The State of Michigan Chapter 1607 of Phi Delta Kappa awards a $1,000 scholarship each year to high school or undergraduate students seeking a career in education. For more information and the application form, visit our Prospective Educator Scholarship page.
Please share the application form with students who are planning to become future educators in our schools: high school seniors or college undergraduates. Promote this opportunity with those in your area who can let students become aware of our State of Michigan PDK Chapter 1607 scholarships. We would like to see applicants from all areas of Michigan. The deadline for the scholarship application this year is March 22, 2024.
Sophie Brown, a 2020 graduate of Caro High School, is this year’s recipient of our chapter’s Prospective Educator Scholarship.
During her high school career, Sophie participated in many educational, leadership and service activities including concert band, jazz band and marching band. She was drum captain for drumline, drum major for marching band and a percussion section leader in concert band. She was also a principal player for the Tri-County Honors Band and the MSBOA Honors Band and participated in the Michigan Youth Arts Festival Orchestra. Sophie was also a member of the National Honor Society and served as President and Vice-President of Student Council. While being engaged in so many activities, Sophie also maintained high academic success, graduating with a 3.967/4.0 GPA.
In the community, Sophie was a member of the First Baptist Church Adult Choir and Praise Band, organized several fundraisers, was a Special Olympics volunteer, and participated in several Caro High School and Thumb Area community theater productions. She was a Vacation Bible School Leader, participated in a 6-day mission trip to Cleveland, Ohio, and a 10-day mission trip to Togo, West Africa.
In her goals statement, Sophie wrote that “being a teacher means inspiring students to become the best version of themselves.” By becoming a music teacher, she hopes to “include the kids who are often excluded, welcome the kids who are often pushed aside, and facilitate a safe, loving environment for any student who enters my classroom”.
In her letter of recommendation, Tamara Kosters, Caro Community Schools Choral Director, wrote that “Sophie is one of those students who stands out among the rest due to her desire to be a well-rounded individual and her work ethic to achieve that desire”. Kosters stated that she has been most impressed with Sophie’s teachable spirit. “There will always be something more to learn” is a philosophy that defines Sophie’s life academically, socially and spiritually.
Sophie plans to pursue her goal to become a music educator at Central Michigan University.
We were unable to honor Sophie and her family at our annual Awards Dinner this year due to the current COVID-19 health crisis, but we hope to celebrate her award at next year’s event.
Honoring Our Distinguished Members
Cynthia Cockrel, our Membership Chair, would like to acknowledge our long-time members. According to records from PDK International, listed below are those who have been members of Phi Delta Kappa for 45+ years.
67 years John Rosemergy Rex Thuston
65 years Kalmer Stordahl
64 years Charles Blackman
62 years Harold Ray
59 years Philip Gannon Foster Gibbs Richard Leland Lester London Jerry Robbins William Sosnowsky
58 years David Curl Jay Fennell Nicholas Oana
57 years Roy Kaiser Walter Syroid
56 years Gerald Coscarelly Thomas Culhane Harry Groulx Thompson Moffit John Schweder
55 years C. Chrysler Edward Heinig Robert Weitz
54 years Earl Newman Gene Nuckolls Ralph Skrocki John Tuttle B. West
52 years Paul Harvey Frederick Leitch
51 years James McCray Andrew Porter Jaswant Singh Charles Smith Alan Springgay
50 years Dan Chavez Homer Filley Ronald Laeder (Executive Board member) Michael Nicholson David Randall
49 years James Hengoed Joseph Hrecz Dale Wolfgram G. Zubulake
48 years Donald Campbell
47 years Rosemarie Battey David Frankel
46 years Paul Hoeksema
45 years Warren Bailey Anthony Benaglio Laverne Boss Jean Rosenthal William Scharffe Douglas Wiseman
We congratulate you and thank you for your continued dedication to Phi Delta Kappa. All members are encouraged to contact Cynthia Cockrel at ccockrel@comcast.net to keep us updated on how/what you are doing.
Chapter Notes
We extend our condolences to the families of several distinguished members who passed away this year:
Allen Menlo (member for 66 years)
Frederick Brail (member for 64 years)
Stuart Rankin (member for 61 years)
At our final Executive Board meeting of the year (held remotely) on May 6, the following board members were elected:
Sherie Klee, President
Cynthia Cockrel, Membership Chair
Wei Gu, Scholarship Committee Chair
Mary Anne Homann, Executive Board Member
Beverly Knox-Pipes, Newsletter Chair
Jane Kramer, Past President and Treasurer
Ron Laeder, Co-chair Scholarship Committee
James Schwarz, Executive Board Member
A special thank you to the Executive Board members who have served our chapter with me over the last several years. It has been an honor to serve as President of the Board and I look forward to working with all of you in the years ahead.
