OEA Student Program Conference |
| 2007 Fall Conference is Big Hit! |
Wow! What a great 2007 SOEA Fall Conference we had on Saturday, October 6! Thanks to everyone for making it a huge success! There were 88 SOEA members, advisors, presenters and staff present. The conference theme “Teaching—A Noble Profession” was highlighted by Anthony Daniels, Chair of the NEA Student Program. Anthony arrived in Oklahoma on Thursday evening and visited the University of Central Oklahoma on Friday where he spoke to a leadership class and two education classes. He was the special guest at a luncheon sponsored by UCO’s College of Education and UCO’s SOEA chapter. Dr. James Machell, Dean, and Dr. Bill Pink, Associate Dean, joined Dr. Susan Scott and Dr. Malinda Green, SOEA advisors at UCO, to greet Anthony and introduce him to other faculty members. Patricia Gorgas, SOEA State President and UCO SOEA Vice President, worked with Dr. Scott and Dr. Green to coordinate Anthony’s activities during his visit to Oklahoma. Following Anthony’s visit to UCO, he read to students at Edmond’s Chisholm Elementary School. Anthony makes visiting a local elementary school and reading to students a priority during his state visits. Patricia introduced the SOEA state officers and then introduced OEA Vice President Becky Felts who welcomed conference attendees. Becky’s passionate and inspiring message resonated for the participants. Her commitment to Oklahoma’s student program and the future of public education is obvious. Conference sessions included “NEA Member Benefits Work for Me?”; P.A.S.S the Fun & Games in Math”; “Test Taking & Prep for the State Tests”; “Your Money Matters: Money Management for the Brilliant and Fabulous”; “The Heart Beats—A Preview of OTT ‘08”; “Texas Instruments TI-Nspire”; “Do You Have What it Takes for Middle School?”; and “So You Want to Teach!”. Floyd Cox, State Student Organizer, challenged the group to meet the 2007-08 membership goal of 1,500 by March 15. He reported that 254 students had joined via the website and 95 had been received and processed using the paper copies of the membership form. He reminded student members that they may attend the OEA Convention, Thursday, October 18, at the Tulsa Convention Center. There is no cost to SOEA members to attend but non-members are assessed a fee of $25.00. (SOEA membership dues are only $30 so most students choose to join SOEA/OEA/NEA at the door.) State SOEA officers who assisted throughout the Conference were: Alisha Warden, Secretary, NWOSU; Georgia Perryman, Legislative Representative, NSU; and Mallory Marler, OEA Delegate, UCO. SOEA members contributed $256.25 to OEA’s Fund for Children and Public Education. OPSU SOEA members and advisors traveled the longest distance and tied with NWOSU SOEA for having the most students present. College and University SOEA Chapters in attendance were: Cameron University ECU Langston – Tulsa Campus NSU NWOSU OCCC OCU OPSU OSU OU Rose State College SWOSU UCO USAO Thank you for being a part of this awesome organization! It is my privilege to work with such fine future educators! Respectfully, |