WATSON COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
The Watson College Professional Development System will launch an Educators of Color Network in January. Somer Lewis and Sabrina Hill-Black are leading the initiative, which seeks to provide opportunities for educators in Watson’s 12-district PDS system to work together to recruit and retain teachers of color. more...
Elizabeth Crawford is co-author of the book “Worldwise Learning: A Teacher’s Guide to Shaping a Just, Sustainable Future.” Crawford is an associate professor of elementary education in the Watson College. The book was published by Corwin Press/SAGE in September. more...
In September, Laura Jennings, Kemeka Sidbury, Kat Pohlman and Bill Sterrett represented D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy and UNCW at a ceremony in Washington D.C. honoring 2021 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools. In October, federal and state education officials visited UNCW, D.C. Virgo and Wrightsville Beach Elementary as part of a three-day Green Strides Tour celebrating this year's Green Ribbon award winners. more...
Onslow County Schools, in partnership with the Watson College, has introduced a “Bridge to Board Certified” program for teachers planning to pursue National Board Certification. Tara Patterson ’17 Ed.D. and Jenn Hatch Knight are leading the program, designed to support the district’s goal of teacher leadership development. more...
Rachel Greer joined the Watson College Office of Engagement, Professional Learning and Scholarship in October as an Instructional Coach, a new position created to carry out the mission of the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program in the Southeast Region. She brings to the role more than 17 years of experience as a teacher and principal in preschool through high school settings in North Carolina. more...
Denise-Marie Copeland ’20M was named Brunswick County Schools 2021-22 Rookie of the Year and Brooke Bentley ’20 is Beginning Teacher of the Year for Wilkes County Schools. Copeland is a world history teacher at The COAST and Bentley is a second year teacher at Wilkesboro Elementary. more...
UNCW alum Joe Oliver ’06 and his teammates at Coral Vita have received a $1.3 million Earthshot Prize for their work to revitalize coral reefs. The prestigious global environment award was presented by the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in October. more...
Kristen Kane has received the 2021 North Carolina Science Teachers Association District 2 Outstanding High School Science Teacher Award. Kane is a biology and chemistry teacher at Duplin Early College High School, and a three-year participant in Youth Programs’ I-40 E.A.S.T. program. The award was presented November 4. more...
The Watson College of Education is pleased to announce that two $5,000 Hattie M. Strong scholarships have been awarded to WCE interns for the fall 2021 semester. Please join us in congratulating Hannah Chandler and Ashley O’Brien. more...
The Watson College Office of Academic and Student Affairs, led by Associate Dean Angela Housand has been renamed the Office of Academic Affairs, Program Support, and Student Success. WCE’s Office of Teacher Education and Outreach, led by Associate Dean Bill Sterrett is now the Office of Engagement, Professional Learning, and Scholarship. The new names were announced in October. more...
Several WCE faculty members were recently recognized for their research. Donyell Roseboro participated on a panel at NHC’s recent forum on community violence; a project co-directed by Janna Robertson was featured in a documentary at Cucalorus; and Michelle Hafey has been elected Director of District 2 for NCSTA. The Watson College is pleased to share these stories and other news. more...
UNCW Fall 2021 Commencement will be offered in-person on Saturday, December 11. The ceremony for the Watson College of Education will take place in Trask Coliseum at 9 a.m. All ceremonies will be accessible via livestream from the UNCW homepage and Ceremony Livestream page. more...
D.C. Virgo is looking for individuals and/or community organizations to provide enrichment activities for Virgo students on Fridays throughout the spring semester. Join them at an information meeting on January 6 at 3 p.m. to learn more! more...
The Watson College will host a "Walk Towards Your Purpose” brunch to bring together teachers, faculty and students who may be interested in teaching as a career. The event is designed to prioritize the importance of teachers of color and building a more diverse teaching profession. Join us! Registration is open. more...
In 2021, D.C. Virgo became a U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School. Join the Watson College and D.C. Virgo to learn more about Virgo’s "Green School" initiatives. A presentation and panel discussion will be held Wednesday, Feb. 9, 12-1 p.m. via Zoom. more...
Reconnect with your former professors and classmates at the 2022 Homecoming champagne brunch in February! The event will feature great food and a showcase from all UNCW academic areas. An Open House will be held at the Watson College following the brunch. more...
Each semester, the Watson College hosts Preview Days for high school and transfer students interested in becoming a teacher. Parents are welcome too! Check our Preview Day website for information about Spring 2022 events. more...
UNCW/3C will hold an Aspiring Leaders Summit at Lenoir Community College on January 27-28. Additional summits are planned for spring 2022 at Brunswick Community College and Fayetteville Technical Community College. The events are created by community college leaders for aspiring community college leaders with university partnership. Registration is open. more...
