FALL 2015 NEWSLETTER
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Faculty Spotlight
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Havey Durham Award Winner
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Local School Partnership
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SECU - $1.76 million Grant
faculty
SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Karen Caldwell
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eet Karen Caldwell, a professor in the Human Development & Psychological Counseling Department, where she has taught in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program since 2000. Aside from teaching her mindfulness and relationship courses this semester, she is also working on two grant projects. One of her studies aims at easing anxiety and improving sleep through Tai Chi. This is an art that Karen herself has been practicing since 1992. It is also one of the reasons she chose the activity for the project. She knows from experience the benefits of Tai Chi and the findings speak for themselves. In its third year, the study has shown improvement in anxiety for the subjects participating in Tai Chi. For not only college students, who may be experiencing anxiety and sleep difficulties for the first time, but
Education and Training for Professionals and Paraprofessionals program. She received this grant through the US Department of Health and Human Services—Health Resources and Services Administration. This particular project’s intention is to assist those in the Marriage and Therapy Program with financial support during their internship requirement. The grant supports 11 student interns by relieving some of the financial burden of the internship year. The benefit is two-fold. First, it will help the student focus on their studies rather than the financial aspect. Secondly, it will potentially increase the number of Marriage and Family Therapy graduate students at Appalachian State. Both of these results would allow more Marriage and Family Therapy professionals the ability to receive highquality training and hands-on practice in the field. Karen’s willingness to help students achieve success does not end with her grant work as it translates into her teaching. Being able to “One of her studies aims at interact with her students excites Karen as she can see the transformation they make throughout easing anxiety and improving the program. She details that, “Most of our sleep through Tai Chi.” coursework engages students in self-reflection because who they are has a big impact on their the population in general, this is a promising find. effectiveness. Students often make big personal Karen’s other research endeavor is a grant growth changes during this program.” through the Behavioral Health Workforce
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he educational landscape is changing as a result of continuous advances in technology, a changing learner, and educational reform. As a result, educators must recognize this shift, anticipate needed changes, and lead by example in order to meet the diverse needs of key stakeholders in the 21st Century. Keynote speaker Eric Sheninger, Senior Fellow at International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), addressed school leaders in the Public School Partnership on how to harness the power of digital tools and utilize social media to improve communications, enhance public relations, establish a brand presence, increase student engagement, and transform learning spaces. Two hundred and thirty-five superintendents, central office personnel, and teachers attended the 2015 “Educational Leadership Conference: Leadership for the Digital Age” at the Reich College of Education this summer. This was the second year for the Leadership Conference, which had almost twice as many partnership participants as the 2014 conference. The Partnership, a 28-year collaborative, consists of 9 school districts who work with the College of Education on curriculum issues, preparing teachers for the classroom, and professional development. Each year members choose priorities for working together for the coming year. The conference was one of the goals of the Partnership for 2015. Superintendents wanted a way to get together with consultants to inform them in
their decision-making as they planned with their district teams for the coming year. They chose the main topic of digital leadership along with other topics. In addition to Eric Sheninger’s session was a session by Dr. David Stegall of Newton Conover Schools. Dr. Stegall discussed how to build district-wide leadership capacity for sustaining and growing leaders with the skills to develop and use digital tools to increase productivity. Job-alike groups were formed after these sessions to offer suggestions for steps in making the transition to digital leadership. The steps were then discussed and shared with Partnership districts.
“The educational landscape is changing as a result of continuius advances in technology.” Participants commented on how much they enjoyed the conference. One participant said, “I enjoyed our time together to plan, laugh, disagree, and think out of the box.” Another participant stated, “This enabled our district to get together and discuss the ‘need-to-know’ information to share with our staff, and update the goals for the upcoming school year.” The evaluation for this conference and the needs determined by the superintendents will be used to determine next summer’s conference.
2015 Educational Leadership Conference
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Leadership for the Digital Age
Jan Stanley Harvey Durham Freshman Advocate Recipient
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an Stanley was recognized as the recipient of the Harvey Durham Freshman Advocate Award during Convocation on September 3, 2015. Her endless desire to support incoming freshmen is inevitable with her outgoing personality and dedication to making a difference in the lives of students. Serving as the director for the James Center, Jan finds this position rewarding, as well as constantly evolving. The James Center’s focus is recruiting and supporting future educators in the Reich College of Education. The programs that complete the James Center include Appalachian College of Education Scholars (ACES), Teaching Fellows, and Transfer Educators Communities. Jan is also the advisor for the Appalachian Educators Club that provides professional and service opportunities to all education majors. The ACES program currently has 200 student members who thrive as future leaders in the teaching profession by being service oriented and mentoring other students. Jan is always searching for new ways to facilitate growth and confidence in students. She believes in establishing strong relationships with students from the beginning. Prior to the start of the fall semester, the James Center hosted a retreat for all incoming ACES Freshmen. They stayed in Blowing Rock for two nights and had the opportunity to meet with other students and engaged in meaningful
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conversations. This experience helped the students get adjusted to their new “home” in Boone as well as to have the chance to meet other freshmen. Prior to Appalachian, Jan worked at Banner Elk Elementary School for 17 years as a fourth and fifth grade teacher. She has brought the nurturing aspect from teaching elementary school to her role in the James Center as she helps incoming freshmen transition to college. Jan encourages all students to value the resources available on campus to foster the student’s growth intellectually, emotionally, physically, and socially. She suggests that students take advantage of events and extracurricular activities on-campus to meet more people. Appalachian State University and the Reich College of Education are fortunate to have Jan’s positive influence as she cultivates the well-being of future educators. A junior Geology Secondary Education Major, Nina Johnson, quotes, “In your life you meet very few people who truly love what they do, who have found their true calling, and who are 100% invested in their passion. Jan Stanley somehow manages to do all three with a grace and assurance that still baffles me. Those who know her can only hope to one day be a fraction of the leader and educator she is. I can think of no one more deserving of any and every award there is to offer.”
