WE CAN DO SOMETHING!

Like many of us, I have been reflecting the last few days and I keep finding myself asking "why" such terrible acts of hate are taking place in our society. Asking what can I do to change the negative path our society is on at this time in history. Searching for ways to overcome my feelings of helplessness and hopelessness for the current state of the world in which we live.

This morning a friend sent me a link to a YouTube video "Why Not Me" by country music artist Eric Church.  As I listened to this on my way to work this morning, I felt that it was a call to action. In this video he shared his emotions, thoughts and a song he wrote after the tragedy in Las Vegas. As I listened to his words and then his song,  I began to think about all I am grateful for and all I know I can do to impact my 20 square feet. Often when tragedies such as Las Vegas occur, it can break our spirits and diminish our hope for a better tomorrow. WE MUST resist these thoughts. Each of us has the power to positively impact our world. Each of us has an opportunity RIGHT NOW to stand up and refuse to let HATE and IGNORANCE crush our spirits and our belief that LOVE can conquer all.

I then began to think about my family, both personal and professional. I feel an overwhelming sense of obligation to stand up and do my part to make this world a better place than it is today. I want my niece and nephews to grow up in a world where they are safe and believe anything is possible. Each student in the Hilliard City Schools and across the world deserve to grow up in a place where they feel safe. A world where they can dream big and believe they can make all those dreams come true with hard work, grit and kindness towards others.

My thoughts go quickly to the work we have been doing with our students, staff and families within the Hilliard City Schools: our focus being the importance of culture and relationships within the learning environment. Once again an overwhelming sense of gratitude came over me. I feel so strongly that WE are doing the right things each day in our schools to ensure our students feel valued, loved, cared for and empowered to make their world better. WE believe that students must feel loved first and foremost before any learning can take place. WE are providing students with the emotional support and skills to effectively face adversity. We prioritize relationships. We know our values! We also know that through our work with Focus 3 and through our relationship with Tim Kight and Brian Kight, we must choose a better response to these events if we hope for a better outcome. We all have the ability to be kind. We all have the ability to be kind to those with whom we come in contact each day. Being intentional is DOING SOMETHING. Being intentional each day to BE KIND, to express gratitude and model positive change.

I had a chance to share my thoughts and reflections with a dear friend today - Dena Way. I wanted to include a few of  her comments: "We have to be good to each other, we have to smile more at strangers, we have to show love to everyone regardless of whether we are the same or different. Our world is good, but there are evil people here. I have thought about that man's childhood, his past. Who loved him? Who protected him? What if no one did? So, being good and being kind CAN make the difference you are writing about. Let's keep fighting the good fight! I do believe that we can make that difference, one and two at a time!"

Be that person for someone today. Be the one that cares, loves and protects because you very well could be the only one that will and that can make all the difference in someone's life.

To me, it is simple. As Ellen DeGeneres says each day, "Be Kind to One Another." We have to come together as a society. We can and must, stand up and do our part to change the tide. It is easy to feel helpless at times and ask "What can I possibly do?" I am here to tell you, each of us can do something, we must do something. We must model kindness. As Jon Gordon writes, We must LOVE, SERVE and CARE.

START NOW! Change your 20 square feet to a place of peace, hope and happiness.
It is going to take us all!
LOVE, SERVE, CARE - BE KIND!

Hilliard Station Sixth Grade - Walk of Gratitude Round 2

In today's society we are all so busy. We constantly are pushing ourselves and each other to do more and to be more. In our quest to #BeELITE, we often forget to stop and reflect and simply say "thank you". To pause and take the time to tell those that make our lives better that we appreciate them for all the little things and big things they do to enhance our journey.

Within the Hilliard City Schools we focus on instilling a passion for growth in ourselves, our staff and our students. We push ourselves to #TheEdge each day to be the best for our students, colleagues, district, parents and the community we serve. We expect to be at the top of our profession. We push to be innovative, to take risk, to demonstrate a growth mindset and to stay above the line. We strive to provide a world class experience for our students that prepares them to be ready for tomorrow. We believe we have created this environment within our district because of the amazing staff that we have in front of our students each day. Those staff members all are relentless in their pursuit to #BeELITE in their classroom for their students.

So today we pressed pause and took time to simply say "thank you". To show gratitude for all the little and big things these professionals do each day to create a first class experience for our students. To let them know that they are appreciated and that their hard work does not go unnoticed. These teachers demonstrate a passion for growth which has created a classroom culture that promotes risk taking and fosters student growth both academically and socially! They are preparing students to be Ready for Tomorrow! THANK YOU!

We hope you enjoy reading about the first in a series of HCSD Walks of Gratitude! 

Today we feature: Station Sixth Grade Building - Cougars!

