On Sunday, April 29, 2012 the Kappa Delta Pi- Kappa Eta Chapter
#247 welcomed 82 new members into the Queens family at their annual
Induction Ceremony. With the addition of 22 members into the
professional chapter and 60 members into the undergraduate chapter,
Kappa Eta also had the honor of inducting Ms. Mary H. Pelkowski,
Associate Dean of Student Engagement, and Harriet Iannelli,
Academic Support Assistant, as honorary members for their
unconditional support and dedication to the chapter.
The theme of this year's induction ceremony was "Passport to
Excellence" following the unforgettable experience that Kappa Eta
had at the 48th KDP Biennial Convocation in
Indianapolis, Indiana in November 2011. Kappa Eta came home
to Queens winning the Achieving Chapter of Excellence Award (ACE)
for the fourth time, which put them in the top 25 out of the 582
chapters across the globe. It didn’t stop there. Two
individual awards were presented to Kappa Eta’s Associate
Counselor, Ms. Alexandra Foukalas, and Counselor, Dean Charisse
Willis. Ms. Foukalas was presented the Distinguished Chapter
Officer Award, which was awarded to a selected few officers who
embodied leadership, programming excellence, and overall team
bonding within their chapters. Dean Willis was presented the
Lucinda Rose Counselor Award, which made her the most renowned
counselor within the international KDP community for the
biennium.
The Kappa Eta Executive Board wanted to continue to travel with
their accomplishments and fly the rest of the chapter, family,
friends, faculty, and administrators to the Induction
Ceremony. As guests arrived at Marillac Airport, they were
checked into Kappa Eta Airlines, Flight #247. Flight
attendants greeted our travelers and guided them to their seats to
prepare them for their departure. Prior to any lift-off, a
welcome and safety precaution video was played. As the plane
started to ascend into the sky, the formal ceremony
began.
Airborne, the audience launched into gear with keynote speaker,
Dr. Yvonne Pratt-Johnson. Special awards were presented to Dr. Mary
Beth Schaefer, recipient of the "Teacher of the Year" award and
Douglas Cipolla Jr., recipient of the "Excellence in Service"
award. The Kappa Eta Executive Board also inducted the new
Executive Board for the 2012-2013 academic year; Crista Sturgeon,
Kelvin Sage, Kelly Baierlein, Jeffrey Park, Kerry Andreozzi,
Danielle Paige, Alexa Galberth, and Cameron
Dickson.
The flight was extremely smooth and no reports of turbulence
were made. As they started to approach their destination, the
travelers were offered a spectacular dinner fest in Marillac
Terrace as they celebrated their accomplishments and achievements
in the field of Education. Co-Captains Willis and Foukalas
and the Flight Executive Board hoped that all our travelers enjoyed
their flight and that they would travel with them again in the near
future to events of service and professional development.
- Alexandra Foukalas, Associate Counselor