May-June Musings
First of all, I hope that all is well with you and yours, and that you are enjoying the
summer thus far. These thoughts have been simmering in my brain since the Summer
Leadership Conference in Sterling, which, by the way, was overall successful. I will be
summarizing those results, especially the concerns/suggested adjustments, later in this
document.
I would like to start with the things that I have learned in the first year of my biennium:
I learned that our DKG ladies and chapters are unique and resilient. There are chapters with as
few as seven ladies who have committed to rotating the officer roles, always supporting one
another, to keep their chapter going. There are chapters that follow the very traditional DKG
handbook with a prayer and a Collect along with wonderful fellowship and programs. The
impact of the DKG chapters in their communities is ongoing; even though COVID has
challenged all of us in so many ways. I learned what a Tussie-Mussie is (Thank you Mary
Metcalf !)
I have also heard from chapters that are struggling in keeping members, getting members to
take leadership roles, and keeping the connections and networking going.
To that end, I discussed an idea with 1st VP Maxine Fawcett-Yeske and co 2nd VPs
Karen Libby and Paulette Evans-Deutsch at the end of the Leadership Conference. What we
are planning to do is divide the 26 state chapters into six groups which will be led by a member
of the Executive Board. These groups may be organized randomly or by Region; Karen,
Paulette, Cela Varosy and I met to debrief the Leadership Conference evaluations, and we
talked about the benefits of the two types of grouping. These groups will be in place by the end
of August, and I will be publishing the groupings in the PEAKS AND PLAINS and on our
website. To the new Chapter Presidents: we are trying to empower you and give you more
resources and networking possibilities. I was thrilled to see Chapter Presidents chatting and
exchanging contact info during the Conference.
Positive comments from the Conference included: the time on task, the hands on
break out sessions, the meeting space, the food, the hotel—which had one of the best
breakfasts ever—the format of the Conference. Thanks again to Theta and Alpha Eta chapter
hostesses who provided wonderful Silent Auction items; we also did the winning drawings
LIVE...which was really fun and added an element of excitement to the Tuesday night activities.
We should continue to draw upon the talents of our current members at the Conference. The 1
1⁄2 hour sessions allowed for time to process everything in the process and to network with
others in the session. Everyone who attended ‘learned something new’.
Suggestions included: Something about the history of the town that the Conference is
being held in as well as a chance to tour the town; someone suggested a meal out in the town
to get some of the local flavor. A clear map from the hotel to the location of the Conference
should be made available; sorry about that. A session for non-Chapter officers should be
available during the Officer trainings (these took place Monday afternoon and Wednesday
morning). Perhaps shortening the sessions from 1 1⁄2 hours each. (NOTE: Some sessions
finished in an hour and allowed time for Q&A and discussion while other sessions ran the full 90
minutes.) We need to advertise the Talent Show better! Some attendees knew nothing about it.
There should be more focus on training Officers for a smooth transition in their chapters. There
should be more explanations about the State Teams and their work.
Topics for upcoming meetings/trainings/Convention: Tech updates/help...always
and forever helpful! Education legislation is a must especially in an election year. New trends in
education and the State Board of Education...what is their purpose and how do we connect with
them? Teacher as well as student mental health issues; what can we do? How can we combat
apathy? More information on NGSS materials and writing tools would be nice. How can we
refocus on the importance of reading especially in grades 4-8? We need more help with
Diversity and understanding issues as well as tactics and methodologies to help diverse
students. Comments also included more about incorporating the arts in education and
hands-on learning. A keynote that focuses more on getting our name out in the community
rather than just about membership would be helpful; we need to build the reputation of our
society through action ie, service projects. More on A4PEP...who are advocates for Public
Education Policy. There should be some inservice time dedicated to recognizing the signs of
human trafficking.
As you can see, while we tried to cover several issues over the course of the
Conference, there is more work/information/challenges that we as an organization face. I want
to thank all of our DKG presenters as well as Beverly Ausfahl, Sarah Johnson and her partner
for their contributions to our Leadership Conference. Stay tuned for more information
concerning the Presidents’ Networking Groups as well as any other important information. If
your chapter has not submitted the forms with your 2022-24 Officers, please do so as soon as
possible so that the Executive Board can finalize the groups. I would appreciate a list of the
meetings your chapter has scheduled so that I can plan a visit to you. Thank you for your
kindness, your patience and your fellowship. Have a wonderful rest of the summer!
