POINTS of PRIDE: Colfax-Mingo Community School District

If there is one prominent word abounding in the hallways at Colfax-Mingo it is the word PRIDE.  Hallways are adorned with the word PRIDE and the student council created a pride stripe with the word PRIDE written in multiple languages.

DEMOGRAPHICS
Enrollment:  656
Free and Reduced Lunch:  over 50%




Todd Jones, principal of the Colfax-Mingo Junior-Senior High School, explained two points of which he is most proud:

1. For a school district their size, the schedule is flexible enough to fit both the needs and wants of all students - dual credits are offered as well as a career academy at DMACC.  Some students attend Central Campus in Des Moines for advanced classes.
2. Another point of pride are the wonderful teachers - Teachers have high expectations in a wonderful and acceptable way.

Mr. Jones is also quite proud that their school hosts a Nursing Home Prom every year after the school prom for senior citizens in the community. 

The hallways exhibit students artwork and many rooms are colorful and welcoming.  This year's initiatives include:

• Accountability with the implementation of the Iowa Core
• Improve reading and math achievement
• Post purpose statements in each classroom
• Implementation of Iowa Core Literacy standards across all content areas
• A focus on quality formative assessments

Colfax-Mingo is 1:1 with eventually all having Chromebooks at the high school level and Chromebooks in the rooms at the middle school level.  At the elementary there are learning pads being used.

With a focus on differentiation, Mr. Jones said that they are working hard at being flexible to accept varied ways for students to express what they know.  Positive Behavior Interventions &  Supports (PBIS) is a focus across the buildings with common rules and expectations posted around the building.  Students of the Month are posted outside classrooms to reward and encourage all students to exhibit positive behaviors and a strong work ethic.

As the website states, the Colfax-Mingo Community School District's mission is to ensure a community that fosters life long learners, independent thinkers, and productive citizens of character.
WHERE students will be safe, comfortable, and respected by faculty and fellow students.
WHERE the rigor of our curriculum will challenge students to achieve at their full potential on each level of their learning process.
WHERE our faculty is committed to developing long-term mentoring relationships with their students.

While visiting Colfax-Mingo, several classes were out in the community participating in a MAKE A DIFFERENCE activity - a focus on service to bring into action the mission statement words:  ensuring productive citizens of character.   As one quote on the wall boldly proclaims:  "We are the HERO of our own story."  Colfax-Mingo is providing opportunities for their students to write their own story and exemplifying hero to each other and the community.

POINTS of PRIDE: Calamus-Wheatland Community School District

In the FFA Building with Mr. Ewers

Duck Blind

ATV ramps and Deer House

Calamus-Wheatland stands for family, an extended family that includes not only the elementary in Calamus, the middle/high school in Wheatland, but also the entire Cal-Wheat community. One organization that helps to bring that family together is the Cal-Wheat FFA - providing supper before the school musical, serving as valets at the funeral of a respected community member, creating a deer house or a duck blind or ATV ramps.  All add to the hands on experiences given students at Cal-Wheat.  With over 90 in the FFA grades 7-12 much can be accomplished.  Whatever needs to be done is done in house because that's what families do for each other.

DEMOGRAPHICS
Enrollment:  529
Free and reduced lunch:  under 50%

Superintendent Lonnie Luepker

Principal Christine Meyer

The buildings are run by capable and focused leaders, Superintendent Lonnie Luepker and Principal Christine Meyer.  The district described their annual Veteran's Day Assembly where a mini-van brings the people from Wheatland Manor to the school to honor our veterans.  Gary Metivier was the keynote.  Poster contest and essay contest winners were announced. The band and chorus performed, and the names of all area vets were read.  The color guard was present and taps were played.  In TAG the students are involved in the Library of Congress Veteran's project, creating a record of the stories of veterans to be archived in the Library of Congress.

Cal-Wheat's professional development is focused on implementation of the Iowa Core.  They are also implementing a new math series.  Multi-Tiered Systems of Support along with the Iowa FAST tests are changing the framework of instructional delivery.  There is an advisor-advisee program in grades 7-12 where each teacher has 14-15 students that meet twice a month to check on grades and to discuss any issues they may be facing.

Another active group at Cal-Wheat is the FCCLA - providing meals as needed for special occasions and using PD days to make visits to the local nursing home.  The focus for all school groups is to constantly give back to the community.  Most recently, Cal-Wheat was awarded $10,000 from Monsanto to purchase Vermeer probes for testing water temperature and quality.  These resources will be used in both the science and the Ag classes.

