Strong Evidence of COE and Lincoln Parish Schools Partnerships this Week

Only one day into a four day work week and only two weeks into 2016, our College of Education faculty at Louisiana Tech University are partnering with almost every elementary school in Lincoln Parish ! On Tuesday, January 19 the Department of Kinesiology, the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership, and the new UTeachTech Program served more than 50 teachers and 60 University students through four separate professional development training sessions for staff and a STEM Day where UTeachTech candidates taught 30 fourth graders Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math for 8 hours! Literacy-focused professional development sessions were held at Glenview Elementary, Cypress Springs, and Dubach. Professional development sessions for physical education educators was held at Memorial Gym. UTeachTech STEM Day was held at AE Phillips Laboratory School. Faculty and staff involved in the events included Dr. Tammy Schilling, Dr. Jordan Blazo, Dr. Jean Chen, Dr. David Szymanski, Mr. Chris Campbell, Dr. Bill Deese, Mrs. Diane Madden, Mrs. Erika Jones, Mr. Glenn Larson, Dr. Kim Kimbell-Lopez, Dr. Carrice Cummins, Dr. Libby Manning, Dr. Jordan Glenn, Dr. Braden Romer, Dean Don Schillinger and Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent. We also want to send a special thanks to Mrs. Cathi Cox-Boniol for her support of the UTT iniative through purchasing lunch through Project ACHIEVE, Joanne Hood at AE Phillips for the STEM day space and SciTEC in the COE for materials and support! Pictured are students from the Kinesiology training and the UTeachTech STEM Day.

Adopt-A-School Partnership Leads to Science Stars Shinning

In addition to the two events this week through the Adopt-A-School partnership (See initial blog for 11/20), the SciTEC's IDEA Place team also  took students from the Science Club at Dubach School to do demonstrations on the morning show on NBC's KTVE in West Monroe, LA, last week. This is the second year that Dubach School has partnered with SciTEC for the STEM TV experiences. Mrs. Kimberly Franks and Mr. Matthew Vincent sponsor the Science Club group. The demonstrations will be aired on Friday's during the 2015 winter on both NBC'S KTVE and FOX 14.

The students toured the studio and offices of the station. Pictured is Justin sharing how the digital magic happens on live television!  The tour was followed by a tour of ULM where students were able to "Feed the Turtles" and earn a shirt describing the experience. SciTEC's IDEA Place also received a donation to provide lunch at a restaurant of the students' choice. They selected Willie's Duck Diner where some enjoyed alligator, duck, and other fixings. Pictured below are the students following their academic adventures, making a Bulldog with one hand and a Warhawk with the other, in front of the Louisiana Tech Bus. Thanks to Mr. John Price for providing transportation for the experience. Collaborating with ULM and encouraging students to find the best fit for them for post-secondary studies helps our kiddos as individuals and our larger community on the I-20 corridor. Thanks to Seth in ULM admissions for his time and willingness to show the students another great Louisiana university. Of course, students also received goodies from our SciTEC Center in the Louisiana Tech University College of Education for participating and being "Star Scientists" for the day.

If you would like to participate with SciTEC's IDEA Place in the College of Education and help out our local schools, or if you are at a local school and have a specific need with which we can help you; feel free to email lbkv@latech.edu. Thanks to Cathi Cox-Boniol and Ivana Flowers for their hard work organizing the initiative.To learn more about the Adopt-A-School program, you can visit the following link: http://www.rustonlincoln.org/pages/Adopt-A-School .  To learn more about SciTEC and our many outreach programs and branches, check out this link: http://education.latech.edu/departments/science_technology_education_center/ .

In the event you need something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, be thankful for the great kiddos in our parish. They are amazing and on their way to accomplishing great things!

