by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Nov. 18 Monteagle Council meeting, the community received news about two grants for initiatives spawned by the Imagine Monteagle plan adopted in September. Less welcome news came with Police Chief William Raline’s year-end report on vehicle crashes and drug arrests.

Monteagle received a $65,000 grant from the Lyndhurst Foundation to hire a consultant to assist with zoning definitions and mapping. In response to Alderwoman Dorraine Parmley question about the need for a consultant, Alderman Nate Wilson explained, “Our zoning ordinance isn’t working for much of anybody. People wanting to come here and do business don’t understand it, and the community doesn’t understand why we’ve done things. The planning commission talked about campgrounds 10 months. [The commission and council] didn’t know what questions to ask.” Requests for Qualifications have gone out to eight firms. If the consultant costs less than $65,000, Wilson said Monteagle could request reassigning the remaining funds to hiring an economic development consultant to assist Monteagle with attracting businesses.

A $10,000 grant from the South Cumberland Community Fund will go toward a new sign for Monteagle Elementary School, with the base and stand constructed from mountain stone to reflect Imagine Monteagle’s vision for the town. Beautification Committee Chair Martha Ann Pilcher estimated the total cost at $23,000-$25,000. Send donations earmarked for the sign to the SCCF.

Pilcher put out a call for volunteers to move the Imagine Monteagle Plan forward, citing a need for help with digital presence, the website, grants, research, public arts and more. Pilcher and Wilson will meet to clarify what tasks the steering committee needs assistance with.

Listing statistics for police department activity from December 2023 to the present, Raline said officers had issued 400 warnings and/or citations, worked 100 vehicle crashes and made 41 arrests. “One hundred vehicle crashes for this small town is unacceptable,” Raline insisted. He cited speed and distracted driving as the primary causes and told the community to expect “an influx of blue lights. We’re going to pull people over and try to reeducate them about why we want people to slow down.” Of the 41 arrests, 83 percent were drug related. Raline stressed, “If you bring drugs here, we will arrest you, and you will go to jail. Maybe in the future we can come up with programs that will help people get off their addictions, but the only thing I know how to do right now is to keep the citizens safe.”

Updating the community on the water supply, Mayor Greg Maloof said the town’s primary water source, Laurel Lake, was at seven feet. Monteagle continues to purchase water from Tracy City as needed. Dewayne Rollins reported on water plant operations. Asked about the discrepancy between gallons of water sold and gallons produced and purchased, Rollins attributed the anomaly to the billing software. He pointed to aging meters which had stopped recording water usage as another source of error. The meters are being replaced.

The council revoted approving purchase of a dump truck for the Street Department. Maloof said at the September meeting the cost he quoted for the truck, $58,000, did not include the dump body. The actual cost, $79,274, was still well under the $90,000 budgeted amount, Maloof noted. Wilson questioned the need for the truck, pointing out the dump truck currently in use, although nearing “the end of its life” was still “serviceable.” “The DOT would park it,” said Street Department Superintendent Keith Butner. Alderman Dan Sargent said he trusted “the knowledge and judgement” of the street department employees who recommended purchasing a new truck. Maloof concurred, arguing for purchasing a replacement before repair parts became unavailable for the truck. Wilson voted against approving the purchase.

Grant Fletcher and Dean Lay were elected to the Monteagle Council in the recent alderman election. The Election Commission will certify the results on Nov. 21. Monteagle may hold a special called meeting early in December, rather than the last Monday of the month meeting, to evaluate RFQs for the zoning consultant.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Nov. 19 meeting, the Sewanee Utility District Board of Commissioners approved a 2025 budget calling for a rate increase and a monthly fee for grinder pump customers. The board also discussed the upcoming commissioner election, a Deep Woods resident’s request for water service, and approved purchasing a new pump for the main lift station on Bob Stewman Road.

