The Mockingbird Project
College of Arts & Sciences and Shenandoah Conservatory students and faculty collaborated in fall 2013 on The Mockingbird Project, an academic and community partnership between the history and theatre departments that included Shenandoah Conservatory’s production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and the installation of the Howard Walker case exhibit. The exhibit on the Walker Case for the Mockingbird Project was displayed at the Handley Public Library and later installed at John Handley High School. A full school assembly was held in February 2014 featuring scenes from “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It also incorporated a description of the case of Howard Walker in 1944 Winchester that so tragically paralleled the situation of Tom Robinson in the play. The event concluded with a talk-back discussion with student actors and other participants in the project.
Celebrating 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Cool Spring
Nearly 150 people marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Cool Spring during a tour sponsored by the McCormick Civil War Institute at Shenandoah University in July 2014. The tour was presented in association with the U.S. National Park Service and the Clarke County Historical Society. The historical lecture and tour was led by Shenandoah University alumnus and historian Jonathan Noyalas ’01, assistant professor of history and director of the Center for Civil War History at Lord Fairfax Community College, and National Park Service Ranger Shannon Moeck.