T C Communiqué The Newsletter for AzGA TCs Number 125 April 20, 2011 Coordinator’s Corner Keeping the flame alive It may seem that these are dark times for geography K-12 education in Arizona. Funding levels are declining. Teachers are fearful over reductions in forces. Administrators seem possessed by test scores. A desire to understand the richness of skills and content geography education provides often falls on myopic mentalities. But despite such depressing realities, there are reasons for optimism. First and foremost, there exists a desire on the part of educators to teach geography. There is YOU! You know the importance of teaching your students about other people and other places. This was in evidence at the annual conference of AzGA Teacher Consultants, where dozens turned out to engage in a strategic planning exercise to plan for a dynamic and exciting future for Arizona's geography education. As long as you have this desire, the future of geography education remains strong. You know that your Arizona Geographic Alliance will do what it can to support you -- whether providing lessons that integrate geography with the "tested" subjects, providing free maps, or providing advanced training in the form of conferences and graduate courses. Second, geography has never been stronger as an academic discipline. ASU, NAU and UofA all have strong geography units. Community colleges have great instructors. Even in this weak job market, demand for geospatial skills remains strong (especially if our majors are willing to take jobs away from Arizona). Geography's relevance and importance continues to increase at the university level, and we hope that you will be able to access your local geography professional when it comes to career day. Third, geography continues to permeate our technologically oriented culture. Google Earth is one of the most amazing teaching resources. GPS units are found in just about every mobile device, and students can download apps so that they can "see" their routes mapped on Google and other software. As these tools continue to be used by your students, such knowledge of geography can enrich all of our teaching moments. Lastly, despite budget cuts and other pressures, your Arizona Geographic Alliance remains. We are a stubborn group, and we will do what we can to help. Thank you for helping keep alive the future by teaching geography. Sincerely, Ron Dorn Professor of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning Co-coordinator of your Arizona Geographic Alliance

Arizona Geographic Alliance 480-965-5361 Arizona State University 480-965-8313 fax School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning P O Box 875302 Tempe, AZ 85287-5302 http://alliance.la.asu.edu/azga/ 976 S Forest Mall, Coor Bldg, Fifth Floor, Room 5677

Minutes - Annual Business Meeting Arizona History Museum, Tucson

Saturday, April 9, 2011 – 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order at 9:00 am by Gale Ekiss. Gale explained that this meeting would be in a different format from previous AzGA T C Spring Conference meetings as we are fulfilling our obligations under the latest NGSEF grant to develop a strategic plan to build AzGA capacity to meet the future. The meeting would be devoted to considering the question:

How to renew AzGA to ensure its vitality and sustainability? Gale reviewed work for this project that has been started:

• A planning team was developed consisting of Gale Ekiss, Ron Dorn, Mike Ostapuk, Tricia Hutchinson and Cathy Davis. This team attended a week long strategic planning training conducted by National Geographic in June 2010.

• In July, A TC Focus Group updated the Mission Statement of AzGA. The team members were Carole Ambroziak, Gale Ekiss, John Halverson, Karen Guerrero, Robert Mings, Sheila Nice, Noel Normington, Michael Ostapuk, Dennis Rees, Cheryl Stegall, Christina Valenzuela, Sarah Jenkins, Malcolm Comeaux and Cathy Davis.

• Next, A Question Pro survey on the product of the Focus Group was sent to the T C Membership. Approximately 60 people opened the survey, 45 completed the survey, 99% agreed with all the questions and the changes that were suggested were minimal principally consisting of word smithing.

• In February, Donna Campbell was hired as our consultant to help us through the strategic planning process.

• In March, Dennis Rees was added to the planning team as it is difficult for Tricia to make it to the ASU based meetings plus we felt we needed additional input.

Donna Campbell was introduced and she conducted the meeting. Donna comes to AzGA from the Arizona Department of Education where she is the Director of Professional Development. Previous to ADE, she worked as the Manager of Quality Teaching and Learning for the Arizona Education Association. Her professional background includes capacity building training and a broad understanding of Arizona’s educational systems. She has developed and maintained partnerships and participated in grant writing opportunities. NOTE: The following documents that were used during the meeting or resulted from the meeting are appended

o HistoMap o AzGA Mission Statement o AzGA Organization Chart o AzGA Funding - Comparison between sources,

Comparison of funding by year o Current Realities o Our Practical Vision: What fulfilling our Mission looks like o AzGA 90-Day Action Plans

Donna Campbell and Gale Ekiss

The Histomap document that resulted from what people posted during the on-line Wall Wisher exercise was introduced and discussed. The TCs were divided into groups based on Summer Institute date and reflected on what brought them to the Alliance and what kept them active.

Why we’re involved in AZGA 92-95 2001-07

PASSION TRAVEL DEDICATION EDUCATION (DEGREES) ENTHUSIAMS RECERTIFICATION NETWORKING ADVENTURE IDEAS OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITIES SHARED VISION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2008-present TRAVEL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GEOGRAPHY INTEREST MENTORS NGS CONNECTION GRANTS NETWORKING MAPS NEED

96-00 SELF-FULFILLING NETWORKING FELLOWSHIPS LEARNING TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES FUN GEOGRAPHY LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES CAMARADERIE GROWTH FUN The members then considered the question, based on the Mission Statement that came out of the Summer Focus Group work: What do we want to see in place in 3-5 years as a result of our purposeful actions to fulfill our mission? Current realities were introduced for the TCs to consider -- the AzGA organization chart and charts showing comparison income figures were shared -- and the participants created a board (using brightly colored sticky notes) of what a practical vision might be to fulfill the AzGA Mission.

