Elizabethtown College CampusNewsExtra News 
Back to top 2/23/2009 Blue Jays Send Used, but Useful Gear to Zambia On Thursday, Feb. 19, several boxes of lightly used Blue Jay athletic equipment and apparel were delivered to Rockville, Md., on the first leg of a long journey to Zambia, Africa. The equipment, while outdated and not able to be used by the College’s Athletics Department, will continue to be of service to families in need overseas through the missionary work of former Blue Jay volleyball player Tracy Lloyd Murray ’82 and her family. The effort began in September 2008 when Murray contacted Volleyball Head Coach Through International Partnership Ministries, Inc., the Murray family works with children and families across Zambia with the goal of promoting healthy living and education. The athletic gear is used primarily for relationship building. For more information on the organization, please visit www.ipmworld.org. To help with the Blue Jays next shipment of gear, please e-mail Coach Kreider directly at kreiderr@etown.edu. Back to top 2/22/2009 SIFE’s Scouting University Offers More than Merit Badges Interesting parallels and serendipitous connections mark the partnership between Jordan Ridge and Samantha Sibley, co-leaders of this year’s SIFE Scouting University. The sophomore international business majors – along with the rest of the organization’s members and a remarkable number of volunteers – coordinated the largest scouting event in SIFE’s history on Jan. 31. The day-long conference not only offered the 525 youthful participants an opportunity to earn a couple of merit badges, it also gave many of them an important first glimpse into college life. The connections between Ridge and Sibley began even before they applied to Before deciding on Elizabethtown, the two sophomores enjoyed separate meetings with Jill Hugus ’08. Hugus was Sibley’s tour guide; Ridge stayed with Hugus on an overnight. Through their contact with the Class of 2008 alumna, the young women learned about Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) and the organization’s motto, “A mind for business, a heart for the world.” Ridge was so impressed she got involved with SIFE even before graduating from high school. Sibley participated in a similar organization in high school, and tucked the knowledge of the organization in the back of her mind. During Sibley’s first year at the College, she was reminded of the organization by a hall mate, who just happened to be Ridge. The pair’s friendship and involvement in SIFE has grown ever since. Now in its sixth year, Scouting University provides an opportunity for Boy and Girl Scouts to earn two merit badges – with more than 70 to choose from – in a single day. This year, about 50 faculty, staff, students and community members taught sessions for a record-size group of Scouts from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia. According to Ridge, the benefit of this program is much more than just a couple of merit badges. “We promoted not only involvement in scouting, but also in higher education,” she says, pointing to statistics that show that teenagers who spend time on college campuses are more likely to consider furthering their education beyond high school. Enrollment at this year’s event was up 40 percent from last year. The co-leaders attribute this success to eight months of extensive planning and the assistance they received from others. Ridge shares, “We tried to think of everything that could go wrong and plan for it, so we were prepared. We also consulted those who came before us.” Some of their predecessors served on SIFE’s Executive Board. Of the group, Sibley says, “Our Executive Board was one of the most experienced SIFE’s ever had.” The Executive Board includes former scouts and seniors Alaina DeToma and Jon Lewis, who served as Head Girl and Boy Scout Counselor. SIFE President Matt Miller ’09 and Director of Marketing Steve Vernaci ’09 created Scouting University’s inaugural online registration. First-year SIFE member Matt Matyas served while he learned, preparing to lead this effort as all other SIFE members previously involved will either be studying abroad or have graduated next year. by Audra Farren '09 About the photograph: Shown above are the Scouting University coordinators from the past six years, including (front row, l – r) Jordan Ridge ’11, Samantha Sibley ’11, Amy Smith ’10, (back row, l – r) Jonathan Schultz ’06, Jonathan Lewis ’09 and Benjamin Osterhout ’05. Osterhout ’05 is a member of SIFE’s Business Advisory Board and helped create and coordinate Scouting University in its inaugural year in 2004. Back to top 2/22/2009 