SciTEC Partners with Lincoln Parish Schools through the Adopt-A-School Program

The Science and Technology Education Center's (SciTEC) IDEA Place at Louisiana Tech University is a proud partner with each of the Lincoln Parish public schools for the 2015-2016 school year through the Adopt-A-School Program. The program is directed by the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Project ACHIEVE. As described on the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce website, "The Adopt-A-School program aims to bring more community involvement to Lincoln Parish public and private schools through pairing schools with community partners – businesses, churches, civic groups, even individuals."  Through the Adopt -a-School program, the SciTEC IDEA Place team has had the opportunity to meet great young people and amazing educators at Ruston Junior High School and Choudrant Elementary School this week for the interviews for Student of the Year and the Annual Book Character Costume Competition and Parade. We had the opportunity to interview six stellar junior high candidates all deserving of the Student of the Year honor. Thanks to Assistant Principal, Mrs. Keisha Osborne, for the invitation to meet these awesome young people. The caliber of students at RJHS and in our district is absolutely amazing!  While the students and costumes were also absolutely amazing at Choudrant Elementary, it should be noted that the teachers also did a fabulous job dressing the part! Pictured is Mrs. Moore as Doc McStuffins! Thanks to Mrs. Johnnie Simone and Ms. Brenda Brister for the invitation to be a part of the day of fun and learning!

The TEEMS Team joins SciTEC in the COE for another Professional Development Session

The 3rd grade science teachers from Choudrant Elementary, Cypress Springs Elementary, Dubach, Ruston Elementary, and Simsboro Elementary schools are leading the way for a stronger focus on elementary STEM throughout the district.  These hard-working teachers are part of an ongoing professional development initiative that provides job-embedded workshops, classroom support, a graduate-level course through Louisiana Tech University's Office of Professional Education Outreach, and carefully prepared kits of materials and supplies designed to equip and empower them in facilitating rigorous and engaging hands-on, minds-on learning experiences.  Plus, the team is piloting the district's first implementation of the new TEEMS "Engineering by Design" Curriculum in order to really bring STEM to life in the classroom! The teachers met at Louisiana Tech University's SciTEC Center in the College of Education on October 2. We will meet again in late October for a third session. "We at SciTEC in the COE are thrilled to partner with Project ACHIEVE on this project and are looking forward to collaborate on the composition of an upcoming grant proposal to support additional professional development opportunities for  STEM educators in Lincoln Parish,"said SciTEC Director, Lindsey Keith-Vincent. It's an exciting time for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the Lincoln Parish public schools!!!

The article and accompanying images were submitted for the College of Education Blog at Louisiana Tech University by Mrs. Cathi Cox-Boniol, Director of Lincoln Parish Project ACHIEVE. If you or someone you know wants to share some exciting partnerships with the Louisiana Tech University College of Education family, please feel free to email lbkv@latech.edu.

Thank You for Supporting UTeachTech

The UTeachTech team wishes to extend its thanks to everyone who came to the Kickoff on May 4 in University Hall. We had approximately 100 members of the Louisiana Tech community in attendance to help us express appreciation for teachers and to christen the UTeachTech program.

Louisiana Tech President Les Guice speaks about the
importance of the UTeachTech program.

We would like to thank all of our speakers who came to be with us in person. Dr. Les Guice, President of the University helped start the event. We were also joined by several state and local dignitaries including: Richard Hartley, representing the Office of Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne; Julie Ricca, representing NASA; Kristi Lumpkin, representing the City of Ruston; Alex Keechle, CEO of Ruston's newest corporate community member Monster Moto. Finally, we were joined by representatives of several of our sponsoring agencies. Ronda Brandon, Vice President of UTeach Expansion represented the National Math and Science Initiative while UTeach Institute Director Kim Hughes joined us as the representative for The UTeach Institute.

Louisiana State Senator Gallot speaks at the UTeachTech
event via recorded video from the State Capitol.

We would also like to thank many other dignitaries who could not join us in person, but did send recorded statements. United States Senators David Vitter and Bill Cassidy both sent videos congratulating Louisiana Tech on the UTeachTech launch. United States Representative Ralph Abraham from the 5th Congressional District also sent remarks congratulating Louisiana Tech for being "on the cutting edge" in North Louisiana. Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne also expressed his congratulations by video. Rick Gallot, Louisiana State Senator for District 29, sent a video recorded on the Louisiana Senate floor. We understand each of these public servants were busy fulfilling other obligations of their office, so we are greatly appreciate of their support.

