Initiatives Archive

Since 1989, the Catherine Yonker Award has been given to those who make significant contributions toward Christian racial reconciliation and cross-cultural understanding at the College. Trinity’s Campus Diversity and Unity Committee (CDUC) is pleased to announce that this year’s recipient is Kendra Henry ’23.

Dean of Student Life Kara Van Marion said Henry is always willing to lean into important, hard moments that others might shy away from. “She takes time to consider the ‘status quo’ and assess if/how to respond with justice, humility, and love.”

According to another nomination, “Kendra champions diversity through support, encouragement, and a willingness to educate and be educated. Her passions to support cultural clubs on campus is significant. She has risen as a leader and in the process of developing the Queers And Allies club which support and discuss LGBTQ students and topics. She brings excitement, passion, and leadership through her involvement.”

For Henry, who is majoring in social work, the award exemplifies her passion for helping people and advocating for others. “It really affirms the work that I’ve been trying to do,” she said. Henry, a member of the Navajo community who grew up in Gallup, N.M., also works to bring attention to Native American issues. “There are not a lot of Native Americans on campus, so I am trying to advocate for that group and break down stereotypes.”

Along with her participation in different clubs on campus, including Trinity’s social work student organization, Henry serves as a resident assistant and works as a student photographer. She is also a Diversity Scholar.

Those who know Henry point to her tireless work on behalf of others as the essence of the Yonker Award. “I am so proud of Kendra’s accomplishments and the influence she has made at Trinity,” said Emanuel Jones ’24. “I have always known her to stand up for what is right and always speak out against what is wrong.”

The Catherine Yonker Award and scholarship is given annually to a member of the Trinity community–faculty, staff, or an entering senior student—in recognition of their positive influence and action toward this goal. In Trinity’s earliest years, Catherine Yonker served as an executive secretary and founding member of the Trinity Women’s Guild. With her husband Jim, they also funded uniforms and equipment for Trinity’s first hockey team.

Message From Assistant Professor

And just like that, another year comes to a close! For me this school year was like no other as it represented my first as a part of the Trinity Christian College community. Over the course of this year one of the things that has struck me most about our department is how much joy there is for the vocation of teaching.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to see this joy in conducting more than 40 classroom observations this year. Each of you went above and beyond in welcoming students back to the classroom and navigating the challenges of making sure each child’s needs were met. Beyond the classroom, I’ve had the chance to witness the joy in collaborations between professors and students as we have:

Revived clubs such as Best Buddies that provide an important service to the community.
Provided professional development opportunities for K-12 partners.
Established partnerships with multiple local K-12 schools that provide academic and extra-curricular support.
Created and collaborated with other departments to provide on-campus learning events such as the Math Triathlon and Young Authors Festival.

These examples are a small sample of the great work that has been done this year and I look forward to the ways we will continue to grow and share our joy. I hope everyone has restful summer- you have earned it!

Michael A. Dieter, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor | Department of Education

Congratulations Class of 2022!

The Department of Education would like to extend our congratulations to all program completers from December 2021 and May 2022. In particular, we want to acknowledge our future teachers and leaders for all their hard work and achievements. Over 30% of the total 2022 graduating class were Education graduates!

52 Undergraduates
11 Graduates

We would like to also congratulate our 22 Licensure candidates from December 2021 and May 2022 on their achievement!

Commissioning of Educators Ceremony/Luncheon

On May 5th, the Education Department recognized and celebrated 38 student teachers and 12 education licensure candidates during the Commissioning of Educations Ceremony and Luncheon.

“Commissioning is a special celebration for our students and a wonderful chance for our faculty and staff to wish them well as they enter the education profession. We truly hope and pray that all of our teacher candidates find joy and hope in their calling, and that they continue to grow and serve with excellence as they faithfully answer the call the Lord has placed on their lives.” -Dr. Lenarz

Commissioning of Educators Ceremony-Luncheon

Young Authors Reception & Festival Welcomes 230+ Students

Young Authors Reception and Festival 2022

After a 2-year break due to Covid, the Education Department was delighted to host the Young Authors Reception & Festival on April 25 & 26. Award-winning author, illustrator, and cartoonist Ben Hatke was featured at the Young Authors Reception. Ben delivered multiple workshops to the students, and graciously signed books for the Trinity community. The event welcomed school partners, students, families, and volunteers to Trinity campus. Over the course of 2 days, we were honored to collaborate with:

10 schools (Illinois & Indiana)
230+ elementary students
42 AMAZING Trinity student leaders
31 adult helpers
7 committee members

And through these collaboration, we hope to inspire the next era of Trinity students and future authors.

