Symposium planned by Westminster alumni

Staff report

new wilmington, pa.

Westminster College’s Pittsburgh regional alumni committee will host Sharing Experiences and Expertise: An Education Networking and Professional Development Symposium, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 30 in the Witherspoon Rooms of McKelvey Campus Center.

The event is open to alumni, graduating education majors and current employees. Alumni are welcomed to invite one guest. The registration cost of $20 per person includes breakfast, lunch, Act 48 credit hours and parking. Interested participants should register by today by visiting www.westminster.edu/alumni/events/index.cfm.

“This will be a great opportunity for alumni to visit with former professors and meet some of the new education faculty, all while contributing to their own professional development,” said Kara Montgomery, director of Westminster’s alumni association. “Additionally, it offers our current faculty the chance to reconnect with former students and bring together our current student teachers with returning alumni.”

The half-day workshop will showcase “hot topics,” offer the opportunity for peer-to-peer networking, break-out sessions, and keynote address given by Dr. Linda Hippert, executive director of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

Hippert was a high-school mathematics teacher for 14 years, high-school principal for five years and the superintendent of schools in South Fayette School District for 13 years before accepting her position with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit in 2009.

During the two break-out sessions, four Westminster College education faculty will provide their research and expertise in relevant educational topics.

Participants can join one of these break-out sessions at 8:30 a.m.:

Darwin Huey, professor of education, on “It Happened First in the One Room School,” exploring a century of trends, movements, progress and regress in American schools.

Sararose Lynch, assistant professor of education, on “Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice – What Do They Look Like at My Grade Level?”

During the second break-out session at 9:45 a.m., participants may attend:

Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, professor of education, and Karen Matis, English teacher at Shenango Middle School, on “Exploring Our World through Global Children’s and Young Adult Literature.”

Alison DuBois, assistant professor, on “What Do You Do With the Hurt That You Feel?: Identifying Signs of Burnout and Resiliency.”