Mercer celebrates awards, visitors
From Staff Reports
education@newnan.com
It’s been a busy season of scholarship presentations, visiting educators and honor society inductions at Mercer University’s Newnan Regional Academic Center.
Rachel Mellendorf and Dana Selementi, students in the Tift College of Education, were recently among a group of 17 students named 2012 PAGE Foundation Recipients.
Selementi, who has nine years of experience as a special education paraprofessional with the Coweta County School System, is currently working at Willis Road Elementary School. She was awarded a SPAGE Undergraduate Scholarship for $1,000.
“Having Mercer come to Newnan is a dream come true for me,” Selementi said. “I have loved attending Mercer, and I cannot believe that I only have one year left before I graduate.”
“These two Mercer University students will be great additions to the field of education in Georgia,” said assistant Tift College of Education professor Martha Lee Child, who presented the students with their scholarships.
Child also acted as tour guide to Dr. Wen Wang, a professor from the University of Beijing in China who is currently on sabbatical in the United States.
Dr. Wang visited Mercer Newnan with Mercer professor Jianhua Feng, who met Dr. Wang at the University of Beijing last spring when Dr. Feng was on sabbatical, working with teachers and students at the university and surrounding schools.
Dr. Child’s students were the audience for Dr. Wang’s presentation about children’s literature in China. Child gave Wang a book about the painted horses gracing downtown Newnan and showed him local landmarks, including her own garden, Scott’s Book Store, Redneck Gourmet, the newly renovated Court House, and the Mitchell A. Powell Public Library.
Beth Pullen and Kari Blalock, students from Mercer University’s Tift College of Education, were recently inducted into Mercer University’s Phi Kappa Phi Chapter at a ceremony held in Macon.
“Newnan’s Regional Academic Center for Mercer University is proud to boast two inductees from Newnan’s first class of Tift College of Education students,” Child said.
Pullen and Blalock will be among the first graduates of Mercer Newnan this May.