Cal-Wheat is in year 4 of its 1:1 initiative.  They are moving from MacBooks to Chromebooks.  Grades 7-12 can take the computers home.  There are computer carts at the elementary.  Stacy Luepker has a technology class with a 3D printer and students are involved in a virtual reality course. (VRep)

At the elementary, the day I visited was National World Kindness

Words of encouragement

Day.  Lockers were adorned with encouraging notes to everyone.  Good News reports are placed in a mailbox in the hallway - completed by staff as they observe the traits of character being displayed by students.  These notes are read once a week by Superintendent Luepker, hung in the hallways, and at the end of the year, each students gets their stack of Good News reports to take home.

Good News notes

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain." We can all learn from Calamus-Wheatland about feeling like a family, the importance of giving back to the community, and the value of recognizing the good in others.

POINTS of PRIDE: Marshalltown Community School District

 

Dr.  Pecinovsky and Dr. Wade, top leaders at Marshalltown

The mission of the Marshalltown Community School District is "to nurture students to become personally and intellectually empowered for citizenship in a changing world." Marshalltown Community School District was one of the 39 school districts who successfully received the Teacher Leadership and Compensation Grant during the 2014-15 school year.  Previous to receiving this grant, Marshalltown had coaches in all elementary buildings with a focus on the Comprehensive Literacy Model from UNI (grades K-6). The TLC Grant allows this district to continue in their progress to empower students for citizenship in a changing world.

Demographics
Enrollment - 5100
Free & Reduced Lunch - 67-70%
ELL - 37%
Minority - 60%
6 elementary schools with preschool in each building

The TLC Grant has added to services provided to staff in Marshalltown.  Elementary and secondary schools now have curriculum and professional development leaders, additional instructional coaches in every building, and model classrooms (96 opportunities for this position).  The elementary model classrooms focus on literacy while some have a focus on math.  They place an emphasis on "sheltered instruction" which involves explicit teaching - "beginning each lesson with an introductory activity that assesses the students’ knowledge in a non-threatening and non-graded format that allows the teacher to evaluate the students’ skill set. The teacher designs his/her lessons to clearly define language and content as well as make the activity meaningful through the linkage to past knowledge and present as well as the use of supplemental materials. Some examples of lessons include hands-on and cooperative learning activities, vocabulary, and the use of visual clues. Teachers also place an emphasis on developing the students’ habits of organization and study skills."(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheltered_instruction)  Woodbury is a dual language school as part of the district and benefiting from the framework of sheltered instruction.

Marshalltown has a Strategic Action Plan including five initiatives:

1. Common unit design
2. Using data to inform instruction
3. Sheltered instruction
4. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
5. Implementation of a Language and Literacy framework

To provide an opportunity for staff to successfully implement these initiatives, there is an early out every Wednesday with time designated for program leads to meet.  Other opportunities provided for staff to improve their instructional skills include June curriculum camps, tech academy, and additional full day professional development.

Partnerships are also key in Marshalltown - business partnerships for Project Lead the Way, concurrent enrollment for dual credits, career academies, and an ability to earn Microsoft IT certification.  Arts are not forgotten with art teachers creating their own professional development plans.  PD is differentiated to provide meaningful experiences for staff, and the quality of PD is evaluated via a survey after each PD time.  This feedback drives the future PD sessions and assists with differentiation of this learning time.

Marshalltown has other points of pride to mention with positive moving indicators on graduation rate, attendance, and student achievement.    They have consistently hit or exceeded achievement targets of those in the advanced range.   Technology is found in all buildings with K-2 using iPads, classroom sets of laptops in grades K-4, 1:1 in grades 5-8 (computers stay at school) and next year 1:1 in the high school.  It is emphasized that "instruction drives the learning with technology as the tool."  Teacher leadership is helping Marshalltown move forward in its quest for preparing its students to be citizens in a changing world. 

Marshalltown Community School District Administration Building

POINTS of PRIDE: Nevada Community School District

MakerSpace with student Trey and tech coach Carrie Hillman

Welcome to Nevada Community School District, nestled in central Iowa surrounded by wind turbines and Iowa landscape.  But it's the landscape within that creates the charm of Nevada High School.


DEMOGRAPHICS
Enrollment:  1548
Free and Reduced Lunch:  36%
1:1 MacBooks at the high school
Grades 5-8 Chromebooks

WELCOME TO MAKERSPACE:  The MakerSpace is located in the LMC and contains opportunities for creation including:  KANO - make your own computer; LITTLE BITS - working with circuits; ARDUINO KITs - building robots; 3-D printer; replicator, and monitors. 

