September 11, 2001 is obviously on a lot of people's minds right now. I was at West Point Elementary School in West Point, Nebraska serving as elementary principal. I will never forget my good buddy, Scott Shepard at WPHS, calling me to tell me something horrible was going on that morning.
My first thought went to my step-mama as she was a flight attendant for TWA/American at the time. I wasn't sure what her flight schedule was and it took me about an hour to confirm she was OK and home in Florida watching the disaster unravel like so many of us were. I was very thankful and relieved to learn that she was safe.
I will always remember Charlene Recker, an awesome 2nd grade teacher, who had a son that worked at the Pentagon. She came to me in tears not knowing if he was OK and she was unable to reach him. I covered her class for a little over an hour while she tried to connect with family, etc. I then took her class to PE and went back to my office. A few minutes later, I answered the phone and it was Mrs. Recker's son. I believe his name was Jason. I burst across the hallway to tell Charlene to come to my office for a phone call (I was too dumb to figure out how to transfer the call to her room). The pure joy and relief on her face as she spoke with her son will always stick with me. It was a huge relief for all of us.
The rest of that day was a blur. I remember lines of cars 25 deep at Casey's trying to fill up with gas because nobody knew what the days ahead would bring. I remember Graybeal's Grocery Store having long lines too. But mostly, I just remember sadness. I had three children at the time with Taylor and Micah being 8 and 6 and Jeb just 15 months old.
That night it really hit me. Like almost everyone else, we were learning about the massive and senseless loss of lives from across the country. Sadness turned to anger. Anger turned to sadness. It was horrible. I remember taking Taylor and Micah to McDonald's to get them an ice cream cone and to try and explain in basic terms what had happened. On the way home, I was listening to the radio and I heard a recap of what First Lady Laura Bush had encouraged parents and educators to tell our children and that is that they are safe, we live in a great country, and we're going to be ok.
I wasn't sure how to address the issue with our 350 K-5th graders the next morning and I wasn't sure if I even should. Mary Thomas, another awesome 2nd grade teacher, convinced me that the kids (and staff) needed to hear something from me in the gym that morning where everyone gathered before the bell rang.
With a lump in my throat, I simply told WPES what First Lady Bush said. We are safe. We are lucky to be Americans. We will be ok. I went on to tell our students that it is ok to be sad. It is ok to be mad. It is ok to not be sure how you feel. We then talked about doing our part to make sure we worked hard and supported each other so we could be the best students and staff we could be and how powerful that would be if all Americans did that. I was very appreciative of Mrs. Bush's leadership. Her words helped me and many others.
I then went to my office, shut the door, and cried for an hour. The reality of the tragedy was setting in.
I will never forget how "patriotic" everyone seemed for the next few months. National Anthems at ball games became "events." Military fly overs and salutes to emergency responders and law enforcement personnel gave you the chills. Remember how awesome the Huskers "Tunnel Walk" was the following week with firemen and police men carrying the stars and stripes?
While I never ever want any of us to have to re-live 9-11-01, I do wish we could re-live every day the togetherness and closeness and pride we felt for the next few months. I wish we all felt as grateful to be Americans now as we did that fall. I wish we all didn't take for granted all the things we do now that we didn't for a few months.
The United States of America is far from perfect. We do a lot of things that don't always work out too well. However, I am always proud to be an American. I love this country and what it stands for not just today or tomorrow but every day. We are very fortunate to live in this country and to have the opportunities we have. I hope more people appreciate it.
I will NEVER be embarrassed to fly an American flag at my house. I will never apologize for supporting our military. I will never stop loving this country.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Friday, September 4, 2015
Day 17 and Counting....
It's hard to believe but we have been in school for 17 days already. District wide, we are definitely in a positive routine. Outstanding learning environments have been re-established. Important rules and procedures are back in place. Our schedules are back in familiar territory and it is time to get after it and make 2015-16 the best school year it can be.
It's an honor to be able to visit PreK-12th grade classrooms throughout our district to see all of the amazing things going on. To see passionate staff and enthusiastic students is the highlight of every day. Let's keep rolling YPS and continue to "find a way" to get better and better.
GO DUKES!
It's an honor to be able to visit PreK-12th grade classrooms throughout our district to see all of the amazing things going on. To see passionate staff and enthusiastic students is the highlight of every day. Let's keep rolling YPS and continue to "find a way" to get better and better.
