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The Collegiate Connection
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From the Head of School
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Dear Friends,
I am happy to introduce our enthusiastic and
experienced new faculty and staff members. As
you read through their credentials and
experience, I think you will see that each
brings a unique set of skills to our students.
In addition to the new faculty and staff whose
profiles are included in this newsletter, three
current staff members are taking on new roles:
- Barbara Shinn will teach second grade.
Barbara has been in education for 23 years, as
teacher, administrator, and school counselor at
all levels: elementary, middle school, high
school and college. She has a bachelor's degree
in Elementary Education from Centre College in
Kentucky, and a master's degree in education
from Kansas State University. Mrs. Shinn's
passion is working with children and she
is thrilled to be returning to the classroom.
- Dallas Bauer will move from third grade to
fifth grade. Ms. Bauer has nine years of
teaching experience as well as a law degree. She
earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary
Education with a concentration in Language Arts
and Mathematics from Emporia State University
and completed 14 hours of master's level course
work in Education Administration. Ms. Bauer has
taught third through seventh graders.
- Melanie Mullican, formerly our school
secretary, will serve as administrative
assistant to Operations Director Jane Tilghman.
Finally, I have hired Sherilyn Cook as my
administrative assistant. Sheri has worked most
recently as the senior administrative assistant at
the KU Public Management Center. Before that, she
performed administrative assistant duties at
the Topeka Chamber of Commerce and Washburn
University.
It's going to be a great year! Enjoy the rest of
your summer.
Warm Regards,
David K. Hudspeth, Jr.
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Calendar Highlights |
Follow the
quick link (above right) to a
concise academic calendar for 2008-2009.
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Pre-Kindergarten -- Erin Frost Cook |
 Erin
Frost Cook has been teaching since 1994, first as an
Americorps volunteer just out of high school at a
trio of elementary schools and North Topeka Head
Start. Later, Mrs. Cook graduated from Washburn
University with a degree in Early Childhood
Education, and was named the Distinguished Early
Childhood Education Student. Since then, Ms. Cook
has taught at Parkdale Preschool in the Topeka
School District and at Sheldon Head Start, also in
the 501 District.
Ms. Cook has taught violin for 14 years, and has
played for 25. Music is part of her life, so
it's only natural that it plays an important
role in her classroom. "I sing songs to help in
transition times," she says, "as well as singing
and experimenting with different instruments
during group time."
Now for a bit of trivia: Ms. Cook's kindergarten
teacher at Randolph Elementary School was none
other than our own Mrs. Young, whom she is
succeeding in the pre-k classroom at TCS!
Ms. Cook's son Dylan will be a
first grader at TCS in the fall.
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First Grade -- Jennifer Odermatt |
 Mrs.
Odermatt is a ten-year teaching veteran with a
degree in education from Emporia State
University and an emphasis in Early Childhood
Education. Her professional career has taken her
from Topeka to Ottawa, and back to Topeka where she
spent the past five years as Early Childhood Teacher
and Site Coordinator at Community Action Head Start.
Her other teaching positions in Topeka were at Let's
Help Preschool and Pauline Central Primary School.
Mrs. Odermatt has used the environment as a
teaching tool, and implemented Second Step,
Safety Sam and other curricula.
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Third Grade -- Jan Allison |
 Mrs.
Allison comes to Topeka Collegiate with more than 30
years of experience in teaching and literacy work.
Most recently, she taught fourth graders at a
Wichita elementary school. She is also an instructor
at Cowley County Community College and at Baker
University in Wichita, teaching early childhood,
elementary and secondary education classes.
Mrs. Allison received her bachelor's degree in
music and elementary education from Emporia
State University, her Master of Science degree
in music education from ESU, and is currently a
doctoral candidate at Kansas State University.
She is a certified reading specialist and an
educational specialist (Ed.S) in reading and
language arts.
Since 1992, Mrs. Allison has organized summer
seminars for early childhood and elementary
education. This summer, she taught Jack and
the Zucchini Stalk, a creative
scriptwriting and stagecraft camp in Topeka
Collegiate's Summer Adventures program.
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Fifth Grade -- Brenda Wilch |
 Ms.
Wilch brings a variety of teaching experience to
fifth grade. Most recently, she has taught middle
school language arts and reading at French Middle
School in Topeka. Before that, she worked as a
special education teacher in grades 1-5 at an
elementary school in Marietta, Georgia and earlier
still, as an undergraduate instructor in the
psychology department at Georgia State University in
Atlanta.
