Media Mentions

A husband and wife team on the faculty each conducted extensive research about the traditions and practices of the Amish in order to write their individual books — “Beyond the Plain and Simple: A Patchwork of Amish Lives” by Pauline Stevick, adjunct instructor of English and interdisciplinary studies, and “Growing Up Amish” by Richard Stevick, professor emeritus of psychology. The “Harrisburg Patriot-News’” book editor Mary O. Bradley featured the books in her Jan. 24 column.

Read “Three writers cast eyes on Amish lifestyle.”

In Messiah’s conference opener, the Lady Falcons, defending MAC Commonwealth Conference champions, schooled a young Lebanon Valley team in the finer points of basketball with a 66-42 victory. LV coach Todd Goclowski said of the game, “Playing Messiah, one of the most talented teams in the country, will help us in the long run.”

Read “Messiah delivers lesson against young Lebanon Valley.”

In a rematch of last year’s second round playoff game during the NCAA tournament, Kean University met the Lady Falcons on their home court in front of a large crowd in Brubaker Auditorium. After a hard-played game, Kean emerged on top 69-64, handing the Falcons their second loss this season.

Read “Old nemesis edges Messiah” from the Jan. 20 “Harrisburg Patriot-News.”
“Kean gets the best of Messiah again” from the Jan. 20 “Carlisle Sentinel.” (not available online)

While we honor the tremendous progress of the civil rights movement, we must also consider the critical steps necessary to continue eliminating prejudice, asserts Boyer Fellow Cynthia Wells in a Jan. 20 opinion piece written for the “Harrisburg Patriot-News” in which she cites compelling evidence to indicate race relations still suffer in America.

Read “King’s mission isn’t finished.”

No one has coached more field hockey games than Messiah College Coach Jan Trapp; she just wrapped up her 35th season with the Falcons and holds an impressive 465-169-28 career record. It was only fitting that she would be inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame in Hartford, Conn. recently. Columnist Bob Black writes of Trapp in a Jan. 18 “Patriot-News” story, “Trapp’s up-to-date approach after 35 years of coaching annually keeps Messiah among the winningest programs in the country.”

Read “Messiah coach gains field hockey fame.”

Read Trapp’s reflections on her induction into the hall of fame.

Messiah College is the team to beat, according to a Jan. 16 “Harrisburg Patriot-News” story about how the Lady Falcons are dominating their opponents and living up to the distinction of being one of the top ten DIII programs in the country, according to a ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

Read “Messiah rolling” (part of a larger article about local women’s college basketball).

The proliferation of psychics, spiritualists, and mediums on television and the Internet warrant a note of caution, according to Campus Pastor Eldon Fry in a recent interview with the “Harrisburg Patriot-News” for a Jan. 15 article about spiritualists living in and visiting the midstate. “The cautionary note,” he says, “comes in that we aren’t allowing what is very real and authentic in our seeking to set us up for something that leads us down a dark path into something destructive.”

Read “The spiritual realm: Midstaters tap mediums for guidance, connection.” (Please note: Fry’s comments are not included in the online version of this story.)

For senior Nikki Lobach, the countdown to graduation includes several significant milestones. Between now and then, Lobach is getting married, seeking a job, and hoping to help lead the Lady Falcons basketball team to a national championship. Aspirations for a national championship aren’t unfounded — the team is currently 13-1 and ranked ninth in the nation among DIII schools; Lobach leads in scoring. “The Hanover Evening Sun,” Lobach’s hometown newspaper, spoke with the basketball star and Coach Mike Miller in a January 12 article.

Read “Messiah standout juggles several roles in her senior year.”

When 19-year-old Konrad Binienda won the Rodney and Lorna Sawatsky Rising Stars Concerto Competition at Messiah College last year, he knew that one of the judges was especially important to impress. Stuart Malina, conductor of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, wasn’t only helping to determine the winner of the competition, he was deciding whether the winner’s performance was a high enough caliber to earn him the opportunity to perform with the Symphony. With Binienda, there was no doubt, Malina told the “Harrisburg Patriot-News” in a January 10 article. Binienda will play Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Symphony this weekend.

Read “The kids gets a shot”

After graduating from Messiah College, Susan Biondo-Hench `80 studied at the Folger Shakespeare Library, and her interest in Shakespeare was sparked. Now, Biondo-Hench teaches Shakespeare to her Carlisle High School students in such an interesting and innovative way that she was awarded the first-ever Shakespeare Steward Award for oustanding contributions to the innovative teachings of Shakespeare in American classrooms from the Folger Shakespeare Library. The “Carlisle Sentinel” featured Biondo-Hench in a December 26 article.