Alumni News—Fall 2012

Alumni Focus

The Adrian Schools Educational Foundation named its outstanding teachers for 2012, and they include Dawn Huggins, Cammy DiPietro and Ryan Bills. All three are Siena Heights graduates. They were recognized Oct. 4 at a reception.

Ryan Bills ’02, 09/MA is currently an art and technology teacher at Adrian High School. He is also the International Baccalaureate Programme art instructor. He teaches the Stage Craft class at AHS where students design and build scenery for all the districts plays and musicals. He has taught middle school and elementary school art, coached middle school boys track and high school cross country and served as the technical director for high school musicals and plays. Bills has both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts from Siena Heights.

Cammy DiPietro ’87, ’00/MA is a fifth- and sixth-grade language arts, reading and social studies teacher at AMS 5-6, where she has been for eight years. She taught the same subjects at the seventh- and eighth-grade level at APS, where she also served for many years as student council and peer mediators supervisor. She is the school liaison for the “Reading is Cool” program, and also has her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SHU.

Dawn Huggins ’93, ’98 is currently a kindergarten teacher at Lincoln Elementary School. She has also taught first and second grade. She has two bachelor’s degrees from Siena Heights University. Huggins’ nominators recognized her ability to understand each student’s learning style and use the right combination of emotional and academic support to challenge her students to learn.

Biology Students Earn National Research Awards

By Doug Goodnough

National championships are usually associated with athletic competition, but Siena Heights University recently had a national champion in the classroom.

Recent Siena Heights University graduates Lauren Coe and Jared Pirkle each won national biology awards for their presentations at the national Beta Beta Beta Biological Honors Society research conference in May in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Coe, a native of Perrysburg, Ohio, earned the first place Frank Brooks Award in ecology for her presentation on the effects of leaf color on the landing choice, egg-laying preference and larval growth of the cabbage white butterfly.

“I was hoping I would be able to place in nationals,” Coe said of the honor. “I was not feeling well. I was calm and relaxed and I guess that helped. We were really surprised I came in first. It was just a bonus.”

Coe is only the second Siena Heights student to earn a first place at the national biology conference. Billy Houghteling also received the honor in 1996.

“Why female butterflies prefer to lay their eggs on certain plants, but not others, has puzzled biologists for over a century,” said SHU Professor of Biology Dr. Jun Tsuji, who guided and supervised Coe’s research.

Banding Together

Wes King Hired to Begin Band Program at Siena Heights

In June Siena Heights University hired Wes King to be its first director of Bands.

King, a native of Memphis, Tenn., recently graduated from the University of Arkansas, where he earned his Master of Music Degree in Instrumental Conducting. During his time at Arkansas, he served as a graduate teaching assistant, assisting and conducting the Razorback Marching Band, Hogwild Pep Band, concert bands, jazz ensemble and concert choir.

King also attended Mississippi State University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. He was a member of the wind ensemble, marching band, pep bands, jazz band, chamber ensembles and performed with the Starkville-MSU Symphony. He was also a founding member of a MSU student organization that participated in many volunteer music programs promoting diversity in the community and surrounding schools.

King previously served as the band director at Taylorsville (Tenn.) High School, and also has worked with the marching program at the Southern Baptist Educational Center in Southaven, Miss.

SHU approved a marching band program in 2011, and this fall the band debuted during the Saints’ first home football game Aug. 25. King directs the marching bands as well as organizes the concert bands as a music faculty member at Siena Heights.

King said he is actively recruiting new band members. He hosted a Band Day for prospective high school students on Oct. 13 during the home football game against St. Xavier (Ill.).

“Scholarships are available for every member of the marching band,” King said. “Students who play brass, woodwind, piano and percussion instruments are encouraged to audition, as well as students with color guard, dance or majorette experience.”