Commenting on the grinder pump fee, SUD manager Ben Beavers said, “Anybody served by a grinder pump pays $8 per month. We spent over $30,000 this past year on grinder pumps. Other customers don’t benefit.” SUD has 195 customers serviced by grinder pumps. The $8 per month fee will only pay half of SUD’s projected grinder pump expenses.

The 3 percent increase in the water, sewer, and base rate charges will increase a customer’s monthly bill by less than $3 if the customer has both water and sewer service and by approximately $1.50 if the customer has only water service.

“Chemical costs continue to outpace inflation,” Beavers said, citing reasons for the rate increase. Other cost increases include health insurance, which rose 8.5 percent last year, and a 2.5 percent cost of living raise for employees.

One seat comes open on the SUD Board of Commissioners in 2025. Commissioners serve a four-year term, must participate in commissioner training seminars, and receive a $50 monthly stipend. Prospective candidates should contact a commissioner or the SUD office. No nominating petition is required.

Deep Woods resident John Clark’s request for water service would require a three-mile pipe, Beavers said. Based on current and possible future residents, Beavers estimated the three-mile water line would serve less than 60 homes. “In the past we have never run a line for so few customers,” he said. “I want to avoid a Jump Off situation.” Extending water service to the Jump Off community did not pay for itself, Beavers stressed. “It nearly bankrupt the district.” Beavers investigated Clark’s suggestion SUD apply for a USDA grant. SUD does not qualify because the median income in the district is too high. Board President Charlie Smith concurred with Beavers assessment of the request to extend the water line. “It violates our growth pays for growth policy,” Smith insisted.

Taking up the issue of the main pump at the Bob Stewman Road lift station, Beavers said the pump was operating at only one-fifth capacity. Beavers researched options: repair cost, $29,795; replacement with the same brand pump (Crown), $35,495; replacement with a Gorman Rupp brand pump, $23,750. “In my opinion, the Gorman Rupp is a better pump, and it’s significantly cheaper,” Beavers said. “It’s a quality pump. We have Gorman Rupps in our system.” The board approved the purchase. Delivery may take four to six weeks, Beavers noted.

The board meets next on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The Nov. 14 screening of the documentary “A Binding Truth” opened a door leading viewers into the dark legacy of two men, one black and one white, who discover they are alike not because opposites attract, but because for both men, the truth is the only path out of the darkness. Casual acquaintances as high school classmates, the lives of Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick and De Kirkpatrick diverged for 40 years. The circumstance that reunites them harks back to their high school days but leads them centuries deeper into the past. Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick and De Kirkpatrick share far more than a last name.

In 1965, all-white Myers Park High School stole the star running back from all-black Second Ward High School, a Charlotte, N.C., desegregation effort. Myers Park was not disappointed. Voted best player in the city, Jimmie scored 19 touchdowns his senior year. But the all-white Carolinas all-star team shut Jimmie out. Litigation followed and the bombing of four black civil rights workers’ homes. Jimmie found himself at the center of a lawsuit he was not named in. He saw a college scholarship to Purdue as a way out. “I didn’t want to integrate anything ever again,” he confessed.

Jimmie described the culture of his youth as one where “black people’s only relationship with white people was working for them.” At Purdue, as in high school, his only relationship with white people was sports. The only Blacks on campus were “exploited” athletes who were excluded from student social life. A knee injury forced a decision: Jimmie left football and Purdue. The radical Berkley environment suited him, what Jimmie calls “my hippie period.” He played in bands and embraced music as “the center” of his life. No one knew he was a former college football star.

De Kirkpatrick, meanwhile, applied to and was accepted at Harvard. His admissions essay recounted the racial strife forced to the foreground by the Shriner Bowl’s rejection of his high school classmate Jimmie Lee. The segregationist separate bathrooms and drinking fountains he grew up with “never made sense,” De insisted. Rejecting the influence of his racist father and white supremacist uncle, De engaged in civil rights protests and marches, and embraced the rich multiculturalism displayed in his mother’s catering business. He earned a doctorate in psychology and married.

