HCSD Middle Level Spotlight #2

In this week's HCSD Middle Level Spotlight we are excited to introduce THE leaders of THE Heritage Middle School, Mr. Matt Trombitas and Mr. Nic Gaston.

Mr. Trombitas is entering his 10th year as an educator and is in his first year as THE principal of THE Heritage. Prior to entering administration, Mr. Trombitas taught Social Studies at the high school level in Dublin, Whitehall and Hilliard. Mr. Trombitas also coached football during his teaching tenure. He has served as an assistant principal at THE Heritage and Bradley High School. We are extremely excited to welcome Mr. Trombitas back to Panther Nation as he takes the helm at THE Heritage.

Mr. Trombitas earned his undergraduate degree from THE Ohio State University in Political Science and Education. Mr. Trombitas was also a member of THE Ohio State Buckeyes Football Team. He then went on to earn his teaching licensure from Notre Dame College and his masters’ degree from American College of Education. When asked his "why" for becoming an administrator Mr. Trombitas stated, "I just love the impact I am able to have on teachers and students daily! I LOVE coming to work everyday". 

Mr. Trombitas favorite quote comes from Woody Hayes  - "You win with people". Mr. Trombitas is a proud member of the Hilliard community where he lives with his wife, Katy and their 2 sons Will (4) and Tyson (1 1/2) years old. Mr. Trombitas enjoys spending time with his family and friends outside of school and of course enjoys cheering on his OSU Buckeyes. Mr. Trombitas also cheers for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoons.

Mr. Trombitas hopes that everyone has a great year and that everyone who gets the chance to walk through the doors of THE Heritage understands and feels that it truly is a special place!

Mr. Nic Gaston is entering his 2nd year as the assistant principal at THE Heritage and his 15th year in education. Prior to coming to THE Heritage Mr. Gaston has served as a teacher and assistant athletic at Darby High School and head athletic director at Bradley High School.

Mr. Gaston attended THE Ohio State University for his undergraduate studies where he earned his bachelor degree and his teaching licensure. Mr. Gaston then pursued and earned his masters’ degree in educational administration and principal licensure from the University of Dayton. When asked why he became an administrator he simply replied, " I love the lead others". Mr. Gaston's favorite quote is "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." — Anonymous.

Mr. Gaston enjoys spending time with his wife Alicia and their two children; Hadley and Cole. He also enjoys spending time with friends and watching/playing sports. Mr. Gaston is a fan of THE Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cincinnati Bengals "Who Dey"! Mr. Gaston hopes this year is the best one yet! 

HCSD Middle Level Admin Spotlight #1 - Meet the Tharp Team

Welcome to the Hilliard City School District Middle Level Administrator Spotlight Series. In this 1st edition we are honored to highlight Mrs. Cori Kindl and Mr. Scott Snyder. A dynamic leadership duo who provides vision, compassion, energy and positivity to all who enter Hilliard Tharp! Hilliard Tharp is one of two stand alone 6th grade buildings within the Hilliard City Schools. 

"The Tharp Way personalizes the Hilliard City School District VBO (Values, Behaviors, Outcomes) for our students and staff. The Tharp Way is the lens through which our staff and students manage their 20 square feet in our classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, playground and restrooms". 


Mrs. Cori Kindl

Mrs. Cori Kindl is entering her 8th year as the Principal of Hilliard Tharp and her 20th year in the education field. She previously taught 8th grade history for 8 years in the Lakota School District. During her time in Lakota she also coached girl’s varsity tennis and middle school track for 8 years. Mrs. Kindl then came to Hilliard where she served as the Assistant Principal at Weaver Middle School prior to becoming the Principal at Tharp. Mrs. Kindl attended Miami of Ohio University for her undergraduate degree and then went on to Xavier University to complete her master's degree program.

When asked her "why" for being an administrator Mrs. Kindl stated, "I want to positively impact the education and lives of as many kids as possible". Mrs. Kindl is a passionate educator who strives to be better each day. When asked what her favorite quote is she shared this quote: "Someone once told me not to bite off more than I can chew. I said I'd rather choke on greatness than nibble on mediocrity."

Outside of school Mrs. Kindl enjoys raising her 2 kids; Kellan (6), Lila (8) with her husband Dave. They enjoy playing with their family dog, a black lab named Reggie. Mrs. Kindl also enjoys working out, coaching her daughter's soccer team, reading, binge watching my favorite TV series, eating at great restaurants and doing as many activities as possible in downtown Columbus. Mrs. Kindl is a "forced" Browns fan. When asked her favorite NFL team, she said "My husband makes me cheer for the Browns".


