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In collaboration with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Trinity social work students recently had an opportunity to learn about and practice the process of advocacy and lobbying.
The Coalition had been working to support a bill to raise income taxes in the state of Illinois to help provide educational programs and social service providers to those in need. Social work students stepped in to help and utilize this hands-on learning experience.
After advocating throughout campus, presenting the petition, and gaining support, seniors Erin Nykamp of Holland, Michigan; Gina Smith of Tinley Park, Illinois; and Danielle Swenson of Milaca, Minnesota, arranged a trip for the social work students to lobby the bill in Springfield, Illinois.
On November 18, students traveled to Springfield where they learned the process of lobbying firsthand. Meeting with representatives, the students had the unique opportunity to promote the bill.
“This was a good learning experience for me on advocacy, because I have never had to represent a petition before, and we were required to convince people to sign in support of this bill,” Nykamp said.
While there, students sat in on an assembly meeting for the Illinois House of Representatives, giving them another chance to see and understand the process of advocacy in a government setting.
“The trip to Springfield allowed our class to better understand the state legislative process,” said Alyssa Mulder ’11 of Fox Lake, Wisconsin. “It was interesting to find out how much access we actually have to our representatives. Even though they are busy, they still take time to meet with their constituents to hear about issues that are impacting the people in their district.”
Senior J.R. Wydra of Tinley Park, Illinois, has been named as a Lincoln Laureate by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Wydra was one of the outstanding college students from the state honored at the annual Student Laureate Convocation on November 6 in Springfield.
Wydra, a theology and philosophy major who plans to attend law school after graduation, felt blessed to be chosen as this year’s laureate.
The Lincoln Academy’s Student Laureate Awards are presented for excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities to seniors from each of the four-year, degree granting colleges and universities in Illinois.
During his four years at Trinity, Wydra, a Founders Scholar, has served as a freshmen representative— and this year as the vice president—for Student Association; a First Year Forum mentor; and a criterion team member involved with preparation for the College’s recent Higher Learning Commission accreditation visit. He has been active in Trinprov, a student improv group, and currently works as one of the graphic designers for Trinfo, Trinity’s digital signage program. Off-campus, Wydra has served as an intern with Calvary Church’s high school youth group in Orland Park, Illinois.
Of his time at Trinity, Wydra said he has enjoyed forming relationships with his professors. “They all care so deeply about the subjects they teach, and I can never thank them enough for what they have given to me,” he said.
“I have also deeply enjoyed getting to know the other students at Trinity and am blessed to call so many of them my friends,” said Wydra. “This place is truly my home away from home, and I will miss it dearly when I head off to law school next fall.”
At the convocation, Wydra received a Student Laureate Medallion, along with an honorarium check and certificate of achievement.
The Lincoln Academy, unique among the 50 states, was established 46 years ago to honor Illinois’ most distinguished citizens with the state’s highest award, the Order of Lincoln. The 47th Annual Convocation and Investiture of Laureates of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois will take place Saturday, April 16, 2011, at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois in Urbana.
A proposal for curriculum changes in Trinity’s English department was recently approved and will be implemented in the fall of 2011. The major changes will be a pedagogical shift to an apprenticeship model at the junior level and an emphasis, at the sophomore level, on writing and reading as social practices.
Currently, English students present several papers at a regional undergraduate English conference each year. The new curriculum is designed to help students become more comfortable making strong claims, supporting them, and fielding questions.
“We want our students to become more comfortable as Christians engaging in both kinds of discourse, academic and civic,” said Dr. Michael Vander Weele ’73, chair of the English department.
At the sophomore level, the changes will increase the emphasis on literature and society by engaging students in Chicago events and activities that relate to their courses.
At the junior-senior level, faculty will apprentice students in the ways of academic debate. Students will observe how their faculty mentors set up and pursue a question and then practice doing so themselves. In this tutorial setting, 4-5 students will meet with a professor and participate in the meaningful give and take of academic discourse.
Although the new curriculum will offer fewer course options, each course will be offered every year, rather than alternating years as with the current curriculum. This change will also make registration and course scheduling easier for students and will deepen faculty engagement with the course topics.
What are the main benefits to students?
