News

The College of Education is very pleased to announce that Cherry Cantrell and Kimberly Scott are the winners of the Gladys Sachse Endowed Scholarships. Cherry and Kimberly are each awarded a $1,000 scholarship for the 2016-2017 academic year. Congratulations to Cherry and Kimberly!

Cherry Cantrell

Cherry Cantrell currently teaches secondary English at Bald Knob High School.  This year she has all the Grade 10 students for English and one group of advanced Grade 9 students.  Cherry also teaches oral communications.  She has a Master’s Degree in English and hopes to finish her Master’s in the Library Media program in the summer of 2017.  Cherry envisions a secondary library with a makerspace, a technology center, and a café of sorts.

Specifically, she would like to collaborate with classroom teachers and invite students into the library to reenact portions of history, a book, a poem, or a drama; the students would create costumes in the makerspace: to put the narrator of Poe’s stories on trial; to connect animal outfits to government philosophies through a study enrichment on Animal Farm; to become the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird and act out an alternate ending; or to portray the founding fathers at a meeting at Mt. Vernon.  By creating a fun and interesting atmosphere and incorporating social media and gaming, Cherry desires to build a program where both teachers and students can bond and learn.

Kim Scott

Kim Scott has been working as teacher in the Conway Public School district for twenty four years.  She has taught second and fourth grades which has exposed her to various levels of children’s books from her favorite picture book, My Many Colored Days to The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  She plans on graduating with a degree in Library media science in August of 2018.

Once she graduates she plans on:

• Having a library that is a fun, collaborative and all- inclusive workspace
• Providing  Ebooks and audiobooks for student use at home and school
• Changing the view of the library from being a solitary workspace to a collaborative          environment
• Instituting a writing / illustrating club that would create a graphic novel
• Adding more culturally diverse books to the library

The Pi Beta Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education at the University of Central Arkansas, presented the Internship II awards for the fall semester on Friday, December 4, 2015 at the final internship meeting in Mashburn Hall at UCA. Maddi Mosler was awarded the Student Intern of the Semester. This award is presented to the Internship II student that best exemplifies the four domains of effective teaching. Her UCA Supervisor was Terry Haugen and her mentor at Theodore Jones Elementary was Lindsey Jones. Ms. Jones also received an award as the Mentor of the Semester. Their students must have been very blessed with such outstanding educators in the classroom working together.

Mentor Lyndsey Jones, Intern Maddi Mosler, and UCA Supervisor Terry Haugen

The nomination for Lindsey Jones described her as the most incredible mentor; she looks beyond her own needs to serve those around her. Ms. Jones does not desire recognition but simply loves to lend a helping hand and do what is best for the school. Her mentee added, “I truly feel like I have become a teacher this semester and I would not have made it without Ms. Jones.”

Maddi Mosler was nominated because she was a natural in the classroom from the very beginning. Her mentor said, “I cannot say enough about how impressed I have been. When she is gone for professional development, the students are very sad.” Her supervisor observed that she has great knowledge of her individual students. As to the classroom learning environment, Maddi invites students to explain their learning to fellow classmates and students clap and cheer enthusiastically for each other. Her supervisor added, “I would love for my grandson to be in her classroom.”

Maddi Mosler and Lindsey Jones will be asked to return to UCA in the spring for the College of Education’s pinning ceremony on the campus of UCA. They will be recognized again for their outstanding abilities as educators.

MAT Supervisor Mara Cawein and Intern Brenda Chaney

The Pi Beta Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education at the University of Central Arkansas, presented the MAT Internship awards on Friday, December 11, 2015. The graduating interns received a plaque, a gift card, and will be asked to return to UCA in the spring for recognition at the College of Education’s pinning ceremony on UCA’s campus.

MAT Supervisor Dr. Nancy Gallavan and Intern Lindsay Lockwood

Brenda Chaney was presented with her award at Wonderview Elementary School. She was nominated by her UCA Supervisor, Mara Cawein, because of her “phenomenal job of student engagement”.

