Fall - November 2011 - Volume 18
	ALL COHORT MIXER IS THE FIRST MEETING FOR WEST SCHOLARS DURING THE 2011-2012 ACADEMIC YEAR Dr. Cynthia Osterhus, Director of the Academy for Teaching led announcements and a get to know one another exercise for West Scholars at the first All Cohort meeting of the year. Seniors are exempt from most meetings during their senior year because of student teaching commitments and other related academic responsibilities. However, senior Sarah Moore was available and did attend, as a respresentative for her entire cohort. West Scholars total 67 students across four cohorts. Left to right: Sophomore class West Scholars, Brittany Myers, Whitney Corriher, Christina Faircloth, Heather Cheek, Hannah Gagnier. Back row, Tara Borre, Jacob Regensburger, Cristin Ritchie Front row, Caroline Bostian, Dan Couchenour, Cameron Beard WHAT SCHOLARS ARE DOING! West Scholars in Catawba’s Alpha Chi Honor Society Alpha Chi is the highest recognition of academic excellence on the Catawba campus for students in the B.A., B.F.A., and B.S. degree programs. Here are the West Scholars who are now among the Alpha Chi membership: Amelia Baity, ’09 Scholar, Hamptonville, NC, Whitney Corriher, ’09 Scholar, Salisbury, NC, Elizabeth “Lizzle” Davis, ’09 Scholar, East Bend, NC, Christina Faircloth, ’09 Scholar, Belmont, NC, Julie Gilley, ’08 Scholar, Dobson, NC, Kyle Griewisch, ’10 Scholar, Banner Elk, NC, and Sarah Morse, ’08 Scholar, North Berwick, ME. Congratulations to each of you! BAITY CORRIHER DAVIS FAIRCLOTH GILLEY GRIEWISCH MORSE Sixth Annual Marching Band Classic at Catawba College It has a new name this year, but it is the same marching band competition that has drawn area bands to Catawba College for the past five years. The Catawba Pride Marching Band Classic, formerly the Lord Salisbury Marching Band Classic, got underway in Catawba's Shuford Stadium at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 8^th . West Scholars who are members of the Catawba Pride are: MESSENGER BLACKMON KARRIKER LEE MONEY RODRIGUEZ VEITENHEIMER Drum Major/: Senior, ’08 Cohort Scholar, Brent Messenger, Kannapolis, NC Drumline: Freshman, ’11 Cohort Scholar, Cherokee Blackmon, China Grove, NC Tuba: Freshman, ’11 Cohort Scholar, Patrick Karriker, Manchester, PA Trumpet: Freshman, ’11 Cohort Scholar, Taylor Lee, Kannapolis, NC Tenor Saxophone: Freshman, 11’ Cohort Scholar, Chris Money, King, NC Tenor Saxophone: Freshman, ’11 Cohort Scholar, Nick Rodriguez, Dunn, NC Tuba: Freshman, ’11 Cohort Scholar, Zach Veitenheimer, Tobaccoville, NC Catawba Community Forum Welcomes Author Steve Bouser By: Christina Faircloth, ’09 Scholar, Belmont, NC Once a month Catawba hosts a community forum open to faculty, staff, students and members of the local community. In September, Steve Bouser, former editor of the Salisbury Post, came to discuss, his new book Death of a Pinehurst Princess. Mr. Bouser provided background on his novel and read several passages. The “princess” is not really a princess, instead she is Elva Statler, an heiress. She did however have a similar life to the popular princess Cinderella. The Statler’s adopt Elva’s and her siblings, and one brother is mentally challenged. In the beginning Elva has the perfect family life and very wealthy parents. Soon Elva’s life becomes a shipwreck, much like the Titanic, that sinks around the very time Elva is adopted. Her mother dies and her father marries his secretary, who becomes the classic evil stepmother. Her stepmother places Elva’s brother in a series of institutions and treats Elva like a slave. Elva’s interest in swimming becomes an outlet for her unhappiness, and she has hopes of swimming in the 1936 Olympics An injury changes everyting and she can no longer swim, dashing her Olympic hopes. During a family vacation in Pinehurst, North Carolina everything changes, as Elva meets her Prince Charming, Brad Davidson. Davidson twenty years her senior, sweeps her off her feet. They marry and Elva seems to at last find her “happily ever after.” One day following a late night party, Elva is found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning. At first her death was considered a suicide; as in those days it was a very common form of suicide. However, upon further examination, authorities change her cause of death, as there were bruises found all over her. It is discovered that a fight had taken place the previous night between Elva and Brad Davidson. The resulting judicial case becomes as controversial in those times as the O.J. Simpson case in recent years. Lastly, Mr. Bouser shared what brought him to this story. A family member had visited a yard sale and bought a number of old photographs. One of those photos showed a reporters and some text attached, detailing the Elva Statler Davidson case. Mr. Bouser discussed his years of research, resulting in this book. I would recommend it to readers, as the story is fascinating. Go out and buy Death of a Pinehurst Princess by Steve Bouser and most importantly, go to the next community forum, both are very entertaining and I guarantee you will enjoy them! Catawba College Math Club Sponsors Speaker By: Maggie McKee, ’09 Scholar, Mt. Airy, NC Dan Dubree graduated from Catawba with a computer science degree in the early ‘80s. Now Dan Dubree is in one of the top 40 positions in the FBI. After college he worked for the FBI in the IT department. He was willing to try anything and showed initiative in his work. These behaviors led Mr. Dubree to become an agent for the FBI. During his first case on the job, he designed a computer program to protect against bank fraud. This program made him a leading expert throughout the nation in this department. Mr. Dubree continued moving up as a special agent until he was offered a deal he could not refuse. Dan Dubree is now the assistant director of the IT department for the FBI. Throughout the presentation, Mr. Dubree kept stressing the importance of the education Catawba provided him, and he told three other stories of Catawba graduates excelling in the FBI. Mr. Dubree noted how the liberal arts education we receive through Catawba has helped him be able to communicate and work in groups effectively. This is now a quality he looks for in his future