Jimmie married, moved to Oregon, and became a teacher and school administrator. “When I moved out west, I thought my story had run its course,” Jimmie said. But Jimmie’s story was far from over.

In 2021, the Charlotte Sports Foundation announced the Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick Award, an annual $10,000 scholarship given to a senior playing football in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools. De read about the scholarship, tracked Jimmie down, and the two men got together for dinner. Jimmie had been researching his family history. De accepted Jimmie’s invitation to visit the plantation cemetery where De’s family was buried — and Jimmie’s family, as well.

De grew up with the narrative his family had been dairy farmers, a small slice of truth. “Slavery was never part of the conversation,” he said. But, in fact, his ancestors were among the top cotton producers in the state and owned a good number of slaves. At the cemetery, grand granite memorials marked the graves of De’s ancestors. Jimmie’s ancestors were buried in unmarked graves in the bordering woods. “Profound neglect was the headstone,” De said.

More research by both men followed, with Jimmie tracking down the document where his enslaved ancestors were willed to De’s. “There was a time I was angry,” Jimmie admits. “But the more I learn, the more I understand today’s issues.” “Surprise and anger drove my research,” De said. As a psychologist, he calls his mission “an autopsy of dead slave holders,” describing those who epitomized slavery as “God’s plan” as a “dysfunctional family” that whipped, sold, and raped its family members.

“We need to be having a conversation about fear,” De insisted. “Fear is the driver of white supremacy. People are threatened by the emerging truth.”

Asked about the suppression of literature and concerns that learning about slavery will make children “feel bad about themselves,” Jimmie said, “Students can handle a lot when taught the right way. The power of friendship is you don’t need to feel uptight about saying the wrong thing.”

Committed to carrying the torch forward from the darkness into the light, Jimmie and De have established the Kirkpatrick Foundation, a counter effort resisting silencing the discussion about slavery. De called their mission, “good trouble coming.”

The Roberson Project for Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation and the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Centers sponsored the screening and Q&A. “A Binding Truth” has not yet been officially released. PBS will broadcast the documentary in the near future.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“It will end up costing the taxpayer,” said Board Member Sara Liechty in a discussion prompted by an update on the proposed Freedom Scholarship Act at the Nov. 11 board meeting. The board also learned about a new emergency response app on teachers’ cell phones and received a report on energy cost savings resulting from TRANE upgrades.

Last year the state house and senate could not agree on the provisions of the voucher-like Freedom Scholarship Act, said Board Member Sarah Marhevsky in her Legislative Update, but the two chambers of the Tennessee legislature have now submitted matching versions of the bill. If the proposed legislation becomes law, state funded scholarships will pay $7,075 toward the tuition of students attending private schools. The $7,075 per student allocation is the same for public schools, an amount set by the TISA funding formula. However, for private schools the state pays the full amount. For public schools a portion of the $7,075 allocation must be provided by the local school district’s tax dollars, typically 25 percent ($1,768) or more per student. Citing other inequities of the proposed legislation, Marhevsky noted private schools receiving scholarship money were not required to adhere to state hiring, curriculum, and testing mandates imposed on public schools. The legislature has already allocated $141.5 million to fund 20,000 scholarships for the first year, 10,000 to students qualifying for free and reduced lunch and 10,000 to students of any income level. By the provisions of the bill, next year the state will offer 5,000 more scholarships.

Similar voucher-type programs proposed in other states were voted down in the recent election, Liechty insisted. “Tennessee can’t support two systems of education without it impacting your personal taxes and revenue for roads and services. [A voucher-type program] about shut down the state of Indiana. The cost went from $50 million to several billion in a couple years. [The voucher system] is struggling and floundering everywhere it is [implemented]. I don’t know how much success you have in contacting your legislators. It did not come to a vote in Tennessee, and it should have.”

