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“Yay for the power of the arts!”

That was Pauline Sameshima‘s response when she heard that the use of methamphetamine among Idaho teenagers dropped 52 percent between 2007 and 2009, after a series of dramatic video ads.   It isn’t just the writing and acting that give the ads their power, but something also dear to the heart of the assistant professor: research.  The videos were based on key emotional messages that had been tested and shown to influence teens.

The ads deal graphically with prostitution, violent crime and lost lives.  When Pauline showed the ads to participants in the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Leadership Camp, a few of them laughed — maybe out of uneasiness, or because that’s just what teens do when they think adults are trying to impress them.  But the students dived into their assignment, which was to add their own artwork to more than 200 signs printed with the anti-meth mantra “Not Even Once.”

The signs are now posted along U.S. Highway 95 in Plummer, and constitute an entry in the Idaho Meth Project’s Paint the State public art contest.  Two of the teens created their own entries, including this bright banner at the tribe’s Wellness Center.  You can watch for the winners and view the video ads at the Idaho Meth Project Web site.

Talk about power couples.   Paula Groves Price and Cedric Price channel the energy of 39 teenagers for every waking hour, five June days in a row,  then invite them back to WSU Pullman for another week in August.

The two dynamic directors of the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Leadership Development Camp give much credit to other camp faculty and counselors. It wouldn’t happen without the tribe, which has sponsored the event for six years in a row. The Prices also give high-fives to the teens, who learned a lot about storytelling at the first session of the 2010 camp.  Their biggest assignment: tell a story about yourself with pictures you choose and a script you’ve written and recorded.

In August, the teens will use their storytelling skills on a research project. They’ll interview adults in their community, then analyze why they did, or didn’t, continue their education.  Camp faculty will followup this fall by teaching monthly classes at Plummer’s Lakeside High School. Their audience: ninth graders.  That’s because most kids who drop out of Lakeside have done so after freshman year, says Paula.

In their own audiovisual stories, the leadership campers chronicled the passions and pains of the modern teenager.  Of basketball and buddies, of grownups who let them down and others who hold them up. The backdrop they used was a beautiful Idaho landscape — woods for hunting, rivers for fishing — at the crossroads, it seems, of the whole country.  Teens told of moving in and out of the Coeur d’Alene Reservation from Boston and Los Angeles, from Arizona and Alaska.  Of struggling to adjust to rural life, then missing it.   Most of all, they told about their families.  Dad as best friend. Sister as sidekick.  Grandma who is gone but far from forgotten.

The teens shared their stories with each other and with family members.  The very personal “movies about me” aren’t posted online, but you can read more about them in  WSU Today.

A year ago, supporters  rallied to protect the College of Education’s Sport Management Program from state budget cuts. That started a round of conversations about the future of the program. What’s the latest news?

One possibility is the creation of a new program in concert with the University of Idaho’s Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, says Sport Management director Cathryn Claussen. Writing in the program’s 2010 alumni newsletter, she explains what it will take to make a bi-state merger happen.

The newsletter includes the success story of Jeff Griffin (’05), general manager of sales and marketing for the Missoula Osprey Professional Baseball Club. Jeff explains that, to score with the public, a sports team needs to do a lot of work outside the ballpark.

“I preach on a daily basis both in my office and at a national level that one of the most important things to operating my ballclub is taking a genuine interest in improving my community. I or someone on my staff is on nearly every community board in town (and that’s saying a lot because Missoula has more non-profits per capita than any city in the country).”

Jeff’s staff includes another WSU Sport Management grad, Byron Dike (’08), director of stadium operations.

Weighing in on the hottest sports topic

Faculty member John Wong is an expert on the subject of building fan bases. So he was the go-to guy when a Washington State Magazine blogger got to wondering if the World Cup will usher in a golden age of soccer in the United States.

“What is encouraging is that European top leagues are taking notice of American players and some even play overseas now. This development is similar to what is going on in other lesser leagues around the world where talent is moving out of the country in search of better competition and paycheck,” John said. “This is a double-edged sword however. One the one hand, the U.S. is beginning to produce skillful players. The down side is that they are not here to promote the game locally.”

You can read John’s complete answer on Larry’s Clark’s Discovery blog.

Science and engineering programs could do more to prepare students to be ethical, creative, and insightful professionals. That’s how Briana Keafer sees it.  Which is why, with a masters in microbiology under her belt, Briana switched career paths and started work on a Ph.D. in education at WSU Pullman.

Her goal is to be a consultant who focuses on the development of university-level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum and instruction.   She wants to help faculty develop programs that appeal to more women and minorities, and that produce graduates who make a positive difference in the world.

Briana is the graduate assistant for WSU’s $5 million, five-year ADVANCE grant, part of a National Science Foundation program aimed at recruiting and retaining women in university science and engineering careers. Specifically,  she’s researching how Washington State can better attract, keep and promote women in the STEM disciplines.

