News Archive
Nearly 370 Westminster College students earned Dean's List recognition for the 2008 fall semester.
Five Westminster College students shared their "Summer Opportunities in the Major" at a Sept. 24 Department of Mathematics and Computer Science colloquium.
The Westminster College Preschool Lab will host a Summer Science Camp for Kids June 14-18.
Nine current weather factors for the New Wilmington area can now be retrieved from the Field Station on the Internet by accessing "Weather Underground" and requesting weather conditions for zip code 16142. And the basic weather data that appear on Westminster's home page are also from the Field Station's equipment in the Robert Travis Weather Station.
Westminster College music education major Victoria Walker will present her senior horn and voice recital Sunday, Nov. 6, at 12:30 p.m. in Orr Auditorium. The program is free and open to the public.
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Dr. Veronica Porterfield, Westminster College visiting assistant professor of biology, co-authored an article for the August issue of Behavioral Brain Research.
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Dr. Leslie Kealhofer, Westminster College visiting assistant professor of French, will present at the Faires Faculty Forum Wednesday, April 3, at 11:40 a.m. in Mueller Theater of McKelvey Campus Center.
The Westminster College Orchestra will give a spring concert Sunday, May 2, at 3 p.m. in Orr Auditorium.
Under the baton of John Murcko, the orchestra will perform Schubert's "Rosamunde Overture," Gliere's "Russian Sailors' Dance" from The Red Poppy, Schubert's unfinished "Symphony #8 in B minor," and Sibelius' "Finlandia."
Murcko, who is a retired music teacher and orchestra director from Hermitage School District, will direct the Westminster College Orchestra for the first time. He is a graduate of Youngstown State University, and has attended graduate classes at The New England Conservatory of Music, Westminster College, and Youngstown State University. Murcko keeps busy during his retirement directing the Shenango Valley Community Orchestra, the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Venango Chamber Orchestra.
Twenty-three Westminster College students spent a semester studying in a New Wilmington, Pa., classroom about the ecology, natural history, geology, and culture of Costa Rica and then 17 days experiencing their knowledge first-hand.
"Costa Rica is the perfect place to visit for this course because it's such a diverse country," said Christopher Castillo, a junior elementary education major from Austintown, Ohio. "It has a tropical rain forests, rivers, cloud forests, dry forests, and mangrove forests, where the ocean salt water meets the freshwater to create a different eco system. There's nothing to dislike except maybe too many bugs."
"Our class was prepared for this trip," said Justin Egley, a junior media art major from Evans City. "We learned about the ecology, weather, climate, and types of forests in class, and it helped us once we got there because we knew what things were, what to look for, and why it is the way it is."
"This was my first time in Costa Rica, and it was a great learning experience," said Natalie Krivonik, a senior Spanish and intercultural studies major from Greensburg. "The ecology course helped me prepare for this trip. I'm not biology major, but I was still able to apply what I learned in class."
Each student had a fond memory of their most special place or event of the trip.
"My favorite spot was Luna Lodge, where I woke up to the sound of howler monkeys and saw a scarlet macaw," said Castillo. "The ocean was so blue there, but it took an hour to hike from the beach to where we stayed. The canopy trip was one of my most favorite adventures, though. I was strapped in a harness and rode a cable, called a zip line, right through the middle of the rain forest above the canopy. I wore leather gloves, so I could stop on the cable to look down."
"The monkeys were so cute," Krivonik said. "One monkey in the Las Pumas preserve reached out, stole my journal, ripped it up, and took it with him. The monkeys are protective of their own. In the rainforest some would throw sticks at us, while others were friendly and curious. The curious ones would get close to take a look at us."
"Savegre Lodge and the hike to see the 40-foot water falls was my most favorite spot," Egley said. "There was always a mist there, but it was warm."
The trip to Costa Rico was not what everyone expected.
"We did a lot of hiking, 12 or 15 miles a day," Egley said. "We didn't always hike on a trail either, sometimes we climbed rocks or used vines to pull us up. It was very challenging."
