Walden Cyberspace Chapter, Phi Delta Kappa

Simon-Poppenhagen Scholarships

We are proud to announce the Simon-Poppenhagen Scholarships to recognize exemplary accomplishments of our members.

These scholarships are established in honor of two extraordinary individuals, who were instrumental in the initial founding and development of our chapter.

Click HERE for the 2008 application.

(200k pdf format)

This year, we offer one scholarship for $500.00 in the name of Dr. Brent Poppenhagen, who graciously helped us in the beginning of our challenge to grow from a club to a chapter, and another for $1,000.00 in the name of Dr. Marilyn Simon. We honor these two with deep appreciation for belief in our dream, and many, many thanks.

Dr. Marilyn Simon has not only spent a great deal of her life most productively, she has spent it helping others. Comments from her previous students include, "I could not have reached my goal of reaching my doctorate if it had not been for her." Another says, "Dr. Simon has certainly seen me through my most challenging as well as thrilling Walden moments, and she does the same for this wonderful organization."

"This wonderful organization" is the only cyberspace chapter of Phi Delta Kappa. Dr. Simon has been with us since our inception, when we were but a dream. She has encouraged us all along, gently guiding when we needed it, applauding our successes, and always cheering us on to greater accomplishments. In eight years of being a chapter, we have grown to a membership of approximately 135, with full online meetings and programs, a prestigious, peer-reviewed online journal (Journal of Educational Practice for Social Change), annual service projects, a leadership development program, and now, we are in our second year of offering scholarships to our members.   

Marion M. Carpenter, Past-President and Advisor,
Cyberspace Chapter #1586
Two Scholarships Awarded in 2007

Our first two recipients, in 2007, were Candace Stine and Sandra Wenzel.

Candy lives in Broken Arrow, OK, and is working on her PhD in education. Her thesis will focus on teacher efficacy relative to quality professional development.  Teachers will be surveyed to determine if present professional development training enhances their instructional practice and professionalism.  She hopes to use the information to spark reform in her state and beyond.

Candy has been a classroom teacher but is now working in a Title I Instruction program at the upper elementary level, providing tutoring for those struggling in reading and math.  She is recognized as a Master Teacher in the state of Oklahoma, after rigorous training and testing .  Candy also coordinates the 'Written and Illustrated by...' program, in which children write and illustrate their own books, and she sponsors the Safety Patrol program.  She also coaches Junior High and varsity volleyball, varsity basketball, and is the junior high cheerleading coach.  As a master teacher, she has taught over 400 teachers and administrators for the Oklahoma Energy Resource Board on  Fossils to Fuel and the Petro Active program.  She has led and facilitated many school committees, including Teachers Assisting Teachers and instituting a school wide reading program.  She volunteered to tutor Mexican immigrants over the summer without pay so they would be prepared for school in the fall.  Her principal states that, "Wherever help is needed, Candace is there, with never a thought of being repaid in any manner."

In addition to her school activities, Candy does a large amount of community volunteering, including mentoring a troubled youth at the Thunderbird Youth Academy in Pryor, OK.  Candy also enjoys going to hospitals and shelters to help youth to meet their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  Candy is greatly involved in church activities, leading and helping in many ways and in many groups.

Candy is the Communications Director of the PDK Cyberspace Chapter.  Dr. Simon states, "Candace lives our mission statement. She is working on programs that better education and society at large. Candace is a grassroots leader...(who) wants to make a contribution to her community, and is motivated by intrinsic factors...to make a better future.

Sandy lives in Madison, WI, and is working on her PhD in education with a specialty in special education. Her thesis will focus on how education can help to reduce the number of African-American males in special education. She is a cross categorical teacher, teaching all types of handicapping conditions at the upper elementary level ,   and covers most subjects.  She also teaches skill training and community building work so that the children will better relate to others, especially in the future jobs area.  She also teaches inclusively, going into classrooms with the regular teacher and doing joint teaching to better reach the special children in a regular classroom setting. The Executive Director of Educational Services states, "I know Sandy to be a dedicated teacher..., a strong advocate for children and families...." Dr. Simon states that Sandy " 'lives' Walden and PDK's mission. She is an extraordinary teacher who has taken almost everything she has learned at WU and put it into practice."

Sandy volunteers her time to tutor children in a homework club setting. She participates in many committees at work, including the Equity Team, hoping to lessen racism. She also tutors during her lunch time as well as over the summer. She was also the first person to be published in Walden University Cyberspace Chapter's own on line journal, The Journal of Educational Practice and Social Change (JEPSC).

Who will win these awards in 2008?

MARILYN K. SIMON, PhD, has been actively involved in Mathematics and Computer Education since 1969 and has taught all levels of mathematics and study skill development from pre-school through graduate school with extraordinary results. She has published numerous books on mathematics education, scholarly research, high stakes test-preparation, and online learning.

Dr. Simon is a faculty member at Walden University, where she supervises doctoral students. She is also one of the nation's authorities on Overcoming Mathanxiety and online learning, and conducts workshops and seminars for the University of California, Webster University, Upper Iowa University Online, and for school districts and businesses across the nation, and is an international lecturer on online learning and women and mathematics.

Dr. Simon is the president of MathPower, and co-founder of Best-Prep, educational consulting firms. She has conducted post doctorate research at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Princeton, NJ, and was selected as an Outstanding Young Woman of America, and as a mathematics education delegate to South Africa.

A list of awards that Dr. Simon has received, and a list of her professional publications may be foundhere.

BRENT POPPENHAGEN, PhD, currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he retired from recent service as Dean of the School of Education at Walden University. He was educated in the U.S. and holds the BA Degree in Sociology and Political Science from Hamline University, the MS in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and the Ph.D. in College and University Management from the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Dr. Poppenhagen's career in postsecondary education spans over thirty years including twelve years of international experience in both Europe and Southeast Asia. He has taught at both graduate and undergraduate levels and served as Department Chair, Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs at several institutions including The Cleveland State University, Boston University and the University of Hawaii.

Dr. Poppenhagen's publications include over twenty-five articles, one text (co-authored) and seven edited volumes. He has been a Fellow of the Institute for Educational Leadership at George Washington University and was the recipient of a Fulbright Award for study in Germany. Dr. Poppenhagen was awarded a Gerald Howard Read PDK Scholarship for travel and study in the People's Republic of China. He has been a member of PDK since 1972 and was a founding member of the Walden University Chapter.