The Watson College is pleased to announce the third annual UNCW/3C Challenging the Paradigm Conference, to be held on April 7-8, 2022 on the UNCW campus. The theme of the event is “Partnerships for Success in a Changing World.” Registration is open. more...
Robert Smith and Kylee Maarschalk have been exploring lessons learned from the pandemic. In April and May they surveyed 150 educators across North Carolina to determine perspectives on whether changes they had implemented offered new approaches to improving our schools. Results were summarized in an article published in EducationNC on October 25. more...
Aubrie Leonard, a WCE master’s student pursuing her M.A.T. in elementary education, co-presented with Elizabeth Crawford and Julie Fliss at the SDG 4 seminar at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland in November. The international seminar, held annually, focuses on education and sustainability. The title of the presentation was “Co-Designing Systems for Change: The Essential Role of Non-State Actors in Ensuring Quality Education for All.” more...
Students enrolled in Watson’s MAT in Elementary Education program have made virtual read aloud recordings to share with children and families in the WRAAP program. The project, coordinated by professor Kathy Fox and Daryl Dockery, director of Wilmington’s Residential Adolescent Achievement Place, has provided an early teaching opportunity for students in their first semester of graduate school, and an academic enrichment opportunity for elementary school-age children in the WRAAP after-school program. more...
Isaac Bear students Eleanor Meinhold and Andres Valdiri, members of the school’s Science Fair Academy, have developed a series of videos to help students prepare for Science Fair. The videos will be shared with schools throughout the region and the state through SFA’s partnership with CESTEM. Bryan Bishop and the SFA have also received a $7,500 grant from the Landfall Foundation to fund science kits for local schools. more...
WCE’s Watson Student Leader organization held their third annual Aspiring Educator Summit on November 20. The theme of the event was “Global Citizenship.” Eugenia Floyd, 2021 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, was keynote speaker at the full-day virtual conference. more...
The Alpha Alpha Pi chapter of Kappa Delta Pi welcomed 37 new members in October. In November, they held a winter clothing drive to collect coats, hats and mittens to benefit students from WCE’s partnership schools. KDP is an international honor society dedicated to excellence in education. more...
Students in WCE’s Education Learning Community welcomed faculty guest speakers and participated in book group discussions as they explored issues of race, culture and identity during a series of meetings this fall. The ELC is a learning community for first-year students interested in pursuing a teaching career. more...
UNCW introduced esports in 2019 to bring together a community to learn, play and teach electronic sports. The university’s Call of Duty team wrapped up the fall season on November 10 with a 7-2 record, a placement of third in the southeast, and top tier national recognition. Congratulations! more...
More than 60 teachers attended a virtual professional learning day event hosted by the Watson College on October 22. WCE’s PDS Office hosts the event each semester for partnership teachers and supervisors hosting Watson College interns. The theme of this year’s event was “Why We Teach.” more...
On November 4, MarineQuest held a workshop titled “Teaching for a Blue Economy.” The event, designed for middle and high school science teachers, explored ways the sustainable use of the ocean is opening up new career pathways for young people interested in STEM. A special edition of the MarineQuest Explorer newsletter in October also focused on the Blue Economy. more...
For the past three years, Christy Atwell Barnes ’95, Lee Barnes and local Family Fare franchise owners have made generous annual donations of $10,000 through Family Fare’s Shared Purpose Initiative to support literacy at D.C. Virgo. This year, a portion of the funds will be used to launch a school-wide Family Book Club. Virgo is also collaborating with Johnson Pre-K on a new Reading Buddies program. more...
This fall, MarineQuest introduced a Sea S.P.A.M. (Science. Pizza. Art. Movie.) program for kids ages 6-10. At the “Seafood Thanksgiving” event in November, students learned about the bountiful harvest the ocean provides, and the ecological importance of migratory eels and sedentary oysters. Another Sea S.P.A.M. event, “Candy Cane Critters of the Sea,” will be held in December. more...
On October 23, future GLOW Academy students visited MarineQuest at the Center for Marine Science to learn about sharks, their senses and how these animals have led to advancements in human health. The event was part of the school’s “Saturday Learning Circle” program for fifth graders. more...
In November, the Watson College recognized Native American History Month by sharing event information and resources for teachers. On November 10, the anniversary of the 1898 Wilmington coup d’état, a day when we reflected on a critical event in our local and national history, Watson College Dean Van Dempsey shared a personal message with faculty, staff and partners, “Thoughts On the Day.” more...
On October 28, the Office of Engagement, Professional Learning and Scholarship hosted a virtual Grants Support Session for Watson College faculty. Topics included finding grants, working with SPARC, and diversity in grant work. more...
Robert Smith, Jeremy Hilburn and a team of Watson Walkers participated in the 2021 Cape Fear Heart Walk and raised nearly $1,500 for the American Heart Association. The event was held October 30 on the UNCW campus. more...
