Four Washington County Students Recognized With Frostburg State University Honors

2014 Jun 9

Four local students were among the graduate and undergraduate students recognized at Frostburg State University's Honors Convocation in May.

Cathryn Colbert of Hagerstown, who received departmental honors in early childhood and elementary education, was a strong leader at the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown; served as the Frostburg Student Education Association president; was a tutor for the University PALS program, which promotes literacy skills through technology and tutoring; and collaborated with the City of Hagerstown for community events. She participated in an outreach project and attended the National Educational Association convention in Atlanta. In her field experience, Colbert promoted the Choose Kind campaign and served as an ambassador for visiting interns. She also co-organized an after-school fit club, was an instructor at the City Ballet School and worked at Greencastle Learning Center. Colbert plans to be an early childhood or elementary teacher. A graduate of Greencastle-Antrim High School in Greencastle, Pa., she is the daughter of Joseph and Cathy Colbert of Hagerstown.

Sarah Keyser of Boonsboro, who received graduate program honors in elementary education, earned a bachelor's in health and wellness from Gardner-Webb University in 2010. During the past year at FSU, she has been an exemplary candidate for the Masters of Arts in Teaching. For her semester-long action research project, Keyser used an innovative approach in which her third-grade students became entrepreneurs to make economic decisions as a means of teaching financial literacy. In early May, she presented her Action Research project at the Maryland Professional Development School conference. She was also instrumental in the planning of several schoolwide learning initiatives at Clear Spring Elementary School. Keyser was a member of the Frostburg Student Education Association and the After-School Make-It Club. She plans to teach third grade. She is a graduate of Boonsboro High School.

Leopold Leumegni of Hagerstown, who received departmental honors in liberal studies, focused on developing pedagogies appropriate for teaching French in a high school. Before attending FSU, he received a bachelor's in public law from the University of Yaounde in the Cameroon. Next, he plans to enroll in FSU's Master of Arts in Teaching Program at the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown to attain his teaching credentials. Leumegni is a graduate of the Government Technical High School of Bafang.

Daniel Weir of Maugansville, who received departmental honors in history, is a talented historian, student and writer. His writing and verbal skills are described as sophisticated, polished and articulate; this was especially evidenced in his presentation at the Reacting-to-the-Past conference at Barnard College last year. He also worked for Residence Life as the supervisor of Cambridge Hall. Weir was the recipient of two scholarships: the C. Walter Howe Political Science Scholarship and the Sigma Tau Gamma Scholarship in Memory of Capt. James A. Graham, Class of 1963. He was president of the National Residence Hall Honorary service organization, a member of the President's Leadership Circle and a Bobcat Ambassador. His future plans include pursuing a law degree. A graduate of North Hagerstown High School in Hagerstown, he is the son of Donald and Kimberly Weir of Maugansville.