Branciforte thanks you for support

Thank you for helping to strongly support the fundraising efforts at Branciforte Middle School. We are close to our goal of raising money for new computers and software for our Media Lab and appreciate the shoutout to graduates and alumni. We are hoping that with their help and others in the community we will be able to meet our goal. It definitely takes a village.

Kathy Ferraro, Santa Cruz

Serving our schools and community

On behalf of the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District, we would like to thank Matt Ryan, program director for Athletics Training Department, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), Santa Cruz and Greg Vandervoort, engineer/paramedic for Scotts Valley Fire Protection District, for providing the Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) that we now have in our high school and middle school gyms. Having these machines readily available in our schools will provide an invaluable lifesaving tool in the event of a heart attack.

We would also like to thank our local fire departments: Scotts Valley, Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, Felton and Zayante for providing training to our school staff and coaches in AED, First Aid and CPR. Their professionalism and dedication in support of our schools is greatly appreciated.

Karen van Putten, Jeff Calden, Debbie Ruskin, Mark

SC Warriors basketball first-rate

This Warriors thing is really something. I haven't seen people this jazzed about anything since Pete Newell's Santa Cruz High Cardinals' joy ride to the state championship. The arena is cool, the basketball is first-rate and the experience is thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you Jim Weyermann's Warriors, the Seaside Company, the mayor and City Council, and especially city staff whose enthusiasm, creativity and professionalism has resulted in this wonderful attraction. I'm thankful for your hard work and proud of what you've accomplished. You've enhanced our reputation as a city where unique and exciting things happen.

Read the original here:
Praiseworthy: Jan. 14, 2013

MOUNT CARMEL - Family Home Medical Home Health Agency announces that Stephen Minker has accepted an invitation to join the agency's professional advisory board. The board provides guidance and oversight for the company's daily operations and community outreach efforts.

"Mr. Minker's professional expertise and dedicated community involvement is a welcome and valuable addition to our board," said Warren D. Altomare, CEO.

Minker, of Coal Township, graduated from Shamokin Area High School in 1971 and earned a bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Miami in 1975.

He serves on several local boards, including Geisinger-Shamokin Area Community Hospital, Brush Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce and Northumberland County Recreation Commission.

Minker is a past member of the Shamokin-Coal Township Joint Sewer Authority and the University of Miami alumni board.

"His strong community involvement and commitment to the residents of our area give him an excellent understanding of the various health care needs of the community," Altomare said.

Originally posted here:
Coal Township man named to health firm's advisory board

Franklin Security Bank

Cheryl DeHaut, assistant vice president compliance officer, was awarded the certified regulatory compliance manager designation from the Institute of Certified Bankers. Ms. DeHaut oversees all compliance functions at Franklin Security Bank, including serving as the coordinator of the compliance committee, development of compliance training and serving as the bank's BSA, CRA and OFAC officer.

Heinz Rehab

Kim Stokes, M.S., L.P.C., a licensed professional counselor in the psychology department of Heinz Rehab, had an article titled "Addiction & Coping with Medical Illness or Disability: It Can't Happen To Me" published in the premiere edition of a professional journal for human services professionals called Mind, Trauma, Addiction Counseling & Organizational Behavior Issues. Ms. Stokes lives in Luzerne County and has been a psychologist with Allied Services for more than 13 years.

James Mattucci, M.D., presented "The 10 Rules for Total Knee Rehabilitation" to the inpatient and outpatient therapy rehabilitation staff at a lunch and learn presentation at Heinz Rehab Hospital, a division of Allied Services Integrated Health System. Dr. Mattucci discussed therapy benefits following total knee replacement and educated on general guidelines for successful outcomes.

Highland Associates

John Durdan, a professional engineer, has been hired as a member of the mechanical engineering department. Mr. Durdan will design and manage projects for a variety of clients across several market segments. A graduate of the Penn State, Mr. Durdan holds a bachelor of architectural engineering emphasizing the built environment and building energy sciences. He lives in Clarks Summit with his wife, Jo Ann, a Realtor with Classic Properties, and their daughter, Elizabeth, a student at Abington Heights.