WOW!  Students can work in this area before school, after school, during study hall, and when their class work is complete.  The key is to get creative opportunities into the hands of students.  When I visited, Trey was making clips he created on the 3D printer to put on the spools of plastic string so they won't unravel.  Creative problem-solving, real 21st Century skills to prepare students for college and career!

Nevada has two green screen rooms for recording presentations and also providing Cub TV for the schools with up-to-date news reports from the hallways of Nevada.  Studio lights and comfortable furniture add to the quality of the telecasts.

 What else is happening in Nevada?  Parents and students have classroom choices - the traditional model one grade at a time or multi-aged classrooms where students have the same teacher for two years.  Project-based learning is a focus and rotating themes for science and social studies take place.  All grades teach the same theme with a four year rotation of themes.  In social studies students watch CNN student news and blog about what they are learning.  In classes students learn about coding through hands-on experiences and free online resources.

In the library the following quote can be found:  "We lose ourselves in books and we find ourselves there too."  The same can be said in the technology opportunities available at Nevada - a student can easily be lost in the complexity of the creation but through the process they find themselves as well and begin preparing for the digital age which awaits them beyond the classroom walls.

POINTS of PRIDE: Northeast Community School District

Northeast - Student engagement and active learning

According to Superintendent Jim Cox, "I hire quality people and then I get out of their way."  All administrators in the district understand that there must be quality instruction in each classroom in order for students to learn.  Because of this belief, staff development focuses on understanding the theory of learning and communicating what each student needs to learn.  Welcome to Northeast Community School District in Goose Lake, IA.

Demographics
Enrollment - 557 (certified) but serves 837 with 40% of their students open enrolled into the district (Makes them the 4th highest in the state!)
Free and Reduced Lunch - 32%

Not only is Northeast hard at work building quality learning opportunities for its students but they are also involved in a building project consisting of 4 new classrooms (one devoted to STEM), a fitness center, and a new gym.  The entire additions with be fully loaded with high quality technology.  Alicia Christiansen, 6-12 principal, quoted from Harry Wong, "The number one factor affecting school achievement is teacher quality."  With this belief in mind, the constant question at the forefront of staff development is, "How do we improve ourselves?"

One way is to involve the community through the School Improvement Advisory Council.  SIAC is made aware of how instruction alignment is reflected upon, how communication is aligned to standards, and how students are supplied with multiple opportunities to learn and demonstrate their learning.  One way to change the culture of teaching is to ask, "How do we know the students have learned?"

Keeping up on technology is key for our 21st Century learners.  Computer program courses include industrial robotics and lego robotics.  Northeast is developing a partnership with Lyondell and are also working on a partnership with Google.  They are in year two for a STEM grant.  Their IT Club participates in IT Olympics including game design, cyber defense, and ap
programming.  They participate in "Decisions on the Fly" where one group creates a game and another defends the components of the game.  The Lyondell partnership provides train to trainer tasks in problem solving that engineers, chemists, or machinists may face.  Students also can use computer aided designs to create objects and print them using a 3D printer.

To provide collaboration and staff development, Northeast has an early out every other Wednesday working on initiatives that include Iowa Core implementation and the development of the PBIS program at elementary.  Classroom expectations are clearly defined in all areas of the building through poster displays.  PBIS is in the process of refining its Tier II interventions including "brag tags" and the earning of tickets for good behaviors.  AEA provides PD on best practices for mathematical thinking and Northeast uses the SI Math software programming to build foundational math skills.

Northeast Auditorium

Northeast offers a variety of clubs:  FBLA, FFA, FTA, IT, FCCLA, FCA, trap shooting, speech, and SADD.  80% of their students are involved in extra-curricular activities.  Over 65 participate in the highly successful speech club.  At high school, 165 are in chorus and at middle school 120 are involved.  There is strong support from the Fine Arts Boosters and the Athletic Boosters.

Other partnerships include concurrent courses through Clinton Community College, two ag classes through Muscatine Community College, and Health III and CNA offered through Eastern Iowa Community College.  Dual credits can be earned in English and Public Speaking as well as computer applications. 

Northeast also offers a work study program for seniors only.  Currently, 26 seniors are in job placement getting experience in what they may want to pursue as a career.  This program is being guided by an advisory council.

