The 16-member group, led by assistant professor of music , specializes in madrigals, jazz, and modern and contemporary concert literature, both secular and sacred.

91����Ƶ’s newest ensemble is comprised of the “best of the best,” said Keebaugh. “I needed singers who could learn music quickly, were strong musicians, and able to balance this time commitment among their many other involvements.”

The son of an organist and a Brethren minister, Keebaugh is an experienced choir director and a widely traveled and oft-performed composer. He earned his DMA at The Catholic University of America, and was previously choral director at Mary Baldwin College and director of choral activities at Clarke County High School.

Keebaugh praised this particular group for their dedication. “These are incredibly hard-working and passionate musicians, who are also very strong representatives of 91����Ƶ and .”

Paying tribute to musical roots, Keebaugh noted that Emulate includes nine graduates and former participants of two strong high school music programs.

Sophomore Jon Bishop joins Abby Bush and Jaclyn Kratz in representing . A tenor majoring in vocal performance and composition with a social environmental sustainability minor, Bishop calls this new group “focused” and “well-rounded.”

Junior Jeffrey Smoker, a business major who sings bass, is an experienced choral performer, having toured while at (EMHS) and. Fellow EMHS graduates in the group include Hannah Shultz, Caitlin Holsapple, Michaela Mast, Eli Wenger and Perry Blosser.

“Emulate is a group of talented singers who have been able to come together very quickly and sing challenging music,” Smoker said. “I was very impressed that by the end of our first rehearsal, we had sight-read four or five pieces, and they sounded pretty good. I am really excited to see and hear what we can do over the next few months.”

Local ties make this tour especially appealing, said senior Erin Hershey, who is among six Pennsylvania natives in the group. She and junior Luisa Miller are members of Slate Hill Mennonite Church, which hosts Emulate on March 5.

Rounding out the group are Heather Evans, of Alexandria, Virginia; Mischa De Jesus, of Kalona, Iowa; Jake Rhine, of Indianapolis, Indiana; Guilio Garner, of Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Nathaneal Ressler, of Mount Vernon, Illinois.

The Pennsylvania tour is a prelude to a longer two-week tour this summer through the midwest, with final performances at the June 30-July 5 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Schedule:

March 5 – 7 p.m., Slate Hill Mennonite Church, Camp Hill, PA

March 6 – 6:30 p.m., James Street Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA

March 7 – 7 p.m., Martinsburg Memorial Church of the Brethren, Martinsburg, PA

March 8 – 9:30 a.m. worship service, University Mennonite Church, State College, PA

But the clients who nominated him for the “10 Under 40” and invest in his works, which includes the entrance to Eastern Mennonite High School — an 18½-foot piece featuring a starry night version of Midtowne Market’s logo — and glasswork for at least two dozen private establishments in the downtown Harrisonburg area, disagree.

Nafziger has more than 1,400 followers on Facebook, and he’s only been in business for eight months.

“I claim to not be a good businessman, but I’ve come up with sort of a price structure that’s extremely reasonable for one-of-a-kind regional art,” said the artisan who came to Harrisonburg by way of Morris, Minn. “It was shocking to see my Facebook page — suddenly everyone’s like, ‘Hey, you’re really good.’”

Nafziger’s success, however, did not come overnight.

After he graduated from EMHS in 1994, Nafziger followed his passion for art to the Savannah College of Art in Savannah, Ga. He remained in the port city for the next two years, before taking time to travel.

After that point, Nafziger decided he wanted focus in his life: He moved back to Harrisonburg, enrolled in and graduated from 91����Ƶ’s art program in 2002, and found stability as a photographer with Rosetta Stone.

“It was my first real and only job ever,” he said.

Nafziger held that position until Rosetta began cutting payroll and, eventually, employees. His layoff was a trying moment.

“I sat around for about three or four days, feeling sorry for myself,” he said. “It was weird to get dumped by something I was so connected to for 12 years. I watched the company grow and take over the entire language-learning world.”

Throughout his tenure with Rosetta Stone, Nafziger made glass part time and, at the urging of a fellow local artist, moved his home studio to The Gladys Burke Studio in Larkin Arts on Court Square, where others would have access to his works.

