Concord University students are reaching out into the community to inspire young entrepreneurs. Earlier this week students from Melrose Elementary in Mercer County set up a lemonade stand on Concord’s campus.
The children sold fresh lemonade to University faculty, staff and students after months of marketing and preparing. The event is part of a nationwide effort sponsored by Google Entrepreneurs that started in 2007 to inspire youngsters by assisting with stands across the country.
Concord University Students initiated the project through its Entrepreneurship Club. Prep-work for the event was part of a fourth grade class project at Melrose that focused on marketing techniques. Concord students hosted the fourth graders’ opening day at the Athens campus to help ensure success.
Concord students also offered guidance and feedback the day of the event in hopes to inspire a future business leader.
While the lemonade was sold for play money, organizers says the fruits of their labor was the excitement for education.
More lemonade stands are expected to pop up across West Virginia in July as about 3,000 individuals representing more than 20 counties have already signed up to the national initiative this year.
Teams of 8th grade students from around West Virginia faced off Tuesday in an academic bowl competition that focused on West Virginia history, literature, arts, architecture, geography and culture.
The questions for the history bowl are largely drawn from questions found in the Archives and History Quick Quizzes and Daily Trivia.
To learn more about the West Virginia History Bowl, check out the 2011 West Virginia Legacy program on the tournament from the West Virginia Library Commission Library Television Network.
It’s official. Dr. Kendra Boggess will be Concord’s next president. The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission approved Boggess during a meeting on Friday.
The Concord University Board of Governors has selected Dr. Kendra Boggess as the University’s 12th president earlier this week. She’ll also serve as the first female president.
Boggess was one of three finalists for the presidency of Concord following a nationwide search. She is currently serving as Concord’s interim president.
“It has been such an honor to be selected to serve Concord in this role,” Dr. Boggess said in a release. “I am surrounded at Concord by devoted, enthusiastic, bright, and committed faculty and staff members who are dedicated to serving the students and communities in southern West Virginia and beyond. I look forward to having the opportunity to continue to make a difference, through the collaborative efforts of colleagues, the community, and our many loyal alumni throughout the region and the world. I look forward to meeting the challenges ahead.”
Boggess has been a part of Concord, academically or administratively, for more than three decades. She’s also served on numerous national, state, institutional and divisional committees and has been recognized for her leadership. She is an active member of the local business and civic community.
“We have been very pleased that she has taken initiative during the time she has served as interim president to move the University ahead, and not simply to occupy the chair,” Board of Governors Chair Mr. Elliot Hicks said. “We recently enjoyed an outstanding accreditation review of our teacher education programs under her leadership. In her very short time at the helm she has laid a good foundation to build the University’s relationships with its alumni and with the community. Concord is fortunate to have a business-minded leader like Dr. Boggess.”
Boggess will officially be become president on July 1, 2014
The Address, a new film from award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns, premieres April 15 at 9 p.m. on West Virginia PBS. The film tells the story of a tiny school in Putney, Vermont, the Greenwood School, where each year the students are encouraged to memorize, practice and recite the Gettysburg Address. In its exploration of the Greenwood School, the film also unlocks the history, context and importance of President Lincoln’s most powerful address.
The Greenwood School students, boys ages 11-17, all face a range of complex learning differences that make their personal, academic and social progress challenging. The Address reveals how President Lincoln’s historic words motivate and engage these students a century-and-a-half after Lincoln delivered a speech that would go on to embolden the Union cause with some of the most stirring words ever spoken.
Burns and PBS launched LearnTheAddress.org, an initiative that invites people to upload videos of themselves reciting the Gettysburg Address to the project’s web site. To date, the site has accepted thousands of submissions from people across the country.
Two teachers in West Virginia have been selected as part of the 100 educators in the 2014 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators program.
The program rewards tech-savvy K-12 educators from across the country who are serving as leaders in the education technology space and incorporating digital media in classrooms to promote student engagement and achievement with year-long hands-on and virtual professional development opportunities.
In West Virginia, Erika Klose from Winfield Middle School and Erin Sponaugle from Tomahawk Intermediate School will be serving as PBS LearningMedia ambassadors and helping their peers embrace and share strategies for integrating digital media throughout the curriculum.
The 2014 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators will receive year-long professional development opportunities that include virtual trainings, access to premium and exclusive resources, and invitations to special events. In addition, the top 16 applicants will serve as leads of the program and will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in a two-day digital education summit where participants will engage in hands-on learning, collaborate with peers and hear from digital technology thought leaders.
Credit WVPublic.org
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Erika Klose is a teacher at Winfield Middle School in Putnam County.
“West Virginia Public Broadcasting is proud to recognize Erika and Erin for their dedication to trulychanging the way students learn through technology and digital media,” said Scott Finn, executive director. “We are honored to provide educators with one-of-a-kind resources, tools and trainings that will further enhance their skills and enable them to share these skills with other educators in the state.”
West Virginia Public Broadcasting began West Virginia LearningMedia in 2013. “This is a free service that more than 2,700 state educators are using for multi-media content and lessons plans aligned with state education standards,” Finn said. “Many locally produced programs are also available, including The Road to Statehood, a documentary about the birth of West Virginia.”
Klose teaches seventh grade science at Winfield Middle School. Her course covers physics, chemistry, biology and earth and space science. Prior to teaching she was a geologist for the United States Geological Survey.
Credit wvpublic.org
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Erin Sponaugle teaches in Berkeley County and is 2014 West Virginia Teacher of the Year.
Sponaugle is a fifth grade teacher at Tomahawk Intermediate School in Hedgesville. She has taught for 11 years and is the 2014 West Virginia Teacher of the Year.
PBS LearningMedia received hundreds of applications from leading teachers throughout the U.S. and its territories. An esteemed group of judges selected the 100 educators based on submissions of videos and written essays that addressed how they are leading innovation in digital teaching in their classrooms and schools.
About West Virginia Public Broadcasting: — West Virginia Public Broadcasting tells West Virginia’s story through high-quality programming and services including West Virginia Public Radio, West Virginia PBS, Mountain Stage®, wvpublic.org and Ready To Learn®.
About PBS LearningMedia: — As America’s largest classroom, teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and WGBH Educational Foundation, is a free media-on-demand service offering educators access to the best of public media and delivers research-based, classroom-ready digital learning experiences to engage students in exploring curriculum concepts that align with National and Common Core State Standards. Nationwide, more than 1.4 million teachers have registered access to more than 35,000 digital resources available through PBS LearningMedia. More information about PBS LearningMedia is available at www.pbslearningmedia.org or by following PBS LearningMedia on Twitter and Facebook.
Governor Tomblin, alongside two state community and technical colleges, announced the donation of $250,000 to the Appalachian Petroleum Training Center Wednesday, meant to enhance and expand the program.
Tomblin made the announcement at the Capitol with Noble Energy Senior Vice President Gary Willingham
The company has committed the one time dollars to Pierpont and Northern Community Technical Colleges, the two schools that host the petroleum training center.
“This program helps build and sustain the pipeline of trained skilled graduates who will be prepared to work in this industry in this region for many years to come,” Willingham said before presenting the check to the governor and college presidents.
One of 14 programs in the nation, the one and two year degrees at APTC give students hands on training for jobs in production, service and drilling in the Marcellus shale industry.
The donation will be used to buy new equipment, offer student scholarships and fund recruiting efforts for the schools.
