Fall 2008 Newsletter - Niswonger Foundation

NISWONGER NEWS
VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 1
FA L L 2 0 0 8
Creating Opportunities for Individual and Community Growth Through Education
Niswonger Foundation Partners with State Board to Provide E-Learning
n order to assist the Tennessee Board of
Education and Department of Education’s
efforts to raise graduation rates and add rigor
and relevance to the high-school curriculum,
the Niswonger Foundation has entered into an
agreement to provide e-learning opportunities
for high school students on a state-wide basis.
The Foundation is facilitating the development
of at least one high-quality technology portal
for on-line courses in each of the state’s nine
field service regions that does not currently
have e-learning opportunities. This is
especially important in a state where a
large number of students attend schools
with limited enrollment, limited resources,
and therefore, limited course offerings. For
example, many rural high schools are
unable to offer such critical courses as AP
physics or calculus.
Four years ago, the Niswonger Foundation
began partnering with the Bristol City Schools
to create a model e-learning center at Tennessee
High School. This partnership has produced
twenty state-approved courses for students in
six school districts in Northeast Tennessee.
These approved courses encompass the core
high school curriculum. The Hamilton County
(Chattanooga) School System, with a grant
I
from the Department of Education, has
established a similar on-line program. It is now
time to coordinate and expand these efforts so
that all Tennessee students are able to enroll in
“This is especially important in a state where a
large number of students
attend schools with
limited enrollment, limited
resources, and therefore,
limited course offerings.”
affordable, high-quality, on-line courses.
With help from the Tennessee State Board
of Education, the Niswonger Foundation
identified school systems across the state that
were interested in serving as host sites for the elearning initiative. Hamblen County and
Blount County School (along within Bristol
City and Hamilton County School Systems)
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
IN THIS ISSUE
“Experience is a Great Teacher”
his “life lesson” is
likely one we all
were encouraged to
Scott M. Niswonger
adopt along the way:
“Experience is a great
teacher.” While reviewing the articles for our
newsletter, I was struck by what a key role this
important life lesson plays in our work.
Fundamental to all we do is our belief in the
value of rich and varied experiences for our
Scholars and for the students in our schools.
I encourage you to read the article
T
will serve East Tennessee. The Bedford County
School System has agreed to host an e-learning
website in Middle Tennessee. Hardeman
County and Weakley County have agreed to
serve West Tennessee students.
Our foundation is supplying the necessary
technology hardware and professional
development for teachers needed to implement
E-Learning. In addition, all centers will be given
access to the 20 approved courses now
available through Tennessee High School.
The Bristol City School System is allowing
Blair Henley, who developed the system and
facilitated the development of courses at
Tennessee High, will assist each school
system in the development of these
regional E-Learning centers.
Niswonger Foundation Executive
Director Buzz Thomas called the
project “transformational.” “By linking
school systems throughout the state, every
student will have access to high-quality courses
designed and delivered by highly-qualified
instructors. This will allow school systems to
maximize learning opportunities while
minimizing expenses and will help provide
students with the training they’ll need in the
21st century economy,” Thomas said.
regarding our State E-Learning initiative.
E-Learning will bring new educational
experiences into our region’s classrooms in the
most productive and cost-effective manner
possible. This project will mean that students
have the opportunity to be in “virtual
classrooms” with the best teachers across
Tennessee. They will have broader curricular
offerings in subject areas where hiring teachers
would be neither cost-effective nor possible
due to limited teacher availability.
See Experience (page 4)
Partners in E-Learning . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Letter from the President . . . . . . . . . 1
School Success Symposium. . . . . . . 2
Serving in the Delta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
“Apple” of an Internship. . . . . . . . . . . 4
Native American Day . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Visit to Van Wert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Sophomore Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Serving in South Africa . . . . . . . . . . 10
Dictionaries for Students . . . . . . . . . 11
Letter from the Executive Director. . 11
2
“Best Practices”
Highlight Our 2008
School Success Symposium
Keynote Speaker Donald Davis (second from left) is joined
by Scott and Nikki Niswonger, and Linda Irwin.
he Niswonger Foundation hosted its
second-annual School Success Education
Symposium at the Niswonger Performing Arts
Center on July 14. The one-day Symposium
highlights educational “best practices” across
Northeast Tennessee and with dozens of
breakout sessions affords participants an
opportunity for intimate dialogue with
presenters and fellow teachers. With nearly 80
presenters and 400 participants, School
Success 2008 was, in a word, successful.
