Suncoast Animal’s Puerto Rico rescuesSuncoast Animal League volunteers off to Puerto Rico
Being part of a community equates to strength in times of crisis. The Status Puerto Rico website claims 14% of the island has electricity and 53% cell service. College of Education instructor, Dr. Emily Hoeh, witnessed the devastation in Puerto Rico on a recent mission. The island, hard hit by the Hurricane Maria – still without power, lacking food and supplies. Many left before and after the hurricane, leaving behind pets.
Suncoast Animal League volunteer and thankful friend
Suncoast Animal League flew in the first time with vaccines and food to help, but were shocked by conditions and promised to return. Word got out and two planes sponsored by Helen Rich from On the Wings of Angels Rescue and Suncoast Animal League were partnered to go back. The planes flew Suncoast volunteers with food and supplies donated from the generous community to take back to Puerto Rico and get to those in need. Their plan — fill the plane with as many dogs and cats as they could.
Community
Dr. Emily Hoeh, Suncoast Animal volunteer, helped bring back 85 dogs and 26 cats on the return trip. Suncoast Animal League had to find temporary housing for 111 animals that needed medical attention, baths and vetting. Again, community stepped up. Creative Sign Designs loaned out a warehouse for a month to use as housing.
Thank you to On the Wings of Angels Rescue for sponsoring the cost of the planes, Creative Design for donating temporary housing and for Suncoast Animal League for rescuing 111 animals. Thanks to all the vets, caring volunteers, groomers/bathers who helped with this cause.
Office of School Partnerships – Sherri Kent-Roberts, Francine Fuentes and Dr. Wanda Santos
The Office of School Partnerships (OSP) hosted a career seminar for all future teaching interns in October at the Clearwater campus. This collaborative event could not have occurred without the partnership of the school districts who host our interns. The partnerships included Hernando, Pinellas and Hillsborough County School Districts.
Hernando County Principal, Mary Ledoux, from Eastside Elementary School, brought her team to conduct a mock interview. Final Intern, Anastasia Parent, volunteered to participate in this mock interview. She reported that this experience really prepared her for upcoming interviews with principals.
Carlmon Jones and Jessica Fisher from Pinellas County Schools provided resume and interviewing tips. This was extremely helpful to our students, as the majority of
Students
them are interested in working for Pinellas County Schools.
The career seminar’s afternoon consisted of break-out sessions with Hernando, Pinellas and Hillsborough County. This gave the students an opportunity to compare the districts and evaluate their best employment options. All districts offer solid benefits for SPC graduates.
Seminar for COE students
Pam Wilkins, speaker at OSP seminar
A quality education degree
Our programs meets all Florida Department of Education Certification requirements
We give you extensive experience in public schools including diverse placements
You take practicums and and a final internship supervised by veteran educators
We offer free extracurricular professional development experiences
Research infused programs
For more information about options in Education: contact Pat Roper at roper.pat@spcollege.edu or 727-712-5410.
STEM areas for teaching at St. Petersburg College invites you to an Open House on Monday, October 23rd at Clearwater Campus in the ES Building, Room 104 from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm. Those interested can learn about careers and other College of Education opportunities like trips to NASA, Student Clubs and what they offer and Study Abroad opportunties.
Assistance for Spring Session registration will be available. COE STEM Night is having a Science Reading Fair featuring books for K-6 students hosted by COE students from the class Science Concepts in the Classroom. JOIN US!
Science Fair
If you love science
Teacher preparation programs combine laboratory-based science work with
practical, school-based experiences to prepare you for professional certification to teach science in middle and high schools. You earn a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Science and Biology Education (grades 6-12). Grads will be prepared to teach a wide range of science courses found in the modern high school, including biology, marine biology, anatomy and physiology and environmental science. Many of our graduates certify in chemistry as well. Middle grades Science (grades 5-9) degree
will prepare you to teach topics like astronomy, earth science, life science and physical science.
If you love math
SFEA Volunteers
This teacher preparation program combines math content and applications with practical, school-based experiences to prepare students for professional certification for middle and high schools. You earn a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Math (grades 6-12) Education.
Dr. Emily Hoeh took 13 students from the College of Education to volunteer at the Buddy Walk on Saturday afternoon, October 7th promoting civic responsibility. The COE community service responsibilities at the Buddy Walk was helping with kids activities during the tailgate party. The volunteer group walked in support of the participants to the Raymond James Stadium football field. It was a productive and engaging experience for the pre-service teachers who were troopers, despite the heat.
Buddy Walk volunteers from COE
Buddy Walk for Down’s Syndrome
Community service and volunteerism are an investment in our community and the people who live in it. Volunteering increases self-confidence and the more we give, the happier we feel. Doing good for others provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Volunteering allows students to get involved with new things and develop technical, social, and academic skills that couldn’t be learned in a classroom environment. These are important skills for students training to be teachers.