Northeast continues to build citizens for the 21st Century through quality instruction and meaningful activities in which to develop character.

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.  Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."  - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

POINTS of PRIDE: UNI Multicultural Teaching Alliance Conference

Officers in the UNI MTA

John F. Kennedy once said, "If we cannot now end our differences, we can at least make the world safe for diversity."

In the lecture hall at UNI

It was my pleasure to keynote the Multicultural Teaching Alliance Educating Educators Conference on Saturday, November 8 at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.  The title of the conference was "Building Classroom Community by Embracing Classroom Diversity." The purpose was to prepare educators for diversity in the classroom and enhance understanding of current issues, cultures, and the diverse population that is present in the area.  My keynote address was "Learning - A Shared Journey of Discovery," and I talked about the boxes we build to put people into or we build to keep people out.  It is very important that our classrooms are places where students feel cared for, safe to tell their stories, and respected for who they are.

Dr. Sarah Montgomery

Workshops were varied and covered topics that included strategies for teaching about American Indians across the curriculum.  The presenter, Dr. Sarah Montgomery, explained that teaching about American Indians is not a social studies unit, but a social justice issue.  Educators must challenge:

• Negative depictions
• Romanticized stereotypes (as found in Disney's Pocahontas)
• Closely examine children's literature and some of the stereotypes present within them

Suggested teaching strategies included:

• Teach about diversity of American Indian Nations
• Use award-winning children’s literature
• Teach about American Indian Boarding Schools
• Teach about contemporary American Indians
• Challenge traditional Thanksgiving roles

Alicia Jefferson

Another workshop I attended was on "The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Children."  Presenter was Alicia Jefferson who wrote a book for educators on this topic.  She talked about the feelings of these children including alienation, separation, anger, secrecy, shame, and social stigma.  She provided a list of books that could be used as resources:

• My Mother and I Are Growing Stronger (Maury)
• There are some Real Special Kids in Our Class (Black)
• Keeping in Touch by Long Distance (Kerniski)
• A Visit with Daddy (Black)
• My Mom Went to Jail (Hodgkins)
• Dad’s in Prison (Cain)

Ms. Jefferson emphasized that giving emotional support is key and providing students with a sense of belonging will help as they deal with this issue.  Picture books could help start the conversations about belonging so the child knows s/he is not the only one facing this issue.

Other sessions dealt with setting high expectations for our students, making math culturally relevant, cultural themes in children's literature, hip hop culture and higher education, sexual identities and adolescent literature, as well as wrestling with the "why" of reading and writing.

Emily and Caleb, two of my former 7th graders

It was fun to meet up with two former Maquoketa students who are attending UNI and majoring in education, Emily and Caleb.  Both representing Mauquoketa with their commitment to excellence.

In my opening speech, those in attendance were reminded that here in America we are a group of people brought together as a salad bowl - each with our qualities that when brought together create a wonderful dish.  That is how the differences we each have should be viewed.  Our differences are to be celebrated and appreciated with mutual respect. 

Josefa Iloilo reminds us,"We need to reach that happy stage of our development when differences and diversity are not seen as sources of division and distrust, but of strength and inspiration."
 

Getting Out the Word: STOP Traffiking

Recently, Maquoketa Community High School's Club hOPe (Iowa)  sponsored a presentation at MCHS by Cathy O'Keefe, executive director of Braking Traffik.  Sex traffiking is the fastest growing criminal activity in our nation; a three billion dollar industry and second only to drug traffiking.  This organization was founded by Maggie Tinsman (Quad Cities, IA)  in 2008 to create a public awareness of traffiking and provide help to find services for survivors of sexual exploitation.  Those in attendance (close to 100) heard some very startling statistics.

(The following are facts presented by this organization.  Credit goes to Cathy O'Keefe.)  

When researching traffiking, it is shocking to learn that the average age of victimization is from ages 11 - 13.  Adult women are also forced into this life style.  More slaves are in the United States today than at any other time in our history.  Worldwide there are 27 million slaves. There are two types of traffiking:  labor traffiking - compelling someone to provide labor or services against their will; and sex traffiking - children and adults compelled to work in the commercial sex industry.  100,000 American children are involved in traffiking each year!  There are 17,000 people from foreign countries traffiked into our country annually.

Runaway teens fall victim to this through recruitment, development of trust, and then exploitation.  Many times there is a recruitment process where the exploiter gains the trust of the individual and then the process begins.  Within 48 hours of running away, 1/3 are approached and of this group 75% fall victim.  Other youth at risk  are those involved with drugs, inappropriate social media/internet use, participation in gangs, and those taking part in unhealthy relationships.  Sometimes mental manipulation is stronger than physical abuse.

