End of the Semester. We Made It!
December 8, 2020
We have reached the end of the fall semester. At the beginning of the semester, we had a pool in the office to pick the date we would be shut down. No one won! It went far better than I ever would have thought it could. As we move towards Christmas and our long break, I pray that you are all safe and healthy and we can return in January to a renewed hope in the future and a spring semester free of COVID and a spring and summer of picnics, family and unrestrained proximity!
I wanted to call some people out for their exceptional work during the first semester. First, Tracy Jackson. She is the admin for early and middle childhood education. She works tirelessly for you all and should be mentioned as a loved and valued member of the department and more importantly as our friend! You are the best Tracy!
Of course, we need to acknowledge all of the hard work and flexibility demonstrated by all of the faculty. This COVID thing threw us all off our game but it was so impressive to see how everyone coped and creatively dealt with a very bad situation. Nicely done! My faculty, Dr. Winston Vaughn, Sally Barnhart, Mary Lisa Vertuca, Teresa Young, Laney Bender-Slack, Dr. Deborah Kuchey, Amy Kasten, and Julie Schenke, you are all wonderful teachers, professionals and friends. Please have a blessed break.
I would also like to acknowledge the retirement of our friend and colleague Dr. Leslie Prosak-Beres. Her over thirty years in our department have left a lasting legacy. She created and led the reading program for 15 years; she created and led the summer reading program and was an integral part of the development of the reading program and the solid reading core we require from our students today. She was also an active member of faculty committee and was the faculty Coordinator in Mission and Identity for several years too! Congratulations on a long and very successful career. Enjoy your well-deserved break as you move on to the next chapter of life! We will miss you.
With Love.
Thomas Knestrict