Meet Rapher Ryan, a current Student Teacher at West Aurora High School.

When Professor Cerney went to see Rapher for an observation, he sent us this email. “I went to see Rapher for one of his observations. For his Adapted PE class, Rapher and his cooperating teacher set up a Mario Kart themed game. Most importantly, Rapher and his cooperating teacher dressed up to get the kids even more excited! The students went crazy for this lesson and I will be honest, this made my entire week! It’s so great that we have students like Rapher representing Trinity!”

When asked what he enjoyed most about this experience, Rapher replied, “I most enjoyed being able to connect with my students. Throughout my time teaching, I made it a point to make sure my students felt successful and supported. Students would talk to me about extracurricular activities, jobs, and hobbies they enjoyed which allowed me to support them outside of the classroom.

We love to see the amazing impact that Trinity students are having in their student teaching experiences! Please share your experience with education@trnty.edu.

Project Echo

Our first year of ECHO at Trinity has come to a conclusion. We were able to meet 16 times virtually to learn about Promoting Appropriate Behavior in the Classroom. We are reviewing the data and hope to have ECHO Education at Trinity again in the fall. If you have any topics you would be interested in hearing about, please let us know at ECHO@trnty.edu.

Professional Development Series

Our Professional Development Series wrapped up with a final session, hosted by Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell, Professor of Education. Bill presented Workshop III: Improving Class Discussion (1 hour session) on April 27.

“It was enjoyable to have an interactive session. The Trinity teacher community has a lot of experience and it was fun to not only present some new information and research about teaching with discussion, but also to hear some of the approaches that Trinity teachers have developed on their own. The TEACH sessions are developing into an important way to keep the Trinity Educaiton community connected..” – Dr. Boerman-Cornell

Please stay tuned as we announce our next TEACH series session dates.

Are you looking for a Full-time, Part-time, Internship, Volunteer, or Summer Job? Take a look at our systems linked below for access to job opportunities!

Full-time Teaching and Education related positions can be found on the Handshake system.

Part-time, full-time, internship and volunteer education related opportunities can be found on your Brightspace – Education Unit Home Site – Job Board.

Summer Camp Counselors Needed

Easterseals Central Illinois has a summer camp for children with developmental delays, disabilities, and other special needs through their Timber Pointe Outdoor Center, and they are looking for staff and counselors for their summer programming. Timber Pointe Outdoor Center supports campers with a wide variety of disabilities and chronic/challenging illnesses, facilitating adaptive adventure activities such as zip lining, canoeing, swimming, fishing, arts & crafts, archery, and much more. Each activity is modified so that all campers, regardless of mobility or ability level, can be included and empowered. Timber Pointe is located in Hudson, Illinois, but staff live on-site in cabins over the summer (room and board included).

To learn more, please visit: www.timberpointeoutdoorcenter.com/work.

For any questions, please reach out to Lydia Gartner, Timber Pointe’s Camp Director, at LGartner@eastersealsci.com.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Fall Semester:

Aug 22: Fall Student Teacher Orientation

Oct 26: Connections Education Event

Dec 9: Student Teacher Commissioning Reception

Message From Assistant Professor

And just like that, another year comes to a close! For me this school year was like no other as it represented my first as a part of the Trinity Christian College community. Over the course of this year one of the things that has struck me most about our department is how much joy there is for the vocation of teaching.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to see this joy in conducting more than 40 classroom observations this year. Each of you went above and beyond in welcoming students back to the classroom and navigating the challenges of making sure each child’s needs were met. Beyond the classroom, I’ve had the chance to witness the joy in collaborations between professors and students as we have:

Revived clubs such as Best Buddies that provide an important service to the community.
Provided professional development opportunities for K-12 partners.
Established partnerships with multiple local K-12 schools that provide academic and extra-curricular support.
Created and collaborated with other departments to provide on-campus learning events such as the Math Triathlon and Young Authors Festival.