- Guided practice in academic discourse
- Increased engagement in Chicago resources to help reflect on literature’s role in society
- Ease in planning a Trinity English major
- Better preparation for graduate school, careers, and civic discourse through the opportunity to practice the give and take of academic debate
The Brass Quintet recently traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, for a weekend tour, which included the Sunday morning service at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church. On Monday, the group performed at Faith Christian Community High School in Fenton and conducted a clinic for the band class at Westminster Christian High School in St. Louis.
The quintet is funded by an endowed scholarship and tours once or twice each year, occasionally making day trips to local schools and churches. In past years, the group has traveled to Wisconsin, Indiana, and Canada.
The students were accompanied by director Dr. Ken Austin, professor of music, and Rachel VanOort ’05, who serves that area of the country as an admissions counselor.
“We had a great time promoting not only brass playing and musicianship, but also Trinity Christian College,” said quintet member Carrie Hofland ’11 of Hartley, Iowa. “We had a great time getting to know each other better as well as meeting and fellowshipping with people in the St. Louis area.”
Tour arrangements were made by member Daniel Thayer ’12 of Buchanan, Michigan. “As a group we get to put together our own concert with the music of our choice and plan ‘lessons’ to teach,” said Thayer. “Our group is given time to bond and have fun as well as teach others our love for brass music.”
The other members of the Brass Quintet are Christian Busta ’13 of Palos Park, Illinois; Collette LeMahieu ’11 of Frankfort, Illinois; and Adam Perez ’12 of Racine, Wisconsin.
This was the quintet’s first tour in St. Louis, and they enjoyed a visit to the city’s famed Gateway Arch on Saturday.
Students enrolled in English department courses have many opportunities for experiential learning through off-campus activities. This month, students enjoyed trips to Chicago festivals and plays and to the Dubuque conference for language, literature, and writing.
Chicago Humanities Festival
Students and faculty in the English department attended the Chicago Humanities Festival on Saturday, November 6, where they were given the opportunity to support, enjoy, and explore the humanities. The trip was organized by Kailyn Baum ’12 of Hudsonville, Michigan, who serves as the Intellectual Activities Coordinator for the English department.
Students saw an interview with Lady Antonia Fraser, author of acclaimed historical works and international best sellers Mary Queen of Scots and Marie Antoinette. She is a recipient of many literary awards and the widow of playwright Harold Pinter.
“We thought the event would be something a lot of students would be interested in, and it turned out to spark some interest in learning more about Harold Pinter,” said Baum.
Oak Park Performance Center
Their interest piqued by Fraser’s interview at the Humanities Festival, students attended Harold Pinter’s drama “Betrayal” at the Performance Center in Oak Park, Illinois, on Wednesday, November 10.
“It was a fabulous play, and I believe that we all had a good time at both events,” Baum said.
Pinter is a Nobel, Tony, and Olivier Award winner and an influential playwright in the English language.
Streamlines: An Undergraduate Conference Celebrating Language, Literature, and Writing
Seniors Bethany (Kerr) Eizenga of Joliet, Illinois, and Monica Brands of Palos Heights presented their papers at the regional conference Streamlines, the third annual undergraduate conference for language, literature, and writing on Saturday, November 13.
The conference was held in Dubuque, Iowa, and hosted by Clarke University, Loras College, and University of Dubuque. The conference offered an opportunity for undergraduate students at regional colleges and universities to share scholarship and creativity.
Eizenga shared her paper “Victims of Sexual Repression in Measure for Measure and The Changeling.” Brands offered “‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ and the Healing of the Artist.”
Lisa Rybak is a hands-on kind of teacher.
Rybak, a resident of Orland Park, Illinois, and a student in the Adult Studies Education program, recently engaged Andrew High School history students in an experiential learning project she planned as part of her student teaching.
Recently, rather than entering their normal classroom, students at the Tinley Park, Illinois, high school took part in Rybak’s Ellis Island simulation, a project Rybak knew would bring their unit on immigration to life. Students were assigned a character, based on a ship’s manifest, and were required to create their own passports.
Students took their roles seriously, some dressing for their “parts” and attempting to speak with accents as they visited the various stations where they would receive identification tags, undergo questioning, and be examined by a health inspector. Some students were “detained” and some “deported,” but others reached the land of opportunity, which in this new world was a bowl of candy.
Surprising to Rybak, the project drew the attention of local reporters who covered the simulation for The Tinley Junction and SouthtownStar.