Suzanne Foster
President, Colorado DKG
First of all, I hope that all is well with you and yours, and that you are enjoying the
summer thus far. These thoughts have been simmering in my brain since the Summer
Leadership Conference in Sterling, which, by the way, was overall successful. I will be
summarizing those results, especially the concerns/suggested adjustments, later in this
document.
I would like to start with the things that I have learned in the first year of my biennium:
I learned that our DKG ladies and chapters are unique and resilient. There are chapters with as
few as seven ladies who have committed to rotating the officer roles, always supporting one
another, to keep their chapter going. There are chapters that follow the very traditional DKG
handbook with a prayer and a Collect along with wonderful fellowship and programs. The
impact of the DKG chapters in their communities is ongoing; even though COVID has
challenged all of us in so many ways. I learned what a Tussie-Mussie is (Thank you Mary
Metcalf !)
I have also heard from chapters that are struggling in keeping members, getting members to
take leadership roles, and keeping the connections and networking going.
To that end, I discussed an idea with 1st VP Maxine Fawcett-Yeske and co 2nd VPs
Karen Libby and Paulette Evans-Deutsch at the end of the Leadership Conference. What we
are planning to do is divide the 26 state chapters into six groups which will be led by a member
of the Executive Board. These groups may be organized randomly or by Region; Karen,
Paulette, Cela Varosy and I met to debrief the Leadership Conference evaluations, and we
talked about the benefits of the two types of grouping. These groups will be in place by the end
of August, and I will be publishing the groupings in the PEAKS AND PLAINS and on our
website. To the new Chapter Presidents: we are trying to empower you and give you more
resources and networking possibilities. I was thrilled to see Chapter Presidents chatting and
exchanging contact info during the Conference.
Positive comments from the Conference included: the time on task, the hands on
break out sessions, the meeting space, the food, the hotel—which had one of the best
breakfasts ever—the format of the Conference. Thanks again to Theta and Alpha Eta chapter
hostesses who provided wonderful Silent Auction items; we also did the winning drawings
LIVE...which was really fun and added an element of excitement to the Tuesday night activities.
We should continue to draw upon the talents of our current members at the Conference. The 1
1⁄2 hour sessions allowed for time to process everything in the process and to network with
others in the session. Everyone who attended ‘learned something new’.
Suggestions included: Something about the history of the town that the Conference is
being held in as well as a chance to tour the town; someone suggested a meal out in the town
to get some of the local flavor. A clear map from the hotel to the location of the Conference
should be made available; sorry about that. A session for non-Chapter officers should be
available during the Officer trainings (these took place Monday afternoon and Wednesday
morning). Perhaps shortening the sessions from 1 1⁄2 hours each. (NOTE: Some sessions
finished in an hour and allowed time for Q&A and discussion while other sessions ran the full 90
minutes.) We need to advertise the Talent Show better! Some attendees knew nothing about it.
There should be more focus on training Officers for a smooth transition in their chapters. There
should be more explanations about the State Teams and their work.
Topics for upcoming meetings/trainings/Convention: Tech updates/help...always
and forever helpful! Education legislation is a must especially in an election year. New trends in
education and the State Board of Education...what is their purpose and how do we connect with
them? Teacher as well as student mental health issues; what can we do? How can we combat
apathy? More information on NGSS materials and writing tools would be nice. How can we
refocus on the importance of reading especially in grades 4-8? We need more help with
Diversity and understanding issues as well as tactics and methodologies to help diverse
students. Comments also included more about incorporating the arts in education and
hands-on learning. A keynote that focuses more on getting our name out in the community
rather than just about membership would be helpful; we need to build the reputation of our
society through action ie, service projects. More on A4PEP...who are advocates for Public
Education Policy. There should be some inservice time dedicated to recognizing the signs of
human trafficking.
As you can see, while we tried to cover several issues over the course of the
Conference, there is more work/information/challenges that we as an organization face. I want
to thank all of our DKG presenters as well as Beverly Ausfahl, Sarah Johnson and her partner
for their contributions to our Leadership Conference. Stay tuned for more information
concerning the Presidents’ Networking Groups as well as any other important information. If
your chapter has not submitted the forms with your 2022-24 Officers, please do so as soon as
possible so that the Executive Board can finalize the groups. I would appreciate a list of the
meetings your chapter has scheduled so that I can plan a visit to you. Thank you for your
kindness, your patience and your fellowship. Have a wonderful rest of the summer!
Suzanne Foster
President, Colorado DKG