Connections

Sharing Connections

Wherever You Go, Sisters Are Waiting

By Sue Pelchat, KAPPAN staff writer

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Housing prices may have skyrocketed in 2021, but the cost of relocating in Alpha Delta Kappa is always a bargain. Sisters explained to the KAPPAN how and why they connected with new chapters, remained active, and maintained their Alpha Delta Kappa friendships. Jeanette Brightwell, GA Rho, has been a member of four chapters. “Each time I moved, I cried because I had such close friends and didn’t think I would ever find a chapter as friendly. But I always found new friends in the next chapter.” In 2002, she retired to Panama City, FL where she joined FL Tau. Returning to Georgia in 2017, she transferred to GA Gamma Epsilon, thinking she would live forever in Sharpsburg, but circumstances forced her to move again.

“I began looking for a chapter in the Atlanta District so I could see my Gamma Epsilon sisters at meetings. At a district meeting, I sat with Beta Gamma sisters, with whom I immediately bonded. That made my transfer to GA Beta Gamma so nice since I had already become acquainted with friendly sisters. I receive hugs and feel so much love from my Beta Gamma sisters. In my thirty-five years in A∆K, I have enjoyed my four chapters. It’s like the Girl Scout song, ‘Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver, and the other gold.’”

Charlene Johnson, GA Beta Gamma, migrated from Georgia to Illinois and back to Georgia. With each move, she contacted Headquarters staff who provided her information. “They may have contacted the local chapter as well since I received calls from them inviting me to a meeting. Each move was easy and allowed me to continue my association with A∆K.”

Being an A∆K member when you’re 4,000 miles away from home is a plus. Pam Coyne, AK Alpha, said, “I have been a member in three chapters, three states, and three different regions. I’m going on 28 years in Alpha Delta Kappa, and I can’t imagine what those areas would be like without my special sisters.” Pam joined TN Eta in 1994. Eight years later, Alaska called; she moved and stayed for thirteen years. “One good thing about Alaska is that almost everyone is not originally from there. It’s a small world, and sisters become family. I joined AK Alpha and had many opportunities to serve in chapter offices and on the state executive board, eventually becoming state president (2014-2016).”

Pam later moved to Fort Smith, AR, where the closest chapter was 75 miles away. “If you love A∆K as I do, 75 miles is worth the drive.” AR Delta became her new chapter, and she became involved at several levels. “You can always grow where you are planted,” she said. Alaska beckoned again in 2020. “Now, it’s like a class reunion at the International Convention when I see many special friends I have made over the years.” Pam recommends contacting the area to which you plan to move and visiting a chapter in that area to reconnect when relocating.

“I paid my dues and requested Active on Leave when I left Ohio Alpha Eta,” reported Past Ohio State President Bev Barnett. “I wanted to give myself time to find and join a Florida chapter.” The district chairman called and invited her to visit FL Fidelis Rho. Bev later transferred her membership and now serves as recording secretary and bylaws chairman. “I still miss my sisters in Ohio and the Northeast Region, so I take advantage of opportunities to attend meetings by Zoom and plan to attend the NER Conference this summer.” Carole Lee moved from Mountain Home to Boise, ID when acting as interim state president. She continued attending Eta chapter meetings in Mountain Home for several years to continue her friendships with members who lived there, as it was only an hour’s drive. Meanwhile, members in Boise invited her to their meetings and asked her to join their chapter. In April 2012, after traveling icy roads to Mountain Home and seeing several cars that had slid off the road, Carole decided the time had come and told ID Mu members she would like to transfer to their chapter. “One person who had made me feel wanted and welcome was Shirlee Henderson. She had frequently invited me to meetings and even picked me up for some of them. She created my connection to ID Mu.” Valerie Johnson, Illinois Xi, successfully transferred twice to other chapters. She was a member in Quincy, IL for eight years before making a career move to Decatur. The IL state president provided contact information, and Valerie called Gamma’s chapter president. During the first meeting, she knew it was a good fit. One of the members lived close by, and they started going to meetings together. Three years later, another career change took her to Rockford, IL. She contacted chapter presidents and visited each one before settling in to her next warm and welcoming chapter. Becky Prescott moved from Marietta, GA to Birmingham, AL, about ten years ago. One of her concerns was that she’d have to

leave her many A∆K chapter friends. Her district chairman knew someone in the Birmingham area who could help. She contacted two sisters from AL Beta Lambda who got in touch with Becky, inviting her to attend their next meeting. “One of them not only gave me great directions, but she met me halfway and led me to the meeting. What a gift for someone unfamiliar with the area.” When she arrived at the meeting, every sister warmly greeted her, explained everything she needed to know about the chapter, and got to know her personally. How could she not go back? At that meeting she was given a job, cementing her place in the chapter community.

