educere
SUMMER 2013 :: Issue 01
M AGA ZINE
from the S chool of E ducation and H uman P erformance
Inside this issue
THE UNLIKELY FACE OF
PUBLIC P-12 EDUCATION IN NORTH CAROLINA:
RODNEY ELLIS '99
FIRST-YEAR TEACHER FROM WSSU
RECEIVES PROMISE AWARD FOR
TEACHING P. 11
RESEARCH DAY 2013
P. 22
Summer 2013 :: Issue 01
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE
u n d e rg r ad uate an d g r ad uate p rog r am s
Elementary Education
Math Education
Special Education
Master of Rehabilitation Counseling (MRC)
Physical Education
Master
of
Arts
in
English Education
Te a c h i n g - ( M G E
SPE)
Birth–Kindergarten Education
Exercise Science
Rehabilitation Studies
Master of Education Degree in Elementary Education (M.Ed.)
Middle Grades Education
Motorsport Management
Science Education
Master of Arts in Teaching-English/Language Arts
Rehabilitation Counseling
Sport Management
M a s te r of A r t s i n Te a c h i n g En g l i s h a s
a S e co n d L a n g u a g e ( T E S O L)
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE
tr aditi o nal , y e t i n n ovative
Student Centered
Developing Professionals for 21st Century
Responsive
Excellence is the Norm
Leader
Reflective
Collaborative with the Community
Experiential Learning
Academically Rigorous
Respect for History
Visionary
Transformative
Progressive
Change Agent
Creative
Growing
Committed
EDUCERE
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of
Contents
A G
A
Z
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N
E
table
pg. 17
Dean’s Message
pg. 4
School of Education and
Human Performance
P.4
Educere? W hat's That Again?
pg. 25
P.5
Focus on Alumni:
Joelle Davis Carter, Class of 1994
P.6
Tomorrow's Education Leader:
Christopher Graham, Class of 2012
P.8
Donald Benson, Class of 1965
Legacy: Campus ROTC, Student Information Systems, and
Student Engagement
P.10
First-Year Teacher from WSSU Receives
"Promise Award" for Outstanding Teaching
P.11
P.12
O F
E D U C A T I O N
A N D
Preparing Teachers in
Music Education P.14
The Unlikely Face of Public P-12
Education in North Carolina:
Rodney Ellis, Class of 1999 P.17
Research Day 2013 P. 22
More Than I Could Have
Imagined P. 23
O'Connell Travels to Rio
de Janeiro P. 24
GEMS P. 24
Improving the Cultural Competence
of Early Childhood Educators P. 25
I Am Ready to Teach: Voices
of Elementary Education
Graduates P. 26
Real Men Teach Welcomes
New Coordinator P. 28
Waves, Sand, Seagulls, Beach:
The Perfect Setting for Experiential Learning
Rehabilitation Studies Conference
S C H O O L
Dr. Yolanda Edwards Receives
the Dr. Sylvia Walker National
Multicultural Award P.14
Alumni News P.30
Corporate Sponsors
and Donors P.32
EDITOR: Francine G. Madrey, Ph.D.
Professor of Education and Associate Dean
School of Education and Human Performance
H U M A N
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a message from
MANUEL P. VARGAS, DEAN
Dean’s Message
S C H O O L O F E D U C AT I O N A N D H U M A N P E R F O R M A N C E
I
trust that you will enjoy reading the contents of Educere’s
fourth issue as much as we have enjoyed preparing it. As
we have mentioned previously, the purpose of this annual
publication is to tell the good story about the School of
Education and Human Performance, especially as it relates to
the educational aspirations and accomplishments of our students. For this reason, we believe that the Latin word Educere
appropriately captures the essence of our educational mission.
Consequently, we take special pride in highlighting the contributions we have made to the intellectual growth of young and
adult learners and the contributions our students have made to
the university, P-12 schools, local agencies, professional organizations, and beyond.
In this issue, we showcase examples of academic accomplishments, educational leadership, creativity, early success in the
classroom setting, commitment to professional growth, and
initiatives intended to support the overall intellectual development of our students. We certainly rejoice in the success of our
students and alumni.
Joelle Carter Davis, assistant vice president for retention and
student services at Western Kentucky University, and Rodney
Ellis, president of the 70,000-strong North Carolina association
of public school educators, are alumna and alumnus, respectively, of the middle grades education program at
Winston-Salem State University. Who could have
predicted the overarching positive influence that
these two individuals would have on the lives of
so many? Read more about them, especially our
feature story.
of Chris Graham, physical education major, who is clearly on
his way up to positions of leadership and greater responsibility. Another recent case is that of Tamara Levi, a spring 2011
graduate from our birth-kindergarten education program, who
became one of three recipients of the 2012-13 Winston-Salem/
Forsyth County Schools’ Promise Award. Awards are also a
part of our highly engaged faculty, such as the one bestowed
upon Yolanda Edwards, professor of rehabilitation counseling,
who is now chair of the Department of Educational Leadership,
Counseling, and Professional Studies.
Talent abounds; this is specially the case of our music education
candidates. What would the world be without music? This year,
in particular, our music majors have made our celebrations especially joyous. You will learn more about them when you read the
story written by Debbie O’Connell, assistant professor of music.
Research, whether graduate or undergraduate, is also music to
my ears. Learn more about our undergraduate researchers when
you read the story written by Michael McKenzie, associate professor of exercise science, about our spring 2013 Research Day.
The remaining stories describe the professional commitment
of our alumni and faculty to teacher education, cultural competence among pre-school professionals, retention of more male
teacher candidates, and experiential learning for rehabilitation
studies majors.
On a more personal note, I want to thank faculty,
staff, students, and alumni for having allowed me
to be a part of the educational efforts of this institution. After more than twenty years of service to
WSSU, it has truly been an honor and a privilege
to have contributed, in a small part, to the educational and professional opportunities of so many.
Read also about our emerging leaders who recently
walked WSSU’s halls of learning. This is the case
MANUEL P. VARGAS, DEAN
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EDUCERE?
What’s That Again?
Educere means (1) to lead forth, draw out, bring away, (2) to bring, summon, (3) to bring up
or lead away, (4) to take out with one, and (5) to lead forth, march out (Numen – The Latin
Lexicon). Educere is also the title of the School of Education and Human Performance’s
annual magazine. “According to the Oxford English Dictionary, ‘education’ is derived from
its Latin root, ‘educare’. Educare means ‘to rear or to bring up’. Educare itself can be traced
to the latin [sic] root words, ‘e’ and ‘ducere’. Together, ‘e-ducere’ means to ‘pull out’ or ‘to
lead forth’” (The Educare Institute). Educere is pronounced e–du’–zcer–ee or e–du’–car–ee.
The term “to educate” comes from “educere,” which means “to bring/draw out.”
So, the next time someone asks, “How do you pronounce the name of the SEHP magazine?”
you’ll have an answer.
The Educare Institute, retrieved from http://www.educare.org/index2.html
Numen – The Latin Lexicon, retrieved from http://latinlexicon.org/definition.php?p1=2018768
Next
issue
ALUMNI RETURN TO SERVE
YOUR SCHOLARSHIP DOLLARS AT WORK
MEET OUR NEW SEHP FACULTY AND STAFF
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Joelle Davis Carter, a 1994 graduate of WSSU’s middle
grades education program was named assistant vice
president for retention and student services at
Western Kentucky University in fall 2012.
As a student, Joelle always knew she wanted to be an educator,
but it was not until her senior year that she realized a graduate degree program actually existed that would allow her to
combine her love for education, her concern for holistic student development, and her passion for leadership. And, thus
began her exploration of a graduate program
in student leadership and higher education
administration. Joelle became part of a
group of students participating in an annual
trip to The Ohio State University as part of
its diverse student initiative. It might be an
overstatement to say that she caught a little
of the Buckeye spirit when she first arrived
at a campus of over 55,000 students; it was
more of an “unenthusiastic response” to the
massive campus but, at the same time, rather
exhilarating for this student from Oxford,
NC, whose 2012 population estimate was
8,575.
in the Department of Education Leadership, Higher Education
and International Studies at the University of Maryland
College Park, where she received the doctor of philosophy
degree in 2010. Her research agenda is shaped by the study of
student engagement and examining how students’ participation in academic and co-curricular activities
influences their academic success and career
preparation.
J o elle Davis C ar te r
At OSU, Joelle enrolled in the Student
Personnel program and continued her trend of campus
leadership. She became active in the Black Graduate and
Professional Student Caucus (BG&PSC) and the Council
of Graduate Schools at OSU. She was elected president of
BG&PSC and led the organization to realize a number of successes that included an annual scholarship banquet and graduate education preparation workshops for undergraduates.
Dr. Carter earned the Master of Arts in Student Personnel
degree from OSU in 1997. Subsequently, she pursued studies
68
Dr. Carter has served in a number of mid- to
senior-level higher education positions at the
University of Maryland College Park, Morgan
State University and Winthrop University. In
these roles, she has been responsible for the
management and development of professional
staff, establishing and evaluating academic
programs, and working with senior-level
administrators such as deans, assistant vice
presidents and provosts on major institutional
issues, including retention, diversity and staff
development.
Immediately prior to joining Western Kentucky University
last fall, Dr. Davis was director of undergraduate programs in
the School of Business at The George Washington University.
There, her appointment included responsibility for developing and coordinating retention and engagement efforts that
encompassed the School of Business’ first-year development
program, undergraduate research program, sophomore year
experience initiative, business student leadership organizations, and living and learning communities. In 2012, her first
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C ar te r, delive ring address
to graduates of the S chool
of Educ ation and H uman
Pe r formance at the Fall 201 1
S EH P G raduation G ala
edited book, Business Principles and Perspectives: Preparing
Undergraduate Business Students for the First Year, was published for students enrolled in the first-year seminar course.
Upon her appointment at Western Kentucky University, Dr.
Brian Meredith, associate vice president for enrollment management, said,
We are excited Dr. Carter will be joining the
Enrollment Management leadership team...She
brings a depth of experience in the areas of student
retention, engagement and persistence. I look forward to working with Dr. Carter to enhance our
retention initiatives moving students closer to their
degree goals and ultimately graduation. Dr. Carter’s
passion and focus on student success make her an
excellent addition to our team and WKU’s Rally for
Retention.
Dr. Carter has also maintained an active research agenda
while serving in her varied leadership roles. She has a specific interest in examining issues facing students who attend
minority-serving institutions, such as Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Joelle’s research and
professional experience have resulted in invitations to serve
on a number of scholarly panels and publications. The Journal
of Educational Foundations recently featured an article “An
Analysis of White Student Engagement,” which was drawn
from Carter's dissertation. She is also co-author of two book
chapters, “People, Places and Things: Examining the Impact
of Institutional Characteristics on the Experiences of Black
Males” in the forthcoming book, Black Males in Postsecondary
Education, and “Yes I Can! Strengths-Based Approaches for
Engaging Academically Underprepared Black Males,” from
the book Black Men in Black Colleges: Implications for Diversity,
Recruitment, Support and Retention. Carter continues to
receive invitations to examine and publish research specific to
the experiences of students within HBCU environments.
In 2003, Dr. Carter received the Exempt Staff Award for
Minority Achievement from the President’s Commission on
Ethnic Minority Issues. Since 1997, she has been extremely
active with the Southern Association for College Student
Affairs (SACSA) through a number of leadership roles and
committee work. In SACSA, she has served as vice president
for partnerships, program chair, and chair of the Multicultural
Issues Committee. Currently, she is chair of the Association’s
foundation. In 2002, Dr. Carter received SACSA’s New
Professional Award, and in 2011 she was the recipient of
SACSA’s Melvene Draheim Hardee award, which acknowledges the leadership and promise one has demonstrated to the
organization and to the field of higher education
Dr. Carter has been recognized by local, regional and national
organizations for her work and commitment to the student
affairs profession and for her contributions to higher education and the larger community. In 2007, she was named
Woman of the Year by the Prince George’s County Business
and Professional Women Organization for her work with a
program called Girls Excelling in Math and Science. As a
Woman of the Year recipient, she received citations from the
Prince George’s County Council as well as from the Office of
the Governor in Maryland.