Lindsay Lockwood was presented with her award at Daisy Bates Elementary School. She was nominated by her UCA Supervisor, Dr. Nancy Gallavan, because of her “learner-centered, standards-based,data-driven, outcomes oriented, and culturally competent lesson plans.”

Members of the University of Central Arkansas chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, an international education honor society, collected donations for the Women’s Shelter of Central Arkansas as their holiday service activity. Eight full bags of hygiene products were collected. Sammi Hantz and Katie Allender organized this service activity and many KDP members contributed to the project. Vice-president Hantz shared, “We enjoyed organizing it! It’s always nice to give back to the community, and I hope we have more service projects next semester.”

Chapter members deliver donations to the Women’s Shelter representative, Ms. Chantelle Boyd (second from left). Members present for the delivery were (from left to right) Katie Allender and Sammi Hantz along with chapter co-counselors Mrs. Mara Cawein and Dr. Nancy P. Gallavan.

A current UCA undergraduate student and a UCA alumnus were both honored at the Arkansas Council for Exceptional Children banquet held during the annual conference on October 28, 2015.

Leann Hammett, a UCA undergraduate student majoring in elementary education and special education, was awarded the AR-Council for Exceptional Children Outstanding Student Member Award. This award is given to any Student CEC member who has demonstrated a strong dedication to the goals and ideals of Student CEC and has shown a commitment to putting those ideals into action by promoting the education and well-being of individuals in Arkansas with disabilities. Leann is in her Internship II semester and has served as president of the AR-CEC organization for the past year.

Heidi Wilson, Principal at Anne Watson Elementary in Bigelow and a UCA alumnus, was awarded the AR-Council for Exceptional Children Donna Reed Award for Administrators. The award was established for the purpose of recognizing individuals who in their performance of administrative duties serve or promote the welfare of persons with disabilities.  Heidi was recognized at the annual AR-CEC awards banquet during the fall conference. Heidi’s contributions to the children and Anne Watson Elementary in Bigelow are numerous. Her willingness to invite UCA elementary and special education majors to come into her schools and provide interventions for her students is just one of the ways she helps build and foster the relationships between pre-service and in service teachers. Her ongoing commitment to her students and field is to be commended.

The Arkansas We the People Program is pleased to announce that funds will be available in Arkansas to provide professional development for middle and high school teachers in civics and government focusing upon the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The initiative, entitled the James Madison Legacy Project, is part of a nationwide professional development program directed by the Center for Civic Education, a nonprofit educational organization that was recently awarded a federal grant under the U.S. Department of Education’s Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant program.

Arkansas We the People is one of the organizations participating in the 46-state James Madison Legacy Project partnership. The funding we receive will be used to increase the number of highly effective teachers of high-need and other students through professional development and the implementation of an exemplary curricular program for students. The teacher institutes and workshops will focus on the research-validated We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program, a nationally acclaimed curriculum that teaches upper elementary, middle and high school students about the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution.

The James Madison Legacy Project will use an existing professional development model that is enhanced with online resources as well as a new blended-learning variation of the traditional model that will involve the use of new online resources to be developed by the Center. These resources will provide teachers rich academic content and a mastery of teaching methods useful in helping students develop the capacity and inclination to become competent and responsible participants in the civic life of their communities and the nation.

The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in civics revealed that only about 25% of students performed at or above the “proficient” level. All the other students scored at “basic” or “below basic” levels that leave them ill-equipped to participate effectively in civic life. This clearly indicates the need for the James Madison Legacy Project to improve civic education.

“In order to help students become effective and engaged members of ‘We the People’ and further the goal of a nation that is supposed to be of, by, and for the people, it is critical that teachers have a sound background in civics and government and develop the skills required to bring the subject to life for their students,” said Jeff Whittingham, Arkansas We the People Coordinator.

For more information contact: (Dr. Jeff Whittingham, UCA, 111B Mashburn, Conway, AR 72035, 501-450-5445, jeffw@uca.edu)

Distinguished Chapter Officer: Amy Chronis

UCA’s Kappa Delta Pi chapter, an international education honor society, received the ACE Award for chapter excellence at the biennial convention in Orlando, Florida. In addition, Amy Chronis was selected as one of seventeen chapter officers to receive the award of Distinguished Chapter Officer.

