Outreach
at Berks—Lehigh Valley makes a difference for city youth
"Bugs, Books and
Biology—
Summer Camp"
By Francine
M. Scoboria
A yellow
school bus pulled into the parking lot of the Berks campus of Penn State
Berks–Lehigh Valley College. As the door swung open, a group of middle
school and high school students rushed out, eager for another day at summer
camp.
First thing on the agenda: poetry class.
Local teachers Davina Danner and Jessica Lucas thrilled
the class by reading poems with emotion and body language. When the two
energetic teachers asked the students to write down a list of memories
and ideas to use as topics of future poems — and gave them a short
time limit — each student sat scribbling ideas as fast as their pens
would record them.
Thirty-five students from the city of Reading attended “Bugs, Books
and Biology — Summer Camp 2000.” The new summer camp was developed
by the Penn State Berks–Lehigh Valley College Continuing Education
and Outreach department, in partnership with the college’s Science
Division, Berks County Cooperative Extension and the Olivet Boys and Girls
Clubs of Reading.
Both Danner and Lucas have received professional development through the
Penn State Lehigh Valley Writing Project, a federally funded Continuing
Education program that encourages writing across the curriculum and innovative
teaching methods. Both teachers also have earned their master’s degrees
in education, specializing in teaching English as a second language, through
a partnership between Penn State Lehigh Valley Continuing Education and
the University of Turabo, Puerto Rico.
For camp participant Precious May Tull, 15, a junior in high school,
moving from Trinidad to Reading six years ago offered the most intense
memories to fuel her poems.
“I am from a place far away,” she wrote in her poem. “A
place so far away I can’t even remember.”
Each student enjoyed a “published” copy of their work at the
end of the camp, thanks to the teachers who collected and printed a few
selections from each student.
“I like to see how it feels to be in college,” said camper Nelson
Acevedo, 16, a junior in high school. “This camp is cool. I like
coming to Penn State — I was never here before. My favorite part
was poetry. It helps me to express my feelings.”
The free day camp, which was organized into three one-week sessions, offered
urban youth an opportunity to explore their potential, especially in the
areas of poetry, biology and character development. The camp staff also
encouraged the students to think about the importance of graduating from
high school and college.
The camp was partly funded by a $10,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department
of Community and Economic Development and a $5,000 grant from Penn State
Outreach and Cooperative Extension’s Outreach Partnership Fund. The
college was encouraged to apply for the state grant by Pennsylvania Sen.
Michael A. O’Pake, Reading, who held a public town meeting in fall
1999 to urge people and organizations in Berks County to reach out to
youth.
After poetry class, the students enjoyed a friendly game of volleyball
on the campus’ sand court. During two of the three weeks, Dr.
Jose A. Gonzales Robles, associate professor and coordinator of the
physical education program at the University of the Sacred Heart, Santurce,
Puerto Rico, taught physical exercise to the campers. Robles assisted
at the camp through the Minority Scholars in Residence program, sponsored
by Penn State Berks–Lehigh Valley College.
Next, campers enjoyed a picnic lunch in the college’s outdoor Alumni
Pavilion.
After lunch, the students participated in 4-H projects, taught by Deborah
Dietrich, extension agent/4-H coordinator for Berks County Cooperative
Extension. The hands-on projects had two main educational objectives:
building science skills and building self-esteem and interpersonal skills,
Dietrich said. For example, the project “4-H Catch the Bug”
taught students about the benefits insects provide to people.
Projects such as “4-H Character at Work” challenged the youth
to understand the relationship between character ethics and the workplace.
Students sat in small-group circles to discuss different scenarios, such
as what they would do if they were working at a hotel and they found a
wallet containing $900 in cash.
“Most of the youth agreed that the employee should return
it,” Dietrich said. “Some of the youth, however, admitted they
would keep it. One boy said, ‘Miss, I would still keep it.
But I would be saying to myself, ‘Dang, that lady said I should give
it back!’ ”
For campers, the last activity of each day was biology class with Dr.
Tami Mysliwiec, assistant professor of biology in the college’s
Science Division. Mysliwiec said she decided to work with the campers,
because she was inspired by a middle-school science teacher when she was
a child.
“The purpose of my part of the program is to introduce students to
science in everyday life,” she said. “I want to encourage the
students to look outside and see everything around them. All kids are
scientists with naturally inquisitive brains. I want to stimulate them
to ask questions.”
The students
jumped at the chance to take a nature walk with Mysliwiec. The group explored
many of the 240 acres of Penn State Berks campus, as well as Gring’s
Mill, a county park located across the street from Berks campus.
The students were on a mission to find daphnia, tiny insect-like creatures
that Mysliwiec described as “small-aquatic life, see-through invertebrates.”
The campers energetically filled containers with samples of water from
the Tulpehocken Creek and rushed back to the chemistry lab to view the
samples under microscopes before the yellow bus arrived to take them home.