At noon a buffet lunch was served. Mr. Jose Miranda, standing in for Congressman Grijalva, delivered a short address to the assembly supporting social studies and geographic education in particular.

After lunch, based on the previous work, the group selected the most important projects for the organization to work on in the near future. These were:

1. Functioning Web Site 2. Align Legacy Project to Common Core Standards 3. 50% of Arizona school districts will have an approved link to AzGA on their district

websites 4. Recruit pre-service and in-service teacher to AzGA (increase net members by 2%) (60

members) 5. Improved finances 6. Recruit college instructors to be AzGA Fellow & Geographic Ed. Mentors to their

students The assembly self-selected into groups based on the project they were most interested in supporting and a 90 day Action Plan was developed. Ken de Masi was presented with a 10-year service Certificate of Appreciation.

The meeting was adjourned and the members were free to explore the exhibits at the Arizona Historical Museum. After the Museum closed, many members met informally at a local restaurant to socialize.

Ken de Masi and Malcolm Comeaux ‐ class of 2001

Sunday, April 10 Members were invited to visit the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum with their families (with AzGA assuming the entrance fee). A Museum representative explained some of the outreach available to the educators and then the members were free to explore the Museum including the last Raptor Free Flight of the season.

April, May, June and July

The Next Steps Teams will report to their Contacts as they complete their assigned task within their groups. Team members are listed on the AzGA 90-Day Action Plans form. April 21 Planning Team will meet at Coor and debrief re TC Spring Conference (done) May 17 5:00 pm - Conference call to Team Contacts* June 9 5:00 pm - Conference call to Team Contacts* July 9 Meeting of all TCs working on the Strategic Plan who can attend ASU MU Mohave room (details to follow in a later T C Communiqué) Please mark your calendars and participate in the July 9th meeting. The location will be ASU, Tempe. You might organize carpooling to the event. If you did or did not attend the April Annual Business Meeting, you are not too late to help. All hands and hearts are needed in developing this Strategic Plan for AzGA. *A notice to the Team Contacts will be sent before May 17 detailing how the conference call will work.

Reports: AzGA Activities for 2010-2011

Small Grant Committee

The Small Grant Committee has approved several grants this year:

• Karen Guerrero ($200) to buy materials that would support curriculum on submarine sciences and preservation of water in AZ.

• Tricia Hutchinson ($200) to buy classroom set of Tasting the Sky to read while studying the Middle East.

• Rick Byers ($175) to buy several stopwatches for timing water quality experiments done by students in a field study. The photo is of his students using the stopwatches purchased with AzGA money.

Grants are given on a July to July basis. TCs serving as this year’s Small Grant Committee are Kelly Graham and Jane Chambers. Thanks go to both of them for their timely help in evaluating the proposals. We need 2 volunteers for July 2011 to July 2012. If you wish to volunteer, let Gale know at GBEkiss@aol.com. Product Evaluation Committee

Germaine Barnes and Cheryl Wiens are serving on the Product Evaluation Committee. When publishers or manufacturers want AzGA to comment on its product, we send the sample materials to the committee members. They must write up their answers to these questions:

• Is this product tied to geography standards? If yes, are they state or national geography standards?

• Is the product tied to other standards (math, reading, etc.)? • Is the product geographically sound? • Does the product use sound teaching methods for the grade levels specified? • Is the product teacher/classroom friendly? • Is the product worth the price?

Based on the committee’s comments, we will decide on our support of the product. While we have had no requests to evaluate a product this year, thanks go to both of them for volunteering to serve on this committee. We need 2 volunteers for July 2011 to July 2012. If you wish to volunteer, let Gale know at GBEkiss@aol.com Friends of AzGA Award Committee

If you attended the Annual Business Meeting in Tucson, you listened to a short talk given by Jose Miranda as a representative from the office of Congressman Raul Grijalva. Jose was there in Grijalva’s behalf as part of our celebration of Friend of AzGA for 2010.

The other Friends of AzGA for 2010 were Representatives Ed Pastor, Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords. These Representatives were selected by the Committee for this award because of their continued support of TGIF (Teaching Geography is Fundamental) bill. We are still hopeful that TGIF will be passed in this legislative session and provide dedicated funding for geography education much like there is funding for American history, economics, and government. The Friends of AzGA Committee for this year are Ken de Masi and Jeannine Kuropatkin. We need 2 volunteers for July 2011 to July 2012. If you wish to volunteer, let Gale know at GBEkiss@aol.com.

Nominations are also needed for our 2011 Awards. The criteria are: 1. Eligibility – anyone who is outside the normal AzGA family may be nominated. The “normal” AzGA family is defined as K-12 classroom teachers, librarians, AzGA staff, and instructional aides. Thus, nominees may be part of non-teaching district levels (administration, support personnel, governing board), professors, vendors, parent volunteers, or members of the community at large. 2. Number given annually – no limit 3. Nomination qualification – Someone who has shown a consistent pattern of active, willing, and gracious support for AzGA goals and activities over several years, or a burst of extraordinary support within one year. 4. Timelines – a. Nominations can be made at any time during the calendar year. b. Awards are presented at GeoFest or TC Annual Business Meeting. c. Selection committee – makes determination of awardees within 6 weeks before the event. d. Awardees are notified prior to the event and offered the chance to receive the award in person. Advocacy for Geography Education Legislation