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Local School Partnership
s part of a Public School Partnership Mini-Grant, two professors from the Curriculum & Instruction department had the opportunity to work with first and second grade teachers at Green Valley School during the 2014-15 school year. In the fall of 2014, Dr. Leslie Bradbury and Dr. Rachel Wilson, professors in the Curriculum & Instruction department in the Reich College of Education, worked with Mrs. Amy Lunceford and Mrs. Shannon Stanbery, second grade teachers at Green Valley School to develop lesson plans that integrated science and language arts. The unit focused on how insects make sounds. During the spring semester, the professors worked with first grade teachers, Mrs. Mitzi Ledford and Ms. Nancy Pepper to develop an integrated unit. This unit integrated science and language arts and focused on soils and carnivorous plant structure and function. After collaborating on planning the lessons, the professors and the classroom teachers co-taught the integrated lessons to their second and first grade students. Drs. Bradbury and Wilson then met with the classroom teachers after the units had been taught to reflect on the implementation of the lessons and how the lessons were received by students. The project was funded by a Public School Partnership Mini-Grant. Dr. Rachel Wilson discussed what the grant meant to her, “The grant enabled us to develop a community of practice with the teachers at Green Valley School. Developing and sustaining this community of practice around science teaching at the elementary level is an opportunity for embedded professional development for both us as teacher educators and the elementary teachers. Without the Partnership Mini-Grant, we would not have been able to develop new science units with the teachers, as science teaching with quality teaching materials is resource intensive.� If you would like more information about the Public School Partnership Mini-Grants, please contact Dr. Linda McCalister, director of the Public School Partnership. She can be reached at mccalisterlm@appstate.edu or (828) 262-6108.
Welcome New Faculty/Staff Assistant Professor, Department of Readding Education and Special Education, Reading Education Program
Dr. Beth Buchholz Assistant director, James Center
Ms. Trisha Caviness Associate Director, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Middle Grades Education Program
Dr. Chris Cook Director of the Doctoral Program, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
Dr. Audrey Dentith Assistant Professor, Department of Human Developmental and Psychological Counseling, Marriage & Family Therapy Program
Dr. Laura Gambrel Assistant Professor, Department of Human Developmental and Psychological Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling program
Dr. Dominique Hammonds Support Associate for Teacher Candidates and Beginning Teachers
Ms. Jennifer Klutz
alumni
SPOTLIGHT: Jeana Link
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eana Link is our October Alumni Spotlight. Jeana is a 2009 Secondary Education English graduate. She was recently recognized as the Catawba County Teacher of the Year for the 2014-2015 school-year. As a tenth grade teacher of Advanced Placement English, Jeana reflects on what she has learned as a student at Appalachian State. She credits the Teaching Fellows program for guiding her to be an “effective and reflective educator”. Jeana wants to instill in her students a love for knowledge. “I want to help inspire a love of learning, reading, and writing in young people. I hope to foster a sense of community among students in my classes that will continue with my students long after they leave my classroom. I want them to know I care and that they have someone who is in their corner rooting and cheering for them every step of the way!” Enhancing the students’ desire for learning and excelling in the classroom is nothing new for Jeana. Like with her students, she has left an impression here at Appalachian. Dr. Mark Vogel, an English professor at Appalachian, had the following to say about Jeana: “Jeana was always full of life and came to school with a smile for everyone she met. She was an excellent reader and writer, and knew all along she wanted to be a teacher. I think she was
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universally loved by many in our department. She worked in our main office and thus met everyone who came in with needs. It was clear that she would be an excellent teacher--and she has become one. I think she will only get better as she matures, because she is a true life-long learner. She is missed, though we know she is giving her all to her many students.”
“Observations are the most powerful form of professional development.”
Balancing life as a student, pre-service teacher, and young adult can be difficult. So when it comes to giving advice to current students in the College of Education, Jeana recommends, “Observe as many master teachers as possible. Ask as many questions as you can think of. Take it all in because one day their seemingly small nugget of advice could mean the world to you. Observations are the most powerful form of professional development.” It is clear that Jeana continues to live out the mission of the Reich College of Education and Appalachian State University by combining her passion and talent into a career that aims to improve the lives of others.