GO DUKES!
Thursday, August 27, 2015
York Dukes CRUSH the ACT in 2015
The York Dukes have a long history of performing very well on the ACT. This year is no different!
The ACT assessment has proven to be an indication of the extent of which students are prepared for college-level work. York Public Schools is VERY proud to announce that our 2015 ACT score profile has been released and our numbers are well above the state and national averages!
-- York Dukes had an average ACT English score of 22.6 while the state avg. was 21.1
-- York Dukes had an average ACT Math score of 22.0 while the state avg. was 21.0
-- York Dukes had an average ACT Reading score of 22.7 while the state avg. was 21.9
-- York Dukes had an average ACT Science score of 22.4 while the state avg. was 21.6
-- York Dukes had an average ACT Composite score of 22.5 while the state avg. was 21.5
** The “Composite” score serves as an “overall” score that summarizes your total score in all curricular areas
ACT research has shown that it is the rigor of coursework; rather than simply the number of core courses; that has the greatest impact on ACT performance and college readiness.
1) Students who take more advanced courses substantially increase their ACT scores.
2) York students that took Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry scored an average of 23.5 on the ACT Math test.
3) York students that took Biology, Chemistry, and Physics scored an average of 26.5 on the ACT Science test.
The ACT assessment has proven to be an indication of the extent of which students are prepared for college-level work. York Public Schools is VERY proud to announce that our 2015 ACT score profile has been released and our numbers are well above the state and national averages!
-- York Dukes had an average ACT English score of 22.6 while the state avg. was 21.1
-- York Dukes had an average ACT Math score of 22.0 while the state avg. was 21.0
-- York Dukes had an average ACT Reading score of 22.7 while the state avg. was 21.9
-- York Dukes had an average ACT Science score of 22.4 while the state avg. was 21.6
-- York Dukes had an average ACT Composite score of 22.5 while the state avg. was 21.5
** The “Composite” score serves as an “overall” score that summarizes your total score in all curricular areas
ACT research has shown that it is the rigor of coursework; rather than simply the number of core courses; that has the greatest impact on ACT performance and college readiness.
1) Students who take more advanced courses substantially increase their ACT scores.
2) York students that took Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry scored an average of 23.5 on the ACT Math test.
3) York students that took Biology, Chemistry, and Physics scored an average of 26.5 on the ACT Science test.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
YPS Excels on State Assessments Again
York Public Schools is very proud to once again share some outstanding results of how our students did on Nebraska State Assessments (NeSA). We realize NeSA is is just a small snippet of what we do but we are excited with how well our district continues to do each year. We look forward to continuing to improve our curriculum and instruction initiatives. We will continue to work hard to provide our students with a top-notch educational experience with or without NeSA or any other accountability measure that comes our way. GO DUKES!
Please view our 2015 NeSA results by copying/pasting the link below into your browser of your choice.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kvtEs4C_sdKFGVqyERIMa-W7R5ey-9GCAF3JxOEaLYo/edit?usp=sharing
Please view our 2015 NeSA results by copying/pasting the link below into your browser of your choice.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kvtEs4C_sdKFGVqyERIMa-W7R5ey-9GCAF3JxOEaLYo/edit?usp=sharing
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
The Importance of School Activities
The first YHS "activity" of the school year will take place this Thursday evening, August 20, when the JV Softball Team takes on Aurora at home. It will be a double header, with game times at 6:00 and 7:30 P.M. These contests will launch a very busy and competitive fall activities schedule that will have many of us running around the state cheering on our favorite Dukes.
School activities, in my opinion, are extremely important for the culture of the school and the connection with the community. When I say "activities," I mean sports, fine arts, FFA, mock trial, FBLA, band, choir, cheerleaders, etc....ANY activity that requires a young person to interact and work with other young people in a "team" setting. Educational research shows that the students that are involved in the most activities typically do the best in the classroom as well.
Students learn so much when involved in school activities. They have to manage their time and stay organized. They have to deal with pressure and accountability. They have to interact with different personalities of teammates. They have to learn how to handle success and overcome failure. They have to learn that their behaviors and actions impact others.
