Education alumni honor outstanding teachers
Oct. 3, 2002
KALAMAZOO -- Two public school teachers and a university professor, recognized by their peers for their exemplary commitment to learning, are winners of the Western Michigan University College of Education Alumni Society's 2002 Golden Apple Award.
Society members will honor Kathleen Adams, B.S. '72; Dr. Arthur Garmon, B.A. '70, M.A. '75; and Joy Reinstein, B.A. '64; at a 6 p.m. reception and a 7 p.m. awards dinner Friday, Oct. 11, at the Fetzer Center on the WMU campus.
Adams, a home economics teacher at Upton Middle School in St. Joseph, Mich., is lauded by her co-workers as a motivator, a cheerleader and a compassionate champion of causes who consistently inspires student and staff.
Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, Adams led a schoolwide quilting project to help Upton students show their care and concern for middle school youngsters in Summit, N.J., a New York suburb that lost several residents in the terrorist attacks. She also is credited with helping the school land a role in "Together for Freedom," the April 30, 2002, event in which only 13 schools from around the country were invited to join in a live Webcast on the meaning of freedom, patriotism, and the cost of liberty.
Garmon, a WMU associate professor of teaching learning and leadership and a specialist in educational psychology, is known among his peers as an outstanding educator. His caring disposition, coupled with his commitment to diversity and his belief in high expectations for all students, makes him a role model for many of the College of Education's preservice teachers.
In addition to his classroom duties, Garmon directs Teacher Education Assistance for Minorities, a special initiative that works to recruit and retain African-American, Asian, Hispanic and Native-American educators. Since 1999, TEAM has helped usher nearly 50 new minority teachers into classrooms throughout Michigan and other states.
Reinstein, who teaches fifth grade at Sunset Lake Elementary School in Vicksburg, Mich., is praised by parents and her peers. Her enthusiastic and energetic teaching style makes her an asset to the teaching staff and to the students, one co-worker said in nominating her for the award.
The veteran educator demonstrates a passion for teaching and a level of commitment that doesn't end when the students head home, said a parent, noting her involvement with the Sunset Lake PTA and the Vicksburg Community Schools Foundation.
The Golden Apple Awards Dinner, sponsored annually by the alumni society, is part of several campus events during WMU's homecoming weekend. Reservations to attend the dinner are $20 for members of the society and $25 for non-members. For information, call the College of Education at (269) 387-2960.
Media contact: Gail Towns, 269 387-8400, gail.towns@wmich.edu