Dr. Carter and her husband, Randall, resided in Accokeek, MD
for more than 13 years, where they were active in their community and worked to empower youth through discussions
and presentations on leadership and life development skills.
In 2007, the Carters received the Clarence E. “Bighouse”
Gaines “Unsung Hero” award from WSSU. They recently relocated to Bowling Green, KY and have already begun establishing themselves in the local community. Joelle was selected as
one of the keynote speakers for the city’s annual Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., Annual Weekend Celebration, and Randall
has volunteered with a local male mentoring group. n
Portions of this article were reprinted with permission by
Western Kentucky University from http://wkunews.wordpress.
com/2012/07/11/joelle-carter/ (July 2012)
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TOMORROW'S
EDUCATION
LEADER
Christopher Graham, a native of Snow
Hill, NC and spring 2012 physical education graduate, has been selected to
participate as a 2013 summer intern
with the Southern Education Fund’s
(SEF) Nonprofit Sector Social Justice
and Education Policy Internship program.
Chris is currently enrolled in
the college counseling/student development in higher education program
at the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro.
Christopher Graham, Class of 2012
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Each year, SEF selects a group of outstanding upperclassmen
and graduate students interested in this summer experiential
learning opportunity. Over the years, more than 150 students
have been placed in almost 70 non-profits and foundations in
the Southern region of the U.S. In their roles, these interns
assist in “providing advocacy, grant-making, policy analysis,
research, community organizing, and direct service in education” (SEF website).
Interns work for eight weeks during the summer in an organization focused on equity and excellence in education.
Participants are exposed to research in the field, learn about
civic engagement, and develop change-making strategies.
In addition, they meet and interact with experienced leaders
from education policy and practice. In working with other
interns, they learn about contemporary education issues,
create strategies for taking what they have learned back to
their respective communities, and become a part of a network
of emerging leaders in that particular focus or area of interest. Social justice is a major thrust of the summer internship
program, an emphasis that is also one of the core propositions
of WSSU’s School of Education and Human Performance.
Chris’ assignment is at the Hispanic Association of Colleges
and Universities in San Antonio, TX. According to the SEF
website, he is researching and developing policy analyses on
student success at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and
forming policy briefs, fact sheets, and data on the demographics of HSIs.
Participation in SEF is an extension of the impressive record
of participation Chris demonstrated while enrolled at WSSU,
where he served as president of WSSU’s Real Men Teach
program and as president of the Student North Carolina
Association of Educators, the student affiliate of the National
Education Association (NEA). He describes this new venture
as a “huge challenge.”
As a student at WSSU I took pride in finding ways
to be engaged, sharpening my skills set, increasing
my knowledge, and expanding my network. The
same holds true today as an alumnus of WSSU.
Being selected as a fellow of the Southern Education
Foundation leadership initiative is humbling, especially when considering that the first fellow in the
organization’s history was W. E. B. Du Bois.* So, I
have a huge challenge ahead of me, but the challenge
has been accepted, and it is exciting! The organization only selected about ten percent of its applicants,
so it is by far one of the most competitive opportunities in the country. But that isn’t what makes me
most proud. What gives me great joy is the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of
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the best and brightest young scholars from around
the country and let them know that it was WSSU
that developed such a scholar [as Chris]. I get the
opportunity to showcase what it is WSSU has done
and will continue to do – develop great scholars who
go on to contribute to the world in remarkable and
innovative ways. As I reflect while moving forward,
the question I ask myself is, “What do I do with the
privileges I have been afforded?” This internship will
be a beginning in finding some answers to that very
profound question as I continue my journey toward
becoming a higher education administrator.
As a student, Chris showed remarkable leadership acumen
and resolve. In July 2012, he and a group of other student
members of NEA met with U. S. Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan in Washington to share their views about how the
nation can improve its recruitment and support of great teachers and how best to learn from them. They expressed that they
wanted to be respected for their choice to become educators,
to serve schools and communities, and to get better support
as they transition from being students to becoming teachers.
Among the attendees were newly elected and outgoing leaders of student NEA chapters, including those from Virginia,
Maryland, Tennessee, and North Carolina. In addition to the
issue of student engagement, students also discussed concerns
about schools that have decided not to allow student teachers
in their schools; year-long, residential, classroom-based programs that pair new teachers with veteran teachers, similar to
hospital-based residency programs; rigorous classroom-based
performance assessment at the end of the candidacy period;
minority teacher recruitment; funding for education; the
Race to the Top program; and charter schools. While they did
not agree on all issues, they did reach common ground when
discussing the critical role educators should play in policy
discussions and acknowledged that teachers’ voices are frequently not heard when such discussions are underway.
* Chris provided this historical perspective about SEF: The
foundation began in 1865 as the Peabody Education Fund,
and Du Bois was a fellow with that organization. The Peabody
Fund established several educational programs and endowments that funded public education system in the South. One
of the most famous is the Peabody School of Education at
Vanderbilt University. n
The original article appears on the NEA Today website: http://
neatoday.org/2012/07/10/how-should-we-support-new-teachersarne-duncan-hears-from-nea-student-members/
For more information about the Southern Education Foundation,
go to www.southerneducation.org
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DONALD
Class of 1965
Donald B e nson
BENSON
Legacy: Campus ROTC, Student Information Systems,
and Student Engagement
Donald L. Benson enrolled in Winston-Salem State University
in fall 1961. He graduated in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in
elementary education. As a consummate scholar, he received
academic awards each year of his matriculation as the student
with the highest academic grade point average and was selected
valedictorian of his graduating class. His scholastic recognition included Who’s Who Among Students in American
Colleges and Universities, the annual Sethos Scholarship for
Academic Excellence and Citizenship, the Omega Psi Phi
Fraternity Award – given to the senior with the highest grade
point average in Education, and the Student Teacher of the
Year Award. Following his graduation from WSSU, Donald
received a R.J. Reynolds scholarship to study as a special
student in the area of race relations. In 1978, he was awarded
the master of education degree in educational administration
from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Almost 50 years have passed since Benson walked the campus
of WSSU as a student. Today’s students, faculty, and staff
continue to derive benefits from two special programs he
initiated during his tenure as an administrator.
As an educator, leader, and advocate for WSSU students,
Donald established the Army ROTC program at the university
in 1971 as a vehicle by which students might pursue a career in
the military after being commissioned as an officer upon graduation. In this cross-enrollment program with Wake Forest
University, Donald served as the WSSU academic advisor, as
the program liaison between the two institutions, and as the
institutional representative to Fort Bragg. This relationship
with Wake Forest University continues today, and each year,
during commencement exercise, graduates are commissioned
into the United States Army at the rank of second lieutenant.
Another of his innovations was the implementation of the
Student Information System (SIS) that automated and integrated student records to meet the university’s student records
maintenance requirements. This system is the precursor to
WSSU’s current Banner system that serves students, faculty,
and staff.
1965 to 1971, he taught at Fairview Elementary School, where
he also served as assistant principal. Not one to be idle during
the summers, Donald worked as a counselor and director of
special activities in the Upward Bound program for three
consecutive years. In 1971, he moved into higher education at
WSSU, serving as dean of men, director of student life, director of student support systems, and assistant vice chancellor
for student affairs. For three years, Donald served WinstonSalem State University as vice chancellor for student affairs.
In 1996, he retired after twenty-five years of devoted service to
his alma mater and over thirty years of service as an educator
in the state of North Carolina.
While deeply devoted to serving the students of WSSU,
Donald has also demonstrated his concern for the welfare
and development of youth in general, mostly notably through
his service to the Best Choice Mentoring Program, the James
A. Rousseau Minority Male Mentoring Program, the Bolton
Elementary School Mentoring and Math Tutoring Project,
and the Forsyth Technical Community College Advisory
Board. His involvement in the Social Promoters Club, Jack
and Jill of America, and the Couples Club reflects his commitment to family, friendship, and fellowship. Among various other avenues through which he serves the community
are his membership formerly in the Laymen’s League at New
Bethel Baptist Church and currently at United Metropolitan
Missionary Baptist Church, the Executive Board of the Old
Hickory Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Advisory
Board of Crisis Control, and fifty years of service as a member
of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Additionally, he is a 2012
recipient of the Clarence E. “Bighouse” Gaines “Unsung
Hero” award from WSSU.
Donald is married to Pauline Gaston Benson, a WSSU alumna
(’65) and retired teacher. They are the exceptionally proud
parents of a daughter, Dominique L. Benson, a 2001 alumna
of North Carolina A&T State University and a 2007 graduate
the Master of Business Administration program at High Point
University. n
Donald’s love for education and young people suited him ideally for his very first professional job – that of a teacher. From
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First-Year Teacher from WSSU
Receives “Promise Award”
Three Additional New Teachers from WSSU Nominated
(Excerpts
On April 15, the Forsyth Education Partnership celebrated first-year
reported by
teachers and recognized four of them for outstanding teaching. Of the
Kim Underwood
26 teachers (including four from WSSU) nominated by their principals
on Winston-
for The Promise Award, one of the four final recipients was Tamara
Salem/Forsyth
Levi, a spring 2011 graduate of the birth through kindergarten educa-
County Schools
tion (BKE) program. Ms. Levi, a pre-school teacher at the Children’s
website, with
Center, received $1,000 as this year’s Promise Award recipient.
permission)
Ms. Levi has always known that she wanted to teach. After
receiving her associate’s degree in speech and language, she
worked as a teacher assistant at the Children’s Center while completing her degree in BKE at WSSU. She has extensive experience in education, given her years as a teacher assistant, but this
is her first year as a classroom teacher.
Carol Kirby, principal of the Children’s Center, recognized
and appreciated Levi’s talent and enthusiasm when Levi came
to the school as a teacher assistant. As soon as the opportunity
presented itself, Kirby said she offered Levi a teaching position.
“She brings that positive energy into the school every morning,”
Kirby said.
Tamara Levi
Levi’s class at the Children’s Center includes children with disabilities as well as children who do not have disabilities. She said that
as a classroom teacher, she enjoys the freedom to be more creative than she was as a teacher assistant.
Although she said she is not terribly excited about the added paperwork, she loves working at the
Children’s Center.
It is such a positive place. My heart is happy. . . I feel honored to be a
teacher. I am so fortunate to work in a classroom where typically and
non-typically developing children play together and learn together.
My classroom is filled with such rich diversity that I find it an honor
to not only teach these children developmentally and educationally
appropriate curriculum, but also enhance their social-emotional
relationships as well.
The three other recent WSSU graduates nominated for The Promise Award are
Rhonda Howell, B.S. degree in Elementary Education, fall 2011; Chaka Wilkes,
Master of Arts in Teaching, Special Education-General Curriculum, spring 2012;
and Latessa Sharpe, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, spring 2012. n
Excerpts reprinted from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools website, retrieved April
16, 2013 from http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=1&ModuleI
nstanceID=12708&ViewID=047E6BE3-6D87-4130-8424-D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&Fle
xDataID=118851&PageID=1
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WAVES
SAND
SEAGULLS
BEACH:
The sounds of breaking waves and seagulls. The
crisp smell of salt in the air. The soft sensation of
sugary sand between your toes. All of these conjure
up memories of being at one of the most relaxing
environments known to mankind. However, every
spring, the beach serves another purpose for a group
of individuals who share a common goal of working
with individuals with disabilities. Since 1983, members of the North Carolina Vocational Evaluation and
Work Adjustment Association (NCVEWAA) have
met to conduct an annual professional conference,
which has come to be known affectionately by the
rehabilitation professionals in North Carolina as the
“beach conference.” Each year, they have met at the
same location – the sandy shores of Atlantic Beach,
NC. And each year, they have met at the same hotel,
the historic Clamdigger Inn.
