According to a recent article published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, creativity “… encourages positive emotions that can unlock our inner resources for dealing with stress and uncertainty.” The truth of the preceding statement has been made evident on the campus of Davis & ...

After covering the 60-day legislative session, I almost always need the week after to recover, decompress, and catch up on things. For example, I feel like I missed the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus in the state. I didn’t. I did write about it even while covering the session, but I ...

Several years ago after Dr. Bill King received the Lois Latham Award for Teaching Excellence, he told his audience at Davis & Elkins College that the purpose of education is not to pound in information, but it is to draw out the abilities of students. He noted that the root word of ...

Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” A commitment to excellence aptly describes three individuals retiring from Davis & Elkins College in ...

As I write this Sunday, I’m still recovering from the end of the 2021 legislative session that ended at midnight Saturday. It was truly a 60-day rollercoaster and certainly a session for the history books. I’m going to highlight several things that happened this session, so bear with ...

Mothers are the first teachers for most children, but those of us who had teachers as mothers have a special legacy to pass on. Attorney Rob Perdue nominated his mother and his son for apples for our teacher tree because these two teachers have made a difference in his on-going ...

Word of mouth is a powerful form of advertising. According to industry research, this is true for two basic reasons. For the hearer, the direct words of someone you know brings credibility for the reputation of the one making a recommendation is on the line. Second, we generally trust those we ...

Here we are, the final week of the 2021 legislative session. Today is day 55 and lawmakers are prepared to power through until the gavel comes down at midnight Saturday, April 10. I feel somewhat redundant here, but once again all eyes are on House Bill 3300, the current vehicle being used to ...

One of the best outcomes of our new project honoring teachers with an apple on our tree wall is seeing what donors have to say about great teachers they remember. Thoughtful teachers make opportunities to help students realize the significance of events occurring during their school days. ...

CHARLESTON — We are less than two weeks away from the end of the 2020 legislative session at midnight April 10 and already there is talk of a special session in the air. Gov. Jim Justice is furious that his bills are not moving in the House and Senate to cut the personal income tax rate by ...

The West Virginia Legislature has been crafting many measures that have to do with the future of schools and the children who attend them. The most noticeable trends are: 1. Punitive action against public school teachers, 2. Increased funding for private and home schooling, 3. More ...

Davis & Elkins College is a private, liberal arts, residential, church-affiliated institution. For this week’s “Reflecting Along the Journey” column I want to focus on the question, “What does being a church-affiliated college mean in 2021?” The following words are penned by my ...

We are less than 20 days away from the end of the 60-day legislative session, or more than two-thirds through and what I predicted last week is happening. As the old saying goes, idle hands are the devil’s workshop. With really the only big agenda items left being Gov. Jim Justice’s tax ...

Whether one anticipates or dreads receiving a report card generally is determined by how good or poor are the grades. That is true of a student and is also true for a college. Once a year Forbes magazine publishes its “College Financial Grades” as an indicator of the financial stability ...

Last Thursday was the 30-day mark of the 60-day legislative session for 2021, so it’s all downhill from here. Of the 1,767 bills that have been introduced this session, 65 bills have passed the House of Delegates, 93 bills have passed the state Senate, 21 bills have completed legislation, and ...

This week’s new apple for the teacher tree at Kump Education Center honors Mr. Billy Jones, who taught science and led the gifted program at Duluth High School in Duluth, Georgia. He was a teacher who helped his students understand how they could use their talents to help others. He was also ...

The halfway point of the 60-day 2021 legislative session is Thursday and things continue to clip along at a brisk pace here. I’ve been involved with the Legislature, either covering it as a reporter or working it as a staff member, for 11 years now, yet I always learn new things. For ...

Retired English teacher Jean Jory, who was beloved by her own students, has nominated Lucy Godwin as the next teacher to be named for our Kump Education Center “Apple for the Teacher Tree.” Godwin has brought innovation and opportunity to students in rural Beverly, where there is no ...

American composer, Kurt Kaiser, writes: “It only takes a spark, to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.” I’d like to invite you to be a “spark” and get a fire going. The following are the words of my guest columnist this week, Lisa Wood, the First ...

As of today, we’re one-third of the way through the 2021 legislative session. We still have the whole month of March and about a week and a half of April left to go. The one thing I keep hearing as we trudge on through the slaughterhouse where the legislative sausage is made is where are ...