We are fortunate that over 75% of our YHS students participate in at least one school activity. Many of our students participate in three or more. We hope to increase our student participation rate even higher. We truly see it as an important part of the educational experience.
We hope you get out and support YHS activities again this year. We've always been fortunate to have tremendous support at "home" and "away" activities. Our activity events bring thousands of visitors to town. They provide hundreds of hours of entertainment and excitement. They help mold our young people into great adults. We are fortunate to have so many dedicated and talented participants, sponsors, and coaches. GO DUKES!
School activities, in my opinion, are extremely important for the culture of the school and the connection with the community. When I say "activities," I mean sports, fine arts, FFA, mock trial, FBLA, band, choir, cheerleaders, etc....ANY activity that requires a young person to interact and work with other young people in a "team" setting. Educational research shows that the students that are involved in the most activities typically do the best in the classroom as well.
Students learn so much when involved in school activities. They have to manage their time and stay organized. They have to deal with pressure and accountability. They have to interact with different personalities of teammates. They have to learn how to handle success and overcome failure. They have to learn that their behaviors and actions impact others.
We are fortunate that over 75% of our YHS students participate in at least one school activity. Many of our students participate in three or more. We hope to increase our student participation rate even higher. We truly see it as an important part of the educational experience.
We hope you get out and support YHS activities again this year. We've always been fortunate to have tremendous support at "home" and "away" activities. Our activity events bring thousands of visitors to town. They provide hundreds of hours of entertainment and excitement. They help mold our young people into great adults. We are fortunate to have so many dedicated and talented participants, sponsors, and coaches. GO DUKES!
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
FINDING A WAY to get Better
The YPS Board of Education approved my professional goals for 2015-16. I'm simply trying to find a way to get better. This is going to be a very important school year for us as we have multiple initiatives that we need to implement in a seamless fashion. It's an honor to work for YPS, its students, staff, parents, patrons, and school board.
Here are my goals for the upcoming year:
Communication/Visibility/Public Relations
• Communicate on a consistent basis and at a high level with all employees through face-to-face interaction, e-mail, memos, meetings, and other effective methods
• Be a visible presence in all YPS facilities on a regular basis
o Conduct walk-throughs in each classroom on at least a quarterly basis
• Be visible and approachable at school activities
• Make our staff and community aware of all the good things going on at YPS through guest columns to the newspaper, the use of social media, the YPS website, email, phone calls, handwritten notes, and other pertinent methods of communication
• Continue “Community Coffee” meetings each quarter to reach out to our patrons and heighten communication between the school system and community
o Will have two “Community Luncheons” and two “Coffees” this year in hopes of showcasing LunchTime Solutions over the lunch hour
• Use Twitter (York Duke Power,) Facebook, and the school website to showcase YPS
o 1,509 followers on Twitter in August 2015 compared to 1,199 followers in July 2014
o 1,545 “likes” on Facebook in August 2015 compared to 1,163 “likes” in July 2014
• Interact with local business leaders on a regular basis through service club meetings, luncheons, invitations to school activities, and special occasions
• Continue to strengthen the YPS/City of York working relationship
• Continue to strengthen and broaden working relationships with staff members
• Continue to communicate with patrons and statewide officials about ongoing school finance concerns as they relate to an over-reliance on local property taxes
Instructional Leadership
• Help enhance our new teacher mentoring offerings
o Follow-up professional leave day on September 25th
• Work towards increased academic opportunities for all students
• Continue to work with First Five Nebraska, Buffett Foundation, and others to pursue expanded birth-to-five programming
• Help manage PreK-12th grade School Improvement Plan and Initiatives
o Continue to help expand professional development opportunities for all staff and make sure our professional development plans tie directly to our school improvement goals
• Help improve student achievement scores on local, state, and national assessments
o Percentage of students that met/exceeded proficiency on NeSA-Math tests have increased from 67% in 2011 to 77% in 2013 to 84% in 2015
o Percentage of students that met/exceeded proficiency on NeSA-Reading tests have increased from 69% in 2010 to 82% in 2013 to 87% in 2015
• Continue to help emphasize technology integration across the curriculum to enhance learning with actual lesson objectives as opposed to “just a new, neat app”
• Continue to work with state leaders about our local concerns on the amount of instructional time lost due to what we see as excessive assessment/ranking requirements
• Help ensure that our “instructional model” game plan is highly effective for our students and staff and helps improve our school district
• Help ensure our new work certification programming venture with NCTA, Reinke, and CVA is the game-changer we think it will be
Financial Leadership
• Make sure we end each fiscal year with more money received than spent
