NORTH STAR NEWS

TAU

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International - Key Women Educators

2

Official Publication of Tau State, MINNESOTA

Volume 64

In April, over 100 members and guests

attended the Tau State Conference in
Mankato. See pages four, five and six
for highlights.

What is Goodsearch?

Do you shop on line? By making just a
few changes to your shopping, you can
help DKG earn money. Go to http://
www.goodsearch.com/ and find your store.
Select how it works and register. Make
sure you select Delta Kappa Gamma
International.

Dates to remember:

June 21-22, 2016: Leadership Retreat - St. Bens

July 5-9, 2016: International Convention -

Nashville, TN

August 5, 2016: Chapter Officers Training - TBA

October 2016: Executive Board Meeting

Inside
Presidents Message2

Tau State Webmaster.. 3

Tau State Conference.. 4

NW Regional News... 7

Celebrate!.. 8

The deadline for the Fall Edition of North Star News will
be October 1st. Please contact me if you have any
articles youd like submitted. Thank you!

Libby Underhill

underhlk@paulbunyan.net

Thoughts From State President, Sally Nyhus

Congratulations to Nu, Pi and Beta Alpha chapters for a
successful spring conference, and thank you very much for all
your hard work. Didnt they do a fine job? Our International
representative, Marianne Skardus, was a wonderful addition
to the conference, too, with her wisdom on Malala Yousafzai,
and on the younger generations. We had many excellent
keynote speakers and breakout sessions and the decorations for
the luncheon, banquet and brunch were much appreciated by
all attendees.

Sally Nyhus

Tau State President
2015-2017

As you make your plans for your chapter meetings for 2016 2017, please remember to
invite me to one (or more) of them. Its so interesting and exciting to see whats going
on around the state. Of the 18 chapters we had, 11 chapters besides my own, extended
an invitation. I thoroughly enjoyed each meeting, not only the content of the program
and business meetings, but to see good friends and meet new women. I hope to make it
to the other chapters in the coming year, as well as return visits. Please invite, too, our
1st Vice President, Ann Vanvick, since she will become state president a year from now.

Our June retreat planning is nearly complete. If you havent signed up yet, the form is
on the state website. Were planning for some expanded empowerment, some making
new friends and a lot of fun, too. You dont need to be in a leadership position to attend
the retreatall are welcome and encouraged to be at St. Bens (plus the food is great!).

What are you doing for the 4th of July? Many of us will be in Nashville, TN, for the
DKG International Convention to represent us on the International Board, to let our
voices be heard at the general sessions, to attend many fine breakout sessions, and to
celebrate our own Barbara Whitings installation as International 1st Vice President. Will
you be there to lend your applause and support? Also, MN-Tau will have a vendor table
at the convention. Immediate Past President Kathy Patton has received several hundred
cards for us to sell. She is looking for some MN-Tau members to help sell our wares, so
register for Nashville, drive or fly down, and help out!

Im off to Austin, TX, Friday, July 17, for the DKG Golden Gift Leadership Seminar that I
am grateful to have been chosen to attend. The Seminar starts on Sunday, July 19 and I
return to MN a little over two weeks later, on July 30, hopefully brimming with lots of
new leadership skills.

Have a lovely summer, a safe and glorious Fourth of July, and we look forward to
meeting with chapter officers on Friday, August 5, from 9 a.m. 3 p.m., place to be
determined. Congratulations to all the newly elected chapter officers!

Meet MN Tau State Webmaster Angie Kalthoff

Hello! My name is Angie Kalthoff. You can find me on Twitter
at @Mrskalthoff. I will be starting my ninth year of
teaching in August. I began as an English Language teacher
for new- to- country students in elementary. I was able to
focus specifically on kindergartners for a few years before
transitioning into my current position as a Technology
Integrationist for the St. Cloud Area School District 742.

I am also a Google Innovator and Code.org Facilitator. I enjoy working with both
students and teachers, but have been able to focus a lot of my time on helping
teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. My main areas of interest
for speaking events and workshops include Google Apps for Education and Coding
in the elementary classroom. You can learn more about me by visiting bit.ly/
angiekalthoff or you can find a list of my upcoming events at bit.ly/angiek16.