These examples are a small sample of the great work that has been done this year and I look forward to the ways we will continue to grow and share our joy. I hope everyone has restful summer- you have earned it!

Michael A. Dieter, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor | Department of Education

Congratulations Class of 2022!

The Department of Education would like to extend our congratulations to all program completers from December 2021 and May 2022. In particular, we want to acknowledge our future teachers and leaders for all their hard work and achievements. Over 30% of the total 2022 graduating class were Education graduates!

52 Undergraduates
11 Graduates

We would like to also congratulate our 22 Licensure candidates from December 2021 and May 2022 on their achievement!

Commissioning of Educators Ceremony/Luncheon

On May 5th, the Education Department recognized and celebrated 38 student teachers and 12 education licensure candidates during the Commissioning of Educations Ceremony and Luncheon.

“Commissioning is a special celebration for our students and a wonderful chance for our faculty and staff to wish them well as they enter the education profession. We truly hope and pray that all of our teacher candidates find joy and hope in their calling, and that they continue to grow and serve with excellence as they faithfully answer the call the Lord has placed on their lives.” -Dr. Lenarz

Young Authors Reception & Festival Welcomes 230+ Students

After a 2-year break due to Covid, the Education Department was delighted to host the Young Authors Reception & Festival on April 25 & 26. Award-winning author, illustrator, and cartoonist Ben Hatke was featured at the Young Authors Reception. Ben delivered multiple workshops to the students, and graciously signed books for the Trinity community. The event welcomed school partners, students, families, and volunteers to Trinity campus. Over the course of 2 days, we were honored to collaborate with:

10 schools (Illinois & Indiana)
230+ elementary students
42 AMAZING Trinity student leaders
31 adult helpers
7 committee members

And through these collaboration, we hope to inspire the next era of Trinity students and future authors.

Meet Rapher Ryan, a current Student Teacher at West Aurora High School.

When Professor Cerney went to see Rapher for an observation, he sent us this email. “I went to see Rapher for one of his observations. For his Adapted PE class, Rapher and his cooperating teacher set up a Mario Kart themed game. Most importantly, Rapher and his cooperating teacher dressed up to get the kids even more excited! The students went crazy for this lesson and I will be honest, this made my entire week! It’s so great that we have students like Rapher representing Trinity!”

When asked what he enjoyed most about this experience, Rapher replied, “I most enjoyed being able to connect with my students. Throughout my time teaching, I made it a point to make sure my students felt successful and supported. Students would talk to me about extracurricular activities, jobs, and hobbies they enjoyed which allowed me to support them outside of the classroom.

We love to see the amazing impact that Trinity students are having in their student teaching experiences! Please share your experience with education@trnty.edu.

Project Echo

Our first year of ECHO at Trinity has come to a conclusion. We were able to meet 16 times virtually to learn about Promoting Appropriate Behavior in the Classroom. We are reviewing the data and hope to have ECHO Education at Trinity again in the fall. If you have any topics you would be interested in hearing about, please let us know at ECHO@trnty.edu.

Professional Development Series

Our Professional Development Series wrapped up with a final session, hosted by Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell, Professor of Education. Bill presented Workshop III: Improving Class Discussion (1 hour session) on April 27.

“It was enjoyable to have an interactive session. The Trinity teacher community has a lot of experience and it was fun to not only present some new information and research about teaching with discussion, but also to hear some of the approaches that Trinity teachers have developed on their own. The TEACH sessions are developing into an important way to keep the Trinity Educaiton community connected..” – Dr. Boerman-Cornell

Please stay tuned as we announce our next TEACH series session dates.

Are you looking for a Full-time, Part-time, Internship, Volunteer, or Summer Job? Take a look at our systems linked below for access to job opportunities!

Full-time Teaching and Education related positions can be found on the Handshake system.

Part-time, full-time, internship and volunteer education related opportunities can be found on your Brightspace – Education Unit Home Site – Job Board.