Holly Akers has been hired as a new business developer. Ms. Akers will seek new opportunities for the firm, assist in maintaining existing relationships with long-term clients and deliver proposals for prospective projects. A graduate of Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, N.J., she holds a Bachelor of Arts. She went on to receive her MBA from Centenary College, Hackettstown, N.J. Ms. Akers lives in Saylorsburg with her husband, Brian.

Highlights for Children

Glenn Boyd, a designer with the Digital Content Group, was recently honored for 20 years of service. He received the company's service award during Highlights' annual holiday luncheon at the Settlers Inn in Hawley. Mr. Boyd started his design work with Highlights in the graphics department and then the new products department before moving into online publishing for children. He earned an associate degree in visual communications in 1980 from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. The Pittston Twp. resident is a 1978 graduate of Scranton Central High School.

Read more here:
People on the Move, Jan. 13, 2013

Calvary Episcopal Church, 102 N. Second, is hosting "Compassionate Choice: End of Life Decisions with Heart," from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 19. The conference will be led by Rev. Dr. Randy McCloy and Rev. Linda Serino. Breakout workshops include: medical decisions at end of life, hospice care, funeral planning, advance directives, ethical wills, caring for the caregiver, planned giving and wills. The workshop is free and open to the public. Lunch will be available for $10. Call Calvary Episcopal Church with any questions: 901-525-6602.

Trinity Lutheran Church, 210 Washington in Downtown Memphis, will host "Feed My Sheep" on Sunday: to collect non-perishable food items and canned goods before worship, and afterward take the items to the Mid-South Food Bank. The second Sunday of each month has be designated Feed My Sheep Sunday. For more information, call 901-525-1056.

Hope Church, 8500 Walnut Grove in Cordova, will continue its "Living Well" series this weekend: focusing on nutrition and exercise as well as emotional and spiritual health. Leslie Schilling, RD, a nationally known dietician and nutritionist with expertise in healthy weight management, will speak at services at 5:30 p.m. today and at 8, 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. Sunday.

Heartsong Church, 800 N. Houston Levee in Cordova, will host Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, at a special service 5-6:30 p.m. Sunday. Bakker currently lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he is co-pastor of Revolution Church NYC, a church that meets in a bar and has a strong online following. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 901-755-6332.

Lucy Baptist Church, 4005 Lucy Rd. in Millington, will host a "Conversational Evangelism Conference: Practical Ways to Connect with Family and Friends," with Dr. David Geisler Jan. 11-12. Registration is $15 for adults, $10 for students grades 7-12. For more information call 901-872-0623.

St. Anne Catholic Church, 670 S. Highland, is hosting its annual St. Anne Parish Dinner-Dance: Jan. 26 in St. Sebastian Hall. A $10 donation at the door includes dinner, dessert, dancing and set-ups but BYOB. "Happy Hour" will be 5-6 p.m. and dinner will be served from 5:30-8 p.m. The Oliveus, an award-winning cooking team, will prepare a delicious Italian feast. DJ Jim Steinbrecher will play tunes from the 1950s, '60s, '70s and '80s from 7-10 p.m. All school alumni, school parents, parishioners and friends are invited to join in the fun. Babysitting will be provided at no additional cost. Call 901-323-3817 for more information.

Read more from the original source:
Memphis faith calendar

I worked two years doing research, first in nuclear physics and recently in solid state physics: I am a Classics and Physics double major, but I am going to graduate school in Psychology, specifically studying developmental psychology and linguistics. Thus, while I certainly consider conducting research will help me in my future studies; it is the core methodological experience and not specifically the field in which I studied that I will benefit from.Grinnell student (SURE, Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences, 2010)

Performing independent research, in high school or in college, regardless of discipline, can prove invaluable.

Conducting research in high school provides research experience that often translates to the college level. For some career paths, research is mandatory. Specifically, if you are applying for a combined degree, such as a BS/MD program at Northwestern Medical Honors, or the Brown PLME program, your credibility as an applicant is bolstered by any science-related research projects performed during your high school years. Such programs as COSMOS through the University of California, or summer research programs through the NIH offer high school students structured research opportunities.