Diana Nicklas:
Diana Nicklas not only represents the best in music education, but also instructional best practice, differentiation and positive student relationships.  She has the ability to instruct over 200 students and meet the individual needs of each musician based on their level of ability.  She fosters a love of music and helps students recognizes the importance of hard work and perseverance over talent.  Her positive outlook shows through the interactions with her students and parents. Diana’s optimistic and growth mindset are infectious at Station.

Sabra Qualls:
If you want to see a compassionate, dedicated advocate for students, then visit the environment Sabra creates for all her students and colleagues.  She exemplifies the need to know her students, and by getting to know them, her students thrive in all classroom settings.  She is a proactive teacher and has gained the respect of not only the staff at Station but also those throughout the district. Sabra’s positive energy is contagious.  She embodies a culture of high expectations and professionalism and motivates others to grow in their craft. 

Tammy Stephanic:
Tammy Stephanic has the natural talent to push her students to high levels of achievement through her ability to engage her sixth graders in intellectually challenging work.  Tammy’s kindheartedness is seen daily in her classroom. She balances knowing her students and what they can do with her knowledge of the curriculum and what level they are mastering.  Students come away with a strong skillset and mindset to prepare them for future learning.  Tammy is always seen as a positive and professional role model where colleagues seek out her expertise and advice.

Scott Foster:
Instructional leaders are seen in many different roles in education. As a guidance counselor, Scott Foster is an outstanding colleague, mentor and necessary support system throughout Station.  Scott dedicates time building relationships with students and, as a result, students are comfortable talking to him for personal and academic advice. He is also an advocate for staff and maintains a positive outlook which contributes to the atmosphere at Station.  Because of his professionalism, staff and district employees respect his experiences and knowledge.  Scott is a pillar to Station’s success. 

Becky Alcox:
Mastery learning, PBL, and the workshop model are not only district initiatives but are also integral to Becky’s instructional practices. She is a pioneer with the develop of iBooks, mastery rubrics, and the workshop model in science.  She is continuously growing professionally and not afraid to take risks and share both successes and failures with not only her peers but throughout the district.  Becky sees failure as a learning opportunity and shares this mindset with her students, creating a growth mindset learning zone.   She motivates and supports others to take risks and is ready and willing to dive into new challenges alongside them. 

Thank you to our building administration for fostering cultures in their buildings that allow staff to #BeELITE. 
Hilliard Station Sixth Grade - Kevin Buchman and Jacob Grantier


With Gratitude,
Dawn Sayre(@dsayre32), Mark Tremayne(@t_livinthedream) and John Bandow

Stay Connected: Please follow us as a Secondary Curriculum Team on Twitter: @hcsdseced

Walk of Gratitude - Davidson, Weaver and Tharp

In today's society we are all so busy. We constantly are pushing ourselves and each other to do more and to be more. In our quest to #BeELITE, we often forget to stop and reflect and simply say "thank you". To pause and take the time to tell those that make our lives better that we appreciate them for all the little things and big things they do to enhance our journey.

Within the Hilliard City Schools we focus on instilling a passion for growth in ourselves, our staff and our students. We push ourselves to #TheEdge each day to be the best for our students, colleagues, district, parents and the community we serve. We expect to be at the top of our profession. We push to be innovative, to take risk, to demonstrate a growth mindset and to stay above the line. We strive to provide a world class experience for our students that prepares them to be ready for tomorrow. We believe we have created this environment within our district because of the amazing staff that we have in front of our students each day. Those staff members all are relentless in their pursuit to #BeELITE in their classroom for their students.

So today we pressed pause and took time to simply say "thank you". To show gratitude for all the little and big things these professionals do each day to create a first class experience for our students. To let them know that they are appreciated and that their hard work does not go unnoticed. These teachers demonstrate a passion for growth which has created a classroom culture that promotes risk taking and fosters student growth both academically and socially! They are preparing students to be Ready for Tomorrow! THANK YOU!

We hope you enjoy reading about the first in a series of HCSD Walks of Gratitude! This week we feature Davidson HS and Weaver MS.

Davidson High School 

Dan Owens- Mr. Owens is an absolute asset to the staff, students, and families of Davidson High School. He works tirelessly to make learning accessible for all of his students, while simultaneously setting lofty standards of achievement. His quick wit and authentic sense of humor create a fun, energizing, and relevant learning environment. His impact here at Davidson spreads much wider than even he realizes; he cares deeply, works diligently, and teaches intentionally. Congratulations Mr. Owens!

Caitlin Holland– Ms. Holland is everyone's dream inclusion teacher!  She embraces the co-teaching model to its fullest extent.  As a co-teacher is an active participant in the planning, assessing, and teaching.   In addition, she is one of the most organized teachers in our building.   She even models this with her students on her caseload, helping them to organize the progress towards their IEP goals on Google docs.  Caitlin develops a genuine relationship with all of the families on her caseload.  Caitlin is frequently complimented by her families and her colleagues for the exceptional job she does on a daily basis.  We are so thankful to have Caitlin as a member of the Davidson team.  

