Last Updated on March 13, 2016 by cassnetwork
KOKOMO, Ind. — The Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region Phi Theta Kappa chapters, Alpha Phi Pi (APP, Kokomo Campus) and Beta Gamma Zeta (BGZ, Logansport Campus), and their members earned several awards and honors at the honor society’s annual Indiana Region Convention held March 4 to 6 in Columbus.
Chapter Awards
Alpha Phi Pi received five awards: Five-Star Level Chapter, Distinguished Officer Team, Honors in Action Issue Award/Theme 7 Health & Medicine Frontiers, Outstanding Chapter Award, and Outstanding Honors in Action Project.
Beta Gamma Zeta was honored with six chapter awards: Five-Star Level Chapter, Most Distinguished Chapter Award, Most Distinguished Officer Team, Distinguished College Project, Most Distinguished Honors in Action project, and Honors in Action Issue Award/Theme 3 Human Expressio
Member Awards
Member awards went to Carrie Sherer (BGZ) of Logansport, Distinguished Chapter Officer; Elizabeth Powers (BGZ) of Logansport, Distinguished Chapter Member; and Moriah Mercer (APP) of Peru, Outstanding Chapter Officer and $300 Dr. Eugene Spiess Scholarship recipient.
Adviser Awards
Advisers from both chapters were also recognized on Saturday evening. Amber Williams (APP) received the Paragon Award for New Advisers, Leo Studach (BGZ) received the Distinguished Adviser Award, and Starr McNally and Studach received the Distinguished Adviser Team Award.
Three Kokomo Region students were elected PTK Indiana Region officers for 2015-16: Carrie Sherer (BGZ) of Logansport, vice president; Elizabeth Humphrey (BGZ) of Logansport, public relations; and Moriah Mercer (APP) of Peru, president.
Mercer serves as president of the Alpha Phi Pi chapter based in Kokomo. Members were active in a variety of Phi Theta Kappa events in 2015. The chapter’s community service projects included delivering a needs-based survey to first-generation college students at The Crossing, an alternative school in Kokomo; raising more than $300 for responding to domestic violence and sexual assault through participation in the Family Services Association of Howard County Angel Walk; assisting Beta Gamma Zeta chapter with the Cass County Relay for Life; and researching and writing a press release regarding the benefits and use of Applied Behavior Analysis therapy with autistic children for an Honors in Action project.
Under president Carrie Sherer, members of the Beta Gamma Zeta Chapter based in Logansport supported or carried out a wide range of activities on the campus and in the community. Community activities included presenting Super Science Day for the entire second grade class at Thompson Elementary School, hosting at Ivy Tech Cass County Relay for Life, assisting with the Hispanic Heritage Celebration and Logansport Tour de Trike United Way fundraiser, and hosting five American Red Cross blood drives. Through the chapter’s Honors in Action project, fifth-graders at Fairview Elementary learned about the use of facial masks throughout the world and how they are used for human expression. They also got to decorate masks as a way of expressing their own individuality and in late November toured the Ivy Tech Logansport Campus.
“The breadth and depth of activities undertaken by our Phi Theta Kappa chapter members is amazing,” said Chancellor David Bathe of the Kokomo & Lafayette Region. “The members of both chapters, and their advisors, should be very proud of the recognition they have received. PTK offers so many opportunities for our honor students to extend their education and experiences far beyond the classroom as they prepare for their futures.”
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society has been recognizing and encouraging excellence among community colleges since it was founded in 1918. Today, Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in higher education with more than 3 million members and 1,275 chapters located in 50 states, U.S. territories, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Germany, UAE and the Republic of Palau. The recognition and scholarship opportunities that Phi Theta Kappa brings to an institution, its faculty advisors, and most importantly to its student members are unparalleled by any other student organization.