lambda sigma news may2012

8/2/2019 Lambda Sigma News May2012

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LAMBDA SIGMA NEWS

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society InternationalTexas State Organization Lambda Sigma Chapter

Missouri City, Texas

Volume 30, Number 7 May, 2012Area IV, Number 282

President: Cathie Ritchie Editor: Barb [email protected] [email protected]

President's Message

Dear Lambda Sigma Sisters,

The wonderful memories of the past two years will stay with me always. I count myselfblessed to have been able to serve as your president. I have always valued my membership inDelta Kappa Gamma, but serving as president has made me all the more aware of the values ofour society. The outstanding, caring, motivated, and dedicated women who make up LambdaSigma represent the thousands of members of our international society. The officers andcommittee chairpersons deserve all the credit. They have served our group tirelessly and havebeen such a joy with whom to work.

By all accounts, the April 14th outing to Brookwood was a tremendous success. I was sad tohave missed it. Our members dined on a scrumptious lunch, enjoyed shopping, and were givena fascinating tour of the facilities. Plans are under way for a repeat outing next year. I certainlywont miss that one.

The chairman of the Cinderella/Cinderfella Project has been singing our praises. She wasthrilled with our $300 contribution. The money has paid for the rental of tuxedos for manydeserving young men. We should all feel proud of our successful projects: the JuvenileDetention Center supplies, Dress for Success, and Cinderella/Cinderfella Project. We do makea difference for our students, schools, and community.

Saturday, May 19, is our Founders Day Luncheon, installation of officers, and introduction ofour grant-in-aid recipient. We will also have a signup sheet to attend our Area IV Workshop to

be held on Saturday, August 11. I hope you all will be able to attend this special, fun anddelicious meeting.

Thank you again for allowing me to serve as President of Lambda Sigma for the past twoyears. It has been an honor.

With love,Cathie Ritchie


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The Delta Kappa Gamma MissionStatement

The Delta Kappa Gamma SocietyInternational promotes professional and

personal growth of women educators andexcellence in education.

May Founders Day Luncheon

Saturday, May 19 10:00 a.m.

Christi Chrismans home3511 Bassett Ct. Missouri City, TX

Tel: 281-778-8898

Program: Meet your prospectivemembers and our Grant-in-Aidrecipient

Please bring new or gently used books tobe used for our Alpha State project.

Hostesses: Shari Lim, Abby Grobe, OcieWhitaker

All members attending are asked to bringa salad or dessert to share.

Visit our chapter website

http://lambda sigma.weebly.com/

Birthday Girls!

Karen Paulus 4/3

Patsy Borochoff 5/3

Judy Wallis 5/7

Marylaura Merritt 5/8Rita Drabek 5/16

Frances Courville 5/31

Barbara Hansen 6/7Mary Crochet 6/10

Debbie Reynolds 6/11

Shari Lim 6/27

Jean Gardner 6/27

Peggy Norman 7/1

Mary Mills Willis 7/3

Linda Russell 7/18

Carolyn Zaskoda 7/21
http://lambdasigma.weebly.com/http://lambdasigma.weebly.com/http://lambdasigma.weebly.com/


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Committees

Show your leadership skills volunteer to

be a Committee Chair!We need a new Communications Chair.

Barb Hansen has offered to assist initiallywith the Newsletter. Your transition into

this important position will be easy.

Sign up at ourMay 19 Luncheon tobecome the chairperson of a committee

or a member of your committee of choice.

Every member serves on a committee.

AREA IV WORKSHOPAugust 11, 2012

Sign up at May 19 Luncheon

Each chapter has been asked to bring agift basket or bag for the raffle and one $15- $25 door prize. Please bring any item(such as an unused gift you have received)that would be appropriate for a rafflebasket. Hopefully we can put the raffletogether this summer without having to askmembers for anything else. If you have anice basket or decorator bag, that would beappreciated.

Chapter News

Lambda Sigma sister took a January cruise to

Cozumel and Progresso

Christi Chrisman, Joan Eubanks, Mary AnnDolezal, Linda Russell


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Mary Crochet, Joan Eubanks, Mary Ann Dolezal,Carla Meuth, Linda Russell

With DeLouis Stolusky Alpha Tau Chapter

Mary Ann Dolezal, Mary Crochet, andCarla Meuth attended the Sugar Land

Skeeters baseball game and got to meetSkeeter

Melissa Milligan is engaged! She and herfianc, Charles, will be married nextSeptember 20.

Carolyn and Corky Madden will becelebrating their 50th wedding anniversaryon June 10th.

Liz Ellis and her husband took a few daysoff in April to go to Disneyland where theycelebrated their granddaughters birthday.Parker, who turned 3, got to be the

princess she was meant to be.

Cathie Ritchie has received The TexasState Organization (TSO) Adult EducationScholarship for $500! In October Cathieand Margaret Larson will drive to Charles-ton, South Carolina, to participate in theRoad Scholar Adventures in LifelongLearning Historic Plantations and StatelyHomes of Charleston and the Lowcountry.They also plan to visit Karen McGovern, aLambda Sigma sister who has moved tothat area. The tour of plantations soundsfascinating and Cathie and Margaret arevery excited about the trip.

Delta Kappa Gamma grants many scholar-ships. Look on the website for informa-tion. You must have been a member for 10years to receive one, though. Margaret willhave her 10 years next year. I'm sure wewill be applying again for future trips.

In March, Barbara Hansen completed the55 mile route of the SchlumbergerEducation Expedition bike ride benefittingthe Fort Bend Education Foundation. Thefollowing day she ran the Sugar Land HalfMarathon starting and ending in SugarLand Town Square.

