As spring approaches we are delighted to announce the Class of 2011 Kenan Fellows! This year’s group is to be commended for securing their fellowships through a tough, competitive process. Later this month, the cohort will join their Mentors for an introductory meeting, planning session and dinner. Watch the website for a group photo of these amazing teachers and their remarkable mentors as they begin their two-year journey together (www.kenanfellows.org).
With this group of Fellows, we continue to expand our presence in North Carolina. Over forty-two strong, these current Fellows represent nineteen school districts from Mitchell County in the west to Bertie County in the east. Their projects range from "Using Thinking Routines in Inquiry-Based Learning" to engaging with gaming platforms in "Preparing Students for Careers in STEM’" (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Mentors for the Fellows come from university research labs, community colleges and innovative industries. For a complete list of partners and sponsors that support all of the Kenan Fellows, please visit our website! The next time you have a chance, be sure to thank these folks for their continued support for the Program. None of this would be possible without their leadership and commitment of resources.
I present to you all the Class of 2011 Kenan Fellows! Please join me in congratulating this outstanding group of elite teachers.
Dr. Valerie Brown-Schild, Director
Kenan Fellows in the News
Corey White (Class of 2010) was asked to answer the question, "How do you engage disengaged students to get them interested in learning?" His response was in the "Employees’ Point of View" section of Wake County Schools’ Education Matters monthly publication. His advice? "Students who are disengaged need a lot of R & R – Relationship & Relevance – to become engaged in the learning process…Courtesy and kindness, without patronization, go a long way in getting them interested in what the teacher is doing…" Corey teaches mathematics and robotics classes at Ligon Middle School.
Rebecca Hite (Class of 2010) has been elected to the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Science Leadership Association. The NCSLA provides opportunities for science educators at all levels to exchange ideas and information, promotes the cause of quality science instruction and influences the creation of policies and legislation. Rebecca teaches Biology and AP Human Geography and is the Burton Stuart Chair for Math and Science at Chapel Hill High School.
Kelly Allen and Briana Corke (both Class of 2008) have been selected as Educators of Excellence by the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Briana will attend the Ecuador Culture and Ecology Institute, exploring the connections between environmental sustainability and poverty. Kelly will spend nine days in Belize at the Tropical Ecology Institute, learning about the connections between the tropics and North Carolina.
Briana Corke was also featured on WRAL TV as a Teacher of the Week. Her interview is available online.
Congressman David Price will sponsor the Keep Teachers Teaching Act, which will develop innovative programs to keep new and veteran teachers in the classroom. In a letter seeking support for the legislation, he refers to the Kenan Fellows Program as a model that is already working and could be replicated in other states.
GlaxoSmithKline Partners with Kenan Fellows Program
The mission at GlaxoSmithKline is challenging and inspiring: to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. This mission gives GSK the purpose to develop innovative medicines and products that help millions of people around the world.
The company is also committed to supporting education through a number of programs including the sponsorship of two Kenan Fellows, Rebecca Hite (left) and Anna Miller (below right). Both Rebecca and Anna are working to help students understand the world around us through science.
"Education continues to be a very important area for GSK," said Mary Linda Andrews, Director, US Community Partnerships. "We are proud to sponsor the studies that Rebecca and Anna are completing as we believe their work will impact science education and society."
In addition to being one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, GSK works to make a positive contribution to the communities in which they operate and invest in health and education programs and partnerships that aim to bring sustainable improvements to under-served people in the developed and developing world.