He signed a year lease in March and business has increased since.

“At this point, word-of-mouth has helped me so much,” he said. “People aren’t just looking for any glass; they’re looking specifically for me. When I’m meeting clients, I’m not selling something that already exists — I’m selling myself and what I can do for them.

“I want whatever I make for them to be permanent.”

Courtesy Daily News Record, Dec. 2013

The goal is educational in two parts: It’s not only for the two groups to learn from each other, but for both to learn from a new audience. An added bonus, of course, is that the audience has an opportunity to experience both groups for the price of … well, nothing.

The Fall Concert to be held at 4 p.m. Nov. 24, is free and open to the public; donations will be collected benefiting scholarships for students in the programs.

Last year, SVCC did not participate in the Fall Concert due to a busy performance schedule.

The show will feature the local singing ensemble’s concert and treble choirs, which will take stage following a performance by the entire 50-person youth orchestra at 91����Ƶ’s Lehman Auditorium.

“Our kids … get to hear the orchestra, and the orchestra gets to hear the choir,” said Joy Anderson, assistant director of the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir, explaining the benefits of the group’s joint concert with the symphony.

“Even though I think there’s a lot of overlap in the audience, it’s a different audience.”

The children’s choir consists of three choirs and two classes – only the eldest two perform during the Fall Concert. The treble choir has about 33 students, typically ages 9 to 14, while the concert choir rounds out to roughly 60 participants, usually 11- to 18-year-olds.

Public, private and home schoolers come from as far as Staunton, West Virginia and Lexington to participate in the group, according to Anderson.

“Most big cities have a civic children’s choir program, but it’s not as typical to have it in more of a small city,” she explained, adding that the SVCC has travelled as far as Italy and Hawaii, and performed at Carnegie Hall and the White House.

“We’re really happy to be performing with the orchestra,” she said. “It’s a nice way to kind of kick off the holiday season.”

The youth orchestra consists of students from 7th to 12th grades, typically, although one particularly gifted 7-year-old is currently involved, according to , administrative director for and manager of the youth symphony.

This year’s orchestra soloist – a position set aside for a high schooler on his or her way out of the program – will be Caleb Schrock-Hurst, a senior at . The symphony includes students from many local high schools, as well as home-schoolers, the occasional middle-schooler and local college students who fill in the blanks.

For some parts, especially the brass positions, high school students at the level necessary to join the group don’t audition, Miller explained.

Courtesy Daily News Record, Nov. 16, 2013

The late Sam Cooke may not have made such a declaration in his song, “Wonderful World,” had Myron E. Blosser of Harrisonburg, Va., been his teacher.

Blosser, who teaches biology at , has received national recognition for his ability to engage students in the realm of life science in the classroom and beyond.

has given its “Outstanding Biology Teacher” award for 2013 for the state of Virginia to Blosser. He will receive the award on Nov. 22 at an honors luncheon hosted by the NABT in Atlanta, Ga. Before that, he will also receive a certificate from the organization at a Nov.15 Association of Science Teachers conference in Norfolk.

This honor, given each year since 1961, identifies a teacher for each state “who has made valuable contributions to the teaching profession and to students. Criteria for the award include teaching ability, experience, creativity, initiative and collaboration in the school and community.”

“It’s meaningful to me to be recognized by your peers in the profession,” Blosser said of the award. “It means that you’re doing something right and [it’s] an affirmation that raises my energy level and helps keep me going.”

Blosser, himself a 1979 EMHS graduate, earned a BS degree in with from 91����Ƶ in 1983 and an with a concentration in curriculum development from 91����Ƶ in 1998. He taught biology courses three years at Strasburg (Va.) High School, then at Harrisonburg High School from 1986 to 2002 before joining the EMHS faculty in the fall of 2002.

“My years at Harrisonburg High School were transformative for me,” Blosser said. “I grew up in a hurry and learned from three teaching colleagues in particular what it means to be a professional educator.”

These former associates – Gary Riner, math department chair, Judy Warren, English department chair, and Henry Buhl, social studies chair– will be the title of a book Blosser is writing on teaching methods and pedagogy – “Gary, Judy and Henry.”