Joanne Loy became a member of FL Gamma Pi in February 1998. Her sisters encouraged her to get involved, and she served in several official positions. Twenty years later, she moved from Florida back to Wisconsin to be close to her grandchildren. She was surprised to find only 12 chapters after living in Florida with more than 80 chapters. Fortunately, there was one nearby, and Joanne found the contact information of WI Psi’s president on the A∆K website. She contacted her via email, and the president responded with an invitation to their next meeting. Joanne is grateful to have found WI Psi with its great involvement in local altruistic projects. She is comfortable in her new chapter home, serving her state as historian, web developer, and chairman of the newly formed technology committee.

In November 2014, Anne Brooks moved from Fairfax, VA to Sarasota, FL, a significant change in scenery, climate, and her A∆K life. She had been initiated into Tau chapter in 1980, so for 34 years those fine women were her sisters, supporting her in every office she held. Sarasota’s chapter is FL Gamma Omicron. She had heard much about it from Ellen Roderick who attended their meetings as a snowbird. Ellen introduced Anne to the chapter and her new, low-key life in A∆K began. “One of the persuasive points I used to mention when joining new chapters in Virginia was that if you move, you will find new friends and enjoy camaraderie with local educators elsewhere in the state or country. All this will happen very quickly because of the Alpha Delta Kappa chapter in the new area. Little did I know how true that point was until I moved from the Old Dominion to the Sunshine State.”

Jennie Johnson said that transferring to a different chapter broadened her experiences. She had belonged to IA Zeta for 20 years and knew she’d miss those sisters. They had grown together both in their teaching experiences and their Alpha Delta Kappa experiences. “In Zeta I learned how to lead and served as chapter president, secretary, and treasurer. My chapter sisters kept pushing me to attend conferences and take on new roles. I left Zeta as state president-elect.” Jennie transferred to Tau Chapter in Des Moines, IA, and had attended just a couple of in-person meetings before COVID struck. “I felt like I barely knew names and faces. They were a large group, yet somehow they and their president found ways to make chapter meetings happen, utilizing outdoor meetings in the park during summer and zooming during the cold, snowy months.” One sister started “a social distancing opportunity to work on craft projects in the park” once the weather got nicer. That was a great time to meet and encourage one another, as well as to refresh oneself with a craft. Jennie visits her Zeta sisters through zoom meetings and has hopes of attending in-person meetings in the not-too-distant future. She recently helped another sister connect with a new A∆K chapter as she relocated to Iowa. “The thing about Alpha Delta Kappa is we are sisters. We may not always live close, but we have a bloodline!”

AZ Past State President Twyla Preising moved there from Florida in 1999. “I grabbed my copy of the Kappan and looked for the section that showed each state’s chapters and their pearl rankings. My rule was that I would not join any chapter with fewer than five pearls.” She found AZ Alpha Nu and called the chapter president who gave her a ride to their next meeting. There, at the Alpha Nu meeting, Twyla realized she had found her new home.

“I started a new chapter when I moved to Idaho,” said Mary Jane Henderson proudly. What a way to remain active in Alpha Delta Kappa. When Mary Jane moved to Oregon, she researched chapter locations on the website. Finding a chapter in her area, she attended their welcome gathering, joined the chapter and was active with them until moving to Washington two years later. Once again, the website helped her find a new chapter. “Information can be found on the International website, but having state websites up to date makes connecting much easier when you move.”

Elaine Chisolm Johnson, GA Fidelis Lambda, did not immediately affiliate with another chapter when she moved after her retirement. However, she began to miss the camaraderie of other teachers. “There’s just nothing like having ‘teacher’ friends; we understand one another.” So, when she saw “Alpha Delta Kappa Meets Here,” on a sign at the senior center, she made a few phone calls and visited the A∆K website. She was put in touch with Rhon Scheffield and visited a meeting of Fidelis Lambda. Soon after that, Elaine was reinstated. She still maintains friendships with coworkers from Florida and Georgia. She’s happy to be able to develop new friendships and is grateful that Alpha Delta Kappa has provided the opportunity. Ivette Bender, past chairman of the International Executive Board, told us, “As tough as it was to say good-bye to my original chapter, IA Kappa, I immediately connected with a Nebraska chapter. I was invited to attend a meeting of NE Theta and was cordially welcomed; it was an easy transition. I strongly encourage members to transfer their membership in A∆K when they move, and I strongly encourage chapters to seek out and welcome members who move into their community. That sense of welcome makes all the difference for transferring.”

