Ben Sneyd, who is from Unicoi, has been recognized as the “Student of the Block” for the third block at Tusculum College.

Sneyd, a senior majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing, was honored for his academic excellence, his activities and leadership on campus and strength of character with the award. He was presented the honor during a ceremony in the Living Room of the Niswonger Commons, where a plaque recognizing his accomplishments will be displayed.

The Office of Student Affairs established the award to recognize students for their academic achievement, leadership on campus and contributions to the college community.

Sneyd is a member of the editing staff for the Tusculum Review, the college’s literary magazine, works with an online journal for the English Department and has worked as a journalist for the student newspaper. He was the winner of the poetry category of the Curtis and Billie Owens literary prize in 2011.

He has served as a peer tutor, an officer in the English Student Organization and was the lead mentor for this past year’s orientation class. A talented musician, Sneyd has willingly shared his talents, volunteering to play music for various functions in the Northeast Tennessee region for the college and performing in last spring’s Old Oak Festival on campus.

An unprecedented five nominations for Sneyd to be recognized with the award were submitted, each one from a professor in the English Department filled with high praise for him.

Congratulating Ben Sneyd, fourth from left, for his selection as “Student of the Block” at Tusculum College are English professors, from left, Heather Patterson, Dr. Shelia Morton, Desirae Matherly, Wayne Thomas and Dr. Clay Matthews.

“Ben is simply one of the most gifted and brilliant students I’ve had the pleasure to teach,” said Wayne Thomas, chair of the Fine Arts Department and associate professor of English, in his nomination. “Ben is everything we want a Tusculum student to be: a perpetual and discerning thinker, a conscientious student, a moral human being and a friend. … He’s one of the few students I have asked to guest lecture. Last year, he only missed two days of the Intermediate Creative Writing course, which probably doesn’t seem impressive until you understand that he wasn’t even enrolled in the class. Ben’s the kind of student who shows up just because the material interests him.”

Sneyd’s desire to learn and his excellence in the classroom were also praised by Dr. Shelia Morton and Dr. Clay Matthews in their nominations. “Of all the students I have ever taught, he has the most acute understanding and most insightful reading of difficult theoretical texts,” said Dr. Morton, assistant professor of English.

“He’s a voracious reader and learner, and we’d often spend time after class discussing Falkner or Eliot, making headway on ideas far advanced for his age,” said Dr. Matthews, assistant professor of English. “He has all the traditional markings of an excellent student, but what makes Ben unique is the amount of learning he takes on outside the classroom.”

Heather Patterson, chair of the Department of English and assistant professor of English, noted his willingness to help other students. “Inside and out of the classroom, Sneyd stands out as a mentor and a leader,” she said. “For my students, particularly developmental writers, Ben has offered much of his time tutoring free of charge and ‘off the clock.’ The students’ writing improved and I believe more than one passed the course solely because of the extra time spent with Ben.”

Patterson also commented in her nomination that Sneyd takes pride in being a well-rounded student, doesn’t shy away from leadership roles, cares about his peers and their successes and possesses superior community skills, both oral and written.

Desirae Matherly, assistant professor of English, wrote in her nomination that Sneyd “continually raises the bar for other students; his ability to exceed his instructors’ expectations is another reason why Ben should be honored with this award, along with his gift for urging others around him to work harder.”

Sneyd’s experience has been different than other students, having come to campus as a 16-year-old after graduating early from high school with a 4.0 grade point average. He chose Tusculum because he wanted to be close to home as his mother was battling a serious illness at the time and was also drawn to the school because of the block system, the student to faculty/staff ratio, great and vigorous academic programs and the beauty of the campus.

As a younger student, Sneyd said it was challenging and he made some mistakes before he found his calling. “Tusculum has provided me an opportunity to learn about life,” he said, adding that the college was lenient and allowed him the space to make mistakes and grow as a person.

He also has praise for his faculty. “I could talk for ages about the professors in my major, how they spend long hours outside of the class reading students’ work or preparing events for students or just having a conversation about writing or class. What is so surprising is that the faculty members who work in other departments have also done this for me,” he said. “I remember taking a Commons course and spending a considerable amount of time with the professor outside of class having intelligent and mentally stimulating conversations about politics. It is truly amazing how invested our faculty members are in the students at Tusculum.”

Sneyd is the son of Ricky and Sam Sneyd, brother to Josh and Jen, and husband to Alicia. He is proud of his family’s military service – his mother is a former Marine, his father served in the Army and his sister served in the Navy.

Jennifer Pozner

Renowned media analyst Jennifer Pozner will cast a critical eye on reality television programs and their effects on Thursday, Jan. 24, at Tusculum College.

Pozner will take a fierce, funny and in-depth look at how “guilty pleasure” television affects beliefs, behavior and culture in “Project Brainwash: Why Reality TV Is Bad for Women (and Men, People of Color, the Economy, Love and Sheer Common Sense.)”

Her presentation will begin at 7 p.m. in the Behan Arena Theatre (lower level) of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum College campus. The program is part of Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s Acts, Arts, Academia 2012-13 performance and lecture series and is also being presented in conjunction with the college’s Office of Student Affairs.

