Category Archives: Education
Teacher Lori Richardson-Morphew leads Oklahoma’s state DKG organization
Elementary teacher Lori Richardson-Morphew of Oklahoma City is active in her state’s Delta Kappa Gamma Society, International (DKG) organization. Photo Credit DKG
Many dedicated educators make meaningful contributions not only to the lives of their students, but also to the careers of their colleagues and to the members of their communities. One of these is Lori Richardson-Morphew, a hardworking teacher from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She leads her state’s Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) organization.
Lori currently teaches at Van Buren Elementary School in the Oklahoma City Public School system. She has spent the last two years at the school, but in all, her career as an educator has spanned more than 25 years.
In her classroom, Lori utilizes literature sets for teaching reading. Typically, her class reads more than 15 books over the course of a school year. For her work in the classroom, Lori has earned many honors. She garnered a Devon Energy STEM Teacher of the Match from the Oklahoma City Energy FC in 2017.
In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Lori is active in Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG), an International Society organized to provide professional support for women educators. She currently serves as the State President for the Oklahoma state branch of the organization, and she has previously served her branch as the First Vice President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. Under her leadership, the organization has participated in many community service programs, including the Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Foundation, the Schools for Africa Project, and the Susan G. Komen More than Pink Walk.
Lori is originally from Garnett, Kansas, She graduated from Garnett High School in 1982. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, in 1991.
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Redesigning our thinking in the classroom…
Della Au Belatti: Former teacher, member of Hawaii’s House of Reps Della Au Belatti
Former teacher and current member of Hawaii’s state House of Representatives Della Au Belatti. Photo credit: Della Au Belatti.
Many talented educators also pursue a career in politics. One of these is Della Au Belatti, a high school teacher from Hawaii who has been elected to serve in her state’s House of Representatives.
Della, a Filipino American, was born on March 14, 1974, in Manoa, Hawaii. As a young woman, she garnered a position as an intern in the officer of US Senator Daniel Akaka. Akaka himself was an educator before his election to the US House of Representatives. Della worked in the Senator’s office from 1993 to 1996. During these years, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in History at Princeton University in 1996. She completed the requirements for her student teaching program at Trenton Central High School in Trenton, a public school located in New Jersey, also in 1996. She later earned a law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law connected with the University of Hawaii, Manoa (2003).
Once she completed her internship with Senator Akaka, Della accepted a position as a Social Studies teacher at her alma mater, Maryknoll High School, in Honolulu. Maryknoll is a Catholic, co-educational high school. She taught there from 1996 to 2000.
In 2005, Della was elected on the Democratic ticket to the Hawaii State House of Representatives. She has represented District 24, which encompasses Makiki, McCully, Tantalus, Papakolea, Pawa‘a, and Manoa, since 2006. There she has served on several important committees, including Education; Higher Education and Technology; Economic Development; Labor and Tourism; Legislative Management; and the Select Committee on Covid-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness. She has also served as the Majority Leader since 2017. During her years as a legislator, Della has been involved with drafting and passing legislation that impacts families, children, and women. She is specifically interested in furthering marriage equality and reproductive health care rights for women.
For her tireless work in support of her state’s public library services, Rep. Belatti earned the Friends’ Mahalo Award. In addition, the former teacher was named a co-winner of the Amy C. Richardson Award in 2002.
To learn more about Della, see her page at the Hawaii State Legislature.
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Bertram Nelson: Teacher, principal, and Civil War veteran
New York City teacher and principal Nelson Bartram served valiantly in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Photo credit: Library of Congress.
Many hardworking educators have served their country well during times of war. One of these was Nelson Bartram, a teacher and principal who fought during the Civil War on the Union side.
Nelson was born in Westport, New York, on January 7, 1832. While still a child his family relocated to Manhattan. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Nelson was working as a teacher managing a night school on Nineteenth Street. At the same time, he was employed as a principal at the public school on West Twenty Fourth Street.
When the War Between the States broke out, Nelson mustered into service with the Seventeenth Infantry as a captain, Company B, on May 22, 1861. He was promoted to major of the regiment in December of that year, and lieutenant colonel in May, 1862. He mustered out of service with the regiment in June, 1863. He was then appointed lieutenant colonel of the new 15th New York Cavalry. In September, 1863, he resigned that post to accept a commission as colonel of the 20th US Colored Troops (USCT) organized on Riker’s Island in February, 1864. While serving in the military, Nelson was a witness to all the major engagements that the Army of the Potomac fought in until December 1863. This Chalkboard Hero mustered out with 20th USCT in October, 1865.
After the war, Nelson went to work as a clerk in the New York Customs House in 1870, and was the Deputy Collector there until his passing on December 25, 1886, in New York City. On Sept. 26, 1900, a bronze statue was erected in his honor at Port Chester, New York.
To learn more about this heroic teacher and US veteran, see this article published by Adventures in History.