The conference began with a welcome by
Foundation President Scott Niswonger who
introduced Donald Davis, one of the nation’s
leading storytellers and a unapologetic
cheerleader for public schools. Mr. Davis was
spellbinding; as he described his own
experiences in education, including his most
memorable teachers, the audience quickly
shifted from laughter to tears. One audience
T
Shannon Grooms, Principal, Grassy Fork Elementary
member remarked, “The speaker was probably
the best I’ve heard to remind us of the
importance of special teachers to all of us and
of our responsibility to be that person for our
students.” Another gave the ultimate
compliment: “The keynote was the best that I
have heard in my 20 years of teaching.”
Educators moved next-door into
Greeneville High School for their concurrent
sessions. Each participant attended three
concurrent sessions, with a break for Stan’s
BBQ in the mix. One could choose from 28
different seminars, which ranged from case
studies of local school success to advice from
Dr. David Sevier of the Tennessee Board of
Education on new statewide initiatives.
Presenters from all over the region came to
explain their schools’ successful reform
initiatives, most of which originated from the
Niswonger Foundation’s School Partnerships
Program overseen by former Tennessee
Principals Association President Linda Irwin.
Presentations included Rogersville City’s
story of creating a world-class prekindergarten,
Greeneville City’s success using technology,
and Hawkins County’s breakthroughs in
shaping positive student behavior. Reading
solutions, vocational education for the 21st
century, school health plans, career guidance,
and professional development were other
popular topics addressed in the breakout
sessions.
When asked about the conference, one
educator said, “I have never seen a high school
like Greeneville High School. The facilities are
magnificent and are something everyone in
this community should be proud of.” After
attending Jefferson County’s presentation
about their reading intervention programs, a
participant remarked, “It was wonderful. I
would actually like to see a continuation
session that went more in-depth with ideas.”
This was one of many suggestions for future
sessions. The Symposium will continue to
expand the number of sessions and attendees in
order to engage a wider audience and provide
more focus on key issues common to all school
systems.
The presentations at School Success 2008
demonstrate that there are workable, costeffective solutions to the challenges facing
Tennessee schools. We’re pleased that teachers
left inspired, energized and eager to try out
those solutions in their own classrooms.
(Attendees’ overall evaluation of the conference
was 4.5 with 5.0 being the highest possible score.)
School Success 2009 will be held July 17 with
nationally acclaimed education guru, Phil
Schlechty, as its keynote speaker.
3
Serving in the Mississippi Delta
b y C o l e S e a t o n ( S e n i o r, Va n d e r b i l t U n i v e r s i t y )
eed to get out of your comfort zone?
During the spring semester, I
participated in Vanderbilt’s Alternative Spring
Break (ASB) as a site leader. My co-site leader
and I organized a week of service activities for
12 fellow students in several locations in and
around the Mississippi Delta.
N
Throughout the week, we worked with a
Catholic mission in a tiny community outside
of Cleveland, Mississippi known as Mount
Bayou. The community was founded by two
freed slaves and has a population that is almost
entirely African-American. Their main
community concern is poverty. Our contact at
the mission, Sister Mary, told us how the
community at one time had nine thousand
residents and fifty businesses. This has
dwindled to two thousand people with
essentially no businesses other
than a few gas stations and
restaurants.
We took a driving tour around
Mount Bayou. It didn’t take long
to realize that the community
looks like a third-world country.
The roads were paved but the
pot holes made it rougher than a
graveled road. The Mississippi
Delta is completely flat, and the
town has no drainage system.
There were trenches of standing water along
each road. Litter was mixed throughout the
water and the overgrown grass. As the local
elementary school dismissed its students, we
saw tiny kids walking home along every road.
Our tour took us by a small town hall, a few
churches, a housing project, and a
hospital that has been abandoned since
segregation was outlawed. Almost every
house was in poor repair with scattered
debris in the yards. The local people
who escorted us would say, “Here is a
nice house.” We would, then, see a house
with no serious structural damage.
Apparently, “nice” meant no broken
windows, no missing doors, and no
holes in the roof or walls. Obviously,
this was a place that taught a group of
white Vanderbilt kids some critically
important life lessons.