Jane Kramer
We are always looking for new members to join the Executive Board. Please contact Sherie Klee at willishe@gvsu.edu if you are interested in joining us.
Our Chapter honored the 2019 Prospective Educator Scholarship winners at the annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, May 1 at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus. Dr. Wei Gu, Scholarship Committee Chairperson, presented the awards to Grace Catlin and Alexandra Buckingham.
Grace Catlin is graduating from Alma High School in June with a 4.0 GPA. She ranks first in her class of 177 students. Grace has great passion for education, especially elementary education. She has participated in a number of educational and leadership activities including serving as co-president of the Class Board and chairperson of four committees in Student Council. She has also volunteered for the Humane Animal Treatment Society (HATS) and several other organizations.
In her goal statement, Grace wrote that she “strives to create an educational space where students feel engaged, inspired and have the freedom to express themselves.” Grace was not originally planning to go into education, but as she was discussing her own educational experience with one of her mentors, the mentor responded “If you believe you can make a change in education, then get out there and change it”.
Her 11th grade English teacher wrote that Grace was a great help in the classroom as her service-learning student. She wrote that Grace is a mature, responsible, upperclass member who was more than willing to walk around and help students who needed extra assistance. Grace proved to be a great role model for those students. She also commented that “Grace is respectful, funny, personable, responsible and a smart young woman”.
Grace has been accepted into Central Michigan University and plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Education with a goal of becoming certified in elementary education and one day returning to Gratiot County to positively impact the youth in her community. She was joined at the dinner by her mother and stepfather, Amy and Mike Densmore, and her friend, Dyalan Peacock.
Alexandra Buckingham is a sophomore in the Elementary Education program at Alma College, pursuing an endorsement in Early Childhood and Special Education. Allie is a strong academic student with a 3.9 GPA. She has been an active member of the Alma College Education Club and has completed several classroom placement observations. At Alma, she has also been a phonathon volunteer, an employee of the Heritage Center and a member of the Volleyball team (2017-18).
In her application, Alexandra stated that “becoming a teacher means making a positive difference in the life of a child and impacting their life in a way that makes them better people when they leave the classroom.” She emphasized the importance of providing a collaborative environment for both colleagues and students while maintaining a balance of professionalism and structure.
One of Allie’s professors commented that her course work has been excellent. She has a common sense approach, thoughtful responses and a strong dedication to the profession. Outside of the classroom, Allie has devoted much of her time to working with children. She has logged many hours in a service learning capacity, working with local community service providers both in Saginaw and Alma, even earning a community service award.
Allie is determined to make the most of her college experience in both her personal growth and her preparation for a career in education. She has demonstrated strong leadership skills in the college classroom as well as on the athletic field and in the community. Allie was joined at the dinner by her parents, Brian and Chris Buckingham.
Dr. Wei Gu, Chair of the Scholarship Committee, presented the scholarship awards to Grace Catlin (center) and Alexandra Buckingham (right).
State of Michigan Chapter Member Dr. Michael Rice named new State School Superintendent
We recently learned that Dr. Michael Rice, current superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools and a member of our chapter, was named the new State of Michigan Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Rice has been Kalamazoo’s superintendent for twelve years. Prior to serving as the KPS superintendent, Dr. Rice served for five years as superintendent of Clifton Public Schools in Clifton, New Jersey. He began his career as a high school French teacher and award-winning speech and debate program founder and coach in the Washington, D.C. Public Schools. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with honors from Yale University and a master’s degree and doctorate in public administration with honors from New York University. We extend our congratulations to Dr. Rice!
Chapter Notes
We extend our condolences to the family of Kenneth Myllyla, who passed away on November 18, 2018. Mr. Myllyla was a member of PDK for 53 years.
PDK International has debuted a new membership page. You are encouraged to login to the new page and create a new password. You may also want to take advantage of the opportunity to add your profession and specialty area. You can login at https://members.pdkintl.org. If you have questions or believe any of your account information is incorrect, please contact Member Services at memberservices@pdkintl.org or 800-766-1156.
