Jennifer
Terra Biography
Jennifer Terra has been
working in the field of Physical Education/Athletics for fourteen
years. She teaches Physical Education and is Co-Department Chair at
Emerson Junior High School in Davis, CA. She has been Co-Advisor of
the Peer Helping program at Emerson for eight years. She has
developed and implemented Diversity Training Workshops for all of the
secondary schools and district staff in the Davis Joint Unified
School District. She has been an active participant in the Drug,
Alcohol and Tobacco Education Program (DATE), the Gang Awareness
Committee, and has been a staff support person in the Triangle's
Club, a Gay-Straight Alliance at Davis High School. Jennifer has
received school and district wide recognition for outstanding
teaching (the Hal Ried Award and the DJUSD School Board Recognition
Award). Jennifer has coached volleyball, basketball and softball
for student's aged 12-18 and has had the honor of coaching in the CIF
Division 1 State Volleyball Finals. She is an active member of
AAHPERD, CAHPERD, CLMS and has previously taught a volleyball class
at the Cal Poly Workshop. She is in her second and final year in a
program on the Art of Spiritual Direction.
Alison
Kimmel Biography
Alison Kimmel has been
working in the field of Special Education for eight years. She is a
Resource Specialist Teacher and Co-Department Chair at Emerson Junior
High School in Davis, CA and is in the process of completing her
Master's degree in Special Education. She works primarily with
students diagnosed with Severe Learning Disabilities (SLD), Emotional
Disturbance (ED), and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADD/ADHD). She has also worked with students diagnosed with Autism,
Traumatic Brain Injury, Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD), Conduct
Disorder, and Down's Syndrome. She has given presentations for
several education courses at the University of California at Davis,
at several Diversity Trainings sponsored by Emerson JHS, and at a
Davis JUSD parent/teacher Special Education Support Group (BRIDGES).
Alison co-wrote and is an on-going recipient of a School-To-Work
grant, sponsored by the California Department of Education's Work
Ability 1 program. Alison is also a certified instructor of Self
Defense, holds the rank of Yonkyu in the martial art Jujitsu, and
sings in the U C Davis Gospel Choir.
Violence is on the rise
in our nation's schools. All too frequently, we are faced with
horrifying news stories of acts of violence committed by young
people. Quite often, the young people who commit these acts of
violence have a history of either being teased themselves in school,
or of teasing others simply because they are "different" in some way.
The purpose of this course is to involve you in a Diversity
Training Workshop in order to expose you to some of the most
effective techniques for making connections across our differences.
You will leave this course with some very practical strategies to
help you effectively meet the academic and socio-emotional needs of
an increasingly diverse student population. You will also leave with
the tools you need to set up a Diversity Training Workshop for
students or for staff members in your school or district.