Briana donned a familiar lab coat for the above photo in her former workplace with her College of Education advisor, Kelly Ward. She works closely with Professor Ward (see “Researcher looks for ways to boost women’s academic careers“).  She says she also connects with administrators, faculty and staff from the colleges of Science, Engineering and Architecture, and Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resources Sciences.  “My responsibilities include collecting indicator information for NSF, interviewing faculty and department chairs, meeting with department liaisons, and reviewing literature and universities’ practices to find recommendations for WSU.”

As for the future, Briana says her ideal job would take her overseas. In that case, the best academic practices that she’s helping to define at WSU would have an even broader impact.

Social justice in the classroom. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.  Some weighty research topics are on the agendas of eight education faculty  as they plan sabbaticals (aka battery recharging) during the coming year. Bruce Romanish is unique among them in that his time away will serve as a transition from administration back to the teaching ranks. Now vice chancellor at WSU Vancouver, he’ll join colleagues in the Department of Teaching and Learning starting in fall 2011.

Here’s the lowdown on education faculty approved for professional leave, excerpted from the university-wide list published by WSU Today.

June Canty, Department of Teaching and Learning (T&L), Vancouver,  Aug. 16 – Dec. 31, to study the support new teachers are given by their school district and/or the state during their first two years of teaching. Will follow four beginning teachers in four schools in Southwest Washington.

Gail Furman, Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling Psychology (ELCP),  Spokane,  Aug. 16 – Dec. 31, to complete the analysis of a large data set from the Stuart Foundation funded project, Leadership for Learning, conducted with the Spokane School District; complete a comprehensive literature review related to leadership for social justice in K-12 schools; and develop a book proposal.

Stephen Kucer, T&L,  Vancouver, Aug. 16 – Dec. 31, to explore the relationship between how scientific expository text is processed in terms of fluency – speed, prosody, miscues – and what is recalled by 35 proficient fourth grade readers.

Laurie “Lali” McCubbin, ELCP, Pullman, Aug. 16 – May 15, to continue a Kauai study that began with 698 participants who were all born in 1955. This study is the only prospective longitudinal study of the baby boomer generation with a sample that consists of predominantly racial and ethnic minorities.

Darcy Miller, T&L, Pullman, Aug. 16 – Dec. 31, to conduct analyses/syntheses of clinical data and research related to students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, adolescent females with behavior/emotional disorders, and juvenile offenders; to produce book draft, submit three manuscripts for journal articles and three to four proposals for international/national presentations; and write two grant proposals. Pullman, the University of Washington, Seattle, and a possible trip to Drake University.

Judith Morrison, T&L, Tri-Cities, Aug. 16 – May 15, to complete research projects including writing and submitting journal articles; to submit a proposal for an edited book on the role of scientists in the professional development of science teachers; and to submit a proposal for external funding to extend and develop current research.

Bruce Romanish,  Vancouver, Aug. 16. – May 15, to prepare to return to T&L’s Vancouver faculty in fall 2011 and recharge research and writing. Research foci are critical thinking and societal views/treatment of children and their relationship to public education policies and practices.

Richard Sawyer, T&L, Vancouver, Aug. 16 – Dec. 31, to complete two book projects, both accepted by publishers, on the research methodology of duoethnography, a relatively new qualitative research methodology which promotes critical self-change and praxis in relation to educational and societal issues. Portland,with trips to Brock University, Ontario, Canada.

Beth Jan Smith received the only doctoral degree bestowed at the WSU Tri-Cities spring commencement.  And while the news story didn’t say so, she may have been the only graduate who could celebrate in tandem with her child.

Beth earned an Ed.D. in educational leadership.  Her daughter, Janel Beth, took part in the ceremony because she is scheduled to complete her B.A. in history this summer.

Beth has been a part-time community college adviser and adjunct instructor while finishing her dissertation on “The Influence of a New Student Introduction Program on New Student Retention at a Two-Year, Rural Community College.” Chances are she can put her advising expertise to work at home.  She has five children, of whom Janel is the first to earn a four-year degree.

A certifiably happy moment

Not all happy academic endings involve caps and gowns.  This year, 320 teachers obtained their Professional Certification through WSU — including this ProCert group in Wenatchee. Pictured from left to right are Dr. Joan Wright, instructor, with teachers Oliva Gonzalez-Franco, grade 1; Stephanie Ross, kindergarten; Betsy Myers, kindergarten; Jake St. John, high school English; Koni McLean, high school French and English; Malinda James, pre-school. Not pictured: middle school teacher Alicia Lopez, who was home with her new baby.

When our dean and associate dean died last summer, many of us felt the loss of their friendship and expertise. But only one of us, dean’s assistant Stacy Mohondro, sat between the two suddenly empty offices.