We worked with the mission on
cleaning and improving their facilities as well
as with several community projects. These
projects included a program that provides
transportation for senior citizens to a
community center, offers a variety of
activities, and takes them home each
afternoon. The mission also has a
GED program, a computer lab, an
after-school program for kids, and
a sewing class which teaches girls
to sew traditional African
clothing. As one of our participants put it,
they have “so many chestnuts in the fire.”
As our group reflected on the week, we
agreed that we were the ones who had been
enriched by this experience. One of the many
lessons I took away, as the group leader, was
the importance of developing the leaders who
will follow in my footsteps. My primary goal
was to engage everyone in our group in the
issues of race and poverty and to inspire them
to take what they had seen and learned back to
their own communities as leaders. It was
priceless to see how our group of privileged
white young people had been affected by
seeing real poverty in America. It was so
rewarding and encouraging to hear everyone
talk of the things they had seen and how those
memories will remain with them forever.
Overall, I think that is the best thing we did
for the Mississippi Delta. We exposed
ourselves to some of the real problems of
poverty and race. We put things in our minds
and memories that we should never forget. No
matter where we go in life, we will know that
those issues are there and that they are real.
“One of the many lessons I took away, as a group leader,
was the importance of developing the leaders who will follow in my footsteps.”
4
An “Apple” of a Summer Internship
b y R i a n R a i n e y ( S e n i o r, O h i o S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y )
T
his past summer, I had the opportunity to
complete a 13 week internship at Apple
Inc. headquartered in Cupertino, California.
This is in the heart of the famous Silicon
Valley, home to companies such as Ebay,
Google, Yahoo, and for the younger
generation, Facebook. As a student at Ohio
State in Computer Science and Engineering,
this was a dream come true.
It was only my second time to California,
but the first to Silicon Valley, a place of which
I had only read success stories and seen
pictures of the famous people who inhabited
it. It didn’t take more than a few hours for me
to meet arguably the most important man in
computers, Steve Jobs. There he was eating
lunch just a few tables from me. This was
something that was going to be hard for me to
get use to seeing on a regular basis.
Besides being my dream company for
employment, Apple also has a highly respected
internship program. The responsibilities and
expectations that were given to me were right
in line with those of a newly hired employee.
The project I was given for the summer was to
enhance the mobile browsing experience of the
iPhone. At the end of summer I had the
chance to present my project to Nile
O’Connor, CIO, and the rest of the
management team. They were all very
receptive to my idea, and have plans hopefully
to deploy my project before the holiday
season. It is definitely rewarding to think that
something I worked on for a few short months
may soon be accessed by millions of people.
However, if it crashes, just tell your friends I
had nothing to do with it!
For those struggling with the fear of
rejection from their dream company, I want to
explain that the path to Apple’s door wasn’t
exactly all rose petals. I had my fair share of
some of the nicest rejection letters I’ve ever
read! However, it was all worth it when I got
the single congratulatory letter from Apple. It
would have never happened if I had feared
them saying “no.”
Apple has since offered me the chance to
come back for another internship next
summer with the hope that I become a fulltime employee upon graduation. I am very
excited about the chance to work with them
and see what Silicon Valley has to offer. Now
it’s just a matter of how I’m going to afford
rent out there!
Experience ( from cover)
contribute to each of their respective college
communities through challenging and
rewarding service activities. We have chosen to
highlight the internship experience of Rian
Rainey (Senior, Ohio State) at Apple, Inc. in
California; and the service experience of Cole
Seaton (Senior, Vanderbilt University) with
Alternative Spring Break in the Mississippi
Delta.
the success of the team.
Nikki and I are always delighted with the
opportunity to spend time with our Scholars.
However, this past summer held a particular
pleasure for us. We accompanied a group of
our Scholars on a trip to visit our hometown
of Van Wert, Ohio. It was an experience
packed with service activities, sightseeing, and
fun. We enjoyed showing them the diner
where we had our first date, sharing my
favorite root beer stand with them, and
introducing them to the best homemade pies
in the world. Our goal, however, was to share
with them that all communities have assets,
needs and opportunities and that their future
leadership can make a distinct difference.
Henry Ford once stated: “The only real
security that a person will have in this world is
a reserve of knowledge, experience, and
ability.” I am proud to say that all three of
these are abundant in the work of the
Niswonger Foundation.
I hope you enjoy our newsletter and that
you will be inspired to join us in our mission
of “creating opportunities for individual and
community growth through education.”