Students Lend A Hand to Hurricane Victims While many Elizabethtown students spent the final week of winter break enjoying friends and packing to head back to school, one group of Elizabethtown students dedicated the time to helping others rebuild their lives. In partnership with the disaster response missions organization Lend A Hand, a group of 34 students, staff and local community members – shown in the photograph below – traveled to Texas to help rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Rita, which caused $11.3 billion in damage on the Gulf Coast in September 2005. According to Director of Civic Engagement Nancy Valkenburg ’71, the Elizabethtown group quickly made an emotional connection with those they’d be helping in Port Arthur, Texas. The homeowners shared courageous stories of their experiences with Hurricanes Rita, Wilma and Ike. “From our very first day, we considered ourselves blessed not to have gone through such frightening experiences, and we were even more inspired by all who had to go through so much,” says Valkenburg. Junior Matt Torresani says the group not only learned a variety of skills in manual First-year student Heather Slifko got a chance to work on her Spanish skills with one of the homeowners the group assisted. “She spoke only broken English, but she was always glad to carry on conversation about her family, her faith and her experiences,” Slifko reflects. “What stands out most from my talks with Mrs. Perez was her sincere and overflowing gratitude for our help. One gesture that can be understood in every language is a hug, and Mrs. Perez always had enough to go around.” Leaving behind them a new roof, kitchen and other improvements, the group certainly made a positive impact on the Port Arthur community. More importantly, though, than the home improvements, Valkenburg believes that the goodwill they shared will make a lasting impression on those they helped. “The students of Elizabethtown College provided fellow volunteers and our new lifelong friends in Texas an insight into the quality of our youth today and a new hope for the future.”
Stephanie Carroll ’11 Ginger Fleegal ’09 Jessica Hargest ’09, along with her sister, Lisa Hargest Amy Haun ’11 Valarie Hetzler ’12 Ryan Kasyan ’09 Lorin Mellinger ’12 Stephanie Patterson ’11 Alexandria Reardon ’11 Logan Reis ’11 Heather Slifko ’12 Matthew Torresani ’10 Michael White ’11
Sharon Sherick, along with her daughter, Morganrae Sherick Nancy Valkenburg ’71
Nathan Blass, a student from Shippensburg University Back to top 2/22/2009 SMILEs Abound at Children’s Math and Science Event Learning math and science concepts can be challenging work for children. But thanks to the efforts of Elizabethtown College’s science and mathematics education students and faculty, more than 100 local children learned with a SMILE at the inaugural Science and Math Institute for Learning in E-town held Saturday, February 7. The event—a first-time collaboration between the math and science education disciplines at Elizabethtown—sparked the children’s interest in the subjects and provided a great experiential-learning opportunity for Elizabethtown’s education majors. During SMILE, kindergarten through fifth-grade students from the Elizabethtown The children were guided from one concept to the next by their “Adventures in Science and Math Passports,” which were stamped as they completed their work at each station. And at the close of the day, the children were given CDs with instructions for the science experiments and math tangram puzzles so parents can help replicate the activities at home, using common household materials. Senior math education major Amy Huttenstine (shown above), one of the math activity leaders of SMILE, said the event had a “fun and exciting atmosphere” and the children really enjoyed the “hands-on approach.” “I thought that [it] went very well, and I hope that it continues after I graduate,” says Huttenstine of the program. The soon-to-be teachers running the stations learned just as much as the students, notes senior elementary and special education major Crystal Illigasch (shown left below with Valerie Miebach '09), who is co-president of the College’s chapter of the National Science Teachers Association. “All who participated took away valuable lessons and strategies to further enhance their professional development as teachers.” Illigasch reflects. NSTA Co-President Jen Ketchen, also an elementary and special education major, states, “It was a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with the Elizabethtown School District and provide students with experiences in science and math education.”
