SUNY Potsdam Hosts Journey Into Literacy Conference, Honoring 200 Years of Teacher Education

POTSDAM, NY (10/30/2015)(readMedia)-- Donalyn Miller, the nationally renowned author of "The Book Whisperer: Creating a Classroom Where Readers Flourish," will be the keynote speaker at SUNY Potsdam's Journey Into Literacy Conference on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 5 and Nov. 6.

The College's Department of Literacy Education will welcome literacy educators and pre-service teachers for attend the two-day conference. Participants will be given professional development certificates for 8 to 10 hours of training.

The Journey Into Literacy Conference is part of SUNY Potsdam's bicentennial and celebrates the College's rich and longstanding legacy of outreach and collaboration with education partners in Northern New York. The conference will also highlight the distinctive contributions of SUNY Potsdam alumni and their achievements in literacy education, through an event titled "What's the Story: Potsdam Reads Children's Literature, 1816-2016."

Two distinguished SUNY Potsdam alumnae will be among the featured speakers:

• Dr. Patricia Schmidt '65, a retired professor from LeMoyne University, who will present on "LEAP for Learning: Teachers Take the Risk to Communicate and Connect."
• Dr. Esther Fusco '64, a Hofstra University professor and former classroom teacher and elementary school principal, who will present on "Brain Research and its Application to Instruction."

In addition, the author Dr. Michael Shoulders will offer a presentation titled "Male Call: How We Are Failing Our Boys in Reading." SUNY professor and blues artist Dr. Rick Bates, who performs as Tas Cru, will discuss "Singing Out For Fluency."

One-hour workshops will be presented by the following alumni educators:

• Faith Bish ('03, '04 & '10), literacy specialist at Jefferson Elementary School in Massena
• Holly McQueen ('10 & '12), secondary literacy and social studies teacher at Canton Central School
• Jennifer Hutchins ('01) and Carly Walbridge ('13 & '14), Salmon River Middle School STEM team
• Bill Gotsch ('01), fifth grade teacher at Madrid-Waddington Central School
• Elizabeth Ringer ('13 & '14), first grade teacher at Montgomery County Public School, Virginia
• Dr. Kathy Valentine, SUNY Potsdam associate professor of early childhood literacy
• Bryan Thompson, former SUNY Potsdam teacher educator and first grade teacher at the Campus School
• Megan Foster, director of the Migrant Education Office at SUNY Potsdam
• Ronnie Diederich ('07 & '08), literacy specialist at Norwood-Norfolk Central School

For more information, please contact Carolyn Stone, literacy department faculty member and conference chair, at (315) 267-3479 or stonecs@potsdam.edu.

The Journey Into Literacy Conference is sponsored by the SUNY Potsdam Department of Literacy Education, the Rebecca V. Sheard Literacy Center, SUNY Potsdam's School of Education and Professional Studies, the SUNY Potsdam Bicentennial Organizing Committee, the Corning Incorporated Foundation, St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES, St. Lawrence Valley Teachers' Learning Center and St. Lawrence University.

The School of Education and Professional Studies at SUNY Potsdam has been preparing educators for nearly 200 years. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/SOEPS/education.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts. Empowered by a culture of creativity, the campus community recently launched Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which aims to raise $32 million by the College's bicentennial in 2016.

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