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.
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.