Summer 2012 - "Education Perspectives" - Concordia University

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26 Alumni Notes Erin McKee: Teaching the Kids Who Need Her Most Erin McKee, ’09, vividly remembers the emotions that ran through her head on her first day teaching on her own in Washington D.C. as part of Teach for America. A few months earlier she was wrapping up her education degree, with an emphasis in early childhood education, at Concordia Portland, and now she was over 3,000 miles away in a D.C., second grade classroom with 22 expectant faces staring up at her. “It’s one of those things you really can’t understand until you’re put in front of a classroom and you realize you’re in charge of all these little bodies,” she recalled. Fortunately for McKee, her education prepared her with a wealth of resources and experiences that most first-time teachers could only imagine. Between her three years of participation in Concordia’s Teacher Corps, her student teaching and practicum, and other volunteer efforts, McKee amassed hundreds of classroom hours that would prove invaluable over the duration of her two years in D.C. at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary. “It was really, really hard and really challenging, but it was a tremendous learning experience and reinforced the value of my time at Concordia,” she said. It’s a safe bet that McKee never would have ended up in Teach for America, or in D.C., if not for her time at Concordia. A Vancouver, Wash., concordia connection “She told me, ‘I just feel a need for this school, with fewer resources...to be there and to be of service’...That is the kind of person Erin is.” » Dr. Lynn Keyne-Michaels, Concordia Teacher Corps Coordinator native, McKee figured she would get her degree and stay in the Northwest to teach the community in which she grew. Teaching at Concordia opened her eyes and her heart to the needs of less privileged communities. Professor Lynn Keyne-Michaels, the coordinator of the Concordia Teacher Corps, remembers McKee’s emotional torment upon discovering the disparity between the two schools she taught at during her undergraduate time. The two schools were in the same district but one had plenty of computers, parent volunteers, and financial resources while the other had next to nothing. “She told me, ‘I just feel a need for this school, with fewer resources whose students have higher needs, to be there and to be of service,’” Keyne-Michaels said. “That is the kind of person Erin is.” McKee said her experiences in the Teacher Corps inspired her to apply to the prestigious Teach for America program where she was selected from among thousands of candidates. According to Keyne-Michaels, the Teacher Corps, which Concordia started in 2006, was partially modeled after Teach for America. “So it was exciting and thrilling to me that she was able to take what she did here at Concordia, move into Teach for America and then even beyond that move into a position where she’s serving kids right here in our own area,” she said. After completing her two-year stint in Teach for America, McKee returned home this past summer to teach first grade at Mill Park Elementary in southeast Portland. Over 90 percent of the students at Mill Park receive free or reduced cost lunch and the school is located in one of the most poverty-stricken areas in Portland. Three years into her career, McKee still turns to the binder on classroom management from Concordia professor Keylah Boyer Frazier’s class, and she still calls and emails her Concordia professor for ideas. �
Marielle Lopes was married to Loic Fabricant on August 6, 2011 and started medical school at Oregon Health & Sciences University on August 15, 2011. 2008 Angela Robison married Brian Jacob Guillory on July 22, 2011. They also welcomed their son into the world on February 22, 2011. Odin Bishop Guillory was born at 11:37 pm weighing 7 lbs., 11 oz., and was 21 inches long. Laura Nestler recently received a promotion with Yelp.com. She has relocated to Australia and is currently in control of the entire country’s marketing strategy and is responsible for building out a team of local brand marketers for Yelp.com Down Under. 2009 Marie Whitney is teaching kindergarten at Burton Elementary School in Vancouver, Wash. Kim Tilton is currently working as a licensed real estate agent in Wash. 2010 Nicole Harrington is working in the Vancouver School District teaching kindergarten. Correction: Sarah Kenny recently accepted a position as an assistant hall director at the University of Portland. She is currently pursuing a master of science in management communication degree at University of Portland. 2011 Charles Thomas is working as Dean of Students at Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia, Penn. He and his wife have one child, a baby girl. Katherine Regenhardt has been substitute teaching in the Evergreen School District, Vancouver, Wash. since graduation. Scott Hagensen MAT is teaching 6th grade at Tahoma Middle School, Wash. Scott credits the MAT program for preparing him for the classroom. Benjamin Miller landed “the job of a lifetime” and is currently teaching high school English in South Korea. During his time at Concordia, Benjamin was a part of the wind ensemble directed by Dr. William Kuhn. While in Korea, Benjamin recently met another man who had Dr. Kuhn as an instructor, but at Concordia Nebraska. “The Concordia community has great influence and reach!” In Memoriam Danielle Sue Heitz ’98 passed away on April 3, 2011 at the age of 35. Dani played softball for Concordia University before finding her passion working with troubled kids that had been abused and neglected. She is survived by two sets of parents and two sisters. � Alumni Notes July 21 Hawai’i Student Send-Off Party August 11 SummerFest: Opera in the Park, CU’s Campus Green August 11 Alumni Men’s and Women’s Soccer Game, CU’s Hilken Community Stadium August 18 Alumni Volleyball Game, CU’s Gym September 20 An evening with author Dr. Jane McGonigal discussing the power of gaming and education September 29-30 All Class Reunion September 30 Alumni Baseball Game October 20 Alumni Basketball game, CU’s Gym October 25 Concordia University School of Law Dedication, Boise, ID. October 26–27 Nothing but Nets, Rev. Dr. John Nunes lecture on Malaria October 31/Halloween Residence halls open to public for trick-or-treating December 6 3rd Annual Christmas Tree Lighting December 7–9 62nd Annual Christmas Chorale Stay in the loop and get details on above events & more at www.cu-portland.edu/alumni Summer 2012 27
Page 1 and 2: Concordia Connection P O R T L A N
Page 3 and 4: From the Editor: The spark for this
Page 5 and 6: “Our gratitude overflows for the
Page 7 and 8: Concordia Professor Dr. Terrill Rel
Page 9 and 10: MARCH 3, 2012 The honorary first pi
Page 11 and 12: Education unlocks the door to oppor
Page 13 and 14: In short, in order to truly reform
Page 15 and 16: In the course of our Oregon K-12 co
Page 17 and 18: significant impact on student learn
Page 19 and 20: Helping students from a young age -
Page 21 and 22: His vision - and the mounting resul
Page 23 and 24: They may have looked like street to
Page 25 and 26: 1 2 ALL CLASS REUNION - SEpt. 29 SE
Page 27: Jon Muhly and his wife, Julie, were
Page 31 and 32: Junia Limage, Mid-Distance Runner A
Page 33 and 34: BASEBALL The Cavaliers captured the
Page 35 and 36: Through a collaboration of Concordi
Page 37 and 38: Whereas before there was only one m
Page 39 and 40: Nailed to the Door Nailed to the Do

Summer 2012 - "Education Perspectives" - Concordia University

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