ASU Celebrates Education with Love in February

<p>MESA, Ariz. - The new School of Educational Innovation and Teacher Preparation is hosting its annual &quot;Show Your Love for Education&quot; fund-raiser on Feb. 25. ASU faculty and staff can show their love for education by participating in one of many activities planned for the day.</p><separator></separator><p>The event includes a 5K Walk 'n' Roll-a-Thon tour around the Polytechnic campus, a midday scramble-style golf tournament, and concludes with a dinner/dance and silent auction.</p><separator></separator><p>&quot;This event was born out of a desire to raise awareness and support of the Education programs at the Polytechnic campus, while celebrating education with the community,&quot; said Bette Bergeron, associate dean and director of the School of Educational Innovation and Teacher Preparation. &quot;All proceeds from the event support education initiatives, and it is also an opportunity to honor educators and community members who have done great things for our program and the field of education.&quot;</p><separator></separator><p>This year's honorees include Melinda Romero, who is the executive director of the Instructional Resource Center in the Chandler School District, and Darrell Sheppard and Karen Fisch from Salt River Project.</p><separator></separator><p>Romero is a well-known educator in the East Valley, and has taken the lead in developing important partnerships between the Chandler School District and ASU's School of Educational Innovation and Teacher Preparation, including site-based &quot;grow your own&quot; teacher preparation and master's programs. In addition to her responsibilities for the district, Romero also teaches in the undergraduate teacher education program at the Polytechnic campus.</p><separator></separator><p>Debi Molina-Walters, clinical assistant professor in the Education program, says that SRP was the first large company to support the program at the Polytechnic campus. &quot;SRP has been a wonderful advocate for our Education program. Darrell Sheppard has provided our science students with teacher training for the 'Powering our Future' program, which helps teachers instruct on natural and alternative energy resources. He also has conducted a field trip to local energy plants and alternative resources. SRP is a sponsor of the annual Education Fair held on campus and has really helped our program promote science education.&quot;</p><separator></separator><p>Last year's event raised more than $10,000, which benefited The Edward T. Hopper Memorial Fund, supporting Education master's students who are completing their final applied project with grants of up to $500; Project eXcellence, providing innovative out-of-school learning environments for underserved K-12 students; and the Education Student Teacher Scholarship Fund, providing tuition assistance to education students during their student teaching semester. Since the first event held in 2004, six Student Teacher Scholarships have been awarded.</p><separator></separator><p>For more information regarding registration or to make a donation to the event, contact Juliet De La Rosa at (480) 727-1450 or <a href="mailto:Juliet.DeLaRosa@asu.edu">Juliet.DeLaRosa@asu.edu</a&gt; by Feb. 20. For more information on the event, visit <a href="http://www.poly.asu.edu/showlove">www.poly.asu.edu/showlove</a>.</p&gt;