Digging New Spaces

The 34th B. G. Raines Education Forum was held in March at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Va. The forum is an annual event held to bring together individuals from Emory & Henry, surrounding schools, businesses, and industry to establish an ongoing dialogue regarding educational needs and opportunities in our region. The speakers included keynote speaker Valerie Ellery (right), an international educational consultant and best-selling author, and Fabiana Parker, 2023 Virginia Teacher of the Year. “For thirty-four years the B. G. Raines Education Forum has brought exemplary educators and leaders from all regions of our nation to Southwest Virginia,” said Dr. Sandra Frederick, Education Department chair. “These guests provide our local educators and community partners with insights into student learning, current educational research, and sound teaching pedagogy that can immediately be taken back into our regional schools to benefit the children of Southwest Virginia.”

The College formally dedicated the Ashleigh “Stardust” Langbein Memorial Fund scholarship to honor the late Ashleigh Langbein, ’16. The fund was initiated in 2020 to provide support opportunities for theatre students to expand their training beyond the College through related workshops and conferences. It will help these students continue their education while keeping Ashleigh’s memory alive in the campus community. The ceremony concluded with remarks from Ashleigh’s parents and co-founders of the Ashleigh Langbein Project, Russell and Paula Langbein, who visited from Katy, Texas, to attend the signing in memory of their daughter.