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DKG Practice/Program

to keep the costs low. Seed money of $800 was available, if needed, from a Elaine
Hendrickson,
special state organization fund. There was no cost to use the school. The keynote a member of Delta
speaker and the session presenters volunteered their time, and chapters donated Chapter, is a past state
water, snacks, and desserts. The costs included printing, folders, name tags, small president of Maine
thank-you gift cards and notes for the keynote speaker and presenters, and lunch. State Organization and
The printing included advertising flyers, event programs, exit tickets, and CEU a retired middle school
certificates. teacher. Currently
working with outdoor
Because the feedback from the first workshop was positive, the committee education, Elaine was
recommended to the executive board that Maine SO continue to offer S-T-R-E-T- the 2001 Maine Teacher
C-H Your Teaching workshop. The big question was who would be responsible of the Year. elaine.
for organizing the event. At the state organization’s 2017 spring convention, the hendrickson@gmail.com
executive board passed a motion that the immediate past president and the first vice
president would jointly take on this responsibility. In the Maine SO, the president
and second vice president have greater responsibilities. During her biennium
as president, the immediate past president gains a greater knowledge of the
organization and gains leadership skills that are beneficial to Maine SO and S-T-R-
E-T-C-H. The first vice president is involved to keep the officer workload equal and
to provide her with organizational experience.
In 2018, S-T-R-E-T-C-H Your Teaching workshop moved to a satellite college
campus. This new location provided more flexible space, technology, and technical
support. However, there was a fee to use the site. The keynote speaker was on
the DKG International Speakers Fund list. After hearing her at the Windsor
Ontario International Conference, Maine SO members thought she would be a
great addition to S-T-R-E-T-C-H. Because she was a DKG International Speaker,
her cost to the Maine SO was reduced. There were 47 in attendance, with 40%
nonmembers.
With financial concerns for 2019, Maine SO applied for and received
a Cornetet Seminar Professional Development Award* from the DKG
International Educators Foundation (DKGIEF). These awards are available to
help regions, areas, and state organizations of DKG to sponsor professional
development opportunities for educators in their locale. In this year, preservice
educators from Maine colleges and universities were invited to attend. Forty-nine
attended, with 31% nonmembers, including four preservice teachers. For March
2020, the registration numbers climbed to 80. Unfortunately, the week before the
workshop, COVID-19 shut down all the schools in Maine. The workshop had to be
canceled.
Embracing the flexibility required during COVID-19, the organization offered
S-T-R-E-T-C-H via Zoom in 2021. Four sessions were offered on a Saturday in the
middle of March: two in the morning
and two in the afternoon. Four more *Cornetet Professional Development Awards such as Maine
speakers presented sessions on the SO received from DKGIEF in 2019 to help defray the cost of
following consecutive Wednesday S-T-R-E-T-C-H Your Teaching are available to all Delta Kappa
evenings. Attendees registered for Gamma Society International organizations. Applications
sessions of interest at no cost. This are due by November 1 each year. More information and the
model worked well, with 60 educators application and can be found at dkg.org > DKGIEF > Cornetet
attending at various times. A comment Award (Learn More) > Cornetet Seminar.
from one of the virtual attendees showed

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