More than preparing our students for their future career, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Math Club Advisor Debbie Gochenaur feels that the SMILE program is valuable opportunity for the College’s students to practice living out the school’s Educate for Service motto. “This sort of volunteerism is a great chance for students to make connections outside of their majors and to recognize that this sort of service goes beyond your job,” she says. This first collaboration of the mathematical sciences education and science education disciplines at Elizabethtown combines separate programs conducted by the disciplines. Previously, the National Science Teachers Association hosted the Super Science Saturday, and the math education hosted Family Math Nights. Gochenaur said that the school district and parents are already excited for next year’s event. by Nate Derr ’11 Back to top 2/22/2009 Chemistry Majors Honored for Excellence Elizabethtown College’s Rho Eta Chapter of Gamma Sigma Epsilon, the National Honor Society in Chemistry, inducted Nick Wetzel ’10 (shown left, below) and Rob Panish ’10 (shown right, below) in January 2009. To be considered for membership in Gamma Sigma Epsilon, Elizabethtown College In addition to his academic pursuits, Wetzel is a peer mentor trainer, president of the Outdoors Club, and chemistry tutor. Of this honor, he says, “The induction is a reinforcement of the hard work I have been putting in on the path to my future.” Wetzel hopes to teach chemistry at the high school or college level after graduation. Panish also is gratified by this honor. “It represents an acknowledgement of all the hard work and effort I’ve put into the field of chemistry,” he says. In his free time, Panish enjoys weight lifting and is currently preparing for his first bodybuilding competition next fall. Upon graduation, he will use his chemistry degree to enter the pharmaceutical field or graduate school. The Rho Eta Chapter of Gamma Sigma Epsilon was installed on April 6, 2006. In its four academic years of existence, there have been 12 members inducted. More information about this national honorary is available at this website. by Jacob Keeler ’09 |
Randall Kreider to request athletic equipment for her missionary work through International Partnership Ministries, Inc. Over the next several weeks, the Blue Jay volleyball team collected, organized, washed, and packed used gear. Other Blue Jay teams also joined the effort by contributing items such as old baseball hats, tennis balls, shorts, T-shirts, and more. According to Coach Kreider, the prize item might be an older, but unused, tennis net that was generously provided by Tennis Head Coach Matt Helsel – an item specifically requested by Murray. “I’m looking forward to seeing a picture of a Zambian child dressed in a Blue Jay volleyball jersey, wearing an E-town baseball hat, hitting one of our tennis balls over Coach Helsel’s tennis net,” says Coach Kreider.
Elizabethtown College. Early in Ridge’s college search, Elizabethtown’s Educate for Service motto caught her attention. She made her final decision to choose E-town because of our International Business (IB) Program. On the other hand, Samantha initially was interested in the College for the IB Program, but her mind was made up because of our service focus.
labor – such as demolition, carpentry and roofing – but they also had the opportunity to learn about themselves. “We seldom take time to think about the roof over our heads, but the little old lady in Port Arthur, Texas, will never forget the people who fixed the roof that had plagued her home for years,” says Torresani. “This trip gave me a new perspective on being thankful for all that the things I have.”
School District learned the basics of math and science as they participated in fun-focused activities, such as tossing a bean bag, rolling dice, Sink and Float, and making “Oobleck.” Seemingly just an enjoyable way to pass the time, each of these activities fostered learning of fundamental science and math concepts, such as reasoning, observation, inquiry, estimation, measurement, geometry and patterns/algebra. 
For Dr. Marla Jones—site director and mobile educator of the College’s Science in Motion program, and advisor of the College’s chapter of the National Science Teachers Association—the experience of watching her students put into practice what they’ve learned in the classroom was very rewarding. “It’s really wonderful to watch our students as they see the children ‘get it,’” Jones says. “The children’s parents are always very impressed with the professionalism of our students and their thought-provoking questions.” 
chemistry or biochemistry majors must demonstrate outstanding scholarship, exceptional leadership, and a strong commitment to the field. Candidates must be elected by the organization’s membership, have completed chemistry or biochemistry major courses through sophomore year, have a minimum grade point average in chemistry or biochemistry major courses of 3.3, and present a letter of recommendation from a chemistry or biochemistry faculty member. Back to News Index
