campus news

Colby-Sawyer College Presents Festival of Lights, Video Productions by Communication Studies Students

NEW LONDON, N.H., April 27, 2007 – The Colby-Sawyer College Communication Studies Program will present the Festival of Lights, a biannual exhibition of student video productions. The event will feature the 31st edition of “Colby-Sawyer Insights,” an annual video news magazine, along with a compilation of highlights from students' video productions over the last 18 years.

The Festival of Lights will be held on Friday, May 4, at 7 p.m. in the Sawyer Center Theater. The event is free and the community is welcome to attend.

This spring's Festival of Lights will also mark the final event with its founder, Professor Don Coonley, who will retire in May after teaching at Colby-Sawyer for 18 years. Professor Coonley, who teaches in the Communication Studies Program and Humanities Department, also founded the college's video production and radio programs. He will continue to work as an independent filmmaker and writer.

The students' video productions will include a profile of Springfield resident Gary Robinson, whom students Jesse Lundberg and Brian O'Neil portray as a Renaissance man. Robinson, who has taught the guitar and courses in applied music at Colby-Sawyer since 1975, is depicted as both a teacher and a friend of students.

Les Lynch and Jenna Payton will present “Recreational Sports off Campus,” which explores the various ways that students, alumni, faculty and staff participate in recreational sports beyond campus.

“Canines at Colby-Sawyer,” a piece by Pat McKinnon and Kim Walleston, looks at the significance of canine companions on the Colby-Sawyer campus. Their work reveals how important these animals are to their owners and to students.

Jess Galaid and Charlotte Stuart go behind the scenes to get to the heart of a gregarious and giving staff member in “Theresa Gallagher.” The students learn more about the woman known as “Mama T.,” who is known for her affection for students and can often be heard singing while she works in the dining hall.

In “Reichhold Art” Matt Erickson and Jon Madge examine the various forms of art work on display in the Reichold Science Center's new temporary gallery. As the Sawyer Fine Arts Center approaches a major renovation, Reichold is serving as an alternative space for the college's Art Department.

Students Casey Ford and Brian Doucette reflect on the life and passing of fellow student, Corey Worsham '09, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in November 2006. Their video looks at how this student, friend and athlete is remembered on campus.

Jackie Oddo '07 has compiled 18 years of video footage produced by students in Video I, Video II and as senior Capstone projects. She has extracted powerful, poignant and humorous moments from hundreds of hours of footage shot since 1989. Her video is divided into various chapters such as “Animals,” “Travel” and “Dramatic Moments.”


Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Our students learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with pre-professional experience.

Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000