Some of the Buddy Walk Day’s Events
The pre-service teachers helped with some of the fun events like: 4-Way Power Bungee Jump, 2 Hamster Balls, a Bungee Run Obstacle Course, a 15 ft. Slide Giant slide, and 4-in-1 Combo Bouncer. There was dancing, face painting, food, prizes, firetrucks, superheroes and princesses, pirates, balloon animals and much more! Something for everyone to enjoy!
Dr. Hoeh thanks the participants for their support!
The Buddy Walk® was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. The Buddy Walk is open to all participants of all ages and abilities. Each location has places to sit, relax and watch if you cannot walk the distance. It has grown form 17 walks in 1995 to over 250 in 2017.
A U.S. News & World Report article on a recent study measured the impact on low-income, black boys if they had one black teacher as a role model during elementary school. Minority students need to see teachers who look like them. With just ONE teacher who looked like them, they were 39 percent less likely to drop out and 29 percent more likely to say that college was in their future.
Cultural identity seems to be a factor that students connect with. An immediate sense of trust develops with teachers of same race/ethnic background. If someone like the student is in a some professional role, they think they can be like that person.
SPC’s College of Education’s Dr. Susan Blanchard said, “We need minority teachers,” and we need to keep them.
Black teachers seem to have higher educational expectations of black students. This increases the aspirations and engagement of those students. Inadvertent bias held by teachers may be a factor in the achievement gap. When evaluating the same black student, non-black teachers expected less from students, according to a John Hopkins survey. Non-black teachers presumed the student was 30 percent less able to graduate from a four-year college. White teachers thought 40 percent of black male and female students would not graduate high school.
The Shanker Institute Fall 2015 report found teachers of color in nine major cities from 1987-2012 were being recruited at a slightly higher rate as white teachers. Unfortunately over the time period, black teachers were leaving the profession at a higher rate. Reasons stated were placement in hard-to-staff schools with high poverty rates, working conditions, and feeling unappreciated.
US News & World Report
Excellent teachers are the main determinant of in school success for all children.
All children benefit from varied backgrounds, races and ethnic groups of their teachers. What can be done to increase retention for their role model?
Some Suggestions for Role Model Retention:
A mentoring period for teachers
Salary increases over successful mentoring period with higher salariesMichael Wiggs, 4th grade teacher and SPC grad, Minority Teacher Ed Scholarship recipient
overall
Supportive administrative team – diversity training needed for colleagues’ support
Continuing education for teachers
Ability to meet career ambitions
Community support – appeal to minority family involvement
Personnel should mirror student enrollment; professional role models are needed
Look at retention rates for new teachers over specified time periods.
In conclusion, to be successful in keeping ALL role models, developing teacher recruitment initiatives seems to go hand in hand with retention initiatives.
Naomi came to college with the demands of home and family. A young mother of 2 babies and a husband, sought a brighter future for herself and children she believed she could help. She decided to go into teaching. Previously she had been a math tutor and a ballet teacher, but felt she could contribute to the community. It was important to show her daughters that anything is possible.
During her first semester in the College of Ed there were at least 9 shooting deaths in south St. Pete in a two month time span. Naomi realized from her Diverse Pop course that her community lacked neighborhood teachers that understood the struggles of the students in the area. She wanted to be part of the solution.
Her Struggles
Not only did Naomi have a full home life and go to school, but personally she lacked confidence. She sat in the front of her classes, stressing on every detail of every assignment and determined to get all A’s. She was so focused on getting A’s that she ended up in a car accident trying to study flash cards while driving (She did get an A however!). Part of Naomi’s insecurity came from the fact that she is hearing impaired.
In her EDG 3620 class before she began her presentation, she apologized to the class for a speech impediment they might hear due to her being hearing impaired. Naomi’s professor pulled her aside after and told her to “never” apologize for being hearing impaired. People with disabilities should be seen as individuals who are equals, and who are entitled to common respect and dignity. But often, we forget to accept ourselves and need to stop apologizing for things we cannot control. During her EEX 3012 class she had a “light bulb” moment. Everyone is a person first, not a disability.
At one point, Naomi was struggling with all the demands of home, family and school. She did not fall through the cracks. She went to see what she could do. The caring College of Ed faculty and staff listened and followed up with her to keep her on the track to success.
Her acceptance became her Success
She was such an inspiring student, AFC asked her to speak at their Spring 2017 conference about her experiences. She is a very confident young woman that her daughters can be proud of. Demands of home, family and now a full time job will not slow down her dream.
Naomi has graduated from SPC with a BS in Elementary Ed K-6 and will be a second grade teacher at Maximo Elementary this fall where she will meet new demands and continue to succeed. Maximo, a Skyway Bridge neighborhood school needs teachers like Naomi to help other children reach their potential. We wish you well and every success!