Advice when using the internet includes:

• Never give out personal information
• Do not meet anyone in person
• Be wary of chat rooms
• Be careful with online gaming
• Remember - sexting is a crime!

Why don't victims escape?

• Fear of physical abuse
• Convinced they are in love with the traffiker
• Distrustful of law enforcement
• No money
• Shame
• A feeling of acceptance in the street subculture

Another force that influences this process is our pop culture depicts the degradation of women and girls in song lyrics, online gaming, and on which makes this process look acceptable.
What can you do end demand?

• Respect those around you!
• Be deliberate about kindness
• Refuse to buy songs with degrading lyrics
• Take a stance against everything related to traffiking

Resources for assistance:  24 Hour Crisis Hotline at Family Resources (IA 866-921-3354 and IL 309-797-1777).  For additional information visit:  www.brakingtraffik.org

Oliver Wendall Holmes once said, "A mind stretched to a new idea never returns to its original form."  Armed with information about this crime, please go forward and take action against it.  The future of our children depends upon it.

(Information from the presentation by Cathy O'Keefe on STOP TRAFFIKING)

POINTS of PRIDE: South Winneshiek

It was a beautiful drive up to northern Iowa where I was fortunate to be invited for a visit to South Winneshiek Community School District - home of the Warriors! 

Demographics
Enrollment:  560 in District; parochial:  200
Free and Reduced Lunch:  38%
Home of the original state-wide volunteer pre-school program - NAEYC accredited

South Winneshiek provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere. 
The hallways and classrooms provide a rich environment for learning.  It is proud of its lego league, one of the first in the state, which helps students become familiar with preengineering skills.  This also prepares them for Project Lead the Way(PLTW) classes at high school.  South Winn boasts an excellent FFA program with a membership over 75 future leaders in agriculture.  The middle school has had a 1:1 initiative for the past five years with the use of Chromebooks.  The intiatives for this school year include continuing the Professional Learning Communities where collaboration is key and analyzing data a focus.  Another initiative is the successful implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) including assessment screening using the FAST tests.

College soccer player sign autographs for students

South Winneshiek is in year seven of its Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program.  Students earn Super Warrior Tickets for excellent behaviors to redeem at a school store.   They credit their district success via partnerships.  One partnership is with NICC (Northeast Iowa Community College) where concurrent classes are offered.  NICC is committed to helping each student pursue an education that leads to a meaningful career.  They also appreciate the strong partnership given to the district through the support of families.

are committed to helping each student pursue an education that leads to a meaningful career. - See more at: https://www.nicc.edu/aboutnicc/#sthash.jhex10Cw.dpuf

are committed to helping each student pursue an education that leads to a meaningful career. - See more at: https://www.nicc.edu/aboutnicc/#sthash.jhex10Cw.dpuf

It was a great time presenting to students grades 1 - 8 on "Don't Let One Thing Keep you from Making a Difference!"  It began with a girl challenged to hold a boy in a chair with the use of a single finger.  The "point" was that sometimes we allow one thing to keep us from making a difference in the lives of others.  We heard the story of Veronika Scott who at the age of 24 started a business that sews coats for the homeless in Detroit, coats that can be converted into sleeping bags.  Her business employs only the homeless so they can learn dignity not dependence.  She created her business after being yelled at outside a homeless shelter with the words, "We don't need coats, we need jobs."  Veronika could have allowed this one event to keep her from accomplishing her goal of helping the homeless.  Instead, she used that one point to make a greater impact on her community.  We also heard about Emily Kless, a Penn State student, who makes signs to post around campus with the words TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.  Her tags include words like FREEDOM, SAFETY, LOVE, CARE... A very simple way to show others that everyone desires the same things in life.  By the end of the day, some students were creating their own posters for their school providing words of encouragement for others.

After school, staff heard about my journey in education, and in the evening there was a presentation at Northeast Iowa Community College.  John Maxwell is quoted as saying, "A word of encouragement from a teacher to a child can change a life.  A word of encouragement from a spouse can save a marriage.  A word of encouragement from a leader can inspire a person to reach his/her potential." Leader Barb Schwamann is one such leader and ahead lies great potential for South Winneshiek as it strives towards providing opportunities for continuous improvement for both staff and students.  Thanks, South Winn, for a great visit!