At EMHS, Blosser teaches grade 10 biology, advanced placement biology, and anatomy and physiology one semester, and biotechnology another semester. He is also chair of the science department.

Blosser says his approach to the learning process is “content-centered,” as compared to making the teacher or the students the main focus.

“Biology is an exciting field because it’s the study of life on earth,” he said. “We are born curious. Therefore, I seek to gather with my students around the subject under scrutiny and together seek to keep that curiosity alive. It’s exhilarating – for me and for the students.”

Blosser is passionate about getting students involved in research projects.” That’s where students really learn,” he declared. He currently has six EMHS students doing individual and group research projects.

Every year in March, Blosser hosts a biotechnology symposium and invites students from area high schools to hear a noted speaker and to spend a half day doing lab work.

His craving for integrated learning extends to a “Discovery” program held every other year in which 30-40 EMHS students spend a month on a coast-to-coast field trip, mixing factual material with hands-on learning, employing a different theme each time.

These Discovery trips study a variety of environmental issues – water, soil, timber, megafauna, energy – utilizing local farmers, research scientists, politicians and others as their instructors. These have included Wendell Berry, author and activist; Wes Jackson, founder of ; and Rick Wallen, head bison biologist for . Participants camp in tents and travel in a modified motor coach equipped with power, a networked server and laptop computers.

“My goal is to take students who start out as consumers and help shape them into producers of knowledge themselves,” Blosser stated. “It’s hard to do, but it does happen.” He uses the analogy of students “climbing a mountain” rather than “running on a treadmill” in their pursuit of academic achievements.

Blosser enthusiastically endorses , noting that “it was exactly what I needed to begin developing a sound pedagogy and confidence to face the day-to-day challenges of teaching.

“91����Ƶ asked me to do my student teaching at [in Lansdale, Pa.], which pushed me outside familiar territory,” Blosser noted. “I was all alone for the semester, having to deal with all the issues, newness and complexities of my first long experience in the classroom. This gave me more confidence and even the desire to launch out into uncharted waters, which I have done my whole career.”

Blosser also credits his upbringing for his ability to break new ground. “My parents provided an environment where I developed a healthy self-confidence, the habits of hard work, ability to take risks, and a sense that my work is really God’s work.”

The extended Blosser family has left a deep footprint at 91����Ƶ. Myron’s great-grandfather, Daniel A. Blosser, was a member of the first board of trustees soon after 91����Ƶ began as Eastern Mennonite School in 1917. Grandfather Mahlon Blosser and Myron’s father, Glendon Blosser, served many years on the board, and Myron Blosser is in his 12th year as an 91����Ƶ trustee.

Blosser is married to Rhonda Graber Blosser, a 1985 91����Ƶ graduate who teaches kindergarten at in Harrisonburg. All three Blosser children are currently enrolled at 91����Ƶ – Kurtis, a senior environmental sustainability major; Kelsey, a junior nursing major, and Bryce, a first-year biology major.

Blosser’s siblings are also 91����Ƶ alumni – Floyd, class of 1976; Diane Blosser Burkholder, class of 1978; and Phil, a 1982 graduate.

“We are never beyond God’s reach,” says Daniel. “We are never beyond God’s love. That’s the message I want to take to people with addictions. My seminary degree is part of my testimony and witness to what God can do.”

Daniel is planning to start a chapter of , the program that turned his life around, in the Harrisonburg, Va., area. U-Turn For Christ is a residential drug and alcohol program for men and women who are seeking restoration from drug and alcohol addiction. It has a Biblical foundation.

Daniel entered the U-Turn program in 2005 at the urging of his estranged wife, Eleni Maile. He completed several months of residential treatment and then, in phase two of the program, did six months of service helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Finally, Daniel was reunited with his family and they moved together from California to Tennessee, where Daniel continued to work for a branch of U-Turn. In 2007 Daniel returned to Harrisonburg for a high school reunion at .

“I realized as I was giving my family a tour of Eastern Mennonite High School and 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ) that I wanted my family to be a part of this community and that I wanted to study in seminary,” he recalls. His older son, Yonaton, is now a rising sophomore at 91����Ƶ. His younger children, Yosef and Asene, are students at Eastern Mennonite High School.