• Communicate effectively with board, staff, and community about our budget and how we’re doing throughout the year in regards to receipts and disbursements
• Make sure YPS pursues at least two $10,000+ grants each semester
• Grow Depreciation and Building Fund accounts
• Build up cash reserve so we can better handle state aid fluctuations
o Cash reserve had a negative balance of -$995,591 in 2009
o Cash reserve had improved to a positive balance of $491,041 in 2012
o Cash reserve will grow to over $900,000+ as we enter 2015-16
District-Wide Leadership
• For all employees, be a role model that exhibits honesty/integrity, a strong work ethic, high expectations for self and others, and enthusiasm
• Challenge, support and assist administrative team in their continued efforts to lead their buildings and departments forward
• Continue to solicit input from others as often as possible
• Work on comprehensive post-graduate survey to report how YPS students are doing after high school graduation
• Continue to help YPS broaden its “legislative footprint” through STANCE and active involvement at the State Capitol
Here are my goals for the upcoming year:
Communication/Visibility/Public Relations
• Communicate on a consistent basis and at a high level with all employees through face-to-face interaction, e-mail, memos, meetings, and other effective methods
• Be a visible presence in all YPS facilities on a regular basis
o Conduct walk-throughs in each classroom on at least a quarterly basis
• Be visible and approachable at school activities
• Make our staff and community aware of all the good things going on at YPS through guest columns to the newspaper, the use of social media, the YPS website, email, phone calls, handwritten notes, and other pertinent methods of communication
• Continue “Community Coffee” meetings each quarter to reach out to our patrons and heighten communication between the school system and community
o Will have two “Community Luncheons” and two “Coffees” this year in hopes of showcasing LunchTime Solutions over the lunch hour
• Use Twitter (York Duke Power,) Facebook, and the school website to showcase YPS
o 1,509 followers on Twitter in August 2015 compared to 1,199 followers in July 2014
o 1,545 “likes” on Facebook in August 2015 compared to 1,163 “likes” in July 2014
• Interact with local business leaders on a regular basis through service club meetings, luncheons, invitations to school activities, and special occasions
• Continue to strengthen the YPS/City of York working relationship
• Continue to strengthen and broaden working relationships with staff members
• Continue to communicate with patrons and statewide officials about ongoing school finance concerns as they relate to an over-reliance on local property taxes
Instructional Leadership
• Help enhance our new teacher mentoring offerings
o Follow-up professional leave day on September 25th
• Work towards increased academic opportunities for all students
• Continue to work with First Five Nebraska, Buffett Foundation, and others to pursue expanded birth-to-five programming
• Help manage PreK-12th grade School Improvement Plan and Initiatives
o Continue to help expand professional development opportunities for all staff and make sure our professional development plans tie directly to our school improvement goals
• Help improve student achievement scores on local, state, and national assessments
o Percentage of students that met/exceeded proficiency on NeSA-Math tests have increased from 67% in 2011 to 77% in 2013 to 84% in 2015
o Percentage of students that met/exceeded proficiency on NeSA-Reading tests have increased from 69% in 2010 to 82% in 2013 to 87% in 2015
• Continue to help emphasize technology integration across the curriculum to enhance learning with actual lesson objectives as opposed to “just a new, neat app”
• Continue to work with state leaders about our local concerns on the amount of instructional time lost due to what we see as excessive assessment/ranking requirements
• Help ensure that our “instructional model” game plan is highly effective for our students and staff and helps improve our school district
• Help ensure our new work certification programming venture with NCTA, Reinke, and CVA is the game-changer we think it will be
Financial Leadership
• Make sure we end each fiscal year with more money received than spent
• Communicate effectively with board, staff, and community about our budget and how we’re doing throughout the year in regards to receipts and disbursements
• Make sure YPS pursues at least two $10,000+ grants each semester
• Grow Depreciation and Building Fund accounts
• Build up cash reserve so we can better handle state aid fluctuations
o Cash reserve had a negative balance of -$995,591 in 2009
o Cash reserve had improved to a positive balance of $491,041 in 2012
o Cash reserve will grow to over $900,000+ as we enter 2015-16
District-Wide Leadership
• For all employees, be a role model that exhibits honesty/integrity, a strong work ethic, high expectations for self and others, and enthusiasm
• Challenge, support and assist administrative team in their continued efforts to lead their buildings and departments forward
• Continue to solicit input from others as often as possible
• Work on comprehensive post-graduate survey to report how YPS students are doing after high school graduation
• Continue to help YPS broaden its “legislative footprint” through STANCE and active involvement at the State Capitol
Sunday, August 2, 2015
August 13th - Back to School Celebration
BACK TO SCHOOL CELEBRATION and COMMUNITY PEP RALLY
Thursday, August 13th – 5:00 to 8:00 PM at East Hill Park
Please plan to join us in East Hill Park on Thursday, August 13th as we celebrate the beginning of another awesome school year for York Public Schools, St. Joseph’s, Emmanuel-Faith, and Epworth Village. Come enjoy the bounce houses and photo booth, sign up for various booster clubs, purchase an activity pass, buy some York Duke apparel, devour some delicious food, and enjoy a fun evening in East Hill Park!
