=Honors Convocation=
West Liberty University held its 2015 Honors Convocation to recognize students for their outstanding academic achievements on Thursday, April 30 in Kelly Theatre in the Hall of Fine Arts. Congratulations to Laura Denning (Athletic Training Program), Taylor McKinney (Exercise Physiology Program), Shaun Black (Physical Education & Health Program), and Jamee Burke, Courtney Forsch, and Hillary Sayre in the Department of Professional Education for receiving the awards for outstanding majors. The College of Education is proud of their accomplishments. Special thanks to all of the dedicated faculty and staff members who encourage our students to set high standards for learning.
=Student Awarded 1st Place in Undergraduate Research Competition=
Elementary education senior, Hillary Sayre, claimed first place in the West Liberty University Undergraduate Research Competition for the second time in the last three years. Sayre’s project was entitled Aspergers Syndrome: Recognition and Training for Elementary and Secondary School General Education Teachers in West Virginia RESA 6. The purpose of the study was to ascertain the ability of RESA 6 teachers to recognize and identify the characteristics of Aspergers, along with classroom methods used to assist the students. The results indicated that less than 10% of RESA 6 educators could identify these characteristics and methods. Sayre indicated that she was “surprised by the results, but was pleased that this study allowed her to raise awareness of Aspergers and Autism Spectrum Disorder through the forum of the research competition.” Sayre will be graduating May 9 with a degree in Elementary Education and additional certifications in Special Education, Early Education, and
an Autism Endorsement.
=Three Exercise Physiology Students Hired from Internship=
Three soon-to-be Exercise Physiology alumni are not only closing a chapter in their lives, but also already writing a new one. Ashley Millard, Joseph Semple, and Nathanael Taylor have all been offered jobs after they graduate this Saturday as a result of their outstanding performance during their internships this past semester.
Ashley will be working for Ohio Valley Medical Center as an Administration Assistant helping with three different departments that are within the hospital: physician recruitment, physician management, and physician billing (accounting). Her internship focused on Health Care Administration over the past two semesters and impressed the staff so much with her work ethic and proactive attitude that they rewarded her with a newly-created position. “Ashley has done a phenomenal job representing our Exercise Physiology Program during her internship at OVMC. I have heard nothing but good things from the staff there, and she has been an integral part in helping our internship experience take the next step; as a result, our student-interns are becoming sought after in the Ohio Valley” says Exercise Physiology internship coordinator Abu Ma’afala.
Nathanael and Joseph have both been hired on as Sport Performance Specialists at Pyles Elite Sport Performance in Wheeling. They will be training athletes ranging from youth to professionals to prepare for competitive sports and further their careers. They interned with Josh Pyles who recently opened his facility this past February, and they have helped him to grow his business and become one of the most sought after training facilities in the Greater Pittsburgh area. “These young men are driven and passionate about Strength and Conditioning and are applying everything they learned during their time in our program. They have found their calling in life, took advantage of the opportunity that was presented while on their internship, and I couldn’t be happier for these two gentlemen. They will be successful in all that they do as the get in on the ground level of the business and grow their careers” says Ma’afala.
The Exercise Physiology is proud to call them alumni, and are proud of their accomplishments and growth over the last four years.
=Exercise Physiology Student to Intern with the Pitt Panthers Football Team This Summer=
A current Exercise Physiology student will be completing his internship this summer as a Strength and Conditioning intern for the Pitt Panthers football team. Senior Brandon Schultz will be assisting the Pitt Strength staff this summer in preparing the Panthers football team for their upcoming campaign in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
These types of internships are not easy to come by, as Brandon was competing with interns nationwide for 3 spots this summer. “Brandon got this internship all by himself, and this is a step in the right direction as far as his career goes. This is a great networking opportunity for him to get his foot in the door of a very competitive, volatile business. If he plays his cards right, this will be a springboard for his career path” says Ex Phys internship coordinator Abu Ma’afala. Brandon hopes to be a part of an elite class of strength coaches, as Ohio State Head Strength Coach Micky Marotti and Auburn Head Strength Coach Ryan Russell are WLU alumni.
Congratulations Brandon!
=MAEd Students Shined at Capstone Presentations=
MAEd Capstone Presentations were held this Tuesday and Wednesday at the Highlands Center of West Liberty University. These were wonderful evenings in which our MAEd graduate students shared their Capstone Research projects with each other and with the wider University community. Congratulations to our MAEd graduate students, Samantha Oberdick, Melonie Milliken, Christy Cianelli, Bruce Smith, Kinsey Skalican, Tammy Tomazoli, Kathy Fry, Katie Stewart, Si Chen, and Kathrine Marshall for their great presentations! For more information on the MAEd program, please contact Richard West, Director of Graduate Studies at richard.west@westliberty.edu or call 304-336-8478.
=Faculty Supporting the Walking Program=
West Virginia has beautiful places to walk! Catherine Monteroso, Assistant Professor of Physical and Health Education served on the West Liberty University Wellness Committee this past year. In that role, she helped to coordinate and sponsor workshops for the Walking Program for the PEIA “Pathways to Wellness” on April 29th and May 6th. Several faculty members in the College of Education are participating in this program which encourages “participants to become more physically active, put more exercise in their lives, and have fun with co-workers by walking across our beautiful state” (source: PEIA).
=SMART 4C Global Model Lessons Finished!=
As a part of Associate Professor of Instructional Technology, Dr. Li-Wei Peng’s research project, the SMART 4C Global Model Lessons ended this Wednesday evening with an exploring and inspiring science activity. Students had an opportunity to see a live dragonfly baby through the microscope and learn the ecosystem in Wheeling, WV. Dr. Peng had mentored Christy Cianelli, Graduate Technology Teaching Assistant and cooperated with professionals and teachers in Taiwan to design and deliver subject-specified, standards-based English lessons to a class of fifth graders in Taiwan through Adobe Connect since March 17. The research aims to investigate the gap between professional development and teacher’s proficiency in English language teaching and TPACK. Collected research data will be analyzed over the summer. The research findings are anticipated to be published in fall.
Note: The SMART represents synchronous online model for assistance in remote elementary school English teachers. The 4C stands for collaboration, cooperation, co-teaching, and community.
=Spring “Block” 2015 Rocks!=
As Spring “Block” 2015 comes to a close this week, the elementary education seniors celebrated with the customary practice of Block t-shirts representing their experiences. For the past six years, students have collectively designed a t-shirt symbolic of their time in the semester long “methods and materials block” of courses representing language arts, social studies, science, math, instructional design, and special education. While it is an intense semester, students work weekly in two lab schools, experience field trips to various education organizations including Schrader Environmental Center and the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, and utilize iPads in every aspect of instruction.
=Wish Our Graduates All the Best in Their Future!=
West Liberty University will hold its Spring 2015 Commencement Ceremony at 11 AM on Saturday, May 9, in the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex (ASRC). Three hundred and eighty five students are expected to complete graduation requirements during the spring semester. Courtney Forsch, graduating student with the highest grade point average will be serving as the College of Education banner carrier. Congratulations, grads!
=hAPPy Friday Tools/Apps Learning=
ScratchJr is a free app designed by the research groups at the MIT, Tufts University, and Palyful Invention Company for younger users (ages 5 – 7) to learn problem solving, project design, and communication skills as they program their own interactive stories. With ScratchJr, children can learn to code and also develop their early-childhood numeracy and literacy. Young folks can learn about programming with this app inspired by the Scratch programming language. Please watch a 6-minute Tutorial Video to learn a quick how-to.
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