“The seminary has been incredibly challenging, intentional and formative for me. The people here have been able to speak into my life. They affirm who I am and also continue to stretch and pull me, preparing me for what God has called me to do.”

Daniel says he is also pursuing a conflict transformation degree to address the ways that addicts hurt not only themselves, but those around them: “Helping people restore relationships with others is part of the healing process.”

In 2010 Daniel was ordained in the Mennonite Church. He and his family attend in Linville, Va.

Daniel is one of 18 graduates who received degrees on April 27. Daniel and 12 others received master of divinity degrees, four received master of arts in religion degrees, and one received a master of arts in church leadership. Six received graduate certificates.

Daniel’s story embodies what Lee Snyder PhD, president emeritus of Bluffton University, told seminary graduates in her commencement address titled “Reclaiming the Story.”

“The biblical narrative ‘is not a safe or simple story,’ but then neither are our stories safe or totally comprehensible. We join a cast of unlikely heroes, scruffy characters and needy travelers on a journey of faith. Beloved of God, we are invited into a company of individuals who have experienced the Redeemer’s transforming love.

“The church has a story which must be shared. It is ‘scripture’s grand narrative’ that allows us to abound in hope rather than to wallow in despair.”

Daniel and his classmates will enter into a variety of congregational and other ministries upon graduation. Some will continue in ministry roles they have now, and others will embark upon new ventures, as Daniel plans to do by launching a local chapter of U-Turn for Christ.

“My parents always tithed, plus,” says Paul, referring to giving more than the biblical standard of 10 percent of one’s income. “They were farmers when I was growing up… I remember them borrowing money to support the missionaries until their wheat check came in.” After Paul’s father stopped farming in mid-life, he shifted to pastoring and then (late in life) to fundraising for 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ).

Carol’s parents were also farmers and they too tithed religiously. “In every way, we’ve been blessed,” she says. “How can we not give?”

Paul cites a favorite quotation: “It is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

After 48 years of marriage, these 1963 graduates of 91����Ƶ exude a sense of comfortable companionship. They wait respectfully in joint conversations, making space for the other to wrap up his or her set of sentences, before offering a new thought.

He is an eye surgeon; she used to be an operating room nurse. They live in a large all-brick house on a hill overlooking their own lake on the outskirts of Harrisonburg. But the Yoders’ demeanor is unassuming—one could almost see each of them helping with haying or hanging out the laundry, way back when.

After decades of quietly funneling large sums to many worthy projects in the Harrisonburg area—and to some outside of the region—Carol and Paul have at last  allowed themselves to be publicly recognized this year as the “Philanthropists of the Year” by the Shenandoah chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

What induced them to step into the spotlight? “We do understand the power of examples of philanthropy in encouraging others to give,” says Yoder. “And we are finally off all of the local boards on which we have served.”

When one or the other of them was on the governing committee of Rockingham Memorial Hospital, Eastern Mennonite High School, 91����Ƶ, Park View Church, Virginia Mission Board and a local bank, the Yoders felt that “detractors might say we were using our positions for personal gain or power—to push our own agenda.” They also wanted their two daughters—Liesel and Nicole—to be able to blend into the student population at their Mennonite schools and colleges, rather than being perceived as offspring of one of the institutions’ underwriters. So they simply gave without fanfare.

The Yoders began their lifelong commitment to cross-cultural service when they went to Nepal in 1968. Needing to do alternative service as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, Paul chose to work as a newly minted physician—he was between his internship and residency—under the United Mission to Nepal. When Carol and Paul returned home in three years later, they were carrying Liesel, adopted in Nepal.

91����Ƶ a decade later—after Paul’s practice was established and their children were in elementary school—Carol read a book about Medical Ministry International (MMI), which had begun with a small group of volunteer eye surgeons. Paul and Carol signed on and have been on at least one service trip per year for a quarter of a century.

Paul explains the ripple effects of the program: “We started going to Ethiopia six years ago. We met two Ethiopian doctors in their first year of surgical residency—they came to us and said they wanted to be ophthalmologists. We [MMI] sent them to the Dominican Republic for a four-and-a-half-year training program. Then they went back and we helped them set up a clinic. The next time I went to Ethiopia, I was assisting them!”

