NEWSETTE - dkgwv.org · Here was a short anecdote about my virtual experiences during this...
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The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International for Key Women Educators West Virginia State Organization NEWSETTE Volume 70, Number 4 West Virginia Summer 2020 In this issue… A Note from the President...........Page 2 Musings from the 1st VP Musings from the 2nd VP ............Page 3 Notes from the Chapters .............Page 4 White Roses & Condolences .......Page 5 Resilience By Rebecha Catlett Eta Chapter Faith and Optimism Propelling me forward As I swim Through quicksand before Traversing a mountain to Stand at the summit Arms raised high above my head, Face to the sun, Smiling. A genuine smile Deep and wide, Cutting a winding path Through the hard places And rough crags. The sunrise, gold and crimson Meeting the storm clouds, Undeniably cold and gray. Bluebells shout and tulips whisper Through raindrops Deciding the rain is perfectly welcome. Light trades places with darkness. “It’s all about perspective,” The stars remind me. A Note from the Editor During a typical Summer edition of the Newsette you would be seeing photos and articles about West Virginia State’s Leadership Conference. You’d be reading articles about the State Achievement Award winner, Publication Awards, and photos of chapter meetings where new officers had been installed. This edition is not the typical Summer Newsette. This Spring, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) spread across the world and affected everyone’s lives. No one has been untouched by this pandemic. Graduations have been cancelled, weddings postponed, schools converted to virtual learning, doctors appointments held over the phone, and so much more. West Virginia State members were asked to contribute to this special edition of the Newsette with articles, poems, stories, and photos that represent Delta Kappa Gamma during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope this is a one-of-a-kind Newsette, and we return to our traditional editions in the Fall. Connie Boggs Newsette Editor Island By Langston Hughes Wave of sorrow, Do not drown me now: I see the island Still ahead somehow. I see the island And its sands are fair: Wave of sorrow, Take me there. From: Langston Hughes, Selected Poems, NY: Knopf, 1989.
Transcript of NEWSETTE - dkgwv.org · Here was a short anecdote about my virtual experiences during this...
The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International for Key Women EducatorsWest Virginia State Organization
NEWSETTEVolume 70, Number 4 West Virginia Summer 2020
Inthisissue…
ANotefromthePresident...........Page2Musingsfromthe1stVP
Musingsfromthe2ndVP............Page3
NotesfromtheChapters.............Page4
WhiteRoses&Condolences.......Page5
Resilience
ByRebecha CatlettEtaChapter
FaithandOptimism
Propellingmeforward
AsIswim
Throughquicksandbefore
Traversingamountainto
Standatthesummit
Armsraisedhighabovemyhead,
Facetothesun,
Smiling.
Agenuinesmile
Deepandwide,
Cuttingawindingpath
Throughthehardplaces
Androughcrags.
Thesunrise,goldandcrimson
Meetingthestormclouds,
Undeniablycoldandgray.
Bluebellsshoutandtulipswhisper
Throughraindrops
Decidingtherainisperfectlywelcome.
Lighttradesplaceswithdarkness.
“It’sallaboutperspective,”
Thestarsremindme.
A Note from the EditorDuringatypicalSummereditionoftheNewsette youwouldbeseeingphotosandarticlesaboutWestVirginiaState’sLeadershipConference.You’dbereadingarticlesabouttheStateAchievementAwardwinner,PublicationAwards,andphotosofchaptermeetingswherenewofficershadbeeninstalled.
ThiseditionisnotthetypicalSummerNewsette.ThisSpring,theCoronavirus(COVID-19)spreadacrosstheworldandaffectedeveryone’slives.Noonehasbeenuntouchedbythispandemic.Graduationshavebeencancelled,weddingspostponed,schoolsconvertedtovirtuallearning,doctorsappointmentsheldoverthephone,andsomuchmore.
WestVirginiaStatememberswereaskedtocontributetothisspecialeditionoftheNewsette witharticles,poems,stories,andphotosthatrepresentDeltaKappaGammaduringtheCOVID-19pandemic.
Wehopethisisaone-of-a-kindNewsette,andwereturntoourtraditionaleditionsintheFall.
ConnieBoggsNewsette Editor
IslandByLangstonHughes
Waveofsorrow,Donotdrownmenow:IseetheislandStillaheadsomehow.IseetheislandAnditssandsarefair:Waveofsorrow,Takemethere.
From:LangstonHughes,SelectedPoems,NY:Knopf,1989.