SPC’s College of Education congratulates Heidi D’ Ambrosio on her new position as Principal of Richard L. Sanders School! SPC is proud of your accomplishments!
Principal Heidi D’ Ambrosio began her love of education at St. Petersburg College. She graduated in 2004 with a B.S. in Exceptional Student Education K-12 with ESOL Endorsement. She then went on to obtain her master’s degree and finally her doctorate in Special Education Policy and Leadership from the University of South Florida. Heidi was hired as Assistant Principal for Calvin Hunsinger School in 2013. This school serves K-12 children who have sensory, emotional or behavioral challenges with a positive support program.
Recognition for Achievement
In 2016 while at Calvin Hunsinger, she was recognized for her work at the statewide Florida Council for Exceptional Children conference. She received the Florida Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders award for Outstanding Leadership by providing innovative programs.
Florida Council for Exceptional Children
Heidi’s newest challenge in Fall 2017 will be in the role of principal for Richard L. Sanders School K-12 program. Originally called Parkland School, the facility was built in 1958 as a school for the mentally handicapped. The school’s mission is to help students learn the effective skills necessary to grow into successful adults in a positive, safe, and respectful school environment. Their motto is learning, growing, and succeeding.
Heidi believes that helping lay the foundation for students to learn and grow helps children succeed both behaviorally and academically. This not only includes school staff, but family support.
“Working as a team we can help each child find success,” she said.
A minority teachers scholarship, funded by the Florida Fund for Minority Teachers, is now taking applications. If you qualify, you could get up to $4,000 per year towards your teaching education.
SPC grad receives minority teachers scholarship
A recipient of the minority teachers scholarship for two years, Michael Wiggs knows first hand how much of a difference the scholarship can make. A 2016 SPC College of Education graduate and former president of SPC’s International Honor Society in Education, Wiggs currently teaches 4th grade in Tampa’s Sulphur Springs K-8 Community School.
Wiggs is pictured above with Melissa Carroll, Therese Whitehurst and Courtney Baker, also members of Kappa Delta Pi and SPC education graduates.
Michael Wiggs
An Elevate School, Sulpher Springs partners with the YMCA and Sulphur Springs Neighborhood of Promise where extracurricular activities and tutoring sessions are provided.
High needs schools like Sulpher Springs are ranked by unfilled, available teacher positions, and located where at least 30 percent of students come from families with incomes below the poverty line.
The Florida Fund for Minority Teacher (FFMT) Scholarship provided some financial relief for Wiggs. In addition, attending two FFMT Symposiums with classmates who also received the award allowed him to create a bond with the other students, an important link in his success. He was hired at one of the FFMT Symposiums and one of his classmates received multiple job offers. This opportunity allowed the students attending to network with other teachers in school districts throughout Florida.
Dr. Nancy Watkins
To be successful, teachers must have an out of the box teaching strategy and tools to reach their students. Wiggs’ training at St. Petersburg College introduced him to what classroom management tools he would need to be successful in his 4th grade class.
One of his favorite instructors at St. Petersburg College was Dr. Nancy Watkins. In her Classroom Management course, she read one of his favorite quotes by Haim G. Ginott:
“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.”
He approaches each day in his class with this quote in mind. The demands of teaching in high-needs schools can be intimidating. It requires passion, dedication and perseverance. The FFMT Symposiums gave Wiggs the opportunity to work in a school where he will make a difference.
Wiggs found his experience at St. Petersburg College to be amazing and thought the faculty and staff were phenomenal! The Florida Fund for Minority Teachers scholarship was an additional bonus to lessen his financial burden at college.
The priority deadline for this minority teachers scholarship is August 1 for this fall. Contact Sherri Kent-Roberts at Kentroberts.sherri@spcollege.edu or 727-341-4659 for more information or visit their website to learn more about the Minority Teachers Scholarship.
We would like to recognize and congratulate our recent A.S. Early Childhood graduate, Shontrell Thomas, from PARC Discovery Learning Center. St. Petersburg College co-sponsored with Seminole Chamber of Commerce to pay tribute to 20 Seminole area teachers. Teachers received gifts and were applauded from the sponsors at the April breakfast event.
Shontrell works with a special group of children at Discovery Learning Center at PARC. It is based in Saint Petersburg and offers early intervention services. They provide comprehensive and specialized programs to children who are at risk of developmental delays, and children who are mentally and physically challenged. They also provide preschool and voluntary pre-kindergarten programs to children ages 3 years old and up. Their program implements individualized learning plans to ensure children are ready to learn and develop life skills.
Early Intervention Curriculum with trained and experienced teachers working with children of all abilities
Nursing available to assist families with preventive health care, to dispense medication and to act as a liaison between a child’s physician and the school
Transportation*
The Thoresen Foundation Rainforest Therapy Center, an independent, on-site physical, occupational and speech/language therapy group providing prescribed therapy to children as recommended by the child’s physician
Early Invention Art and Music Therapy and Education
R’Club Child Care Inc. Healthy Foundations Food Program Site provides breakfast, lunch and two healthy snacks every day to each child.