School Health Coordinator Chris Hawkersmith provided an overview of the Rave Panic app. The press of a button can alert the principal, law enforcement, fire fighters, and, if necessary, the entire campus depending on the nature of the emergency. For an active shooter or fire, notification goes out to 911 and all school personnel. Notification varies depending on the type of crisis. A medical emergency alert, for example, would notify the principal and school nurse.

Hawkersmith also explained the capabilities of the vape monitors soon to be activated in restrooms at North and South middle schools and Franklin County and Huntland high schools. In addition to detecting vape products in use, THC, and changes in CO2 levels, the monitors detect loud noises, screaming, and auditory disturbances. “The vape stuff is marketed to our kids. It gets kids addicted for life. Stopping the vape problem is not possible, but [the sensors] are a huge deterrent,” Hawkersmith said.

With the hardware portion of the TRANE energy-savings installations complete, the district is earmarked to receive $10,000 more in rebates from TVA than the $131,000 initially anticipated. Performance tracking also showed a higher than anticipated savings in energy costs, said Adam Cavender, TRANE measurement and verification engineer. Analysis of data revealed $267,000 in energy cost savings, $156,000 more than projected. The TRANE guarantee promises the TRANE upgrades will yield savings, Cavender said, and if not, “TRANE will make you whole. The district’s energy costs would have been a quarter million higher [without the upgrades].”

The board approved an MOU agreed upon by representatives from the Franklin County Education Association and the board of education management, addressing teachers’ wages, grievance procedures, insurance, working conditions and benefits. Liechty took issue with granting teachers personal leave days to reward years of service. Teacher absences “chip away from student learning,” Liechty stressed. “I wish we could look at another way to celebrate longevity.” Human Resources Supervisor Roger Alsup acknowledged Franklin County was only one of six districts in the state offering this benefit. “We’re pioneers in this area. It’s hard to get teachers. We need to do something to recognize longevity.”

The board meets next Dec. 11, the second Tuesday of the month, rather than the second Monday, to accommodate a meeting with the Franklin County Education Committee prior to the regular board meeting.

by Blythe Ford, Messenger Staff Writer

The University of the South Department of Theatre and Dance will present a performance of “DanceWise: Eye of the Beholder” from Thursday, Nov. 21 to Sunday, Nov. 24, in the Proctor Hill Theater at the Tennessee Williams Center. The dance production features choreography and performances by students, faculty and guest choreographer Cameron McKinney, under the artistic direction of Associate Professor Courtney World. Three evening performances are offered: Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. A Sunday matinee beginning at 2 p.m. is also scheduled. The performance is expected to last three hours.

DanceWise is an annual production created by faculty and students in the dance program at the University. This year, students Clara Allen, Gracie Moore, Reagan Nash, Kate White and Molly Windham each created a dance centered around a theme of beauty, aesthetics, truth, and perspectives. Twenty four students in total will perform in these and other dances. World explains “DanceWise provides student choreographers an opportunity to collaborate with both student and faculty/staff lighting designers and costume designers throughout the process to help achieve their vision in a fully produced dance concert.” In addition to the student choreography, World choreographed one dance personally and restaged another, a tap piece by Bill Evans. A highlight of the production is the restaging of an excerpt of Cameron McKinney’s “Strange Attractor,” performed by seven student dancers with whom he worked while in residence at the University for a weekend this October. “The unique fusion of styles in McKinney’s dance technique and choreography brought new perspectives and approaches to dancing and dance-making to our students,” World says, “Offering opportunities to engage with a style very different from what is currently offered in Sewanee’s dance program.”