Have you seen our website? http://dkgmn.weebly.com. Laurie did a great job
making the transition for us and I am doing my best to keep it up and running.
If you see something that doesnt look right on the website or you have
something you would like to add, please fill out the following form bit.ly/
dkgwebsiterequest. In case you want to connect with me in person, I plan to be
at the Summer Leadership retreat in June and the August planning meeting.
Finally, a tool for Teachers!

Are you tired of keeping track of your professional development documents? Do you have
a folder full of them? How many hours have you actually completed? Ermarie can help!

In the last issue of Tech Bytes, Angie shared her new program Ermarie and experience at
Twin Cities Startup Weekend EDU. As a teacher in Minnesota, she needs to attend 125
hours of Professional Development (PD) every five years. These PD hours need to cover
five different topics. With a June 30th deadline, she needs to turn in all of her
documents to the state of Minnesota to renew her license.

Ermarie helps you easily save and organize your documents to your own online secure
storage space as well as coordinate opportunities which are workshops/summits/
conferences/meetings. Go to www.ermarie.com to create your free account today. She is
in the process of adding new features which are expected to be released this summer!
You can help! Create an account, upload your documents, and send feedback to
kalthoff@ermarie.com. She would love to help you use this tool for planning and
advertising your DKG meetings throughout the year.

Tau State Conference Highlights

Mankato

April 15 - 17, 2016

This years recipient of the TAU State Education Grant is Jenna
Rathlisberger. Jenna is from Crystal, MN and attends South Dakota
State University. In her application for the grant, Jenna stated her
commitment to education is to make an impact on each individual child
and to help them discover a passion for learning.

This past fall Jenna did a presentation in a class on the effects of

poverty on childhood development. Her professor asked Jenna if she
was interested in helping to write a grant to the Rules and Regulations
TAU State Education
of South Dakotas Childcare. Dr. Moeller and Jenna actually presented
Grant recipient two grant proposals to the legislature in February, and both received
Jenna Rathlisberger
funding. This past month she was in Pierre again. This time she was
with the Student National Education Association to lobby and advocate
for HB 1182, a bill to raise teacher salaries in South Dakota. The bill
passed a week later. It is easy to see her passion for education reaches beyond the
classroom. She will continue to push for changes in childcare in South Dakota.

The Jeanette Fair Memorial Book Award is named after a

teacher and principal who was a very active member of
Delta Kappa Gamma. She served as Tau State president,
Northwest Regional Director, and was active on many society
committees. This award was established by gifts to Tau
State from her friends and family. Her love of books and
reading makes this an appropriate way to honor her memory.

The 2016 award was presented to Tamara Thayer from
Rochester, Minnesota at the Tau State Conference in
Mankato. The book, A Country Doctor Goes to War, is the
true story of her grandfather who left his practice in
southern Minnesota, willing to sacrifice and risk it all, to
serve as a military medical doctor during World War IIa
member of the greatest generation who answered the call
to preserve and protect our freedom.

2016 Jeannette Fair Memorial

Adult Book Award Winner:

Tamara Thayer

Tamara grew up in Faribault, Minnesota and is the daughter

of DKG member Edna Thayer. She holds a BS in Community
Health and currently works at Mayo High School. At the
2016 Tau State Conference, Tamara gave a presentation on
researching and writing family histories, and had a beautiful
display of memorabilia.

Tau State Conference Highlights

Sue Stokke was named this years Education Grant Honoree. She
has been a member of Alpha Theta for 37 years. She was asked
to join Delta Kappa Gamma by Pricilla Anderson. Her 31 year
career in Mound-Westonka District included teaching 3rd grade
for 7 years, 4th and 5th grade math for 16 years and 8 years of
middle school math and reading. She also was District President
of MEA, chaired the math committee and served on various
curriculum committees. While teaching, Sue was co-director and
pianist for the annual elementary operetta for twelve
years. In addition to teaching, she has been a volunteer
Nancy Welken (left) presenting
for 17 years at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in
2016 Education Grant Honoree:

the Learning Center and as a tour guide. In 2002 she
Sue Stokke
was named Volunteer of the Year.