As you read the article on our second
annual Niswonger School Success Symposium,
I hope you will join us in applauding our
region’s teachers who were this year’s
presenters. These educators informed and
impressed their colleagues from across
Northeast Tennessee with successful school
improvement initiatives that WORK.
Teachers learning from teachers – now there is
experience for you! The icing on the cake was
when Linda Irwin, our Director of School
Programs, was asked to put her experience to
work for all Tennesseans by chairing the State
Board of Education’s new Advisory
Committee.
Our Scholars gain important experiential
learning through a variety of opportunities. In
this newsletter, you will note our strong
emphasis on internships and service learning.
This summer one-fourth of our Scholars were
engaged in internship experiences in fields
ranging from accounting to veterinarian
science; and from law to regional
development. Likewise, our Scholars
“Fundamental to all we do is our
belief in the value of rich and varied
experiences for our scholars and for
the students in our schools in
Northeast Tennessee.”
You will also enjoy learning about the
Niswonger Outdoor Challenge. In this
program, our sophomore Scholars face an
adventure of a lifetime. Through carefully
designed wilderness experiences, Niswonger
Scholars are learning to reach deep within
themselves to overcome challenges that are
unfamiliar and demanding both mentally and
physically. Importantly, they are also learning
the vital role each member plays in ensuring
5
Greeneville Students Experience “Native American Day”
hildren learn best by doing.” With
this philosophy in mind, over 200
fourth graders from the Greeneville City
Schools stepped back in history to experience
a day in the life of a Cherokee Indian. This
third annual Native American Day, funded
through a matching grant from the Niswonger
Foundation and contributions from parent
groups at each of the four elementary schools,
showcased five learning stations for students to
experience, and a pow-wow for them to enjoy.
Members of the Cherokee and Navaho
Nations led the students through hands-on
experiences to allow them to understand the
culture of Native Americans. Stations included the role of men in which student learned
methods of hunting, how the men dressed,
and the game of stickball. In the role of
women, students learned about preparing food
and making clothes. The students saw types of
food the women gathered and learned how to
tan a deer hide, making it into clothes and
moccasins, and how to make baskets. At a
third center, the students tried their hands at
corn pounding and stone grinding with a bowstring drill. They also made beaded bracelets
and key chains to keep as souvenirs of the day.
Another favorite center featured Native
American music demonstrated on an Indian
drum and flute.
A highlight of the day was participating in
a pow-wow. Students gathered to hear story-
“C
telling and see special dancers. The students
were treated to the fancy dance, the jingle
dance, men’s traditional dance, and the hoop
dance.
The program for the day was planned by
Mark and Sherry Finchum of Indian Creek
Productions in Jefferson City. The event and
units of study at each school prior to the event
compliment the Tennessee State Standards for
social studies. These standards include how
the Cherokee met basic needs, the clan system,
the Cherokee culture, Sequoyah’s development
of the syllabary, and the removal of the
Cherokee during the Trail of Tears. Pat
Barnett of Highland Elementary School and
Nellie Blevins of Tusculum View Elementary
coordinated the event.
The event
and units of
study at each
school prior
to the event
compliment
the
Tennessee
State
Standards
for social
studies.
6
Scholars Visit the Niswongers’ Home Town
Participating in this trip gave
us a chance to see the
Niswongers’ roots and to give
something back to their home
town after all they have done
for us and our communities.
Niswonger Performing Arts Center
Van Wert, Ohio
Children’s Garden
an Wert, Ohio was the destination for our
first Niswonger Scholars’ Service Trip.
This experience was the culmination of our
2008 Summer Leadership Training which
focused on strengthening and growing our
communities. The choice of Van Wert was no
accident. This is the hometown of Scott and
Nikki Niswonger. The Niswongers recognized that although our Van Wert area
Scholars have regularly visited the Greeneville
area, our Tennessee Scholars have not had the
opportunity to see their hometown and experience the pride that they feel in the Van Wert
area. Mr. Niswonger commented that “It is
important that our Scholars see that every region
V
Judge Charles
Steele hosts
visit to the Cou
rt House
needs leaders willing to put their time and effort
into building a stronger community. This is
universal. The skills our Scholars gain through
our Foundation’s leadership training are
designed to prepare them to make a significant
contribution to their communities, whether that
is Northwest Ohio or Northeast Tennessee.”