Cameron McKinney is an NYC-based choreographer who combines elements of American and Japanese history, language, and aesthetics in street dance and contemporary floorwork as an act of connection and cultural ambassadorship. He was selected as a 2019-20 US-Japan Friendship Commission Creative Artist Fellow, and has been a Choreography Fellow at The School at Jacob’s Pillow, an Alvin Ailey Foundation New Directions Choreography Lab Fellow, a Hearst Choreographer-in-Residence at Princeton University and an Asian Cultural Council Grantee. He has presented work and taught in the US, Mexico, France, Japan and the UK. McKinney is currently on faculty at Montclair University and NYU Tisch. His company Kizuna Dance promotes intercultural exchange and collaboration between the US and Japan through the performing arts and community outreach.

“DanceWise: Eye of the Beholder” features an excerpt from McKinney’s repertoire alongside the student-led dances and World’s contributions. The production will be a mix of dance styles and music genres. Costume design is by Professor Jennifer Matthews, Costume Studio Supervisor Danielle Silfies, and student designers Roman Belton and Decorian Bowers. Lighting design is by Assistant Professor Jordan Vera and student designer Sawyer Herring. Families are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Admission is free, but seating is limited in Proctor Hill Theatre. Tickets can be reserved via EventBrite <eventbrite.com>. For more information, contact Courtney World at <coworld@sewanee.edu>.

Empty Tables seeks local artists to donate pieces for its booth at the upcoming annual Tennessee Craft South Holiday Studio Tour Dec. 7-8.

The studio tour is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST on Saturday, Dec. 7, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at Sewanee’s American Legion Hall.

“We’re reaching out to the public for two reasons,” volunteer Lee Limbird said. “We want to encourage local artists not participating in the studio tour to donate pieces to the Empty Tables Project and invite those who are inspired by art and concerned about the crisis of food insecurity on the plateau to come by our booth to shop.”

Empty Tables, launched by Claire Reishman on behalf of Tennessee Craft-South four years ago, shares all proceeds with organizations that address food insecurity on the South Cumberland Plateau. Funds raised this year will be distributed to Rooted Here, the Community Action Committee in Sewanee, Morton Memorial United Methodist Church in Monteagle, and the Grundy County Food Bank in Coalmont.

The Community Action Committee, an outreach program of St. Mark and St. Paul Church in Sewanee, is dedicated to combating poverty and hunger in rural Appalachia.

Morton Memorial Church in Monteagle distributes groceries once a month, typically to 275 or more families, to alleviate food security in the area.

Grundy County Food Bank is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those in need in the Grundy County area, working with volunteers and board members to make sure no person goes hungry.

Rooted Here uses its gift to provide price-negotiated fresh produce from local farms — making local produce more accessible to these four food access organizations, supporting local farmers and producers and allowing them to participate in the effort to address food insecurity.

Artists interested in donating pieces to the Empty Tables Project should contact Limbird by text/phone (615) 630-9196, or <llimbird95@gmail.com>.

Set-up will begin at 4 p.m. Dec. 6, at the American Legion Hall, but arrangements can be made to pick up art in advance.

In just a few weeks, it will be Christmas. While many are already planning about gifts to buy and food to eat, there are those not so fortunate. In our area, there are children who may not get presents and families that may not have an abundant holiday meal.

Operation Noel is a group that was formed many years ago by Fire Chief David Green to provide help for families in need. They provide food and/or toys during the Christmas season. Local volunteers organize the purchasing and distribution of goods.

To be eligible, everyone must fill out an application. Every family needs to fill out a new application whether you have received from us before or not. An application will ensure that we have all the pertinent information so we can provide for everyone in need.

The deadline for returning applications is Friday, Dec. 13. Families eligible for Chief David Green’s Operation Noel must live on top of Sewanee Mountain in the following communities: Sewanee, Midway, Jump Off and on Sherwood Road. Please see page 11 in this issue for the application.

To donate money, nonperishable food items or new toys, please take items to the Sewanee Police Department located behind duPont Library, Print Services located in the old Beta House, or the CAC located at St. Mark and St. Paul (formerly Otey Memorial Parish). Checks may also be mailed to Sewanee Operation Noel, 138 Lake O’Donnell Rd., Sewanee, TN 37375. Please donate by Monday, Dec. 16.