Gale Ekiss and Cathy Davis have been visiting Arizona legislators to gain continued and additional support for TGIF. In March, they visited the Washington offices of Senator John McCain and Representative Grijalva. In April, they dropped off information at the Tucson office of Representative Gabrielle Giffords with hopes that her education liaison would look over and recommend support of TGIF. Cathy and Gale also visited the Phoenix office of Representative Ed Pastor and had a nice visit with his District Director, Elise de la Vara in February. This advocacy for geography education is best done by every TC. If you want materials or coaching on how to approach policy makers, please ask. Cathy and Gale can even give a 2-hour workshop! Contact Cathy for materials or training - cathy.davis@asu.edu State Level National Geographic Bee

The State Bee Competition took place Friday, April 1, at ASU in the Memorial Union. TC Beckie Seybert, as the Bee Coordinator, officiated. Her website is http://www.quia.com/pages/azcoordinator.html. The final round was moderated by Chris Dunn of KPHO. Volunteers were solicited from the ASU geography group by Gale Ekiss, Barbara Trapido-Lurie, and Ron Dorn for the Bee and for the Reception that followed. Because of the AzGA connection the Bee was able to use the ASU facilities at no charge.

The finalists were:

Winner: Luke Hellum Sunrise Middle School, Scottsdale 2. Raghav Ranga St. Gregory College Prep, Tucson 3. Arun Yadav Sierra Verde School, Glendale 4. Meredith Young Flagstaff Home Educators, Flagstaff 5. Donald Zyriek Kyrene Middle School, Tempe 6. Kaitlin Coltin Saints Simon & Jude School, Phoenix 7. Derek Bischoff Basis Tucson Middle School, Tucson 8. Liban Mohamed Carminati Elementary, Tempe 9. Teddy Horowitz Pima County Home Educators, Tucson 10. Ronald Desouza Wilson K-8 School, Tucson

After the Bee, the Alliance, in partnership with the School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning, hosted a Reception for the Bee competitors, their families and teachers. Thanks to Barbara Trapido-Lurie Geo-activities and game tables were organized for the visitors. Scott Barry reserved the Geo-lab for the grad students Ron Dorn recruited for a GIS hands on demonstration for the students. Cookies and punch were provided.

Additional pictures of the event are up on the AzGA Facebook page.

Geography Awareness Week 2010 Freshwater and Oceania - Kelli Jones was the GAW Coordinator for the GAW Freshwater theme. Jeannine Kuropatkin was the GA Coordinator for Oceania. Both attended on-line training and material sessions from NGS as well as the events at NCGE in Savannah. Besides the events they organized, AzGA requested and received a GAW Proclamation from the Governor, partnered with Salt River Project on two Water

Academies, included Oceania and Freshwater strands at GeoConference and distributed information and materials on these two subjects during the year. Geography Awareness Week 2011

The 2011 Geography Awareness Week theme: Discovering Geography Through Community Exploration - November 13-19, 2011. Alliance Coordinators are being asked to select 2 or more people in each state to serve as GAW coordinators. Timeline: Phase 1 - website will be completed in June for sharing at summer workshops. Online resources and print materials will be completed in August in time for back to school mailings and workshops. AzGA Central has been considering that a GIS / Community Mapping project might be a focus for Arizona. If you are interested in volunteering as a GAW Coordinator, please contact GBEkiss@aol.com

An updated T C Directory can be found at this address: http://alliance.la.asu.edu/tcdirectory/TC_Directory_Table.pdf

Arizon

a Geograph

ic Allian

ce Histom

ap/Wall of W

onder

I was aw

are of/involved with 

AzG

A in the follow

ing ways 

during 1992 through 1995:  

I was aw

are of/involved with 

AzG

A in the follow

ing ways 

during 1996 through 2000: 

I was aw

are of/involved with 

AzG

A in the follow

ing ways 

during 2001 through 2007: 

I was aw

are of/involved with 

AzG

A in the follow

ing ways 

from 2008 to N

OW: 

I want to be involved w

ith AzG

A from

 NOW on

 in the follow

ing ways: 

Donna   I knew

 that Mike O

. was organizing a geography‐

focused organization 

Dennis   In 1996 I w

as the Head Resident TC at the 

summer institute. In 1997 I 

went on the first G

eoDay Trip. 

Donna    I learned that M

ike O. w

as still involved in AzG

A. 

Donna  becam

e a planning consultant to A

zGA 

Tricia   I plan to stay involved. Who ELSE is going to support 

Geog if A

ZGA doesn't? 

Besides, there are some near 

and dear friendships within. 

Gale  I w

as one of the 9 teachers sent to N

at Geo to 

learn to be a TC in 1993. We 

came back ready to build an 

Alliance in A

Z. And w

hat an Alliance it becam

e! 

Cheryl W. A

 fortuitous event for m

e in 1997 when a fellow

 staff m

ember asked m

e to take her place at the sum

mer 

institute.  I had no idea of the great things to com

e! 

Tiffany I became a TC in the 

Summer of 2003.  I then used 

the already‐made lesson 

plans in my Kindergarten 

classroom. 

cdavis  NGSEF gets a new

 Director. Funding form

ula changes again to Strategic Planning for the Future. 

Halvey A

zGA com

mitted their 

resources to me and I intend 

to promote the A

lliance and their goals for geographic education. 

M. Coyotl  I attended a 

meeting w

ith Bob and Malcolm

 around 1993 where 

we w

ere sort of exploring the idea of w

hat became A

zGa, 

but family needs kept m

e from

 following up. 