Summer Camp Counselors Needed

Easterseals Central Illinois has a summer camp for children with developmental delays, disabilities, and other special needs through their Timber Pointe Outdoor Center, and they are looking for staff and counselors for their summer programming. Timber Pointe Outdoor Center supports campers with a wide variety of disabilities and chronic/challenging illnesses, facilitating adaptive adventure activities such as zip lining, canoeing, swimming, fishing, arts & crafts, archery, and much more. Each activity is modified so that all campers, regardless of mobility or ability level, can be included and empowered. Timber Pointe is located in Hudson, Illinois, but staff live on-site in cabins over the summer (room and board included).

To learn more, please visit: www.timberpointeoutdoorcenter.com/work.

For any questions, please reach out to Lydia Gartner, Timber Pointe’s Camp Director, at LGartner@eastersealsci.com.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Fall Semester:

Aug 22: Fall Student Teacher Orientation

Oct 26: Connections Education Event

Dec 9: Student Teacher Commissioning Reception

Message From Assistant Professor

And just like that, another year comes to a close! For me this school year was like no other as it represented my first as a part of the Trinity Christian College community. Over the course of this year one of the things that has struck me most about our department is how much joy there is for the vocation of teaching.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to see this joy in conducting more than 40 classroom observations this year. Each of you went above and beyond in welcoming students back to the classroom and navigating the challenges of making sure each child’s needs were met. Beyond the classroom, I’ve had the chance to witness the joy in collaborations between professors and students as we have:

Revived clubs such as Best Buddies that provide an important service to the community.
Provided professional development opportunities for K-12 partners.
Established partnerships with multiple local K-12 schools that provide academic and extra-curricular support.
Created and collaborated with other departments to provide on-campus learning events such as the Math Triathlon and Young Authors Festival.

These examples are a small sample of the great work that has been done this year and I look forward to the ways we will continue to grow and share our joy. I hope everyone has restful summer- you have earned it!

Michael A. Dieter, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor | Department of Education

Congratulations Class of 2022!

The Department of Education would like to extend our congratulations to all program completers from December 2021 and May 2022. In particular, we want to acknowledge our future teachers and leaders for all their hard work and achievements. Over 30% of the total 2022 graduating class were Education graduates!

52 Undergraduates
11 Graduates

We would like to also congratulate our 22 Licensure candidates from December 2021 and May 2022 on their achievement!

Commissioning of Educators Ceremony/Luncheon

On May 5th, the Education Department recognized and celebrated 38 student teachers and 12 education licensure candidates during the Commissioning of Educations Ceremony and Luncheon.

“Commissioning is a special celebration for our students and a wonderful chance for our faculty and staff to wish them well as they enter the education profession. We truly hope and pray that all of our teacher candidates find joy and hope in their calling, and that they continue to grow and serve with excellence as they faithfully answer the call the Lord has placed on their lives.” -Dr. Lenarz

Young Authors Reception & Festival Welcomes 230+ Students

After a 2-year break due to Covid, the Education Department was delighted to host the Young Authors Reception & Festival on April 25 & 26. Award-winning author, illustrator, and cartoonist Ben Hatke was featured at the Young Authors Reception. Ben delivered multiple workshops to the students, and graciously signed books for the Trinity community. The event welcomed school partners, students, families, and volunteers to Trinity campus. Over the course of 2 days, we were honored to collaborate with:

10 schools (Illinois & Indiana)
230+ elementary students
42 AMAZING Trinity student leaders
31 adult helpers
7 committee members

And through these collaboration, we hope to inspire the next era of Trinity students and future authors.

Meet Rapher Ryan, a current Student Teacher at West Aurora High School.

When Professor Cerney went to see Rapher for an observation, he sent us this email. “I went to see Rapher for one of his observations. For his Adapted PE class, Rapher and his cooperating teacher set up a Mario Kart themed game. Most importantly, Rapher and his cooperating teacher dressed up to get the kids even more excited! The students went crazy for this lesson and I will be honest, this made my entire week! It’s so great that we have students like Rapher representing Trinity!”