During her teaching career, Ms. Wilch has taught
adult GED courses for the Kansas Department of
Corrections; has developed individualized
education for at-risk youths in grades 4-12
at The Villages; has worked as an English as a
Second Language (ESL) instructor at Washburn
University; and has taught English at Jefferson
West High School.
Ms. Wilch earned two bachelor's degrees from
Washburn University, one in English Education,
the other in psychology. She received a master's
degree in Experimental Cognitive Psychology from
Georgia State University in Atlanta and has
completed all her coursework for a Ph.D. in
Experimental Cognitive Psychology, lacking only
her dissertation before she is Dr. Wilch.
Last year Ms. Wilch served as a substitute
teacher at Topeka Collegiate. Her son
Carter will be a second grader next
year.
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Middle School Geography and History -- Scott
Shipman |
 Scott
Shipman leaves his position as instructor and
History Department Chair at Santa Fe Trail High
School to join the faculty at TCS. Mr. Shipman
taught at Santa Fe Trail for six years. Before that,
he taught history at Newton High School for six
years.
Mr. Shipman earned his bachelor's degree in
history and secondary education from
Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, a
master's degree in history (ancient world) from
New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, and
is currently working toward a second master's
degree in Modern American History from Emporia
State University.
Two summers ago, Mr. Shipman was chosen to take
part in a National Endowment for the Humanities
Summer Seminar on World War I and the British
Experience in Great Britain, Belgium and
France. It was the latest in a series of summer
workshops that have taken him from Gettysburg to
Pearl Harbor.
Last week, Mr. Shipman was at National History
Day in College Park, Maryland, attending
teacher workshops and experiencing the
competition first-hand.
Mr. Shipman's son Jeremiah will
be a fifth grader at TCS in the fall.
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Physical Education -- Nick Ginapp |
 Mr.
Ginapp comes to Topeka
Collegiate from Washburn University, where he served
as Pitching Coach and Assistant Baseball Coach for
the Washburn team. He also taught as an adjunct
instructor in the Health, Physical Education and
Exercise Science Department. In addition, Mr.
Ginapp worked in the Topeka Public School District.
Before moving to Topeka, Mr. Ginapp
was an Assistant Baseball Coach at Western
Illinois University, and served as a graduate
teaching assistant at that university. He also
has wide experience teaching children of all
ages in camps and clinics.
Mr. Ginapp earned his bachelor's degree in
Exercise Science and Sports Management from
Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa,
where he was named Pitcher of the Year on the
Buena Vista University Baseball Team. He has a
master's degree in Sports Management from
Western Illinois University in Macomb,
Illinois.
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School Psychologist -- Cassie Ginapp |
 After
earning her bachelor's degree in psychology and art
at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, Mrs.
Ginapp received her master's and educational
specialist (Ed.S) degrees from Emporia State
University. Last year, she served a school
psychology internship in the Topeka Public School
District, serving at Topeka High School in addition
to ten private and parochial schools.
Before that, Mrs. Ginapp completed a
school psychology practicum in the Macomb,
Illinois public schools and earlier, was a
graduate teaching assistant in the Department of
Psychology and Special Education at Emporia
State University.
Mrs. Ginapp also has experience with
after-school and summer camp programs.
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School Secretary -- Myra Warner |
For the past ten years, Myra Warner has been
administrative assistant at Building Blocks of
Topeka, a child care center for St. Francis and
Stormont-Vail Medical Center employees. Before that,
she served for nearly 15 years as a receptionist,
secretary, and administrative assistant at
Menninger. She describes herself as professional,
calm, friendly, direct and people-oriented. She is
dedicated to children and families.
Mrs. Warner graduated from Hayden High School
and is a self-taught artist with three grown
children.
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Health Services Director -- Danielle Huckins |
 Danielle
Huckins is a Certified Nurse's Assistant who leaves
her career as a Certified Breastfeeding and
Childbirth Educator at Stormont-Vail Medical Center
to become our Health Services Director.
Mrs. Huckins has been a Prenatal and Parenting
Educator since 2002, and has taught sex
education and pregnancy awareness at local high
schools. She developed a high-risk prenatal
incentive program called Stork's Cradle, and has
facilitated it since its inception. Before her
time at Stormont-Vail, Mrs. Huckins worked as a
teen outreach worker through Kansas Children's
Service League and developed a teen outreach
support group. She has also been very active in
March of Dimes.
Mrs. Huckins is kindergartner Isaiah
and fourth grader Isabel's
mother.
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Getting an idea should be like sitting down on a
pin. It should make you jump up and do something.
- E.L. Simpson
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