"I never imagined getting up early and hiking 13 miles," Krivonik said. "I also never imagined sleeping with a bat in my room."
"We had a national state of emergency while we were there," Castillo said. "It rained heavy and places were flooded quickly. The river rose over six feet in a half day. There were animals on porches, and trees floating in the river."
In the end, all agreed that the trip made an impact on them.
"I'm going back after graduation to become more fluent in Spanish," Castillo said. "I have family there, so I have a place to stay. The tour guide that we had for the entire trip opened me up to thinking about being a bilingual teacher."
"I was exhausted by the end of the trip, but I got to see more than I could have ever imagined," Krivonik said. "I knew four people in the group when I left, but before we got home, I had made friends with everyone. This trip changed and surprised me. I only got one chance to wash my clothes, and everything I owed was smelly and dirty, but I didn't care. I worked hard, walked on swinging bridges, made friends and I don't kill bugs anymore."
"Everyone should take this trip," Egley said. "It's surprising what you can learn when you compare the cultures. We are lucky here to have what we do here. I am lucky that I saw first hand what I was taught in class at Westminster."
For more information, contact Dr. Ann Throckmorton, chair and professor of biology at Westminster College, at (724) 946-7209 or e-mail athrock@westminster.edu.
The Westminster College Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning will host a series of education clinics.
The Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning was developed to advance world-class teaching at Westminster and enrich K-12 education through outreach programs for area educators.
"First Math Literacy Coaches Network Shop" is scheduled Tuesday, Nov. 29, from 4-7 p.m. in the McKelvey Campus Center. The speaker is Barbara Mehalov, principal of the Frazer Middle School, a small resource district with a large disadvantaged population in Fayette County. This school has been successful in creating a district culture of achievement in their schools, which is reflected in their track record over the years of high student achievement on the PSSA. Mehalov and her team will discuss their achievement strategies specifically focusing on mathematics. This seminar offers three hours of Act 48 hours and costs $49, which includes dinner.
"The First Science Literacy Network Meeting," the second seminar in this series, is scheduled Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 4-7 p.m. at the McKelvey Campus Center. This event features Dr. Michele Cheney, assistant professor of science at the University of Pittsburgh. This session on the K-12 science assessment anchors and eligible content will serve as an analysis of the recently released document from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Participants will become familiar with the content and organization of the Pennsylvania Science Assessment Anchors and will discuss strategies for their use in curriculum course planning for their district and strategies for teachers to guide work in their classrooms. The seminar offers three Act 48 hours and costs $49, which includes dinner.
The second "Vice Principals Survival Dialogue: Faculty Discipline Issues" is scheduled Thursday, Dec. 8, from 4-7 p.m. at the Edgewood Country Club, 100 Churchill Road, Pittsburgh. This seminar features Dr. Chester Kent, associate executive secretary of Tri-State Area School Study Council, who will address faculty discipline issues in grades K-12 where board policy and administrative procedures may be ambiguous or absent, the professional contract may be silent and a grievance or employee lawsuit exists. The program offers three Act 48 hours and costs $49, which includes dinner.
"School Law – Issues and Answers for Decision-Making" is scheduled Monday, Dec. 12, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the McKelvey Campus Center. This seminar features Dr. Bernard Hoffmann, consultant to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Community and Students Services, Division of Student and Safe School Services. Hoffmann has served as a teacher and administrator in the Neshaminy School District from 1958 to 1997. He was a commissioned officer from 1976-1997, served on numerous commissions, and has been recognized at the state and national level for his programs to address the needs of students. Hoffman has done consulting work for universities, schools, and corporations throughout the country. This seminar offers four Act 48 hours and costs $49.
The events are sponsored by the Tri-State Area School Study Council Department of Administrative and Policy School of Education of the University of Pittsburgh in collaboration with the Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Westminster College.
All clinics offer Act 48 hours, and are open all interested parties. For registration, contact Carol Fiumara at the Tri-State Area School Study Council at (412) 648-7185 or e-mail fuimara@pitt.edu. Applications can also be mailed to: 4302 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA 15260.
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