Thank you to our sisters who responded to the request for information via A∆K CONNECT.

Sharing Connections

Ellen’s Artistry

By Anne Brooks, Florida Gamma Omicron Co-President 2020-2022

The scene: Outside the ballroom at the New Orleans International Convention about 45 minutes before a plenary session. A woman is sitting alone when she hears a friendly, “Hello, may I join you?” Thirty minutes later the two sisters have connected. They know about their professions, their chapters and maybe the strongest connection, they were both born in Salem Hospital in Salem, MA. That conversation continues through correspondence and now they look forward to meeting again at the Regional Conference in Hawaii. Their connection has become permanent. The opening “hello” was made by Ellen Roderick. Such a scene is so typical of Ellen. She loves meeting people, connecting the dots and staying in touch. Ellen is the perfect person to illustrate how to make and keep connections. She is the most incredible person I know who follows up with the people she meets.

Ellen finds ways to contribute to the organization and to connect with numerous people. For example, she has presented workshops at SER Conferences since 1986 and does so at other regionals and International Conventions as well. Her workshops on bylaws and Making Effective Presentations resulted in attendees contacting her long after the presentation. Sisters find her a friendly resource. She is often asked for copies of her speeches. All this leads to natural connections that last into the future.

Initiating the Mentoring Program for state president-elects is one of Ellen’s favorite accomplishments. The first group, “The Originals” were the seven officers in the Southeast Region. As Ellen likes to say, the women made “connections for a lifetime.” The International Chapter formalized the program and now past leaders in all regions serve as mentors to state presidents-elect creating hundreds of new connections. What a terrific legacy. Ellen now serves as a mentor in the Leadership Academy, the outgrowth of the program she started.

When asked what are the key elements to keeping connections, she will say communication in all its forms: in-person, visits, USPS, emails, and texts. I’m always amazed when I tell her about something in my life: a luncheon speech, a workshop, a dinner presentation, a retirement party, she says, “I’ll be there.” That’s Ellen. She shows up. She supports her A∆K sisters and friends without hesitation and enthusiastically.

She is no different with other affiliations. Ellen does not have an Italian bone in her body, but she served as the Italian Club secretary for years and connected people all over Sarasota, FL. She lives there half the year, but knows hundreds of people, not the least of which is the Gamma Omicron chapter. She attends every meeting she can and is a wonderful resource. Meanwhile, inviting sisters who happen to be in town simultaneously to her tenth-floor condo high above Sarasota Bay is a real joy. Once a birthday party was attended by sisters from Ontario, Ohio, New Jersey and Florida. Every year she sends hundreds of greeting cards for birthdays, holidays and just to say hello.

Ellen keeps several A∆K spreadsheets. One is all the state presidents of the Southeast region by state since the beginning of the region. The information includes addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, local chapters, the biennium served and birthdays. A fabulous resource to promote connections.

Past International President Susan Pelchat described her as “quite a communicator and a model for remembering that the personal touch is the way to keep connected.”

Ellen has served A∆K in many ways since she was initiated into MD Beta in 1973. At the 2023 International Convention in Kansas, she will be recognized as a new Golden Sister. Currently she is serving a two-year term as a director on the Foundation Board. She has served ten years on the International Chapter in a variety of positions and was elected Chairman of the International Executive Board in 1999-2001.

She taught and served as an administrator in the Montgomery County, MD school system before becoming Director of Training and Staff Development for the Federal government. She holds a doctorate in Educational Administration, Curriculum and Supervision from the University of Maryland. After 29 years as an educator, Ellen retired to Sarasota, FL in 2007 and began her connections with the sisters of FL Gamma Omicron. All those personal connections near and far came back to support Ellen one thousand-fold, to sustain her, to help her push through two years of pain, disability and rehabilitation because of two falls with serious injuries. Those friends got her through so that now she can resume her prior lifestyle.

