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Pacific educators gather on Saipan
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Posted on Apr 24 2001
Guest educators from all over the Pacific Islands received a warm welcome yesterday as the regional chapter of the Western Association of Educational Opportunity Personnel officially kicked-off the 2001 Professional Development Seminar at the Diamond Hotel.
WESTOP organizers have selected this year’s conference theme as “Networking for Opportunity,” describing the advantages of knowledge-sharing between educators in various subject areas.
The ongoing training being held on Saipan for the first time has gathered attendees from WESTOP member entities in the Pacific as well as local participants interested in professional enrichment.
Some experts who have been tapped to facilitate workshops and discussions include WESTOP Chapter President James Oda, US Dept. of Education Program Officer Pat Lucas, Grants Writer Bonnie Helm, WESTOP former chapter president Viola Gray, Educational Counseling Specialist Charlene Manco from Western Kentucky University, among others.
Other presenters hailing from the WKU as well as representatives from the US Dept. of Education’s Office of Federal TRIO programs, the Counsel for Opportunity in Education and the Pacific Islands Chapter will conduct the training and workshops.
The topics being covered include grant writing, objective writing, performance report preparation, hiring and motivating staff, evaluating staff, team building, counseling assessment, tracking students using the internet and administrative assistants’ training, among others.
Today, a number of presenters will hold lectures on WKU rotation topics ranging from evaluation, tutoring, developing plans to handle emergencies, and management and evaluation of program staff.
Concurrent sessions are currently taking place at Diamond Hotel’s Hibiscus I, II, and III function rooms.
WESTOP, the parent association, is comprised of educators from the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands.
The association is dedicated in bringing together individuals interested in furthering educational opportunities for students from disadvantaged background. (MM)