At our final meeting of the year on May 1, our Executive Board members agreed to serve for another year in their current positions:
Jane Kramer, President and Newsletter
James Schwarz, Past-President and Secretary
Mary Anne Homann, Treasurer
Cynthia Cockrel, Membership Chair
Wei Gu, Scholarship Committee Chair
Ron Laeder, Executive Board Member and Co-Chair Scholarship Committee
Beverly Knox-Pipes, Executive Board Member
We are always looking for new members to join the Executive Board. Please contact Jane Kramer at jane.kramer@wmich.edu if you are interested in joining us.
Our chapter held its annual Awards Dinner on May 10 at the State Room in the Kellogg Conference Center on the Michigan State University campus. This year we awarded our Prospective Educator scholarship to Chloe VanSickle from Coopersville, Michigan. Chloe is a 2018 graduate of Coopersville High School, with a 4.0 GPA.
Dr. Wei Gu and Amy VanSickle, Chloe’s mother
Chloe will be pursuing a program in secondary education at Michigan State University this Fall. During her high school years, she participated in Science Club and was Safety Captain of the all-female robotics team at Coopersville High School. She was also a member and team leader of “The Academy” which worked with a group of students to solve problems of local businesses. She was a volunteer coach for Girls on the Run and a Total Trek Quest Coach. In addition, she assisted with various service projects through her church, including Kids Against Hunger, garage sales and meal distributions and helped students in an elementary class at Coopersville Elementary School.
PDKMI Executive Board and Amy VanSickle
In her recommendation letter, the writer touched on Chloe’s character and work ethic. She wrote: “I have found very few students who have the type of work ethic that Chloe exhibits. Chloe always went the extra mile in and out of the classroom. She would often make review games on her own…and then would share them with me to help other students study”.
She continued, “Chloe has great respect for students, adults and herself. She is the student that you know will do the right thing at the right time no matter who is watching. She raises students up around her to be better”.
In her application essay, Chloe discussed her goals as an educator, “Educators are responsible for preparing the next generation to become contributing members of society by providing the resources and knowledge needed to be successful. They inspire students to set goals and work towards obtaining them. I have always had a passion for helping others attain their goals, and it is this passion that has inspired me to purse a career in education”.
PDKMI Executive Board and Guests enjoying dinner
Due to a prior commitment, Chloe was unable to attend the dinner, but was represented by her mother, Amy VanSickle.
Be sure to check our website pdkmi.org for the 2019 Scholarship Application, which will be available in January, and encourage any qualified high-school or college students to apply. The application deadline is March 1, 2019.
Ron Laeder, Chair of the Scholarship Committee, reads information about our award winner, Taylor Huggins.
Our chapter held its annual Scholarship Dinner on May 4 at Gilbert & Blake’s in Okemos. This year we awarded our Prospective Educator scholarship to Taylor A. Huggins. Taylor is a 2017 graduate of South Haven High School, with a 4.145 GPA. Taylor’s father, Darrin Huggins, accompanied her to the dinner.
Taylor participated in the Cadet Teacher Academy through the Van Buren Technology Center during her junior and senior years. Through this program, she had the opportunity to work in first-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade classrooms. In her letter of recommendation, her Cadet Instructor/Coordinator Sheri Johnsen commented that “she possesses great internal motivation and has an innate ability to connect with her students and the staff like she has been teaching for years. Taylor is what I would call a ‘natural’ and the mentor teachers she works with are amazed at her integrity, responsibility, and most importantly her desire to change lives and help all children learn.”
Taylor served as the secretary and vice president of the student council at her high school and was a member of the tennis and cross-country teams. She also participated in Family, Careers, and Community Leaders of America and provided instruction on self-worth and anti-bullying to fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students. She was a member of the National Technical Honor Society and the National Honor Society, a Girl Scouts Daisy and Brownie Troop Leader, and a coach for Girls on the Run.
In her essay, Taylor emphasized that “successful and effective teachers are able to work beyond curriculum standards. They express enthusiasm and overcome stereotypes to create a nurturing environment.” She also expressed a goal of connecting with each student and working to create strong relationships based on mutual trust with both students and parents. Taylor will be attending Albion College in the fall to study elementary education.
Be sure to check our website pdkmi.org for the 2018 Scholarship Application, which will be available in January, and encourage any qualified high-school or college students to apply. The application deadline is March 1, 2018.
Dr. Wei Gu, Scholarship Co-chair, presents the award certificate to Taylor Huggins.
