This year marks the 150th anniversary for Shepherd University. As the University resumes classes for the 2021-22 academic year, Dr Hendrix, the current university president, noted the anniversary milestone and remarked on the recent challenges: “At Shepherd University, we remain optimistically committed to training the next generation of leaders and model citizens by listening to the needs of our community, looking at ways to adapt to our changing landscape, and learning from the faculty, students, and staff employees who came before us. Read the Full Story >>
Education
Jefferson County Schools Plans Two New Facilities
Jefferson County Schools (JCS) manages 16 schools — 2 high schools, 4 middle schools, and 10 elementary facilities — and during the 2020-21 school year enrolled 8,478 students. Jefferson County is one of only three counties in West Virginia that expects growth in student population over the next four years. Read the Full Story >>
Shepherdstown University Art Students Exhibit
Shepherdstown University art students exhibit in downtown gallery. Read the Full Story >>
Coming Together to Talk Politics
After the past year of 24/7 political and pandemic coverage, it might seem odd to hear David Welch say “we need to talk more about politics, not less.” The director of the Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications at Shepherd University is quick to point out that he means being able to have constructive conversations. Read the Full Story >>
Civics and Civility for Students
Beyond its conversation events and programming, the Stubblefield Institute’s mission extends to being a catalyst for introducing the topic of civil political communication across the Shepherd University campus. Read the Full Story >>
Navigating A Difficult Road
The Observer asked Stephen Willingham to explore how the local public school system is managing through the current public health crisis. The author interviewed the Superintendent and also spoke with teachers about their experiences in the classroom and online. Read the Full Story >>
Online, Distant, Together, Ready
Shepherd University is moving forward with virtual and in-person instruction starting August 24, with an accelerated semester that reclaims Labor Day and Fall Break as instructional days and ends just before Thanksgiving. Read the Full Story >>
I Think I May Be the Luckiest Man Alive
Dow Benedict, former faculty member and Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at Shepherd University, looks back on 48 years of service as a mentor, artist, and leader. Read the Full Story >>
Are the Higher Education Policy Commission’s Days Numbered?
There have been four different systems of higher education in West Virginia since the 1960s. We seem to want to completely overhaul the structure every 20 years or so. Read the Full Story >>
JCPS Responds to Rise in Special Education Needs with New Student Support Center
In April, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) announced in a press release that, due to a significant increase in both the number of students and the level of student needs served in the past decade—particularly, the intensive needs of students requiring special education services—they were moving forward with the development of a regional student support center to meet those needs in a way that creates a more positive and productive experience for students, families, and staff. Read the Full Story >>
Barrat Leads Way in AI Research
Robbie Barrat’s revolutionary research relating to artificial intelligence (AI) has earned him numerous plaudits, an art exhibition in France, as well as a place in a new documentary about high school science fairs. Read the Full Story >>
We Went Back to School and Asked: What’s for Lunch?
Ask random adults what school lunches were like when they were kids, and the answers can range from great to awful, depending on when and where they went to school. Schools are required to provide healthy lunches, but children must want to eat them. The Observer decided to see and taste-test some of today’s lunches in Jefferson County schools. Read the Full Story >>
Shepherd, Marshall Sign Agreement to Provide Autism Services
Shepherd University and the West Virginia Autism Training Center (WV-ATC), located at Marshall University, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that establishes Shepherd as a WV-ATC campus-based satellite site that will provide services to Shepherd students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and training for faculty and staff through the College Program for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (CPSASD). Read the Full Story >>
Life Beyond the Classroom
West Virginia University President Gordon Gee spoke with juniors and seniors at Jefferson and Washington High Schools last month. While extolling the benefits of an education at WVU, the overall message he delivered is one that resonates with many working in education today: education beyond high school is more important than ever. Gee made it Read the Full Story >>
Morgan Academy Takes Promising New Steps into Future and Beyond
Founded in 2004 by teachers Bernardine Somers and her friend Patty Neely (who retired in 2008), Morgan Academy is an innovative K-10 private school (including preschool) offering small classes that allow for one-on-one teacher-student time. Read the Full Story >>
