10 September 2012

KOKOMO, Ind. — Indiana University Kokomo is offering area school children and the community at large a close-up look at law enforcement at its annual Public Safety Day. The event will take place this Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the parking lot next to the basketball court on Rebecca Lane.

Everyone is invited to visit with representatives of more than a dozen public safety agencies, including the FBI, SWAT team, fire fighters, police officers and emergency management officials. Visitors also will see police cars, fire trucks, an FBI surveillance truck, and other equipment, all

IU Kokomo criminal justice students will teach safety seminars on topics including online safety and security, weather safety, and identity theft.

Steven Glass, president of the IU Kokomo Criminal Justice Association and Alpha Phi Sigma honor society, event co-sponsors, said some children may be afraid of law enforcement officials, and Public Safety Day gives them an opportunity to see first-hand what they do to protect them.

"It may even inspire some of the children to consider law enforcement careers," he said. "They will also see our quality criminal justice program, so if they choose that as their career, they will know they can earn their degree here."

Dave Selby, chief of the IU Kokomo Police Department, said Public Safety Day is an opportunity for law enforcement agencies to show the resources they have available to keep the community safe.

"This is also a great way to encourage a college-bound mentality for children," he said. "They will have fun visiting a college campus, and realize that college is something that is possible in their future."

Two-hour field trip openings are still available after 11 a.m. To reserve a space, call 765-455-9217, or e-mail tylange@iuk.edu.

Individual visitors are welcome between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Free parking is available on campus.

Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.

06 September 2012

KOKOMO, Ind. — Curiosity, NASA's Mars rover, has captivated the country's attention since it landed on Mars August 5.

Observatory open house for the "ring of fire"

This Sunday, area residents can learn more about Curiosity's mission at an open house hosted by the Indiana University Kokomo Observatory, from 8 to 11 p.m.

Patrick Motl, assistant professor of physics, will give a short presentation about Curiosity, also known as the Mars Science Laboratory, and its mission to investigate the Red Planet's habitability, climate, and geology, and to collect data for a manned mission to Mars.

Stargazers may also view Mars through the Observatory's telescopes, which are a six-inch Takahashi refracting telescope and a 16-inch Meade reflecting telescope mounted together. The Takahashi provides exceptionally sharp images of planets, while the Meade lets stargazers see fainter objects in the sky, due to its larger light collecting area.

Motl said Mars and Saturn will set shortly after sunset. Viewer may also see highlights in the summer triangle, such as the ring nebula in Lyra, a small constellation.

The open house is free and open to the public in the Observatory, 105 E. Rebecca Lane. Free parking is available on campus.

Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.

06 September 2012

KOKOMO, Ind. — Indiana University Kokomo education students will offer free, fun activities to children and their parents Saturday, while gaining valuable hands-on lesson planning experience.

Members of Educational Student Advisory Committee (EdSAC), an organization for education majors, developed Education Express, a train-themed educational carnival geared to children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Activities include story writing, modeling clay, puppet play, and worm races. Students also will talk to parents about how to replicate those activities to continue the learning process at home.

Jessica Beck, EdSAC president, said the group's goal is "to showcase a variety of interesting things parents can do to focus on literacy, and supplement what their child is learning at school."

Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight will kick off the event at 10 a.m. in Alumni Hall, with a proclamation honoring the day. Each child will receive a passport, and has until 2 p.m. to complete at least 10 stations, to earn a free book.

Refreshments, including Noble Roman's pizza and Coca-Cola products, will be available. Campus mascot Kingston Cougar will be available to meet his young fans as well.

Beck said planners wanted to give students a chance not only to develop and implement a lesson plan, but also to interact with children and their parents.

"It's one thing to be great with kids, but you have to be able to talk to parents, too, in order to be successful as a teacher," she said. "This also gives us a chance to give back to all the schools who allow us to learn in their classrooms as we develop our teaching skills."

Event sponsors include the IU Kokomo School of Education, the IU Kokomo Early Childhood Education Center, and Partners in Education.

Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.

06 September 2012

KOKOMO, Ind. — In a time of fierce competition for teaching jobs, nearly 80 percent of Indiana University Kokomo's School of Education 2012 graduates are employed at schools this school year.

Dean Paul Paese said this demonstrates the quality of teachers graduating from the program, and is encouraging news to those considering careers in education.

"This is a tribute to the performance and quality of our students, program and faculty," he said. "The public school corporations in our region had more openings than in the previous two years, and the expectation is there will be more openings in the next several years, because of retirements and need in math, science and special education. This is a great time to major in education at IU Kokomo."

Those who found jobs included the three graduates honored as Outstanding Future Educators by the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Vincente Lorenz

Tiffani Bonifant is teaching social studies at Taylor High School, Kourtney (Cox) Hainlen is teaching second-graders at Tri-Central Elementary, and Vincente Lorenz is teaching science at Kokomo High School. Hainlen and Lorenz both accepted jobs in the schools where they did their student teaching. All three believe their IU degrees, along with the awards, made them stand out from the other applicants.

Andy Robertson, director of student teaching, said the awards are the most prestigious recognition given to student teachers.

"We encourage our best and brightest future educators to apply for these awards. We have excellent education majors, and it is hard to choose just three. Tiffani, Kourtney and Vincente are outstanding representatives of our School of Education."

Bonifant enjoyed student teaching social studies at Western High School. She was pleased to receive the award.

"It certainly is gratifying to know I have been recognized for my hard work. To be recognized by IU Kokomo as one of the three most promising teachers isn't something I expected."

Hainlen dreamed of becoming a teacher since she was very young, playing school with her dolls, rather than house. She hopes having the award on her resumé helps her achieve her longtime dream of having her own classroom.

"I always admired my teachers and wanted to be like them when I grew up," she said. "I wanted to be the creative teacher who makes learning fun. It makes me feel really good, to know people think I am a good teacher."

She said her classes prepared her to succeed in the classroom, especially in teaching reading.

Lorenz previously earned an associate's degree in landscaping horticulture, then decided he wanted to teach. He especially enjoys working with special needs students, and may return to IU Kokomo to become a special education teacher.

Lorenz said he was happy, but surprised, to be one of the three IU Kokomo students chosen for the award.

"There are a lot of really good future teachers in our cohort, so I know it was competitive."

Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.