Carol explains that “MMI serves the world’s poor by trying to lay the groundwork for lasting solutions to their lack of medical care.”

Though fit and active, both Yoders feel that it is time at age 70 to step aside from almost all of their public responsibilities, making room for a younger generation to step up. Paul enjoys running, golf, tennis and skiing. Carol ran miles daily until age 69 and now simply walks strenuously. The secret of their robust health? “You just have to keep moving,” says Carol.

Paul is a member of 91����Ƶ’s Commission for the Sciences, which is leading an initiative to renovate and enlarge the Suter Science Center.

By Dustin Dopirak, Daily News Record

Junior Kamandua was putting on a clinic.

In a one-on-one, winner-stays-on drill in Thursday’s practice, the 91����Ƶ freshman soccer star was embarrassing people, stealing dribbles straight from their feet and crossing them up so bad on the other end, they were falling.

So it was up to senior captain Adam Shank to restore order. Though Kamandua nearly stole the ball after Shank dribbled out from his own goal, Shank fought and kept it, then dribbled past Kamandua and tucked the ball inside the left post of Kamandua’s goal.

Hailing the team leader, one of the Royals waiting for his turn yelled out, "EL CAPITAN!"

There was no posturing from Shank, who plays center midfielder, and no response to the cheer. It was the picture of quiet leadership by example, which has become the four-year starter’s trademark now that he’s the Royals’ captain.

"He’s not a very vocal person," 91����Ƶ coach said. "He doesn’t say much on the field, but when he does say something, it’s pretty important. I think his teammates realize that when he does speak his mind, he’s going to make a good point."

Recently, the former Eastern Mennonite High School star has given the Royals plenty of reasons to honor his example. Last week, he had a goal and an assist in a 4-0 win over Emory & Henry and an assist in a 1-1 tie with Washington & Lee to earn Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors.

He’s fifth on the team in total points (eight) with two goals and a team-high four assists. The Royals (7-6-3 overall, 3-3-2 in the ODAC) are tied for sixth with Randolph-Macon in the 10-team conference with two regular-season games to go before the eight-team conference tournament.

Shank’s statistics have been consistent throughout his four-year career. Last year, he scored three goals and added two assists and had three assists the year before. His captaincy wasn’t based on numbers, however.

"In practice and in games, he just leaves everything on the field," senior goalie Tim Koehn said. "He just won’t stop running or working until the final whistle blows. That helps me out. Whenever I get tired, I just kind of look at Adam and see how hard he’s working, and that gets me pumped up as well."

Though Shank looks like a free spirit with his bushy, curly hair and growing facial stubble, Mast described him as introverted by nature. That complements his more vocal co-captain, Joel Shank. The two aren’t related but they’ve played soccer together since age 9, including their careers at EMHS. Even so, Adam Shank felt like he needed to be more vocal this season than in previous years.

He said he’s always been the type to allow older players to take control out of respect, even if he had more playing experience than they did. But, much like when he was voted co-captain with Joel in their senior year at EMHS, he realized that this year, he needed to make his voice heard.

"Having the guys vote you captain means a lot," he said. "It means people see you as a leader. ‘I’ve tried to be a little more outspoken this year than I usually am."

Of course, being captain and one of the older guys brings along with it the eventual end of a player’s career. For Shank, that will mean the end of a prolific eight-year run in Park View, which included four Virginia Independent Conference titles at EMHS.

An honors student with a 3.95 grade-point average as a dual major — and — Shank hopes to work with local Hispanic immigrants, teaching English as a second language after he graduates. He also wants to continue playing soccer recreationally, and perhaps coach some day. Even so, he isn’t looking forward to his last 91����Ƶ game.

"It’s definitely hard to think about every game you play you think, ‘Well, that’s the last time I’m going to play this team,’" Shank said. "It’s going to be sad because soccer’s been a big part of my life."

At least he’ll get to go out as "El Capitan."

91����Ƶ coach Roger Mast was serious when he scheduled a sit-down meeting with Tim Koehn, the Royals