When asked what he enjoyed most about this experience, Rapher replied, “I most enjoyed being able to connect with my students. Throughout my time teaching, I made it a point to make sure my students felt successful and supported. Students would talk to me about extracurricular activities, jobs, and hobbies they enjoyed which allowed me to support them outside of the classroom.

We love to see the amazing impact that Trinity students are having in their student teaching experiences! Please share your experience with education@trnty.edu.

Project Echo

Our first year of ECHO at Trinity has come to a conclusion. We were able to meet 16 times virtually to learn about Promoting Appropriate Behavior in the Classroom. We are reviewing the data and hope to have ECHO Education at Trinity again in the fall. If you have any topics you would be interested in hearing about, please let us know at ECHO@trnty.edu.

Professional Development Series

Our Professional Development Series wrapped up with a final session, hosted by Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell, Professor of Education. Bill presented Workshop III: Improving Class Discussion (1 hour session) on April 27.

“It was enjoyable to have an interactive session. The Trinity teacher community has a lot of experience and it was fun to not only present some new information and research about teaching with discussion, but also to hear some of the approaches that Trinity teachers have developed on their own. The TEACH sessions are developing into an important way to keep the Trinity Educaiton community connected..” – Dr. Boerman-Cornell

Please stay tuned as we announce our next TEACH series session dates.

Are you looking for a Full-time, Part-time, Internship, Volunteer, or Summer Job? Take a look at our systems linked below for access to job opportunities!

Full-time Teaching and Education related positions can be found on the Handshake system.

Part-time, full-time, internship and volunteer education related opportunities can be found on your Brightspace – Education Unit Home Site – Job Board.

Summer Camp Counselors Needed

Easterseals Central Illinois has a summer camp for children with developmental delays, disabilities, and other special needs through their Timber Pointe Outdoor Center, and they are looking for staff and counselors for their summer programming. Timber Pointe Outdoor Center supports campers with a wide variety of disabilities and chronic/challenging illnesses, facilitating adaptive adventure activities such as zip lining, canoeing, swimming, fishing, arts & crafts, archery, and much more. Each activity is modified so that all campers, regardless of mobility or ability level, can be included and empowered. Timber Pointe is located in Hudson, Illinois, but staff live on-site in cabins over the summer (room and board included).

To learn more, please visit: www.timberpointeoutdoorcenter.com/work.

For any questions, please reach out to Lydia Gartner, Timber Pointe’s Camp Director, at LGartner@eastersealsci.com.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Fall Semester:

Aug 22: Fall Student Teacher Orientation

Oct 26: Connections Education Event

Dec 9: Student Teacher Commissioning Reception

Message From Assistant Professor

And just like that, another year comes to a close! For me this school year was like no other as it represented my first as a part of the Trinity Christian College community. Over the course of this year one of the things that has struck me most about our department is how much joy there is for the vocation of teaching.

I’ve been fortunate to be able to see this joy in conducting more than 40 classroom observations this year. Each of you went above and beyond in welcoming students back to the classroom and navigating the challenges of making sure each child’s needs were met. Beyond the classroom, I’ve had the chance to witness the joy in collaborations between professors and students as we have:

Revived clubs such as Best Buddies that provide an important service to the community.
Provided professional development opportunities for K-12 partners.
Established partnerships with multiple local K-12 schools that provide academic and extra-curricular support.
Created and collaborated with other departments to provide on-campus learning events such as the Math Triathlon and Young Authors Festival.

These examples are a small sample of the great work that has been done this year and I look forward to the ways we will continue to grow and share our joy. I hope everyone has restful summer- you have earned it!

Michael A. Dieter, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor | Department of Education

Congratulations Class of 2022!

The Department of Education would like to extend our congratulations to all program completers from December 2021 and May 2022. In particular, we want to acknowledge our future teachers and leaders for all their hard work and achievements. Over 30% of the total 2022 graduating class were Education graduates!

52 Undergraduates
11 Graduates

We would like to also congratulate our 22 Licensure candidates from December 2021 and May 2022 on their achievement!

