Five questions with ... Danette Bosh Alexander at Stark State College
Danette Bosh Alexander is the chair of the Education and Social Sciences Department, an associate professor of education and director of Kids' College at Stark State College.
She lives in Plain Township with her husband Amos "Chip" Alexander. They have two sons, Ted Lund Jr. and Jack Lund and one daughter Kate Lund. They also have two grandchildren Quinn and Axton.
"We also have a 2-year-old Sheepadoodle (English Sheep Dog and Poodle mix) named Barney," Alexander said.
She graduated Sandy Valley High School before going on to graduate from the Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in family relations and human development, child development. She is also a graduate from Malone University, with a master's in curriculum, instruction and professional development; and is a doctoral candidate in the higher education program at the University of Toledo.
The four-week Kids' College, which Bosh Alexander has headed since 2014, is open to students in grades one through seven.
Meet Emily Miller: Five questions with ... Emily Miller of Country Cones
As the director of Kids’ College at Stark State, what do you enjoy most about hosting so many kids on campus?
I really enjoy the energy that young students bring to campus. Summer is supposed to be fun for kids, a break from the structured academic school year. But that doesn’t mean learning has to stop.
I really enjoy seeing kids engaged and exploring new ideas, revisiting favorite activities, and meeting new friends from schools other than their own. We draw from a variety of districts.
Why do you think it is important for a college campus to offer programming for children?
I love that our program gives kids the opportunity to see themselves on a college campus. In fact, we hear many times throughout the camp, "I go to college" or "My college is Stark State."
Our camp allows students to explore interests, strengthen how they see themselves as learners, and even explore potential careers. We try to provide a wide variety of classes to appeal to all kinds of learners — bookworms, tech kids, physically energetic, social bugs, curious explorers, and artists.
Our teachers are faculty members, elementary and middle school teachers, and experts in their field — students are learning from the best.
Meet Daniel Matea: Five questions with ... Daniel Matea, founder of Heart and Soles Ministries
Share a funny story or two (without mentioning names) about some of the learning that takes place during Kids’ College.
One thing that makes us smile every year is watching the kids learn to navigate campus.
Each student has a name tag lanyard with their class schedule and room numbers on the back. As they change classes, an often-new task to our younger students, they walk very intently the first few days as they look back and forth at their tag and the room numbers.
We stand in the hallways always ready to help them find their way — some kids want the help, but others want to figure it out on their own. The pride and confidence they build is just amazing.
The Hollywood Special Effects & Make-Up class gives kids the chance to use their imagination and create very realistic but obviously fake cuts, scars, etc. This class is taught by Dale Smith, former "Herky the Clown" from the Kelly-Miller Bros. Circus.
Kids learn how to layer latex and paint to create some very gross and dramatic "injuries" and other special effects. There is such a fascination — gory is cool to them, and they love grossing out their parents and us.
Meet Rita Oser: Five questions with ... Rita Oser who run Holleydale Farm
What are some of the favorite classes that kids keep coming back to and why?
Some of our perennial favorites are Balloon Man, Hollywood Special Effects & Make-Up, any of the computer classes, Brain Quest Challenge, 4 Square, Camp Out on Campus, Mixology, Games Galore, the Fire Fighter series, Pets & People, Sign Language, Journaling and LegoMania.
The kids love these classes because they are designed to be extremely hands-on and interactive. New this year are
Seriously Sensational STEM Stuff (science, technology, engineering, and math) class where students will get to visit labs on campus and participate in experiments and activities
FlexFactor explores manufacturing and entrepreneurship as kids identify a real-world problem and brainstorm solutions
Two theater classes — That’s So Dramatic and Stage Performance and Comedy — introduce kids to the performing arts using a variety of short scripts
What are some of the favorite classes you have taken during your educational and professional careers and why did you enjoy them?
I loved my undergraduate courses on child development because I was fascinated with learning how kids learn, grow, and develop not just intellectually but also socially and emotionally.
As I pursued my master’s degree, I expanded into adult education with the same interest in understanding how to support learners of all ages. And most recently, in my Ph.D. program, my favorite experience was the International Summer Leadership Institute where our cohort spent nearly three weeks visiting Ireland, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands studying the structure of community college in Europe.
I even had the opportunity to present a workshop on Kids' College to our Dutch hosts while in Amsterdam.
Editor's note: Five questions with ... is a Sunday feature that showcases a member of the Stark County community. If you'd like to recommend someone to participate, send an email to newsroom@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Five questions with ... Danette Bosh Alexander at Stark State College