Rybak’s fellow student teacher Elizabeth Gavin, also a student in Trinity’s Adult Studies program, played the part of an inspector along with other teachers. Gavin and Rybak, who are enrolled in different cohorts in Trinity’s program, both came from the business world. They have enjoyed sharing the common educational path they are on, and often meet to discuss everything from their lesson plans to their classroom experiences.
Rybak, who will be earning her teacher certification from Trinity in December, earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from DePaul University. As part of Trinity’s Adult Studies program, students learn in small groups, or cohorts. Classes meet once per week—a feature that immediately attracted Rybak to the program—and students within cohorts often form supportive friendships.
“My cohort is great, and I wish it could keep meeting even after we finish,” said Rybak. “We’re very close. For a lot of us, this is our dream for a new opportunity.”
Rybak said the program’s professors teach in a hands-on way in their classes, something Rybak appreciates. “Trinity encourages professors to move beyond the lecture and teach through experiential learning,” she said. “That is the best experience I can take away from my time at Trinity.
Teaching is a new opportunity for Rybak, whose love of learning and of history was rekindled suddenly during social studies homework sessions with her daughter Ellie, 10, who is very proud to see her mother furthering her education and inspiring young people.
“My heart is in teaching,” said Rybak. “High school is an important molding stage, and I want to guide students in developing good study habits and becoming good citizens. I want to inspire them.”
Rybak is also a photographer with an associate of applied science degree in digital photography from the Harrington College of Design in Chicago. Her photos have been published in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune, and Renovation Style magazine.
Special education students celebrated fall festivities with students from Elim’s Autism Comprehensive Education program (ACE) on November 12 in the Ozinga Chapel. This annual event gives Trinity special education students the opportunity to work on campus with special needs students.
ACE students, aged 11-21, were led on a scavenger hunt through the chapel building by Trinity students and ACE leaders. Following clues, participants visited seven stations and collected small prizes. The group also enjoyed fall-themed treats and a craft project.
For some Trinity students, the fall fest was their first time working directly with people with special needs. For others, like Amy Johnstone ’12 of Palos Hills, Illinois, and Carissa Trotto ’12 of Oak Lawn, Illinois, it was an opportunity to plan the event and practice their leadership skills as co-presidents of the campus’s Council for Exceptional Children.
“Amy and Carissa worked very hard on this event and really put their hearts into it,” said Dr. Patti Powell, professor of education and director of the Alexander De Jong Center for Special Education.
“It was great to be able to interact with the students and see them excited about the activities we had planned,” said Kayla Schoneveld ’12, an elementary education major from Ferndale, Washington. “I have a special education minor, and it is a good experience to work with students who need extra assistance.”
Laura Roose ’11 of Downers Grove, Illinois, worked with a student named Tyler during the craft time and scavenger hunt. “Tyler amazed me with his creative ability, and he loved all of the prizes at each station of the scavenger hunt,” she said. “At the end of the day, I felt amazing. There is something special about the students in the ACE program. You can truly tell that God is working within them.”
Five students have set out on a mission to send aid to Third World countries.
As part of their Third-World Politics course, Kaitlyn Bruinius ’11 of Tinley Park, Illinois; Rachel VandeKamp ’11 of Sioux Fall, South Dakota; Josh Pollema ’13 of Rock Valley, Iowa; Frank Hrdy ’13 of Lafayette, Indiana; and Alex Arkema ’13 of Pella, Iowa, have arranged a campus-wide shoe drive to collect new or gently worn shoes from the Trinity community to send to those in need.
“We chose to do this project because there are a lot of people in other countries who don’t have shoes, and a lot of students at Trinity who have too many,” said VandeKamp.
For the project, the students are working with the organization Soles4Souls, a charitable organization that collects shoes from individuals as well as shoe companies and retailers across the nation to be distributed to people in need in over 125 countries.
“I am hoping that students take this opportunity to help other people in need and offer their support through a donation of shoes or money,” said VandeKamp.
Donation boxes for the shoes have been placed throughout campus. The group will also be accepting monetary donations which will help defray shipping and program costs. Monetary donations can be placed in an envelope and delivered to the on-campus mailbox of either Rachel VandeKamp or Kaitlyn Bruinius.
