The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International —Pi Chapter
May 2020
Volume 39, Number 4
Inside this issue:
March Meeting Report 2
March Presentation
Scholarship Report
3
Dues Form—April 4
Executive Committee Message from President Sue Ayers
The “Power of Nice” 5 paint and new flooring wait I
2020-21 Calendar
Reflections 6 is piled high with the furniture
Pi Chapter
2018-20 Officers
Hasn't this been an
President interesting couple of months?
Or not if you are hunkered
Susan Ayers
down and not going out of the
house. It has been a huge
Vice President/ change for me. I filled my gas
Programs
tank up yesterday for only the
Cel Andzik-Grewe second time since the state
shut down. Costco ($1.09/
Secretary gallon) - it cost me $15 to fill
Becky Shepard my tank! Haven't seen that
since the seventies. 220 of my
miles were for quick day trips,
Treasurer
the rest were to the grocery,
Barbara Carruth
hardware store and my sister's
or my son's homes - all close to
Parliamentarian me. Running low on lettuce
Judy Gebhart seems to be my cue that it's
time to grocery shop. We are
Past President occasionally getting carry-out
Lori Williams but mostly cooking at home
which is better for me anyway.
My usually dark roots
Nominating Committee
aren't as bad as I thought
Chair
they'd be but are showing just
Lori Williams
how silver my hair is getting!
Looking forward to getting my
Membership Chair hair done and my toes too!
Pam O’Brien Sudoku, crosswords and jigsaw
puzzles are taking up a lot of
Newsletter Editor my time although I did finally
Suzanne Mitolo
repaint my master bath. I had
water damage after that big
rain in March so my art studio
is packed away during the re-
Pi’s Piper
can't even sew masks because
the one room that didn't flood
and stored items from the ef-
fected rooms and my sewing
machine is in the closet behind
all of it.
How have you been
passing the time? I have been
walking and gardening as I
hope you are all doing to get
outside and breathe fresh air.
The good news is my yard is
going to be beautiful and I
have a very early jump on it! I
planted some seeds and have
started buying a few bedding
plants.
I also have Eastern
Bluebirds that have chosen my
dilapidated birdhouse as their
nesting place and am having so
much fun watching them. I
was going to actually take
down the house until they ar-
rived. I refer to it as "the Bal-
tic Place" of birdhouses as it
has lost its roof and any charm
it may have once had. The
Bluebirds are even building
their nest going in and out of a
hole that was pecked in by
woodpeckers!
As you know, we are
in a suspended state. Not just
Ohio but Delta Kappa Gamma
as well. We cancelled our May
tea, the State Convention was
postponed until August and
the status of the International
Convention in July is up in the
air. As of now we are still
planning on our August meet-
ing. We will initiate Jackie
Mahaffey then and induct
Linda Harrison as Co-
President and Jackie as Vice
President. More information
will be forthcoming as the
summer news will hopefully
find everything and everyone
on a positive note.
Lori Williams is send-
ing notification letters to our
scholarship recipients in lieu of
recognizing them at our spring
tea. It would be great if she
could have a co-chair for next
year. Let me know if you are
willing to help.
Becky Shepard is
working to get a website up
and running for our chapter.
It will be a good way to get the
word out about our wonderful
Pi Chapter!
For any who may not
know Trish and her mom were
stuck on a cruise ship and then
had to quarantine in Georgia!
I imagine when we do finally
get together we will have all
kinds of stories to tell. Can't
wait! Take care of yourselves
and stay safe.
Page 2 Volume 39, Number 4

March Meeting Minutes

VA Committee: (Sue Hagan)
Pi Chapter All visits to patients will be cancelled for March
Meeting Minutes
Election of New Officers
3/12/20 The slate only had one candidate for each of the
Location: Dayton Metro Library following officers for 2020-2022:
Miami Township Branch Co Presidents: Sue Ayers and Linda Harrison
2718 Lyons Road Vice President: Jackie Mahaffey
5:00 pm Secretary: Becky Shepard
Nominating Committee: Lori Williams and
Call to Order: Sue Ayers Suzanne Mitolo
Pledge of Allegiance Cel Grewe 1st to motion to approve new officers
Introduction of guests (no guests) Linda Harrison 2nd
Blessing and Dinner: Sue Ayers
Minutes: Jackie Mahaffey The Pi Chapter Policies and Procedures have been
Report of the Treasurer: updated by Linda Harrison and committee with
New dues will need to be paid by June 2020. You minor changes. The new documents were ap-
can pay them at the next meeting. proved and Linda will print hard copies for the
Barbara Carruth shared the 2020-2021 Budget as members to distribute at the August meeting.
listed in the last newsletter. Financial commit-
tee will keep an eye on the Porter Investment. No new business
Cel Grewe made the motion to approve the No new announcements
2020-2021 budget. Empowering Women Program: (see page 3)
Linda Harrison 2nd Judy Gebhart shared about Michelle
Obama
Report of Officers: Cel Grewe shared about Barbara Bush
Cel Grewe presented the draft program for 2020- Suzanne Mitolo received funds from Pi
2021. She will work with Jackie Mahaffey to Chapter to attend the Ohio Art Educa-
coordinate the details for the new year. tion Association conference in Novem-
Standing Committees ber 2019. She shared one of the ses-
Scholarships: sions with the group - a case study
Need to meet and select recipients from two Kent State Art Professors on
2-$1000 scholarships to be awarded the “Power of Nice”.