Apparently, the members of NCVEWAA, which is a
state chapter of the national Vocational Evaluation
and Work Adjustment Association (VEWAA), prefer
consistency. The structure of the conference agenda
has remained unchanged since the mid-1990s: a dayand-a-half meeting for rehabilitation professionals
seeking networking opportunities with fellow practitioners and educators, highly-sought-after speakers
sharing both clinical and data-driven presentations,
and a traditional eastern style BBQ pig pickin’. The
concurrent session times are exactly the same each
year, and the meetings are held in the same rooms at
the hotel every time. And the conference has served
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The Perfect Setting for Experiential
Learning Rehabilitation Studies Conference
Dr. Chad Betters, Assistant Professor, Rehabilitation Studies
as much as a reunion for North Carolinian “rehabbers” as it has an educational conference. Each year,
the close-knit group that can recall the “early days”
convene at the beach to reconnect and keep the tradition alive for another year.
2013 Rehabilitation Studies Student of the Month,
stated that,
Going to this conference has further illustrated for me that staying
This year, however, the NCVEWAA conference
looked a little different. The conference attendees
typically include professionals in the field, educators from various universities, and graduate level
students who present research posters and meet
and greet for possible employment opportunities or
doctoral program inquiries. The NCVEWAA student
registration this year differed drastically from every
other year in the history of the conference, thanks to
the 27 undergraduate rehabilitation studies students
who attended and proudly represented our program.
The rehabilitation studies program, coordinated by
Dr. Shawn Ricks, prepares students to work with
individuals with disabilities in a variety of occupational settings, including various counseling arenas,
occupational and physical therapies, and community-based rehabilitation positions. Established at
WSSU in 2003, the rehabilitation studies program
has graduated students who have gone on to pursue
graduate training in a multitude of disciplines as
well as those who have entered the labor market to
improve the lives of individuals with disabilities. This
nationally-accredited program has implemented
programmatic objectives addressing student professional development, which now also includes student attendance at professional conferences.
involved in the field you go into is
important for the professional contacts you can make, as well as staying
current in what is happening in your
field. This realization has encouraged
me to make a point to stay involved
within my profession in the future.
The students also had a chance to see their professors in a different work environment. Dr. Chad
Betters, who is currently NCVEWAA President, cocoordinated the conference and made presentations on national vocational evaluation credentialing
issues. Dr. Shawn Ricks also presented on the impact
of diversity within rehabilitation settings.
The NCVEWAA will continue to operate as it always
has, with the exception of a new addition to the
beach conference: WSSU's rehabilitation studies
program. Given NCVEWAA’s track record for honoring traditions, members can expect to see Rams at
the beach for years to come. Now, that's the start of
a new tradition for the conference! n
Student feedback has helped confirmed the success
of this experience. Myra Bowman, who is the April
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Dr. Yolanda Edwards
Receives the Dr. Sylvia Walker
National Multicultural Award
from the National Association of
Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns
Dr. Yolanda Edwards, professor of rehabilitation counseling and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership,
Counseling, and Professional Studies, is this year’s recipient
of the Sylvia Walker National Multicultural Award from the
National Association of Multicultural
Rehabilitation Concern (NAMRC). The
award was presented in August 2012 at the
annual conference. Established in 2004,
the award is named in honor of Dr. Sylvia
Walker, a professor, researcher, and director
of the first federal Research and Training
Center (RTC) focused on minority issues
and disability. Dr. Walker was also a longtime advocate for multicultural issues in
rehabilitation.
D r.
The goals of the award are to honor and
recognize an NRA member/group or organization
in addressing multicultural issues
Yola nda Edwa rds
at the local regional or national level, and to
maintain and stimulate NRA’s diversity and multiculturalism
focus as a part of society. Nominees must demonstrate a leadership role in advancing multicultural issues within their areas
of influence, provide examples of how they address multicultural issues, and demonstrate the benefits and outcomes of
their efforts on service planning and/or delivery. Ultimately,
their involvement should enhance the organization and the
rehabilitation profession. Dr. Edwards was honored for her
innovative curriculum development in rehabilitation studies
that has increased the rate of student certification as rehabilitation counselors from 43 to 75 percent. She was nominated
by her colleague, Dr. Brenda Cartwright, professor rehabilitation counseling at WSSU.
Dr. Edwards holds the bachelor’s and master’s degrees from
South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. She earned
the doctorate in counselor education at the University of
Iowa. She has been at WSSU since 2007, having served as
coordinator of the rehabilitation counseling program until
her appointment in January 2013 as chair of the Department
of Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Professional
Studies. n
14
Preparing
Teachers in
Music
Education
Dr. Debbie O’Connell, Assistant Professor
of Music Education - Department of Music
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Music
with
music
education
licensure
is
designed for students who want to
teach music to students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in the public
schools. Students in this concentration
acquire a broad liberal arts education,
develop competencies in their choral or
instrumental specialty area, and complete professional courses in education.
The specialty courses in music develop
the knowledge, musicianship, and skills
that students need to be able to teach
and direct music activities from early
childhood through secondary school.
Candidates in music education are required to meet
specific program benchmarks, which include the
completion of general education courses, formal admission into teacher education, a minimum semester and
cumulative grade point average, early field experiences
in schools, preclinical and student teaching, and other
requirements for their specialty area. Upon successful
program completion, candidates receive a Bachelor of
Arts degree in Music and become eligible to apply for a
North Carolina teaching license in music.
As music education majors, our students must participate in ensembles such as marching band, symphonic band, jazz band, choir, and orchestra. They
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perform across campus
throughout the year at
football games, basketball games, homecoming,
Founder’s
Day, commencement,
as well as in student
recitals and concerts.
Not only do our music
education majors perform on campus and
locally but nationally
and internationally as
well. From these experiences, students gain
skills, get exposure, and develop networks to support their
development. Music Education major, JaKenya Pearson,
from Brown Summit, NC, reflected on her performance experience at WSSU:
As a music education major here at Winston-Salem
State University, the opportunities presented to me
have been countless! I have been fortunate enough
to belong to the University Choir as well as be a
member of the Burke Singers Ensemble for several
years. As a member of the choir, I have had the
pleasure of performing in tours along the southern
and eastern coasts, performing with the choir at
Carnegie Hall in 2009, and singing as a featured
soloist for commencement. Also as a choir member, I
was in awe to perform under the direction of Donald
Nuen for the performance of Haydn’s Creation and
the Queen Pop Concert in the fall of 2011. As a music
major, with voice concentration, I had the opportunity to participate in master classes with Awadagin
Pratt and Maria Howell. In 2010 and 2011, I was
selected as one of two representatives to perform in
the 105 Voices of History choir in Washington, DC
and Nassau, Bahamas, respectively. As a member
of the 105 VOH, I had the pleasure of sharing the
stage with gospel artists such as Kim Burrell and
Shirley Caesar. This experience was a phenomenal
opportunity to network with aspiring music educators, conductors, and renowned vocal instructors
from HBCUs around the United States. As a former
member of the Burke Singers Ensemble, my experience and opportunities were prodigious! Performing
as a backup singer for Patti Alston and singing in
the Pop Series with Robert Moody were amazing
experiences, but perhaps the most significant experience I have gained from being in the ensemble was
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partaking in the voyage to Ghana, West Africa. This
incredible opportunity was not only a once-in-a-lifetime event, but it solidified my passion for music and
the art form it is. My experiences and opportunities
as a whole have been nothing short of miraculous,
and I am forever grateful to the instructors that have
opened doors for any future career opportunities.
Music education majors must take applied lessons each
semester within their specialty area. They must demonstrate
the depth of their understanding and application of content
knowledge related to music through the presentation of a
creative musical product for their senior recital, which is a
capstone course that combines all of the music content areas,
including music theory, music history, ear training, and performance technique.
In addition to practicing and performing, our students must
be prepared to teach in the public schools. Because our students are licensed to teach grades K-12, they must take a
variety of music methods courses that prepare them to teach
successfully at each grade level. Music methods courses are
taught by professors who have taught extensively in the public
schools and hold a current North Carolina teaching license. In
addition to our excellent faculty, the music education majors
take full advantage of the Teacher Education Advisement
Partnership (TEAP) Center to assist them in preparing for
the Praxis exam, practicing for the virtual introduction,
and completing their admissions packet to the Profession
Education Committee. Our male
students have benefited from participating in the Real Men Teach
(RMT) program, which provides
students with the tools, training,
and experiences that prepare
them to be successful in their
journey through the program to
graduation. Music education
major, Brandon Jenkins, is a
RMT protégée, and he reflected
on his journey to become a band
director:
I have had a tremendous
experience at WinstonSalem State University
studying to become a music
educator. I have known that I wanted to be
band director since the 6th grade, so my drive and
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motivation are really high in this vigorous program.
Dr. Michael Magruder, director of bands and department chair, has been my primary teaching influence.
Dr. Magruder has mentored me through words of
wisdom and giving me teaching opportunities with
the wind band ensembles at Winston-Salem State
University. I was recently invited to join the “Red
Sea of Sound” Marching Band staff as an assistant
and music arranger. I have also been a guest student
conductor with the University Wind Ensemble and
Symphonic Band, in which I conducted standard
wind band literature as well as some of my own
arrangements for those ensembles. These experiences helped me to have a very successful preclinical
and student teaching experience in which I proved,
with a sense of bravura, to both of my cooperating
teachers that I am very capable of running and leading a successful band program. I have learned not
only how to be an effective and efficient band director, but also how to be a leader in the classroom and
an advocate for education everywhere.
When our students graduate with a degree in music education,
they are able to teach in the public schools or continue their
education in graduate school. Our recent graduates have been
able to quickly secure teaching positions in Winston-Salem,
Greensboro, and Charlotte. Other graduates are currently
enrolled in graduate school at the North Carolina School of
the Arts, George Mason University, and Howard University.
Our music education program is designed to give students
the tools they need in order to be successful in their teaching
career.
Recent graduate Rolyndria Anderson reflected on her time
at WSSU and how it has prepared her for her future endeavors, including her recent admission to Howard University’s
Master of Music program in jazz vocal studies.
Being a music education
major at Winston-Salem
State University has
certainly been one of
the most life-changing
experiences I've had
thus far. I came to the
university expecting
to improve upon my
musical
knowledge
and enhance my musical skills but left with
the latter, including a
more mature outlook
on life, a stronger
sense of respect for
those who teach, and
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a heightened sense of passion for all things musical,
especially when it comes to singing. I have made
global connections traveling with The Burke Singers,
one of many ensembles featured at the university. As
a member of this ensemble, I formed lifelong bonds
with other highly-talented, female vocalists, traveled
to Ghana, West Africa for an intercollegiate conference, embraced the art of improvisation, arranging,
and composition through singing a cappella music
arranged by members of the group, and served my
collegiate community through performing at various
events for a plethora of occasions. One of the greatest pieces of knowledge that I take away from my
college experience encompasses the anatomy and
preservation of the voice. Many vocalists do not succeed because they do not have a full understanding
of what it takes to preserve their voice, how the voice
works, how the human body works in tandem with
the voice, and how to sing properly. To this day, I am
grateful to my voice instructor, Ms. Deena Moore,
who not only took time to coach me in regards to
performance, but also in how to correctly take care
of my vocal instrument. One of the beautiful things
about being a music major at Winston-Salem State is
the fact that you are being placed in some of the most
giving, protective, supportive, and patient hands of
all the faculty on the yard. Once they see your tenacity and drive, they immediately plug in and will do all
they can to ensure your success and graduation from
the program. Being a music education major has
served as a way to do children's outreach, to do community service with various churches, and has definitely prepared me to serve in the professional world
as a music educator and performer. During and after
my tenure at WSSU, I have taught in many musical
workshops as a vocal instructor and coach, been a
music teacher assistant in public schools, and performed for the Inaugural Prayer Service in 2009 and
2013 with the Greensboro Symphonic Orchestra,
the famous R&B recording artist Patti Austin, classical pianist Awadajin Pratt, and much more. I have
been accepted and plan to attend Howard University
in fall 2013 for a master’s degree in jazz vocal studies.
