4B THE CHOWAN HERALD, WEDNESDAY, JULY 19,2017
ECSU receives $300,000 Kellogg Foundation Grant
From staff reports
Elizabeth City State Uni
versity is working to edu
cate the next generation
of teachers, and thanks
to a recent $300,000 grant
award from the W. K. Kel
logg Foundation, 10 teach-
ers-in-training will have the
chance to work with area
students.
The purpose of the grant
is to help prepare the stu
dent-teachers to work in
rural, high-need schools.
IGNITE-Next Generation
of New Teachers is a col
laborative effort between
ECSU, College of the Albe
marle, and Halifax Commu
nity College.
“This grant will support
students who have earned
an associates degree in ob
taining a Bachelor’s Degree
in Elementary Education.
Its purpose is to provide
support in content knowl
edge, culturally relevant
pedagogy, and project
based learning,” said Dr.
Gwendolyn Williams, En
dowed Chair of the ECSU
Education, Psychology, and
Health Department. “This
collaborative project will
recruit, prepare, and license
the teacher-education can
didates to positively focus
on the learning outcomes
of students taught in high-
need rural schools in North
Carolina.”
Student-teachers with
an education associate’s
degree will work through
ECSU’s education program
to reinforce skills, and gain
new knowledge in the edu
cation field. They will enter
ECSU and become more
“This collaborative project will recruit, prepare,
and license the teacher-education candidates
to positively focus on the learning outcomes of
students taught in high-need rural schools in
North Carolina."
Dr. Gwendolyn Williams
Endowed chair of ECSU Education, Psychology
and Health Department
adept in the education pro
cess in an effort to enhance
achievement in the region’s
rural schools. The project
will also prepare the stu
dent-teachers for a residen
cy program.
The IGNITE project will
also partner with the North-
east Academy of Aerospace
and Advanced Technolo
gies (NEAAAT). These stu
dent-teachers will have an
opportunity to work with
NEAAAT, located on the
ECSU campus, and while
they receive training as fu
ture educators, also lend
their experience and enthu
siasm for education to stu
dents in grades 7 through
11.
“The notion of ‘home-
grown’ teachers can be
a powerful force in rural
North Carolina, and speaks
volumes to the goal of nur
turing relationships with
our partnerships,” said Wil
liams.
The need for more teach
ers in North Carolina has
grown in recent years. The
student-teachers work
ing through the IGNITE
project will work to de
crease teacher turnover in
Northeast North Carolina
through coursework, pro
fessional development, and
mentoring.
The IGNITE project
supports ECSU’s mission
of promoting economic,
social, and environmental
progress in the region.
The Kellogg Foundation
is based in Battle Creek,
Michigan, and works
throughout the United
States and internationally,
as well as with sovereign
tribes. Special emphasis
is paid to priority places
where there are high con
centrations of poverty and
where children face sig
nificant barriers to success.
The Kellogg Foundation
priority places in the U.S.
are in Michigan, Mississip
pi, New Mexico, and New
Orleans; and international
ly, are in Mexico and Haiti.
For more information, visit
www.wkkr.org.
ECSU, a constituent in
stitution of the University
of North Carolina, has 28
undergraduate degree of
ferings and four graduate
degree programs, flexible
study options, and research
opportunities. For more in
formation, visit www.ecsu.
edu.
Umfleet to talk about North Carolina’s role in ‘Great War’
From staff reports
LeRae Umfleet from the
North Carolina Department
of Natural and Cultural
Resources will be the fea
tured speaker at a special
program on the traveling
exhibit, “North Carolina in
the Great War,” at the His
toric Edenton Visitor Cen
ter this week.
The program will take
place on Thursday evening
from 5-7 p.m. and everyone
is welcome, however you
are asked to call the visitor
center at 482-2637 to re-
UMFLEET
serve your
place if you
plan to at
tend since
seating is
limited.
Portions
of the ex
hibit can
be viewed
in the lobby at the visitor
center and includes several
items on loan from local
families.
Umfleet, who works in
the Education and Out
reach Division at the state
DNCR, oversees com
memorative activities and
outreach programs across
the state.
Throughout her career in
public historic, Umfleet has
worked with a multitude of
sites in a variety of capaci
ties, including the North
Carolina State Archives,
the North Carolina Collec
tion in Chapel Hill, the Joel
Lane Museum House in Ra
leigh, Davis Library in Cha
pel Hill, and Historic Hope
Plantation in Windsor.
