Master of Arts in Teaching Program Begins in the Fall

Lake Forest College will begin admitting students for its new Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program beginning in fall 2011.

The program appeals to:

• Individuals who have completed a bachelor's degree at other institutions or at Lake Forest College and seek teacher certification.
• Current Lake Forest College undergraduate students who decide they want to teach at the end of their junior year or beginning of their senior year, and have not planned for the education major early enough to complete it in four years.
• Current Lake Forest College students who decide early in their college careers that they prefer to complete certification requirements in five years in order to complete additional elective courses, an additional minor concentration, and/or a study abroad or off campus program during their first four years of study.

Through the MAT Program, Lake Forest will confer both a master’s degree and Illinois teacher certification simultaneously. It is not appropriate for teachers who are already certified to teach in K-12 schools.

Lake Forest College’s Department of Education certifies approximately 10 - 15 students per year.

An informational meeting for Lake Forest College students will be held at noon Feb. 28 in Meyer Auditorium.

For more information, contact Department of Education Chair Rachel Ragland, at (847) 735-5198, or ragland@lakeforest.edu.

Film Depicts Invisible Children's Mission in Africa

Invisible Children, a media-based non-profit dedicated to ending Africa’s longest-running war, will screen "Tony" at 7 p.m. March 29 in the Lily Holt Memorial Chapel at Lake Forest College.

Invisible Children exists to raise awareness about children who are abducted and forced to fight as soldiers in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group currently terrorizing central east Africa.

The event was organized by Catherine Cadahy and is a part of Invisible Children’s Congo Tour, where 17 teams are traveling America in vans to show films with the Ugandans who are featured.

Each team is backed by three American volunteers and one Ugandan speaker. The Ugandans are traveling to advocate on behalf of neighboring Congolese villagers, who have been under attack by the LRA. The LRA first terrorized these Ugandan communities, so the Ugandan speakers are trying to help prevent future violence in nearby regions by the same rebel group.

The Ugandan speaker is David Okech Ocitti and is the featured character in the update following the film. He is backed by American volunteers, Susie Goddard, Rachel Kemper, and Alex Linderer.

Cadahy is a student at Lake Forest and serves as the president of the campus’ Invisible Children chapter. The campus has hosted the Invisible Children several times in recent years, but this will be the team’s first visit back to the college since 2008.

In 2007, Lake Forest College won a national competition as a top fundraising campus for Invisible Children. Two Lake Forest students were awarded with free trips to northern Uganda to see their money be put to work on the ground.

The film documents life of a young Ugandan man named Tony and follows the past eight years of his life, which have been marked by violence from terrorist groups like the LRA.

There will be merchandise for sale, including bracelets, handbags, and T-shirts, made in Uganda. Members of the community are welcome to attend.

For more information, visit www.invisiblechildren.com.