PageTwo Newsette Summer2020
A Note from the President…
Author - Catherine M. O’Meara
Musings from our 1st Vice President…
Oneofthedefinitionsofresilience inmyWebster’sDictionaryis---theabilitytorecoverfromoradjusteasilytomisfortuneorchange.We,asanation,arefacedwiththedailyuncertaintyofaserioushealthcrisisthatimpactsourfamilies,friendsandourselves.Nomatterhowdireortragicmysituationmaybecome,Ialwaystrytofindsomepositiveeffectthiscrisismayprovide.Oneofmyfourth-gradestudentshadthisoutlookonthedayofSept.11th.MystudentswereintheirPhysicalEducationclassandIwaslisteningtotheTVgradingpapersasthetragedyunfoldedbeforemyeyes.Mysuperintendenttoldparentstheycouldtaketheirchildrenhomeiftheysowished.By11:00a.m.,Ihad5studentsleftinmyclasslookingveryapprehensiveandfrightened.Itwasdifficulttoreassurethemweweresafeatschool.Mylittleguy,Dallas,wantedtosharehispositiveoutlookwithusandsaid,“Hey,guys,thisjustmeansmorechickenfriesforusatlunch!”
MywishforallofourDKGsistersistheCOVID-19virusdoesnotdirectlyimpactyou.Mayyoufindapositivechangeinyourlifeasweexperienceournewnormal.Itmaybeorganizedclosets,bettercomputerskillsaswereachouttoourfamilyandfriends,achancetohelpourneighbors,orjustenjoyingthetimetoslowourhecticpacetoenjoythatbookwewantedtoread.Staysafe.
LindaArbogast,1st VicePresident
Dear Ladies,
It has come to my attention that some of our chapters have already been working on scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and the like in anticipation of turning them in this year at our Leadership Convention (which didn't happen). Glenda suggested that you save them and add more to them to turn in to the Convention next year in Charleston.....April 23-25. We'll be happy to see them then.
May you all be safe and healthy in the next few weeks. Take care of yourselves and your families!
Christy Groves, ChairmanPublication Awards Committee
Herewasashortanecdoteaboutmyvirtualexperiencesduringthispandemic;
Insteadofplanningforretirement,thispandemichasleadmetobecomeavirtualteacher.Myfirstzoommeetingwithmyfourth-gradeclassfoundmeononesitewithmystudentshavingaballfortenminutesontheoriginalzoommeetingsite.Myfirsttextmessagewasalsomemorable. Itexted mycolleague,"Howmany pumpkinsdowe needforalatitude/longitudeprojectforfourclasses?" Partofhertextmessageinreturnread,"Ineed2.I"withtherestofthemessageonthenextline.Ireadthisas21,soIcamehomefromthefarmer'smarketwith21largebasketball-sizedpumpkinsinsteadoftwo.
PeggyGrantham,EtaChapter
Summer2020 Newsette PageThree
Musings from our 2nd Vice President…Pastor,author,motivationalspeaker,andtelevangelist,RobertSchulleroncesaid,“Toughtimesneverlast,buttoughpeopledo”.Neverinourwildestdreamswouldwehavethoughtthatsomethinglikethiscoronaviruswouldhitourworldandchangeourlivesforever.Whoknowswhatourfuturewilllooklikeoncethispandemicisover?It’sahumblingthought.Inmywildestdreams,IwouldhaveneverwishedI’dboughtstockinofallthings,“toiletpaper”!Oh,butIwishIhad!Thetimeswearefacingareunprecedented,butasDKGmembersweareresilient.Weare“tough”andwewilllast.
Thesepastfewmonthshavebeenachallengeforallofus.Manyofushavemissedmanywonderfulopportunities.ImissedatriptoNorthCarolinatocelebrateanuncle’s80th birthday.Friendsmissedcelebratingbirthdayswiththeirgrandchildren;otherspostponedweddingsandsadly,funerals.Forthefirsttime,thatIamawareof,wewerenotabletoholdaWVStateLeadershipConference.HowsadforoursistersofDKG.President,Dr.GlendaWaitheldashortZOOMmeetingand41peoplejoinedtohearwordsofencouragement.
Asnewpresidentsareelected(nowfromadifferentplatformthanourtraditionalmeetingformat)theywillbeginyetanotherbiennium,oneofhopeandpromise.Somechaptersarestrugglingwithmembershipandwithfillingoffices.TheStatemembershipcommitteeisheretohelp.Ifyouneedassistancewithmembershipconcerns,pleasereachout([email protected]).OneideaworthsharingistheideaofaDKGbuddy.Wehadelectronicbuddiesforourmemberswhodidnotusethecomputer.Wemadesureeachmemberhadalltheinformationbeingtransmittedthroughoutthechapter.Thisideacanbeexpandedtolinkveteranmemberswithnewmembersasaformofmentorship.Thebuddyrolecouldbethenewmembersponsororsomeoneclosetothenewmember(schoolcolleagueorfriend).Bycalling,emailing,writingencouragingnotes,etc.,anewmembercanbemadetofeelvaluedandwanted.Isn’tthatwhatweallwant,tofeelvaluedandwanted?Let’sjoinourheartsandmindstogetherinfulfillingthosesevenpurposesofDeltaKappaGamma,thefirstofwhichis:“Tounitewomeneducatorsoftheworldinagenuinespiritualfellowship”. Wewilllast!