Umfleet has served on
the board of directors for
the North Carolina Muse-
WANT TO
ATTEND?
■ What: North Carolina in
the Great War
■ When: June 20, 5-7 p.m.
■ Where: Historic Edenton
Visitor Center
■ Contact: 482-2637 to
reserve your seat
■ Cost: Free
ums Council, the North
Carolina Digital Heritage
Center, the North Carolina
Preservation Consortium,
the Historic Stag^lle Foun
dation, the Raleigh Heri
tage Trail, and the Bertie
County Arts Council.
Originally from Bath,
North Carolina, Umfleet
graduated from UNC-
Chapel Hill in 1991 with a
Bachelor’s Degree in His
tory. She then attended
the Archival Management
Program at NC State and
transferred to East Caro
lina University where she
graduated with a Master’s
Degree in 1998.
Reflecting her personal
interest in plantation slav
ery, her Master’s thesis was
entitled “Slavery in Micro
cosm: Bertie County, North
Carolina in 1790-1810.”
Umfleet also published
“A Day of Blood: the 1898
Wilmington Race Riot,”
based on research for
which she was awarded
the American Association
of State and Local History
Award of Merit and their
prestigious WOW Award.
For more information
about the program, please
call the 482-2637.
Vidant Chowan Hospital named baby-friendly birth facility
From staff reports
Baby-Friendly USA, an
nounced that Vidant Chowan
Hospital has been designated
as a Baby-Friendly birth facil
ity.
Baby-Friendly USA, Inc
is the U.S. authority for the
implementation of the Baby-
Friendly Hospital Initiative
(BFHI), a global program
sponsored by the World
Health Organization (WHO)
and the United Nations Chil
dren’s Fund (UNICEF).
Baby-Friendly hospitals
and birthing facilities must
adhere to the Ten Steps
to Successful Breastfeed
ing to receive, and retain, a
Baby-Friendly designation.
The Ten Steps to Success
ful Breastfeeding is a system
developed to measure evi
dence-based practices that
have been shown to increase
breastfeeding initiation and
duration.
The initiative encourages
and recognizes hospitals
and birthing centers that of
fer an optimal level of care
for breastfeeding mothers
and their babies. Based on
the Ten Steps to Successful
Breastfeeding, this inter ¬
“This designation is built on a foundation
of evidenced based quality maternity and
newborn care to achieve optimal newborn
feeding and mother/baby bonding. ”
Cindy Coker
Vidant Chowan Hospital vice president of patient
care services
national award recognizes
birth facilities that offer
breastfeeding mothers the
information, confidence and
skills needed to successfully
breastfeed their babies. The
initiative has a measurable
and proven impact, increas
ing the likelihood of babies
being exclusively breastfed
for the first six months.
“Receiving designation as
a Baby Friendly Hospital rec
ognizes the quality care our
Birthing Center staff pro
vide to newborns and their
mothers,” said Cindy Coker,
Vidant Chowan Hospital’s
Vice President of Patient
Care Services. “This designa
tion is built on a foundation
of evidenced based quality
maternity and newborn care
to achieve optimal newborn
feeding and mother/baby
bonding. We are very excit
ed to receive this prestigious
designation and are honored
to provide family centered
care to the families in the
communities we serve.”
There are more than
20,000 designated Baby-
Friendly hospitals and birth
> centers worldwide, with the
Vidant Chowan Hospital
Birthing Center being the
444th hospital/birthing cen
ter in the United States to
hold this designation. The
“Baby-Friendly” designation
is given after a rigorous sur
vey is completed. The award
is maintained by continuing
to practice the Ten Steps to
Successful Breastfeeding as
demonstrated by quality pro
cesses.
KELLY HERR PHOTO
Vidant Chowan Hospital has been named a Baby-Friendly Birth Facility. Those who
helped in the effort to secure the designation included, from left, Alisa Perry, retired
Birthing Center Manager; Allison Eure, Birthing Center Manager; Selma Boucher,
Lactation Consultant; Cindy Coker, Vice President of Patient Care Services.
Once in a lifetime: Albemarle to view partial solar eclipse
BY PETER WILLIAMS
For the Chowan Herald
Sometimes you have to be
in just the right place to get
an once-in-a-lifetime experi
ence.