M. Coyotl  I w

ent through the Sum

mer Institute in 1997.  I 

helped lead it in 1998 and was prim

er inter pares in 1999.  Virtual field trip to Russia around then, too. 

cdavis  NGS changes funding 

formula from

 Go Forth and 

GeoEvangelize to D

o a Project.  G

eoLiteracy is born. 

cdavis  GeoH

istory gets started.  A

zGA wins N

CGE 

Geographic Excellence in 

Media A

ward for G

eoLit. 

Dennis  A

zGA has done so 

much to m

ake me w

ho I am 

today. I plan to do all I can to make it a self‐sustaining 

organization. 

Tricia I ran off the soccer field and rushed to A

SU to 

interview with Bob and 

Malcolm

, and next thing I knew

, I was training in N

ev with Beckie Seybert. That w

as '93~ 

Karen B   Day one: 1997 

Summer Institute...and it w

as good.  D

ay two: 1998 G

AW 

training in D.C. w

ith Dennis... 

conducted first Geography 

Week Fair at St. Joseph 

School. 

cdavis GeoLit w

orkshops galore! G

eoMath is created. 

GeoLiteracy for ELLs w

as started. M

ore workshops! 

Jeannine K  A prim

e ex of Gale E's ability to think 

outside the box: AzG

A 

cosponsors the 2011 "Freshw

ater Academ

y" for Educators w

ith SRP, Project WET, &

 City of Phoenix. 

Cheryl W  I prom

ote AzG

A to 

my pre‐service teachers so 

that they will becom

e TC's once they are in the field, or at least integrate geography into their lessons. 

Halvey   M

ike O introduced 

me to A

zGA through a w

ork‐shop in Cartw

right and from 

that point forward A

ZGA has 

influenced, changed and developed m

y love of geography 

Dennis   In 1998 I w

as put in charge of the Earth To You Discovery Trunk, created a 

Geography Lab at m

y school with help from

 AzG

A, and w

as sent to D

.C. for GAW training 

cdavis  NCSS Cram

 Awards 

given for GeoLiteracy and 

GeoM

ath!  AzG

A gives free 

workshops! 

Diane G

  Recognized with 

awards from

 NCG

E and ACSS.  

Have given 

workshops/presentations at 

state and national conferences from

 1996‐2011.  

Gale  I w

ant to win the Lotto 

and endow the A

lliance.   If money w

ere not the issue, how

 high could the Alliance 

fly??? 

Cdavis I joined AzG

A in July 

1994. My first im

pression was 

that the newly inducted TCs 

had been marched through 

Hell but had been w

ell fed. 

Dennis  A

lso in 1998 I helped represent A

zGA at the N

IE Back To School W

orkshop. 

Dennis  In 2002 I w

as a Star of Arizona Education (A

zGA 

nominated m

e for this) and worked on the G

eoMath 

Project. I won a CRA

M aw

ard for m

y Borderlands lesson. 

Barbara S  Attended the 

Borderlands Institute where 

we had a w

onderful time 

traveling back and forth across the border to learn about issues on the border. 

Betty Upch  Still spreading 

GeoEducation as Librarian at 

Grand Canyon N

ational Park. 

Dennis   In 1994 I attended 

the first AzG

A Sum

mer 

Institute and the first GeoFest. W

e held our first TC Reunion w

hich evolved into the A

nnual Business Meeting. 

Cdavis U S W

est awards grant 

for MapPacks. M

ary Stuewe 

delivers a set to nearly every school in Tucson.  O

ther TCs deliver sets in their areas. W

e still have sets! 

Tiffany  I became a TC in the 

Summer of 2003.  I then used 

the already‐made lesson 

plans in my Kindergarten 

classroom. 

M. Coyotl  Retired in 2008 

and miss all m

y friends in AzG

A.  N

o real involvement. 

Jane C   I would like to have 

more opportunities for 

learning experiences and travel provided for retired teachers. 

Barbara St  In 1994, I represented A

rizona at the National G

eographic Four Corners Sum

mer Institute 

with teachers from

 UT, CO

, NM, O

K, & W

ashington, DC 

Dennis  In 1999 I w

ent on the Cajun Field Study, w

orked on the G

eoLiteracy Project, and won the N

CGE D

TEI In 1999 I

went on the Cajun Field Study,

worked on w

on the NCG

E DT 

Halvey  Trained by A

zGA to 

create lessons for both GeoLit 

and GeoM

ath, created and went forth and proselytized 

for geographic education 

Dennis  In 2008 I w

orked on the G

eoHistory Project. In 

2010 one of my G

eoLit lessons w

as published in The Geography Teacher thanks to 

Liz Hinde. 

Judy  Although I am

 retired and involved in other groups I want to continue to help 

AZG

A where and w

hen I can. 

Dennis  In 1995 I w

as a Resident TC at the sum

mer 

institute. AzG

A also send m

e to San Francisco for training in the N

ational Standards. 

Cheryl W   A

dvanced Institute 1999 to Central Europe: 7 other TC's and I got to accom

pany Malcolm

 through European cem

eteries, trains, and any high place w

ith a view

. 

M. Coyotl   Posted lessons on 

the lesson bank and for Geo‐

Lit and Geo‐M

ath.  Brought those to m

y school as in‐services. 

Cheryl W  G

eoHistory 2008 

Gale   I am

 always looking for 

a new way to m

ake AzG

A 

"shine."   And there are m

any opportunities out there.   I want to do everything! 

Barb Wms  I think it w

as 1995 that I w

ent through boot cam

p... and found amazing 

doors that opened after that ... 

Diane G

  Advanced Sum

mer 

Institute in '99 changed the direction of m

y life. 