employees. I found his talk to be very interesting since I am a math major. He argued that because of all the proofs he had to do in his math classes, he searched for the truth in every FBI case he handled. His math classes at Catawba taught him how to think backwards and justify his actions which he has to do everyday as a special agent. Blue Masque Announces Officers Newberger Andrews The Catawba College Blue Masque has announced its officers for the year. Among the officers elected, were senators representing each class. Michelle Newberger (freshman class), Allison Andrews (sophomore class). Catawba College Singers and Chamber Singers Present Fall Concert The Catawba College Singers and Chamber Singers presented a wide repertoire of songs during their Fall Concert, at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 2 in the Omwake-Dearborn Chapel. This was the first formal concert of the academic year for the Singers who are directed by Catawba's new Director of Choral Music, Justin Hazelgrove. Among the Catawba College Chamber Singers are Education Majors and West Scholars: Sopranos, Rachel Abbatiello of Midland, Aubrey Barton of Salisbury, Alto, Allison Andrews of Salisbury, Tenor, Brent Messenger of Kannapolis. The Catawba Singers, which incorporates members of the Catawba Chamber Singers, includes Alto, Amelia Baity of Hamptonville, and Tenor, Jesse Siak of Hendersonville. NOTE: Students listed in BLUE are West Scholars, students listed in RED are additional Teacher Education majors with concentrations in either Music or Theatre. Catawba College Department of Music -- September 16, 2011 ANDREWS BARTON Presents an Invitational Student Performance Hour at 3:00 p.m. Omwake-Dearborn Chapel. This performance included several Education Majors and West Scholars: Rachel Cynthia Abbatiello, soprano, Music Education major Allison Andrews, mezzo-soprano, ’10 West Scholar, Sherrills Ford, NC Jesse Siak, tenor, Theatre Education major Nick Luciano, clarinet, Music Education major Aubrey Barton, soprano, ’09 West Scholar, Salisbury, NC Student Performance Hour, Sept. 16th By: Zack Veitenheimer, ’11 Scholar, Tobaccoville, NC I attended the September 16^th Performance Hour provided by the Department of Music. Many very talented singers and musicians performed pieces they had prepared for this event. After watching these performances it made me think of the preparation involved in making a performance great. They had to put many hours of hard work and practice into making each of their pieces beautiful, and they all were. The accompanists also did a fantastic job. Jacob Hahn, one of the accompanists, had to learn multiple pieces on piano to play for different people in different styles. This must have taken many hours, especially since he has to meet and practice with each person he accompanied. This Performance Hour also made me think of my own performance coming up in a few months. The practice I put into mine is going to have to match theirs and it makes me want to be just as good, if not better, than all the students that I heard. In summation, it was an amazing Performance Hour with great singing, great instrumentals, and great piano playing. "My Summer of Service:" Sixteen Lilly Center Summer Interns Placed with Nonprofits During the summer of 2011, the Lilly Center for Vocation and Values at Catawba College provided funding and facilitated the placement of 16 students as interns in the nonprofit sector. On September 15, the interns came together in Tom Smith Auditorium on campus to share highlights from their summer experiences. The evening's program was entitled "My Summer of Service." These students are remarkable young people and we want you to hear what their supervisors and directors had to say about the roles these students played at facilities all over the area. We hope you will click the link and read the complete article. http://www.catawba.edu/news/archive/2011/10/07/summerinterns2011.aspx Lizzle Davis , ’09 West Scholar,(a junior from East Bend majoring in English with minors in Creative Writing and Elementary Education) served as a summer intern with the Center for Faith and the Arts. Casey Baucom, ’09 West Scholar, (a junior from Marshville majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Sociology) served as a summer intern with Partners in Learning Child Development Center, an organization whose mission is to "model the highest quality learning environment and stimulate families and the community to provide opportunities for the optimal growth and development of children. Julie Gilley, ’08 West Scholar (a senior from Dobson majoring in History and Secondary Education) spent her summer internship outdoors, serving as a Day Camp Counselor with the Children's Center of Surry and Yadkin. The mission of the Center is the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. Bridgett Henderson, ’08 West Scholar (a senior from Statesville majoring in Mathematics) served as a summer intern with Shepherd's Watch, a summer day camp for children ages five to 13. The mission of the camp is to provide a safe, fun, Christ-centered camp environment. The majority of the children attending the camp have been impacted by issues such as poverty, neglect, abuse, or family medical problems. This was Bridgett's fourth summer working at the camp. CATAWBA ATHLETICS NEWS To read all articles in full, go to: http://www.gocatawbaindians.com Maggie McKee Maggie McKee, ’09 Scholar from Mt. Airy, NC is a member of the Women’s Tennis Team. (10/7/11) catawba athletics website Women's Tennis Rolls, Men Fall in Tight Match at Bluefield State BLUEFIELD, WV -- Catawba concluded the fall portion of its men’s and women’s tennis schedule by splitting matches with Bluefield State on Thursday afternoon.  The Catawba women rolled to a 9-0 win, but the men suffered a tight 5-4 loss to the Big Blues.  Both teams stand at 4-2 on the year. Catawba’s women lost just two games in doubles and four in singles in sweeping to the victory.  Maggie McKee (Mt. Airy, NC/Mt. Airy HS), Steffi Cook (Alpharetta, GA/Milton HS) and Olivia Myers (Lexington, NC/W. Davidson HS) did not drop a game in their singles wins.  