On Aug. 21, the Albemarle
region isn’t exactly the right
place, but it’s close.
On that day — weather
permitting — area residents
will get a pretty good look at
what a partial solar eclipse
looks like.
To see the full total eclipse
— know as the ‘path of to
tality’ — you’ll have to be
somewhere along a roughly
70-mile swath that goes from
Oregon across the country to
South Carolina.
A total eclipse happens
when the moon completely
blocks out the light of the sun.
Total solar eclipses are not un
heard of. One happens about
every year or every other year
somewhere on Earth. But
they may happen in remote
places. Dre partial eclipse will
be at the peak in the Albemar
le area about 2:48 p.m. It will
start at about 1:21 p.m.
The last time a total eclipse
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OVER SOUTH CAROLINA
ON AUGUST 21, 2017
Tire ^t of a l^wie ( ( ( IBB Don't miss U?
IMAGE COURTESY OF GREAT AMERICAN ECLIPSE.COM
A map shows the route of the total eclipse over South
Carolina.
was visible in North Carolina
was in 1970. Before that, it
was 1900.
If you want to wait for the
next one, it’s in 2078. If you
miss that, there is another
one in 2099.
The total eclipse will pass
over the far western part of
North Carolina including
Bryson City and Murphy.
There the total eclipse may
last between 2 minutes 39
seconds to two minutes and
30 seconds.
In South Carolina, the cit
ies of Greenville and Colum
bia are within the “path of to
tality.” Charleston is too, but
just barely.
If you don’t want to travel
hours and hours for some
thing that may only last for
three minutes, you can be
prepared to enjoy what you
do have right here at home.
Important safety tip: Don’t
stare at the sun.
Second safety tip: Sun
glasses alone won’t stop you
from doing permanent dam
age to your eyes.
If you want to learn more
about eclipses, the Khan Plan
etarium at Elizabeth City State
University is one place to go.
It’s named for Dr. Sultana
Khan and she can put on
a program for groups of at
least 20 people. Even if you
don’t have a group that large,
Khan said call her at 335-4759
and she can arrange smaller
groups into a larger group to
accommodate everyone.
Khan said the educational
star show is not specific to
this eclipse coming up in
August. It’s more generic to
show what an eclipse, why
it happens and how to view
it. The program is geared to
ward elementary school-age
children, but Khan said adults
should get something out of it
as well.
Just don’t expect to see
Khan at the ECSU planetar
ium come Aug. 21. She’ll be
in South Carolina She said
she booked her room months
ago.
If you want to make the
trip but are concerned about
cloud cover, Khan said NOAA
will offer a forecast of where
the best place to view it may
be. Khan said she’ll be moni
toring that when she goes to
South Carolina
If you can’t make the trip, a
visit to NASAs web site may
be your best decision.
“They will do an actual
video feed of the eclipse,”
Klan said.
Optometrist Dr. Peter
Mitrev urges people to use
common sense if they want
to view an eclipse no mat
ter if it’s total or partial. He
works at offices in Elizabeth
City, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head,
Edenton and Washington.
Looking directly at the sun
for more than a few seconds
poses risks, Mitrev said.
“They don’t recommend
looking directly at the sun for
any length of time.”
While it may not immedi
ately blind a person, Mitrev
said it could create a condi
tion that causes problems
later. He recommends look
ing ai optical supply stores
for the proper filter, and
says sunglasses alone aren’t
enough. He stressed do no
look at the sun through bin
oculars or a scope because it
will make the damage worse.
Dr. Scott Matthews, an
optometrist who practices
in Williamston, said staring
directly at the sun for over 10
or 15 seconds carries-the risk
of solar retinopathy.
“Sometimes it’s reversible.
You could have vision loss
for a couple of days and get
better.”
Based on his research, the
mentally handicapped may
be at a higher risk of doing
damage to their eyes because
they won’t appreciate what is
happening.
“With solar retinopathy, the
only thing you can do is hurry
up and wait. There are no
medications to make it bet
ter. It could be years worth of
damage, or weeks, or days.”
It’s also possible the eyes
will never totally heal.
For more on the eclipse,
visit: https://eclipse2017.
nasa.gov/ or http://www.
eclipse2017. org/2017/vie w-
ing.HTM 4