Foster Care: The meeting adjourned.

Suzanne organized materials to share information Jackie Mahaffey for Becky Shepard
about our Foster Program for conference—now on
hold until August.
State Conference:
All fees should be refunded by 3/13
New dates August 28-30
 Volume 39, Number 4 Page 3

Women Heroes: Two First Ladies

Scholarship Committee Report
Judy Gebhart Lori William, Chair
shared about Committee: Joan Raine and
Michelle Debbie Beck
Obama
To summarize: Recipients:
Michelle’s parents Miranda Tatom
taught her to work something larger than yourself. She Butler HS Graduate
hard, laugh a lot, and be heard. was married for 72 years! Attending Sinclair/UD Academy
Your story is what you have and it
is all your own. Michelle grew up in
a middle class family that empha-
sized education and family centered.
She was always keen on work and
family balance. She often asked
herself if she was good enough and
YES she was. She focused on
childhood obesity in the White
House and the first to plant a gar-
den. Suzanne Mitolo shared a
case study from two Kent State
Cel Grewe Art Professors on being the “nice”
shared about teacher. In this study, a male
Barbara Bush teacher conducted a study on the
To summarize: power of being nice. These profes-
Only one other 1st sors would like to get this study
lady presidents had published. Many teachers have
a husband and son been taught to not smile until after
Allison (Ally) Bowman
as presidents! Abigail Adams only Thanksgiving. This is just not the
case. Students need to feel heard, Oakwood HS Graduate
other! Often Barbara was nick-
named by her children the valued, and the importance of get- Attending Ohio Northern
“enforcer” and her husband the ting to know your students. The
“silver fox.” She met her husband pedagogy of nice includes: consis-
at a dance when she was just 16. tency, being genuine, polite, embed
She kept lots of diaries while she meanings in your lessons, create
was in the White House. She wrote personal connections, building rap-
two children’s books and her own port, employing humor. (See page 5)
memoir. She wanted everyone
to realize their own dream and
break away from the stereotypes of
what women should do. Believe in
Page 4 Volume 39, Number 4

Pi Chapter
News from the Treasurer Ex Committee Meeting
April 2, 2020
An email notice went out with an update on the dues for 2020-21. Below is a form if
you would like to make additional contributions. The executive meeting was
conducted through email.
————————————————————————————
Those participating: Sue Ayers, Suz-
Pi Chapter Dues Form anne Mitolo, Barb Carruth, Judy
Gebhart, Lori Williams, Becky Shepard.
Cel Andzik Grewe was contact by
Name _________________________________________________ phone.
Two motions were made at this
email meeting.
Dues (2020-21)
Becky Shepard made a motion
that the May 2, 2020 meeting of Pi
Pi Anniversary Fund
Chapter be cancelled due to the "stay at
Grant-In-Aid (High School Senior Grants) home" order issued through 5/1/2020
Pi Scholarship (Members) by Governor DeWine. Lori Williams
Second. Motion passed.
Postage
The following motion is from
Schools for Africa the Executive Board Meeting
Service 8/13/2019 (Sue Ayers, Barb Carruth,
Suzanne Mitolo, Pam O’Brien, Becky
Shepard, Cathy Sweny,)
(There will no longer be a collection for the Service Committee since Pi Chapter is
using $750 per year in investment income to fund their work. If you would still like Motion was made by Barb Carruth,
to make a personal donation, please feel free to do so.) any Pi Chapter member signing in
and attending five out of seven
World Fellowship ___________ yearly meetings will have $50 of the
next year’s Pi Chapter dues paid by
Unrestricted (Use as needed) ___________
the chapter. Pam O’Brien sec-
Grand Total ___________ onded. Approved
Becky Shepard made a motion
Barbara Carruth to amend the above motion from the
5601 Winterberry Court 8/13/2019 ex meeting to read: Due to
the cancellation of the May Pi Chapter
Dayton, OH 45431-2814
meeting, any Pi Chapter member sign-
Please send by June 15.
ing in and attending four out of six
meetings during the 2019-2020 year will
have $50 of next year's Pi Chapter dues
Mission: The Delta Kappa Gamma So- paid by the chapter. Barb Carruth sec-
ciety International promotes professional ond. Motion passed
and personal growth of women educa-
tors and excellence in education.
Becky Shepard
Pi Chapter Secretary
Page 5 Volume 39, Number 4