WOMEN’S MATCH RESULTS CATAWBA 9, BLUEFIELD ST. 0 Singles #1 Ally Prior (C) d. Sierra Hanks 6-2, 6-1 #2 Sloan Kessler (C) d. Bryttne Morrow 6-1, 6-0 #3 Maggie McKee (C) d. Megan Meeks 6-0, 6-0 #4 Steffi Cook (C) d. Quartney Settle 6-0, 6-0 #5 Olivia Myers (C) d. Kristine Price 6-0, 6-0 #6 Candace Hall (C) won by default (9/30/11) catawba athletics website Tennis Teams Grab Wins Over Barton WILSON, NC -- Catawba picked up wins in both men’s and women’s tennis action on Friday at Barton. The men improved to 3-0 with a 6-1 victory, while the women upped their mark to 2-1 with a 5-3 win. WOMEN’S MATCH RESULTS – CATAWBA 5, BARTON 3 - Singles #1 Mika Deane (B) d. Ally Prior 6-1, 6-0 #2 Sloan Kessler (C) d. Lindsay Toth 6-3, 6-2 #3 Maggie McKee (C) vs. Lindsey Frederick DNF #4 Steffi Cook (C) d. Caroline Fischer 6-1, 6-0 #5 Candace Hall (C) d. Francesca Del Pozo 6-3, 6-4 #6 Hannah Kovach (C) d. Kristy Lievense 6-4, 6-2 Kyle Griewisch Kyle Griewisch, ’10 Scholar from Banner Elk, NC is a member of the Men’s Soccer Team. (10/5/11) catawba athletics website Men's Soccer Score Big Win Over Chowan SALISBURY, NC -- Carson Smith (Mooresville, NC/Mooresville HS) scored a hat trick and Corey Faughnan (Jacksonville, NC/Jacksonville HS) also netted two goals for the Catawba Indians as they knocked off CIAA foe Chowan 7-0 Wednesday night at Frock Field. Catawba runs its record to 4-7 while the Hawks stay winless at 0-8. The Indians scored early and often against the Hawks’ defense scoring three times within the first 12 minutes. Sophomore forward Kyle Griewisch (Banner Elk, NC/Avery Co. HS) started off the barrage of goals in the 10th minute after taking a cross from Smith and knocking it in from seven yards away. Griewisch then returned the favor a minute later feeding Smith a ball into the box which he drove past the Chowan keeper for a 2-0 lead. Smith would add two more goals to give Catawba a 4-0 halftime advantage. Faughnan got in on the scoring early in the second half with two goals on a header and a breakaway five minutes apart. The Indians outshot the Hawks 21-4. Griewisch contributed two assists. Catawba hosts Carson-Newman on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 pm. (10/1/11) catawba athletics website Anderson Claims Victory Over Men's Soccer SALISBURY, NC -- Substitute forward Tapiwa Munetsi notched two goals for visiting Anderson as it knocked off Catawba 3-0 Saturday afternoon at Frock Field. The Indians fall to 3-7 overall and 0-3 in the South Atlantic Conference. (9/25/11)Catawba athletics website Men's Soccer Falls in SAC Opener to Mars Hill SALISBURY, NC -- Mars Hill claimed a 3-1 win over host Catawba in South Atlantic Conference men’s soccer action on Sunday afternoon at Frock Field.  The teams battled through a steady rain and a lightning delay with the Lions improving to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the SAC.  The Catawba Indians fall to 3-5 and 0-1. Anna Toole Anna Toole, ’10 Scholar from Simpsonville, SC is a member of the Women’s Soccer team. (10/1/11) catawba athletics website Anderson Nips Women's Soccer in SAC Battle SALISBURY, NC -- The Trojans from Anderson University defeated Catawba College 1-0 in a tightly contested South Atlantic Conference match Saturday afternoon at Frock Field. The Lady Indians drop to 1-7 overall and 0-2 in the SAC, Anderson moves to 5-5 and 2-2. (9/25/11)Catawba athletics website Women's Soccer Drops SAC Opener in OT SALISBURY, NC--Catherine Watkins-Banks scored in the second overtime period to push Mars Hill to a 2-1 victory over Catawba in the Lady Indian’s South Atlantic Conference opener Sunday afternoon at Frock Field. The loss sends Catawba to 1-6 overall and 0-1 in the SAC. Jana Burkhardt Jana Burkhardt, ’10 Scholar from Willoughby, OH is a member of the Women’s Golf team. (9/27/11) catawba athletics website Women's Golf Finishes Fourth at TC Fall Classic GREENEVILLE, TN -- Catawba College placed fourth among a dozen teams at the Tusculum Fall Classic women’s golf tournament which concluded on Tuesday at the 5,805-yard, par-72 Link Hills Country Club. Catawba Finishers: 11. Madison Kennedy, 81-75=156 17. Leslie Long, 82-79=161 24. Kelly Wilson, 79-84=163 30. Tailar Murphy, 85-82=167 57. Crystal Almond, 97-94=191 *40. Jana Burkhardt, 82-91=173 *Individual Shay Meeks Taylor Doss Denise Grissom Alecia Marsha (Shay) Meeks, ’08 Scholar, Kings Mountain, NC and Taylor Doss, ’08 Scholar, Boonville, NC, and Denise Grissom, ’09 Scholar, Stokesdale, NC are members of the Women’s Volleyball Team. (9/13/11) Catawba athletics website Kennedy Leads Women's Golf With 4th-Place Finish at Anderson Inv. ANDERSON, SC -- Catawba College freshman Madison Kennedy (Salisbury, NC/Salisbury HS) finished fourth at the Anderson Invitational women’s golf tournament which concluded on Tuesday. Anderson hosted the event at the 5,952-yard, par-72 Cobbs Glen GC. As a team, the Catawba Indians finished fifth among nine teams. Catawba Finishers: 4. Madison Kennedy, 77-78=155 19. Leslie Long, 80-84=164 30. Kelly Wilson, 90-80=170 34. Tailar Murphy, 84-89=173 43. Jana Burkhardt, 89-93=182 (’10 Scholar, Willoughby, Ohio) ~ October was BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH ~ Catawba Volleyball held their annual Dig Pink game on Saturday October, 1st @ 2pm in Goodman Gymnasium. All Catawba Faculty/Staff and students were encouraged to attend in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. (10/1/11) catawba athletics website Whitmer and Meeks Lead Volleyball to Sweep of Augusta State SALISBURY, NC -- Catawba claimed a three-set win over visiting Augusta State in volleyball action on Saturday afternoon at Goodman Gym. The Catawba Indians improve to 11-3 with the 25-20, 25-19, 25-16 victory. The Jaguars fall to 8-11. Shay Meeks (Kings Mountain, NC/Kings Mountain HS) and Kaitlyn Whitmer (Ferrum, VA/Franklin Co. HS) each totaled 14 kills in the win for Catawba. Setter Jordan Raye (Boonville, NC/Starmount HS) dished out 46 assists with libero Jenny Young (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry HS) collecting 20 digs. Whitmer got Catawba to set point and Taylor Doss (Boonville, NC/Starmount HS) served an ace to end the set. Meeks and Emily Richardson (Salem, VA/Salem HS) started the run with a combo block then Meeks and Whitmer ended it with kills for a 21-17 edge. . Doss started the run with a kill then Whitmer ended it with three straight kills. Richardson had back-to-back kills later in the set to up the lead to 20-13 as Catawba pulled away to take the match. (9/24/11) catawba athletics website Volleyball Takes Down Brevard in Three Sets SALISBURY, NC -- Catawba picked up a win over visiting Brevard in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action, sweeping past the Tornados on Saturday afternoon at Goodman Gym. The Catawba Indians improve to 10-3 overall and 5-2 in the SAC with the 25-10, 25-23, 25-15 victory.  