In fact, research at the high school level is so prized that the supplements for both the Northwestern and Harvard applications include requests for submitting research abstracts. One student accepted early at Princeton this year researched style-o-metrics of Elizabethan playwrights and had an article published in the Concord Review (a top academic online publication for high school social sciences): high school research often magnifies an applicants intellectual vigor and drive.

Its not only the elite schools, or the various honors programs that evaluate research in their admissions process or implement research opportunities in their undergraduate offerings. Virtually every college and university provides undergraduate students with research opportunities mentored by faculty members. The Council on Undergraduate Research, http://www.cur.org, has more than 650 institutional members ranging from Bucknell University and Boise State to Fort Lewis College (a public school with fewer than 4,000 undergraduates, located in Durango, Colo., with annual out-of-state tuition of $16,000) and Cal State Long Beach.

UG research is by no means reserved just for the sciences: it extends into virtually every nook and cranny of the arts and humanities, economics, history, sociology, political science, health sciences and psychology.

That Pepperdines psychology department values undergraduate research is evidenced on its website where the department explicitly states under the heading, Objectives of the Major, faculty sets demanding standards of excellence in written expression, especially in writing for scientific publication. It then contains an entire section on student research which features three programs unique to Pepperdine: a Summer Undergraduate Research Program, a 12-week Interdisciplinary UG Research Program, and an Academic UG Research Initiative which provides faculty with grants to support student research projects.

NYU offers its biology undergraduates access to an open laboratory, to its Gencores Illumina HiSeq 2000 gene sequencing machine, and its many laser, spinning disk and photon microscopes. The possibilities of conducting high level UG Research using the shared equipment and resources at NYU are endless.

All this dedication to UG research is for a very good reason: undergraduate research does far more than serve to fill a students resume. It integrates theory and application while it teaches the research process, literature review, data analysis, and, of utmost importance, places students in partnership with a mentor faculty, usually an eminent professor in the chosen field of research. This leads to increased retention, increased enrollment in graduate programs, and promotes an innovation-oriented culture.

Research from SURE (Survey of Undergraduate Research Experience) further indicates that when students take classes in the same department in which they conducted research, they become more independent problem solvers, develop a more innate desire to learn and master a subject, and, in essence become more active learners. No further research is necessary to confirm the utility of these outcomes.

Read the original here:
COLLEGE COUNSELOR: The Importance Of Research

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nova Southeastern University (NSU) will award world-renowned artist, scientist and researcher Guy Harvey, Ph.D., with one of NSU's newest awards, the President's Award for Excellence in Community Service. President George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., will bestow the award upon Harvey and four others at the university's annual Celebration of Excellence event on Jan. 24, 2013.

The President's Excellence in Community Service Award recognizes superior professional engagement activities in the community by alumni, students, faculty, staff, and a member of the South Florida community. The awards encourage the ongoing pursuit of community service and exemplify NSU's "community" core value.

The awards are conferred upon individuals (one in each category) who demonstrate significant contributions to the community while exemplifying all eight of NSU's core values. This year's five honorees were selected from 79 total submitted nominations.

"This award defines what it means to be an outstanding citizen and member of the NSU community," said George Hanbury, Ph.D. "I can't think of someone more deserving of the Excellence in Community Service Award than Guy Harvey, a man who tirelessly gives back to this community, and the global community, in so many ways."

Guy Harvey is one of the world's leading marine biologists, painters and conservationists. Harvey is a unique blend of artist, scientist, diver, angler, conservationist and explorer, fiercely devoted to his family and his love of the sea. Growing up in Jamaica, Guy spent many hours fishing and diving with his father along the Island's south coast. He was obsessed with the creatures of the sea and began drawing pictures of the many different fish he observed. Guy's artwork can be found in art exhibits, stores, galleries, restaurants and at fishing tournaments.

A passion for the beauty and wonder of the underwater world has driven Harvey to be a leading conservationist and advocate for the protection of our environment. He dedicates much of his talent, time and resources to programs that protect our oceans, fish population and reef systems. The Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University's Oceanographic Center and The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation have taken on a leadership role in providing the scientific information necessary to understand and protect the world's fish resources and biodiversity from continued decline.

