MasonBuzz.com

Sue Kiesewetter reports

A group of Warren County educators and business leaders traveled to Columbus recently to meet with Ohio Department of Education officials, legislators and Ohio’s National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Educators who went were recipients of the 2011 Project Excellence Award sponsored by the Area Progress Council. Educators from every Warren County school district were honored.

The group talked with ODE officials about thematic, inquiry based learned and changes in the core standards students are expected to learn.

Following lunch hosted by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the group toured the capital, met with Rep. Peter Beck and were recognized in the senate.

Those who traveled to Columbus included educators Sarah Baker and Lisa Walker, Little Miami; Laura Bergman-Burkland and Tess Rivero, Waynesville; Sandy Gemmel and Kelly Gholz, Mason; Breat Gordon, Lebanon

Michele Murphy and Connie Williams, Carlisle; Susan Sigler, Warren County Education Service Center; Megan Trowbridge, Springboro; and Todd Paul, Warren County Career Center.

Business persons who attended included Keith Argabright, National Bank and Trust; Hope Bone, Bone and Bone CPAs; Walt Davis, Shakerland Farms

John McMinn, Lochmoor Stable; Bill Thornton, president, Project Excellence; Bill Russell, retired; and Arla Tannehill, Area Progress Council of Warren County.

Posted in: Business, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: area progress council, business leaders, columbus, educators, mason, ohio department of education, ohio national federation of independent businesses, project excellence award, warren county

A Mason teacher shared her education techniques and passion for teaching with educators in the poverty-stricken island nation of Haiti last month.

Tammy DiPenti, a third grade teacher at Mason Heights, spent a week in Haiti in late July sharing effective teaching strategies during Children’s International Lifeline’s third annual teaching conference.

DiPenti, the keynote speaker at the conference, created lesson plans and modeled effective teaching strategies with village children as about 50 to 60 local Haitian teachers watched.

“Mason City Schools does an outstanding job training their teachers to be effective educators in the classroom. I wanted to take the training that I received and share it with the teachers in Haiti,” said DiPenti.

DiPenti, who traveled to Haiti with her husband, Anthony, also visited and distributed food and personal hygiene items to widows, orphanages and tent cities.  She also provided teachers with school supplies — materials DiPenti says are scarce in Haiti — she had collected in her classroom over the past year.

“It was a very humbling experience to see the needs,” she said.  “We take so many things for granted in the US; a warm shower, three meals a day, good education, medical care and even a cup of clean water.”

The DiPentis plan to return to Haiti this fall and again next summer for the fourth annual teacher’s conference.

“I just cant wait to go back,” Tammy DiPenti said. “I can’t wait to see the people and the children.”

For more information, visit www.childrenslifeline.com.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: anthony dipenti, charity, children's international lifeline, donations, educate, educators, food, haiti, mason heights elementary, students, tammy dipenti, teachers, third annual teaching conference