Food and toys will be available for pickup in the large parking lot beside Cravens Hall, 435 Kentucky Ave., on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 9–11 a.m. The Grinch will be there Saturday to see the kids and take pictures. Volunteers will be there to assist in loading of the items. Food and toys will not be delivered. They have to be picked up.

If you have any questions, please call (931) 598-0040 and leave a message, or call (931) 308-6534.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Nov. 4 meeting, the Monteagle Planning Commission grappled with zoning distinctions between an Airbnb and a bed and breakfast when considering a proposal for an Airbnb on East Main. The commission also took up a question about whether plat approval must proceed site plan approval for a Hampton Inn developers hope to build behind Hardees.

“It [the East Main property] is no longer allowed to be residential,” said Town planner Jonathan Rush. The house, in the middle of a C-2 commercial zone, had not been occupied in the last six months and consequently lost “nonconforming use status.” “The house was built before zoning happened,” Rush explained. The property maintained residential zoning status as long as the house was occupied. The owner Deborah Reed submitted a site plan for using the house as an Airbnb, a short-term rental promoted through the online Airbnb marketplace.

Alderman Nate Wilson pointed out Monteagle allowed B&Bs (bed and breakfasts) in C-1 and C-2 commercial, R-2 and R-4 residential, and Industrial. “For it to be a bed and breakfast, the owner must live on the site,” Rush said. “This is not a bed and breakfast. There’s an Airbnb down the street from me,” Reed said. Commission Chair Ed Provost stressed, as a commercial business, rather than a bed and breakfast, the structure would need to comply with more stringent rules for handicap accessibility, parking, and other considerations.

Rush recommended Monteagle adopt a zoning amendment governing short-term rentals, stipulating where they were allowed, and determining whether an Airbnb constituted a commercial use. Currently Monteagle has no rules for this type of business. Chattanooga was considering only allowing Airbnbs in commercial zoning, according to Rush.

The commission had just received Reed’s site plan that afternoon and took no action. The commission will review the site plan at the December meeting.

Taking up the Hampton Inn site plan, Rush said the site plan did not conform to existing plat property lines. Project engineer Jake Simko said the same individual owned all the properties intended to be combined in the plat the hotel would occupy. “Getting a surveyor has been difficult,” Simco explained.

Commission Chair Ed Provost brought two other possible hurdles to Simco’s attention. One, the new bridge planned for I-24 might compromise access to Parker Street. Two, the regulations in Monteagle’s recently passed stormwater ordinance were “pretty onerous.” Provost recommended Simco contact TDOT about the bridge plans and that he familiarize himself with the stormwater rules.

On Rush’s recommendation, the commission tabled discussion on the Hampton Inn site plan until the developer submitted a conforming plat for approval.

The 2024-25 Sewanee Community Chest (SCC) Fund Drive is underway. Sponsored by the Sewanee Civic Association, the SCC raises money yearly for local organizations serving the area. This year’s goal of $123,456 will help 19 local organizations that have requested basic needs funding for quality of life, community aid, children’s programs, and those who are beyond Sewanee but still serve the entire community. The following organizations will receive funding when the goal is met.

Animal Harbor, $7,000

Blue Monarch, $5,000

Community Action Committee, $5,000

Early Literacy Ambassadors, $1,500

Folks at Home, $5,000

Fourth of July Celebration, $4,000

Housing Sewanee, $11,000

Little Bellas, $250

MARC, $9,000

Mountain Goat Trail Alliance, $1,500

Reach Out and Read, $2,063

Sewanee Angel Park, $1,000

SES Parent Organization, $26,900

Sewanee Children’s Center, $12,000

Sewanee Community Center, $5,000

Sewanee Mountain Messenger, $8,243

Sewanee Senior Center, $14,000

Sewanee Welcome Center, $3,000

St. James/Midway Community Park, $2,000

The Sewanee Community Chest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and donations are tax-deductible. Send your donation to Sewanee Community Chest, P.O. Box 99, Sewanee, TN 37375.

