What is APPLES?
APPLES, the Appalachian Professional Language Educators’ Society, is an “apple from the tree” of a group of academic alliances formed in 1986 to foster cooperation among teachers at elementary through university levels in the same subject area. These academic alliances, or collaboratives, were the brain-child of Dr. Claire Gaudiani of the University of Pennsylvania and were initially funded by a grant from the Exxon Education Foundation. Dr. Ellen Silber of Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY was the first coordinator of academic alliances in foreign languages and literatures.
Dr. Eileen Glisan, who had joined the Spanish Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1985, and Dr. Larry Vold, assistant dean of the School of Education, invited world language educators in Indiana, Armstrong, Westmoreland, Jefferson, and Cambria Counties to an informational meeting in October of 1986. The goals of the proposed collaborative were: “1) to provide opportunities for teachers to keep abreast of innovations in foreign language teaching, 2) to strengthen IUP’s teacher training program by sponsoring ongoing seminars for cooperating teachers and by identifying quality secondary programs to serve as training models, and 3) to strengthen collaborative efforts across all levels of language instruction.” Dr. June Phillips, Dr. Glisan, Ms. Bonnie Adair-Houck, and Ms. Alice Smolkovich (president of the Allegheny Foreign Language Association) were the speakers at the meeting.
Many educators in the area and beyond remember the excellent Oral Proficiency Institute offered at IUP the following summer, which was coordinated by Dr. Glisan and Dr. June Phillips. By that fall—1987—the collaborative had adopted a catchy name, “APPLES.” Dr. Vincent Remillard of St. Francis College (now University) asked art professor Chuck Olson to help with the design of an APPLE falling from the national academic collaborative’s logo (a tree). The invitation to a general meeting Tuesday, October 27, 1987 at UPJ was on our new letterhead and began: “We would like to announce the official establishment of the Appalachian Professional Language Educators’ Society.” Twenty-nine people signed the roster.
The slate of officers listed at the Sept. 13, 1988 board meeting were: Irene Tabish (Chairperson), Shawn Morrison (Vice-Chair), Celinda Scott (Secretary), Joy Behr and Yvonne Torzok (Treasurers); and Judith Yothers (Newsletter). At the May 1989 meeting the APPLES board voted to “support a foreign language festival and competition for students in the APPLES region…at St. Francis College in the spring of 1990. Dr. Remillard will be the site coordinator and advisor.”
Dr. Eileen Glisan, who had joined the Spanish Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1985, and Dr. Larry Vold, assistant dean of the School of Education, invited world language educators in Indiana, Armstrong, Westmoreland, Jefferson, and Cambria Counties to an informational meeting in October of 1986. The goals of the proposed collaborative were: “1) to provide opportunities for teachers to keep abreast of innovations in foreign language teaching, 2) to strengthen IUP’s teacher training program by sponsoring ongoing seminars for cooperating teachers and by identifying quality secondary programs to serve as training models, and 3) to strengthen collaborative efforts across all levels of language instruction.” Dr. June Phillips, Dr. Glisan, Ms. Bonnie Adair-Houck, and Ms. Alice Smolkovich (president of the Allegheny Foreign Language Association) were the speakers at the meeting.
Many educators in the area and beyond remember the excellent Oral Proficiency Institute offered at IUP the following summer, which was coordinated by Dr. Glisan and Dr. June Phillips. By that fall—1987—the collaborative had adopted a catchy name, “APPLES.” Dr. Vincent Remillard of St. Francis College (now University) asked art professor Chuck Olson to help with the design of an APPLE falling from the national academic collaborative’s logo (a tree). The invitation to a general meeting Tuesday, October 27, 1987 at UPJ was on our new letterhead and began: “We would like to announce the official establishment of the Appalachian Professional Language Educators’ Society.” Twenty-nine people signed the roster.
The slate of officers listed at the Sept. 13, 1988 board meeting were: Irene Tabish (Chairperson), Shawn Morrison (Vice-Chair), Celinda Scott (Secretary), Joy Behr and Yvonne Torzok (Treasurers); and Judith Yothers (Newsletter). At the May 1989 meeting the APPLES board voted to “support a foreign language festival and competition for students in the APPLES region…at St. Francis College in the spring of 1990. Dr. Remillard will be the site coordinator and advisor.”