The University of the Ozarks Pat Walker Teacher Education Program honored several of its students on April 30 with a pinning ceremony and inductions into the Ozarks Student Education Association (OSEA) and Kappa Delta Pi (KDP).
The newest inductees included, (pictured, from left) Haley Howard (K-6 elementary education), Aislinn Zapata (K-6 elementary education), James Johnson (K-12 physical education), Olivia Reed (K-12 physical education), and McKenzie Becerra (K-12 physical education). Howard, Zapata, Johnson and Becerra will all graduate on May 11. Reed is scheduled to graduate in December.
The pinning ceremony is a symbolic, time-honored tradition marking the occasion when students are formally welcomed into the teacher education program. The newest inductees received a pin that signifies their association with the teaching education program as well as their new affiliation with the teaching profession.
Several members of the University’s Teacher Education Advisory Committee Brown attended the ceremony. The committee includes, Lance Fetters, Britteny Schluterman, Roy Hester, Joanne Lynch, Dave Meador, Michele Brown and Shelley Vaughn.
Kappa Delta Pi is the international honor society for teacher education. It was founded by Dr. William Bagley in 1911 at the University of Illinois. It was established to foster excellence in education and promote fellowship among those dedicated to teaching. The founders chose the name from the Greek words to represent knowledge, duty, and power. Pioneering from its beginning by including women as well as men, KDP grew from a local chapter to the international organization it is today, comprising 600 chapters and more than 40,000 members.
Topics: Education, Elementary Education, Traditions