Program News
April 2026
This year, fourteen students were inducted into Shepherd’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta. The new inductees were Mei Arrowsmith, Cas Hayes, Olivia Henry, Taryn Higgins, Karley Hoffman, Delaney Joia, Hailie Kerns, Jillian Marker, Mireya McGaha-Eastep, Delaney McNelis, Boaze Nipper, Mary Beth Skelton, Amaya Summers, and Aengus Vaclavicek. Sigma Tau Delta is an international English honor society that was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University. The induction ceremony took place on April 21st during the first night of the English Capstone presentations.
Fifteen English Capstone students presented their work recently to quite large audiences over two different evenings. On the first night, April 21st, the presenters included
- Caitlin Carson (Literature): “The Significance of Sisterhood in Ovid’s Metamorphoses”
- Jill Marker (Literature): “The Women of Sparta: The Threat They Pose to Man”
- Curry Taylor (Literature): “Haunted Spaces as Metaphors for the Mind in American Gothic Literature”
- Hailie Kearns (Literature): “The Failure of Huck Finn’s Morality and the Necessity of James”
- Chloe Westfall (Literature): “Changing Perceptions of Native Americans: Hope Leslie, ‘The Basket Maker,’ and ‘Too Late’”
- Hannah Tinsman (Literature): “Wicked Women or Sympathetic Survivors?”
- Steffani Shingle (Creative Writing): “Clovers in the Clay”
- Ava Mellott (Literature): “The Purification of the Prostitute”
On the second night, April 22nd, the presenters included
- Liv Shriver (Literature): “The Riceean Vampire: Anne Rice’s Influence on the Vampire Genre”
- Jude Stradley (Creative Writing): “Poems by Jude Stradley”
- Courtney Blank (Literature): “Unlike Father, Unlike Son: An Examination of Telemachus’s Development”
- Alyssa Schlaefli (Literature): “Tumult Over Action: Resisting Colonization with Beauty and Violence in Things Fall Apart”
- Mei Arrowsmith (Literature): “Language as Resistance: Self-Authorship and Code-Switching in Everett’s James”
- Delaney Joia (Creative Writing): “Red Eye”
- Maddie Foor (Creative Writing): “Art Heist: Work-in-Progress”
During the second night of the English Capstone presentations, on April 22nd, quite a few students were recognized for their meritorious accomplishments during the 2025 – 2026 academic year. In addition, three students were recognized for the quality of their writing in English 101 or English 101S classes. Those students received cash prizes as part of the Catherine C. Fix Essay Contest. Their award-winning essays will even be included in the 2026 – 2027 edition of the Writing Program textbook that students in all sections of English 101, 101S, and 102 will use. We couldn’t be prouder of our amazing students! This year’s award recipients include
- Outstanding English Major—Caitlin Carson
- Outstanding English Major (Literature Concentration)—Chloe Westfall
- Outstanding English Major (Creative Writing Concentration)—Madelyn Foor
- Outstanding English Major (Education Concentration)—Britney Huntley-Stotler
- Outstanding Spanish Major—Jillian Marker
- Outstanding English Minor—Sophia Lord
- Outstanding Spanish Minor—Arianna Hill
- Catherine Fix First-Place Winner: Myraline Armstrong
- Catherine Fix Second-Place Winner: Karley Hoffman
- Catherine Fix Third-Place Winner: Talan Gomez
The West Virginia Foreign Language Teachers’ Association (WVFLT) held its annual immersion weekend at Musselman Middle School in Inwood on April 10th and 11th. Our very own Dr. Denis Berenschot and Dr. Martha Granados took part in the event. As a matter of fact, Dr. Berenschot was a featured speaker and delivered a talk entitled “Variedades idiomáticas en Latinoamérica” (“Idiomatic Varieties in Latin America”). The topic was explored through historical, linguistic, phonetic, cultural, and folkloric perspectives, offering a multidimensional approach that deepened the educators’ understanding and appreciation of the Spanish language. The participants were educators from the United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, and Colombia, and their contributions fostered a vibrant learning environment marked by camaraderie and professionalism.
March 2026
February 2026
The most noteworthy reference titles published in 2025 have been named to the 2026 Outstanding References Sources List, an annual list selected by experts of the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association. The first title on the list was American Women Writers of the 19th Century by our very own colleague, Dr. Heidi Hanrahan! Dr. Hanrahan’s book was published last year by McFarland & Company, and the panel singled out the work’s “seventy-eight readable, accessible entries on writers like Louisa May Alcott, Emma Lazarus, Sarah Orne Jewett, and Zitkala-Ša.” The citation continues, “There are also entries on important texts, literary periods, genres, and terms, as well as entries on the cultural, historical, and social events and movements of the nineteenth century that impacted American women writers.” Wow! We couldn’t be more impressed!