Barbara S  Wrote and 

recorded lessons for GeoLiteracy  and G

eo Math 

Dennis  In 2011 I w

as part of a team

 that met w

ith Gil 

Grosvenor to discuss A

zGA. 

Cguice ...attending AZG

A 

events, spreading the word, 

sharing resources 

Heather R  I w

as at my first 

ACSS conference, and M

ike Ostapuk told m

e all about AZG

A.  I w

as immediately 

excited about attending the institute and did so the next sum

mer! 

Dennis  In 2000 I w

on the Isadore Starr A

ward (A

zGA 

nominated m

e for it) and went on the Borderlands 

Advanced Sum

mer Institute. 

Barb Wms  D

uring this time I 

got hooked on the idea of AP 

HG... w

ent off for two 

summers at U

tah State to learn the stuff. Then to Oregon.  Couldn't get 

enough! 

Diane G

  The dream of a M

A 

in Geography Education 

finally realized through Dr. 

Dorn's hard w

ork in '09.  Continuing m

y work in 

promoting geo. ed. 

Patty   AzG

A is the BEST 

alliance in the country!  Go to 

NCG

E and see ‐ that's a FACT!  

I will continue to prom

ote geographic education in our state and support A

zGA! 

 Barb W

ms  I got to be a 

resident TC twice in this tim

e fram

e... met am

azing people. 

Dennis  In 2006 I w

ent on the Mam

moth Lakes Sum

mer 

Institute.  In 2007 I was 

Marge  A

ZGA helps m

e think about the w

orld we live in 

and the future of it. 

Danna  Share geography 

education with new

 teachers 

named a G

rosvenor Teacher Fellow

ship winner (A

zGA 

nominated m

e for this).  

Gale :  It w

as always exciting 

to see new teachers join the 

Alliance and som

e select to go through sum

mer institutes. 

Cheryl W Resident TC 

summer 2007. 

Marge  Enjoyed Borderlands, 

GeoH

istory and many other 

classes with A

ZGA. Love to 

get together with TCs and so 

does my husband. 

cdavis form, or re‐form

, institutional partnerships that integrate geographic concepts into their program

s as enthusiastically as any TC would 

 Mallory  June 2000 Sum

mer 

Institute.  July 2000 Borders Institute.  W

hat a whirlw

ind! I continue to share and use resources from

 AzG

A since I 

moved to O

regon. 

Cheryl W  I participated in 

GeoLit and G

eoMath (and I 

have such an aversion to math!) 

Jane C  The training I received to w

rite lessons, evaluate lessons, assess lessons, and present lessons w

as invaluable w

hen I was 

teaching and now as a retired 

person. 

cdavis  continue to develop PD

 and materials for A

rizona teachers that are applicable across the country 

 Patty  A

zGA Sum

mer Institute 

1996 ‐ (the Forgotten institute at the 10th year reunion!).  Barb Soto w

as a fantastic m

entor and Jeannine w

as a dynamite 

roommate! 

Patty Was N

GS‐G

A 

Coordinator 2003‐2004.  It was an honor to represent 

Arizona at N

GS and 

encourage educators to spread geographic education with students! 

CGuice  Sum

mer Institute 

2009 ‐ awesom

e experience.  AZG

A has been the best 

professional organization I've ever been connected w

ith ‐ outstanding people and resource 

cdavis   continue to add outstanding educators to the TC cadre 

 Patty  A

zGA Borderlands 

Institute was an incredible 

geographic roadtrip between 

the US/M

exico.  Very educational and FU

N! 

Patty  GeoLiteracy &

 GeoM

ath ‐ love those lessons!  G

reat way to 

integrate subjects with 

geography! Kudos to all involved! 

Danna  M

AS‐G

E "Finally a subject I w

anted to study for my m

asters!" 

 

 Patty  A

ASG

I Technology (Eriditio Project) peaked m

y interest in using geo‐technology.   

 Keith W  A

ZGA introduced m

e to w

onderful ways to integrate 

geography with econom

ics in all my lesson plans. Invaluable 

experiences followed in so m

any ways!  

Patty  GPS training in U

tah ‐ now

 practice GPS geocaching 

with students!   

 

 Heather R A

dvanced Summer 

Institute to Europe with M

alcolm 

as our fearless leader.  It was 

one of the greatest experiences of m

y life.  

  

 

The AzG

A M

ission Statem

ent Results from

the July 27, 2010 fourteen mem

ber T C Focus G

roup*

4. We a

dvance student

achievement in geography

through collabora

tive partnerships.

Arizona G

eographic Alliance:

the advocate for a geographically literate society

3. We encoura

ge a culture that

uniquely b

rings out the creativity, passion, and

excitement in

teaching geogra

phy.

1. We are a statew

ide organization d

edicated

to the d

evelopment a

nd prom

otion of geographic aw

areness.

2. We provide qua

lity ed

ucational resources and

relevant professional d

evelopment opportunities.

Notes from

the Focus Group - July 27, 2010

Policy •

Invisible to state legisla

ture •

Need

nam

e recognition •

Partnerships’ •

Influence AC

SS •

Ca

rol W

• C

hange in Super and legislature

• Tim

ing is now

Leadership •

Gra

ying TCs/lead

ership team

• Institutes

• List serve com

munications

• Strong central office

• D

iverse group-expertise, geographically, gra

de level, ad

min, college

• A

ll volunteers or part tim

e •

2/3 TCs inactive

• inclusive culture

• A

SU supp

ort Teacher •

Excellent PD

• Institutes

• G

eoFest •

Online training

• Reach out to new

teachers •

Do w

e change teachers?