Pozner is a media critic, journalist, author and founder and director of the Women in Media and News (WIMN). A media justice group based in New York, WIMN amplifies women’s presence and power in the public debate through media analysis, education and advocacy. She is also managing editor of WIMN’s Voices, a popular group blog on women and the media, which can be found at WIMNonline.org.

A widely published freelance journalist, her work has appeared in outlets ranging from newspapers such as The New York Times, Newsday, Chicago Tribune and Boston Phoenix, to magazines such as “Ms. Magazine,” “The American Prospect” and “In These Times” to new media such as Salon.com and the HuffingtonPost.  She formerly directed the women’s desk at the national media watch group FAIR, where she was a staff writer for Extra! magazine and the organizer of the national Feminist Coalition on Public Broadcasting.

Pozner has appeared as a commentator on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC News Now, National Public Radio, Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and several documentary films.

Her first book, “Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV,” was published in 2010, and has been praised as an insightful and fun read.

A noted public speaker, Pozner has conducted multi-media presentations and participated in panels and debates at colleges and conferences across the country. She has spoken on women, media, politics and pop culture at more than 70 colleges across the country. In 2009, she was named as one of the New Leaders Council 40 Under Forty young progressive leaders to watch and “Forbes” has named her one of the “20 Inspiring Women to Follow on Twitter.”

Admission to the presentation is $6. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620.

Margaret Berry (Snow White) and Joshua Kurtzberg (the Prince) rehearse one of their dances.

Central Ballet Theatre of Greeneville will bring “Snow White: A Christian Twist on a Classic Fairy Tale” to the stage on Jan. 18-20 with a Christian theme to the beloved story.

Central Ballet Theatre’s newest story ballet brings the tale of Snow White, the funny seven dwarfs, the wicked Lady Queen and the rescuing prince to the stage of the auditorium in the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building at Tusculum College. The ballet opens at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18. Two performances are slated for Saturday, Jan. 19, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.  A matinee performance is slated for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 20.

While following the story of Snow White that is so well known, the Central Ballet Theatre version has a Christian theme. Artistic Director Lori Ann Sparks has adapted the fairy tale into a real life story that appeals to all ages.

“The story is a picture of life as I see it, with all the emotions man has always felt and always will, from hate and envy to love and happiness, sadness to hilarity, desperation to miraculous interventions,” Sparks said. “All directors use life to write their stories, some just leave out the part that God is actually there to turn to for help. I wanted to show that He is a choice we all have. Each year I try to do something different in our ballets. This year we have a narrator who helps to tell the story plus actual singers on stage.”

A cast of 87 will bring the medieval era story to life in striking period costumes. There will be kings and queens, adorable animals, a friar, an amazing mirror with an imprisoned sprite, live trees, a dove, raven and an owl.

Joshua Kurtzberg, from American Repertory Ballet in New Jersey, is returning to dance the role of the Prince. He played the role of Mordecai in CBT’s Esther last season. Also returning to the stage, after a broken foot that kept her from performances last season, is Parke Brumit to play the role of Angelica.

Joslyn Frazee and Lori Ann Sparks, both local Central Ballet professional dancers, have major roles.  Freeze portrays the Hart, a character that touches the heart. Sparks is dancing the Holy Spirit.

Margaret Berry will play the role of Snow White, and David Sparks will dance the role of the Huntsman.

The Prince (Joshua Kurtzberg) tries to wake Snow White (Margaret Berry) from this scene in “Snow White."

Snow White’s Mother, portrayed by Cleo Farr, begins the story with an announcement to her husband, the comedic King, played by Ben Sparks, that she is expecting. The child is born, and the mother is taken to heaven. Because there is no mother, the young Snow White, portrayed by Meg Butler, is given all her heart desires, so she grows up to be spoiled.

The King marries another who becomes the prideful Lady Queen, danced by Elizabeth Sparks. One day in the court’s chapel service, Snow White, now older, is convicted by the story of Jesus. She is called by the Holy Spirit to open her heart to Him, which she does. At once she becomes a new creation. The Enchanted Mirror (Leta Bishop and Rachel Peters) and Mirror Sprite (Emma Sanders alternating with Bekah Berry) see this new beauty and exclaim to Lady Queen that Snow White is now the most beautiful in the kingdom.

Enraged, the Lady Queen demands the Huntsman take Snow White out into the forest and kill her, bringing back her heart.  The Huntsman cannot kill Snow White for her beauty is so great.  He must find a substitute. The Hart gives her heart for Snow White’s life.

When Snow White becomes lost and frightened in the woods, she prays for help.  Angels come and lead Snow White to a little cottage where she makes new friends of seven very peculiar men.  They tell Snow White to never open the door to anyone, but an old lady appears needing a drink. In Snow White’s kindness, she opens the door. Snow White is then offered a beautiful red, enchanted apple that is most desirous. She takes a bite!

To find out what happens, you must come and see the ballet!

The ballet is part of Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s 2012-13 Acts, Arts, Academia performance and lecture series.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors over the age of 60 and $5 for children under 12 years of age. Tickets may be reserved by calling 423-724-7014. They may be purchased in Greeneville at The General Morgan Inn, James-Ben Studio and Three Blind Mice or at the box office prior to the performance.