Alpha Delta Kappa 70th anniversary celebration
Malvern’s Theta Chapter of the Alpha Delta Kappa sorority officially celebrated their 70th anniversary last Wednesday afternoon at Arkansas State University Three Rivers in the Barry Ballard Board Room.
“We are an International honorary teachers sorority,” outgoing President Brenda Keisler said.
“The international organization is only 75 years old,” she said. “We’re one of the oldest chapters, so we’re celebrating our 70th—we actually had our 70th anniversary this past month, it was on the 7th of April, but we’re just now getting to celebrate it.”
“We have local teachers from different school districts, we do mentoring, we do altruistic projects, things like that,” Keisler said. She is a retired educator who selflessly served her community for over 38 years, 32 of which she spent at Arkansas State University Three Rivers in the Adult Education department, and three of those as the department’s director.
Alpha Delta Kappa was established in 1920 by Dr. Emory S. Bogardus, an esteemed American author, educator, and sociologist. According to the international organization’s website, Alpha Delta Kappa’s vision is “A world that values diversity, all people and quality education.” Their mission is to “Empower women educators to advance inclusion, educational excellence and world understanding.”
The stated purpose of the organization is as follows:
“To honor outstanding women educators.
To strengthen the education profession through commitment to diversity and inclusion practices that respect and value each person for their unique qualities.
To nurture relationships and networking opportunities.
To enrich personal and professional development.
To support altruistic projects, grants and scholarships with time and resources.
To embrace cultural differences and make an impact through world understanding.”
The organization’s altruistic efforts have allowed them to donate over $2 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, over $250,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association, over $250,000 to educational projects worldwide, and over $2 million in grants and scholarships each biennium.
Most members of Alpha Delta Kappa are experienced educators who have dedicated their whole lives to the classroom, teaching, nurturing and fostering a love of learning in the minds and hearts of their students.
Current Theta Chapter Treasurer, Joye Mccarley-short, has been with Alpha Delta Kappa since 2002. She was a teacher for 32 years, specifically teaching 5th and 6th grades at Wilson Intermediate as well as in other districts.
Incoming President Cindy White also spent her 32-year career in the Malvern School District, mainly serving Malvern Elementary and Wilson Intermediate.
The local chapter is always eager to sign up new members. Prospective members should have graduated from an accredited institution with a degree in an education-related field or have met their state’s requirements for certification.
Alpha Delta Kappa welcomes current and retired educators who are actively involved in promoting education. Anyone interested in learning more about the Malvern Theta Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa should call Keisler at 501-844-1092, or email her at bkeisler72@gmail.com.