Seminole Chamber of Commerce & SPC honor 20 area teachers
Congratulations to all the special teachers in the photo above chosen to be honored: William Black, Anona Elementary; Jennifer Connolly, Bardmoor Elementary; Sybil Lotz, Bauder Elementary; Vincent Volpe, Career Academies of Seminole; Ashley Senka, Indian Rocks Christian School; Amy Withee, Keswick Christian; Dan Grigg, LIFT Academy; Marilyn Gars, Oakhurst Elementary; Jan Hale, Orange Gove Elementary; Craig Sidorowicz, Osceola Middle; Jerry Righter, Osceola Fundamental; Shontrell Thomas, PARC Discovery; Lourdes Pickart, Ridgecrest Elementary; Deborah Fugate, Seminole Elementary; Lynda Burdette; Seminole Middle; Bill Scales, Seminole High, Debra Taylor, Starkey Elementary; and Jennifer Lechner, St. Petersburg College, Seminole Campus. Two teachers not pictured above, Shelley Urban, Blessed Sacrament; and Angela Wolfenden, Madeira Beach Fundamental.
Daniel Conrad hopes he brought lasting positive change to a tiny Navajo Mountain High School. This is Part 2 of the story.
Daniel, an SPC graduate, says the most enjoyable part of his job is working with students that have been told they can’t do something. He works hard to show them there is a path to prove they can succeed. All children have potential and all should have the chance to reach their maximum potential.
Some of the students on the robotics team have criminal records; some were documented bullies and some students with learning disabilities. None of the students, nor Daniel, knew anything about robotics. The Navajo community is a closed community. They are hesitant to speak with people outside their own. Their tiny rural school has not received any positive accolades in more than a decade, much less a college graduate.
Some challenges and the highlights
The team overcomes challenges
The robot was not programmed and we had to compete the next day – one student stepped up to the challenge and learned to program Java in a day.
The students never stopped improving. Their first scoring gear did not work in the Utah competition, so they had a defense-based robot. For the Idaho competition, they redesigned and became one of the best scoring robots on the field. At the Texas championship, their climbing robot was redesigned to be lighter, faster and larger. Drive train failure at the Houston Championships – what used to take a week to rebuild in the beginning, was done in an hour.
The team went from a “closed” community to one of the most popular teams. In Idaho and Championships they enjoyed dinner every night with a different team and made friends that continue still. This summer a team from Salt Lake City will travel and camp with the Naatsis’áán Robotics Team and build robots together.
Lasting positive change
More than half the students want to attend college now. Two seniors earned a full ride to Utah State University through the team.
The robotics team brought pride back to their school. Students have been invited to do a workshop at the URSA (Utah Rural Schools Association) annual conference this summer. Two students will be required to present their accomplishments to teachers and administrators from throughout Utah.
Teamwork is the key to their lasting positive change. Their team operates under a simple concept, no one person can do everything and everybody is important. “Every kid believes that if we lost a single member, then we would not have been a success,” said Daniel. “Watching these students grow and develop as individuals has been inspirational.”
People kept telling Daniel it was a miracle. He knew better. The students did their best. They won every award the team Team 6546 was eligible for.
A group who finally believed in themselves enough to show the world how talented they really were.
Daniel’s story
Daniel came from a rough area with public housing. He did not have great experiences in the schools he attended. In his late 20’s he decided to go to SPC and become a teacher. He believed he had the skills to work with children. He went part time and graduated as a Middle Grades Science teacher. When he graduated, he knew he wanted to leave Florida and by accident found the opportunity to work at the Navajo School. It was for a one-year contract that was non-renewable.
This is where Daniel Conrad does not give himself enough credit. Daniel gives all the kudos to the students and they are the heroes in this story. I believe though, that without Daniel’s guidance and belief in them, there would never have been the idea that they could achieve any of this – they would never attempted any of this. He learned about grants, sponsorships, GoFundMe and whatever it took to help his students achieve their participation.
Team 6546 Naatsis’áán Robotics
“The first step in reaching a goal is for a child to believe that they can go beyond what they thought was possible,” said Daniel. “I feel that as a teacher, I have to be willing to do whatever it takes to enable student achievement.”
Sadly, Daniel has to move on to his next phase. He is looking for an underachieving school in Oklahoma to see if he can initiate lasting positive change somewhere else. We wish him well and I hope he keeps in touch.
Wiggs is pictured above with Melissa Carroll, Therese Whitehurst and Courtney Baker, also members of Kappa Delta Pi and SPC education graduates.
Daniel Conrad hopes he brought lasting positive change to a tiny 