Teacher
PPRECIATION GAME
Saturday, October 31st
App state
troy
vs. at Kidd Brewer Stadium
Name:
Phone:
Address:
Email:
Tickets: (
x $22) + $5* =
Visa/MC #: Exp. Date: Name on card: Signature:
/
Return to: App State Athletic Ticket Office Attn: Teacher Appreciation ASU Box 32023 Boone, NC 28608 (828) 262 - 2079 www.appstatesports.com
*There will be a $5 processing fee for all ticket orders.
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Ethiopia 2015
n 2013, Appalachian State University received a $15,000 grant from the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia to work with Bahir Dar University (BDU) in developing BDU’s new doctoral program in Educational Leadership. The grant allows exchange visits, curriculum development, and furthermore enables collaboration between BDU and Appalachian. In May 2015, two faculty members and nine students from the Doctoral program and Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling program traveled to Ethiopia to visit BDU. They explored issues of social/educational change in East Africa, human rights and social justice from a cross-cultural perspective. Students met with educational leaders at BDU, part of a public university system that the Ethiopian government has rapidly expanded to modernize the country and empower it economically. Students learned about leadership styles, opportunities and challenges for the country’s higher education system, as well as student life issues – many of which are similar to those of American college students. Kia Foster, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education
in 2011 and a master’s degree in Professional School Counseling in 2015, reflected on the assumptions Ethiopians have about American’s, “They don’t think we have gender or poverty issues, but we do. [The issues] are just on a different level,” she said. As a future school counselor, Foster said she learned to better appreciate the different perspectives, assumptions, concerns and fears people bring to a situation regardless of their culture. Linda Coutant, a doctoral student, documented her experiences through blogging. She wrote, “Seeing a different educational system in action, even with its imperfections, helps me appreciate that the U.S. does not have all the answers to all things, like many Americans like to think we do. By observing a system in sharp contrast to our own, I can develop more critical questions to ask about our own educational policies and their effectiveness.” To learn more about study abroad opportunities, visit Appalachian’s International Education and Development website at www.international. appstate.edu. To read Linda’s blog about her experience in Ethiopia, visit http://appstateethiopia.weebly.com.
Stay Involved. Give Back. Make a Difference.
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If you would like more information on student scholarships, naming opportunities, or adding the Reich College of Education to your estate plan, please contact Gina Harwood, Director of Development, at harwoodrl@appstate.edu or (828) 262-6563.
Thank You to Our Advancement Board Page Carver Trimella Chaney Wayne Eberle Scott Elliott Gail Ford Gary McConnell Terry McDaid Mary Moretz John Neathery, Jr. Angela Quick Peggy Rickert John Rogers, Jr. Flo Sessoms Adina Watkins
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SECU Appalachian Partner Scholarship - $1.76 Million
$1.76 million grant has been awarded to Appalachian State University by the State Employees Credit Union. This grant will assist students in our teacher education programs in Caldwell, Burke, Catawba, Wilkes, and Mitchell counties, with the focus in the high needs areas of elementary education, middle grades education, and special education. The ultimate goal is for graduates of these programs to teach in their communities. SECU Appalachian Partnership scholarship recipient and special education major Kathy Bailey shared, “I chose Appalachian because of their distance education program; this program allowed me to go back to school without having to travel to
their main campus.” Sara Baier, elementary education major and accelerated admissions student, would like to “thank [the SECU Foundation] from the bottom of my heart [because] this scholarship means I can continue [school] to complete my masters.” For the 2015-2016 academic year, the Reich College of Education has already awarded almost $470,000 in scholarships to approximately 250 undergraduate and graduate students. If you would like to make a financial contribution to help our students through a scholarship, please contact Rebekah Saylors, Scholarship Coordinator, at saylorsrw@appstate.edu or (828) 262-2663.
What Does the RCOE Mean to You?
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The College of Education is full of so many wonderful and inspiring professors that have helped shape the way I view education. I am truly thankful for the great professors in this college. If it wasn’t for a few of them, I wouldn’t have made it through Block II in elementary education, my final season on the track team, or made the decision to pursue my masters in reading education. This college and its professors care about their students and they model how future teachers should go about teaching. Mary Theresa Montgomery
“Possibility to learn a strategy about reading to help my future students really grasp reading. Possibility to stretch my thinking and to learn different ways to teach my future students.”
-Mary Theresa Montgomery
Masters student in Reading Education, with an Autism Certificate
“This doesn’t just apply to my fellow classmates but also to the professors as well. I believe the professors in the College of Education do a fantastic job of creating an inclusive learning environment for students.”
-Nicholas Flippen
Senior, Special Education
“The development of new friends, new knowledge, and a collection of people who push you to pursue more.”
-Kimberly Azevedo
Human Development and Psychological Counseling: Marriage and Family Therapy Program
Stay Involved FALL CALENDAR October 27, 2015 EdTalk Event 4:00 p.m. Duke Rotunda
October 31, 2015
Education Day Kidd Brewer Stadium - Home Football Game Discounted Tickets code: EDU15
December 12, 2015
Commencement Holmes Convocation Center
Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University @appstateRCOE
@appstateRCOE
Reich College of Education, Appalachian State University Reich College of Education