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Titan Terror Project Presents Grand Prize to Local High School Students

Winners of the 2014 Titan Terror Project: (l-r) Storm Geary, David Trotter and Ali Srour

Titan Radio (88.9FM) and the Westminster Cable Network celebrated the fifth annual Titan Terror Project by handing out the Grand Prize Award for Titan Terror 5. The amateur movie-making competition awarded the top prize trophy to David Trotter, Ali Srour and Storm Geary of Grove City Area Senior High School for their scary digital short, PARKED. The showcase and award presentation in the Campus Center's Mueller Theater included a delegation of students from Grove City, including the winners.

Alumna Exhibits Art at Westminster College

A portrait exhibition by Christine Salo Swann, a 1990 Westminster College graduate from Gibsonia, is on display at the Westminster College Art Gallery until Oct. 22. The gallery is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday, noon-9 p.m.

"I've always known I would be an artist," Swann said. "My earliest memory is of drawing crooked smiley faces and putting the nose right between the eyes, and my mother telling me to 'draw what you see.'"

"This fascination has taken me on a diverse path, and my obsession now is faces," Swann continued. "Subtle nuances that set one child apart from another, or wrinkles of life in a wise face. Although I still rely on that first art lesson, 'draw what you see,' I now strive to see beyond a likeness into another soul, another outlook on this visual world and try to recreate the entire union of elements and invite the viewer to stop into see what I have seen from a face to face."

Swann is an artist and illustrator whose sensitive paintings of children have led her to concentrate full-time on commissioned portraits. She is an award-winning artist on the regional, national, and international level, and has been featured in the International Artist Magazine as a Master Portrait Painter. Nominated as Emerging Artist of the Year by the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Swann also teaches workshops on portraiture. She is a member of the Pittsburgh Watercolor society, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators.

Westminster College will also host a gallery talk and reception Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m., where Swann will talk more about the exhibit.

For more information, contact Peggy Cox, professor of art and director of the Westminster College Art Gallery, at (724) 946-7266 or e-mail pcox@westminster.edu.

Seven Westminster Students to Present Capstone Projects

Seven Westminster College modern languages seniors will present their capstone projects Monday and Tuesday, May 2 and 3 in Thompson Clark room 315.

The final component of Liberal Studies at Westminster is a senior capstone course, which is at least a four-semester-hour course within the major designed to provide an opportunity for students to evaluate and assess the strengths and limitations of their major field.

Latrobe, PA
Laura Jones is a daughter of Bruce and Jessie Jones. Jones, a junior Spanish major, is a graduate of Greater Latrobe High School. Monday, May 2, at 3:15 p.m., she will present "The Importance of Second Language Acquisition: Spain and the U.S."

Bridgeville, PA
Joseph Brickner is a son of Michael Brickner. Brickner, a senior German major, is a graduate of South Fayette High School. Monday, May 2, at 3:45 p.m., he will present "The German Education System: Should it be Changed?"

Richmond, VA
Fritz Julien is a son of Ruthnie Belizaire. Julien, a senior intercultural studies major, is a graduate of Kenston Forest School. Monday, May 2, at 4:15 p.m., he will present "Chile 1973-1990 and the Influence of the U.S."

New Castle, PA
Lindsay Minteer is a daughter of Donald and Judie Minteer. Minteer, a senior Spanish major, is a graduate of Shenango High School. Monday, May 2, at 4:45 p.m. she will present "Mexican Gangs and Their Problems with Drugs."

Pittsburgh, PA
Kauleen Cloutier is a daughter of Laurent and Erin Cloutier. Cloutier, a senior theatre and French major, is a graduate of Mount Lebanon High School. Tuesday, May 3, at 3:15 p.m., she will present "Our Neighbours to the North: A Brawl in Our Own Backyard.'"

Belle Vernon, PA
Casey Vargo is a daughter of Bruce and Kathy Vargo. Vargo, a senior international business and French major, is a graduate of Belle Vernon Area High School. Tuesday, May 3, at 3:45 p.m., she will present is "Women in the U.S. and France: A Hidden Resource."

North Huntingdon, PA
Marcus Corvino is a son of Ralph and Mary Corvino. Corvino, a senior international business and German major, is a graduate of Norwin High School. Tuesday, May 3, at 4:15 p.m., he will present "It is Truly a Business World: Germany and the U.S."

Contact Dr. Carol Bove, professor of French at Westminster College, at (724) 946-7303 or e-mail cbove@westminster.edu for more information.

Students Travel to Tent City on Gulf for Spring Break

Spring break means beaches and parties for many college students, but for some Westminster College students spring break means rebuilding homes in hurricane-ravaged Pearlington, Miss.

About 30 Westminster College students, faculty, and staff depart at 6:30 p.m. March 10 from the Chapel lot to embark on an 18-to-20-hour ride. Once they arrive in Mississippi, the group will be housed in a tent village equipped with cots and portable showers. In addition to helping clean up the area, the group will be expected to cook their own food in the dining tents. The volunteers will return to Westminster Sunday, March 19.

"Pearlington is very rural and has just recently received its first volunteers," said the Rev. James Mohr, chaplain of Westminster College. "It's close to the Louisiana boarder, not far from the coast, and roughly 30 minutes from New Orleans."

In addition to the Westminster students and the Rev. Mohr, several others will be helping in this effort. They include Mohr's daughter, Katie; Zak Lantz, resident director at Westminster, Virginia Tomlinson, associate professor of sociology and director of the Drinko Center at Westminster; Mary James, director of alumni relations at Westminster; and Chuck Woratschek, a resident of Beaver.

"Though the news coverage has returned to normal, the lives of those in Mississippi is still far from normal," Lantz said. "This will be my first trip to an area of such severe need. I am nervous about what we will encounter. My prayer is that when we leave Mississippi, we will not only be changed by the experience, but also will have changed the lives of others for the better as well."

Contact Mohr at (724) 946-7116 or e-mail mohrjr@westminster.edu for more information.

Alumna and Former Professor Display Art at Westminster

Nelson Oestreich, former Westminster College art professor, and Carrie Triko-Widener, a 1986 Westminster art education graduate of Westminster, will display their work together at the Westminster College Art Gallery, Sept. 29-Oct. 24. The gallery, located in Patterson Hall, is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday, noon-9 p.m.

Higher Learning and Love: Married Couples at Westminster College

By Dee Natale, a public relations major from New Castle
Bullfrogs in a box and car windows smeared with shaving cream may not sound romantic, but those images are among the wedding day memories of a group of 15 married couples who are employed by Westminster College.