Spire 2022

Bluefield University student and Honaker police officer, Noah Ball, saved the life of a local resident from a home fire on February 8, 2022. He was called to a structure fire, where he heard the resident of a burning home calling for help. Ball then went inside the flame-engulfed home and discovered the resident unable to move from the couch. Officer Ball evacuated the resident to safety, who was then transported to a local hospital for treatment for severe burns.

Supporting young children has always been a passion for Leslie Floyd, chair of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) department at Bluefield University. Floyd began at BU in 2019 as an assistant professor while the ECE program was being restructured. She was offered the position of department chair soon after her arrival and set out to align the program to the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) standards to ensure students were learning current research and data.

Bluefield University sophomore Abby Gasperson, from Bluefield, VA, has been accepted to the Disney College Program and will complete a paid internship at The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida during the Fall 2022 semester. Participants in Disney Programs, known as cast members, network and develop skills by filling roles at Disney resorts and participating in Career Connection and Exploring Disney courses and seminars.

One hundred forty-five Bluefield University students accepted diplomas during the annual spring commencement and the school’s centennial year on May 7, 2022. Graduates Laura Kimzey and Nathan Cline gave student addresses. Rev. Dr. John V. Upton, Jr., retiring executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV), delivered the Commencement address.

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