For more information or to give through PayPal Giving, go to

https://sewaneecivic.org/

 If you are an employee at the University of the South, you can enroll in the payroll deduction program by contacting Human Resources.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Birding or bird watching? Richard Candler, co-author of “Birding Sewanee,” parsed the distinction for Sewanee Civic Association members and guests with a crash course in Birding 101 at the Nov. 4 dinner meeting. A brief business meeting followed. President Kiki Beavers updated the community on the Welcome Center, the Community Chest fund drive, and other SCA projects.

“Bird watching is passive, while birding is more active, almost a sport,” Candler insisted. Birders learn to identify bird species by their call and appearance and keep location specific lists. Candler shared a story about the wonder and awe of his personal “spark bird” moment, what made him a birder. He had asked his companions the name of a bird he observed, and learning the humble name, Common Yellow Bird, he found himself reflecting, “If there is something so beautiful and I’ve never seen it before, what else is out there.”

Birders typically find each other. Candler and Angus Pritchard began birding together, and as their list of area birds grew, the two birders decided to write a book. “Birding Sewanee: A Guide to Birding in the South Cumberland Region” lists over 250 species.

Where to go birding? Candler recommended starting with your own yard. Cultivating native plant species, a bird feeder, and bird bath can help make your home a destination. Kentucky Warblers love water. Gold Finches love anything with seeds.

On campus, the Stirling’s Coffee House bird feeders, bird baths, and bushy habitat in back make the location a popular stopping off place for birds and birders. Morgan’s Steep and other Sewanee bluffs attract birds because birds typically travel at night, Candler explained, and the first light hitting the bluffs signals food — “They want breakfast.” At the University Farm the open habitat draws grassland species such as Meadow Larks and King Birds. In the valley, the open farmland appeals to grassland species and the farm ponds and big lakes, such as Woods Reservoir, pull in migrating Egrets, Herons, and Ibises eager for a place to stop.

What is the most surprising bird Candler has seen locally? “Hurricanes get birders excited,” Candler said. The storms push birds inland. He once saw a City Tern, a tropical ocean bird, on Woods Reservoir.

“Birding Sewanee” is available at the University Bookstore. The proceeds from the sale are donated to an Office of Sustainability fund for purchase of an anti-strike window covering at McClurg Dining Hall to prevent birds from crashing into the windows and being killed.

Beavers’ project update rated the Nonfood Supply Drive “a great success. Almost every item on the Amazon Wish List was ordered.” Co-hosted with the CAC, the drive collects and distributes household necessities that cannot be purchase dwith SNAP benefits.

The Community Chest fund drive has reached 15 percent of its goal, $123,456, earmarked to fund 19 grant recipients. The community enriching programs the project benefits include aid for animal shelters, scholarships, Sewanee Elementary School books and enrichment programs, and services for the elderly. Donate by visiting PayPal Giving or mailing a check to PO Box 99, Sewanee, TN 37375. University employees can contribute with a payroll deduction.

Beavers predicted the Welcome Center refurbishing will be completed in December. Unanticipated costs have resulted from a back wall being rotten, the need to relocate the electric service, and the need for a larger sewer line, cost $11,200. Beavers hopes to receive a grant to offset the expense. Volunteers are needed to staff the facility when it opens in April.

Nominations for the 42nd annual Community Service Award are due March 14 with the awards ceremony scheduled for May 5. SCA board nominations are due March 10. The SCA board needs a secretary. Send all communications to <sewaneecommunitychest@gmail.com>.

Sewanee Elementary School is gearing up to celebrate its 100th year! In November of 1924, the Sewanee community began constructing the stone schoolhouse. Two years later in August of 1926, the doors opened and the school has been serving children in the community ever since.