Three members of the Pi Beta KDP chapter attended the conference to accept the award: Mara Cawein, counselor, Anna Jewel Windsor, president, and Sammi Hantz, Vice-president. Being named one of the 2015 Achieving Chapter Excellence Award winners is quite an accomplishment, as this award is only given to Kappa Delta Pi chapters that demonstrate excellence in membership, leadership development, and programming in support of the Society’s mission and strategic goals.

Chapter members with ACE chapter award: Jewel Windsor, Mara Cawein, and Sammi Hantz.

It was an exciting and rewarding convention for the three chapter members in attendance. In addition to the informational sessions and networking opportunities, members also participated in a poster session to share successful chapter ideas and presented two workshop sessions: “Strengthening Technology Pathways: Connecting Homes, Communities, and Classrooms” by Mara Cawein, Jewel Windsor, and Sammi Hantz and “National Board Certification as Professional Development” by Mara Cawein and Casey Cawein. In addition, Mara Cawein received a certificate for 10 years of service as a chapter counselor.

Chapter members Jewel Windsor and Sammi Hantz represented our UCA chapter very well at CONVO 2015 in Orlando, Florida.

The UCA College of Education program is pleased to announce that Lavonda Pierce and Angela Criss have been awarded the Gladys Sachse Scholarship for the 2015-16 academic year.

The Gladys Sachse Endowment provides $1,000 each to two students accepted into the UCA College of Education Master of Science degree program in Library Media and Information Technologies (LMIT) and who plan to become a school librarian.  Their selection out of six applicants was based upon academic achievement with consideration given to financial need.  Candidates for the scholarship must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above in their education major.

Lavonda Pierce is currently a teacher in the Belair Middle School in Pine Bluff. She plans to graduate from UCA’s Library Media program in December, 2105. Once she graduates and is in a school library media center, she plans to implement several ideas and concepts that she learned from her program.

In particular,

• she plans to actively collaborate with teachers to “shape the learning” of her students in the school
• conduct needs assessment for the staff and students
• design activities that will lead to an increase in student achievement
• take the initiative to ensure that teachers know what resources are available and how they may use them effectively in teaching
• be a support for all the end users at her school
• Continue to grow professionally through participation professional library association.

Lavonda further states: “I believe that the key to any effective program is communication. I want the media center to be the center of the school, not an afterthought, so I plan to communicate my vision and goals to the administration, staff, students and parents. I want everyone to know what I have for them and what I can do for them.”

Angela Criss is working as the librarian at Harrisburg Middle School while pursuing her library media degree. This is her “dream job.” Her secret ambition was always to be a librarian. She plans to graduate from UCA’s Library Media program in December, 2016. Angela would like remain in school library positions from 5^th grade to 12^th grade. She is an avid reader and loves to share her passion with students. Angela has promoted several fun and interesting activities in her library that include:

• Book fairs
• A trick-or-treat activity at Halloween where students drew titles out of a pumpkin, then located the title in the library and then read the book in question
• A “book tasting” event where she set the library up as a café so students could pass around new books
• And write the titles of ones they would like to read in the future on their “menu”
• Angela’s school was recently awarded an Apple grant and all students will be receiving iPads
• It is noteworthy that Angela used a library “improvement design” assignment from one of her library media classes for a grant application and she was awarded $4,400 for improvements to her own library media center.

The Civility Center has listed Civility, Compassion, and Courage in Schools Today: Strategies for Implementing in K-12 Classrooms as a resource for their Civility at School Toolkit. The book was co-authored by Drs. Patty Kohler-Evans and Candice Barnes.

The Civility Center also recognizes Drs. Kohler-Evans and Barnes as key speakers on teaching Civility at School.

For more information, visit the Civility Center’s website at www.civilitycenter.org.

Congratulations to Drs. Kohler-Evans & Barnes!