Evelyn Roman ’01, assistant principal at Carl Von Linné Elementary School in Chicago, was a student in the first education cohort offered in Trinity’s Adult Studies Accelerated Program.
Roman graduated in December 2001 and began working at Stowe Elementary School (a Chicago Public School) in January 2002. After teaching sixth grade math and seventh grade science, she became the math specialist, teaching the teachers the new math curriculum.
Roman earned her master’s in educational leadership from Benedictine University and served as assistant principal at Stowe for one and a half years. She then became the assistant principal at Linné where she has served for the past four years. In January 2011, Roman will begin a new position as principal at Logandale Middle School in Chicago.
When asked why she preferred the administrative role over being in the classroom, Roman said, “As a teacher, I can change the lives of 30 students, but as an administrator, I can change the lives of 600.”
In her current position, some of Roman’s many responsibilities include: teacher and staff observations and evaluations, class scheduling, and after school program and safety and security oversight. She is also responsible for classroom teacher assignments, balancing the budget, overseeing bilingual compliance, summer school, and grades and report cards.
Roman also manages the placement of student teachers and said she would love to welcome a student teacher from Trinity. “I tell everybody I know to go to Trinity if they’re looking to become a teacher.”
UPDATE from Maddy Manden ’10, special education/elementary education graduate:
“I have found a mission organization to work alongside called International Teams, or ITeams. They are based in Elgin, Illinois, and over the next several months I will be participating in an extensive training process. Currently, God is leading me to East Africa, specifically Rwanda. There are many opportunities to work with children and adults who have disabilities. After training, I will take a short trip to Rwanda to get a better understanding of the needs in the area. Rwanda is where my heart is leading me, and as of now, I will be moving there in the fall of 2011.”
Answering a Long-time Call to Africa
“Only God can tell you why he put Africa on my heart,” said Maddy Manden ’10, a special education/elementary education graduate who completed her student teaching in Ghana, “but since I was 11, I told everyone that I was going to help the children in Africa.”
Before even applying to Trinity, Manden, of Roselle, Illinois, talked with the head of the education department to discuss the feasibility of teaching in Africa and graduating with degrees in both special education and elementary education within four years. She was told she could.
“I knew God had opened the first door for me.”
After her freshman year, Manden began to research various mission organizations that could arrange for her to teach children with special needs in Africa for seven weeks at a school that could also house her. After much networking and prayer, Manden found the Mission Society. In her senior year, she served as an intern for the organization and fulfilled her student teaching requirement for Trinity at the Wa School for the Blind.
Manden’s desire to help others couldn’t wait until senior year, however, and she spent her Trinity years involved in Service Committee, Acting on AIDS, Campus Ministries and many other student organizations focused on service. That work helped prepare her for her final Trinity experience, but Manden knew she needed to do more to prepare herself for teaching the visually impaired.
Manden spoke with teachers at Chicago’s School for the Blind and talked with Trinity’s Dr. Bob Rice, professor of history. “Dr. Rice, who is visually impaired, gave me great ideas about how to work with students, shared what it is like to be blind, and told me what he did for fun when he was a kid.”
With the study help of her sister, Manden taught herself Braille, and she was able to buy books in Braille, as well as a soccer ball with bells in it and various tactile craft supplies, with funds raised by her home church.
“God prepared me very well,” she said. “I also prayed I wouldn’t go into this experience with expectations but with excitement, with a willing servant heart and readiness to learn and grow.”
At the school, Manden taught math to students who ranged in age from 9-20 within the same classes. Students in the more advanced classes were eager to explore the world outside of the school, so Manden arranged for field trips to a woodshop, the outdoor market, and a local radio station where the class was given 20 minutes of air time to present a program they wrote with the theme Disability is not Inability.
As she worked in Ghana and learned more about the culture, herself, and God, she felt confirmation in her calling. “After wanting to go to Africa for 10 years, I began to question myself,” said Manden. “Was it God calling me or was it just my own desire?”
That question was answered each day as Manden served her students. “I have realized that throughout my life God was preparing me to rely on him while I am in Africa,” she said. “Every day, every hour, every minute, I prayed to God for everything. Safety, health, help with knowing what to teach, what Bible story to share, that the electricity wouldn’t go out, that the well would stay filled with water, and praying that I would be a light for Jesus.”