5:00-6:50 will be our “Back to School Celebration”
o The Farmers’ Market vendors will be on site to sell their delicious goodies
o We will also have bounce houses and an awesome photo booth
o Local vendors that have indicated they will be on site include:
Kirby's School of Dance & Kirtsey Dancewear & Gifts
Urgent Care of York
Advocare
York Promotional Products
Kilgore Memorial Library
Simply Styled Salon & Boutique
Perfectly Posh lotions, soaps, and scrubs
York Printing
Epworth Village
York County Head Start & PLAY
York Public Schools Foundation
York TeamMates Mentoring Program
YHS Wrestling
York Chamber of Commerce
YHS Band, Fine Arts, and Athletics Booster Clubs
YHS Flag Squad
York Youth Soccer Association
Let’s Move York
York Medical Clinic - "Your York based Healthcare Providers"
York High School will be selling activity passes and York Duke clothing
7:00-8:00 PM will be the “Community Pep Rally” inside at the Levitt Football Stadium
o We will formally dedicate the Hub Foster Press Box and Locker Room addition and recognize students from YES, YMS, Head Start & PLAY, Epworth, St. Joseph’s, and Emmanuel-Faith.
o YHS fall sports and activity teams will also be recognized with the help of the YHS Band and Cheerleading squad.
Thursday, August 13th – 5:00 to 8:00 PM at East Hill Park
Please plan to join us in East Hill Park on Thursday, August 13th as we celebrate the beginning of another awesome school year for York Public Schools, St. Joseph’s, Emmanuel-Faith, and Epworth Village. Come enjoy the bounce houses and photo booth, sign up for various booster clubs, purchase an activity pass, buy some York Duke apparel, devour some delicious food, and enjoy a fun evening in East Hill Park!
5:00-6:50 will be our “Back to School Celebration”
o The Farmers’ Market vendors will be on site to sell their delicious goodies
o We will also have bounce houses and an awesome photo booth
o Local vendors that have indicated they will be on site include:
Kirby's School of Dance & Kirtsey Dancewear & Gifts
Urgent Care of York
Advocare
York Promotional Products
Kilgore Memorial Library
Simply Styled Salon & Boutique
Perfectly Posh lotions, soaps, and scrubs
York Printing
Epworth Village
York County Head Start & PLAY
York Public Schools Foundation
York TeamMates Mentoring Program
YHS Wrestling
York Chamber of Commerce
YHS Band, Fine Arts, and Athletics Booster Clubs
YHS Flag Squad
York Youth Soccer Association
Let’s Move York
York Medical Clinic - "Your York based Healthcare Providers"
York High School will be selling activity passes and York Duke clothing
7:00-8:00 PM will be the “Community Pep Rally” inside at the Levitt Football Stadium
o We will formally dedicate the Hub Foster Press Box and Locker Room addition and recognize students from YES, YMS, Head Start & PLAY, Epworth, St. Joseph’s, and Emmanuel-Faith.
o YHS fall sports and activity teams will also be recognized with the help of the YHS Band and Cheerleading squad.
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