IRA 57

Welcome to Carroll's electronic newsletter QuickNotes, a weekly (and in summer, bi-weekly) synopsis of the news and happenings around Carroll College. QuickNotes is intended to keep Carroll's students, alumni, friends and employees in touch with college accomplishments and activities. It is not a message board but an informational resource for the Carroll community and its supporters.

Please forward your copy of QuickNotes on to alumni and friends of Carroll to keep them up-to-date about campus events.

YOU CAN'T WIN ‘EM ALL . . .

After a valiant season of outstanding football before record crowds, the Fighting Saints made it to Rome, Ga., to vie for their sixth national crown but fell short last Saturday with a score of 23-7 as the University of Sioux Falls became the new NAIA champions. Both in Rome and back at home, plus all over the nation, Saints fans exercised the same high level of sportsmanlike standards as their team.

In all, it was an excellent year for Saints Athletics, especially when you figure in that Carroll was named a Champions of Character institution and, in the 2007-2008 academic year, the Saints soccer team led the nation as the number one NAIA Scholar Team for its combined 3.89 grade point average. In that same time span, seven of the college's nine teams (soccer, football, women's cross country, volleyball, women's basketball, men's and women's golf) earned NAIA Scholar Team recognition, with grade point averages all above 3.0. This all was accomplished by teams who played at the very highest level and went on to conference and national tournaments, playoffs and championship rounds. Merry Christmas to all Saints fans, and stay ready for the spring's basketball season and its grand finale!

And, one final note: Carroll College's senior linebacker Owen Koeppen was named NAIA Player of the Year at the pre-championship "NAIA Banquet of Champions" last Friday night. He is the second Carroll football player to win the NAIA's highest individual honor, with former national champion quarterback Tyler Emmert taking that honor twice: in 2003 and 2005.

CHRISTMAS ENCORE

On Christmas Eve 2008, Helena's KBLL 1240 AM radio will rebroadcast the Carroll College Performing Arts Department performance of "A Carroll Family Christmas Program." This family Christmas show will begin on KBLL at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and feature music by the Carroll College Choirs and two old-time radio plays, "Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus," written by Andrew J. Fenady, and Carroll Theatre and Improvisation Professor Michael McNeilly's recitation of "A Child's Christmas in Wales," by Dylan Thomas. This family Christmas program initially was performed live onstage at the Carroll Performing Arts Center on Dec. 4-6 this holiday season, and KBLL has worked with Carroll's Performing Arts Department to bring the show to the wider Helena community on the night before Christmas.

For those not in Helena, you can get the live stream from KBLL on our Internet site at two locations: on the homepage at http://www.carroll.edu/ (then click on the Christmas Program box in the left column of the page) or http://www.carroll.edu/athletics/radio.cc (then click on the Sports Radio tab on the left side of the page).

GREETINGS FROM GUATEMALA

Fr. Jim "Hazy" Hazelton, class of 1949, who has led the Diocese of Helena's mission in Guatemala for the past 44 years, sends the Carroll family his Christmas greeting:

"On September 2, 1964, the then-Bishop of Helena, Raymond Hunthausen, commissioned me as the third missioner of the Diocese of Helena to Guatemala and said, "Go down there and get the place in order, and in six years come back and resume your parish work here in the diocese!" Alas, after 44 years, the place is still not in order, nor does that seem possible over a sometimes tortuous road with many bumps and detours, landslides and washouts, but overall a very pleasant and interesting experience with many enjoyable companions. . . . I thank you for accompanying me at a distance, with your prayers, interest, encouragement, and contributions. Bishop Thomas has told me my presence here means something to the diocese, so I am happy about that. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I hope that you will continue to accompany me on the journey. P.S. Santa, if you have any packages for me this year, please leave them at The Diocese of Helena, Box 1729, Helena, MT 59624."

DON'T MISS THE BOAT

As part of Carroll College's Centennial Celebration, the Alumni Office is offering two outstanding alumni adventures, and deadlines are approaching, while seats are going fast! In October 2009, Carroll's "Off the Beaten Track: The West of Ireland Tour" will be escorted by Carroll College Professor Murphy Fox, a veteran of Ireland study abroad trips and a great man of Ireland. In May 2010, Carroll's "Treasures of Italy" extravaganza will be escorted by Professor Fr. Dan Shea, also a veteran Italy tour guide, who will lead and enlighten from the Vatican to Assisi, Florence to Venice, Milan to Turin, and beyond to Oberammergau, Germany. For more information, get all the details at http://www.carroll.edu/alumni.

THE CYCLE CONTINUES

Live up to a green New Year's resolution right after 2009 begins: take your piling heaps of plastics over to the S.A.V.E. Foundation Plastics Drive on January 2-5 at the usual location in the field just west of the Helena YMCA parking lot. Rinse well thy type 1 and 2 plastics and remove thy lids, then toss to your heart's delight. Those interested in volunteering should contact S.A.V.E. at 406-449-6008 or visit the volunteer page on the website at http://www.savemobile.org/.

