Just over 100 people were recognized at The Teachers College Annual Honors Event held the afternoon of May 7 via an online virtual event.
“Due to continued COVID guidelines, we are unable to host an in-person honors ceremony this year. However, recognizing the achievements of our students and the careers of our retiring faculty is a priority for us,” said Dr. Joan Brewer, Dean of The Teachers College. “This is the 37th year of this event. It was important to us to continue with the commitment to this event and honoring those individuals who help to make ESU and The Teachers College the special place that it is.”
Of those honored, 94 are graduating students, and eight are retiring members of the college. Twenty-three students received outstanding student awards and 77 students were honored for achievement of a 3.8 grade point average or higher.
Undergraduate and graduate students were honored for excellence in their respective departments. Nine students received outstanding undergraduate student awards, 14 students received outstanding graduate student awards, and one student received the graduate student research award.
The eight retiring members of The Teachers College recognized included Dr. Roger Caswell, Lucie Eusey, Dr. Janet Holland, Dr. Dennis Kear, Dr. Clint Longacre, Dr. Lori Mann, Dr. Manjula Shinge, and Dr. Scott Waters.
The students honored included:
Outstanding Undergraduate Awards
- Athletic Training – Kesha Garcia (Overland Park)
- Elementary Teacher Education – Hunter Wolfe (Topeka)
- Elementary Teacher Education, ESU KC – Kaitlyn Shacklett (Overland Park)
- Elementary Teacher Education, ESU BEST – Ryan Smith (Wichita)
- Health & Physical Education – Savannah Reece (Topeka)
- Health & Human Performance – Kathryn Kienholz (Emporia)
- Middle & Secondary Teacher Education – Evan Porter (Wichita)
- Psychology – Porscha Bland (Overland Park)
- Sport Leadership & Recreation – Yuchen Du (Beijing, China)
Outstanding Graduate Awards
- Art Therapy and Clinical Counseling Dual – Lyrah Wallace (Plano, Texas)
- Art Therapy – Nyki Stump (Bailey, Colorado)
- Clinical Psychology – Shayna Quigley (Haysville)
- Curriculum & Instruction – London Phelps (Queen Creek, Arizona)
- Educational Administration – Molly Wall (Norwich)
Experimental Psychology – Ted Wheeler (Olathe) - Education in Teaching – Destiny Fletcher (Amsterdam, Missouri)
- Elementary Education – Megan Stockton (Midwest City, Oklahoma)
- Health, Physical Education, & Recreation – Jarett Hack (Black Hawk, Colorado)
- Instructional Specialist: Reading Specialist – Alisha Busenitz (Kinsley)
- Instructional Design & Technology – Yeonghye "Grace" Cha (Acworth, Georgia)
- School Counseling – Roxanne Quinn (Spring Hill)
- Special Education/ High Incidence – Shamaila Mantara (Leawood)
- Special Education/Gifted, Talented & Creative – Michele Hamm (Pratt)
Research Award
The 2021 Graduate Research Award went to Samantha Edwards, Emporia, for her research project titled, “Can Tattoos Add Time?” Edwards is a graduate student in the Department of Psychology. The faculty sponsor for her research project was Dr. Keith Wylie.
Honored Students
The following 72 undergraduate students – all from Kansas – were recognized for a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 or higher.
These students are due to graduate or have graduated in December 2020, May 2021 or August 2021:
- Anthony – Kenia Rucoba
- Augusta – AnneMarie Allen, Sarah Owen, Dalton Watts, Sarah Weeks
- Belle Plaine – Clayton Happy
- Blue Rapids – Emma Tryon
- Cedar Vale – Bailee Ellis
- Clay Center – Bobbi Rookstool, Lauren Taphorn
- Colwich – Sr. Mary Teresa IHM, Anne Laville
- Conway Springs – Lacey Pauly
- Derby – Mitchell Arias Elmore, Charlotte Danis, Erin Kooser
- Ellinwood – Madelyn Hayes
- Ellis – Kassi Brown
- Emporia – Lucy Altis, Kathryn Kienholz, Theresa Kinsey, Jace McDown, Kevin Miller
- Gardner – Chloe Mantia
- Haysville – Jamie Rhue
- Iola – Joie Whitney
- Jewell – Clara Eilert
- Kansas City – Jasmin Pulido
- Lawrence – Amanda Bryson, Meagan Hunt, Maria Martinez
- Lebo – Drew Ott
- Liberal – Gabriela Amparan
- Lyons – Giovanna Mendez
- Marion – Remington Putter
- Moscow – Maggie White
- Olathe – Annel Beltran, Tayler Loudermill, Spencer Mees, Courtney Nemechek
- Olpe – Kaylie Coble
- Overland Park – Myra Cassady, Shaina Melgar, Kaitlyn Shacklett
- Pomona – Monica Jamison
- Saint Marys – Anna Moylan
- Salina – Cameron Munk
- Shawnee – Gillian Ferrel, Kara Mason
- Spring Hill – Haylee Hitchens
- Stilwell – Lauren Joeckel
- Tecumseh – Alyssa Conway
- Topeka – Spencer Allacher, Hannah Lingard, Alexander Reid, Mattie Ritz Tillman, Madison Roth, Hunter Wolfe, Chieko Zimmerman
- Wellington – Katie Urban
- Wichita – Jocelyn Bannon, Tanna Benefiel, Hadley Blaine, Jocelyne Centeno, Hannah Eyhorn, Emma Kusmaul, Evan Porter, Laurie Preble, Baylee Schif, Ryan Smith, Anne White
- Independence, MO – Allie Barrett
- Kansas City, MO – Mallory Vickers
- Lee’s Summit, MO – Kalliope Amos
- Raymore, MO – Justice Jones, Hannah Grant
- Asuncion, Paraguay – Silvana Caceres
- Beijing, China – Yuchen Du
Honored Faculty
The individuals recognized for their service to the university as they retire this year were:
- Dr. Roger Caswell – Executive Director, Jones Institute for Educational Excellence
- Lucie Eusey – Director, Media and Marketing for The Teachers College / Jones Institute for Educational Excellence
- Dr. Janet Holland – Professor, Instructional Design & Technology
- Dr. Dennis Kear – Executive Director, Kansas Masonic Literacy Center
- Dr. Clint Longacre – Associate Professor, Health, Physical Education, & Recreation
- Dr. Manjula Shinge – Associate Professor, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
- Dr. Scott Waters – Professor, Elementary Education / Early Childhood / Special Education