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For Immediate Release |
Contact: Todd Kluss |
Students Writers Pay Tribute to Influential Elders with Award-Winning Essays
Four elementary school students in the Washington, DC, area have been selected as the winners of a writing contest honoring older adults who have inspired them and made a difference in their lives.
The competition was sponsored by the K–12 Committee of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) — the educational branch of The Gerontological Society of America — with support from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Gerontology Program, the Miami University Scripps Gerontology Center, the George Mason University Department of Social Work and Gerontology Program, Sandra McGuire, EdD, Kelly Niles-Yokum, PhD, and Catherine Tompkins, PhD.
The students and their teacher will be recognized on Saturday, February 24, at 3:30 p.m. in Studio E of the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel. This event is part of AGHE’s 38th Annual Meeting and Educational Leadership Conference, which provides a forum for professionals in the field of aging to present their work and share ideas about gerontological and geriatric education and training.
This year’s contest theme was “Bridging the Generations: An Important Older Person in My Life.” The winners are:
1st place: Katie Little for “My Nanie!”
2nd place: Seneca Willen for “Grandma and I”
3rd place: Grace Tompkins for “Nana and Me”
Honorable Mention: Tyler Layton for “Grandma”
All four are students in Leonardo Leonato’s class at Laurel Ridge Elementary School in Fairfax, VA. After reading their essays aloud to a group of AGHE attendees, the inspirational older adults, parents, and school leaders, the winners will be guests of honor at a reception at the Renaissance.
Complete meeting details are available at www.aghe.org/am.
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The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) is the educational branch of The Gerontological Society of America, the nation’s oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. AGHE seeks to advance gerontology as a field of study at institutions of higher education through conferences, publications, technical assistance, research studies, and consultation with policy makers. It is currently the only institutional member organization dedicated to gerontology and geriatrics education worldwide.
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Mildred M. Seltzer Distinguished Service Recognition
Presented to C. Joanne Grabinski, PhD, Eastern Michigan University, and Mary Alice Wolf, PhD, Saint Joseph University.
This award honors colleagues who are near retirement or recently retired. Recipients are individuals who have been actively involved in AGHE through service on committees, as elected officers, and/or have provided leadership in one of AGHE’s grant-funded projects.
Administrative Leadership Award
Presented to Tammy M. Bray, PhD, Oregon State University
This award honors administrators on AGHE member campuses who have made exceptional efforts in support of gerontology or geriatrics education.
David A. Peterson Gerontology & Geriatrics Education Best Paper of the Volume Award
Presented to Nina M. Silverstein, PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston; Elizabeth Johns, MS, University of Massachusetts Boston; and Judith A. Griffin, MA, MS, University of Massachusetts Boston, for the article “Students Explore Livable Communities.” Honorable mention is given to Emily J. Robbins, MS, Miami University; Jennifer M. Kinney, PhD, Miami University; and Cary S. Kart, PhD, Miami University, for the article “Promoting Active Engagement in Health Research: Lessons Learned from an Undergraduate Gerontology Capstone Course.”
The purpose of this award is to recognize excellence in scholarship in academic gerontology in AGHE’s official journal, Gerontology & Geriatrics Education.
Graduate Student Paper Award
Presented to Deborah Gray, MBA, University of Massachusetts Boston, for the paper “Weight and Wealth: The Relationship between Obesity and Net Worth for Pre-Retirement Age Men and Women.”
This award acknowledges excellence in scholarly work conducted by an AGHE Annual Meeting student attendee.
Book Award for Best Children’s Literature on Aging
Presented to Caitlin Dale Nicholson and Leona Morinn-Nelson for “Niwechihaw/I help” in the primary reader (pre-K to 2nd grade) category, and Ann Grifalconi and Jerry Pickney for “Ain’t Nobody A Stranger to Me” in the elementary reader (3rd to 5th grade) category.
This award recognizes portrayals of meaningful aging in children’s literature.