• Tra

ining individ

ual teachers a

nd not long term

com

mitm

ents

Resources •

Gra

nt opportunity

• M

ostly Phx based

•

Website (lessons, m

aps, videos, tutorials)

• D

issemination is key

• List serve com

munication

• W

ebsite not ad

equate

• G

reat at partnering (ask works)

• Fund

raising is not fun

• A

SU supp

ort •

Others w

ant to piggyback on our reputation

Student Achievem

ent G

eoLit/GeoM

ath—

research b

y Liz W

orkshop Evaluations Tea

cher training filters to #

students im

pacted N

ot directly ad

dressed

N

o state test O

ut Liers •

Com

munication -- irregular in tim

ing and

content •

Data b

ases are up to date •

Survey needed

• N

o formal PR

• W

iifm (W

hat’s in it for m

e?)

Focus G

roup C

arole A

mbriziak

Gale

Ekiss

John H

alverson K

aren G

uerrero R

obert M

ings S

heila N

ice N

oel N

ormington

Michael

Ostapuk

Dennis

Rees

Cheryl

Stegall

Christina

Valenzuela

Sarah

Jenkins M

alcolm

Com

eaux

 

Cathy Davis ‐Staff

Bob Mings ‐Coord. Em

eritusMalcolm

 Comeaux ‐ Coord Em

eritus 

Ron Dorn ‐Coordinator

Gale Ekiss ‐ Coordinator  A

zGA

School of Geographical 

Sciences & Urban Plng 

Arizona State U

niversity 

College of Liberal Arts &

 Sciences 

Steering Committee

Arizona D

ept of Education

Teacher Consultants

NGSEF 

NGS GA / G

AW  

Coordinator(s) Sm

all Grants

Product EvaluationFriends of A

zGA

Advocacy (PA

C) 

MWW Coordinator  

(sunsetting) 

general mem

bers

NGS N

ational  Geographic Bee 

NG Live!,  

Giant M

ap 

Presentation Team

s

Barbara Trapido LurieBecky Eden Other G

eoDept Personnel 

Special GeoEducation 

Initiatives (Jason, M

arco Polo, GeoH

istoGram

s, etc. 

Planning Committee ‐ G

ale Ekiss, Mike O

stapuk, Dennis Rees, Tricia 

Hutchinson, Cathy D

avis, Ron Dorn 

Current Reality 

Experience Loyalty Enthusiasm

D

ependability K

nowledge

Relationships

Leadership Training Presentation skills N

etworking

Fore-sighting C

reative minds

Diverse

Ow

nership Steering C

omm

ittee STR

EN

GT

HS

Good notoriety

Geo-Literate society

Prepare future generations V

iability Support and sufficient resources M

ore travel opportunity M

ore networking

Enhanced foreign relationships M

ore Energy R

espect O

ptimism

Q

ualified Teachers W

ell-rounded and engaged

BE

NE

FITS of R

ealizing Vision

Not enough youth

New

mem

bership needed N

ot all TC’s involved

Distance

Lack of financial resources O

ver extended N

ot enough person power at the central office

Com

petition from other organizations

Some fatigue

Steering C

omm

ittee WE

AK

NE

SSES

Com

placency H

ard work

Someone alw

ays nipping on our heels Tim

e—consum

ing B

urn-out Loss of interest C

hange Tapped out Sustaining Entitlem

ent G

etting quality people versus just numbers

Negative C

oattail Tested, thus dum

bed down

Lost in other people’s agenda D

AN

GE

RS of R

ealizing Vision

Our Practical V

ision:  What fulfilling our M

ission looks like 

 INNOVATIV

E USE O

F TECH

NOLO

GY 

NAME RECO

GNITIO

N 

OUTREA

CH AND  

NETW

ORKIN

G 

PERFORM

ANCE 

TRACKIN

G 

EVIDEN

CE OF 

GEO

GRA

PHIC 

LITERACY 

ORG

ANIZA

TIONAL 

SUSTA

INABILITY 

SUSTA

INABLE 

FUNDING 

"Innovative, user‐ friendly technology" 

"We're know

n" "W

e are connected" "W

e track our perform

ance" STU

DEN

T ACH

IEVEMEN

T MEN

TOR PRO

GRA

M 

"Money, M

oney" 

KEEPING UP W

ITH 

TECHNOLO

GY 

NAME RECO

GNITIO

N 

(BRANDING) 

LOCA

L AND 

COMMUNITY 

OUTREA

CH (RU

RAL) 

PARTICIPA

NT 

FEEDBA

CK STA

TEWIDE 9TH

 GRA

DE W

ORLD

 GEO

 CU

RRICULU

M 

MEN

TORS 

SUSTA

INABLE A

ND 

DEPEN

DABLE 

FUNDING 

COMMUNICA

TION 

SYSTEMS 

STRONG PRESEN

CE AT 

DISTRICT LEVEL 

EXCEPTIONAL Q

UALITY 

PD 

PERMANEN

T ARCH

IVE MORE IN

 ADVA

NCED

 GEO

GRA

PHY CLA

SSES RETEN

TION OF TCS 

STABLE FU

NDING 

ONLIN

E FIELD TRIPS 

PROFESSIO

NAL 

GRO

WTH

 STA

TE‐WIDE FO

CUS/ 

SERVE THE EN

TIRE STA

TE 

MONITO

RING AND 

REPORTIN

G 

PARTICIPA

TION 

LARG

E NUMBER O

F STU

DEN

TS IN 

GEO

GRA

PHY BEE 

COMMITED

 TC NETW

ORK W

ITH NEW

 BLO

OD 

CONSU

LTANT FEES 

FOR TCS 

LINKS O

N SCH

OOL 

WEBSTIES TO

 AZG

A 

(USIN

G TECH

NOLO

GY TO

 GET TH

E WORD

 OUT)  