Taylor’s father, Darrin, accompanied her to the awards dinner.
Greetings! I am honored to serve as the new president of the state of Michigan chapter #1607 of Phi Delta Kappa. I want to thank Dr. James Schwarz, superintendent of Avondale Schools, who has served as our president for the last six years. I am also grateful for the members of our Executive Board who have agreed to serve the organization this year.
Treasurer: Dr. Mary Anne Homann
VP for Membership: Dr. Cynthia Cockrel
Secretary: Dr. James Schwarz
Newsletter: Kay Cornell
Awards/Recognition: Ronald Laeder
Foundation Representative: Sherie Williams
Earlier this year, we were thrilled to celebrate our three scholarship winners at our Awards Dinner on May 4 in East Lansing. Kayla Mantey from Spring Arbor University and Joshua Shank from the University of Michigan-Flint received our Chapter Scholarships and Cierra Crawley from Martin Luther King Jr. High School was the recipient of our Foundation Scholarship. See the follow-up story below for more information about these three outstanding students.
Our goal for this coming year is to concentrate on the fiscal stability of the chapter. Following the recommendations of the Executive Board, we have already taken steps in this direction and we will continue throughout the year to work toward this goal.
As always, we welcome your participation in our chapter leadership and activities. If you are interested in joining us, please email me at jane.kramer@wmich.edu or call me at (269) 501-4287.
At our chapter’s annual awards dinner on May 4, we honored three outstanding students. Cierra Crawley from Detroit Martin Luther King Jr. High School received our Foundation Scholarship of $1,000. Kayla Mantey from Spring Arbor University and Joshua Shank from the University of Michigan-Flint were the recipients of our chapter scholarships of $1,000 each.
Cierra Crawley graduated from Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Detroit with a 3.62 GPA, despite the challenge of limited access to technology and the need to use flawed public transportation. She is now enrolled at Michigan State University, planning to study Secondary Education with a major in Social Sciences and a minor in Psychology. With a commitment to her goal to become an educator and work in an urban school environment, Cierra set upon her career path by volunteering to tutor underclass students at her high school.
Cierra credits her success to date to her principal, Dr. Deborah Jenkins; her counselor, Denise Barnes; and Mrs. Nesbitt, her English teacher. She believes that she can make a difference in the field of education by helping future students who have had life experiences similar to hers. Cierra also believes, as stated by Dr. King, “the function of education is to teach one to think intensively, and to think critically. Intelligence is character, that is the goal of true education”.
Kayla Mantey, a graduate of Armada High School, is currently a senior music education student at Spring Arbor University with a 3.9 GPA. A gifted signer, Kayla participates in the school’s choir and honors program, and works in the A-V department. She co-directs a home school choir, worked as a counselor at a summer camp and volunteers at her church.
Kayla wants her classroom to have an inviting atmosphere where students know and feel comfortable with one another. She wants students to look forward to choir as a chance to sing beautiful music with friends, increase their self-confidence and worth, and leave in a better mood than the one with which they entered.
Joshua Shank is a senior at the University of Michigan-Flint (3.85 GPA) who plans to be a secondary education French teacher. He is a graduate of Lakeville High School where he studied both French and Spanish. During his high school years, he was dually enrolled at the University of Michigan-Flint and Mott Community College. He has worked as a French tutor and in a small business to pay for his school expenses.
His high school French teacher’s passion for foreign language and dedication to her students influenced Joshua’s decision to become a teacher. He believes that by teaching students a foreign language, they not only learn a new language, but it helps them to broaden their cultural tolerance, eliminate any stereotypes and prejudices they may have and think critically. Joshua looks forward to sharing his passion for French with his students and helping them become empathetic, tolerant, critical thinkers and positive members of society.
Be sure to check our website pdkmi.org for the 2017 Scholarship Application which will be available in January and encourage any qualified high school or college students to apply. The application deadline is March 1, 2017.
Congratulations to the three students who received the State of Michigan Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) scholarships this year. The scholarships were awarded at our Annual Dinner held at Gilbert and Blake’s restaurant in Okemos on May 6.
Anna Bensel and Nicholas Iveson were awarded the chapter scholarships ($1,000) and Brianna Jones was awarded the Chapter Endowment Scholarship. Nick also received the Edna Wilhelmina Snell Nichols Endowed Scholarship from PDK International.
