March 2026 Recap

The CEPS held the annual Spring Check In Meeting on Tuesday, March 17th.

We welcomed several distinguished guests including President Killingsworth, Provost Shelton, partners from Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama, and representatives from the Jax State Regional Inservice Center.

Congratulations to all faculty and staff that received awards!

Department Awards- Faculty of the Year:

CTEPS- Kelly Paynter (not pictured)

Professional Counseling & Leadership- CyTique Davis (not pictured)

Teacher Education- Brandon Gilliland

Inservice Awards:

Excellence in Professional Learning-Leah Gann (not pictured)

Educational Impact Award-Christie Pickard

JSU Child Development Center:

Teacher of the Year - Ms. Hannah Massey

CDC Staff Member of the Year - Ms. Jasmine Prater

CDC Student Worker of the Year - Ms. Bailee Pitchford

Friendliest Employee of the Year- Ms. Hannah White

Dean's Choice Awards:

Faculty of the Year-Niki Peel

Adjunct of the Year- Maisie Diamond

Staff of Year- Lynn Steward

Administrators of the Year- Nilufer Guler & Kelly Murray

Friendliest Employee of the Year- Tammie Brown

Please join us in celebrating Student Excellence in Research and Teaching at CEPS!

We are proud to announce that Canon Williams was awarded Best Undergraduate Presentation for the College of Education and Professional Studies at the Jax State Student Symposium!

Presentation Title:

"Teaching the Heart: An Impact Study Evaluating the Effects of Scaffolded Multimodal Instruction on Circulatory System Understanding and Scientific Communication."

Canon first presented his research during the symposium and was selected to present again during the awards ceremony this week, highlighting his work. He has also been selected to present at the April Board of Trustees Meeting.

Collaborators:

• Canon Williams, Secondary General Science Teacher Candidate, Jax State

• Rebecca Henderson, Science Educator, Alexandria Middle School

• Ashley Turner, Secondary Science Methods Professor, Teacher Education, Jax State

This outstanding project represents meaningful collaboration between university faculty, teacher candidates, and K–12 partners, demonstrating the real impact of research-informed teaching practices in today’s classrooms.

Please join us in congratulating Canon on this well-deserved recognition!

We are beyond thrilled to celebrate our incredible Elementary Education preservice teachers who presented their impact studies at the Jax State Student Symposium this past month.

These future educators are not only honing their skills but are also making a meaningful impact in the field of education. Their dedication to enhancing student learning is truly inspiring, and we could not be prouder of their achievements!

Dr. Candice Byers and graduate student Leah Smith enjoyed the Student Symposium.

Leah's presentation was titled "Addressing Gaps in Literacy: A Student Impact Study of Seventh-Grade Collaborative English."

Congratulations!

Jax State's Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Chapter did a great job at the Alabama FCCLA State Leadership Conference in Montgomery this past month. We are so very proud of our Chapter. 4 Bids to the FCCLA National Leadership Conference in July in Washington, D.C.

Carsean Machristie and Annakate Howell State winners in Entrepreneurship level 4

Ella Hawkins State winner in career investigation level 4.

Mallory Gilbert State winner in Fashion Design level 4.

Jax State FCCLA was also named a FCCLA STAR Banner Chapter. This is the highest honor a Chapter can receive on the State level.

Ms. Kim Mitchell was honored to facilitate the FCCLA Say YES to FCS Signing Ceremony at the conference.

Congratulations!

Jacksonville State University visited the Florida FCCLA State Leadership Conference this past month to represent!

The Career Technical Education & Professional Studies Department at Jax State has so much to offer on the undergraduate and graduate levels.

We are proud to announce that Ms. Deliska Cooley successfully defended her dissertation this past month. Her dissertation is titled: "Perspectives of classroom teachers on the foundational reading needs of fourth through sixth grade students."

Deliska's committee consisted of Drs. Christie Calhoun (Chair), Nilufer Guler, and Krista Gilliland.

Mrs. NaTaysia Holloway also successfully defended her Ed.D. dissertation on February 17, 2026.

Her project is titled “Exploring the Impact of Mental Health on Academic Performance and Engagement: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study of Title I High School Upperclassmen in Northeast Alabama".

Her committee consisted of Drs. Torsten Dryden (Chair), Nikki Peel, and Cynthia Connor.

Congratulations to you both on this huge accomplishment!

Dr. Deliska Cooley

Dr. NaTaysia Holloway

On Monday, March 9th Dr. Ashley Turner led two sessions, "Healthy Body, Healthy Youth" and "What a Waste! Impacts of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes on the Environment" at Special Programming for Achievement Network (SPAN) of Madison County. The interactive lessons helped student explore and understand aspects of how both vaping and cigarette use can harm individual health and the overall environment.

Drs Niki Peel and Ashley Turner enjoyed the sessions and working with the SPAN students and faculty!

This project is led by a team of researchers: Dr. Christie Calhoun (PI), Dr. Kimberly Gaiters-White (PI), Dr. Nilufer Guler, Mr. Adam Clark, Dr. Niki Peel, and Dr. Ashley Turner.

We look forward to continuing this five-part series and supporting healthier communities across Alabama.

Another day of Ozobot, STEM and Alabama Workforce in the books. Another great group of teachers worked on coding and creating with their content standards + the new Digital Literacy and Computer Science Standards!

Alabama is the first state to have its own state map designed for students to explore the regional inservice regions and the unique attributes of each.

Dr. Alhammouri recently represented CEPS at the World of Works event in Oxford, AL

From flip flops to snow flurries, you never know what Alabama weather will bring.

What we do know is that the Caf game is strong at CEPS!

Chad Strawn and Farrah Hayes from Challenger Learning Center always love coming to Jacksonville State University for meetings, but especially when they get to see Jax State President, Dr. Don Killingsworth.

They both enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the CEPS Spring Check in Meeting.

Farrah Hayes and Chad Strawn are happy to announce that Challenger Learning Center's new employee has arrived! Welcome Jennifer Buchanan to Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama and Jacksonville State University

Calling all Pre-K teachers! We invite you to apply to host internship teacher candidates from our Early Childhood/Elementary Education program in the Fall 2026 semester!

You will earn 10 professional development hours as well as scholarship credits to apply towards Jax State classes for an advanced degree.

Scan the QR code on the flyer below or visit the following link.

Tammie Brown

Michael Alvidrez

Krystal Cochran

Makenna Riley Blackmon

Caroline Sikes Meadows

Krystal Cochran

Email: amroberts@jsu.edu
Website: https://www.jsu.edu/education/index.html
Location: 115 College Street Southwest, Jacksonville, AL, USA
Phone: 256-782-8200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JSUEducation/
Twitter: @JSU_SoE