VISUAL EVID

ENCE 

(YOU TU

BE, CO

MMUNITY 

CALEN

DAR) 

OUTREA

CH TO

 SCH

OOL D

ISTRICTS, UNIVERSITIES, 

LEGISLA

TURES 

RECOGNITIO

N OF 

TALEN

TS AND SKILLS 

OF TH

E TCS 

SUPPO

RT COMMON 

CORE W

ITH GEO

‐CU

RRICULU

M 

RECRUIT N

EW 

MEM

BERS FROM 

ACRO

SS THE STA

TE 

PROFESSIO

NAL 

DEVELO

PMEN

T FEES 

CURRICU

LAR 

MATERIA

LS CREATED

 LEVERA

GE 

PARTN

ERSHIPS 

FEEDBA

CK ON 

OUTREA

CH FRO

M 

SCHOOL D

ISTRICTS, ETC. 

CREATIVE G

RAPH

ICS SH

OWING PRO

GRESS 

THRU

 DOCU

MEN

TATIO

N 

LEGISLA

TING 

REQUIRED

 GEO

GRA

PHY CO

NTEN

T 

TRANSITIO

N OF 

LEADERSH

IP  

PERMANEN

T ARCH

IVE OF A

ZGA 

ACH

IEVEMEN

TS 

EVERY PRESENTER 

STATES M

ISSION 

STATEM

ENT 

PARTN

ERSHIPS 

(BEYOND SO

CIAL 

STUDIES) 

AN EXPA

NDING 

ONLIN

E BANK O

F AZG

A TC TA

LENT A

ND 

DATA

 

STANDARD

S ALIG

NMEN

T TESTING 

GRA

DUATIO

N 

LINK O

UR PD

 TO 

RECERTIFICATIO

N 

NEED

 

 

EASY, FA

ST TO USE 

MAINTA

IN NATIO

NAL 

PRESENCE 

PROFESSIO

NAL 

DEVELO

PMEN

T RECO

GNITIO

N OF 

GEO

GRA

PHY A

CITIVIES GEO

GRA

PHY M

ASTERS 

REINSTA

TED 

TCS AS CO

NSU

LTANTS 

 

 ADVERTISE 

FOCU

S ON STU

DEN

T ACH

EIVEMEN

T SH

OWING QUANTITY 

OF TRA

INED

 TCS GEO

GRA

PHY BO

OT 

CAMP IN

 TEACH

ER PREPERA

TION 

  

 INFLU

ENTIA

L ADVO

CATES 

BUSIN

ESS AND 

DISTRICT STEM

 CO

LLABO

RATIO

N 

ANNUAL TIM

E AND 

TALEN

T DATA

BASE 

INCREA

SED 

ENRO

LLEMEN

T IN 

POST‐SECO

NDARY 

GEO

GRA

PHY STU

DY 

  

 INFLU

ENCE STA

TE AND GOVERN

MEN

T PO

LICY 

DIRECT A

ND SPECIFIC 

PRE‐SERVICE OUTREA

CH 

  

  

 CRED

IBILITY DOVETA

IL INFO

  on HIGHLY Q

UALIFIED

 INTO

 CORE 

 

  

  

1‐year Goals w

ith Priority Rank & Num

ber of “Votes” Cast 

 #1 

47 dots  Functioning, user friendly W

ebsite (i.e. lesson plans, m

aps, tem

plates, etc.) 

#3 29 dots 

 50% of the A

Z School districts w

ill have an approved link to A

zGA 

on their District 

Website 

 4 dots 

 Verify number of 

people linking to AzG

A 

website 3 dots 

TC commits to school  

or district workshop 

presentation 

#6 16 dots 

 Log of AzG

A 

(Activities, TC talents 

and accomplishm

ents, reporting of participation, institutes, conferences) 

#2 30 dots 

 Align Legacy project to 

common core 

standards for language arts 

5 dots Increase the num

ber of schools participate in the geography bee by 10%

 

#4 27  dots 

 Recruit pre‐service and in‐service teachers to A

ZGA (at 

least 2% increase) 

 #7 

13 dots  Recruit college instructors to be TC mentors (at least 5 

new) 

#5 26 dots 

 Investigate and Report on the Pros and Cons of instituting an A

zGA 

mem

ber fee.  Create a list  of potential funding partners/grants.  Investigate the viability of a funding partner.  M

ake contact and develop relationships w

ith at least tw

o of these.  

AzG

A 90‐D

ay Action Plans 

 1‐year G

oal &  

Team M

embers W

ho Cham

pion It  

By May 17, 2011 

Conference call By June 9, 2011 Conference call 

By July 9, 2011 In person ‐ A

SU m

eeting July 9 O

utcome 

1. Functioning W

eb site Tricia H

utchinson, Heather 

Moll, D

iane Godfrey, Patty 

Sepp, Danna Lagerquist, Jill 

Turetzky, Mike Baron 

 

  

 Drupal to be 100%

 finished by contracted undergrad student.  W

e can then start to create pages and expand. 