ByVickiJenkins
NuLikemanyotherorganizations,
ourin-personmeetingshavebeenputonholdbecauseofthe“SaferatHome”restrictions.Ourmembershavestayedintouchwithoneanother,BettyMcMillionremarkedthateachdayshehasfriendscheckingonher.MegAshbyandMargaretMcCutcheonhavesewnmasksforfamilyandfriends.Severalmembershavevolunteeredtodistributefoodboxestofamiliestoreplacethebreakfastsandluncheschildrenwouldhavereceivedatschool.LaurenJarroll hasbeenvideotapedreadingstoriesforthechildren’slessoninworshipservicesatSummersvillePresbyterianChurch.
Wehaveelectedournextbiennium’sofficerselectronically,aswellasselectingtherecipientofourRecruitmentGrant.RothaYounghasbeenelectedtobeNuChapter’sPresident.ShewillbeassistedbyDr.MarilynRogers,PeggyCrowe,RamonaBeverage,CarolMarsh,LindaTaylor,SharonLipps,andLaurenJarroll.Weareplanningtohavepicnicthissummer,to“wrapup”anyunfinishedbusinessofthe2018-2020biennium.
PageFour Newsette Summer2020
News from the ChaptersAlphaBeta
OnMonday,March9,HarrietTubmanvisitedthefourth&fifthgradersatBuckhannonAcademyElementarySchoolinBuckhannon,complimentsofAlphaBetachapter. Ms.IleneEvans,incoordinationwiththeHistoryAliveprogram&VoicesfromtheEarth,performedasHarrietTubman.Usingsinging&studentparticipation,MissIlenetoldthestoryofHarriet'sinvolvementwiththeUndergroundRailroad.
AlphaBetachapterishappytosponsorthisopportunitytobringthelifeofthisamazingwomantothestudents. DeltaKappaGammacelebrates&encourageswomentobeleaders:thisprogramdefinitelyshowsastrongwomanleadingothers.
MuMuChapter’sMarchmeeting
washeldonMarch7th atSpencerElementarySchool.MembersenjoyedabrunchpreparedbyRoaneCountymembers.TheprogramwasaSpringcraftmakeandtakeledbyDorisWeekley.
AmberTaylor,ErikaHarper,andDorisWeekley makewashclothbunnies.
EtaEtaChaptermemberscontinuedtocompleteimportantandinspiringworkduringthisunprecedentedtimeofchallengeanduncertainty. InApril,EtaChapterawarded$700Grants-In-AidtothreeverydeservingwomenpursuingdegreesineducationatShepherdUniversity. TheGrants-In-AidCommittee,co-chairedbymembersLauraRichmondandJuliaLinaweaver,plannedandorganizedextremelysuccessfulANDFUNfundraisers,includingtwothemedauctions,inordertomaketheseimpressiveawardspossible($2,100total). LauraRichmondworkedcloselywiththestaffatShepherdUniversitytoensurethattheawardswouldbegrantedtotherecipientsinatimelyfashion,inspiteofthechallengesposedbyCOVID-19.EtaChapter'slongstandingGrants-in-AidprogramservestosupportlocalEarlyCareerEducators.
EtaChapter'snextmeetingwillbeinSeptemberinBerkeleyCounty. Atthattimethenewmemberswillbeinductedandofficerswillbeinstalled. Memberscan'twaittobetogetheragain!
AlphaBetarecognizes
BeaBurnside- Buckhannon-UpshurHighSchoolTeacherof
theYear
KaylaYocum - UnionElementarySchoolTeacherof
theYear
AlphaEpsilon
ThreemembersofAlphaEpsilonarecelebrating50yearsofmembershipinDeltaKappaGamma. TheyareMelva Hess,DarleneFink,andVeraGraham. Theywillreceive50-yearpinsfortheirdedicationtoDeltaKappaGamma.
AlphaKappa
Asthingsareslowlygettingbacktonormal,wearehopingthatwewillbefullybackbyOctober.Hopefully,wewillbeabletohaveasummerexecutiveplanningcommitteetoplanournextbiennialsothatwecangetourhandbooksready.