Both Mr. and Mrs. Niswonger were directly
involved in the planning of the week’s activities and personally participated in the
Scholar’s visit to Van Wert. As Lauren
Williams (Sophomore, Furman) shared: “The
town of Van Wert received us with open arms.”
In speaking of the choice of this destination for our service project, Ian Sams
(Sophomore, University of Alabama) stated:
“The Van Wert trip was invaluable in that it
allowed us to see the Niswongers’ hometown. We
all know what they’ve done for Greeneville and
the entire East Tennessee region, and now we’ve
seen the community that instilled in them that
sense of service and pride.” Abigail Ricica
( Junior, Ohio Wesleyan) shared: “I am so
happy to be able to share my hometown with my
friends from Tennessee. I think it was great for
them to be able to do service in Van Wert. I
know the group we worked with was thankful
and impressed by the Scholars.” Kyle Holliday
(Senior, Ohio Wesleyan) added: “It was
absolutely incredible to experience Van Wert, my
7
It is important that our Scholars see that every region needs leaders
willing to put their time and effort into building a stronger community.
~ Scott M. Niswonger
“Riding in Style”
hometown, from a different perspective. My
appreciation for Van Wert grew enormously as I
experienced the rich history that makes my town
what it is today.”
During the visit, the Scholars participated
in a number of service activities including
projects with the YWCA Children’s Summer
Lunch Program, The Children’s Garden, The
Family Caring Clinic and the Van Wert Parks
Department. Reflecting on the service projects Rachel Mixon (Sophomore, Purdue
University) stated: “Participating in this trip
gave us a chance to see the Niswongers’ roots and
to give something back to their hometown after
everything they have done for us and our communities.” Tom Cully ( Junior, Indiana
Wesleyan) added “Learning how to work and
relate to people through the giving of oneself is
about the most influential form of communication I know.”
There was plenty of “play” along with the
work. The Scholars were treated to fantastic
food, the surprisingly beautiful architecture
and history of Van Wert, and the opportunity
to spend time as special guests of many of the
Niswongers’ friends. Meredith Wachs
( Junior, William and Mary) summarized the
experience by saying: “I always assumed that
Van Wert must be an extraordinary place to have produced such
amazing Scholars and visionary
leaders like Mr. and Mrs.
Niswonger. The area’s hospitality, community building programs, and sense of history are to
be truly admired, valued and
emulated in East Tennessee.”
YWCA Servic
e Project
Visit to the Fire Museum
8
Our Sophomores Face a Challenge!
hat do the “great outdoors” and “leadership development” have in common? For our sophomore Scholars, the
Niswonger Outdoor Challenge is a defining
experience as individuals and as members of
a team. For four days prior to the beginning
of Summer Training, these Scholars hit the
whitewater rapids, climb sheer rock cliffs,
hike rigorous mountain trails, camp in
wilderness conditions, and traverse mountain
gorges. These well orchestrated activities are
designed to propel our scholars out of their
W
physical comfort zones while reinforcing the
need for team planning, support and encouragement. This experience also reinforces the
need for these future community leaders to
take responsibility in the preservation of our
environment and our natural resources. Our
goals for this program were well described by
Patrick Brown (Purdue): “The Outdoor
Challenge forced us to work together as a
group. We learned to trust and encourage
each other while obtaining goals we couldn’t
do alone.”
The concept of outdoor leadership experiences is based on a “development by challenge” philosophy which is attributed to Dr.
Kurt Hahn, the inspiration for Outward
Bound Schools. His original efforts were in
response to the need to better train sailors
during World War II. He referred to these
schools as a place “where the world of
thought and action will no longer be divided.” His belief was that we could help students to discover their true capabilities by
impelling them into experiences that would
9
help them to find their greater capacities.
(www.wilderdom.com/outwardbound/
obphilosophytheory.html) Comments from
Adriana Penalba (Georgetown
University) support this belief:
“I wasn’t looking forward to
the outdoor challenge, but I
ultimately really enjoyed the
experience. I feel that I
accomplished things and tested
myself in ways that I would have never been
able to do otherwise.”
Abigail Ricica (Ohio Wesleyan) shared that
our outdoor challenge “was one of the best
experiences I have had with our Foundation.
I was able to push myself to try things I would
have never had the opportunity to do. In the
process I learned more about my own potential and how amazing my fellow classmates are.
