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March 1, 2003 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN DIVISION ON VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS PRESENTS 2003 AWARDS AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON DIVISION
ON VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS’ VIRGINIA SOWELL STUDENT
OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Visual Impairments
is proud to present the Virginia Sowell Student of the Year Award to
Derrick Smith at the International Conference in Seattle on April 10, 2003.
Mr. Smith is a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s
School of Education. Despite his
young age, he has already proven to be a leader among his peers in the field of
visual impairments. As a classroom
teacher of mathematics at the Alabama School for the Blind, Mr. Smith has been
instrumental in his students’ recent success in passing the mathematics
section of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam. He established a chapter of Mu
Alpha Theta, a mathematics honor society for high school and junior college
students. Mr. Smith is also involved
with many extra-curricular activities including chaperoning senior trips, as
well as acting as teacher-sponsor of the Student Council.
He recently won a presidential grant through the Alabama Institute for
the Deaf and Blind for a collaborative project involving the stock market.
Mr.
Smith has continually shown a willingness to contribute to the field through his
involvement in and out of the classroom. While
teaching full-time and carrying a full course load, Mr. Smith also recognizes
the importance of participating in professional organizations.
In addition to his membership in the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC),
he is also a member of the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of
the Blind and Visually Impaired (AERBVI), and the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics. As an active member
of CEC/DVI, he has written and contributed articles that have been published in
the DVIQuarterly, assisted with the International Helen Keller Arts Show,
and serves as the Division’s Student Ambassador.
In addition to Mr. Smith’s other voluntary associations, he frequently
assists the DVI Membership Chairperson in numerous membership activities.
He is always the first to volunteer and does so cheerfully and with a
very professional attitude. Mr.
Smith can be counted on to get the task done promptly, efficiently, and
resourcefully. There is little doubt
that Mr. Smith will continue to develop into a great leader in the field of
blindness and visual impairments. It
is with great pleasure that the Division on Visual Impairments awards Derrick
Smith the Virginia Sowell Student of the Year Award
for 2003. *
* * * * * * * * * * * * For further information
about the Division on Visual Impairments’ Virginia Sowell Student of the Year
Award, please contact Dr. Stuart Wittenstein at (510) 794-3816.
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