Anna BenselAnna Bensel is a graduate of Grand Ledge High School and just completed her fourth year of college at Cornerstone University with a 3.98 GPA. She completed two teaching practica last year – one in a high school ESL classroom and the other at a charter academy, helping to teach Spanish to 4th, 5th and 6th graders. This fall, Anna is completing her student teaching in Spanish at Hudsonville High School and Baldwin Street Middle School (Hudsonville). She spent a semester studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador and has volunteered on several mission trips – one to Jamaica and one to the Quad cities area.
Nicholas IvesonNicholas Iveson graduated this year from Thornapple Kellogg High School with a 4.077 GPA. While in high school, Nick participated in the Teacher Cadet program and assisted in a middle school math classroom. He was a three-sport (football, wrestling and baseball) athlete and was also involved in Student Council, Young Life, National Honor Society and Teens against Tobacco. Nick is attending Central Michigan University this Fall.
Brianna Jones graduated from Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School in Detroit with a 3.517 GPA. Her principal, Dr. Deborah Jenkins, and school counselor, Ms. Denise Barnes who accompanied her to the dinner, recommended Brianna for the scholarship.
We extend our congratulations and good luck to these future educators.
The three students awarded the State of Michigan Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) $1,000 scholarships for 2014 are: Kelsey Setla, Jenny Lee and Enayath Hossain. The Chapter Endowment Scholarship was awarded to Bri’Elle Jones.
Kelsey Setla is graduating this year from Caro High School with a 3.8 GPA. She plans to pursue a teaching career at the Elementary level. For the past two years, she has been a student in the Careers in Education/Early Childhood Program at the Tuscola Technology Center and has gained experience at both the kindergarten and eighth grade level. Kelsey is also a member of the National Honor Society (this year serving as the Treasurer) and the National Technical Honor Society (this year she is the President). She has been on the varsity softball team for four years and this year was elected as the captain of the team.
Kelsey has also been an active volunteer in a variety of community service projects including the Tuscola County Pumpkin Festival, Red Cross Blood Drives, Special Olympics and various school and community fundraisers. Kelsey will be attending Saginaw Valley State University in the fall.
Jenny Lee is an undergraduate student in the School of Education and Human Services at Oakland University. She has earned a 3.6 GPA in Elementary Education. During her undergraduate study, she has earned great academic success and demonstrated exceptional leadership through a variety of educational activities. For example, she has been serving as the President of the Student Michigan Education Association (SMEA) Oakland Chapter and as the Co-Director of the Sunday School Program at Han-Bit Korean Christian Reformed Church. She has also worked as a camp counselor for the Michigan Council of Korean Churches Summer Camp.
Jenny possesses many traits of an effective teacher. She is caring, organized, passionate, positive and respectful.
Enayath Hossain is an elementary education candidate specializing in Math in the College of Education at Wayne State University. He has earned a 3.9 GPA. He has worked as an online tutor of language arts and as a teacher assistant at a local elementary school.
Enayath has been an active volunteer in a number of community organizations including the Islamic Center of North Detroit’s Community Outreach Department. He has participated in their Annual Neighborhood Appreciation Day by organizing and distributing fruit baskets to community members. He has also volunteered for Helping Hand for Relief Development, a multiservice organization that provides global relief during times of hardship and/or disaster. He is also active in the Muslim Ummah of North America Youth Group, currently serving as the secretary of the organization.
Bri’Elle Jones is a graduating senior from Detroit Martin Luther King High School. She will be attending Michigan State University in the fall.
Cierra Crawley graduated from Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Detroit with a 3.62 GPA, despite the challenge of limited access to technology and the need to use flawed public transportation. She is now enrolled at Michigan State University, planning to study Secondary Education with a major in Social Sciences and a minor in Psychology. With a commitment to her goal to become an educator and work in an urban school environment, Cierra set upon her career path by volunteering to tutor underclass students at her high school.
Kayla Mantey, a graduate of Armada High School, is currently a senior music education student at Spring Arbor University with a 3.9 GPA. A gifted signer, Kayla participates in the school’s choir and honors program, and works in the A-V department. She co-directs a home school choir, worked as a counselor at a summer camp and volunteers at her church.
Joshua Shank is a senior at the University of Michigan-Flint (3.85 GPA) who plans to be a secondary education French teacher. He is a graduate of Lakeville High School where he studied both French and Spanish. During his high school years, he was dually enrolled at the University of Michigan-Flint and Mott Community College. He has worked as a French tutor and in a small business to pay for his school expenses.