Wehaveselectedofficersbyinternetandhavesubmittedthemtostateandnational.WeareencouragingeveryonetopaytheirduesbyJune1,havecollectedmoneyfortheThirstforLearningProject,andwearestillcollectingitemsfortheDomesticViolenceShelter.Inaddition,wearecollectingWVUitemsfortheWestVirginiaSchoolinArgentinastartedbyRubyAlvaro’sexchangestudent.
MadisonWilkinsfromHampshireCountyreceivedthechapterscholarship.RosanneGloverwasselectedasaCWUKeyWomanandinDecembersheaccompaniedoneofherformerstudents,MindyCookmanRatcliff,assheperformedataprivateeventattheWhiteHouse.
Summer2020 Newsette PageFive
White RosesDr.EstherGailDryer(AlphaBeta)February2,2020
RebeccaCuster(EtaChapter)inthedeathofherson,ChristopherCuster.
AnnaFlint(MuChapter)inthedeathofherhusbandinApril.
JackieMcDaniels (AlphaBeta) inthedeathofherbrother,Jeff.
CarolynHarper(AlphaKappa)onthedeathofherhusband.
RosanneHarperGlover(AlphaKappa)onthedeathofherbrother.
PeggyHigh(AlphaKappa)onthedeathofhersister.
Bett Sims(EtaChapter)inthedeathofherfather,KenSims.
Condolences
ThoughtsAbouttheCoronavirus
VickieSkavenski
Ourpresident,GlendaWait,saysthatwemustberesilient.IthinkWestVirginiateachershavealwaysbeenresilient,andafter34yearsinthepublicschoolsystem,Iamconvincedthatweprobablyhavedonemorewithourstudentswithlessresourcesthananyotherstate.Wedidn’talwayshaveeverything,butwemadesurethatourstudentsdidn’tsufferifwehadtotakethemoneyfromourownpockets.
Istillhave80rosesuckersfrozenthatwillappearsomewherealongtheway,andifyouareinterestedinapaintingprojectnextyearatthestatemeeting,letmeknow—Ihaveareallynicehomecanvasreadythatwedidn’tuseatourjointmeetingwithEta.
Thatsaid,Iwouldliketolookatsomeofthepositivethingsthatweretheresultofthisvirusandourperiodofisolation.
• Lifesloweddownformostofus.Wewerenolongerrushingtomeetingsandpreparingpresentationsformeetings.Wejusthadtimetostopandbreathe.
• Closetsthathadnotbeentouchedinyearswerecleanedbecausewesuddenlyhadthetime.Goodwill,theSalvationArmy,andThriftstoreswillgreatlybenefitfromthis.AlphaKappaissavingslightlyusedbraswhichweplantocollectinOctoberalongwithfeminineproductsfortheDomesticViolenceShelter.
• Ourflowerbedshaveprobablyneverlookedbetter,andwehavehadtimetopaintandfixthemanyitemsonourlists.
• Judgingbythelackofflourandyeastinstores,Ithinkthereisawholenewgenerationlearningthejoyofbakingyourownbread.
• Manybeginnershavepickedupcrocheting,embroidery,andquiltingbyorderingkitsonline.
• Wehavelearnedtocallandcheckonourneighbors.• Wehavemademaskswhichhavebeendistributedtolocal
businesses,thenursinghomes,churches,fireandrescuesquads,localtruckingfirms,etc.Thisnotonlygaveustheopportunitytohelpothers,butitcleanedoutallthosepiecesoffabricthatwehadstashedaway.
• Finally,ifyouarelikeme,youthoughtaboutadaythatyouwouldquitcoloringyourhairandjustgonatural.Theonlybadthingwasthatyoudidn’twantpeopleseeingallthedifferentstages.IhadmyhaircutshortinJanuaryandsincenoonehasreallyseenmethatmuch,youwillbesurprisedatthisnewshade.Ihopemanymoreofyoutookadvantageofthistime,too.
NEWSETTEConnie Boggs, Editor50 Fire House Rd. Fairmont, WV 26554
The Newsette is published four times a year:
Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer
by the West Virginia State Organization of The Delta
Kappa Gamma Society International.
Deadlines are September 1, December 1 , March 1, and June 1, respectively.
Please send correspondence to
Connie Boggs, Editor50 Fire House Rd.
Fairmont, WV 26554Phone – 304-376-3197
Blast from the Past… Summer 2000Here’saphotographfromtheSummer2000editionoftheNewsette featuringStateAchievementwinners.Atthe2000StateConvention,CarolWatsonwashonoredwiththeaward.Inthearticle,Carolsaid“Thehonorofreceivingthisawardcannotbestated… Somanypeoplehavehelpedtobemyguidesandtobemymentors.TheSocietyanditsmembershavegivensomuchtome.”
