Alumnus of the Month

November 2011

Michelle Thomas Kennedy received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology degree from Christopher Newport University in May 2010. She then received her Masters of Arts in Teaching in May 2011 after completing her student teaching in first grade at Richneck Elementary School. She currently teaches fourth grade language arts at Bethel Elementary School in Gloucester, VA. Recently, one of her papers about teaching writing through family journaling was featured in the "Great Teaching Ideas" section of the Virginia English Bulletin. Michelle says, “I love seeing students succeed. Whether the success is big or small, watching a student beam because he or she accomplished something is incredibly rewarding, not only to me, but, more importantly, to the child.”

October 2011

Christopher Chappell, who received his Masters of Arts in Teaching from CNU in 2010, has been teaching social studies and coaching cross country at Menchville High School for seven years. He was named Menchville Teacher of the Year for 2010-2011. He also sponsors the Model United Nations club and co-sponsors the Sport History club at Menchville. He said, "My favorite part of teaching is what happens outside of the regular curriculum work. I do love history and I have a passion for opening the student’s eyes to other cultures in the world. But what I love the most is helping students to become more self aware. I enjoy going the extra mile with students to give them the educational and personal skills they will need to be successful in life."

Chris recently participated in a pilot program with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) which provided him with a classroom set of iPads to use in his World History and Geography classes.

He is married to Becky Chappell, who received her Masters of Arts in Teaching from CNU in 2006 and teaches elementary school in Newport News. They have a one-year-old daughter, Noelle, and another baby due in March.

September 2011

Sarah Coffey graduated from CNU with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts and a Master of Arts degree in Teaching (May 2011). Her endorsement area is elementary education, and she completed her student teaching in second grade at Greenwood Elementary in Newport News. She is currently volunteering for WorldTeach, a non-profit company that places volunteers in developing countries, in Ecuador. She is teaching and observing at Servicio Ecuatoriano de Capacitación Profesional (SECAP) (Translated: Ecuadorian Vocational Training Service), an English learning and training program for adults, in Quito, Ecuador. Sarah said on her blog, "The classroom environment is great. The students are there to learn and no matter what you are teaching-they love you because you have the ability to speak perfect English!" You can follow her experiences at:  http://Sarah-worldteachecuador.blogspot.com/