Commissioning of Educators Ceremony/Luncheon

On May 5th, the Education Department recognized and celebrated 38 student teachers and 12 education licensure candidates during the Commissioning of Educations Ceremony and Luncheon.

“Commissioning is a special celebration for our students and a wonderful chance for our faculty and staff to wish them well as they enter the education profession. We truly hope and pray that all of our teacher candidates find joy and hope in their calling, and that they continue to grow and serve with excellence as they faithfully answer the call the Lord has placed on their lives.” -Dr. Lenarz

Young Authors Reception & Festival Welcomes 230+ Students

After a 2-year break due to Covid, the Education Department was delighted to host the Young Authors Reception & Festival on April 25 & 26. Award-winning author, illustrator, and cartoonist Ben Hatke was featured at the Young Authors Reception. Ben delivered multiple workshops to the students, and graciously signed books for the Trinity community. The event welcomed school partners, students, families, and volunteers to Trinity campus. Over the course of 2 days, we were honored to collaborate with:

10 schools (Illinois & Indiana)
230+ elementary students
42 AMAZING Trinity student leaders
31 adult helpers
7 committee members

And through these collaboration, we hope to inspire the next era of Trinity students and future authors.

Meet Rapher Ryan, a current Student Teacher at West Aurora High School.

When Professor Cerney went to see Rapher for an observation, he sent us this email. “I went to see Rapher for one of his observations. For his Adapted PE class, Rapher and his cooperating teacher set up a Mario Kart themed game. Most importantly, Rapher and his cooperating teacher dressed up to get the kids even more excited! The students went crazy for this lesson and I will be honest, this made my entire week! It’s so great that we have students like Rapher representing Trinity!”

When asked what he enjoyed most about this experience, Rapher replied, “I most enjoyed being able to connect with my students. Throughout my time teaching, I made it a point to make sure my students felt successful and supported. Students would talk to me about extracurricular activities, jobs, and hobbies they enjoyed which allowed me to support them outside of the classroom.

We love to see the amazing impact that Trinity students are having in their student teaching experiences! Please share your experience with education@trnty.edu.

Project Echo

Our first year of ECHO at Trinity has come to a conclusion. We were able to meet 16 times virtually to learn about Promoting Appropriate Behavior in the Classroom. We are reviewing the data and hope to have ECHO Education at Trinity again in the fall. If you have any topics you would be interested in hearing about, please let us know at ECHO@trnty.edu.

Professional Development Series

Our Professional Development Series wrapped up with a final session, hosted by Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell, Professor of Education. Bill presented Workshop III: Improving Class Discussion (1 hour session) on April 27.

“It was enjoyable to have an interactive session. The Trinity teacher community has a lot of experience and it was fun to not only present some new information and research about teaching with discussion, but also to hear some of the approaches that Trinity teachers have developed on their own. The TEACH sessions are developing into an important way to keep the Trinity Educaiton community connected..” – Dr. Boerman-Cornell

Please stay tuned as we announce our next TEACH series session dates.

Are you looking for a Full-time, Part-time, Internship, Volunteer, or Summer Job? Take a look at our systems linked below for access to job opportunities!

Full-time Teaching and Education related positions can be found on the Handshake system.

Part-time, full-time, internship and volunteer education related opportunities can be found on your Brightspace – Education Unit Home Site – Job Board.

Summer Camp Counselors Needed

Easterseals Central Illinois has a summer camp for children with developmental delays, disabilities, and other special needs through their Timber Pointe Outdoor Center, and they are looking for staff and counselors for their summer programming. Timber Pointe Outdoor Center supports campers with a wide variety of disabilities and chronic/challenging illnesses, facilitating adaptive adventure activities such as zip lining, canoeing, swimming, fishing, arts & crafts, archery, and much more. Each activity is modified so that all campers, regardless of mobility or ability level, can be included and empowered. Timber Pointe is located in Hudson, Illinois, but staff live on-site in cabins over the summer (room and board included).

To learn more, please visit: www.timberpointeoutdoorcenter.com/work.

