D'Angelo Center, May 05, 2011 -

The Kappa Eta Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi an International Honor Society in Education held its annual induction ceremony on the Queens Campus on Sunday April 17, 2011.  The ceremony was attended by over 275 people.  The Chapter inducted 87 new members, 23 graduate students and 64 undergraduate students.  Ms. Charisse Willis, Associate Dean of The School of Education Undergraduate Studies and Mr. Joseph Sciortino, who both serve as Counselor and Associate Counselor for the International Education Honor Society, inducted the 2010-2011 Executive Board Council members. 

The ceremony  included the induction of honorary members, Principal Carlos Borrero of The High School for Community Leadership and Mrs. Joanne Zissel, from the St. John's University Athletics office for their outstanding contributions to the values of scholarship and excellence of Kappa Delta Pi.

Among other outstanding award recipients were the Professor of the Year award, presented to Dr. Andrew Ferdinandi and Dr. Francine Guastello of the Human Services and Counseling Department. 

The chapter also acknowledged the presenters for the KDP Assemblies: Dr. Mary Beth Schaefer, Dr. Aliya Holmes, and Dr. Andrew Ferdinandi.

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Lastly, the chapter honor with certificates of appreciation for outstanding mentorship and dedication to the ideals of the chapter to Professor Weedens Blanchard, Professors Mark & Helen Levy, and Professor Thorsen.

According to Erica Zissel, the Vice-President of the Kappa Eta Chapter, "The theme of our induction ceremony was KDP Gras, which really emphasized that this was a night to celebrate. It was definitely a packed house, but KDP maintained that family environment that we love to create for our members. It was amazing to see how excited and proud the initiates were."

Professor Jerry Stein served as the events' keynote speaker and enlightened the audience with a heartfelt speech about the very important role educators have on society, highlighing the importance of constantly training and study to positively impact the future generation. 

"This was truly an incredible night to witness all of the new initiates officially becoming a part of the K.D.P. Society & Family, because that is truly what we resemble when we come together for our common goal of benefitting the future of education and learning all we can to succeed in our future as teachers. I must say that to go from being an inductee last year to getting to play a role in inducting the newest members this year was a great experience and i look forward to collaborating with all of the new inductees in making not only Kappa Delta Pi, but also the education field as a whole, better for our children and for future generations," stated Kelvin Sage, a School of Education sophomore.

Associate Dean & Kappa Eta Counselor Charisse Willis, "I am proud to have been a part of this year's Kappa Eta celebration. With the hard work and dedication put into this year I just wanted all the students involved and family members to walk away feeling pretty special. Kappa Eta is all about making memories and making sure our members understand the true meaning of Service, Dedication and Love. Our  children are our first priority and our time with them is truly priceless."

Executive President, Alexandra Foukalas, stated that, "Our vision was to make this year the best one Kappa Eta has ever had.  It took more than a few late nights to make this happen.  I will never forget the tears that were wept, the sweat that was perspired, nor the headaches because of sleepless nights that we had to overcome to make this night and year a memorable one.  I will never forget the opportunities that this honor society provided me because it has helped me grow into the person that I am today."

For more information regarding the Kappa Eta Chapter please contact:

Alexandra D. Foukalas
Alexandra.foukalas08@stjohns.edu
www.kdpkappaetaqueens.webs.com

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