June 29, 2011
For the second consecutive year, both of St. John’s University’s
chapters of Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in
Education, have won the society’s bi-annual Achieving Chapter
Excellence (ACE) Award.
Members of the two St. John’s chapters —
Kappa Eta (Queens campus) and
Alpha Beta Gamma (Staten Island campus) — will accept the award
at Kappa Delta Pi’s 48th Biennial Convocation in Indianapolis this
November. This is the second time that Kappa Eta has won an ACE
Award, and the third time for Alpha Beta Gamma.
Only the top 25 from among 582 Kappa Delta Pi chapters worldwide
were chosen to receive this year’s ACE Awards.
“Being among the winners in any single year is a remarkable
accomplishment,” said
Charisse Willis ’89SVC, ’91MS, ’95PD, Associate Dean of The
School of Education at St. John’s. “Receiving the award for two
or more consecutive years is all the more impressive — reflecting
our students’ focus on academic excellence and community
service.”
Queens' Kappa Eta Chapter Photo Gallery
Staten Island's Alpha Beta Gamma Chapter Photo Gallery
An Outstanding Slate of Programs
“Even to be considered, a chapter has to ha
ve an outstanding slate of programs for its
members, its campus and the community at large,” said Suzanne
Ragone ‘03GEd, Assistant Dean of The School of Education at the
Staten Island campus. “We’re proud that St. John’s chapters of
Kappa Delta Pi have been deemed worthy of this special recognition
for two years in a row — three years for the Staten Island
chapter.”
The qualities the ACE Awards recognize have special meaning for
Education students at St. John’s, said Alexandra Foukalas ‘11Ed,
‘13GEd, associate counselor for the Kappa Eta chapter. “The School
of Education embodies and emphasizes the Vincentian mission of St.
John’s itself,” she said. “That mission — making a positive impact
on other people’s lives — is part of what being a teacher is all
about.”
In addition to receiving the award, Executive Board members from
both chapters will deliver presentations at the convocation in
Indianapolis in November:
- Staten Island Chapter
Regina Mistretta, Ed.D., Associate Professor of Education and
Associate Counselor for the Staten Island chapter, will present on
“Don’t Forget Your Parents! Cultivating Parent-Child Collaborations
in Math and Science.”
Marilyn Dono-Koulouris, Ed.D., Assistant Professor and First-Year
Student Program Coordinator, will present a workshop entitled
“Don’t Forget Your Parents! Cultivating Parent-Child Collaborations
in Math and Science and Learning in a Global World.”
- Queens Chapter
Five members will present on “Charter vs. Public Schools:
Inner-City Challenges”: Alexandra Foukalas; Sharon Kim ‘12Ed;
Kelvin Sage ‘13Ed; Ashley Thomas ‘12Ed; and Erica Zissel
‘12Ed.
Both of St. John’s chapters offered special programs this year
that enhanced the offerings available not only to members, but to
the entire campus community. According to Alexandra, the Queens
chapter had a strong start this past Fall by exceeding its goals
for recruiting new members.
The Queens chapter also created a series of “assemblies” that
invited faculty to address students about the latest trends and
issues in K-12 education. Other activities involved promoting
social causes including St.
John’s Bread and Life, a full-service soup kitchen and agency
operated by the University; “Rachel’s Challenge,” a service
initiative honoring Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine
Massacre; and the University-wide event promoting autism
awareness.
The Staten Island chapter launched a literacy project that invited
local kindergarten and first-grade students—and their parents—to
the Staten Island campus for events that strengthened literacy
awareness. The events included a parents’ workshop and a “Dr. Seuss
Read-Aloud” hosted by students and supported by a special grant
from Kappa Delta Pi.
“Next year,” said Ms. Ragone, “we hope to expand this project to
include adolescent students in middle schools. Middle-school
children are often in special need of assistance with academic
success, and the Staten Island chapter wants to build on our
success with elementary school children to help that
population.”
We invite you to learn more about the programs, students and
faculty of The
School of Education at St. John’s University.