Brevard falls to 3-8 and 0-5. Senior Shay Meeks (Kings Mountain, NC/Kings Mountain HS) paced the Lady Indians with 15 kills. Catawba dominated the opening set, hitting a 53% to just 9% for the Tornados. A kill by Whitmer and an ace by Denise Grissom (Stokesdale, NC/Rockingham Co. HS) gave the Lady Indians a 10-4 edge. (9/17/11)CATAWBA ATHLETICS WEBSITE Volleyball Rallies Past Tusculum in Five Sets SALISBURY, NC -- Catawba rallied back to take the final three sets to claim a grueling five-set match over visiting Tusculum in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action on Saturday afternoon at Goodman Gym. A combo block from Taylor Doss (Boonville, NC/Starmount HS) and Alli Parrish (Zebulon, NC/Smithfield-Selma HS) gave Catawba the set. Catawba got a pair of blocks by Emily Richardson (Salem, VA/Salem HS) for a 9-6 lead in the fourth set and moved ahead 18-14 on a kill by Whitmer. Doss and Whitmer had kills to keep Catawba up 23-19. A hitting error would even the match at two-sets each. Shay Meeks (Kings Mountain, NC/Kings Mountain HS) took over for Catawba in the fifth set. Consecutive kills put Catawba up 4-3. She notched her fifth kill of the set to put the Lady Indians on top 7-5. Doss had two kills to help the Lady Indians pull out to a 12-7 advantage and another kill by Meeks pushed the margin to 14-10. A combo block from Meeks and Richardson completed the Catawba comeback. Meeks finished with 22 kills and four blocks for Catawba. (9/16/11) catawba athletics website Volleyball Outlasts Mars Hill in Five Sets Whitmer and Raye pace Lady Indians SALISBURY, NC -- Catawba won the final four points of the fifth set to pull out a 25-14, 25-10, 18-25, 22-25, 16-14 victory over visiting Mars Hill in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action on Friday night at Goodman Gym. Shay Meeks (Kings Mountain, NC/Kings Mountain HS) had 16 kills. Catawba recorded 10 blocks as a team with Taylor Doss (Boonville, NC/Starmount HS) assisting on six. (9/13/11) CATAWBA ATHLETICS WEBSITE Whitmer's 17 Kills Paces Volleyball Past Lenoir-Rhyne SALISBURY, NC -- Shay Meeks (Kings Mountain, NC/Kings Mountain HS) and Alli Parrish (Zebulon, NC/Smithfield-Selma HS) each added eight kills. Setter Jordan Raye (Boonville, NC/Starmount HS) had 35 assists with libero Jenny Young (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry HS) collecting 21 digs. Kills by Whitmer and Taylor Doss (Boonville, NC/Starmount HS) helped Catawba pull away to an 8-4 lead early in the opening set. WEST SCHOLAR ALUMNI NEWS We continue to follow the progress of our first cohort of West Scholar graduates, and we will share their news. A few of them have been in touch. Alexa Baird, ’07 West Scholar is in her first year of teaching at Central Elementary school in Jackson, North Carolina, as a member of the Teach for America corps. Below is Alexa’s first update to us on how the her summer of TFA preparation went and how she approached the start of her first teaching assignment at Central Elementary School. It is filled with honest and heart felt observations and self awareness. Baird email #1: Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2011 10:23 PM “To my Catawba faculty, I have been meaning to get in touch with you all and tell you all the things I have done teaching-wise since I graduated (which has been pretty much every single day!). After I left Catawba, I was able to go home for two weeks, which was just enough time for me to organize my room, unpack, and repack ONE suitcase to last me 7 weeks! I also got a jump start on picking out things that I wanted to take down to NC with me as I moved. The first part of my summer took place at NC Wesleyan, in Rocky Mount, NC. For about five days, I sat through day-long seminars from Teach for America staff, talking to me about “Why I Am Here” and “What I Need to Change.” I was bored out of my mind and so overwhelmed. There were 108 members of the ENC core and I still have yet to meet them all. I still was unsure of what I was getting myself into, but I decided to give it a shot. I found out very quickly that I was a minority; in that, I was one of only a handful of people who were actually education majors. The interesting thing about this program is that they prefer people who are not Education majors in order to “train” them. I learned this early into the program. It was very interesting to work with all of these people and to hear what their thoughts on Education were and what brought them into this program. Everyone had a different story and their stories all somehow lead them here. Next, I boarded a flight for Memphis, TN and took a bus from there to Cleveland, Mississippi. I stayed at Delta State University with about 800 other people. My corps (ENC) along with a few other corps were completing Summer Institute in the Delta (Alabama, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Delta,Nashville, and Appalachian.) Let me tell you two things about Mississippi: It stayed 150% humidity, even at 12:00 p.m. at night, and the mosquitoes are monsters! I had also heard rumors that if you “survive Institute, you can survive anything.” The next few days were a blur. We were assigned schools in the area where we would complete summer school. Of course, I had the furthest school, which meant I was up the earliest. I woke up at 5:00 a.m. every morning to board a bus at 5:50 a.m. The bus ride was one solid hour through nothing but corn fields. I slept to and from school every single day. I especially liked when the buses had no air conditioning or when it broke down (5 times to be exact.) The first week we sat through seminars again on how Teach for America wanted us to teach, how to