Additional thanks go to the inaugural UTeachTech Advisory Board. Jamie Brooks, Bill Campbell, G.B. Cazes, Judy Copeland, Cathi Cox-Boniol, Jeff Hankins, Alexander Keechle, D.C. Machen, Travis Napper, Linda Ramsey, Lee Sawyer, Robert Shadoin, and Kathy Wyatt, who have all agreed to serve on the first UTeachTech Advisory Board. We thank them for their commitment of service and their interest in promoting STEM education and in the Louisiana Tech community.

UTeachTech Co-Director Don Schillinger is interviewed by
KTVE's Taylor Thompson for a story on the UTeachTech launch.

Finally, we would like to recognize all of the people here at Louisiana Tech who have made UTeachTech a reality. Co-directors Don Schillinger and Bill Deese, as well as grant co-writers Lindsey Vincent, Dawn Basinger, Kelly Crittenden, Bernd Schroeder (now at University of Southern Mississippi), Lawrence Leonard, Pauline Leonard, and Stan Napper all deserve credit for casting the vision for the program and securing the funding for it. Further credit goes to the UTeach Implementation Team that included Don Schillinger, Bill Deese, and Lindsey Vincent, as well as UTeachTech newcomers Diane Madden, Christopher Coleman, and the program's first Master Teacher, Chris Campbell. Each of these people brought unique talents and gifts to the table that helped make the UTeachTech kickoff event a great success.

Tempting as it is to celebrate this great day, we must remember that it is not an ending, but a beginning. There will be great work ahead for the UTeachTech Team, as we begin preparing courses and recruiting our first UTeachTech cohort for this fall. It will not be easy and it will take considerable work. In the meantime, we cherish the support of the community, both local and distant. We can build the structure of the program, but we need your help to make it a success. Your support, through word-of-mouth promotion, through interaction with us via social media, or through financial gifts is what will make UTeachTech a success. We have a strong team, but we have an even stronger Louisiana Tech community that will build a model UTeach implementation in which we can all take pride.

Thank you all so much for your support yesterday, today, and into the future.

With Great Appreciation,
-The UTeachTech Team

For more information on UTeachTech, please visit our website at http://uteach.latech.edu. We also invite you to "Like" our UTeachTech page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @UTeachTech.

UTeachTech was made possible by a $1.45 million gift from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative and the UTeach Institute.

Our College of Education Represented Well at the Lincoln Parish Schools Community Volunteers Appreciation Luncheon

Volunteer of the Year Nominee, Dr. Amy Massey Vessel

On Tuesday, May 5, 2015, a number of Louisiana Tech University faculty and staff as well as community and corporate leaders were on hand to celebrate volunteerism and support of Lincoln Parish Schools. The event, hosted by Lincoln Parish ACHIEVE, included presentations from Ms. Cathi Cox-Boniol, Ms. Lisa Bastion, Superintendent Danny Bell, Mr. Jeremy Jones and Mr. David Darland. Recognized were faculty and staff from the Department of Kinesiology including Drs. Tammy Schilling, Jean Chen, and Lanie Dornier, for their work with students in elementary and early grades. In addition, Dr. Amy Massey Vessel, of the Department of Curriculum,  Instruction, and Leadership, was selected as a finalist for the Volunteer of the Year Award. In addition to the outstanding Louisiana Tech University representation, also celebrated were the efforts of many others including Ruston Rotary, Ruston Kiwanis, Goodwill Lunching, Lincoln Rotary, Blue Bell Creameries, Super 1 Foods, and many more! Thanks to Cathi Cox-Boniol, Project ACHIEVE, and Lincoln Parish School Board for a wonderful celebration of volunteerism and student success!

Pictured are recipients of the 2014-2015 Keep Encouraging Youth to Succeed (KEYS) Champions Awards. COE's Dr. Tammy Schilling is third from the left on the top row.