For any questions, please reach out to Lydia Gartner, Timber Pointe’s Camp Director, at LGartner@eastersealsci.com.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Fall Semester:

Aug 22: Fall Student Teacher Orientation

Oct 26: Connections Education Event

Dec 9: Student Teacher Commissioning Reception

A small town. A sudden disaster. An immediate need for knowledgeable people across a range of professions to come together, formulate a rapid response, and work quickly and calmly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all the townspeople.

In today’s world, these types of situations are unfortunately common. Being prepared to respond is another story. Recently, more than 60 Trinity undergraduate and graduate students across a range of majors, including nursing, social work, education, and psychology, got to have such an experience when a simulated disaster struck the fictional town of Trollsboro.

The students weren’t told ahead of time what the scenario would look like, so they had to immediately start working together to respond to the crisis and then develop a follow up plan to deal with the repercussions of the disaster one month later.

Said nursing major Kate DeKryger ‘22, “It was interesting to see other disciplines at work in front of us and alongside of us. My biggest takeaway from this experience and the challenges that it brought is that no one discipline or group of people, even expertly trained and skilled individuals, can handle crises alone.”

Each group included at least one student majoring in nursing, education, social work, and psychology. The students experienced working together in an interdisciplinary way. Along with respecting the expertise of others, it was a chance for each one of the student to find their voices and advocate for their own insights and opinions.

For Dr. Deb Majewski, Associate Professor of Psychology and Counseling, the simulation fit in perfectly with her graduate-level Counseling 603 Internship II course. “The project offered the students real-world experience in responding to a crisis simulation in conjunction with other disciplines. They were required to collaborate in respectful and deeply caring ways as they considered the needs of the community,” Majewski said.

Majewski’s students found the exercise to be deeply meaningful for them personally. “It built confidence, awareness of their knowledge and natural empathy.”

Listening to the insights and expertise of others is a valuable skill in today’s world, agreed Professor of Education Bill Boerman-Cornell, Ph.D. “Our society needs more practice in hearing what other people have to say.”

According to Dr. Tina Decker, chair of the nursing department, the exercise also gave the students the opportunity to really think about their professional roles. “Students got to act in the role of their profession. They were acting as nurses, teachers, counselors, and social workers, and not as students.”

It was a “disaster” that took a long time to plan. The idea for the interdisciplinary simulation came from a meeting that Assistant Professor of Social Work and Director of Field Education Lisa Doot Abinoja attended several years ago, where a professor at another local university described a simulation exercise they had done.

“We are familiar with experiential learning here at Trinity, and I quickly recognized that we could do that here,” she said. Abinoja reached out to her Trinity colleagues in several different departments, who were enthusiastic about the idea. During the spring semester of 2020, Abinoja received a Collaborative Initiative Grant through Trinity’s Provost’s Office for the simulation. “We originally planned to meet first in June 2020 for a Spring 2021 event,” she said. “With COVID, we quickly knew that wouldn’t happen and were able to delay a year.”

During that time, Abinoja, Decker, Majewski, Boerman-Cornell, Dr. Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein, Director of the Online BSW Program and Associate Professor of Social Work, and Dr. Michael Dieter, Assistant Professor of Education, began doing a great deal of prework. That included adding the simulation exercise to each class’s syllabus with a specific learning outcome. “The main outcome was working in an interdisciplinary way and how students embodied their profession,” said Abinoja. Each professor provided equal weight to the assignment, which helped to ensure success. “For example, we did not want this to be extra credit for one class, while it would make up a third of the grade in another class,” she said.

The experience also allowed professors to work closely with each other in an interdisciplinary manner, said Boerman-Cornell. “It was fun to get to know our colleagues in a different way.”

Learning took place in ways the organizers didn’t anticipate, which added to the richness of the experience. “In a classroom setting, there are things that can’t be replicated in an event like this. Even the challenges we experienced were good for learning,” said Abinoja.

The event went so well that the organizers are looking to make it a regular part of the curriculum. Several participants will also be offering a presentation about the simulation at the International Christian Community of Teacher Educators (ICCTE) Conference at George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., in May. For Boerman-Cornell, the outgoing president of ICCTE, the conference will not only allow Trinity professors to share their experience. They will also have the opportunity to learn how other colleges around the country have conducted similar types of simulations and hear some of those best practices.