For her exceptional support of the interim deans in a time of abrupt transition, for helping the bereaved families of Judy Mitchell and Len Foster, and for her excellent work and ready smile under all circumstances, Stacy has been honored with the Administrative Professional Contribution Award.

“What makes Stacy special is her great understanding of the importance of each person, and of his or her role in the college mission,” said her nominator, Krenny Hammer.

Stacy’s is the latest name on our list of 2009-2010 award winners.

Will she hang that picture in Vandal-land?

Faculty and staff from the Department of Teaching and Learning gathered Thursday to bid adieu to their former chair, Cori Mantle-Bromley, who is about to leave the Pullman campus and head eight miles east to become dean at the University of Idaho’s College of Education.  Cori, who has served as interim associate dean for the last year, gave a wry smile when she saw that her farewell gift was the portrait of a cougar.  UI’s gain isn’t entirely our loss, as Cori’s new position bodes well for educational cooperation across the state line.

Look on the WSU College of Education Shutterfly page for pictures from Cori’s party, the WSU President’s Early Learning Summit, and some happy commencement snaps.

Hats (and mortarboards) off to our Athletic Training Education Program.  It’s been a truly stellar academic year,  as you can tell from these student highlights shared by program director Kasee Hildenbrand:

•    The Northwest Athletic Trainers Association District 10 gives out four undergraduate scholarships each year and, this spring, WSU students Yoko Jingi and Lee Martin were recipients.
•    Jamie Jolliffe was selected as the winner of the Bobby Gunn Scholarship to attend the National Athletic Trainers Association’s meeting in San Antonio.
•    A WSU student was selected to attend the Collegiate Sports Medicine Foundation Student Leadership workshop in Florida for each of the past two years (Omar Fercha and Josh Emery), with both going on to leadership positions–Omar as WSU Athletic Training Club president and Josh as District 10 student vice president.
•    Also at the district meeting, two groups presented case studies during the Undergraduate Student Forum.  One group, which did a case study on Acute Compartment Syndrome, won the presentation portion of the program and was able to present the topic to the certified members the next day. Group members were Omar Fercha, Emily Clarke, Josh Williams, Shelby Witschen, and Daisuke Yamada.
•    Daisuke Yamada was selected for the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society program and will intern with the Seattle Mariners for this summer.
•    Ten of the 13 graduating seniors graduated with Honor cords (above 3.5 gpa)
•    Nationally, only 43.3 percent of those who take the exam to become certified athletic trainers pass on the first try.   Ten WSU students took the exam in April with a first-time passing rate of 90 percent.
•    Student Lee Martin was awarded an National Athletic Trainers Foundation Scholarship and will be recognized at the national meeting in Philadelphia this June.

On top of all that, the Athletic Training Club was very active. Members raised awareness and money to fight cancer by sponsoring a Relay for Life team; provided volunteer medical assistance for sports and recreation events; and, with their annual Halloween food drive, scared up  more than a ton of donations for the Pullman food bank.

Cake baking and bird song inspired this year’s Inga Kromann Medal winners.  Like so many WSU Pullman students who have competed in the children’s book design contest, the two elementary education majors reached into their own childhoods for stories to tell.

Marissa Miller, a junior from Gig Harbor, dedicated A Cooking Adventure with Grammy Mammy to her two grandmothers, who “taught me that the best foods are made with love.”   She was so excited by the creative process that she plans to keep making books after she’s launched her teaching career.

Molly Ward won the Kromann Medal for best illustration. Her book, Sounds of the Northwest, resulted from her love of the outdoors.  “I’ve always been intrigued with the sounds of nature,” she said, crediting her family for providing help with the project — which, she found, involved lots of planning, hard work, time and patience.  Molly, a junior, grew up in Olympia and now lives in Portland.

Honor medals went to William M. Fitzgerald for his book Randy,  to Cheryl Fredericks for Molly’s Pumpkin, and to Nicole Ragsdale for The Three Little Sheep Can’t Sleep.  Bound copies of their books will be kept in the Brain Education Library.

Our guests weren’t quite ready to get up and dance, as the students in this picture urged, but they were all smiles.

The Golden and Diamond Graduates reunion under way on the Pullman campus included a Wednesday visit by alumni to the College of Education.   The annual spring celebration here has grown to include dance performances by students in the teacher preparation program’s arts integration class, plus presentation of the Inga Kromann Medal Awards for students who create children’s books.  To see more pictures, visit the College of Education’s Shutterfly site.

And here’s news about some prominent alumni-to-be:

Both Xyanthe Neider and Paul Mencke plan to be college professors. Both will be among the graduates whose accomplishments are highlighted at Pullman’s May 8 commencement.  But as you can find out by reading about Xyan’s background and Paul’s background, they have taken very different journeys on their way to getting those doctoral hoods.