Thursday, December 15, 2016

"CEHHS Talks Series" on Mental Health Has a Successful Start


DEARBORN, MI - On December 7, 2016, The College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS) in conjunction with the Center for Disparity Solutions and Equity (CDSE) sponsored the first in a three-part series of CEHHS Talks focused on mental and behavioral health, advocacy, and support. As a part of campus, community, state, and national advocacy work regarding health and equity, CEHHS and the CDSE are partnering with regional leaders in addressing mental health and mental illness as a part of individual health, and campus and community support of equity and inclusion.
 
Dr. Creekmore talking with one of the attendees
More than 30 participants attended the first of the three talks featuring Dr. Mark Creekmore,Adjunct Faculty and Lecturer for the Center for Political Studies; School of Social Work, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He also served as Board President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Washtenaw and Board Member of the Washtenaw County Community Health Organization (WCCMH). Dr. Creekmore's presentation focused on the nature of the mental health policy environment, the role of policy as regards health and inclusion, as well as the impact of stigma on individual mental health and the health and productivity of our communities.

Attendees received information about new certificates
and training opportunities offered by CEHHS
He also highlighted the role of formal and informal advocacy, as well as the importance of developing positive policy as a community, region, and nation in support of mental health. The talk closed with a Q&A and discussion guided by CEHHS Dean Janine Janosky, regarding the issues addressed as well as details of the upcoming Mental Health First Aid training courses offered by CEHHS in 2017.
 

The second presentation of CEHHS Talks is scheduled for January and it will focus in mindfulness, meditation and mental health.

Friday, December 2, 2016

2016 Young Author's Festival Breaks Record Numbers

2016 Young Authors’ Festival Writing Contest Winners, including Grand Prize winner Jet Miller (Defer Elementary, Grosse Pointe Park), 3rd grade winners Hadley Walker, Owen Strieff, Lena Sophia Goethe, and Hussein Mansour; 4th grade winners Joshua Lemanski, Maria Fontes and Nameh Sharif; and 5th grade winners Hanley DeSmyter, Cassidy Woolums and Ali Beidoun

DEARBORN, MI - This year marked the 4th Annual Young Authors’ Festival, a partnership between the UM-Dearborn Mardigian Library and College of Education, Health & Human Services (CEHHS), which was held on November 12th, 2016.

The festival provides an opportunity to help children develop literacy skills, teaches their parents tips and techniques to support their children’s literacy development, and also provides the pre-service teachers in CEHHS with valuable hands-on literacy instruction experience. Around 120 young writers from grades 3 to 5 learned tips on what it takes to be an author from this year’s guest speaker, Newbery Medal-winning author Christopher Paul Curtis.
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell
encouraged students to read and write

The festival also honored the winners of the 2016 Young Authors’ Writing Contest. About 260 contest entries, a record number, were judged by UM-Dearborn pre-service teachers in Professor Danielle DeFauw’s EXPS 298 course, “Writing to Communicate, Learn and Teach.”

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell stopped by to congratulate award winners and encourage students to read and write. Winning students received Barnes & Noble gift cards and were invited to read their entries aloud at the festival.
 
Newbery Medal-winning author
Christopher Curtis
Curtis, who came with his wife and three young children, spoke from the heart about his life and how he became a writer. Born in Flint, Michigan, and a graduate of UM-Flint, Curtis is the author of the highly acclaimed books, “Bud Not Buddy,” “Elijah of Buxton,” and “The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.” Curtis also took time to autograph books and have pictures taken with the children attending the event. 

Tiffany Anderson, a 5th grade teacher at Neinas Dual Language Academy in Detroit, brought her entire class to the event. “My students were so happy! They are still talking about meeting Mr. Curtis,” she said. “They have created a board in the hallways of our school promoting literacy and meeting Mr. Curtis.”

Children also participated in 11 fun, educational writing workshops conducted by UM-Dearborn pre-service teachers in LIBR 465: “Literature for Children,” also taught by Professor DeFauw. "I look forward to the Young Authors' Festival every year, said Professor DeFauw. "It provides an authentic learning opportunity for the children, pre-service teachers, and families. We celebrate literacy together."

While the children were in workshops, their parents were getting tips on how to inspire their children to continue writing and reading. Workshop topics included: collaborative group writing, how to create a picture book, creating a story to accompany a piece of music, a bookmaking workshop, and more.
Children’s breakout session being led by pre-service teachers from CEHHS
in Professor Danielle DeFauw’s LIBR 465: Literature for Children course
Jet Miller, Grand Prize Winner, with
Professor Danielle DeFauw
   
Raya Samet, the embedded librarian within CEHHS, worked closely with Professor Danielle DeFauw, her students, and the library committee that planned and hosted the event. “This event is a prime example of what UM-Dearborn does best,” she said. “It is a true collaboration which has a wide metropolitan impact on the young people in our community as well as on the future teachers in our program who will soon be teaching literacy skills in the field. It’s an invaluable experience for everyone involved, and what better place to celebrate literacy than in the library?”

This event is sponsored by the College of Education, Health and Human Services; the Mardigian Library; the Salloum Family in honor of Abdallah & Leila Salloum; Mrs. Judith Smith; the Metro Detroit Book and Author Society; the Hub for Teaching & Learning Resources; the Office of Metropolitan Impact; and the UM-Dearborn Barnes & Noble College Bookstore