do lesson plans, etc. They tried to teach the basics of teaching – for 9 hours straight for 5 days. I was so overwhelmed. I don’t know how other people survived. Finally, we were assigned to a CM(Core Member) group where there were about 10 people teaching similar content areas. We were all put into groups of three and these people became your Collab groups. My two other group members were female and they were placed in Delta and Nashville. I can say, hands down, the Teach for America gods must have known I would need some special people in my summer months to keep me sane, or else I would have debated quitting. But I had the best Core Member Advisor I could have asked for, and I had the best two Group Members. I heard horror stories about Core Member Advisors and Collab Members. I am so thankful I was placed with those particular people. For the next four weeks, I was assigned to teach summer school to rising second graders. Some students were there for enrichment, some remediation, and others needed to pass summer school to be promoted. Each group member taught one subject each week and then it alternated. So the first week I taught reading, while my other two group members taught two different lessons on math. The second and third weeks I taught math, and then the last week I taught reading again. While I was teaching, my other two Collab Members were sitting in sessions. Literally from 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., when we arrived back to Delta State every day, all we did was teach and sit through sessions. Now for the lesson plans… the most tedious part of my summer was writing lesson plans. After getting home at 5:00 p.m., eating dinner, and getting settled, my nights consisted of lesson planning until about 12:00 a.m., then I tried to get some sleep. The lesson plans were all scripted and had to be placed in a template that literally blew my mind. I could now see why they wanted people who were not teachers, to join Teach for America, because it was easier for them to “mold” you how they wanted. We had to hand in rough drafts of lesson plans three days in advance and place a final copy in an observation binder. One issue was that there were no resources, especially for reading. I had to try to make the most random books work for certain objectives.  We had to have two books per lesson: one Read Aloud and one Shared Reading for each day! This meant you had to be able to write two separate lessons for two separate books each day. Most of the time, my students had to share books with three or four other students because there was not enough to go around. My Collab Member and I also did not have a white board or chalk board to work with this summer so we had to write everything down on chart paper and hang it around the room. Another issue I had was that this summer was all assessment and data driven. You had to give an exit ticket for each class period and it had to be recorded into a tracker. Even if you didn’t finish your lesson or if your students clearly did not understand the way you were teaching it, you had to move on. There was no time to re-reach or fix anything for the students. Every minute counted meaning if your Collab Member went five minutes over in her lesson, then there were about five to seven minutes gone from your lesson time. In addition, they wanted you to “teach to the test.” Doing activities to make it relevant and to have students make connections to the material was not allowed. Then, at the end of the day, they wondered why the students mastered the objective one day and did not master it the next day. Honestly, this was the hardest thing I have ever done. I debated quitting a few times over the summer. I kept saying to myself, “ Why am I putting myself through this? I have a teaching license. I am qualified; yet, I am spending seven weeks in this program.” Well, I survived the summer and it solely had to do with my students. I had the best rising second graders ever. It was such an experience to understand their culture. In Mississippi, they are still allowed to perform corporal punishment in schools and this past year, one of the high schools just had its first integrated prom. It was so unreal. The place I stayed was so backward and even talking to my second graders, I could see that they had no plans or intentions of ever leaving this area when they grew up. Knowing that motivated me, and reminded me of why I was going through this program: for the kids. After four weeks, we finally made our way back to eastern North Carolina, and boy, I have never been happier to be back. I did get to do some fun things during weekends (New Orleans, Memphis, and Delta Heritage Tours) of which I am really glad. We spent another five days at NC Wesleyan, trying to find housing, roommates, and planning a first unit plan. I was then able to go home for two weeks, where I had a graduation party with family and friends and packed up a huge U-HAUL truck of everything I ever owned! Currently, I am living with three other Teach for America members in a house in Roanoke Rapids. We all teach different grades and different subjects at different schools; and they are a great group of girls. I teach at Central Elementary School in Jackson, NC which is twenty minutes east of Roanoke Rapids, NC. My school is very rural, but is brand new (3 years old). We have Eno boards in every room and I am still figuring it out. The only real difference is that you can write on it with a dry erase marker. So nice! I have the best fourth grade team ever. There are three of us, and we have been collaborating on everything, which makes everything so much easier. I have sixteen fourth graders who I got to meet with for just two days before Hurricane Irene hit. They are eight boys and eight girls, mostly African American. I also have a set of fraternal twins in my class, and a little redheaded girl! (editor’s note – Alexa is a redhead.) Since Irene hit, we have had this whole second week of school off. Some of my students did not have power all week. I was out of power for two days, luckily that was all. So hopefully, I will start teaching again on the Tuesday after Labor Day. I am really excited over this school year and I know it is going to be an