CULLMAN, Ala. – Almost everyone has a favorite teacher from school. Maybe it was one who pushed us to do our very best or who recognized a special talent in us and helped us develop it. Or maybe it was one who taught a particular skill or imparted certain knowledge to us that continues to serve us well in life. Or maybe it was one who was funny and made us laugh, or who inspired us in some special way. Or perhaps it was one who provided us with much-needed structure or stability or protection. And, for many of us, our favorite teacher was a woman. Alpha Delta Kappa (ADK) was created to recognize and support outstanding women educators like those!
On Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs officially proclaimed the month of October 2020 “Alpha Delta Kappa (ADK) Month” in the city of Cullman. Alpha Delta Kappa (ADK) is an international honorary organization created to recognize and support the professional efforts of outstanding women educators. Alpha Delta Kappa (ADK) Month was developed to celebrate ADK and to remember and honor the vision, dedication, and actions of the ADK founders who recognized a need for closer professional ties among women educators.
“I appreciate our women educators in Cullman, past and present” said Jacobs. “All of our teachers play important roles in our children’s lives, and today’s teachers are dealing with many new and challenging issues and deserve recognition and our support.”
Cullman is fortunate to have two ADK chapters: The Alpha Theta Chapter and the Beta Delta Chapter. ADK member Barbara Guthrie accepted the proclamation from Mayor Jacobs on behalf of the Alpha Theta Chapter, and Rhonda Van Zandt accepted on behalf of the Beta Delta Chapter.
“The ADK is a wonderful organization made up of the best women educators, and they truly want to make a difference in our schools and communities,” said Jacobs. “I appreciate Barbara and Rhonda and all of our local ADK members for their dedication to our community and to the field of education.”
ADK was founded in Missouri in 1947 through the efforts of Agnes Shipman Robertson, Marie Neal, Marion Southall and Hattie Poppino. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, ADK now has more than 1,200 chapters in towns and cities in every state in the U.S. and around the world in Australia, Canada, Jamaica, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Membership in ADK is honorary and based on peer recognition. ADK members are committed to improving schools, communities, the teaching profession, and the world through leadership development and networking, training sessions, conferences and conventions, and many community-based altruistic projects that enrich the lives of people and communities throughout the world. The Alpha Delta Kappa website states that the ADK’s purpose are to:
- Recognize outstanding women educators.
- Build a fraternal fellowship among women in the field of education which will add to their effectiveness in the promotion of excellence in education.
- Promote high standards of education, strengthening the status and advancement of the education profession.
- Promote educational and charitable projects and activities, sponsor scholarships, further and maintain worthy standards in the field of education, and cooperate with worthy community programs relating to education and charities.
- Contribute to world understanding, goodwill, and peace through an international fellowship of women educators united in the ideals of education.
Internationally, ADK biennially awards more than a quarter of a million dollars through its many scholarship programs. ADK also provides opportunities for women educators to gather together to share ideas, develop leadership skills, and support one another.
“The Lamp of Alpha Delta Kappa” is a song written and composed by Carolyn Southall and Richard Southall in 1951, and it perfectly sums up the heart of the ADK organization:
To Alpha Delta Kappa,
We pledge our loyalty;
To sisters who are always true,
We’ll ever faithful be;
The sacred lamp of learning
upon our altar stands;
Its radiant glow will e’er bestow
a light to all the lands.
Jacobs encourages citizens to celebrate Alpha Delta Kappa (ADK) month by recognizing or thanking a local Alpha Delta Kappa member or a special teacher who has made a difference in their lives.
For more information about Alpha Delta Kappa (ADK), ask a local member or visit www.alphadeltakappa.org or www.facebook.com/alabamaalphadeltakappa.
