FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                        April 16, 2008

ANIKA ROHLA RECEIVES GERALDINE BURNS AWARD

            Anika Rohla of Chester, a junior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, has received the Geraldine Burns Award for Excellence in English studies from the Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English (OCTE). The award was presented earlier this month during the OCTE’s spring conference.

            The presentation was made by Dr. Jerry Nye, professor emeritus of language arts at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, the leader in establishing the award, which is made each year to one undergraduate student from each institution of higher education in Oklahoma.

            Dr. James Yates, chair of the English, Foreign Language and Humanities Department, said Northwestern’s nominee was selected on the basis of performance in areas of English studies—communications, language arts, composition and literature. First consideration is given to English education majors who intend to teach.

            Geraldine Burns taught English at Fairview High School for nearly 40 years.

            In addition to receiving her award, Rohla was able to hear award-winning poet Jimmy Baca Santiago, a New Mexico native and former prisoner who used education to turn his life around. Now a college graduate, Baca has established prison literacy and education programs.

            The conference also included workshops on a variety of subjects pertaining to English education.

-NW-

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