interesting one. I will send pictures as soon as I can. I am really focusing on my kids mastering their multiplication facts and we are doing Reader’s Workshop instead of the basal so that could be interesting too. We also learn about NC history. I am super excited to do field trips for that. I am trying to see if Dr. Freeze would like to collaborate on something! Sorry for the long epic essay, but this has been my life all summer. I talked to a few people at Catawba who were asking me about Teach for America. I would be glad to talk to anyone about it. Although, over the summer, if you had asked me if I would do it again, my answer would probably have been no. But now, I am having second thoughts. Ask me again in a year, to get a better answer. I hope to come back and visit Catawba soon and see you all! I was able to go back one Monday to see my (now fourth grade students) from my student teaching experience at Overton Elementary, and to see Mrs. May. I miss them so much. It is interesting, I was offered a fourth grade position at Overton late in the summer and would have loved to teach there. However, I realized that I did not want to remain in Salisbury immediately after graduating. Perhaps, in a few more years…. Who knows? I am also going to be a pen pal with one of the students from Overton this year and her teacher is going to use that as a good behavior incentive! I miss Catawba a lot and I especially miss the Catawba teacher education faculty and staff. Thank you all, for everything you have done, and for preparing me for teaching! I will definitely keep in contact and will be back for Homecoming and for some men’s and women’s weekend soccer matches. Thanks again and good luck with education classes this year! Alexa Baird” Baird email #2: Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2011 7:45 PM “Another surprise for me. They decided that our numbers were too low so ... they asked one of the other fourth grade teachers to move to another school to teach second grade and they divided up her classroom between the two remaining teachers. I welcomed sevem new students today. It is never going to stop! It was better than I predicted though. Alexa” WEST SCHOLAR ALUMNI NOTES Philip Russ – is teaching and coaching at West Lincoln High School. Phil sent two short emails recently just to “check in and say Hi!” Hannah Thomas - is teaching PE at SanLee Middle School in Sanford, NC. On Monday, September 12^th, Hannah sent an email letting us know that a “special visitor” had brought her a gift at school. The visitor was the 2011-2012 North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Tyronna Hooker, from Graham Middle School. Ms. Hooker drops in on teachers across the state, as she visits various cities for speaking engagements. NOTE: Ms. Tyronna Hooker, NC TOY, is scheduled to appear on the Catawba College campus, spending time with teacher education and West Scholars in February. TEACHER EDUCATION NEWS “To prepare reflective teachers who possess the professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for effectively teaching students in a diverse society.” "My Summer of Service:" Sixteen Lilly Center Summer Interns Placed with Nonprofits During the summer of 2011, the Lilly Center for Vocation and Values at Catawba College provided funding and facilitated the placement of 16 students as interns in the nonprofit sector. On September 15, the interns came together in Tom Smith Auditorium on campus to share highlights from their summer experiences. The evening's program was entitled "My Summer of Service." Rachel Abbatiello (a junior from Midland majoring in Vocal Performance and Music Education) split her time this summer between two distinctly different internships. She began her summer with the North Carolina Summer Institute of Choral Art, whose goal is to inspire young singers to develop an appreciation for choral art. She then ended her summer as an intern with Cabarrus County KIDS: PLUS, a before and after school child care program in Cabarrus County. Theatre Education Major receives Award Nomination Note: Taken partially from Spotlight, the Catawba Theatre Arts Management Shop Publication – Editor, Sydney Berk “The Metrolina Theatre Association, representing more than 60 organizations, along with hundreds of theatrical artists, directors, and producers in the Charlotte region, will hold the Metrolina Theatre 2011 Awards, recognizing excellence in theatre. The Metrolina Theatre Awards recognize outstanding performances and creative elements in 8 categories - Drama, Comedy, Musical, Regional–North, Regional–South, College/University, and Special Event. This year, there will be close to 100 recipients. The Metrolina Theatre Association organizes more than 80 peer nominators; this year, MTA nominators attended 105 adjudicated shows, submitting thousands of nominations. They then complete a preliminary ballot to select the award nominees. The final vote is certified by an independent accountant, and winners are announced at the awards ceremony.” This year there are copious nominations for Catawba Faculty, Students and Alumni. Among the mominees are Jesse Siak, (Jamie) in the Catawba production of - Bright Lights, Big City for Outstanding Lead Actor Male. Faulkner's Novel Comes to Stage in Catawba's Production of "As I Lay Dying" By Jordan Clifton, Class of 2014 A piece of classic Southern literature, adapted for the stage by Catawba College Writer-in-Residence and Professor of English Dr. Janice Moore Fuller, kicks off Catawba's 2011-2012 theatre season. Fuller's adaptation of William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" will be offered in Hedrick Theatre on campus at 6:55 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 27 and 28, and at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 29 through Saturday, October 1. Cast members include junior Aaron Alderman of Durham; junior Sydney Berk of Encino, Calif.; junior Jodye Carroll of Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; junior John Millbank of Chapel Hill; junior Jeffrey Salerno of Lake Mary, Fla.; junior Rayshaun Sandlin of Knightdale; senior Jered Shults of Sevierville, Tenn.; senior Jessie Siak of Hendersonville, NC and Theatre Education major; junior Donna