FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                              August 28, 2006

WEAST, BRADTS PUBLISHED IN FORENSIC EDUCATOR

            Northwestern Oklahoma State University faculty member Kimberly Weast and alumni Charlene Bradt and Nick Bradt have articles published in the current issue of The Forensic Educator, an official publication of the National Federation Speech, Debate & Theatre Association.

            Weast, assistant professor of theatre, submitted an article titled “Advice for the Prospective College Theatre Major: What to Know to Be Prepared.” In it, she offers three nuggets of knowledge and/or truth not taught in books that freshman theatre majors should know.

            The first nugget is that the student must be a good company member willing to learn and explore new teachings and techniques and to do whatever it takes to make the company successful.

Secondly, in college, theatre is not an extracurricular activity for students who are majors or minors in the field. Students must realize that it is a serious art form that deserves attention and commitment.

And lastly, students must understand that they must be successful in all courses, no matter if it’s biology, algebra or something else.

“The liberal arts courses help the student become more knowledgeable and encourage analytical and critical thinking skills extremely important to an artist,” Weast wrote

            Charlene Bradt, retired Alva High School teacher, and her son Nick, the current forensics and theatre teacher at Alva, have written an article titled “Surviving the First Year: A View from the Top and the Bottom of the Ladder.”

            In it, they take 10 humorously worded corporate truths and adapt them for teachers new to the profession. For example, the first corporate truth is “If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.”

            The Bradts encourage developing positive relationships with the custodian and school secretary, since they are the people who can make a teacher’s life easier. They note that if the teacher first makes life easier for those individuals by having students clean up after themselves, etc., it can result in large rewards later.

            “Custodians are often treated as second-class citizens by too many people and are very receptive to being treated as an important part of your department,” they wrote.

            School secretaries are important because of their knowledge and experience in handling purchase orders for entry fees, travel expenses, materials, etc.

            “Be sure to be courteous and thankful when help is given to you,” the Bradts said.

            Charlene Bradt is a 1978 Northwestern graduate who earned her master’s degree there in 1978. She taught for 28 years. Nick Bradt graduated from the university in 2005.

-NW-

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