'Connection' bridges honors, GATE
Campus Times
February 14, 1997
The College Connection is an education program that involved five University
of La Verne honors students and 34 fourth and fifth grade elementary school
students. This provided teaching experience for the five honors students.
"For the University of La Verne, the College Connection is a project
that provides greater visibility in the surrounding community," said
Dr. Andrea Labinger, director of the honors program. "We no longer
have to be the 'best kept secret in Pomona Valley.' The news is out."
The main goals of the College Connection were to acquaint the grade
school students with the ULV campus and teach them that college is fun and
exciting; to give ULV students, who are planning to teach elementary school,
experience in creating and delivering courses to young, gifted and talented
students; and to enhance the relationship between the ULV campus and the
surrounding community.
Labinger formed the program after hearing about similar programs in
other states. There was one program in Sweet Briar, Va., that was extremely
successful and is expanding every year. Dr. Labinger felt that the program
was so successful that ULV should try to succeed with a similar program
as well.
Dr. Peggy Redman, associate professor of education and director of teacher
education, and Patti Hill, master teacher at the Bonita Unified School District,
helped develop the program.
The children selected to participate in the College Connection were
all members of GATE, Gifted And Talented Education. The program met three
Saturdays in January for four hours.
The program was comprised of three Saturdays. The first two were held
at Grace Miller School in La Verne, and the last Saturday was at ULV.
The three courses that the five students developed and taught to the
children were "Lifestyles of the Glued and Stapled: The Wonderful World
of Puppetry;" "A Musical Journey: Music Around the World;"
and "Ask Mr. Wizard: Science You Can Do at Home."
The children were divided into three groups of about 12 each, and rotated
courses each Saturday.
Junior Kayla Fikter and freshman Amy Attiyah devised an egg drop for
the science section of the program. Each child had to package a raw egg
in a way that would prevent the egg from splattering when dropped from a
two-story building. The eggs were weighed by Attiyah and were dropped from
the second story of Miller Hall by Fikter.
Some students packaged their eggs in lint from a dryer, wedged them
into inflated balloons, or put a propeller on the egg.
"I believe that this program is beneficial to everyone concerned,"
said Dr. Labinger. "The elementary children have a taste of what it
is like to go to college and they also come away from it with positive enthusiasm
about the University of La Verne.
"For the ULV honor students it is an opportunity to learn how to
create and teach a class and it allows them to serve as role models for
children who may well turn out to be honor students," she said.
The puppet class made its own puppets and put on a play called "The
Three Stooges on Treasure Island."
"It was really good experience for me because I taught a class
all by myself," said senior Jennifer Rubino, a diversified major who
taught the puppetry class.
"At first I was really nervous, but after I saw how bright the
students were I relaxed a little," said Rubino.
Sophomore Tracy MacArthur, a diversified major, planned the music section
of the program with sophomore Jessica Hunter.
The music class made a mural using materials related to France and Mexico
and sang two songs, one in Spanish and one in French.
"It was very rewarding. This is one of the first times I was in
a classroom. It was a great hands on experience," said MacArthur.
After each Saturday program, the parents of the children came for a
barbeque which included a presentation of awards involving the children's
learning experience.
"The parents were really supportive and the kids were really enthusiastic
about the program and the things they were learning. It was all around a
great experience," said MacArthur.
Pencils were given to all the children involved and t-shirts were sold
to interested participants.
The program started small this year to test its level of success, but
Dr. Labinger has plans to continue it.
"I would like to expand to other school districts. Most of the
La Verne children were already college bound because their parents have
that goal for them," said Dr. Labinger. "I would like to see this
program grow to bright kids who may not have that professional expectation.
They may be first generation college students if they go, but they need
to know that college is a possibility."
Dr. Labinger added that she felt the program gave the honor students
a "good taste for what being a teacher is like."