Steele of Charlotte; junior Greg Stoughton of Niceville, Fla.; senior Robin Tynes of Asheville; and Blue Masque guest artist and 2011 Catawba alumnus, Chris Herring of Oakboro. Senior, and Theatre Education Major, Jesse Siak Catawba Alumna Escaped Vietnam to Become an American By David Freeze, for the Salisbury Post EDITOR'S NOTE: Catawba College alumna Lori Wong graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.A.E.) degree from the School of Evening and Graduate Studies and completed her licensure program in Teacher Education. Young students at Partners in Learning Children’s Development Center know they are taught by a high-energy teacher named Lori Wong. However, few of the children or their parents, and just a small number of the school’s staff, know Wong’s story. While glad to be a teacher, Wong is even happier to be an American. She is especially proud of the freedom she can exhibit every day. It’s something Wong says she will never take for granted, and something she traveled a long road to secure for herself and her family. In post-war Vietnam, there was no freedom. Once the Americans had gone, the North Vietnamese changed life for everyone. Read more... TEACHER EDUCATION ALUMNI NOTES Lucy Scott has accepted employment with the SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities as a residential life coordinator. The position is similar to what Catawba refers to as a resident assistant. Katie Earl Etters is in her second year of teaching at Hanford Dole Elementary School in Salisbury. She was recently recognized by the administration at her school as the September Employee of the Month. Ms. Etters was recognized for work performed last year and over the summer including volunteer programs, a Science Grant initiative, and after school tutoring.
- ’11 Cohort Retreat Planning Meeting Tue., Oct. 4^th @ 11:00 a.m. Ketner Hall - Catawba Pride Band Classic Sat., Oct. 8^th Shuford Stadium - SNCAE Pinning Ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 12^th @ 7:00 p.m. Omwake Dearborn Chapel; Reception to follow in the Peeler Crystal Lounge - West Scholars ’11 Cohort Retreat Sat., Oct. 15^th – Tue., Oct. 18^th - Homecoming and Family Weekend Fri., Oct. 21^st – Sun., Oct. 23^rd
Four West Scholars were nominated for membership in the prestigeous Alpha Chi chapter at Catawba. They demonstrate excellence in every aspect of their lives, and will become remarkable teachers.
What is Alphi Chi? It is a national honorary society seeking to recognize junior and senior students who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship and character in pursuit of a liberal arts education. Membership is limited on the basis of academic standing (3.7 GPA as a junior, 3.5 GPA as a senior, and rank in the top ten percent of their class), and all members must be elected by the college faculty.
In October 2011, the West Scholars below were nominated for membership in Alphi Chi and approved by Catawba Faculty: Amelia Baity, ’09 Scholar, Hamptonville, NC Elizabeth “Lizzle” Davis, ’09 Scholar, East Bend, NC Christina Faircloth, ’09 Scholar, Belmont, NC Kyle Griewisch, ’10 Scholar, Banner Elk, NC All Cohort Mixer Photos September 15, 2011 Juniors seated in the back! Caroline Bostian and Dan Couchenour - Sophomores Cristin Ritchie, Tara Borre, and David Garcia - Sophomores Down front – two freshmen, Taylor Lee and Sydney Smith Back row, Anne Mabry, Kyle Griewisch, Aliyah Khan. Front row, Sarah Moore, Lindsay King, Jana Burkhardt Freshmen preparing for their introductions. L to R: Zach McNeill, Rachel Pickrel, Jacob Shepherd Scholars getting to know one another in small group introductions, above – freshman, Taylor Lee, and junior, Whitney Corriher, listen to junior Brittany Myers. Getting to know one another. Scholars in Action! Another photo featuring ’10 West Scholar, Jana Burkhardt, SGA officer, as the SGA provides 9/11 Commemmorative Stickers to students, faculty and staff. Lilly Center Life Journey Retreat A photo from the Life Journey Retreat found on the Pioneer website. Far left, with the ballcap…..Nick Rodriguez, ’11 West Scholar from Dunn, NC. “The life journey retreat was an amazing experience. It was a trip where we learned about where we were in life, and how we should live our lives. It was sponsored by Dr. Ken Clapp, and the Lilly Center for Vocation and Values. We went to Dr. Clapp’s cabin in the mountains for a weekend filled with learning, hiking, and great food. This retreat helped me discover myself and learn more about who I really am in this world, and how we are supposed to treat the world.” By Nick Rodriguez SGA Distributes 9/11 Commemorative Stickers (9/9/11) Catawba College marked the 10th anniversary of 9-11 with several activities on campus, including a campus worship service, a 9-11 Panel Discussion, symbolic ringing of the carillon bells to note the time of the 9-11 attacks, and commemorative stickers designed and distributed by the SGA. Read more » Pictured is Jana Burkhardt, SGA officer and ’10 West Scholar, from Willoughby, Ohio in the Catawba College t-shirt. Freshman Scholar Appears in One Act Play Catawba’s Theatre Department has 27 new students. To acclimate them into the department and as a chance to get exposure, these students had an opportunity to audition or become involved technically with Fresh Faces, the new student production. All who auditioned were cast. Among those participating in this production is ’11 West Scholar, Michelle Newberger from Lutz, Fl. Michelle will play the role of Mrs. Trotsky I in the one act entitled Variations on the Death of Trotsky, scheduled in October. Three Years of Catawba Conservation Camp to be Celebrated at Oct. 23rd Event A celebration of science and curriculum-based fun with Dennis Regling's "The Magic of Science" Wonder Show is slated between 2:30 and 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 23 in the J.C. Carson High School Auditorium in China Grove. This free family event, sponsored by the Catawba Conservation Camp, celebrates three successful years of the summer camp held at Catawba College for girls from a six-county area. With spirited enthusiasm, we share a few photos of our West Scholars who are also Catawba College Cheerleaders! Enjoy. This photo was made at the