Kathryn Bruce, the current school librarian, and Allison Dietz, the current principal, are planning a big celebration in 2026 and are using the next year and a half to prepare. The students recently kicked off the celebration with a unique backpack tag celebrating how it all began in 1924. The current fifth grade students learned about collecting Oral Histories from the University of the South’s Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, & Reconciliation, Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center at Sewanee. Using this knowledge, the students are interviewing community members who attended or taught at Sewanee Elementary School over the years. This collection of stories will continue with subsequent classes as they enter the fifth grade. The community is welcome to share their stories via this Google form <https://forms.gle/EoZd3Ci8n3yqYEwG7;, through the <1926ses@gmail.com> address or the Facebook Page named “Ses100.”

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The Nashville Shakespeare Festival will bring “Macbeth” to campus at 5 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, at Convocation Hall. The one-hour production with a five-member cast was created in conjunction with the Shakespeare Education Experience Tour with a goal of making Shakespeare’s plays an up-close and personal experience in middle and high schools throughout the region as well as at colleges, universities, libraries, and other select venues. Although shortened from the usual two-and-a-half-hour performance, the abridged version of the high stake’s drama rises to the challenge with dynamic power and grace.

“The challenges turned into gifts,” said Sewanee grad Nick Govindan who plays multiple roles. “There’s less text to work with, which is a nice thing. But ‘Macbeth’ is a stakes heavy play — war, friendships and relationships, the breaking up of relationships, love, marriage. Sitting around the table with the cast figuring things out and through the rehearsal process we were able to get a really sharp show that finds the gravity and weight behind all those relationships, what causes them to fracture, and communicates all that through Shakespeare’s language in an hour.”

Professional actress Katie Bruno, a popular presence on the Nashville theater scene, wrote the abridged script. All the performers play multiple roles, except for the actor who plays Macbeth. Govindan plays one of the three witches, Banquo, King Duncan, the doctor and several minor roles.

“We’ve always brought performances from outside to Sewanee as part of the Performing Arts Series,” said Theater Department Chair Jim Crawford. “This production was easy to say, ‘Yes,’ to. The cast features Nick Govindan, an outstanding Sewanee theatre major who graduated last year.”

Because the show is an educational touring production, the actors are accustomed to performing in a variety of theaters and spaces, Crawford pointed out. “There are two possible configurations for them to perform in Convocation Hall — we’ll be figuring that out next week!” The cast will arrive the day of the performance with pieces of the set that will be put together a couple of hours before the show.

Since the first performance the week of Oct. 21, the five-member cast has staged the play at least once each weekday, and some days twice. The show continues throughout November. PBS will video record the production for use as an educational tool. The troupe recently performed at a K-12 school for children with multiple disabilities. “It was super gratifying,” Govindan said, “It really uplifted us.” The children responded enthusiastically even though many were much younger than at the other venues where the troupe had performed. “They were loving it. A great thing about Shakespeare is direct address. Even if they weren’t able to grasp the language of the text, they understood the stakes and got the emotion.”

Raised in Boston, at the age of 14 Govindan made a choice between sports and theater. A college counselor pointed him toward Sewanee, and one visit cemented his decision. “Jim Crawford and John Marshall, [Tennessee Williams Theater] technical director, embraced me with open arms,” Govindan said.

He was not disappointed. “Jim Crawford put me in situations as an actor that pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me. I played a host of different characters that both reflected my personality and that didn’t.”

Nashville’s vibrant arts and performing community prompted Govindan to stay in Tennessee after he graduated. He stressed the importance of finding “a community of likeminded people. Nashville really bounced back after COVID reaching out to people like me who are freshly new to the business, giving us a chance to perform.”

The blessing rebounds to the Sewanee community who will have the opportunity to see the Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s best perform “Macbeth” at 5 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, at Convocation Hall. Admission is free. No reservations necessary.