The music education is proud of its students’ many accomplishments and looks forward to the challenge of adding more
music education teachers to the field to help inspire, coach,
and excite young children about music. Several studies show a
strong correlation between music and academic performance.
Our students have demonstrated the interdependence of these
two factors and, as music educators, they are excited about
adding to young children’s enjoyment of and participation
in music and, clearly, they accept the challenge of employing
their musical talents to help children improve their overall
performance in the classroom and beyond. n
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y
l
e
k
i
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u
THE FACE OF
PUBLIC P-12 EDUCATION
IN NORTH CAROLINA:
RODNEY ELLIS,
CLASS OF 1999
PRESIDENT, NORTH CAROLINA
ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS
The teaching force in the United
States – and in the state of North
Carolina – is primarily female
and white.
According to the
U. S. Department of Education
(2012), although more than 35%
of students in public schools in
the United States are African
American or Latino, less than
15% of teachers are African
American or Latino. Less than
two percent of teachers in the
nation are African American
males. Moreover, black males
are
disproportionately
repre-
sented among students who
are suspended and expelled
from school, assigned to special
education classes, and classified as dropouts.
According
to The 2012 Schott 50 State
Report on Public Education and
Black Males, nationally in 2011,
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only 10% of Black males were proficient in
Grade 8 reading; this compares with 16% for
Latino males and 35% for White, non-Latino
students. More than three times as many
Ellis was born in Mocksville, NC, the oldest of five children.
He recalls being terrified on his first day of school. He and
his cousin were dropped off at the school, looked at each other
and realized where they were, and immediately bolted toward
the front door to “get out.” He doesn’t recall why he was terrified; he just knew that he was. This is his first real memory of
school, a memory that far too many students still hold about
school.
Black as White, non-Latino students nation-
The Ups and Downs of School
males. One out of six African American students (17%) and one in fourteen Latino students (7%) were suspended at least once
in 2009-10, compared to one in 20 White
ally are given out-of-school suspensions.
Part II of the 2009-10 Civil Rights Data
Collection (CRDC) reports among its key
findings that “African-American students,
particularly males, are far more likely to be
suspended or expelled from school than
their peers. Black students make up 18% of
the students in the CRDC sample, but 35%
of the students suspended once, and 39%
of the students expelled” (U. S. Department
of Education).
Rodney Ellis, president of the state’s
70,000-member association of public
school educators in North Carolina – and
a 1999 graduate of Winston-Salem State
University, can identify with these statistics. He’s a black male, a black male educator, and a black male who found life outside
school more enjoyable than inside, so he
stopped going – and failed. Ellis could have
become what society commonly calls “a
statistic,” that pejorative term used to characterize so many of America’s black youth,
especially black males. And had it not been
for two “amazing” school teachers, as Ellis
Rodn ey Ellis
calls them, and a supportive, loving, nononsense mother, his life would have turned
out completely different. Not only did Ellis’ teachers make a
tremendous impact on him as a young boy, but they helped
inspire him to become a teacher. Today, Ellis is returning the
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favor as the (unlikely) face of public P-12 education in North
Carolina.
By third grade, Ellis said he had made a personal commitment
to do well in school each day, primarily so he could enjoy
the privilege of going outside for recess. He and his cousin
Keith were the only two black students in his third grade
class in Mocksville, and they were also the only two generally
excluded from going outside at recess to play with the other
children. For reasons that he could never understand, he and
Keith were required to put their heads on their desks while the
other children exited the classroom for the playground. Each
day, he tried harder and harder to do his work so he could go
outside, thinking it was something he was doing wrong that
prevented him from being able to go to the playground. He
recounted that he was much too young to understand anything about racism; he just remained perplexed about why
he and Keith could never go outside. One thing he did learn,
however, was how to play table football, a game he and Keith
played every day while the other children were outside on the
playground. He became an expert at the game.
Not to be discouraged by the forbidden playground incident,
Rodney entered fourth grade equally determined to “do good”
and where Mrs. Gore, his new teacher, made him feel that he
“mattered.” She called on Rodney to read – something his
third grade teacher had never done, praised him for his work,
and even called in the principal and coach to listen to him read
one of his assignments. He read voraciously, and he learned
to write what he calls “great sentences.” Math was not one of
his strongest subjects, so he immersed himself in reading and
writing, which encouraged him to read and write all the more.
Ellis credits Mrs. Gore with rekindling his love of school. Just
last year, he thanked her personally – and publicly – at an event
for retiring teachers. When asked if she remembered him, she
said she “could never forget those eyes.” Ellis said his love of
reading was fostered through comic books, for which he had
an insatiable appetite. If he came across a word he didn’t
understand, he went to the dictionary because he wanted to
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know what the main characters were saying to the villains. He
then repeated these “big words” in class and in his conversations. This practice, he said, is what expanded his vocabulary.
As excited as Mrs. Gore had made him feel about being such an
excellent student, Ellis’ interest in reading and writing waned,
taken over by his new love: basketball. By eighth grade, basketball had become more important to him than anything
else. Ellis was as adept at skipping school as he was on the
basketball court. He would leave home every morning, meet
up at school with his “buddies,” and head for the basketball
courts. Ellis recalls that he didn’t actually go to school “that
many days” that year. He said he honestly felt confident the
school would just let him pass to the ninth grade, so he continued to skip school, hanging out with his buddies and mastering the game of basketball. Just as daily practice in third grade
had made him a table football expert, skipping school during
eighth grade had made him a basketball expert. Ellis’ hopes
of going to high school the next year, however, were dashed
when he failed eighth grade. He says the reality of failing was
nothing compared to his humiliation of now having to be in
the same grade as his younger sister. He absolutely hated it!
Once the reality of having failed sat in, Rodney “turned it
around” again. He was an excellent eighth-grade student the
second time around, making A’s and B’s, and becoming the
starting player on the school’s basketball team, which went all
the way to the state championship. Although his team lost,
Ellis’ interest in school had been rekindled, due primarily to
his coach, Mike Hrabek, whom Ellis credits with influencing
his decision ultimately to teach eighth grade. He sees eighth
grade as a significant transition point for students and thought
this would be a good phase where he could make a difference
in students’ lives, just as Mr. Hrabek – whom he thought of
back then as “a cool white guy” – had done for him.
It’s Personal
As the oldest child, Ellis said he became very responsible,
independent, and self-sufficient at an early age. By the time
he was ten years old, he could cook, wash, iron, clean, and take
care of himself and his siblings. He believes his role as the
oldest child created within him a nurturing spirit that carries
over into his role as a teacher and father.
Ellis credits his mother for much of his success and describes
her with obvious affection and appreciation. The day prior to
our interview, he had mailed her a commemorative picture
from President Barack Obama’s inauguration, which he had
attended, and framed prints of Ellis with such dignitaries as
Vice President Joe Biden, activist Al Sharpton, television and
radio talk show host Tavis Smiley, and journalist and syndicated columnist Roland Martin. He was anxiously awaiting
the call he knew he would get from her as soon as she opened
her mail at her home in Mississippi.
Ellis speaks with immense pride about his four siblings. His
oldest sister, who is one year his junior, is retired from the
military and is currently a judge advocate general (JAG) in
Tennessee. His brother, two years his junior, is a gunnery sergeant with the U. S. Marines, and his youngest brother, who is
seven years younger than Ellis, owns a carpet and office building cleaning service. His youngest sister had the potential to
become a professional singer, and Ellis said he wishes he had
been able to do more to help her succeed at this.
Ellis takes no personal credit for his career success. In addition to the lessons from his mother, he credits his wife, who
is a registered nurse, and children with providing him with
the daily motivation and energy to do his job. Ellis met his
wife, Lisa, in 1989 while he was taking business classes at
Miller-Motte Business College in Winston-Salem and she was
enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University. MillerMotte eventually closed its Winston-Salem campus and
transferred its students to the Greensboro campus. Tired of
the daily commute, Ellis dropped out of school and picked up
a third-shift job at Royal Cake Company in Winston-Salem.
He met Lisa through his sister, who by now had enrolled at
WSSU. After a brief courtship, Ellis and Lisa were married.
Their first child was born almost two years later. Responding
to his mother-in-law’s concerns that Lisa’s pregnancy would
result in her dropping out of school, Ellis made a pledge to
her that Lisa would graduate, and she did in 1992. The subsequent year, their second daughter was born. Working at
night gave Ellis what he calls the rare privilege of being able
to stay home during the day to take care of their daughters.
Still working third shift, he often considered returning
to college after his wife graduated, but he procrastinated.
Ellis said his “defining moment” occurred one night in 1993
while he was working his third-shift job. It was his custom to
read the local newspaper each night during his lunch break.
He recalled that each night the paper was filled with stories
about crime-ridden areas in eastern Winston-Salem, where
drug abuse was reportedly rampant and the number of persons
being killed – including young children – was escalating. Ellis
decided he had to do something. He folded up the newspaper,
went in to see his supervisor, resigned that night, and applied
for admission to WSSU the following day! The rest, as they say,
is history. He said he did not know any of the children he read
about each day, but he felt the scourge of drugs was destroying
young children and that he had to do something. He lived in
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the Bethabara area, so his personal life was untouched by the
kind of activity he read about in the paper. But he said he was
personally hurt by the stories he read about what was happening to children in this community. Again, he felt his nurturing
spirit coming to the forefront.
Ellis laughs when he remarks that it took him six years to graduate. When Miller-Motte College closed, officials told students
they would not be responsible for paying tuition. However,
Ellis was later billed and required to pay. On his salary, he
said he could ill afford to pay Miller-Motte, cover his tuition at
WSSU, and take care of his growing family. When his money
did not “stretch” far enough, he simply enrolled part-time. He
attended school during the day, worked at night, and skipped
the extracurricular activities WSSU offered – until his junior
year, which set the stage for the position he would eventually
hold as the state’s leading teacher advocate.
Ellis joined the Student North Carolina Association of
Educators (SNCAE), the student affiliate of the National
Education Association. At the insistence of his former professor, Dr. Wilbur Sadler, Ellis ran for president of SNCAE
and won. He publicized and helped build the organization by
entering a float in WSSU’s annual homecoming parade that
year, spearheading fundraising events, and renting a vehicle
to take fellow WSSU students to the state SNCAE meeting.
That year, he also ran for president of the state chapter but
lost. Following a tie vote, Ellis said he conceded the election
because winning obviously meant more to his opponent –
who cried upon learning of the tie vote – than it did to him.
He committed to running the next year, and this time he won.
He credits Dr. Sadler for fueling his involvement in campus
life, which set the stage for his running for state office.
Road to the NCAE Presidency
Furthering his path toward the presidency of NCAE, which
even Ellis could not have fathomed at the time, he continued his
involvement in the association after his graduation by becoming an active member of the Forsyth County Association of
Educators (FCAE). His first teaching position was at Atkins
Middle School (now Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy),
where he served as the building representative for FCAE. He
was chosen Teacher of the Year at the end of the school year but
because of school policy could not be awarded the title. The
second year, he received the distinction. Serving as the FCAE
building representative at Atkins provided the opportunity
for heightened involvement at the local level. Colleen Lanier,
then president of FCAE, encouraged him to run for office. He
entered his own name as a nominee for president; however,
when the ballot was published, he was surprised to see his
name listed as a candidate for vice president. Although seeing
this was a bit unsettling, Ellis allowed his name to remain on
the ballot, and he was elected vice president. Shortly after the
election, the president became unable to serve, and Ellis, by
default, became the local president.
black youth, especially black males.
Serving in the local chapter allowed Ellis to gain statewide
recognition as a leader and, of greater importance to him,
as a person of integrity. He created a newsletter, sponsored
highly-attended events for teachers, and increased the local
membership by over 700 persons. The local chapter, under his
leadership, received numerous awards, which kept him in the
public eye. The following year, Ellis was encouraged to run for
vice president of the state affiliate. When asked what the key
factor was in his election as vice president and later president
so early in his career, Ellis said he believes it’s his integrity.
At WSSU, Ellis and two other students comprised many of
his middle grades education classes, which were taught by
Professor (now Dean) Manuel Vargas. He still recalls his
classmates’ names – Jeff Barnes and Sandy McCauley. Ellis
described some of the “amazing lessons” they learned in class
but gave high attribution to the lessons he learned from Dr.
Vargas outside the classroom. During his junior year, he was
invited by Dr. Vargas to serve as his assistant for CERTL
(Center of Excellence for Research, Teaching and Learning),
Ellis acknowledges that the role of state president is not
entirely as he had envisioned it. One of his greatest challenges
has come from his realization that teacher education issues
across the state are not addressed in the same manner as had
been done in his local chapter. He said that some issues he
believed in at the local level have left him with questions at
the state level. One example is NCAE’s non-partisan status,
which seems contrary to the organization’s practice historically of supporting Democratic party candidates. This practice challenges his personal beliefs and the organization’s
Ellis could have become what
society commonly calls “a statistic,”
that pejorative term used to
characterize so many of America’s
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a summer program for middle school students interested in
careers in the health sciences. Frequently, he and Dr. Vargas
would go to lunch together, and there they would have some of
the most intimate and in-depth conversations. They discussed
their philosophical beliefs, views about education and what it
should be, and their aspirations for the education of children.
He confided in Dr. Vargas, and they developed a strong and
lasting relationship. He credits Dr. Vargas with “sharing so
much wisdom and knowledge about life, about being a man,
and having a lot to do with what I would become.”
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stand on non-partisanship. He believes that an individual’s
support of the “education of our children,” not his or her
political party affiliation, should be the determining factor in
whether the candidates receives the support or endorsement
of NCAE. Some members, he believes, feel disenfranchised
simply because of the perceived partisan nature of some decisions. He is attempting to move the organization in a nonpartisan direction but realizes this will be a major challenge
of his tenure as president. Although the presidency has not
been exactly as he had envisioned it, he says, “We are going to
do what is right.”
At Home
Ellis is most excited when talking about his children. His
oldest, Gabby, will graduate this spring with degrees in sociology and Spanish from Western Carolina University. While he
makes it clear that all his children hold a prominent place in
his heart, Gabby is his firstborn. He recalls that as an infant,
she would stay awake at night until he returned home from his
third-shift job and promptly fall asleep on his chest. Each day,
the two of them would fall asleep in this manner, which he says
naturally makes her “close to my heart.” She’s a member of
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, which, along with his membership in
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., “keeps the blue and white in
the family.” She returned home in December after spending a
year in Uruguay, and Ellis said he was most proud of her when
he visited her in July and saw her interacting with citizens,
speaking the language fluently, and just “dealing.” He says she
inherited his nurturing spirit.
Ellis’ second daughter, April, is a rising senior political science
major at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She
has his tenacity. He says she always has a job, is committed
to supporting herself without waiting for her parents to send
money, and is what he calls a “hustler.” He thinks she will do
well in politics.
His 13-year-old “cheerleader extraordinaire” participates in
a modeling school and is preparing for her debut. “She’s a
natural,” he says. His only son, a 10-year-old fourth grader,
is a phenomenal athlete. He plays AAU basketball and Pop
Warner football, and he is a starting point guard, a starting
quarterback, and a middle linebacker. He has Ellis’ athleticism
but, to Ellis’ dismay, “He doesn’t share my love for reading.”
The distinctive “twinkle” in Ellis’s eyes becomes considerably
more obvious when he talks about his wife, whom he says has
played a very instrumental role in his life. She has been an
ardent supporter and source of great strength. He adds, “My
wife and I have been together 24 years now, and I surely would
not be who I am, where I am, without her unwavering support.
My wedding day was great, probably the happiest day of my
life, but I could never distinguish between that and the joy
of my children’s births – “something special about that for
W I N S T O N - S A L E M
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me,” he says. I think I would say my wedding day was a very
close second, followed by my graduation from WSSU and
subsequent recognition with the Alumni Achiever Award [in
2010],” which he says is proudly displayed in his office.
The “Unlikely Face”
Ellis’ vision is for educators to enjoy their jobs again and to
love what they do. If they are miserable, it shows in their
behavior, and their students know it. He said too many of
the decisions that impact teaching and teachers are made by
people who have never taught.
Ellis was the first black male president of FCAE. He said
during his initial year, the organization lost many of its members. He suspects much of that had to do with his ethnicity
but he feels he was able to “turn it around” once educators
understood that he was their advocate and that he is a person
of integrity. Recently a member told him that he did not know
what Ellis was “about” at first but after hearing him speak and
observing some of his actions, he said that Ellis was “all right.”
He still finds himself in many venues throughout the state as
the sole African American in the room. His support for public
education and public school educators and professionals is
unquestionable. That being settled during the course of his
encounters, he says, “I walk in as a black man, but I leave as a
man.” n
2012 The Schott 50 state report on public education and black males.
Retrieved May 13, 2013 from http://www.blackboysreport.org/2015-
black-boys-report.pdf
New data from U.S. Department of Education highlights educational inequities around teacher experience, discipline and high
school rigor, March 6, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2013 from http://
www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/new-data-us-department-education-highlights-educational-inequities-around-teache)
Ricks, Dionna. Educating boys for success: are today’s classrooms
biased against boys? U.S. Department of Education, March 6, 2012.
Retrieved May 13, 2013 from http://www.nea.org/home/44609.htm
U. S. Department of Education, Celebrating success: remarks of
Secretary Arne Duncan at the Xavier University commencement,
May 8, 2010.
Retrieved May 13, 2013 from http://www.ed.gov/
news/speeches/celebrating-success
U. S. Department of Education, U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan
and film producer Spike Lee to call on Morehouse students to
pursue teaching careers. Retrieved May 13, 2013 from http://www.
ed.gov/news/media-advisories/us-secretary-education-duncanand-film-producer-spike-lee-call-morehouse-stude
21
RESEARCH DAY 2013
Dr. Michael McKenzie, Associate Professor,
Exercise Science
On April 9, 2013, instead of holding classes, WSSU held its annual
Scholarship Day, a full day devoted to scholarship and research.
Each year, during either the morning or afternoon of Scholarship
Day, academic departments hold seminars for all their majors, but
the highlight of the day is always the university-wide poster session
that takes place in the Thompson Student Services Center. This year,
the poster session was held in the dining hall to provide wider visibility and allow interested students and guests to view the posters
and interact with student researchers. A total of 130 research posters
were on display, with student researchers standing by ready to answer
questions about their projects. Eleven posters were presented from
the Department of Human Performance and Sport Sciences. They
ranged from student-led investigations to funded grant projects.
For two hours, students came into the dining hall and viewed one
poster after another, asking numerous questions, and answering quiz
assignments that had been given by their instructors. Some students
attempted to locate their faculty mentors, and others simply wanted
to learn more about current research in their respective fields.
Tell me and I forget; show me
and I re me mbe r; involve me and I
unde r stand . – Chinese prove rb
Lauren Pulliam, a senior exercise science major, presented a poster
on her findings from a high-intensity training study. She had previously presented her work at a regional professional conference in
April. Lauren said, “This day gave me an opportunity to brush up on
my presentation skills and to learn what types of questions to anticipate moving forward.” Lauren’s work will be presented at a national
conference in Indianapolis this summer. Elizabeth Reynolds, also
a senior exercise science major, commented on the importance of
the day: “It's a prime opportunity for students and professors to
congregate and discuss their current research and studies. Ideas are
shared and thoughts are provoked, which allow for greater work in
the future.”
This day was the culmination of work that had spanned an entire
semester, during which students had paired with faculty mentors,
prepared abstracts of their research, attended a poster-making session, created their posters, and presented their research professionally. The skills learned in this process are invaluable, as research is
an ever-growing industry and is vital to the field of education, and
students need to feel comfortable conducting research in their professions. It is very encouraging to know that there is such high quality work occurring across all disciplines at WSSU. It gives great hope
for the students’ future and for the future of Winston-Salem State
University. Due to record numbers of submissions and students in
attendance, plans are already underway to expand next year’s scholarship day. n
24
22
EEDDUUCCEERREE MMAAGGAAZZI INNEE
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S SUPMR M
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MORE Than I could have imagined
In spring 2009, I graduated
from Winston-Salem State
University with a degree in
elementary education and
a minor in mathematics.
Every day, 17 bright-eyed
kindergarten children call
me “Ms. Hicks.”
Rachel Hicks ’09,
Elementary Education
WSSU prepared me to handle the everyday challenges of being an educator and a
professional. I’ve spent the past three years refining my craft and further developing
my expertise. It was a great honor, therefore, to be named the 2012-2013 Teacher of
the Year, representing South Fork Elementary School for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County School system.
The year 2012 was very exciting for me. During the summer, I was asked to co-write
the kindergarten social studies unit plans for the entire county. I immediately agreed
to help out with the project because I was able to see past the “summer homework”
and understand the project for what it could really mean for me – an opportunity to
grow as a professional educator. I was given the opportunity to research the Essential
Standards and decide what information students in the county would be expected to
learn at their respective grade levels. I did not take this responsibility lightly, and I
poured myself fully into the project.
When the school year started in August 2012, I was asked to take on another project,
the opportunity to pilot a new technology initiative. I was given the task of introducing
Hatch Early Learning Tablets into my education plans. These Android-based tablets
are bursting with the potential to educate my five- and six-year-old students. As a Ram,
I embraced the challenge and, once again, saw the hidden potential for me to grow as
a professional educator.
I entered Winston-Salem State University to learn, and with the help of my professors and advisors, I departed with more knowledge and skills than I could have ever
imagined. n
Since Rachel submitted her article,
we have learned that she completed her graduate coursework at
Appalachian State University this
summer and plans to graduate in
December. Next school year, she will
be teaching fourth graders instead of
kindergarteners. Her class is participating in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County Schools’ “Bring Your Own
Device” initiative, which Rachel says
will help enrich her students’ educational experience and enable them
to meet the rigorous demands of the
Common Core. To support students
who cannot afford the tablet, Rachel
has enrolled in the Donors Choose
program so that interested persons
may to donate to her project. Once
the project has been fully funded,
the Google Nexus 7 Android tablets
will be shipped to the school. More
information about Rachel’s Donors
Choose webpage can be found at
h t t p : // w w w. d o n o r s c h o o s e . o r g /
we-teach/1862348.-41933477
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O’Connell Travels to
Rio de Janeiro
D r.
Dr. Debbie O’Connell, assistant professor
of music, has been selected to participate
in an international faculty development
seminar in Rio de Janeiro this summer. Dr.
O’Connell coordinates the music education licensure component of the Bachelor
of Arts in Music program. The Community
Engagement and Development Seminar
will be conducted May 22-31. It is hosted by
the Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio
de Janeiro. Dr. O’Connell will learn about
the history, culture, and socioeconomic
conditions of Rio de Janeiro. Part of the
seminar about culture will feature Samba
D e bbie O 'Conn ell
and Brazilian percussion lessons. Through
a series of service learning projects, Dr.
O’Connell will see how the community engages in selfimprovement efforts. The Rio de Janeiro community strives
to integrate more of the marginalized parts of society into the
middle class as a way of improving the city’s safety and economic viability. Dr. O’Connell will reside with a host family
during part of her stay.
Dr. O’Connell is also co-author of an article entitled “Sound
Exposure Levels of University Jazz Band Members” published
in the Fall 2012 issue (Vol. 48, No. 1) of the Journal of Band
Research. The study investigated the sound exposure levels
of university jazz band members across the state. Results
from the study reveal that the majority of university jazz band
members experience sound overexposure during a typical jazz
band rehearsal. Dr. O’Connell also co-authored an article on
drum corps sound exposure. “How Loud Is a Drum and Bugle
Corps?” appears in the July/August 2013 issue of Halftime
magazine. n
GEMS
(GIRLS EMPOWERED BY
MATH AND SCIENCE)
Dr. Denise T.
Johnson, assistant
professor in the
Master of Arts in
Teaching – Middle
Grades Education
program, received a
$5,000 cash award
from Time Warner
Cable through its
Connect A Million
Minds (CAMM)
program. CAMM is
committed to buildD r. D e nise T. J ohnson
ing the next generation of science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM) problem
solvers. The cash award was given in support of efforts
by WSSU and GEMS (Girls Empowered by Math and
Science) to promote the involvement of middle-school
girls in mathematics and science. n
The CAMM "Connectory" is located at
www.connectamillionminds.com
24
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Improving
the
Cultural
Competence
of Early Childhood Educators
Dr. Beth Day-Hairston, associate professor of special education, is principal investigators for a grant-funded program to
improve the cultural competence of the early childhood workforce in North Carolina. The grant of $957,797 was awarded by
the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services' Division
of Child Development and Early Education. It is being funded
by North Carolina’s federal Race to the Top Early Learning
Challenge program, which is designed to promote innovation
and reform in early child care and education.
Dr. Day-Hairston and the colleagues who assisted in developing the proposal believe that the program will help early
childhood educators develop, practice, and enhance culturally responsive teaching practices and enable them to engage
parents to support their children’s learning and development.
The grant will support efforts to develop a comprehensive
and responsive curriculum for early childhood professionals,
who are very influential in the care and education of young
children.
The WSSU Practice Improvement Collaborative that has been
established from these funds will engage 100 participants in
learning institutes and in teams to develop a curriculum that
strengthens the ability of teachers, programs, and agencies
involved in early childhood education to offer high quality programs. Equally important are programs that are being designed
from a cultural and linguistic basis that values the diversity of
children served, enhances their learning, and engages their
families. The collaborative is comprised of a cross-cultural
group of teachers, parents, and community leaders, emerging
and experienced early childhood leaders, center administrators, staff from the state Division of Child Development and
Early Education, and WSSU teacher education faculty. Dr.
Kimberly Pemberton, assistant professor of elementary education, will play a key role in helping train staff, engage parents,
and develop curriculum materials that reflect the cultural and
linguistic diversity of young children in North Carolina’s early
childhood facilities. Action research, which is a central focus
and outcome of the collaborative, will be facilitated by coaches
who have expertise in cultural competence and early childhood care and education. n
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25
I AM READY TO TEACH:
VOICES OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION GRADUATES
Fran B. Oates, Coordinator, Elementary Education
“Exuding Levels of Excellence” is the winning slogan for elementary education (ELE) teacher
candidates. The slogan, coined by Satira Holliday, a spring 2012 graduate from Philadelphia,
captures the essence of the historical legacy of Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and
its continuous drive for excellence in teacher education.
The focus of excellence began when WSSU was founded in
1892 as the Slater Industrial Academy. Winston-Salem State
University has a long history of contributions to the field of
elementary education. The new ELE slogan reflects the continuous high quality of elementary school teacher preparation that in 1925 warranted the General Assembly of North
Carolina to reward the University with a new name, WinstonSalem Teachers College, and a new charter with authority to
confer degrees. As such, “Teachers College” became the first
historically Black institution in the United States to grant
elementary education degrees. High levels of excellence, no
doubt, were required in order for the institution to receive this
auspicious recognition.
It is fitting during this year of our 120th
anniversary to recognize the tenacity and
courage of our founder, Dr. Simon Green
Atkins, for his commitment as an advocate for social justice: liberating African
Americans from the bondage of illiteracy.
The legacy of his devotion to educating
those who would otherwise not have had
the opportunity represents the levels of
excellence expected in WSSU’s elementary
education program today and is embodied
in the program’s commitment to social
justice.
Fra n B . Oates
26
As a 1974 graduate of WSSU’s elementary
education program, I am a product of Dr.
Atkins’ vision of excellence. In fall 2006, I returned to serve as
coordinator of the elementary education program. My strong
desire to continue the legacy of excellence propels me to make
habits of excellence as contagious among my students as my
WSSU professors made them for me. Today, I teach habits
of excellence in each course, and my students and I celebrate
excellence at all levels. When asked, “At what level will you
perform as an ELE major?”, teacher candidates respond in
unison, “There is a high expectation for excellence in the
demonstration not only of knowledge, skills, and dispositions
needed for teaching, but also in the social understanding of
oneself, not only as an educator, but as a citizen in society.”
Excellence, then, is not just a grade for which elementary
education majors aspire; it is a habit, and it is an expectation
that Satira Holliday fulfilled during her matriculation in the
program. Her voice and the voices of the spring 2012 graduates echo the slogan “Exuding Levels of Excellence.” Satira
explains her basis for developing this slogan, what it represents
to our program, and why she feels she is now ready to teach.
I came to Winston-Salem State University because
my uncle was a Ram, and he was determined to have
one of his nieces or nephews carry on the family’s
Ram tradition. All he talked about was his great
experience here. I did my research about the elementary education program and heard that it was great,
so I applied and got a full scholarship. I am now
ready to teach, and I am excited to have my own
classroom. What prepared me best for teaching were
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WS S U e duc ation stude nt s
par ticipate in the B eginning
Teache r Suppor t Institute
breako ut session on J une 1 5 , 2012 .
the hands-on experiences, field experiences, and the
actual opportunity to be in the classroom. I had the
foundation, but once I was in the classroom, I could
practice the theory I had been taught. Everything
came into reality.
This is the first time I had you [Ms. Oates] as an
instructor; excellence is an expectation. In everything you say and everything you do, it comes
through, it exudes. I chose those words because
ELE is the acronym for elementary education and
I found out that the elementary education program
is excellent. When excellence exudes, it means you
know it, you can see it everywhere. It means coming
forth; you can’t stop it; it’s coming from everywhere.
No matter where we go and no matter what we do,
everyone else can see it coming from us. People recognize excellence when they see it. It’s been a great
experience and I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
I value all that I have learned and all that I have gone
through: the good, the bad, the ugly, everything. I
look forward to coming back and sharing with new
candidates what I have learned.
Elementary education majors performed at high levels of
excellence this year, as Satira and others in her cohort demonstrated. They were the first to participate in edTPA (Education
Teacher Performance Assessment), which is a national teacher
performance assessment. Our decision to participate in this
collaborative represents a historically significant move for the
elementary education program and the department of education. We are the only HBCU in North Carolina to complete
the national assessment and the state-required evidence
assessments, which has a level of rigor that exceeds the North
Carolina teaching standards.
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Octavia Hammond, also a spring 2012
graduate and a teacher at Julian Gibson
Elementary School in Winston-Salem,
completed both the national and state
performance-based assessments. She
speaks to their rigor and the value of going
through the process.
The TPA was like nothing I had ever
done before. I knew I would be looked
at nationally, and I wanted to be
meticulous and thorough. Not knowing what to do, without an example,
really scared me at first, but now I can
O c tavia H a mmond
see how struggling through it to learn
my own teaching skills was well worth
all the work. It was hard, and it took an enormous
amount of time to complete, but it was worth it to
know how to reflect on all that I do as a teacher. I am
ready to teach and I am so excited to have my own
class.
WSSU, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and
East Carolina University are the only three teacher education
programs in North Carolina participating in edTPA. They
join a consortium of teacher preparation programs in 23 other
states. This is just one more indicator of our efforts to ensure
excellence in the elementary education program.
Only those experiences at the highest levels could yield the
degree of competence reflected in these graduates’ performance. They are now members of the historic and prestigious
league of educators who have graduated from Winston-Salem
State University. The spring 2012 elementary education graduates walked through the infamous arches ready to learn, and
they have departed well-prepared and ready to teach! n
27
Real Men Teach Inducts 18 ProtÉgÉs...
Dr. Rodney Coleman, Coordinator, Real Men Teach
Real men teach. Not only does this
slogan respond affirmatively to the
question about the proper role of men
in a profession dominated disproportionately by women, it also describes
the School of Education and Human
Performance’s unique student services
program and is the recruitment mantra
for a new wave of teacher leaders. Real
Men Teach is a multifaceted academic
program designed for emerging male
teacher leaders. Since its inception in
2007, the Real Men Teach program has
continued to provide
male students – called
protégés – with a
unique and welldefined
mentoring
and support system,
which includes assistance in passing the
state-required Praxis
I exam required for
admission to teacher
education programs
and the Praxis II
exam required prior
to program compleD r.
tion, modest financial
support, personal development, educational leadership preparation, and professional skills training.
In addition, each protégé is paired with
a mentor who offers holistic coaching
during the protégé’s matriculation.
One such mentor is James Braswell,
physical education lecturer, who comments on how he views his role as an
RMT mentor:
It is my duty to stand with
these young men and to help
prepare them for the walk of
their lives. I am a firm believer
that if you ‘give a man a fish,
he will eat for a day; teach a
man to fish, he can eat for a
lifetime.’
28
The protégées value these relationships with mentors and understand
the tremendous role mentors play in
helping them achieve success. Two of
the most recent inductees reflected on
what the program means to them. Eric
Glenn, II, a sophomore middle grades
education major from Charlotte, says,
“I’ve never had a mentor before. I’m
excited that RMT will offer me great
mentorship, which will support me
while I pursue my goal of becoming
a teacher.” Trimaine Sligh, a junior
physical
education
major from Durham,
echoed Glenn: “RMT
has given me the support needed to pursue
my dream of becoming
an educator. I want to
become an educator to
have a positive impact
on children, uplift my
community, and be a
role model to others.”
RMT currently serves
32 active protégés,
Ro dney Cole man
whose areas of preparation include nine
specialized fields: physical education,
elementary education, music education, middle grades education, secondary mathematics, secondary English,
special education, and birth through
kindergarten education.
Of the 32 protégés, 18 – the largest
class ever – were inducted during the
spring 2013 ceremony. On March 23,
in the presence of family and guests,
and following the challenge by guest
speaker Nigel Alston, protégés recited
their pledge and were draped with the
signature RMT necktie. But RMT
is about more than just reciting the
pledge and wearing the neckties. RMT
helps to equip male students with the
skills they need to become effective
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teachers and teacher leaders, and this
path toward leadership in the profession begins with assuming responsibility and leadership on the campus.
Chris Graham, former Real Men
Teach protégé (spring 2012 graduate)
and past president of the organization, described some of the benefits he
derived from participating in the RMT
program:
As a first-year graduate student at UNCG’s nationally
ranked (third in the nation)
college counseling/student
development
in
higher
education program, I have
grown to admire and appreciate how RMT helped me
develop even more. It was in
that program that I started
my leadership journey. I also
faced challenges that taught
me about self, service, and
commitment. I've always
had a commitment to excellence, and that was magnified
for me during my tenure in
the program. I will always
remember and be grateful
for the WSSU SEHP family,
not only for developing such
a great program but also a
young, aspiring leader. The
thing I love about RMT
and what makes it different from other programs is
that RMT not only prepares
great teacher leaders, but it
provides them with the skills
needed by young men in the
program to become great in
all walks of life. I am well on
my way as I prepare for my
career in higher education,
and RMT has a lot to do with
that. I am proud to be a product of RMT and WSSU!
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Graham has also agreed to give back
to the program by becoming one of
the RMT newest mentors. He wants
to ensure that the current RMT protégés receive the same support that was
given to him during the time he was a
protégé.
Rodney Ellis, President of the North
Carolina Association of Educators,
gives back to the program continuously. As an RMT mentor, he has
been one of the program strongest
advocates. Each semester, he returns
to the university to provide seminars
and workshops to assist the protégés in
enhancing their leadership skills. He
also stops by the campus from time to
time to speak with students informally
and attend meetings. Ellis praises
WSSU for its focus on preparing male
educators. He adds,
I am elated that my alma
mater has an awesome student support program like
Real Men Teach that ensures
that our males who declare
education as a major will
receive adequate and holistic
support during their matriculation, ensuring that they will
become the nation’s next
greatest teacher leaders.
The Real Men Teach program continues to carry on WSSU’s and SEHP’s
legacy by producing great male professional educators who have entered to
learn and who will depart to serve our
communities by becoming positive
role models and by serving as agents of
change to ensure that the lives of students in our communities are impacted
in rich and positive ways. Black males
comprise less than two percent of
America’s teachers, making the need
for a program like RMT especially significant, as Dr. Manuel Vargas, dean
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of the School of Education and Human
Performance, notes:
To say that we need more
male teachers is to state the
obvious. While we need
excellent teachers, male or
female, the need and demand
for male teacher role models
is immense. Of the nearly
12,000 new teachers that the
state of North Carolina needs
every year, public universities produce only one-third
of that. Of this third, only a
fraction is made up of male
teachers. These numbers tell
the truth; we need more of
you!
AND
WELCOMES
A NEW
COORDINATOR
The 2013 induction ceremony coincided with the arrival of the new Real
Men Teach project coordinator, Dr.
Rodney L. Coleman, a 1999 graduate
of Winston-Salem State University.
Dr. Coleman earned his bachelor of
science degree in elementary education, his master’s degree from Wake
Forest University, and his doctorate
from United Theological Seminary,
with a specialization in financial literacy. Prior to returning to his alma
mater, Dr. Coleman spent four years
with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County
Schools as a third grade teacher, two
years as a sixth grade language arts
teacher, and three years as a primary
reading teacher for students in grades
K-6.
In 2012, Dr. Coleman, who is also
a songwriter, musician, and music
U N I V E R S I T Y
producer, launched Colebro Music
Academy, a music literacy academy
that teaches middle and high school
students the art of songwriting and
music production, while also helping
them comprehend the many synergies that music education has with
other education disciplines, including
English/language arts, mathematics,
and science.
Dr. Coleman, who comes from a
family of teachers, attributes his
desire to attend Winston-Salem State
and become a teacher to his mother,
Verna Coleman, a 1972 graduate of
Winston-Salem State University and
retired educator who spent forty years
as a kindergarten teacher. Coleman
credits the many professors and support staff in Winston-Salem State
University’s department of education
for his successful teaching career. He
said that during his matriculation, they
nurtured him, encouraged him, and
prepared him to enter the educational
workforce. Dr. Coleman explains
that this is why he was so excited and
honored to return to his alma mater.
“I am fortunate and blessed to return
to Winston-Salem State University’s
School of Education and Human
Performance so I can give back to the
program that shaped me into the professional I am today.”
When asked about his vision for the
Real Men Teach program, Coleman
responded, “My vision for this program is simple: growth, sustainment,
and enhancement. Many sacrifices,
great and small, have been made to
ensure that our male students who
aspire to become teachers are given
the best holistic support services this
university and SEHP have to offer. I
am honored to have taken this mantle
to ensure that the Real Men Teach program goes to another dimension.” n
29
ALUMNI
Danielle Anderson (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education)
teaches at Petree Elementary School in Winston-Salem.
Toward the goal of preparing “more of you,”
Dean Vargas and the Real Men Teach staff
inducted the following students as RMT
protégées in spring 2013:
Kevin Alston, Master of Arts in Teaching/
Special Education
Dale Barger, senior, Elementary
Education
Christopher Bearden, junior, Physical
Education
Kristyn Daney, Master of Arts in Teaching/
Middle Grade Mathematics
Eric Glenn, II, sophomore, Middle Grades
Education
Thomas Hubbard, junior, Middle Grades
Education
Bradley Kiger, senior, Special Education
Rolyndria Anderson (2012 B.S. in Music Education) has
been accepted to Howard University’s Master of Music program in jazz vocal studies. She will enroll this fall.
Martha Arrington received her teacher’s license in physical
education in spring 2012; she is the athletic director and physical education teacher at the Millennium Charter Academy in
Mt. Airy.
Zsaquia Baxter (2012 B.S. in
Elementary Education) is a first
grade teacher at North Hills
Elementary in Winston-Salem.
Hilary Bellinger (2012 B.S. in
Music Education) has been a
teacher and band director at the
STEAM Academy in WinstonSalem. In fall 2013, he will move to
another local school.
H ila r y B e lling e r, right
Jasmine Clyburn (2011 B.S. in
Elementary Education) teaches second grade at Petree
Elementary School in Winston-Salem.
Mason King, junior, Secondary Mathematics
Westley Krider, senior, Elementary Education
Tony Lindsay, sophomore, Pre-Education Major
Jason McRae, senior, Middle Grades
Education
JaMarkis Mitchell, freshman, Middle Grades
Education
Krishawn Noble, junior, Middle Grades
Education
Shemekia Dennis (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education)
teaches third grade at Konnoak Elementary School in
Winston-Salem.
Dominica Deloatch (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education)
teaches second grade at Bolton Elementary School in
Winston-Salem.
Taylor Dodson (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education) teaches
second grade in Maryland.
Jason Freeman (2011 B.S. in Music
Education) is pursuing a master’s
degree in music performance at the
University of North Carolina School
of the Arts.
Frederick Royster, freshman, Elementary
Education
Roger Thompson, sophomore, Elementary
Education
Jonathan Watson, junior, Birth to Kindergarten
Education
Travon Woods, sophomore, Elementary
Education
Jarrin Wooten, junior, Elementary Education
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J aso n Fre e m a n
Octavia Hammond (2012 B.S.
in Elementary Education) is
a third grade teacher at Julian
Gibson Elementary School in
Winston-Salem.
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Pamela Haskins (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education)
teaches fifth grade in Winston-Salem.
Rachel Hicks (2009 B.S. in Elementary Education) is a
kindergarten teacher at South Fork Elementary School in
Winston-Salem. She was also the 2012-13 Teacher of the Year
at South Fork Elementary. She will teach fourth grade this fall.
M a rg o Ford H olm a n
(ce nte r lef t)
surro un d e d by h e r
s tu d e nt s a n d co te a ch e r D orothy
Margo Ford Holman, a 2007 graduate of the birth through kindergarten education program, received her
master’s degree in curriculum and
instruction from Ashford University
in December 2012. Currently, Mrs.
Holman is a pre-school educator
at Vandalia Elementary School in
Greensboro. At her school, Mrs.
Holman participates in the threeyear Mission Possible Leaders
Grant, in which Mission Possible
teacher leaders model, coach, and
observe, while ultimately increasing
student achievement.
B ulla rd (ce nte r, right)
Brianna Hooks (2012 B.S. in
physical education) teaches physical
education at Kingswood School and
Walkertown Middle School. Next
school year, she will be teaching at Kernersville Middle and
East Forsyth Middle in Kernersville.
d uring th e sch o ol ’s
“ Paja m a Day ” eve nt .
Ruby Norman, a 2005 graduate of
the birth through kindergarten education program, received her master
of arts degree in education with a
specialization in early childhood
Ruby N o rm a n
education in 2012 from Ashford
University. Currently, Ms. Norman is
director of the McElveen Child Development Center, Guilford
Child Development, in Greensboro. The center has four pre-K
classrooms, two Early Head Start classrooms, and two Head
Start classrooms; it serves approximately 120 children.
Natasha Nesbitt (2013 B.S. in Music Education) has received
a scholarship from Norfolk State University’s School of Music,
where she will pursue her master of music degree, with a concentration in vocal performance.
Hakim Nelson-Wilder (2013
B.S. in Music Education) has
received a graduate assistantship
from Tennessee State University,
where he will pursue the Master of
Science in Music Education degree
beginning fall 2013. The assistantship covers full out-of-state tuition
and is valued at over $15,000.
H a kim N e lso n -Wild e r
Amy Phaup (2011 B.S. in
Elementary Education) is a third grade
teacher at Bolton Elementary School in Winston-Salem.
Rhonda Howell (2011 B.S. in Elementary Education) is a
teacher at Walkertown Elementary School in Winston-Salem.
She was nominated by her principal for the Winston-Salem/
Forsyth County Schools Promise Award for outstanding
teaching, spring 2013.
Kwan Rothwell (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education) teaches
third grade in Indiana.
Janee Johnson (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education) teaches
second grade in Virginia.
Krystal Mackey (2011 B.S. in Elementary Education) teaches
first grade at Hampton Elementary School in Greensboro.
Latessa Sharpe (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education) is a
second grade teacher at North Hills Elementary; she was also
named “Rookie Teacher of the Year” and was nominated by
her principal for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Promise Award for outstanding teaching in spring 2013.
Setoria Moore (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education) teaches
at Eno Valley Elementary School in Durham.
Travis Strong (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education) teaches
in Shelby.
Michah Moxley (2011 B.S. in Physical Education) is a physical education teacher at Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy
in Winston-Salem.
Chaka Wilkes (2012 Master of Arts in Teaching in Special
Education-General Curriculum) was nominated by her principal to receive the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Promise Award for outstanding teaching in spring 2013.
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Renea Scott (2012 B.S. in Elementary Education) teaches at
Ibraham Elementary School in Winston-Salem.
P E R F O R M A N C E
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Corporate Sponsors
and Donors 2008 – May 2013
CORPORATE SPONSORS
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
American Honda Foundation
Sport Dimensions, Inc.
North Carolina Motorsports Association
N.C. Mutual Life Insurance
DONORS
The School of Education and
Human Performance gratefully
acknowledges the donors who
made financial contributions
to the school between 20082013. We appreciate the generous support of our alumni and
friends. We have made every
effort to ensure the accuracy of
this donor list. Please contact
336-750-2184 if you are aware of
any omissions or have questions
or concerns about the list.
Ms. Brenda Cooper Adams
Ms. Mamie Alston
Ms. Saundra Pridgen Amos
Ms. Phyllis D. Anderson
Ms. Chanda Armstrong
Ms. Vertis Armstrong
Ms. Ida R. Bailey
Ms. Dennette C. Bailey
Mr. Michael Bailey
Ms. Delores C. Bailey
Dr. Amber Baker
Mr. Leslie Baker
Ms. Remona Mackins Banner
Ms. Barbara Barnes
Ms. Dorothy Ann Battle
Ms. Norma Bayes
Mrs. Edna Gwynn Bazemore
Mr. James Beatty
Dr. Edwin D. Bell
Mr. Henderson Benjamin
Ms. Betty I. Bennett
Dr. Carolynn B. Berry
Mrs. Ruby Wiggins Bethel
Mr. Lawrence D. Billups
Mrs. Dollie Settle Bishop
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Ms. Shirley L Borders
Ms. Ruth Shackleford Bowen
Mr. Donnell Bowie
Mrs. Minnie Harris Boyd
Ms. Thurlia W. Brandon
Ms. Bertha L. Brandon
Ms. Janet Ann Brinker
Ms. Grace McRae Broadnax
Ms. Janet R. Brower-Thomas
Mrs. Barbara Moore Brown
Mr. Carl Edward Brown
Ms. Carolyn A. Brown
Dr. Cynthia W. Brown
Ms. Barbara Moore Brown
Mr. Frank Brown
Ms. Mildred Bryant
Mr. Willie Jethro Buie
Mr. Logan Burke
Ms. Mary Vanhook Burt
Mr. Stephen Allen Butler
Ms. Lucy Cabell
Dr. Joelle Davis Carter
Mrs. Vonnie Wilson Carrington
Mr. Charles Carrouthers
Ms. Daisy R. Chambers
Ms. Rose Williams Chavis
Mrs. Harris Clara
Mr. Gilbert J. Clark
Ms. Dorothy Sidberry Clark
Ms. Shannon O'Brien Clarke
Mrs. Doris M. Clawson
Mr. Robert J. Claybrook
Ms. Azell Cockerham
Dr. Jo Ann Coco-Ripp
Ms. Gloria and James Devane-Coleman
Ms. Betty Collins
Mr. Stenson Conley
Ms. Jennifer Marie Correll
Ms. Shirley Coward Cox
Ms. Gloria Green Cox
Mrs. Dorothy Greene Craine
Ms. Margie B. Crawford
Ms. Bessie B. Dancy
Ms. Bronnie Harris Daniels
Ms. Rita C. Darby
Ms. Bernice Howard Davenport
Ms. Ulysses Davis
Mr. Robert Dawkins
Ms. Olivia G. Day
Ms. Johnsie Yongue Dease
Ms. Brandi N. Dennis
Ms. Lois Patterson Dixon
Dr. Patricia Douville-Ricker
Ms. Celesta J. Dudley
Ms. Autumn Patrice Duke
Ms. Winnie Little Dula
Mrs. Jacqueline Rainey Dunlap
Mr. Benjamin T. Dupree
Ms. Josephine M. Edge
Ms. Jeanne D. Edwards
Dr. Catherine Eilenberger
Mr. James Ellis
Ms. Tressie Dingle Ellis
Ms. Alice Jean Ellis
School of Education and
Human Performance
Mr. Cleveland Ellison
Mrs. Elvira Hunt
Mrs. Jakay W. Ervin
Mrs. Minnie Jackson Evans
Mr. James Henry Evans
Ms. Sadie E. Faison
Ms. Shirley W. Farrar
Ms. Laura Earnestine Ford
Mr. James D. Franklin
Ms. Barbara A. Freeman
Mr. James W. Freeman
Mrs. Claudia F. Fuller
Mr. Leon Gabriel
Ms. Mary Gabriel
Ms. Irma Gadson
Mr. Lester Gaither
Mr. Bobby and Barbara Garrett
Ms. Yasmin Gay
Ms. Mae Godette
Ms. Flora E. Golden
Ms. Geraldine Green Gooch
Mr. William A. Goodlett
Mr. Donald Leon Gorham
Ms. Alice Boyd Grady
Ms. Janelle W. Graves
Mr. Milfred Filmore Greene
Ms. Gwendolyn Friende Greens
Ms. Allegro Bryant Greene
Mr. Thaddeus Shoaf Griffin
Mr. Thomas S. Gunnings
Ms. Annie M. Hicks-Hager
Ms. Annie Richardson Hairston
Ms. Ashley D. Hairston
Dr. Beth D. Hairston
Mr. Peyton T. Hairston
Ms. Tanya Hairston
Mr. Gregory C. Hairston
Ms. Merna R. Hampton
Mr. Eugene Leroy Hanes
Mrs. Eunice H. Hannah
Ms. Tari Hanneman
Ms. Rachel Hargis
Mrs. Clara Hampton Harris
Ms. Danielle Arnetta Harris
Mr. William U. Harris
Mr. James R. Hart
Mr. Earl Hart
Mr. Allen Leroy Hartie
Mr. Robert N. Harvey
Mrs. Paul Hayes
Mr. William Hayes
Ms. Catherine Hemingway
Mr. Benjamin F. Henderson
Ms. Alice E. Hightower
Mrs. Johnnye Bratton Hill
Mr. Rudy Hill
Ms. Mary Hinson
Ms. Eleanor Artis Hinton
Ms. Elaine Hitchcock-Melvin
Ms. Martha Grimes Holland
Ms. Margo Holman
Ms. Gertrude Euzenia House
Ms. Wilma Lee Howard
Ms. Sara L. Hughes
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Corporate Sponsors and Donors
Ms. Agnes Langston Hughes-Griffin
Mr. Tom Humble
Ms. Elvira Rebecca Hunt
Ms. Gloria Newton Hunt
Ms. Rebecca Hunt
Mrs. Madie E. Ingram
Ms. Priscilla Jackson-Wiggins
Ms. Iris Bonds Jarrell
Chancellor Alex B. Johnson
Mrs. Evelyn J. Johnson
Ms. Shenae E. Johnson
Ms. Vivien Oden Johnson
Ms. Gwendolyn G. Johnson-Green
Mrs. Hattie L. Johnson-Norris
Ms. Casey Jones
Ms. Dermetta Jones
Ms. Thea Victoria Jones
Ms. Aretha V. Jones-Moultrie
Ms. Jeanie Joyner
Ms. Susie Smith Keele
Ms. Shirley Kimbrough
Ms. Margaret S. King
Ms. Bettie H. Kornegay
Ms. Gwendolyn Nesbitt Kornegay
Ms. Barbara Miller Lash
Mrs. Ericsteen Jefferson Lash
Mr. Daniel C. Laws
Ms. Glorious Sharpless Leaven
Mr. Elliott Lemon
Mr. Charles B. Lewis
Ms. Hazel Lipscomb
Ms. Yvonne Carraway Lofton
Ms. Nina Bolden Long
Ms. Shirley Parker Long
Mrs. Wilhelmina B. Long
Dr. Charles Love
Ms. Muriel Lewis Lovell
Mr. Donald E. Lowrance
Ms. Brenda S. Lyles
Ms. Pamela Lyons
Mr. Dorothy L. Mack
Ms. Mildred M. Macon
Dr. Francine G. Madrey
Mrs. Barbara J. C. Manning
Ms. Candace D. Marsh
Ms. Beatrice Harris Martin
Ms. Edith Williams Massey-Stephens
Mr. Donald Mebane
Ms. Norma Miklea
Mr. Jerry A. McCollum
Ms. B. D. McCown
Ms. Barbara W. McCracken
Mrs. Minnie R. Dawkins McDonald
Ms. Lillian C. McDowell
Mr. Richard A. McElrath
Ms. Johnnie McFadden
Ms. Erma F. McGimpsey
Mr. Michael McKenzie
Ms. Mary Seymore McKinnon
Ms. Betty J. McNeil
Mr. Herman McNeil
Mr. David L. Meadows
Mr. Tyrone J. Melvin
Mr. Joe N. Middleton
Ms. Barbara and William Miller
Ms. Shirley Elaine Mills
Ms. Bennie Mary Milton
Ms. Vera Crockett Mitchell
Ms. Virginia B. Moore
Mrs. Barbara R. Morris
Ms. Douise T. Morris
Ms. Mary S. Morrison
Ms. Lorraine Hairston Morton
Ms. Madge Murray
Ms. Cora Neelon
Mr. William C. Nelson
Mr. Henry L. Nesmith
Mr. David L. Ness
Ms. Maggie Leatha Newkirk
Mr. Albert L. Newton
Mr. Alvin Newton
Dr. Jaime Orejan
Mr. Anthony L. Pace
Ms. Kecia Page
Ms. Rose Vaughn Palmer
Ms. Beverly A. Parker
Ms. Kimberly D. Parks
Ms. Omega C. Parraway
Mr. Thomas Parrish
Ms. Brenda Patterson
Ms. Brenda Pendleton Patterson
Ms. Gwendolyn Newton Patterson
Ms. Mable Scarver Patterson
Mr. Freddie Bullock Pearson
Ms. Viola N. Perry
Ms. Verndene P. Pettiford
Mr. Malcolm A. Pharr
Dr. Eva C. Phillips
Ms. Flora Phillips
Dr. Sophia B. Pierce
Mr. Jasper L. Powell
Ms. Shirley Daye Price
Mr. Elgient Pritchett
Ms. Wynolia Pulliam
Ms. Colleen P. Ramsey
Ms. Novel Russell Ratchford
Ms. Thelma Beaty Reed
Ms. Mederia A. Reinhardt
Ms. Evelyn Parker Reives
Ms. Inez S. Richardson
Mr. Willie G. Richardson
Ms. Inez S. Richardson
Ms. Elizabeth A. Rights
Mr. Travis L. Rivens
Ms. Marie J. Robinson
Mr. Eugene Roseboro
Mr. Bobby Rowe
Mr. Chase Rushing
Ms. Grace Samuel
Ms. Barbara G. Scott
Ms. Caroll Seaborn
Mr. Theo Searcy
Ms. Odetta Shepard
Mrs. Eldria Cheatham Sherrill
Ms. Rachel Shoffner
Ms. Chlories P. Shore
Ms. Bertha McIver Sighter
Ms. Frances R. Simmon
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P E R F O R M A N C E
2008 – May 2013
Ms. Mary Isler Simmons
Ms. Mary L. Simmons
Mr. Lawrence Simpson
Ms. Annette Hanley Sipe
Ms. Edith Cash Sloan
Ms. Julia G. Small
Ms. Carrie F. Smith
Ms. Margaret Powell Smith
Ms. Margaret Shaw Smith
Mrs. Bessie Snuggs
Mrs. Theresa Jordan Snuggs
Mr. Willie D. Snuggs
Ms. Yasmyn R. Southerland
Dr. Darlene Sowell-Darby
Ms. Denise D. Spaugh
Mr. Crosby Spencer
Ms. Bernice Crosby Spencer
Dr. Cynthia Stanley
Mr. Herbert F. Stover
Ms. Sadie Barnhill Streeter
Ms. Wilma Lawrence Sumter
Ms. Dorothy M. Tanner
Ms. Annie Jones Taylor
Dr. Travis L. Teague
Ms. Jessica Teague
Mrs. Gwendolyn Terrell
Ms. Margaret Fisher Thomas
Mr. Edward T. Thompson
Ms. Sarah T. Thompson
Ms. Earline Hairston Thornton
Mr. Jonathan Tillery
Mr. Christopher Tillman
Time Warner Cable
Mr. James Todd
Mr. Nathaniel Tollison
Ms. Georgia M. Topping
Ms. Lindsey Troutman
Ms. Verona Barnes True
Mrs. Jeraline J. Truesdale
Ms. Brondelia W. Tucker
Ms. Estelle Crowder Turner
Ms. Minnie Ross Turner
Dr. Manuel P. Vargas
Dr. Lelia Vickers
Ms. Rosa B. Walker
Ms. Vernice Shivers Walker
Dr. Claudia A. Warren
Wells Fargo Educational Matching
Ms. Beatrice Mials Whitaker
Mr. Rudolph V. Wiggins
Mrs. Marjorie T. Wilkins
Ms. Bridgett Williams
Mrs. Ernestine R. Williams
Mr. James Edward Williams
Mr. Mack Williams
Ms. Rosa L. Williams
Mr. Christopher Wilson
Ms. Constance Wilson
Ms. Deena Wilson
Ms. Jakala Dior Wilson
Dr. Carole A. Winston
Mrs. Bernese Witherspoon
Ms. Linda Smith Zachary
Mr. Kyle Zimmerman
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E D U CE R E Maga z ine
Winston -S ale m State U nive rsit y
S chool of Ed uc ation a nd H uma n Pe r formance
6 01 S . M a r tin Luthe r K ing J r. D rive
2 37 Ande rson Ce nte r
Winston -S ale m , N C 27 1 1 0 - 0 0 01
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2 57