Geographic Alliance of Iowa
She was chosen as the Dubuque Community Teacher of the Year during 1997. Organizations that she is a member of include Phi Delta Kappa, the National Council for Geographic Education, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the Iowa Association of Alternative Education. Cynthia is also a technology trainer for U.S. West.
She has presented staff development in the areas of quality schools, research in brain-based learning, strategies for special education students, and integrated curriculum. Cynthia is an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound teacher with a focus on school transformation, integrated curriculum, authentic assessment, project-based learning, block scheduling, and multi-age learning communities.
Cynthia is currently the co-editor of the Geographic Alliance of Iowa's newsletter, Geography News.
Kim attended the University of Iowa and then moved to Boston, Massachusetts. She lived in the Boston and Cape Cod area for about 12 years. During that time she received an Associate Degree in Business Management from Fisher College Degree in Boston, Massachusetts. She also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education from Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts. Prior to her position at Dubuque Senior High, Kim taught B.D. classes at Central Alternative High School, an Expeditionary Learning High School, in Dubuque. At the present time, she is taking graduate courses in special education.
Kim became a TC after completing the 1997 GAI Summer Institute. She enjoys taking courses in geography. She is a co-editor of the Geography News newsletter.
John participated in the GAI's first summer institute as a pre-service teacher and graduated from UNI in 1993. His first degree from UNI was in business management in 1986 with a history minor. While in the business field, his calling to become a geography teacher came when a Washington federal official at a government event in Des Moines placed his Iowa map lapel pin on his expensive suit...upside-down.
John returned to his native Carroll in 1993 and has been a teacher Kuemper. He is a GAI Steering Committee member and actively promotes the Family Geography Challenge, a program that blends geography and current events while promoting family unit. John is a graduate of the NGS Geography Awareness Week workshop and served as Iowa's GAW state coordinator for two years.
Before his business and teaching careers, John lived in Botswana, southern Africa and worked as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer serving as a Drought Relief Officer. This summer he will be in Tanzania for a month serving as a teacher missionary in a village near Mr. Kilimanjaro.
John's hobbies include spending time with his family, camping, basketball, and cross-country skiing in the Raccoon River. John and his wife, Kathy, have two boys - Johnny 5 and Robby 2.
Carmen Nieto was born in Cantas, Zacatecas. She was educated at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Texas, and then went on to receive her master's degree from the National Lewis University in Illinois.
Beginning her teaching career in Pearsall, TX, she has continued dedicating herself to education. Over the past 32 years, she has taught in Copperas Cove, TX, traveled overseas to the Department of Defense Schools in Schwinfurt, Germany, and then to Bamberg, Germany where she now resides.
Carmen has taught high school Spanish and world history, middle school social studies, and grades first through seventh. She loves to teach in her own language of Spanish while incorporating geography. "It makes it fun when my students begin to make the connection in language and geography of the world and how that language brings its influence," Carmen commented.
At the present time, Carmen is teaching Spanish immersion, which also includes geography and the German culture. Due to all of her commitment and effort, in August 2000, she was awarded the NCGE Distinguished Teaching Award.
Carmen's hobbies include reading, traveling around the world, and learning about the many cultures and foods. She has one son, Robert, and three grandchildren who speak perfect German and English and are also learning Spanish.
2000 marks Rob Shadwick's 32nd year as an educator. His only employer has been the Decorah Community School District. His first job was teaching 8th grade Earth Science. It was not until 1972 that he got a chance to teach geography. At first it was only a semester course of 9th graders. Later the curriculum was changed and it included a full year of 8th graders.
Rob has taught geography, American history, and earth science at the Decorah Middle School. He really likes geography because he is able to incorporate other disciplines into the geography curriculum. The five themes of geography fit in very well with physical features and movement of people throughout history.
Geography really came alive for Rob when he attended the National Geographic Society's and Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Educator's summer institute in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1988. At that time, Iowa had no alliance and Minnesota was the closest active state alliance. From that time on, he has worked to promote geographic education. As soon as Iowa founded the GAI, Rob became an active member.
Since that first institute he has served in several capacities as summer institute presenter, resident TC and field trip organizer. In 1993, Rob was selected to attend the Instructional Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C.
Rob feels very fortunate to have worked with past co-ordinators Jim Hantula and Murray Austin as they established the first Iowa Summer Institute in 1993. During that time, Rob began working with Kathy Sundstedt, Don Peterson, Louise Thurn and Wayland Bauer. "What a great group of people to share ideas and establish new goals for geographic education in Iowa. I thank them for keeping the flame alive in Iowa," Rob comments.
In August 2000, Rob received the NCGE Distinguished Teaching Award. In Chicago he was recognized by the NCGE for all of his hard work and dedication to teaching.
Rob hopes to actively continue the support of geographic education in Iowa regardless of his teaching status.
Anne Hoeper
I received my BA from UNI in 1971 and my MA from St. Xavier University, Chicago in May 1999. I am employed by Davenport Schools and teach 7th grade Global Studies. I also serve on the Geographic Alliance of Iowa Steering Committee.
I attended the 1997 AGI Summer Institute and have continued to attend activities offered through the Alliance. During the summer institute, I told Kay the GAI needed a web page. She contacted me afterwards and asked me to create a web site for the Alliance. This proved a challenge since I had no idea about creating a web page, but it was a great learning experience.