Suzanne Mitolo – 2019 OAEA

Conference Presentation,
“Dispositions, Successful Inclu-
sive Practices: The Power of
Nice. Originally presented by
Linda Hoeptner Poling, PH.D
and Juliann Dorff, MAT both
from Kent State.
The presentation centered on a
six-week case study of an art
teacher who was a KSU alum-
nus, graduate student and a sec-
ond year teacher. He worked in
a charter high school with stu-
dents with Autism and/or
ADHD along with other learning
disabilities. Other characteristics
of the school include:
 50/50 gender breakdown
 60% White/40% Black and other MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR
 +/- 90% on free or reduced lunch 2020-21 Tentative Dates
 Many single parent households: moms and grandmothers as head of house- August 26, 2020
hold common Christ Episcopal Church West 1st
 On continuous improvement – on year 2 of a 5-year plan 5:00 PM
 Not-for-profit school
They found that promoting positive classroom behaviors and using the “power October 8, 2020
of nice” to be the most effective classroom strategy. Below are some related Laura Peterson’s School Primary
strategies: Village South
Be the consistent adult in everything you say and do, building trust in that consistency as 5:00
someone students view as their steadfast go-to person.
Be polite. There is an art to being polite and it must be practiced to be genu- November Coordinating Council
ine. TBA
Be genuine in words and deed. Students know in-genuine teacher attitudes and behavior.
When you do not feel genuine, fake it to the best of your ability. December 5, 2020
NCR Country Club 11am
Believe you matter to your students. Be “the one on their side.” Be their
champion.
January 16, 2021
Embed meaning in lessons. Every time. Without it, motivation to participate decreases. Presidential Banquet Center 11am
Create opportunities for personal connections in your lesson content.
Know students’ stories. March TBA Possible Library on
Choose contemporary as well local artworks, artists, and topics.
Lyons

Make building rapport a priority. Know students’ full names and use them consistently. May TBA Christ Episcopal
Employ humor. Subtle or exaggerated, it helps impart your message and also Church West 1st Tea 2 pm
diffuses contentious situations. It also makes you feel better.
MORE DETAILS IN THE
Practice self-care every week. Repeat. And then repeat again. Your students need you to
remain nice. Every day.
JULY NEWSLETTER.
 Editor’s Note:
When I produce a new edition of our newsletter I always start by opening that
month’s newsletter from the last year. When I opened the May 2019 Pi’s Piper I
saw the picture of Jeanne Brandt who presented at our March meeting about
Women Heroes.
It made me think of all the things that have happened in our Chapter and our
community in general over this past year. Sue Ayers’ message addresses the cur-
rent shut-down due to the virus infecting our world. Who would have imagined a
situation like this? It’s been difficult being away from school, but we are all at-
tempting to be flexible and discover ways we can serve our students and their fami-
lies. I’m certainly looking forward to a more positive situation when I produce the
May 2021 Pi’s Piper.

Note: Had a little extra space and thought I would reprint the article below.

What I Learned Over The Past Two Months

Reprinted from The Voice, May 1, 2020

The past two months have certainly been different than what I thought they would be when the year 2020
started. After months of planning and working on numerous projects, the weekend of the DKG Ohio State Conven-
tion passed with all of us staying in our homes. Who would have thought that could happen, but it did. Over the
past two months, we have had the opportunity to reflect on those things that truly matter in our lives. We have
had the opportunity to see how important many of the workers who provide services to us truly are. We have had
the opportunity to witness how kind and generous people can be when life gets scary and challenging. I want to
share a few of the things I have learned over the past two months.

 Technology is my friend!! I have been able to have video visits with my grandkids after digging my laptop out
of the closet.
 I can still sew well enough to make face masks out of old bed sheets, though the needle is much more difficult
to thread.
 I should have bought stock in Charmin toilet paper. Who knew!
 Much money can be saved by not wearing make-up!
 My husband and I are still able to paint our living room, but it takes us three days to recover from the experi-
ence.
 Parents appreciate teachers more. Jimmy Fallon said teachers should be paid a billion dollars after trying to
home school his daughters.
 My brother who is a respiratory therapist in Dayton and my brother-in-law who is an OR nurse in Dallas, are
very special men, and I love them dearly.
 Some of my friends and family members are still receiving chemotherapy, because cancer hasn’t gone away.
 The sunshine seems especially brilliant and the beautiful flowers that are blooming are magnificent. There have
actually been years when my daffodils have bloomed, and I didn’t even notice them.
 What a blessing it is to hear the voice of a friend or family member on the phone.
Take the time to call someone today. Texts and emails are good ways to stay in touch, but there is something
special about hearing a person’s voice. Call a friend, neighbor, or family member and just chit-chat.

Take care and stay safe. This will pass!

Linda Diltz, Beta Rho

Convention Coordinator