“I want to be a biologist,” said eighth-grader Andrew Killinger,
13, as he gazed through the microscope’s lens at the invisible world
revealed. “I like learning about animals and dissecting them.”
Walter Fullam and Kenneth A. McGeary, directors of Continuing
Education and Outreach for the Berks campus and the college, respectively,
provided leadership during the camp-planning process. In fall 1999, they
invited a group of Reading School District educators to Penn State Berks
to discuss the summer camp idea. The educators who attended agreed that
there is a great need for educational summer programs for Reading youth,
especially middle-school children.
The Reading School District serves more than 3,000 middle-school students;
69.2 percent are from low-income families, according to 1998-99 statistics
from the state Department of Education.
The camp partners are now attending planning meetings to discuss what
the camps can offer local students in summer 2001.
“I think the camp was a great success and that we can build upon
that success in the future,” Mysliwiec said. “I’m hopeful
that some of the projects we did during the camp will help the kids not
only plan their future, but also encourage them to make effective life
decisions.”
Other camp leaders agree about the success of the new summer camp.
“This summer camp offers a positive alternative for the children’s
time,” said Jeffrey Palmer, executive director of the Olivet
Boys and Girls Clubs, which coordinated recruiting the students. “Particularly
the age group of middle-school students — they are too old for our
day camp and too young to have a full-time summer job, so this fills their
time with educational experiences.”
“Penn State Berks–Lehigh Valley College is committed to helping
improve the quality of life in Berks County,” Fullam said. “This
summer camp is a new way for Penn State to help make life better for young
people in our community.” 
Ancil
Aziz, 13, examines his water sample from Tulpehocken Creek under
a microscope at Penn State Berks during the “Bugs, Books
and Biology — Summer Camp.”
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For
the biology section of Penn State Berks–Lehigh Valley College’s
summer camp for youth, Precious May Tull (center), 15, shows a
water sample she collected in Tulpehocken Creek to Dr. Tami Mysliwiec
(right), assistant professor of biology, Penn State Berks
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Nelson
Acevedo (left), 16, and Andrew Killinger, 13, read and analyze
a poem together during the “Bugs, Books and Biology —
Summer Camp” sponsored by Penn State Berks–Lehigh Valley
College.
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During
the physical recreation part of a summer camp for youth sponsored
by Penn State Berks–Lehigh Valley College, students warm
up for a volleyball game.
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College
of Education
hosts Autism Institute
Dr.
Duane Alexander,
director of the National Institutes of Health, gave the
opening keynote address at the 2000 National Conference
and Summer Autism Institute: Progress Through Partnership.
The institute drew 972 physicians, educators, higher education
faculty members, special education professionals, early
intervention personnel and family members. This figure represents
an increase of almost 200 over last year’s institute.
Both programs were held at The Penn Stater Conference Center
Hotel.
Penn State’s College of Education hosted the institute
in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s
Bureau of Special Education, Penn State Continuing Education
and the Outreach Office of Statewide Programs, the Pennsylvania
Department of Public Welfare and the Instructional Support
System of Pennsylvania.
The Summer Autism Institute included presentations by experts
on autism spectrum disorders, exhibits and poster sessions.
Families were encouraged to bring their children to the
institute, which featured a children’s art institute.
Participants also had the option of enrolling in one of
four special education credit courses offered by the College
of Education in conjunction with the institute.
 Alexander,
a 1962 Penn State alumnus, also spoke at the 1999 Summer
Autism Institute. He has been honored by Penn State as a
College of Education Alumni Fellow (1993) and a Distinguished
Alumnus (1999).
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Where
I'm From
By
Precious May Tull
Age 15, a junior at Reading High School
I
am from something that I didn’t know
until I came out of it.
I am from wearing uniforms every day and
learning everything I can without pay.
I am from the sun beating down on me
everyday when I want to go outside and play.
I am from a piece of jewelry that was given to me
I didn’t know what it meant until I was thirteen.
I am from going from one country to another and
not knowing what to expect.
I am from going through a different routine
that I wasn’t used to.
I am from a place far away
A place so far away I can’t even remember.
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Recognizing exemplary outreach teaching, research and service
This Penn State faculty member is sharing research with individuals,
organizations and communities to make life better:
|
 Dr.
Aldo Morales
Associate Professor of Engineering
Penn State DuBois
Through continuing education and workforce development programs,
Dr. Aldo Morales provides the DuBois community and regional industries
with opportunities to expand their skills in the electrical engineering
field. Participants in his workshops gain knowledge in such subjects as
Windows NT operating systems and Web-page development. This knowledge
helps prepare information technology professionals to advance in their
careers. In addition to conducting public workshops and his Penn State
classes, he teaches six of the 12 Webmaster Certificate program courses
at the DuBois campus. In 1999, he was awarded the Penn State Engineering
Society's Outstanding Teaching Award. His outreach efforts illustrate
his dedication to lifelong learning on campus and within the community.
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