Catawba vs. Coastal Carolina Game. Three West Scholars are in this photo – Maggie McKee and Whitney Corriher, both ’09 West Scholars, and Jamie Gynn, ’11 West Scholar. The full squad. Jamie Gynn, ’11 Scholar and Lizzle Davis, ’09 Scholar Success a Main Ingredient at Inaugural Chili Cook Off The Ralph W. Ketner School of Business hosted its Inaugural Chili Cook Off on October 1, 2011 from 3:00 to 7:00pm. The event took place in Ketner Hall on campus. Dr. Jim Stringfield, Dean of the Goodman School of Education and Dr. Rhonda Truitt, Chair of the Teacher Education Department participated in this event, as did several West Scholars. College Division Winners: 1ST PLACE: Theatre Department 2ND PLACE: Team Chopped (Vegetarian chili by day students Suzy Williams of Efland, NC, Bristol Glass of Concord, NC, and Kara Procell of Bel Air, MD) 3RD PLACE: Student Affairs Community Division Winners: 1ST PLACE: Meals-on-Wheels 2ND PLACE: Apple Baking Company 3RD PLACE: Milford Hills United Methodist Church People's Choice: Chili Con Cuties (Evening student Colleen Smiley of Salisbury and Catawba parent, mom of Tara Smiley Melton '07, also of Salisbury) Suzy Williams, ’09 West Scholar and “Team Chopped” ECO Team, that included West Scholars, Sarah Moore and Jacob Regensburger Suzy Williams and her 2^nd Place Team Dr. Stringfield and Dr. Truitt cooking for Teacher Education Notable Notes! Catawba College Admissions Website Ranked Top in the Nation Catawba College is proud to announce that its Admissions website is among the most highly rated in the country, scoring in the top 100 of all sites rated. The site was recognized in the 13th annual My College Options® Enrollment Power Index® (EPI), an analysis of the admissions websites of nearly 3,000 colleges and universities. "We are proud to have our admissions website recognized by My College Options as one of the leading sites in the nation," said Lois Williams, Catawba's Vice President of Enrollment. "We developed our site in-house with the knowledge that potential students would be looking here for critical admissions information. As a result, we have made strides to constantly update our site with the latest tools and information that meet the needs of students and ensure that they can learn about what we have to offer." Catawba College Named One of "The Best 376 Colleges" by The Princeton Review Of the 2,500 four-year colleges in the United States, Catawba has been ranked among "The Best 376 Colleges" by the prestigious Princeton Review in its 2012 annual college guide. This places Catawba among the top 15 percent of American colleges. Catawba College Ranked 16th among Best Regional Colleges in the South Catawba College continues to be ranked as one of the nation's Best Regional Colleges, according to the 2012 edition of "Best Colleges," published by U.S.News & World Report and released September 13. Catawba ranked 16th among 99 of these Best Regional Colleges in the South. In total, 371 colleges are ranked as "Best Regional Colleges" according to geographic region (North, South, Midwest, and West). Highlights of these rankings are published in the magazine available this month on newsstands and available online at www.usnews.com/colleges. Forbes' Ranks Catawba College among "America's Top Colleges 2011" Catawba is one of only 20 North Carolina public and private institutions included in Forbes' "America's Top Colleges 2011," and is ranked 476 among the 650 best undergraduate colleges. The Forbes' rankings were prepared by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a Washington, D.C. think tank founded by Ohio University economist Richard Vedder. The rankings focus on post graduation success (30%) which evaluates pay and prominence of alumni; student satisfaction (27.5%) which includes evaluations of professors and retention rates from freshman to sophomore year; debt (17.5%) which penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates; four-year graduation rate (17.5%); and competitive awards (7.5%) which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships such as the Fulbright, the Rhodes, and the Marshall. intune Magazine has named Catawba College among 45 institutions in the nation as “The Best Music Schools of 2012.” For four consecutive years, Catawba College has been named one of the nation's Best Music Schools by In Tune magazine. Catawba was one of only 45 institutions included in the magazine's listing of The Best Music Schools of 2012. Catawba offers a bachelor's degree in Music with concentrations in Music Business, Music Education, Music Performance, Popular Music and Sacred Music, and offers a bachelor's degree in Musical Theatre. In Tune's Best Music Schools for 2012 special feature was included in the October 2011 edition of the magazine. The publication is a classroom magazine for music students, grades 7-12. In Tune was founded in 2003 by veteran Billboard, Forbes and Business Week publishing executive Irwin Kornfeld, former Musician, EQ and Gig magazines publisher Angelo Biasi, and Grammy-winning music producer Will Edwards. A new recruiting season is fully underway! Please spread the word about Catawba College and the Teacher Education Department, our Graduate Program, the Academy for Teaching and our wonderful West Teaching Scholars Program! Catawba’s West Scholars · receive a $13,000 educational scholarship for qualified students who are planning to become teachers. · receive training in the integration of technology to enhance student learning. · participate in early field experiences beginning in the freshman year. · attend professional development seminars. · participate in community, service, and scholarly activities. · have regional travel opportunities and attend cultural events. · have optional international study opportunities. · participate in a nationally-accredited Teacher Education program rich in a tradition of excellence since 1925. · benefit from a supportive learning community of peers, business and community leaders, faculty, and staff. · benefit from a mentoring program. · participate in a freshman retreat. · attend an opening mixer each fall for all cohorts. The Shirley Peeler Ritchie Academy for Teaching “Influencing education one teacher at a time.” (704) 637-4499