Notables. . .

Dr. Kristy Presswood

Dr. Kristy Presswood, associate vice president of the College of Education, was recently recognized as one of 11 outstanding graduates of the University of Florida’s Institute of Higher Education. Every five years, the competitive awards program recognizes selected professionals - all Ph.D. or Ed.D. graduates of UF’s Higher Education Administration program - for their effectiveness as community college administrators, participation in college-wide strategic planning, community involvement, and professional activities at the state, regional and national levels.

Dr. Presswood has worked in numerous divisions in her 18 years with Daytona State. She was instrumental in the early implementation of a campus computer network and an online student services system, and currently oversees Adult Education and the School of Education, which has a robust system of tracking all pre-service teachers.

Dr. Theodore Sofianos, director of the college’s Office of Resource Development, was one of 30 who were nominated for the award.  Sofianos oversees all aspect of the college’s procurement and administration of grant funds, including those from federal, state, local and independent agencies. He has built a broad network of statewide, nationwide and international business and industry contacts as potential partners on grant opportunities.

Mercedes Clement

Daytona State’s Head Librarian Mercedes Clement, has been named the 2012 Librarian of the Year by the Florida Library Association. The award, which will be presented to Ms. Clement in April at the association’s annual conference, recognizes recipients' outstanding and ongoing contributions to Florida librarianship through participation in professional associations, exhibition of exemplary leadership skills, commitment to free access to information for all Floridians, promotion of reading and the increased usage of library materials, and evidence of creativity and/or innovation in providing services, resources and programs.

Cameron Edwards, an avid triathlete and a graduate of Daytona State’s Educator Preparation Institute program, was recently featured on the cover of USA Triathlon magazine. Ms. Edwards has been a teacher at Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange, FL, for about seven years. She competes in all distances of triathlons, including Sprint, Olympic, Half Ironman and Full Ironman. To compete in an Ironman competition, one must swim 2.4 miles, run 26.2 miles and bicycle 112 miles. Congratulations to a very athletic EPI graduate.

Dr. Don May and Dr. Les Potter recently completed a textbook for their EDF 4603 Critical Issues class. The book was published by Pearson Custom Publications. The chief motivating factor in the creation of the textbook was designing one that specifically met the needs of the course and education program students at a reasonable cost. The textbook, Critical Issues in Education, will be available to students beginning spring B term.

On March 16 at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, the Volusia Teachers Organization Civil and Human Rights Committee hosted the 7^th annual “Closing the Cultural Gap Conference: A Community Affair.” Many local Volusia County K-12 teachers, college faculty and students attended. The conference goal is to bring strategies and tools that can be used with all students to raise achievement levels in the classrooms and schools. Ana Blaine and Joy Lewis from the School of Education were co-presenters and their presentation was entitled “Closing the Achievement Gap in Reading.” Their session provided an overview of AYP subgroup data, including African American and Hispanic students in the area of reading in Volusia County Schools. The attendees analyzed trends in current subgroup data, as well as how to share those outcomes appropriately with parents and the community. The presentation concluded with ready-to-implement small group tools and handouts that were shared with the teachers.