“Stay active if you want to maintain and create new connections,” Ellen emphasizes. “Support your chapter as an officer or committee chair, and your state also.” She loves being Maryland’s Courtesy Chair for the past four years and has many new connections as a result.

Ellen’s story is one of connections. You might say that life’s work is meeting and enjoying people, connecting them with others and staying in touch. If we take instruction from her actions, our lives will be richer for it.

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Language Exchange Program Creates Dos Amigas

By Mary Ellen Lopez, CO Alpha Iota

Participating in the language exchange project initiated by Mexico President Marli Camargo and getting to know Daniela Olivares Valderrama these past twelve months has been a truly wonderful experience. Thanks to my CO Alpha Iota Sister Madeline (Maddie) Bosma who invited me to join her in a Zoom meeting in January 2021 to learn about the project, I agreed to be paired with Daniela who had a basic English vocabulary. I figured I could communicate with her since my Spanish comprehension skills and basic Spanish vocabulary were sufficient to drive our conversations. The parameters for the project gave participants the latitude and flexibility to select topics and approaches for each tutoring session according to the language proficiency of paired sisters. Daniela has been a perfect match.

What initially began as my willingness to teach English to Daniela evolved to Daniela helping me with pronunciation of unfamiliar Spanish words and the acquisition of more advanced vocabulary. It has been a win-win situation. Each zoom session afforded me the opportunity to hone my conversational skills, cognizant that practice of a language is of paramount importance to achieving fluency. Growing up in a Spanish-speaking home has been a big boost. Much to my surprise, I have been able to retrieve Spanish words from my word bank, words I have not spoken for decades. Our conversations are interspersed with me saying, “Como se deci?” (How do you say?). Translations of English to Spanish and vice/ versa expedited our communication.

As a retired teacher with teaching endorsements in Secondary English and Reading (K-12), I took the lead after a few tutoring sessions and suggested Daniela could best practice her language skills by reading English text. The first lesson was a short ebook I purchased, “Pancho Rabbit: A Migrant’s Tale.” I took screenshots and shared screen photos and text. To ensure comprehension, I translated after she read each paragraph. Before each session, I translated the text with the aid of a dictionary when necessary. I discovered after the first story that I could Google, “How do you say people in Spanish?” and I was able to retrieve the word as well as the pronunciation.

Then, our approach changed. What began as an exercise to increase Daniela’s reading fluency in English became my opportunity to practice my Spanish reading fluency. I selected several fables including“The Boy who Cried Wolf” and “The Hare and the Tortoise.” I copied and pasted stories in English, uploaded them to a translator app on my phone and then emailed both English and Spanish versions to Daniela prior to our zoom tutoring sessions. Paragraph by paragraph, I instructed Daniela: I (Teacher) read in English, and you (student) read in English. Then, you (Teacher) read in Spanish, and I (student) read in Spanish. Our primary focus was on pronunciation but comprehension of text followed as we clarified vocabulary and engaged in discussion, i.e., How is a turtle different from a tortoise? We also discussed the moral of the fable or theme of the story. We will continue to implement this approach with our next reading challenge for 2022, “La Lauren,” a legend popular in both Mexico and the United States’ Southwest.

What an exciting learning experience it has been for both of us. Thanks to a zoom encounter with our MX Eta Chapter, I have a friend (una Amiga). We both have so much to share and so much to learn. We both laugh when I tell her the Spanish text is much more difficult than the English translation. Of course, she disagrees since she excels in the mastery of her primary language. Each session makes me appreciate how fortunate I am to have this grand opportunity to share my expertise of English with such a willing learner while enhancing my Spanish speaking skills. This back-and-forth communication between Daniela and me is consistent with World Understanding and our new biennium logo, “ Share the Love.”

Submitted by Mary Ellen Lopez, CO Alpha Iota Membership Chair, CO State Recording Secretary, 2016-2018.

Chaplain Thoughts About Making Connections

We all know the importance of connections. My goodness, if we don’t connect to a power source, none of our appliances work, and heaven forbid that we cannot connect to the Internet. I believe the two operative words here are power and source. Think about it. You are the power source for connections in Alpha Delta Kappa. It is up to you to initiate connections with sisters across our organization. Without individual efforts, there will be no real connections, so get busy and make sure that you are reaching out to share the love and connections with ALL our sisters. By the way, CONNECT contains seven letters…a message to all our seven regions. Judy Barnhill, TN Beta Theta, 2023 Convention Chaplain