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Parker Andrews, left, and Jason Williams, both students in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Music Preparatory Division, recently earned placements in one of the three Texas All-State Orchestras.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Violinist Parker Andrews and violist Jason Williams, both students in the Music Preparatory Division of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music, are among the elite string players in Texas named to one of the three all-state orchestras.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Early Childhood Lab is one of the first early childhood programs to earn accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the nation's leading organization of early childhood professionals.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Area 6- to 12-year-olds may register for an art class offered by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, 329 E. Main Street in downtown Nacogdoches. The class is a part of the monthly Creative Art Saturday program.

Participants will view the Texas Modernists exhibition currently on display in the Ledbetter Gallery of the art center and then use pastels to create an automatic drawing while listening to the music of Igor Stravinsky.

Dawn Stover, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Mast Arboretum research associate, helps Sara Bowie create a festive holiday wreath from natural materials.

he Stephen F. Austin State University Mast Arboretum will host a garden seminar "Deck the Halls-Using Evergreens to Decorate for the Holidays" from 9 a.m. until noon Dec. 13 in Room 118 of the Agriculture Building.

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ School of Art and Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free one-night film screening of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Chris Paine's 92-minute documentary chronicles the life and mysterious death of the GM EV1, the electric car General Motors developed in 1996 in response to California's Zero Emissions Mandate.

The 20th annual Gala to honor major donors to Stephen F. Austin State University is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Fredonia Hotel in Nacogdoches. Gala festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with a formal dance, followed by a candlelight dinner at 7 p.m. and presentations at 8 p.m.

"In addition to honoring our major donors and two outstanding faculty members, this year's Gala will commemorate the 85th anniversary of the university," said Jill Still, director of development and coordinator of the Gala.

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Choir

'Tis the season for Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's annual tree-lighting ceremony, featuring live musical performances, refreshments, children's activities and a toy drive benefiting the Women's Shelter of East Texas.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Stephen F. Austin State University combined choirs, Symphony Orchestra and Nacogdoches Community Chorus will present George Frideric Handel's "Messiah" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, in W. M. Turner Auditorium.

Handel's three-part oratorio, or unstaged opera, about the life of the messiah, was first performed in 1742. One of the most performed and popular choral works, it is appreciated by audiences all over the globe, said Tim King, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ professor of music and the concert's director.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present "Percussion in the Pines," a joint concert of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Percussion Ensemble and Steel Band, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, in Cole Concert Hall.

Elisabeth Bottesi-Fischer's "Edelweiss-Baum" is included in "Cutting Fine, Cutting Deep," an exhibition of cut paper works that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ School of Art will open at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, in Griffith Gallery.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts, School of Art and University Series will open "Cutting Fine, Cutting Deep: Cut Paper Works from Switzerland and North America" at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec.