The School of Education at UW-Stout • Winter 2012
Also in this issue:
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Director’s message
New faculty
Junior gardeners
New math concentration
Intern in D.C.
A lesson on friendship
SOE scholarship winners
International student panel
MBEA tour CEBA logistics
Janota wins educator award
Books to Downsville school
Notable Notes
School Counseling program accredited
Denise Zirkle Brouillard, program director of the
M.S. degree in School Counseling, and faculty
members Barbara Flom and Carol Johnson have
something to celebrate.
The degree program has received full national accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational
Programs, an independent agency recognized
by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, that accredits master degree counseling
programs.
Accreditation is valuable; “It provides a
national endorsement that the program has been
evaluated and prepares students with the necessary knowledge and skills according to quality
standards established by the field of counselor
education,” said Brouillard.
The master’s program is one of only three
CACREP accredited programs of the 12 school
counseling graduate programs in Wisconsin.
This is a first-time CACREP accreditation
for the program and is effective for eight years.
The accreditation application process, which
began in 2006, involved “a tremendous commitment on the part of the School Counseling faculty,” Brouillard said. They gathered data, wrote
a self-study and prepared for the accreditation
site visit.
“It has been a long yet fruitful journey to
finally achieve CACREP accreditation,” she said.
Brouillard also attributes the accreditation
to the help and support of Mary Hopkins-Best,
dean of the College of Education, Health and
Human Sciences, and Provost Julie Furst-Bowe.
“They initiated and maintained administrative
support for us to reach our goal,” she said.
In April, representatives from the agency
held a three-day on-site review. While on
campus they met with school counseling faculty
Flom and Johnson, Brian McAlister, School of
Education director, Diane Klemme, School of
From left Carol Johnson, Denise Zirkle Brouillard and Barbara Flom
Education chair, and program students. They
also had a library tour and met with John Klem,
program director in mental health counseling, for
a tour of the on-campus clinic.
The review included visiting schools where
counseling students complete their required
internship of 600 on-site hours and meeting with
recent graduates of the program.
The 50-credit degree program offers courses
in formats to meet the needs of traditional and
nontraditional students. Weekend courses and a
total of four online courses are offered.
Students receive preparation in school counseling that leads to certification by the Department of Public Instruction for employment in
public schools, PK-12. Approximately 25 students graduate per year; 52 students are enrolled.
For more information about the program,
go to www.uwstout.edu/programs/mssc/. Brouillard can be
contacted at brouillardd@uwstout.edu or at 715232-2599.
School of Education
College of Education, Health and Human Sciences
Inspiring Innovation • Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/soe
The School of Education at UW-Stout » Benchmarks 1
Director’s Message: Accountability
Brian McAlister, Director School of Education
Greetings from the School of Education,
We live in a time of increased accountability. At UW-Stout, we have a long history of accountability practices. A Faculty
Senate Planning and Review Committee
reviews each program every seven years
and program directors annually prepare
an Assessment in the Major. These practices reflect a commitment to continuous
improvement.
Data driven processes like these positioned UW-Stout to qualify for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in
2001.
Accountability also comes through
external review of our unit and its programs. We are one of only two UW
System education units accredited by the
National Council for the Accreditation of
Teacher Education. Also worth noting is
accreditation of the school psychology
program by the National Association of
School Psychologists and of the Child
and Family Study Center by the National
Association for the Education of Young
Children. The recent national accreditation of the school counseling program by
the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs adds
another feather to our fully feathered cap.
Published biannually by UW-Stout’s School of Education
We who work
in the School of
Education know
we have great
programs but are
appreciative when
an external review
by an accrediting
body validates this.
Student acBrian McAlister
complishments, a
few of which are highlighted in this issue,
also speak volumes about our quality programs. I am proud and optimistic about
the future knowing these fine people represent our next generation of educators.
Lastly, our alumni continue to do an
excellent job representing themselves,
their programs and their alma mater.
So thank you alumni, students, faculty and staff for your continued efforts
and accomplishments; you make it easy
to provide evidence of the quality of our
programs. If you have some good news,
make my day and share it with us.
Benchmarks now has an email address, benchmarks@uwstout.edu. You are
welcome to contact us with feedback and
ideas for future editions.
The School of Education
Mission: The School of Education faculty and staff
will engage in exemplary teaching, research, and
service to ensure that graduates of the School become successful professional educators.
Vision: The School of Education faculty and staff
have the vision of preparing teachers and other professional educators who are reflective practitioners
and engage in evidence-based practice.
School of Education
267 Heritage Hall
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751
Phone: 715/232-1088
Online: www.uwstout.edu/soe/
2 Benchmarks » The School of Education at UW-Stout
Brian McAlister, Editor
Hannah Flom, Writer
715/232-1108
benchmarks@uwstout.edu
Find this publication and additional information about
the scholarly activities, publications and
presentations of School of Education faculty and staff
online at www.uwstout.edu/soe/bmnewsletters.cfm.
We welcome your inquires and comments.
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
Art Education
Career, Technical Education and Training
Early Childhood Education
Family and Consumer Sciences Education
Marketing and Business Education
Science Education *
Special Education
Technology Education
Technology and Science Education
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
M.S. Career and Technical Education
M.S. Education
M.S. School Counseling
M.S./Ed.S. School Psychology
Ed.S. Career and Technical Education
TEACHING MINORS
Biology
Chemistry
Economics
Health and Fitness
History
Mathematics
Physics
SPECIAL CERTIFICATIONS
Career and Technical Education Coordinator
Early Childhood through Middle Childhood, PK-6
Early Childhood Special Education
Reading Specialist
Reading Teacher
Technology Coordinator
Traffic Safety
ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FOR EDUCATORS
M.S. Education Graduate Certicate in
E-Learning and Online Teaching
The School of Education at UW-Stout is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
Education (NCATE), 2010 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036; phone (202) 4667496. This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation programs and advanced educator preparation
programs. NCATE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation to accredit programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional school personnel.
* The B.S. in Science Education offers major certifications in biology, broadfield
science, chemistry and physics; and minor certifications in biology, broadfield
science, chemistry, earth and space, environmental science and physics.
Meet Catherine Winters
Catherine Winters is a newcomer to UW-Stout but not to
Wisconsin. She was born in Fond du Lac and lived in four
states while pursuing her education and working as a registered dental hygienist and certified dental assistant.
For five years and immediately prior to coming to UWStout, Winters was dean of Public Services and Health Sciences at Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac.
Today, she teaches Principles of Career and Technical Education, Methods of Teaching CTE, and Administration and
Adult Education in the Career, Technical Education and Training degree program.
Winters’ academic background includes a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene and a certificate in Post-Secondary
Education from Marquette University; a Master of Science
in Dental Hygiene Education and a graduate certificate in
Gerontology from the University of
Missouri-Kansas City. She has a Ph.D.
in continuing and Vocational Education
with a minor in Educational Administration from University of WisconsinMadison.
Winters is a qualitative researcher
with interests in lifelong learning, career choices and first generation college
students. She also enjoys working with
graduate students on health care-related Catherine WInters
research.
As for hobbies, Winters loves cooking, fishing and spending time around the campfire with her husband and two-yearold twins.
Junior gardeners at work
Is it a weed or a friendly vegetable or
flower? Diane Klemme, SOE chair and
Master Gardener, helped preschoolers
identify plants in the Child and Family
Study Center’s vegetable and flower garden in the summer of 2011.
In collaboration with the campus
branch of the Sustainable Agriculture
Education Association, the center developed a program for the preschoolers to
create their own garden. Judy Gifford,
director of the center, named it STEM:
Sustainability Teaches Everyone More.
“It’s not really an official name, but more
of a motto or concept,” she said.
Beginning in the spring with a visit
to the university greenhouse, the garden
program continued through summer
and fall. At harvest time, the children
enjoyed vegetable soup made from their
own produce.
The young students also learned
about worm composting, seedling transplanting, weeding and winterizing the
garden.
Master Gardener Diane Klemme shows the children the difference between weeds and vegetables.
Preparing needed math teachers
The School of Education and the Applied Mathematics and
Computer Science degree program have joined forces to offer
a mathematics education concentration. The degree and concentration will qualify graduates to teach math at the junior
and senior high school level and for licensure in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Education Association Council has reported
a shortage of math teachers in the state, said Laura Schmidt,
undergraduate program director.
“Students have expressed an interest in teaching mathemat-
ics at the secondary level, so it is wonderful that we now have
a program to prepare them for this fun and challenging career,” Schmidt said.
Students in the concentration will take required education
courses through the School of Education, will participate in
the benchmark process and do student teaching.
For more information on the program, refer to www.uwstout.edu/
programs/bsamcs.
The School of Education at UW-Stout » Benchmarks 3
Ms. Lindberg goes to Washington
Michelle Lindberg, a small-town girl from Hixton, Wis., experienced big-town life while living in Virginia — just across the
Potomac from Washington, D.C. — for three months in the
summer of 2011. Lindberg interned at the Family, Career and
Community Leaders of America national office in Reston, Va.
Lindberg, a senior in Family and Consumer Sciences Education, will graduate
“There were
in May 2012.
other schools
For Lindberg, who had never lived
I considered, but
more than an hour away from home and
when it came down
family, living and working in the D.C.
to making a decision
area “definitely pushed me out of my
Stout was the
comfort zone and opened my eyes to
clear winner.”
the world,” she said. But the journey and
adventure built her self-confidence and
Michelle Lindberg
“took my positive outlook on life to a
whole new level,” she said.
Diane Klemme, Family and Consumer Science Education
program director who has known Lindberg her entire college
career, has never had other students intern. “This is a very
competitive internship so this is an honor,” Klemme said.
Lindberg doesn’t plan on living in a big city again but does
plan on traveling and will encourage her students to take “the
same risks and chances I did — in hopes they also have meaningful life experiences,” she said.
Lindberg chose UW-Stout and her major because of her
interests in high school, “I was very involved in FCCLA, and
my favorite classes were the family and consumer sciences
courses I took,” she said.
She developed a bond with her FCS high school teach-
Michelle Lindberg shows some Wisconsin pride in her Washington D.C. office.
ers and realized that teaching FCS was what she wanted to
do. Many of the teachers she met at conferences had attended
UW-Stout and praised the Family and Consumer Sciences Education program.
“There were other schools I considered, but when it came
down to making a decision Stout was the clear winner,” she
said.
Lindberg’s dream is to teach family and consumer sciences
in middle or high school, or both, starting in the fall of 2012,
hopefully in Wisconsin. Farther down the road, she would like
to study for a master’s degree in special education.
During her final semester she will intern in the Pulaski
School District.
MBEA members tour logistics firm
The UW-Stout Marketing and Business Education Association toured CEVA Logistics in Menomonie in December. CEVA employees helped with the tour. Jim Thomas, CEVA’s human
resources manager, helped coordinate and lead the tour. From the left: Ben Keuhl, Aaron Paisar, CEVA employee, CEVA employee, Erik Hill, Ryan Kindschy, Kelsey Muthig, Kayla Oliver,
Erika Gleason, Becky Bushman, Nicole Woehrmann, Eric Mau and Jim Thomas, CEVA’s Human Resources manager.
4 Benchmarks » The School of Education at UW-Stout
Sips for Scholarships winners
Two students went away with checks
for $1,000 each at the SOE Sips for
Scholarships award reception in September.’
The scholarships were awarded to
Kaylee Skinkis, of Seymour, a senior
in Art Education, and Stefanie Janssen,
of Webster, who is in her second year
of the M.S. in Education program.
Janssen teaches high school SpanKaylee Skinkis
ish at Webster High School. She
chose to pursue a master’s degree to
become “a more effective educator,
not necessarily to seek a different job,”
she said.
Skinkis who grew up in a small
tight-knit community hopes to dive
right into teaching. “I feel I have
grown so much as an educator, and
as a person, and I can’t wait to finally
have my own classroom,” she said.
Stefanie Janssen
Her goal is to integrate “the arts into
the lives of my students.”
After graduation, she also hopes to do some traveling;
“Having never been outside the United States, I want to step
outside my comfort zone,” Skinkis said.
The Sips for Scholarships scholarship and event was established in 2009 by the School of Education and the SOE
Advisory Board to raise monies to increase the number of
educational scholarships.
To donate, go to the Stout University Foundation website
at www.uwstout.edu/foundation/giving_home.cfm or contact University
Foundation at 715-232-1151.
International students
share global perspectives
International students Kinga Jacobson, of Romania (right, on screen); Alexander Ogundele,
of Nigeria; and Olga Lopukhova, of Russia;
joined Carol Mooney, Career and Technical Education program director, (below, left to right) to
present their perspectives of global education
systems in a panel discussion to the campus in
October. The students are studying in the M.S.
in Career and Technical Education program. The
event was co-sponsored by the CTE program
and the Stout Association of Career and Technical Educators.
A lesson
on friendship
School counseling
students and their
puppet friends teach
a practice lesson on
friendship. In Carol
Johnson’s PK-12 Guidance Curriculum class,
students design lessons aligned with state
and national standards
and then practice
them in class for peer
feedback. From left
to right: Zin Zhang,
Bill Grimes and Gracie
Bowen.
The School of Education at UW-Stout » Benchmarks 5
Janota wins Milken national educator award
Kevin Janota, 2001 Technology Education graduate, was taken
by surprise at an all-school assembly at Kimberly High School.
He was waiting to hear the name of the winner for the Milken
Family Foundation educator award and was blown away when
he heard his name being called.
“There are so many other great teachers out there who have
been doing it longer,” Janota said. “I guess I must be doing
some things right.”
Janota, from Chetek, has been teaching technology and engineering classes at Kimberly High School for 10 years.
Education reform leader Lowell Milken started the awards,
which are not based on applications or nominations; the foundation conducts its own search for the K-12 teachers it recognizes.
The awards, called the “Oscars of teaching” by Teacher
Magazine, have been given to more than 2,500 deserving
teachers in the last 25 years. Of the 30 honored so far this year,
Janota is the only one in Wisconsin. Jane Foley, of the foundation who was present at the assembly, called Janota one of the
best teachers of 3,000,000 in the country.
Tony Evers, director of the state Department of Public Instruction, also attended the ceremony.
The award included a check for $25,000; Janota probably
will use it to pay off a master’s program he recently completed,
he said.
Upon accepting the award, Janota told a packed gymnasium
that students “shape who I am. I spend a lot of time focusing on
trying to be a better person for them. I try to push their limits
because of all the potential they have. Every day I get up excited to come to work.”
Janota has developed a strong technology and engineering program at Kimberly, which has been named one of the
top 500 U.S. high schools the last two years by U.S. News &
World Report. Not surprisingly, his students have fared well
in regional and national Rube Goldberg Contests and in engineering and super-mileage vehicle competitions. They use industry-standard software for design work and have an adjacent
prototype lab. “I don’t lecture a whole lot; it’s a lot of learning
by doing,” he said.
And where did he learn this hands-on approach to education? Why, at UW-Stout, of course. “Team collaboration was a
big part of the lab classes at Stout. We had challenge problems
and had to figure them out. I have the kids (at Kimberly) do
the same things,” he said.
Janota chose UW-Stout because it was the only school in
the state — at that time — that offered technology education.
Also, “I really like the layout of the campus, the good teacher/
student ratios, and the great community feel it had,” he said.
He especially appreciated the rapport teachers Byron Anderson, Jerome Johnson and David Brenholt built with their students.
Technology Education was his chosen major as a result of
positive experiences in high school working as an assistant to
a tech ed teacher. Through him, Janota discovered the joy of
6 Benchmarks » The School of Education at UW-Stout
“Students shape who I am.
I spend a lot of time
focusing on trying to be
a better person for them.
I try to push their limits
because of all the potential
they have. Every day I get up
excited to come to work.”
Kevin Janota
Students applaud at an all-school assembly as Kevin Janota steps forward to accept the
Milken Educator Award.
helping other students. “I thought how great it would be to do
this all day long, he said. Also, two of his high school teachers influenced him to go into the field of teaching. “They were
outstanding teachers that I had very good relationships with
and made me want to be a teacher too,” he said.
Thankful for good teachers, Janota strives to be one and is
succeeding.
Students donate new books to Downsville Elementary
School of Education students saw
firsthand the power of the written word
when they donated books to children at
Downsville Elementary in Downsville. “Kids were ripping through the
books like presents at Christmas,” said
third-grade teacher Todd Hayden.
“There’s a lot to be said about the feel of
a book in your hands.” Within minutes
the children were engaged with their
new books.
In December during a ceremony
held in the school’s gymnasium, a total
of $1,600 worth of new books was donated, amounting to about 25 books for
each of six classes.
The money was raised during a
Scholastic book fair held on campus
in November by SOE students. More
than 50 university students worked at
SOE students announce donation to school, from left to right: Erik Collins, Lauryn Engleman, Chloe House, Ashley
the fair from the student chapter of the
Whipple, Kayla Collins and Janelle Meyer.
Wisconsin Education Association and
the Student Association for the Education of Young Children. It was their first
“We got some hardcovers, and with the tight budgets
“We
wanted
to
collaborative book fair.
it’s hard to get hardcover books. They’ll outlast my teaching
promote literacy
“People still can’t believe we made
career,” he said.
within their school,
that much,” said Erik Collins, a senior
The books were presented during an all-school assembly.
and
with
the
early childhood education major from
After Collins explained why the UW-Stout students were
Coon Rapids, Minn., who helped coorthere and the books were presented to each class, Principal Bill
holidays we
dinate the book fair. The books donated
Giese had the 113 children give a round of applause and sing
thought it would
to Downsville were Scholastic titles.
the school song as a way of thanks. Each Downsville student
be beneficial.”
Founded in 1920, Scholastic focuses
also received a free pencil.
Erik Collins
on encouraging children worldwide to
“We hope you enjoy all the books. It’s such an amazing
learn to read and to love to learn. It recschool,” Collins told the children.
ognizes literacy as the cornerstone of a
Among the UW-Stout students present were book fair co“There’s a lot to be
child’s intellectual, personal and cultural
coordinators
Kayla Collins of Coon Rapids, Minn., and Kaitsaid about the
growth.
lyn
Orrock,
of
Elk River, Minn., Chloe House, of Champlin,
feel of a book
The student WEA and SAEYC
Minn., Lauryn Engleman, of Andover, Minn., Ashley Whipple,
in your hands.”
chose to donate to Downsville Elemenof Wausau, and Janelle Meyer of Osceola.
Todd Hayden
tary, part of the Menomonie school
Brian McAlister and instructors Jill Klefstad, early childdistrict, because SOE students have volhood education program director, and Lorri Mitchell, also
unteered at the school and have been student teachers there
early childhood education, were on hand for the event.
for several years.
“The book fair was a great idea and was very success“We wanted to promote literacy within their school, and
ful. We have a good working relationship with Downsville,”
with the holidays we thought it would be beneficial,” Collins
McAlister said.
said.
Klefstad said the university students benefited from the
Downsville teachers picked the books — and a few
experience as much as the elementary students. “Our UWother teaching aids — that they wanted for their classrooms.
Stout students certainly have experienced firsthand the power
Hayden, a 2000 UW-Stout early childhood education graduof partnerships with teachers and schools and how beneficial
ate, was thrilled with the additions to his classroom. “I inthey can be for children.”
herited a class library, but this is my first opportunity to pick
Two UW-Stout students will student teach at Downsville
materials that fit my teaching style,” said Hayden, holding up
next semester, Klefstad said.
the new hardcover, “If You Give a Dog a Donut.”
The relationship continues.
The School of Education at UW-Stout » Benchmarks 7
Jill Klefstad, Early Childhood Education, and Debbie Stanislawski, Marketing and Business Education, presented “Critical
Thinking in the Disciplines: Can We Effect/Affect It?” Klefstad
also co-presented “Should Colleges Require Reading and
Writing?” with Kate Thomas, social science, Jennifer Grant,
biology, and Jada Schumacher, School of Art and Design, at the
International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Milwaukee in October. Klefstad presented “Did You Eat
Absurd for Breakfast? Handling Challenging Situations Involving
Colleagues, Parents and Children Ethically and with a Sense of
Humor” at the National Association for the Education of Young
Children annual conference in November in Orlando, Fla.
Maggie Keenan and Judy Gifford, Child and Family Study
Center, presented “Caring for Our Earth: A Curriculum for
Preschool Children” and “Here We Are Together: Movement
and Singing Activities for Infants and Toddlers” at the National
Association for the Education of Young Children annual conference in November in Orlando, Fla.
Virginia Lea, School of Education, Holly Teuber, speech, and
Renee Howarton, director of Nakatani Teaching and Learning
Center, hosted an Infusing Diversity Across the UW-Stout Curriculum Summer Institute on campus in August.
Sandra Lindow, School of Education, won the Wisconsin
Writers Association Jade Ring award for humorous poetry with
her poem, “The Fitting.” It describes the tribulations of finding
a good bra.
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8 Benchmarks » The School of Education at UW-Stout
Kevin Mason, Science Education, Petre “Nelu” Ghenciu,
mathematics; Adam Kramchuster, engineering, taught in
the summer STEM academy in La Crosse, funded by a mathscience partnership grant.
Christine Peterson, School Psychology, is a contributing
author for the book, “Making inclusion work for students with
autism spectrum disorders: An evidence-based guide,” New
York: Guildford Press, October 2011.
Ken Welty, Technology Education, and Kevin Mason, Science
Education received a UW System Teacher Quality Initiative
grant for the project Microteaching Assessment in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education in the
2011-12 academic year.
Catherine Winters, School of Education, presented her research paper “An Ecological Model for Continuing Learning in
Nursing” at the American Association for Adult and Continuing
Education annual conference in Indianapolis in November.
Student and Alumni
Janet Baumann, ’11, Edgar, has four children and works full
time. She won a 2011 American Association of Medical Assistants Excel Award for a video she made in response to the
prompt “I want to be a medical assistant because…”
Mike Berry, ’11, Weston, is the machine tool technician
instructor at the Wisconsin Rapids campus of Mid-State
Technical College. Berry earned a bachelor’s degree in Career,
Technical Education and Training, and a technical diploma in
Machine Tool Operations from MSTC.
deployed again to Iraq at the end of 2008 until January
2010. Upon his return, he immediately began taking classes.
During the fall of 2011, he completed his student teaching
requirement in New Auburn. He was a guest speaker at UWStout’s Veterans Day event Nov. 11.
Teri Lynn Giese Fuentez ’75, Winter Springs, Fla., was named
Teacher of the Year by the Florida affiliate of the American
Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Undergraduates Erika Gleason and Aaron Paisar, Marketing
and Business education, received scholarships from the
Wisconsin Business Education Association.
Technology Education students Justin Hanger, Dickeyville;
Jeffrey Martin, Prairie du Chien; and Eric Sabel, Kewaskum,
members of the Technology Education Collegiate Association
— TECA — won the problem-solving division at the 69th annual Four State Regional Technology Conference at Pittsburg
State in Pittsburg, Kan.
SOE student ambassadors for 2011–12 are Dani Allenstein,
Family and Consumer Sciences Education; Deborah Kjelstad,
M.S. Career and Technical Education; Jacob Haug, Marketing
and Business Education; Kyle Jeffress, Technology Education;
Jonathan Wheeler, Art Education; Robert Nyland, Special
Education; Rachael Robert, M.S. Education; Gretta Laymen,
Science Education; and Brian Casey, School Counseling.
Nick Essick, ’11, Menomonie, attended UW-Stout in fall
2006, one week after returning home from a yearlong
deployment to Iraq. After completing four semesters, he was
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
267 Heritage Hall
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, WI 54751
Faculty and Staff
Barbara Flom, Carol Johnson, both of School Counseling,
J. Hubbard and D. Reidt are authors of the article The Natural
School Counselor: Using Nature to Promote Mental Health in
Schools; Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, Vol. 6, Issue
2, 2011.