Sue has served in different positions in her chapter and on various State committees.
Her chapter co-hosted the State Conference twice, most recently in 2012, and Sue was
involved with the International Convention when it was held in
Minneapolis. She has become President Emeritus of Alpha
Theta, serving as President for 14 years.

Julie Stauber of Kappa Chapter, chair of Personal Growth and

Services, presented the MN State Outstanding Service Award
to Larry Shelton, a long time school board member and
volunteer in the Proctor community at the Tau State Chapter
conference of Delta Kappa Gamma on April 16 in Mankato.
Larry Shelton receives the MN
State Outstanding Service Award.

Due to the generosity of all Tau State members, Nu, Pi and Beta
Alpha chapters were able to give over $200.00 to the Backpack
Food Program of Blue Earth county. This donation will

go towards providing books in the backpacks.
Members of Tau State participated in a
scarf exchange during the conference.

Tau State Conference Highlights

At the conference, our International representative, Marianne Skardeus,
gave a presentation titled: Womens Struggle for Suffrage and the story
of Malal Yousafzai. The program focused on the history of women in
Pakistan and the struggles they still face today. Marianne and her
husband lived in Pakistan from 1986-1989 while he was with the United
Nations forces.

The status of women in Pakistan is one of systemic gender subordination
even though it varies considerably across classes, regions, and the rural/urban divide due to
uneven socioeconomic development and the impact of tribal, feudal, and capitalistic social
formations on womens lives. The Pakistani women of today, however, enjoy a better status than
the past. In 1979, the Hudood Ordinances were enacted. These laws were intended to bring
Pakistani law into conformity with the injunctions of Islam by enforcing punishments
mentioned in the Quaran and Sunnah for: zina (extramarital sex), qazf (false accusation of
zina), theft, and consumption of alcohol. They replaced parts of the British-era Pakistan Penal
Code, adding new offences and new punishments. The Womens Protection Bill extensively revised
parts of these laws in 2006.

Marianne also explained some of the practices of marriage, depending on family tradition,
region, class, and rural/urban residence. These practices include:

Wani (child marriage) although the Child marriage Restraint Act makes it illegal
for girls under the age of 16 to be married, instances of child marriage are
commonly found in rural areas such as tribal areas and the Punjab province;

watta satta (tribal custom in which brides are traded between two clans);

honor killings (women who marry against their family wishes, seek divorce or who
have been raped); and

marriage to Quran (prevalent among men [landlords] to keep and grab the land of
their sisters and daughters) although this practice has no religious basis.

She also discussed the clothing worn by Pakistani women, education of girls, employment, and
access to property. The social and cultural climate is predominately patriarchal and women have
a low percentage of participation in society outside the family. There is
disparity between the literacy rate of urban and rural women. The school
drop out rate is still very high, but is improving rapidly.

She concluded with the story of Malala Yousafzai and her father in
advocating the power of education for girls around the world and
childrens and womens rights. In 2011 Malala was nominated for the
International Childrens Peace Prize and was awarded Pakistans National
Youth Peace Prize. In 2012, she was attacked and shot by the Taliban. In
2013, on her 16th birthday, she gave a speech at the United Nations. In
2014 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, being the youngest person
to receive the award. The Taliban still considers Malala a target.

NWR SUPER 16
JUNE 7, 2016
v. 3, no. 6

The Society Supports Members - 74, 512, as of May 31, 2016

June 7--approaching 2000 registered attendees
Arrival--If flying, Gaylord Opryland shuttle service on lower level:
$19-one way; $30-round trip.
Check-in--Cascades Lobby (Magnolia Lobby for self-parking). Indicate
at check-in, if splitting the bill; will expedite checkout
Way Finders--hotel map
http://www.marriott.com/hotelwebsites/us/b/bnago/bnago_pdf/GO-509014_FastMap_Web_HR.pdf

