Buzzing in the Summer

It's summer.  Schools are quiet.  Teachers are sitting by the pool.  It's our "slow" time.  

You wouldn't think that if you visited our training center at the Admin Office today.  The room is buzzing with about 20 elementary teachers all working to improve their teaching and ensure our students have every opportunity for academic success.   The teachers are giving up a summer day to work on standards for writing and literacy.  They are here because they see the value in putting in the time now and they want to grow as professionals.   

This isn't a one-time phenomenon though.  Throughout the summer, our teachers will be coming together to learn, grow, improve.  The district offers several professional development opportunities for teachers.  In some cases, they can even earn college credit.  There are nearly 120 hours offered through the district's summer reboot series.  The classes, many taught by our own staff, include reader's workshop, special education,social media in the classroom, autism, working with children in poverty, bar modeling, differentiating math, using independent text, using movement, music & rhythm for active learning, learning across content areas, technology use, standards-based grading, and several more.

Teachers are also attending workshops and conferences outside the district.  I saw a post from HHS art teacher Melissa Chaney last week and she was attending classes at the Kansas City Art Institute on using fibers.  A group of science teachers from the middle school is going to a conference together this summer.   Cass Career Center teachers will attend the Missouri Association for Career & Technical Education conference at the end of July.  The list goes on and on.

Another way that our staff is continuing to learn and grow this summer is through the use of social media.  Teachers are participating in education Twitter chats and webinars, sharing articles - they are learning and sharing with others from around the world.  

You've started to hear the phrase, "Learning without Limits" in our district.  Our hope is to encourage learning all the time.  You don't have to be in a classroom to learn....learning is a 24/7 opportunity.  Our teachers are illustrating this with the work they are doing this summer.

The energy and collaborative efforts I saw today in our training room are just a snapshot of what's going on this summer and it makes me know that today's a "Great Day to be a Wildcat."

- Jill Filer, Director of Communications

Everyone's a winner

I was at Job Olympics recently. Students compete in several "job" related events and are scored on performance. The top performers in each event are called up to stand on podium to receive medals. One of our students did extremely well. He was called up several times. We all cheered each time he (and all the others) were called up. At the end of the awards ceremony, it was time for a picture. When he lined up for group picture I noticed he didn't have a single medal around his neck. I asked him, "where are all your medals for the picture?!" He responded that he didn't have anymore because he'd given one to each kid who didn't win one themselves. I cannot tell you how proud I was of that young man and our schools at that moment. I was so proud, and speechless.  #wildcatkindness
- Dr. Jason Beavers, HHS Asst. Principal

Birthday Suprise

I found out that over the weekend that several members of the football team threw a surprise birthday party for one of the team managers.  The manager, a special needs student who lives in a group home, has helped the team this year. The players even called the group home and asked if they could have the other residents go out for the day so that they could spend time alone with him.  Members of the team went over and hung out with him.

The most touching part of this is that the players pooled their own money together to buy the manager a letterman jacket. Further, they gave him a gift card to Wal-Mart for $200. A great, great example of wildcat kindness.

I talked to the student's guardian before sharing this story & he told me that this is the first birthday party the student has ever had.

- Dr. Jason Beavers, HHS Asst. Principal

Football players give back

During the summer the HHS Wildcat Football team decided to give back to the community that gives so much to them.  With the help of some of the senior moms, every senior football player and several underclassmen took on a list of community service projects with great results.  They volunteered at Shepherd's Staff Food Pantry, the Cass County Rescue Mission, the Just For Me Summer Backpack program, and they volunteered to help Bright Futures with the Back-to-School Fair.

Feedback from players, parents and the community has been overwhelmingly positive, and it was great for the boys to get outside of their comfortable world and see how many people in Harrisonville need assistance.  It was a good experience for everyone involved. 

Andy Campbell
HHS Principal

Going the Extra Mile

I wanted to share a story of an HMS administrator, Chris Grantham, making a difference for two of our students.   Late on a Friday afternoon, we found out that a family with students at two buildings had an emergency situation arise and the students had a temporary change in living arrangements for the weekend.  Chris drove one of the students to the place he was staying for the weekend, made sure everything was fine, thus allowing us to send the other student "home" knowing everything was going to be OK for the weekend.  Way to go the extra distance Chris!

Dan Erholtz
McEowen Principal

Make A Difference - Share It, Grow It

As I outlined in an earlier post, our theme for the year is “Make A Difference.”  We first challenged our staff, and then I passed the challenge on to our readers, to write a note to someone who made a difference in their life.   Did you complete this challenge?  It’s such an easy way to brighten someone’s day and to show them how much they mean to you.  

This challenge was aimed at someone you know well.  What about making a difference in the life of someone who you don’t know as well or at all?  Many times making a difference in a stranger’s life comes through a random act of kindness.  Our administrative team and secretaries exercised this during their summer activity - they handed out water, lent a helping hand, and expressed appreciation.   

These are usually very simple, immediate acts that make life easier or bring a smile.  What about helping someone load their groceries into the car?  Offering a smile and kind words to the cashier checking you out?  Telling a manager about excellent service offered by an employee?  

These random acts of kindness can inspire others.  Think of the Liberty Mutual commercials which start with someone witnessing an act of kindness by another person and then they commit an act and so on until the circle is complete with the original person as the recipient of kindness.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frpp6DjCaJU

However, many times our acts of kindness are not witnessed by anyone and that’s OK.  We don’t do it for recognition.  To inspire others though, we need to share our stories.  That’s why we’re using #wildcatkindness on Twitter to share some of those stories.  You can share your own story or the story of something you witnessed.  The hope is to inspire and encourage others to join the movement.  

So now the challenge is to share your story...if you’re not a “tweeter,” then comment here or if you’d rather remain anonymous, you can email me (jill.filer@harrisonvilleschools.org) and I’ll share your story without your name. 

Let’s see how many of these cycles of kindness we can begin. 

Jill Filer
Director of Communications

A Warm, Wildcat Welcome

The first days of school are always stressful for students. "Where are my classes, where is my locker, who is in my second period, will I like my teachers, etc.?"  These are all questions that students have and they are compounded for students who are entirely new to our district.  

We had a incident last week that showcased the very best character in our kids.

A new student went to lunch and all of the tables were full with students catching up with friends about summer adventures. The new student surveyed the cafeteria looking for a welcoming place to sit. Just then, one of our volleyball players came to her and gave the student her seat at a table with all of her friends. The volleyball player then went all the way across to the cafeteria to get herself a chair and returned to the table. She introduced the new student to her friends and our new student has been sitting and conversing  with the group every day since. While this may seem like a small gesture, it is not. Finding a "place" to sit in the cafeteria can be one of he most stressful events of a student's high school experience. It not only meant a great deal to that student, it also made me extremely proud of our kids.

I was proud of our kids and how they stepped up to welcome our new student. They made an extremely awkward moment into an opportunity to perhaps make a lifelong friend.  Very proud.  #wildcatkindness

Dr. Jason Beavers
HHS Assistant Principal
@DrBeaversHHS