Other than the breathtaking scenery, I was
able to take in and appreciate my own courage
and sense of adventure not often cultivated in
a college classroom.”
The spirit and enthusiasm of our Scholars
is captured in this comment from Meredith
Wachs (College of William and Mary):
“The Class of 2010 is definitely close knit
wherever we are. The Outdoor Challenge
was no exception. The scrapes, sunburns,
and dunks in the river were small prices
to pay to sing underneath the stars, roast
marshmallows, go “river surfing,” and
encourage each other on the way up to a spectacular view. I couldn’t have asked for better
people with which to share it.”
Kurt Hahn believed that by using wilderness challenges and creating a series of intense,
mini-life experiences, young people’s self-belief
and capacity to cope with life could be
enhanced. Tom Cully (Indiana Wesleyan)
assures us that this lesson was not missed in his
comment regarding the Outdoor Challenge:
“Sometimes in life, we may be surrounded by
individuals we consider to be leaders, and we
may want them to take control. We shouldn’t
miss the fact, however, that this may be our
invitation to step up and accept our calling as
leaders.”
Our Outdoor Challenge…
Empowering
Climbing (sometimes hanging) on the side of an Appalachian Mountain
Breathtaking
Viewing the Nolichucky River rapids
curtained by the serene mountains, a flying eagle, and the setting sun
Soothing
Watching the morning dew drops trickle down the outside of my tent
Mesmerizing
Listening to the sound of the train passing by our campsite
echoing the talented choir of Niswonger Scholar voices
Strengthening
Going through amazing days together - growing closer than ever
Chelsea Goodson
(University of Tennessee)
10
Serving in South Africa
by Meredith Wachs (Junior, College of William and Mary)
y time as a member of a William and
Mary College international service trip
to Qwa Qwa, South Africa can only be
described as a true blessing. After a five-hour
drive to Qwa Qwa squeezed into the back of a
Land Rover, it became clear that our team’s
destination, a mountaintop village of sixty
families overlooking Qwa Qwa, was completely isolated. The Land Rover, the only car in
the village, belongs to Wim, the founder of
Breakthrough Ministries and our lifeline to the
outside world. Breakthrough, a Christian
organization, also has three Americans and
two village women on staff.
This organization revolves around children; first, the daycare and preschool serve 27
children in the village. Not only does
Breakthrough educate and feed the children
or “on Africa time.” Our team also salvaged
breakfast and lunch free of charge, but it also
donated food, helped with homework, dug a
provides a place for these children to learn
new trash pit, helped repair homes in the vilEnglish. A second focus is on older children.
lage, and prepared a foundation for another
After their 30-minute walk up the mountain
building in the compound.
from school, Breakthrough provides tutoring
Though some memories of my amazing trip
and playtime. The students stay until dark.
may be lost someday, what will stick with me
Wim’s major focus is on the village orphans.
are my realizations. I’ve realized that
Orphans are common as many men and some
Americans are not so different from South
women leave their families to find work in bigAfricans. Children still smile no matter what
ger cities; many die while away or abandon the
their situation and are still fascinated by sunfamily altogether. Wim’s vision includes a
glasses the first time they try them on.
compound of small homes for several orphans
Education is seen as the key to success, but
to live together, supervised by volunteer host
acquiring it is a challenge. Racism still exists
parents.
even after apartheid and even after civil rights.
Our team of thirteen students came into
Violence in Johannesburg had killed fifty by
Qwa Qwa with little information about this
the time we left South Africa. Zimbabwean
organization and its activities.
immigrants were being
Nevertheless, we served to make
attacked by South Africans
I am in awe of all
their dreams more of a reality.
who felt the immigrants
I experienced.
We helped in the preschool,
were taking their jobs.
soothing crying children and
Poverty seems like an insurtrying to prevent the mass chaos
mountable problem.
that can ensue with two dozen children in a
However, Wim’s example has shown me what a
small room. I grew so much from my experidifference one idea and a lot of work can
ence with these kids. I learned that high-fives
make; he has had a hand in the physical, emogo a long way and that “accidents” are really
tional, and spiritual well-being of every child in
not utter catastrophes. I also realized that lanevery household in the village. I am still in awe
guage barriers are not impenetrable; they only
of all I experienced and am extremely grateful
serve as opportunities to be creative, especially
to our Foundation for the opportunity. I
as children are not as impatient as adults and
would love to return to Qwa Qwa someday
everything there is fortunately at a slower pace,
and make a larger, more sustainable impact.