Way finders located throughout the complex to direct attendees

Emergency Fund--collections for cash and checks/cheques at the
regional breakfast. Credit cards scanned at the Marketplace and at the
entrance to the site of the regional breakfast. This donation is taxdeductible in the USA.
Cyber Center--interactive learning opportunities to learn by doing or by
watching in 2 sessions/3 days
Hot Topics--round table discussions of 20 minutes each, 3 sessions/2
days
ISR Amendments-- question, consider, and vote to strengthen DKG
1 Allow membership at state and international level if the chapter no
longer meets the members needs; must be initiated at chapter level
2 Move to September 15 deadline for nominations to allow more time
for consideration
3 Endorsement forms due by September 15 to support nominations
4 Europe's Regional Director is to visit all eight state organization
conferences during the biennium
5 Abstracts in the DKG Bulletin may be printed in languages other than
English
6 Allow members, rather than state organization presidents, to cast
the vote for elected officers via attendee's direct vote at the
convention or via electronic voting by all members. This resolution will
come from the floor.

July 4
Administrative Board Meetings
State org presidents, Dr. Schmid, Adm Brd and RDs
July 5
Executive Board Meetings
Q & A on proposed ISR amendments
Opening Session: Keynote: Kai Kight
Tennessee Night
July 6
General Session - Keynote: Mike Figliuolo
Marketplace opens
Cyber Center open mini Cyber sessions
Breakout Sessions
Q & A on proposed ISR amendments
July 7
General Session
Forums
Marketplace and Hot Topics
"Call Me Country" fundraiser
July 8
Elections
Regional Breakfasts
Marketplace and Hot Topics
Breakout Sessions
General Session - Keynote: Judith Viorst
Marketplace and Cyber Center
Breakout Sessions
July 9
Celebration of Life
General Session - Keynote: Anna Maria Chavez
"Passages" Banquet
Presentation of State Organization Presidents
Installation of Officers 2016 - 2018

Super 16 Leaders,
We will have a reunion on the evening of July 4th so that you, as a group, may
reconnect and celebrate your achievements during the first year of your biennium. We
will share a few techniques to help you through the second year with even more
success. You are a very special group. I wish you all the success possible and thank you
for contributions during this past year. Who will greet you in Nashville?
Phyllis

courtesy of Bianchinetta Benavides

NW Regional Director: Dr. Phyllis E. VanBuren (Minnesota), pevanburen@stcloudstate.edu / 320-308-2299

Celebrate!
Chapter News

On May 7th, four Beta Alpha members joined fellow DKG member, Julie Bauer,
and family in the From the Heart 8th annual run/walk fundraiser for Owatonna
community members with cancer. Julies daughter had special tee shirts made
for members to wear that day. Julie has finished her chemotherapy and will
receive radiation June 6th through July 12th. Many of the Beta Alpha members
are driving her to Northfield for the treatments. From the Heart raised
$12,500 towards defraying Julies medical expenses.
Kerry Dammer and Julie Stauber, two Kappa Chapter members,
spent almost two weeks exploring the Black Hills and Badlands
of South Dakota. The exploration began in Deadwood with reenactments of the life and times of legends such as Wild Bill
Hickock and Calamity Jane.From there, the trip continued up to
Devil's Tower, down to Custer State Park and its famous
"Tatanka" or bison, up to Harney's Peak, and around Sylvan
Lake.The Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt. Rushmore both needed
full days to appreciate.Finally, a trip into the Badlands with a
great sighting of a herd of big horned sheep concluded the trip.

Celebrate!
At the April 14th meeting at
Blackwoods in Proctor, Kappa
Chapter heard from Maude Dornfeld,
director of Life House, which works
to support homeless youth. Housing,
health, food and safety are major
issues addressed by this nonprofit.

http://lifehouseduluth.org/

Maude Dornfeld

Sharon Hokuf of Pinewood was named the

2015-16 Woman of Achievement of Mu Chapter.
She joined Delta Kappa Gamma in 2003 and has
served on the membership committee for several
years as chair. She conducts information nights
for new members and the initiation ceremony.
She has also served as parliamentarian.

Joyce Siegert and Sharon Hokuf

Sharon is retired having taught school at

Red Lake and Bemidji, in 1st grade, 4th
grade, and Title I for K-5 and high school.
Sharon was a Math Masters coach for 10
years, a Certified Accelerated Math Model
Teacher, and a mentor teacher. Sharon was
honored at the January 22nd meeting and
was presented the award by fellow DKG
member, Joyce Siegert.