2001 Elizabeth Breathwaite Student Leadership Award.

The following ACEI members have been honored as the 2001 recipients of ACEI's Elizabeth Breathwaite Student Leadership Award: Ann Marie Connor, Janie Denton, Helayne Garner, LeAnna Hyden, Aaron Parsons, Anna Sharp, and Michelle Sirkin. This award recognizes outstanding student members who have shown remarkable achievement in academics, leadership ability, school and community involvement, and service to the Association. In addition to a $300 scholarship to help defray the cost of attending ACEI's 2001 Annual Conference in Toronto, each student received a complimentary conference registration.

Ann Marie Connor, an early childhood education major at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, is an active member of the SIU ACEI Branch. In addition to her Branch involvement, Connor has participated in various campus and community activities, including Habitat for Humanity, child screenings, and Volunteer Corp.

"Children are our future," says Connor. "I joined ACEI to start my journey as a child advocate.... Overall, I simply believe that children are this nation's future."

Janie Denton, an elementary/early childhood education major at Central Missouri State University, is an active member of the Central Missouri State University Branch. In addition to serving her Branch as a Project Co-Chair, she was Treasurer, Kappa Delta Pi, and Membership Secretary, Student Missouri State Teachers Association. At the 2001 ACEI Conference, Denton co-presented "Learning Activities in a Bag" during the Hall of Excellence poster session. This Branch project, which provided single mothers with supplies, ideas, and opportunities to work with their children, was implemented with the Survival Adult Abuse Center, Inc. in Warrensburg, Missouri.

Helayne Garner, a member of ACEI since 1998, is an early childhood education major at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. As an active member of the SIU ACEI Branch, Garner was involved in projects such as "Paint the Playground" and "A Book in Every Home," an effort to benefit her local Head Start organization by raising funds to purchase books for the homes of underprivileged children. She is the recipient of a Teacher's Shortage Scholarship and a member of both Phi Eta Sigma National Honors Society and NAEYC. As a community volunteer, Garner has donated time to the Faith House.

LeAnna Hyden, an early elementary education major at Central Missouri State University, has served the CMSU ACEI Branch as Treasurer. At the 2001 ACEI Conference, Hyden co-presented "Learning Activities in a Bag" during the Hall of Excellence poster session. In addition to her Branch activities, she has been a private/ group softball instructor and a Little League softball coach. She is a member of the CMSU Honors College and has been on the Dean's list since her freshman year.

Aaron Parsons, a 2001 graduate of Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, served his NSU Tahlequah Branch as both secretary and president.

"Teaching is extremely important to me," says Parsons, "both in the classroom and in the community. As I look at our society today, I see how important the education of our children is to the viability of our country. It is important that as an educator, I look into the lives of the children I am given the chance to work with, and find the best possible way to educate them."

Anna Sharp, a 2001 graduate of Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri, was a Student Make 'n Take Presenter at the 2001 Conference. Sharp was also involved with the Volunteer Columbia Center for Gifted Education and various student groups. "My goal," says Sharp, "is to become an educator who is always searching for more knowledge.... I love being around children and look forward to making my classroom a warm, welcoming community of learners."

Michelle Sirkin is a health and human services major with a concentration in early childhood at The State University of New York, Buffalo. As a member of the Western New York ACEI Branch, Sirkin has served on the Student Committee, contributed to the ACEI Student Connection newsletter, and has held various Branch positions. She is a member of her college's Dance and Talking Hands clubs and has worked at the Early Childhood Research Center.