Mr. Scott Snyder

We welcome Mr. Snyder into his new role this year as a member of the Tharp Leadership Team. Mr. Snyder is entering his 22nd year in education and his 16th at Tharp. Mr. Snyder has spent his last 16 years teaching 6th grade science and STEM classes. Mr. Snyder completed his undergraduate work at Ohio Northern University. He continued to further his education by attending Ashland University for his master's degree & the American College of Education for M+15.

Mr. Snyder says his reason for teaching is "to strive to impact students and make a positive impact on their education and lives". His favorite quote is; "Work in obscurity: be willing to do something because it matters, not because it will get you noticed".

Mr. Snyder has a wife Brianne and two sons; Cormac who attends Norwich Elementary and Riddock who is 4 years old. Mr. Snyder hopes to support the staff and students in any way he can this school year. He is a HUGE Chicago Cubs fan! He also enjoys cheering for the Miami Dolphins and the OSU Buckeyes Football Team.

To find out more about the amazing things happening at Tharp please visit: http://www.hilliardschools.org/hth/

Follow Tharp on Twitter: @hilliardtharp

"Leadership is the action we take to serve others" - Jon Gordon

Compliment - Compete

Today I am attending my first EdCamp. I have to admit I was hesitant about attending but a friend was so kind to sign me up! So here I am at the halfway point of my day and I have already learned something that I feel will change me as a leader and person for the better.  The opening keynote was delivered by the amazing Lavonna Roth. If you have not had a chance to hear her message please follow her on twitter @LaVonnaRoth. She spoke to us about the importance of Igniting our S.H.I.N.E. and how we use our S.H.I.N.E. to make our world better. (http://www.igniteyourshine.com/) She went on to talk about Complimenting vs. Competing. THIS really caught my attention and I felt like she was speaking directly to me with notion of complimenting those for their strengths/successes rather than feeling like I have to compete to be "better than" that person. This is a quality  I have gotten better at this over the years, but I still have my moments, that due to my own insecurities, I find myself going below the line. Moments where I am envious of others for successes, rather than showing gratitude and learning/growing from their successes.

This discussion took me back to the work of Steve Farber and the GTY project (Greater than Yourself). http://www.stevefarber.com/blog/2010/04/21/6-steps-to-greater-than-yourself/
As a result of today, I have recommitted to my GTY project in hopes to change my mindset when those moments of "competing" come to mind. I am hopeful that this is the "right" next step in my journey of professional and personal growth.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm still very competitive and always will be. I strive to get better each day, to push myself to #BeELITE in all I do.  However, I hope to strike a better balance in certain situations. To better balance my personal drive to improve over the feeling of having to compete to validate that  "I'm good enough". My ultimate leadership goal is to help others be more successful than they thought they could be.  I feel that the majority of the time I am a servant leader. My actions are humble and servant-oriented. I care for others, I want what is best for others. I believe that if you would ask those that I have had the honor to work with and for, they would say I approach leadership from that servant vantage point. However, this blog is about me doing deep soul searching and being painfully honest about one area of weakness that rears its head at times.

Im not sure if this all makes sense. I also am showing a lot of vulnerability in this post, but I feel for my own growth it was necessary to write it down. I challenge each of you to be reflective and honest with yourself.  Embrace productive discomfort and push yourself to find someone to make your GTY project and use your S.H.I.N.E. to make that person and the world a better place. Thanks LaVonna for your powerful message!

#BeELITE

Shadow a Student Challenge 2016

Ensuring that students have a fun, safe and fulfilling experience each day at THE Heritage is my top priority. I constantly seek input from students on an informal basis about their experience. I ask them to offer suggestions they might have on how we can make our school a better place for all students.
Today, I took a leap back, way way back to 1985 and 7th grade. My how things have changed from 1985. I accepted the #shadowastudent challenge and immersed myself in the life of a 7th grade student. http://shadowastudent.org/

My day began at 5am as my alarm clock went off my first thought was worrying about what to wear? What clothes would make me look like a “typical” 7th grade student? I played it safe and went with jeans and a “hoodie”, hood down of course…hoods are not allowed in school (smile). On my way to school, I felt myself getting a bit nervous. The kind of nervous you get on your “first day of school”. Worrying about where I would sit, would I know how to answer a question when asked by the teacher?