2. Align Legacy project to 

Common Core Standards 

Karen Guerrero, D

ennis Rees, Beckie Seybert, D

iana Lee, Cheryl W

iens, Sheila Nice 

 

• Update A

zGA Legacy 

Project spreadsheet with 

CCS columns (D

iana) •

Create CCS worksheet for 

authors to use for alignm

ent (Cheryl) •

Get list of K‐2 authors &

 send em

ail request (Cheryl)  

• Coordinate received responses and divide rem

aining K‐2 lessons (Sheila, D

ennis, Beckie) •

Collect K‐2 CCS‐aligned lessons (Sheila by 5/30) 

• Quality check of K‐2 

lessons by 6/25 (Sheila, Dennis, Beckie) 

 • Update spreadsheet 

High quality K‐2 lessons that 

are aligned with CCS 

 A spreadsheet updated 

through K‐2 

3. 50%

 of AZ school districts 

will have an approved 

link to AzG

A on their 

district websites 

Bob Mings, Jane Cham

bers, Noel M

cClure, Mary W

orking, Judy Phillips, Coleen O’Donnell, Kelly G

raham  

 

• Create tem

plate (Jane, Judy) 

• Schedule m

eeting with 

Donna C. (N

oel) •

Create reporting system

(Kelly) & send out 

for group approval •

Contact AEA

 to be linked (Bob) 

• Get link for legislator &

 county superintendent contacts  &

 send to Bob & 

Judy (Colleen) •

Contact IDEA

L & send to 

Bob & Judy (Colleen?) 

 

• Tem

plate is complete and 

approved (Judy) •

Meet w

ith Donna (N

oel) •

Reporting system is ready 

for use;  record contacts & report results (Kelly) 

• Reporting system

 being used 

Process for contact records, including results, is in use 

4. Recruit pre‐service &

 in‐service teachers to A

zGA 

(increase net mem

bers by 2%

) Jeannine Kuropatkin, Liz Hinde, Carol Franklin, Rick 

Byers  Strategy: each TC recruits at least one other teacher/pre‐service student to participate in A

zGA‐sponsored activity; 

become a m

ember at the 

event or on Facebook 

• Notify TCs of m

embership 

campaign, requesting that 

they make a pledge to 

recruit, and enclosing a current list of upcom

ing events 

• Modify event evaluation 

forms to include how

 they found out about the activity (TC, W

ebsite, etc.,) 

• Develop Talking Points 

recruitment flyer &

 send rough draft to team

 (Jeannine) 

• Follow

 up with TC’s to 

remind them

 of events to share w

ith their potential recruits        

• Team

 reviews draft and 

responds to Jeannine 

• Have TC’s report outcom

e of applications sent in &/or participation in a 

workshop or A

zGA 

activity (Donna 

Campbell’s suggestion: 

This may be prem

ature.  Consider 1

st developing a reporting process.) 

Donna Cam

pbell’s suggestion: consider stating a num

erical goal for the num

ber of TC’s from

 whom

 you want to 

secure pledges to recruit by this date      Final draft of Talking Points 

5. Im

proved finances Cathy D

avis , Carol Warren, 

Cynthia Shoemaker, Ken de 

Masi, Barb W

illiams, M

ike Ostapuk 

 

• Contact grant consultant in Phx re: grant‐w

riting for non‐profits (Cynthia) 

• Make prelim

inary contact re: A

SU Foundation 

mandates on accepting 

funds (Cathy, Gale, Ron) 

• Explore setting up a Website link for 

donations & list of 

supporters (Gale, Ron) 

• Create a Q

uestion Pro survey of m

embers &

 TC’s re: fees for m

embership 

(Carol, Barb) •

Draft letter to legislators 

& State Supt. re: w

ho we 

are & soliciting donations; 

maybe include “dialing 

for $” brochure & NGS 

summary (Ken, M

ike) 

• Report to Finance Com

mittee (Cynthia) 

 •

Follow‐up (Cathy, G

ale, Ron)       

• Analyze results (Carol, 

Barb)   

• Send letter 

• Investigate TC &

 Legis. District m

atch 

• Report to Steering Com

m. 

& Planning Team

 (Cynthia) 

• Report to Steering Com

m. 

& Planning Team

 (Cathy, Gale, Ron) 

 •

Report to Steering Comm. 

& Planning Team

 (Gale, 

Ron)  

• Make recom

mendation to 

Steering Comm. &

 Planning Team

  

• Report to Steering Com

m. 

& Planning Team

 •

Donna Cam

pbell’s suggestion: A

nalyze results of letter sent in June 

Increased knowledge re: 

grant‐making and securing 

funds     Increased know

ledge about seeking &

 recognizing online donors  Recom

mendation on 

mem

ber fees   Donna Cam

pbell’s suggestion: Prelim

inary analysis of how  

to influence legislators 

6. Keep logs ‐ see Perform

ance tracking under Practical V

ision    

•  

•  

•  

Donna Cam

pbell’s suggestion:  At least 3 kinds of m

ulti‐year logs/records w

ill be displayed graphically and shared w

ith TC’s.   

7.   Recruit college instructors          to be A

ZGA Fellow

 &  

       Geographic Ed. M

entors            to their students Liz H

inde, Kelli Jones, Rick Byers, Jeannine Kuropatkin, Carol Franklin 

• Define eligibility 

• Identify possible candidates 

• Develop objectives for 

AZG

A Fellow

s to im

plement in class 

• Identify them

e a.

Grant funding 

connection b.

Cross‐curricular appeal 

• Discuss “internal” trial 

run (AZG

A TC/College 

inst.) •

Identify target date of 1st 

AZG

A Fellow

s training academ

y 

Donna Cam

pbell’s suggestion for July outcom

e:  Readiness to recruit A

cademy 

participants—or—

Readiness to develop recruitm

ent plan – or – Readiness to develop Academ

y curriculum.