M
Our Mission:
To create opportunities for
individual and community
growth through education.
For more information regarding our
Foundation, contact:
Oliver S. Thomas
Tusculum College
P.O. Box 5112
Greeneville, TN 37743
423.798.7837
www.niswongerfoundation.org
OF F I CE R S A ND DIR E C TOR S
Scott M. Niswonger
President
Nikki L. Niswonger
Secretary
Thomas J. Garland
Treasurer
Oliver S. Thomas
Executive Director
Linda Irwin
Director of School Partnerships
Nancy Dishner
Director of Scholarship and
Leadership Training
11
Dictionaries, Dictionaries, Dictionaries
or the seventh year, The Niswonger
Foundation has delivered free dictionaries
to all 3rd grade students in the Greeneville
City and Greene County School Systems.
More than 850 students in 14 schools this year
were given a personal copy of A Student’s
Dictionary. These dictionaries are designed to
meet the Tennessee Department of Education’s
3rd grade standards in reading and language
arts. Because of the comprehensive nature of
the dictionary, they will serve students
throughout their school career. As a part of
the delivery process, representatives from the
Foundation teach a dictionary skills lesson to
each class. Emphasis is placed on the importance of developing good communication
skills and the necessity of using words correctly. Linda Irwin, Director of School Programs
for the Niswonger Foundation, stated “These
F
dictionaries are a tangible reminder to our city
and county third graders that words are powerful. Vocabulary development is critical to
becoming an educated person and achieving
academic success.”
To date, more than 6,000 dictionaries have
been distributed.
“The limits of your language are the limits of your world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
The Buzz: Meeting the new, more rigorous educational standards
Oliver “Buzz” Thomas
It’s a sobering statistic. Less than one in five
of Tennessee’s high school graduates have
ACT scores high enough to give them a 75%
chance of making a C or above in college. In
other words, more than 80% of Tennessee
high school graduates are not college-ready.
Given that the key to the new global economy
is knowledge and technology, Tennesseans
have their work cut out for them. That’s the
bad news.
Here’s the good news. Help is on the way.
The State Board of Education voted unanimously to ratchet up the rigor, particularly in
math and science. And after this year, our
tepid system of Gateway Exams will be banished in deference to a newer, more rigorous
battery of standardized tests.
With so many students graduating from
high school without the skills necessary for college and the workforce, our State Board is also
moving to institutionalize the concept of
“advancement upon mastery.” Under the new
Rule 0520-1-3-.03, eighth graders who do not
score well on ACT’s new EXPLORE Test will
not be eligible to attend high school. Instead,
they will remain in middle school for as much
remediation and enrichment as necessary to
master middle-school skills. The same thing
will be done at the end of fourth grade.
Students will not advance to the fifth grade
until they have mastered elementary-grade
skills. This concept of “advancement upon
mastery” has worked beautifully for us in
kindergarten through the creation of “junior
primary” programs, and I see no reason why it
shouldn’t work at the beginning of middle
school and high school.
Many of us thought that holding students
back until they mastered the material was
something schools already did at every grade
level, but apparently not. “Social promotion”
seems to have been ubiquitous in our schools.
Other important statewide initiatives are
also underway. The Niswonger Foundation has
entered into partnerships with the Tennessee
Organization of School Superintendents and
Tennessee Principals Association to offer webbased professional development to enable
school administrators to continue upgrading
their skills in a cost-effective, easy-to-access
manner. We are also partnering with the
University of Tennessee to create a new leadership training academy for prospective principals. The new academy will boast a more
practical curriculum with an accompanying 18
month internship with successful school principals. In other parts of this newsletter, you’ll
read about how we’re partnering with the State
Board to bring e-learning to high school students all over the state of Tennessee.
Meeting the new, more rigorous educational standards for our state will be challenging,
but there’s no turning back. Not if we our children and grandchildren are to compete successfully in the new global economy. We must do
as Cortez is reported to have done when he
and his troops landed in the “New World.”
Burn the ships.
“One must learn by
doing the thing, for
though you think you
know it, you have no
certainty until you try.”
— Aristotle
The Niswonger Foundation
2008 Fall Newsletter
The Niswonger Foundation
Tusculum College
P.O. Box 5112
Greeneville, TN 37743
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