So with my backpack filled with my laptop, kind bar and water bottle I headed to my first period class, Algebra. I was so relieved to see my friend “Daubs” in my first period class. As you know having at least one friend in your class is a huge factor in the amount of “fun” you have in class. I took my seat, as I began my day in Ms. Litt's Algebra Class...to say I was anxious was an understatement. Math was never a strong content area for me as a student in school.  I felt myself hoping that I would not be called on...not only has it been years that I have had to sit in the "student" seat in a math class, but seeing students work on the iPads, the level of engagement and the level of instruction was nothing compared to what I experienced in 1985....

Then the moment that I had dreaded happened! Ms. Litt called on me to answer a question. I felt my heart begin to race, I felt all eyes turn and stare at me, I took at deep breath and said hesitantly….3? Ms. Litt quickly said…correct! Very good Ms. Sayre! Thanks Ms. Litt for giving me an easy one!
The bell rang to head to 2nd period. So with my shadow student, Jake we headed to concert band maybe its not too late to discover a hidden talent of music! As we enter the band room, Mr. Burke greeted us and showed me to my seat. “First chair” well next to Jake who had the actual “first chair”. We had a few minutes of down time at end of band. Jake and I gathered around a few other friends to catch up on spring break trips, rubrics cubes, NCAA tourney and discuss my apple watch.

The bell rang and we were off to 3rd period class, Advanced Science 7. Jake and I chatted on our way to class. He shared how he has found the least crowded path to each of his classes to ensure he is on time for each class. Jake reassured me that 3 minutes is plenty of time to get from class to class.

As we entered the science room students quickly grabbed their iPads and began a lab. Wait, a lab? On the iPad? What happened to beakers, Petri dishes, bubbling water, steam? What is a Gizmo? I quickly found that this is a “new” way a “cool” way to experience components of science. Students can move and manipulate the "sun" angles and see how many rays pass through based on the tilt of the earth. I hear student’s conversations of "that was kind of cool" with lots of laughter! That makes me happy.

It’s 10:15am and we are off to Social Studies 4th period where we discussed the primary elections, delegates and China. Finally, its 11:00am, time for lunch. After quickly eating lunch in 30 minutes we were off to 6th period and Language Arts.

I enjoyed this class as we got to pick our favorite book we have read all year and make a pic collage of why we would recommend this book. We then did a “gallery walk” to learn about each other’s recommendations. I liked moving around, it is hard to sit still for 48 minutes.

Next, Jake and I had to hustle. We had to catch the bus to the ILC (Innovative Learning Center) for our 6/7 period class. Riding a school bus to a different building in middle school for class….I didn’t do that in 1985. We entered the ILC and our teachers greeted us. First a stop at the snack shop for a Gatorade. Yes a snack shop….We began with a quick activity to show our support for those impacted by the tragedy in Belgium, we then moved into watching a Ted Talk “What Adults Can Learn From Kids” http://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak

The last activity was for us (students) to share out what we did on spring break. However we could not use words. We were given time practice. Freedom to go in small groups; to be creative on how we would communicate our spring break activities through actions/facial expressions and not words.

So what did I learn from today…

1. Sitting for 50 minutes is hard
2. I am so impressed with the level of talent, respect and focus of our kids.
3. I am not used to a bell driving my daily schedule
4. I need a snack around 9:30am 
5. MS students LOVE to share stories and maybe add a few exaggerations ☺
6. MS students and adults need movement, freedom and choice in learning.
7. Lunch is very important social time and the ONLY down time in the day.
8. School needs to look different, structured different. We need to move, trust and give students more freedom in owning their learning
9. Rubrics cubes are still relevant
10. March Madness can unite young and old (well older, not old)
11. We have GREAT kids, ELITE teachers, and EXCEPTIONAL opportunities!
12. I am truly blessed to have to opportunity to serve our school community each day. I am thankful for our positive school culture and our continued Passion for Growth in all we do. 

So now what? We continue our Journey to ELITE! We continue to seek ways to learn from each other and change the way we “do” school to ensure our kids our Ready for Tomorrow! Thank you to our school community for supporting my shadow day. A very special "thank you" to Jake for allowing me to enter his world and for being so kind throughout the day.

BE ELITE!