Health Tip #2

* Regular exercise can prevent and reverse age-related decreases in muscle mass and strength,improve balance, flexibility, and endurance, anddecrease the risk of falls in the elderly.


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* Thirty minutes of modest exercise (walking orhand weights) at least three to five days a weekis recommended, but the greatest health bene-fits come from exercising most days of the week.It can even be broken up into 10 minute seg-ments.

* Start slowly and progress gradually to avoid in-jury or excessive soreness or fatigue. Over time,

build up to 30 minutes or more of moderate tovigorous exercise every day.

Minutes from the March business meeting follow:

Earn the Right

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren,a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in LittleRock , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school,with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, sheremoved all of the desks out of her classroom.

When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.'Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?'

She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.'They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.'

'No,' she said.'Maybe it's our behavior.'

She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.'

And so, they came and went, the first period, secondperiod, third period; still no desks in the classroom.

By early afternoon television news crews had started

gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacherwho had taken all the desks out of her room.

The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students foundseats on the floor of the desk less classroom, Martha Cothren said,'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he orshe has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I amgoing to tell you.'

At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.

Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into thatclassroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began

placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and standalongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final deskin place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time intheir lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned..

Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. Theseheroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now,it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to begood students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that youcould have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'


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By the way, this is a true story. And this teacher was awardedTeacher of the Year for the state of Arkansas in 2006.

Delta Kappa Gamma Lambda Sigma ChapterMinutes

Friday, March 2, 2012At the home of Mary Ann Dolezal

President Cathie Ritchie called the meeting to order at 5:20.OFFICER REPORTS

Recording Secretary Lana Petrizzo read the minutes of the last meeting. There was one correc-tion made and the minutes were approved.

Treasurer Dale Araujo reported the balance in the treasury is $3,415.13. First Vice President Linda Russell discussed the upcoming trip to The Brookwood Community on

Saturday, April 14. Brookwood is a community for adults with special needs. While there, mem-bers will view a film to see how the community functions and see the community members atwork, eat lunch, and have an opportunity to shop in the gift store. Members planning to travel toBrookwood will meet at Sams Club parking lot, Hwy 90 and Hwy 6, (near the gas station) at10:00. Lunch is at 12:30. Visit brookwood.com to view the menu and see an overview of the com-munity. Please email Linda any changes as to reservations at the latest by April 12, so she cannotify Brookwood. A discussion was held on inviting the Alief Chapter to join us on our trip toBrookwood.

o Our May luncheon is planned at Christi Chrismans home. Second Vice President Sally Cain reported 24 members were in attendance.

o Prospective members biographies were reviewed and the prospective members werediscussed.

o President Cathie Ritchie read guidelines from the International Membership Commit-tee clarifying membership eligibility into Delta Kappa Gamma.

An active member shall be a woman who is employed as a professional educator at the time of her election or has been

retired from an educational position (International Constitution)

EMPLOYED is defined as currently hired by an employer and/or paid a salary or fee for specific educational ser-

vices. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORis interpreted to include one-to-one and/or group instruction. The chapter decides

if a prospective member is classified as a professional educator.

CERTIFICATION or LICENSURE is not required.

It is the chapters decision as to who is invited to membership.

WHO?

Traditional educational positions? (CHECK QUALIFICATIONS)

Educational co-workers from all levels of educational positions: classroom teachers, supervisors, administrators,

superintendents, college adjunct professors, professors, department heads, administrators, educational program ad-

ministrators, etc.


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School counselors, librarians, media specialists, school nurses, local/state/national departments of education em-

ployees who provide educational services, and paraprofessionals and instructional aides.

Educators associated with private/charter/trade schools.

Non-Traditional educational positions? (CHECK QUALIFICATIONS)

Private tutors (educational/dance/drama/music/painting, health program trainers), public librarians, church-school

education department leaders, corporate trainers, registered nurses who present educational programs,

district/state/national teacher training educators, consultants, seminar leaders, etc

o A vote was taken and all prospective members were accepted to join our chapter.o Barbie Herrington, a former Lambda Sigma member, is rejoining.o Debra Ford is dropping her membership in the Richmond/Rosenberg group and plans

to join Lambda Sigma.o A vote was taken for the 2012-2013 officers, and the slate of officers was accept-

ed. Congratulations to :President: Linda Russell1st VP: Debbie Reynolds2ND VP: Julie GehringRecording Secretary: Harriet MantiniCorr. Secretary: Ocie WhitakerTreasure: Dale AraujoParliamentarian: Cathie Ritchie

OLD BUSINESS

A date needs to be set to view the American Teacher documentary. Upcoming Conventions: Alpha State, June 21 23, 2012, in Las Colinas and International in New

York, July 24-28. Cathie Ritchie has registration forms.Cathie Ritchie made a motion that $1200 be set aside for the chapter to pay for the hotel atthe Alpha State convention. Peggy Norman seconded the motion. The motion was voted on andapproved.

Congratulations to Scottie Bass. She was the winner of the Rodeo Raffle Tickets to see Reba,March 9th.

Dawn Westfall won the Colorado house.NEW BUSINESS

A discussion on the chapter setting aside money for the International convention was tabled andwill be on the May agenda.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Judy Wallis announced that Pat Schroyers son and his wife had twins eight weeks early. Thetwins are now home from the hospital.

Gift cards are being collected for Mary Laura Merritt. See Cathie, Carla, or Jeanette if youwould like to contribute.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:15.

lambda sigma news may2012

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