪eeing that gave me chills.鈥� 

91短视频 junior Hollyn Miller, a soprano from Lancaster whose family and friends were in attendance, said a special moment for her on the tour was performing for her home church, Blossom Hill Mennonite Church. 鈥淚 had sung a few times at the church,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd so a lot of people were excited to have us there.鈥�

Another favorite stop for students on the tour was Nations Worship Center, a large Mennonite church in Philadelphia. Because their visit was on a Sunday morning, members of the choir got the opportunity to worship with the Indonesian Mennonite congregation and join together in a meal. 91短视频 President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman delivered the sermon, which was translated into Indonesian.

When Bergey began introducing the choir in what seemed to be near-fluent Indonesian, the group of students was caught off-guard. 鈥淲e were so thrown off by that,鈥� Miller said, 鈥渂ecause he didn鈥檛 tell us he was going to do that.鈥� 

Clymer agreed. 鈥淎ll of us were looking around at each other,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was watching the crowd, and you could tell they were surprised and loving it.鈥�

The tour included several encore performances. It was during these moments the Chamber Singers would sing 鈥淎vulekile Amasango,鈥� a song that Clymer and alto Emma Nord brought back from their spring 2023 intercultural in South Africa. 鈥淲e loved it so much that we took it on tour with us,鈥� Clymer said.

The annual spring break tour offers a time for the singers to build camaraderie and learn to put the needs of the group first. The intensive nature of the tour, with a concert or two scheduled nearly every day, also helps them hone their craft. 鈥淭heir sound, blend and performances greatly improved from this tour,鈥� Bergey said. 鈥淎nd we received more feedback than usual at how outstanding this particular group sounds.鈥�

Not all of the choir鈥檚 performances were listed in the program. Acosta, who is in her first semester with the group, said one of her favorite memories from the trip came from a hotel pool in Charlottesville. The students, enjoying some downtime in the pool, stood together in a circle and started belting out tunes from their repertoire. 鈥淭hat brought me so much joy,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd the acoustics were so good in there.鈥�

Stoll said this is the biggest Chamber Singers group in his three semesters with the choir. He had been nervous about touring with such a large group, but those fears quickly evaporated when they began performing together. 鈥淚 was surprised and pleased with how much fun we had, how much laughter there was, and how much we gelled as a group,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 made me even more excited about Europe.鈥�

Choir members said the experience was useful in preparing them for their tour through Europe this summer, from May 14-31. The Chamber Singers was selected as the group to represent North America at Mennonite World Conference for its 500th anniversary of Anabaptism in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 29. The choir will perform many of the same songs from the spring tour, along with some additions.  are gratefully accepted toward their travel expenses.

In addition to performing with the Lancaster Mennonite High School choir, the Chamber Singers sang with the Dock Mennonite Academy choir at Souderton Mennonite Church. The Chamber Singers performed at the two Pennsylvania schools and at Charlottesville and Rocktown high schools. 

Bergey said they reached scores of prospective students during the high school visits, connected with important alumni, donors and communities, and 鈥渟pread not only the message of hope and unity, but also the value of an 91短视频 education.鈥