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.
Over the past two days, 18 counties presented their facility needs to the state School Building Authority in Charleston. The requests totaled more than $100 million, but the agency only has about $45 million to give. That means some tough choices between deserving projects across the state.
Here is a list of those projects and their estimated costs.
Doddridge County:
$898,128 for two new classrooms at Doddridge County Elementary School
$398,128 in SBA funds
Gilmer County:
$15,496,818 to construct a consolidated Gilmer Elementary School
$13,618, 671 in SBA funds
Greenbrier County:
$6,671,958 for an addition to Frankford Elementary School
$6,327,898 in SBA funds
Jackson County:
$17,816,041 to construct a new Ravenswood Middle School
$17,066,041 in SBA funds
Kanawha County:
$2,791,352 to add on to and renovate Andrew Heights Elementary School
$2,091,352 in SBA funds
Mercer County:
$11,136,000 to construct a new Green Valley Elementary School, consolidating a portion of students from three schools
$8,908,800 in SBA funds
Mineral County:
$4,000,000 in renovations for Keyser Elementary/Middle School
$3,500,000 in SBA funds
Mingo County:
$10,108,879 for additions and renovations at Burch Middle School in order to consolidate and close Burch Elementary School
$9,108.879 in SBA funds
Monongalia County:
$15,952,803 to consolidate students from two schools and build a new Suncrest Elementary School
$10,952,803 in SBA funds
Ohio County:
$6,772,932 for renovations at Ritchie Elementary School
$5,892,451 in SBA funds
Pocahontas County:
$8,892,426 for renovations at five schools
$8,817,426 in SBA funds
Preston County:
$2,169,000 to replace the roofs at six schools
$2,060,550 in SBA funds
Randolph County:
$3,959, 749 for renovations to Tygart Valley Middle-High School
$3,709,749 in SBA funds
Ritchie County:
$6,641,016 in renovations and an addition to Collins Ferry Elementary School
$6,391,016 in SBA funds
Wayne County:
$42,200,000 to build two new elementary schools and an addition and renovations to Wayne County High School
$18,000,000 in SBA funds
Webster County:
$2,357,713 for renovations at Webster County High School
$2,257,713 in SBA funds
Wirt County:
$2,395,038 for renovations at Wirt County High School
$2,270,038 in SBA funds
Schools for the Deaf and Blind:
$7,800,000 for three new residential facilities and the demolition of a dilapidated cafeteria
The Senate recently passed the “Move to Improve Act” which could change the daily grind in state classrooms. The bill is in response to the Healthy…
The Senate recently passed the “Move to Improve Act” which could change the daily grind in state classrooms. The bill is in response to the Healthy Lifestyles Act, which was passed by the legislature in 2005 without a mechanism to assure implementation. Lawmakers say they’re trying to address an epidemic of childhood obesity in West Virginia.
Children and teens spend more than half of their waking hours at school.
West Virginia has some of the highest rates of the highest-cost health problems related to obesity and physical inactivity such as type 2 diabetes and obesity-related cancers.
About 33 percent of children age 10 to 17 in the state are overweight or obese according to a national survey taken between 2011 and 2012.
Senate majority leader John Unger is one of the main sponsors for Senate Bill 455. It would mandate 30 minutes of physical activity three days a week in elementary schools.
It’s meant to help address the growing health problem and possibly save the state some cash.
The bill states that in West Virginia, the direct medical cost of obesity was $8.9 million in 2009.
In elementary schools, some teachers say the transition would be simple.
Mercer County Kindergarten Teacher Billie Wood says she already uses movement in her lessons and it’s the way to go.
“We put motions to songs we’ll do Vimeo with the smart board where they actually get up and move and dance and it’s surprising how fast they learn with movement,” Wood said.
Wood says she also uses ‘old time records’ like Whip Hap Palmer to help children in her classroom move to the educational beat, and she often joins them in the dance.
Still a lack of resources, pressure to increase test scores, and even age create challenges. Elementary students are generally easier to motivate with physical activity during a lesson than say a middle school or high school student.
But science teacher Edward Evans is finding a way. His students keep moving – frequently walking around to different stations for lab.
“Is it challenging, yea,” Evans said. “Is it doable, absolutely. It’s just a matter of creative scheduling.”
The bill requires middle-school students to attend at least one full period of physical education per day with 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity.
High school students would need one full course of physical education for graduation and would have the opportunity to enroll in an elective lifetime physical education course.
West Virginia Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers in West Virginia have both supported the bill.
