Seven Clarion University graduates took separate roads, but all roads led to their alma mater this past spring.
They were separately attending Clarion University's Spring Teacher Recruiting Fair, during which school districts as far away as Albuquerque, New Mexico, recruit graduating seniors for teaching positions.
The Fair was nearly two hours old when it was discovered how many Clarion alumni were in the Gemmell Multi-Purpose Room. What happened thereafter, was an two-week early version of the annual Alumni Day activities.
At the fair were: Charles and Rosalind (Farrow) Chivis (both '75), Mike Copen ('95), Denise (Liptak) Hershberger ('73), Terry LaPorte ('67), Diane (Menozzi) Lenzi ('70), and John Spataro ('75).
TERRY LAPORTE
LaPorte, supervisor of library services for the Hartford County Public Schools, Bel Air, MD, is completing 30 years with the district, the last two in his present position.
As supervisor of library services, LaPorte manages the schools' library/media operations. The Harford County Public Schools includes the 50 schools with 38,000 students, 2,400 professional staff members, and 54 professionally staffed media centers. He supervises teaching and organizational instructions, staff development of media, the county's central film library, and the central library processing center for the elementary schools. He also supervises a professional library for the county, open daily to 6 p.m.
A Tyrone native, who received his library science degree in 1967, LaPorte joined the Harford County Schools as it was opening its first middle school. "At the end of nine and one-half years, the U.S. Department of Education recognized the library as an 'Exemplary Library Program'," he recalls.
Following one year in an elementary school library he joined the opening of another new middle school in the district spending 17 years. Joining Fallston High School, he organized the school's high technology media center.
"All of our libraries are currently computerized," says LaPorte. "I have also worked with the architects for the designing of nine schools over the last 10 years. I am currently involved with the renovation of five elementary schools."
During his school tenure, LaPorte found time to return to Towson State College, where he received his master's degree in instructional technology in 1975. "For 20 summers I also worked for Johnson's Popcorn on the Ocean City, N.J., boardwalk," he says. "I enjoy traveling and recently completed a glacier hike."
Speaking about the students he was meeting at the Fair, LaPorte says, "Clarion prepares its students extremely well for library science. Library science will be a growing field with an increased need for enhanced technical instructions that are needed to help be a facilitator for today's students and teachers."
CHARLES AND ROSALIND (FARROW) CHIVIS
The Chivis' had not been on campus since their graduation from Clarion State College in 1975 and were duly impressed with the new Gemmell Center and other changes on campus.
Rosalind, who received a degree in special education/elementary education, is the administrative assistant in the office of the Chief of Staff of the Philadelphia School District. "I'm here as a favor to the office of human resources," she said. "We are looking for 1,500 teachers in all fields within the 22 clusters of the school district."
The first runner-up in the Miss Clarion State College Pageant in 1972, Rosalind taught in Oklahoma, Virginia, and California before coming to the Philadelphia School District in 1979 to teach socially and emotionally disturbed children. She went on to become the founder of a charter school of Service Learning for the district.
She earned her master's degree from Trenton State College, now the College of New Jersey, in student personnel and counseling, along with principal's certification. She received the Rose Lindenbaum Award in 1993 as the teacher of the year in Philadelphia, is a Pennserve Fellow for southeastern Pennsylvania, served as an advisor for "Learn and Serve," and as a mentor for the National Society for Experimental Education, publishing with them.
Prior to accepting her current position, Rosalind served as assistant principal for Central High School in Philadelphia, administrative assistant, assistant to the superintendent for the senior high school, and administrative assistant in the department superintendent's office.
Charles also received an elementary education degree from Clarion in 1975. "I decided to seize the opportunity to come back to Clarion with Rosalind," he said. "I joined the U.S. Marines through the P.L.C. program, after I graduated and served four years. I spent four years with a pharmaceutical company in West Point, Pa., before joining Wittman Chocolates of Philadelphia."
Four years later, Wittmans' was bought by Charles' present employer J & J Snacks of Pennsacken, N.J.
The Chivis' reside in Pennsacken, N.J., and have two daughters, Chelsey, a student at the University of Maryland, and Charla, a high school junior.
MIKE COPEN
Copen was away from Clarion the fewest number of years but was anxious to return.
"I requested to come here, when I heard that the Frederick County Public Schools were going to be a part of this Fair," he says. "I believe in the Clarion University system and wanted to have more students discover what I have found in Maryland."
Copen lives in Frederick, MD, with his wife, Nancy, and works for the Frederick County Public Schools. He graduated from Clarion with a degree in secondary education/English and went to Frederick as a language arts instructor. He continues in that role as well as now teaching theatre arts, being a member of the Frederick County School Improvement team, and advising the student council.
"I interviewed for the Frederick County Public Schools coming out of Clarion and fell in love with the area," he says. "I love the school system. It is the best.
"The education departments and English departments at Clarion have fantastic people. They taught me how to apply what I know into the classroom. My folklore class opened up my eyes to all kinds of possibilities. My classes pushed me to ask deep questions. I push for the same thing in my classroom today to have my students do the best they can."
JOHN SPATARO
John Spataro ('76) represented the Berkeley County Schools in Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he is a elementary school principal.
Spataro, a elementary education major at Clarion, was excited to be back. "I was asked to come back to represent our district which was a great honor for me," he says. "I really enjoyed coming back since I haven't been here for twenty years. You really can come home.
"Clarion really did a great job in preparing me for my life and in the classroom. The friendliness and life in general at Clarion are two things that will always stay with me."
Spataro has lived in Martinsburg for 10 years with his wife, Valerie (Zebrak) Spataro ('76), and their two children, Jennifer and Jarred.
DIANE LENZI
Diane (Menozzi) Lenzi ('70) is a principal at Park Elementary School part of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education, Anne Arundel County, Annapolis, Maryland.
Lenzi, who was a secondary education graduate in English, has worked in the field for 27 years. She has been a teacher, a department chair, and for the past 16 years an administrator. She was also an adjunct instructor in graduate education at Loyola College.
"While I was a teacher, I taught in 9 different schools," she says. "I hope to be able to retire in three years."
Lenzi, an Alpha Sig while at Clarion, says Clarion made her "very well prepared" for her success. "Clarion prepared me to be flexible," she says. "Through a diverse student teaching program, I was able to learn how to roll with the punches."
Lenzi lives in Annapolis with her husband Raymond ('69) who is a union organizer for the American Federation of Teachers. They have two children, Rachel, who attends Chatham College in Pittsburgh, and Tony, who hopes to attend Police Academy in the future.
DENISE HERSHBERGER
Denise (Liptak) Hershberger ('73), has been "extremely busy" with Job Fairs, where she represented Bayside Elementary School in Stevensville, Maryland, where she is a principal. She is a recent recipient of a Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.
"It was a very humbling experience," she says of the award. "I will be attending the conference this summer to receive the award and the conference is to be broadcast on a television station in Baltimore."
Hershberger, a elementary education major while at Clarion, says, "Clarion was a great foundation for a educational career. The campus life and everything else was a wonderful experience. The university really cares about its students and that is what makes it a special place. Clarion is home."
She is trying to teach the children at her school the same things. She says, "Clarion really set the groundwork for me to take risks in education. The university taught me that you never stop learning. I am trying to pass this on to the students at my school. I will always let everyone know that I am a Clarion University graduate."
Hershberger is working on her doctorate degree at the University of Maryland and also finds time to work on the web site (members. aol. com/baysides/bayside.html) of her elementary school. On the home page is information about the school and Hershberger.