Heick Symposium: Alumnae return to share education strategies with area teachers

Kristin Genova Richardson ’79 delivers the keynote for Randolph’s Heick Symposium on Education.

Alumnae return to share education strategies with area teachers

As technology and the modern workforce continue to evolve, many teachers find it a struggle to keep up with preparing students for the future. However, some experts believe strategies that worked in the past can be adapted to meet the needs of today’s students.

“The problems that we face as a nation are daunting, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude and complexity of the challenges we face,” said Kristin Genova Richardson ’79 during her keynote address at Randolph’s 2017 Heick Symposium on Education.

“However, there are solutions. If we work collaboratively to solve issues, new kinds of collaboration will emerge and provide a new lens to old problems. Education has never been more mission critical to the health and well-being of our nation and our planet.”

Richardson, who is known nationally for her passion for education and education reform, was just one of several alumnae who returned to campus for the November event. The program included panel sessions and workshops for teachers about EL Education, college and career ready pathways, STEAM and maker spaces, and meeting the needs of all learners using modern technology.

Other alumnae speaking at the event included Virginia Hill Worden ’69, a trustee emerita and former interim president of Randolph; Karen Campbell ’77, a Randolph trustee emerita and professor emerita and former dean for undergraduate education at Vanderbilt University; Jolley Bruce Christman ’69, a Randolph trustee emerita, founder of Research for Action, and former education professor at the University of Pennsylvania; and Tracy Jo Proffitt ’04, STREAM coach and math remediation specialist at R.S. Payne Elementary School.

Also during the Heick Symposium, attendees learned about Randolph’s unique partnership with Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School.

Funded by a 21st Century Grant, the Kids in College program paired Randolph students with middle school students to build a tiny house last year. Students answered questions about the project and led tours of the tiny house during the session.

The Heick Symposium was funded by the Betty Jo Denton Heick ’45 Annual Symposium Fund, created through a generous bequest from the estate of Betty Jo Denton Heick ’45.