Harvey is the past recipient of many awards and distinctions, including: the International Swimming Hall of Fame Gold Medallion Award; the Vasco Nunez de Balboa Grand Cross, the highest honor the country of Panama bestows on a non-Panamanian; and the first ever IGFA Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Fishing Awards Committee, as well as being inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport fishing community.

The 2013 honorees are:

ALUMNIT. David Long, B.S.H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and EntrepreneurshipNova Southeastern University Long is the president of Miller Electric Company, one of the largest electrical contractors in the nation, based in Jacksonville, FL. His commitment to community is evident through his dedication to various organizations, having served as president and board member of the National Leukemia Society, and as vice president and executive board member of the Dreams Come True Foundation. He is also a trustee of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and an executive committee member of the Gator Bowl Association.

CommunityGuy Harvey, Ph.D. Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (see above)

The rest is here:
Guy Harvey to be Honored by NSU with President's Award for Excellence in Community Service

East Texas Communities Foundation Now Accepting Scholarship Applications from East Texas Students

East Texas Communities Foundation Now Accepting Scholarship Applications from East Texas Students

January 9, 2012 East Texas Communities Foundation believes that hard work should be rewarded, especially to students in East Texas! The Foundation is currently accepting scholarship applications for its various scholarship funds. Deadline for submission is March 1, 2013. All applications and eligibility criteria are available at http://www.etcf.org/available_scholarships.htm.

The scholarships being offered this year are:

David G. and Jacqueline M. Braithwaite Scholarship for Vocational/Technical Study in Medically Related Fields: For East Texas students pursuing a vo/tech AA degree or certificate in a medically related field. Amount: $1,500.00 - renewable for the length of the program.

David G. and Jacqueline M. Braithwaite Scholarship in Chemistry: For East Texas graduating seniors majoring in chemistry. Amount: $3,000.00 - renewable for 3 years

See original here:
East Texas Communities Foundation Now Accepting Scholarship Applications from East Texas Students

NORTH ANDOVER The relationship Brooks School disclosed last week involving its former headmaster and a one-time student was not reported to state childrens services authorities, and it is unclear whether a report was required under state law with the information made public so far.

Massachusetts requires a range of professionals who work with or near children, including school officials, to report suspicions or evidence of neglect or physical or sexual abuse to the state Department of Families and Children or face a fine.

Brooks disclosed in a letter to alumni on Jan. 3 that former headmaster Lawrence W. Becker had an inappropriate relationship with a student at some point during his tenure. A school spokeswoman said the relationship occurred while publisher Steve Forbes, a 1966 Brooks alumnus, was president of the Board of Trustees between 1987 and 1997.

Karen Schwartzman, a public relations consultant and founder of Polaris Public Relations who represents independent schools and specializes in reputation management, said the relationship was never reported to the state and the school does not plan to involve state departments or any police agencies.

The School has engaged recently in conversations with the former student/now alumnus regarding that persons experience at the School, and all matters are resolved to the satisfaction of both the School and the alumnus, she said in an email to The Eagle-Tribune.

Current Head of School John R. Packard and Board of Trustees President William N. Booth emailed a letter to alumni Jan. 3 that called the relationship objectionable, manipulative, and an abuse of his position. Schwartzman would not discuss the nature of the relationship, the gender of the student or the students age when the relationship occurred.

Forbes, who remains a trustee emeritus at Brooks, said through a spokeswoman that the issue was handled correctly at the time.

A matter that came to the attention of the School was referred to the Schools legal counsel and was properly investigated and appropriate action was taken, said Mia Carbonell, a Forbes media spokeswoman. Every step was undertaken with the advice and direction of the Schools outside counsel. The matter did not involve sexual abuse.

When asked how Forbes defined sexual abuse, she declined to elaborate.

Becker, through his attorney, released a statement last week, in which he did not deny the incidents spelled out in the Brooks letter, but said the letter causes me and my wife great pain, sadness and embarrassment.

See the original post here:
Unclear if state mandated reporter law applies to former Brooks headmaster