Todd Heinlen- (5x2)^2 (five times two, squared) is the percent Todd would be given as a mathematics teacher.  Todd is exceptional teacher in the classroom.  He is one of the most reflective teachers on his instruction and his students’ achievements.  He is constantly challenging himself to push his students to their greatest potential.  This continues to happen even with an average AP Calc score of 4.5 (out of possible 5).  We are so grateful to have a strong instructional teacher, but even more thankful for the huge heart he has for each of his students.

Officer Rich Quigley- Officer Quigley is an outstanding member of our Davidson community. He brings a sense of safety and security to our staff and students.  Additionally, he has established enduring relationships with our community.  In addition, he provides an overabundance of support to our administration and brings levity to complex situations.  Furthermore, Officer Quigley is a moral man with integrity who is a role model to all.  We are extremely grateful to have Officer Quigley as a member of the Davidson family.

Bonnie Bloom- Mrs. Bloom is truly a valued and appreciated Davidson staff member who always has her students’ best interest at heart.  For example, Bonnie has enthusiastically embraced the Blended Learning model in her classroom and always presents her students with challenging, life- applicable, and interesting lessons.  After all, who doesn’t like to (safely) play with fire while in AP Chemistry class?  Furthermore, Bonnie is a National Board Certified and Master Teacher.  In addition, Bonnie is a member of the Hilliard City Schools’ LPDC Committee and is an HEA building representative.  Finally, Bonnie has presented at numerous local, state, and national conventions, is Davidson’s Science Department Facilitator, and serves on many building and district committees.  A HUGE thank you and congratulations, Bonnie!

Weaver Middle School

Shannon Murlin - As an Art teacher at Weaver, Shannon continues to demonstrate her passion for helping others both during the school day and beyond. Advising our 8th Grade Leadership Academy with two of her colleagues, she teaches her students the importance of giving back to their community both locally and beyond our four walls. Mrs. Murlin is constantly seeking ways to instill pride and selfless giving with our Weaver students. She believes, as we each believe on the Weaver staff, that this is to be an essential component of the middle level journey.

Jill Battista - Mrs. Battista continues to show her commitment to the implementation of instructional best practices in her classroom and with her colleagues. Jill exemplifies the Power of the Team by engaging herself in meaningful collaboration with her colleagues within her department and across the district. Working with a diverse group of learners, Jill pushes her professional growth and seeks out resources to guide her teaching.

Janeen Robinson - Being a leader is much more than the title alone. Mrs. Robinson continues to encourage and support her colleagues to the edge of their own teaching and learning through her leadership. Shaping the work that we do at Weaver, Janeen is a leader well beyond her language arts classroom and her colleagues appreciate her willingness to embrace challenges and seek solutions. 

Jeanette Muzzalupo - Each year at Weaver we have the opportunity to share our passion for music with our staff, our students and our community. Mrs. Muzzalupo has redefined her role as a choir teacher and has demonstrated to others that the impact we each have is well beyond the classroom. Jeanette embraces the community in her desire to share the music that she creates with her students. She gives, tirelessly, to each of us.

Cathy Emmons - Instructional best practices, community advocate and a passionate educator, Ms. Emmons inspires others with her willingness to be transparent in her learning. Cathy not only embraces challenges, she has the fortitude to work collectively with her colleagues to work through those challenges. Ms. Emmons continues to embrace the work of Weaver and the work of the Hilliard City Schools. 

Justin Swallie - Instructional best practices, community advocate and a passionate educator, Mr. Swallie inspires others with his willingness to be transparent in his learning. Justin not only embraces challenges, he has the fortitude to work collectively with his colleagues to work through those challenges. Mr. Swallie continues to embrace the work of Weaver and the work of the Hilliard City Schools. 

Tharp Sixth Grade Building

Paige Canale

Mindy Colburn

Nate King

Michael Gift

Dana Schultz

Jessica Hogan

Thank you to our building administration for fostering cultures in their buildings that allow staff to #BeELITE. 

• Hilliard Davidson HS - Aaron Cookson(@adcut2), Lauren Schmidt, Nate Bobek(@nathanbobek), Brian Moore, Jeremey Scally(@jscally55), Erica O'Keefe
• Hilliard Weaver MS - Craig Vroom (@Vroom6) and Samantha Althouse (@sammyalthouse)
• Hilliard Tharp Sixth Grade - Cori Kindl and Scott Snyder (@bulldog80scott)

With Gratitude,

Dawn Sayre(@dsayre32), Mark Tremayne(@t_livinthedream) and John Bandow

Stay Connected: Please follow us as a Secondary Curriculum Team on Twitter: @hcsdseced

*See the story behind the Walk of Gratitude from Jon Gordon here​.