COMING EVENTS

Ongoing: Now on display in the hallway cases outside of the Carroll Art Gallery (room 034 St. Charles Hall) are paintings by artists from Bulgaria. This second in a series of three displays is entitled, "The Fulbright Connection: Contemporary Bulgarian Artists, living in the U.S." This past summer, after receiving a Hays-Fulbright 2008 Summer Seminar grant, Fine Arts Prof. Ralph Esposito traveled to Greece and Bulgaria, where he learned of a group of Bulgarian artists living in the Chicago area who call themselves Bulgarian Artists Abroad. Founded in 2007, Bulgarian Artists Abroad promotes Bulgarian culture throughout the world and aims to unify all artists of Bulgarian origin who live outside their home country. Carroll is fortunate to have works on loan from these painters to share with this community. Art on display now includes paintings by Kosta Georgiev, Jordan Ivanov, and Milena Pramatarova.

AND IN 2009:

January 12: Opening for Carroll College Art Gallery (room 034 St. Charles Hall) exhibit, "Excellence and Degrees III," which runs through March 6. The last in the three exhibits featuring the work of faculty members from colleges and universities across Montana. Artists included include Mary Ann Bonjorni, Beth Lo, Bobbi Tilton, and David James from University of Montana-Missoula; Mark Moak from Rocky Mountain College; Joel Soiseth and Norton Pease from MSU-Northern; Gesine Jasmine and Jeffery Conger from Montana State University-Bozeman; and Brian Cast and Lea Zoltowski from MSU-Billings. The gallery is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed weekends and college holidays.

January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. At 11 a.m., a special MLK Mass takes place in Borromeo Hall's St. Joseph's Chapel concelebrated by Fr. Marc Lenneman and Fr. Jerry Lowney, with music by Drs. Anne Perkins and Jack Oberweiser along with the Carroll Choir. After an afternoon of student volunteer work in the community, a 7 p.m. MLK Forum will occur in the lower level of the Campus Center with Fr. Jerry Lowney, Rev. George Harper, and longtime Carroll faculty member Dorothy Harper presenting "Segregation, Integration, and Jubilation in the Old South." All events are free and open to everyone.

January 29: Dr. Kelly Cline presents, "The Climate Paradox: Venus, Earth, and Mars," at 7 p.m. in Simperman Hall Wiegand Auditorium, room 101-202. Free.

January 31: Up 'Til Dawn annual Rummage Sale fund-raiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Don't dump your old stuff from Santa visits past-donate them in January to the Carroll Associated Students of Carroll College Offices in the lower level of the Campus Center. The ASCC will accept clothes, furniture, music CDs, and pretty much anything but underwear. For more info, or to donate, contact Mason Preiss at 406-431-6837.

January 30-31: Senior showcase performance of "American Roulette" by Chris Evans, a Montana playwright. Revolving around a high school shooting, this is a series of vignettes about the people involved and affected. Directed by Carroll senior Jocelyn Bjornstad in the Performing Arts Center.

February 7: Annual Campus Ministry Headlights Spaghetti Dinner at St. Mary's Church, 4:30 p.m., to raise funds for the spring break service trips to Rochester, NY, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Students will begin fundraising for these trips over Christmas break by asking for sponsorships and selling raffle tickets. Ten students and one Carroll leader will attend each trip.

February 19-March 1: Performing Arts mainstage production of William Shakespeare's "As You Like It." Directed by Carroll Theatre Director Chuck Driscoll. Carroll faculty and staff free admission and Carroll students admitted free on Thursdays and Sundays. Performing Arts Center.

February 23: Carroll will host the 2009 state "We the People" competition, with teams of high-school seniors from around the state vying for trophies and glory in a simulated congressional hearing. The winning team will advance to the national competition in Washington, DC. "We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution" is a nationally recognized program of civic education created by an act of Congress and funded by the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, read: https://www.carroll.edu/about/pressreleases.php?id=10905.

February 26: Dr. Kelly Cline presents, "Lasers: On Earth and Beyond," at 7 p.m. in Simperman Hall Wiegand Auditorium, room 101-202. Free.

March 9-13: Spring Break.

March 21: Junior-Senior Banquet.

March 27: Niel Brandt, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University and American Astronomical Society Shapley Program sponsored speaker, will be the keynote star of Carroll Astronomy Weekend. An expert on high-energy astrophysics, x-ray astronomy and black holes, he will give a lecture, "X-raying Active Galaxies: Exploring the Environments of Supermassive Black Holes," at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.

March 27-28: Senior Showcase of the play, "When the Rainbow Bends," directed by Carroll senior Ryan Danielson. A powerful story about the lives of three people when one of them contracts AIDS. Merton Acting Studio in the Campus Center.

April 3-4: Senior Showcase performance of "The Lion in Winter," work for mature audiences about the intrigues of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, in the Merton Acting Studio (Campus Center).

April 18-19: Softball weekend.

May 1: Last day of classes.

May 9: Centennial Celebration Kickoff at Baccalaureate and Commencement.

May 14-17: Basic Preparation Course for Parish Nurses and Health Ministers. The class will be held on the Carroll campus at the Parish Nurse Center in Simperman Hall. The cost is $390 and includes educational materials and lunches. Lodging will be available on campus at a reduced rate. The Basic Preparation Course follows the curriculum of the International Parish Nurse Resource Center, St. Louis, Missouri. If interested in this course, please contact Cynthia Gustafson at 406-447-5494 or cgustafs -is-at- carroll -dot- edu.