PAGE 9 // WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23. 2010
STYLE
THE PENDULUM
More than fruit and vegetables: Local farmers
market grows on university students, faculty
Anna Johnson
Summer Editor
Locally grown tomatoes, green
beans, green peppers, potatoes and
squash filled plastic crates under
tented booths. Other venders peddled
their handmade crafts: bags, wooden
hatchets, body creams, baked goods
and birdhouses. And to beat the
summer heat, lemonade and lavender
tea was offered to onlookers.
Students and faculty staying at
Elon through the summer have grown
accustom to Thursday’s arrival of the
Elon Community Church farmers’
market. The market is open from 3
-6:30 p.m. every Thursday throughout
the summer. It’s the third year
the market has been located on the
church’s lawn adjacent to McEwen
Dining Hall.
Sandra Sarlinga, with her husband
Fabian Lujan, coordinate the the
farmers’ market.
“A farmers’ market is what (the
church) talks about,” Sarlinga said.
“You’re taking care of the land and
the Earth. And you are helping the
local community.”
Thursday, June 17, was kids’ day
at the market. Usually most of the
venders, averaging at 17 per week, are
local farmers, bakers and craftmakers.
But on kids’ day, it’s the kids chance to
sell their wares.
Eva and Reno Fahianger sold
their free-range chicken eggs. Reno
corrected those who asked if they
“had chickens.”
“We just don’t have chickens,” Reno
said. “We collect them, inspect them,
clean them, weigh them, package
them and sell them.”
Sisters Logan and Sophia Dill sold
vintage bags and flowers collected
from their homes.
“This is our first year,” Logan said.
“We like coming out because it’s
local and we meet people.”
Sophia said she has always had a
sewing machine and, she said, she
enjoys being able to sell something
she’s made.
Cornelia Barnwell was given her
mother’s formula for homemade
body scrub. She said she’s saving
up for a camera while her younger
brother, Xan, sold cookies for a new
toy.
But more than children were at
the market. The regular venders
were also present. Addie Graves
sells her homemade baked goods.
Each, she said, made with love.
The booth over is O.T. Bailey who
sells his specially-crafted blue jay
birdhouses.
Raqiiel Cortes Mazuelas, assistant
director of the Spanish Center, has
stopped by the market after work
for the second year.
“I really like the idea of buying
local,” she said. “I can get lots of stuff
and I like what is seasonal. Why buy
something not in season and have it
shipped from California?”
When the farmers' market began
to wrap up for the evening, the
“butterfly lady” released several
butterflies for the children to chase
after. Suzanne Tilton, an elementary
school teacher, raises butterflies
and teaches children about the life
cycle of the butterfly.
After they were released, some
of the butterflies landed on the
children, and according to Tilton,
granted them a wish.
“I started raising butterflies
about 18 years ago,” she said. “I love
the children’s reaction. That’s why
I do it."
The farmers’ market will continue
to be open on Thursday through
September.
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1
Anna Johnson | Photograph«r
Above: Suzanne Tilton, the butterfly lady, tells children about the life cycle of a butterfly before releasing a dozen
butterflies at the end of kids’ day. She told the children a wish comes true of a butterfly lands on them.
Bottom right: IWo-year-old Aubrey Thompson stares at the butterfly that landed on her hand after the release.
Bottom left: Elon faculty came to enjoy the farmers market including Earl Danieley, Raquel Mazuelas and Jennifer SmKh.
Elon alumni join ranks of Teach for America
Rebecca Smith
Reporter
Many students graduated in the
middle of their job search and left the
grounds of Elon University without a
plan. But, 14 alumni of the 2010 class
left Elon with a mission, a new home
and a job as educators with Teach for
America.
Teach for America is a national
nonprofit that aims to eliminate
educational inequity. Students from all
career interests are recruited to teach
for two years in urban or rural, low-
income, public school. Teach for America
members hope to show that educational
inequity is a solvable problem.
Sara Pasquinelli, a 2010 graduate,
has known what she would be doing
after she received her diploma since
November 10.
“1 actually received an email saying I
was accepted into the Teach for America
program while attending a South Africa
winter term course,” Pasquinelli said.
“Five minutes later. President Lambert
and his wife came in and told us they
would be joining us(on the Winter Term.)
Talk about an awesome five minutes.”
Students interested in Teach for
America have to go through a rigorous
application process. There is an initial
online application, a phone interview
round and a personal interview and
presentation.
“The application process is a
comprehensive test of your skills,”
Pasquinelli said. “It tests creativity,
conflict resolution, collaboration and
leadership. The process is demanding
PHOTO SUBMrrTED
2008 alumna Ashley Titolo, above, is an Teach for American corps member in teaching In Eastern North Carolina. While she
was a student at Elon she majored in international relations and worlced for Teach for America while still at Elon.
because the work will be even more
demanding.”
Pasquinelli and Hunter Gros, another
recent graduate, are moving to Phoenix
for Teach for America.
“I guess you could say that 1 went
from one Phoenix to another,” Gros
said.
Before the new members start their
jobs in the fall, they must complete a
training process.
“Mine don’t start until June 12,” Gros
said. “From what I have heard, they are
very hard and challenging. Something
like 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is certainly
meant to be a growing process.”
Before the formal training process
in June, new members participate in
more than 40 hours of prep work. These
hours do not count the time that new
members spend taking the tests
they must pass to teach.
The 14 students from Elon
University are joining a class of
4,500 college graduates starting
with Teach for America this fall.
There were a record breaking
46,000 applications this year,
and this increased interest in
the program has allowed the
program to expand into four
new locations; Alabama, Detroit,
Rhode Island and San Antonio.
Teach for America is a unique
program because it allows college
graduates to start teaching
without a degree in education.
Pasquinelli majored in History
and Anthropology. Gros majored
in International Studies.
Despite not majoring in
education, both students realize
that this is an opportunity to
make a difference.
“Having the ability to work
on the front line of a major
challenge our nation is facing,”
Pasquinelli said. “We need to
invest in our future by starting
the investment today.”
BY THE
NUMBERS
7,300 Teach for
America corps members
currently working across
the United States
35 urban and rural
locations where Teach
for America workers are
stationed at
17,000 Teach for
America alumni
3 miilion students
have been taught by
Teach for America
workers
1344 average SAT
score of a Teach for
America worker
89 percent of Teach for
America members held a
leadership position in at
least one activity
3.6 was the average
SAT of Teach for America
members
2 years are spent
by Teach for America
members teaching