Patricia Verdun Brings High-Tech Vocational Programs (and more) to SB

Patricia Verdun, CTE Coordinator and Teacher, is in her third year at South Bend

Patricia Verdun, Career & Technical Education (CTE) teacher at South Bend High School is always looking to provide her students with life-relevant learning opportunities.

And isn't that what education should be about?

Ms. Verdun, who is in her third year at South Bend, provides a multitude of student programs and strives to offer impactful opportunities.

MOS Certification

One of the programs new this school year, Ms. Verdun is preparing South Bend students to test for Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification.  A new program supported by Microsoft and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), this multi-month certification process is being taught in Ms. Verdun's 9th grade computer applications class.

"Our students are becoming proficient in Word, Excel, and Powerpoint," says Ms. Verdun.  "Most students use Word and Powerpoint, but in this class they are learning to use all aspects of this software, it is very powerful," she continues.  "Microsoft provides Office 2013 curriculum to us and we teach the lessons here in our labs.  Students can also access the software from home, which allows students to have Office 2013 wherever they need it."  Students often use their own interests as data and content in their class projects.  Doing this allows students to have more ownership in what they are learning, and develops a little bit of pride in the process.  "I enjoy making class fun and relevant to the students so they can be invested," says Ms. Verdun.

Ms. Verdun has made South Bend High School a Microsoft authorized testing center, and South Bend students will complete certification testing on campus.  Microsoft provides the testing free of charge through program vouchers.

One reason I believe CTE classes to be so important is that they give students the chance to learn practical skills which can relate to future opportunities.  School needs to relevant to students, and CTE provides an arena for that relevance to be realized.  It is even better when training can tie directly to future job qualifications that may potentially give students a competitive edge.

Impacting Kids

Ms. Verdun, who has a degree in accounting, a Masters in education, and is endorsed in business marketing and work-based learning, enjoys teaching kids technology business skills.  But, she also involves students in other leadership activities where students learn life skills through service.  Teaching career choices, personal finance, intro to business, and journalism/yearbook, Ms. Verdun is often found working with students outside of school on various projects.  Her FBLA club coordinates school blood drives and various service projects.  Last year her students promoted Bully Prevention Week, and educated students and staff on these important issues.

When I asked what she likes most about teaching in a small school, Ms. Verdun said that she believes we can better impact students.  "Bigger schools may have more resources for a lot of things, but I've found I can really develop good relationships with kids here," she continues.  "I connect well with students and I like being able to help them out."

In these recent days where education is seemingly more about testing and accountability, impactful programs like ones provided by our CTE teachers run the risk of being overlooked.  And CTE are not the only ones left behind.  Art, music, and other subjects not always identified as "core" often take a back seat to the political favorites of the moment.  It is reassuring to have teachers like Ms. Verdun who push forward and continue to innovate in the classroom.  Yet another example of why South Bend is, "A great place for kids."

Great ShakeOut & Tsunami Evacuation Drill

South Bend Public Schools participated in the Great Washington Shake Out on October 15 at 10:15 am.  After the scheduled earthquake drill, the school followed the coordinated tsunami evacuation drill initiated by Pacific County Emergency Management and the City of South Bend.  The entire school district, over 600 students and staff from the pre-school to the high school, made their way up Monroe and over to Cowlitz and Jackson in under 15 minutes.  School busses were waiting at the staging area and transported elementary children back to the South Bend campus.

South Bend Schools have been practicing school-wide tsunami evacuation exercises for years.  We believe this is important to do so that both staff and students experience the process of where to go in the event of an actual emergency.  Practicing this drill allows us to become more efficient and safe as we move six to seven hundred people to elevated safety.  As this process becomes second nature to our students and staff, their confidence and understanding of what to do helps ensure everyone's safety.

It is impossible to anticipate the exact circumstances we will face during and after an earthquake emergency.  However, we have clear procedures of how to react during an earthquake and these procedures are taught to our students on a regular basis.  In the event of an actual tsunami evacuation order, we will evacuate as planned and then coordinate and follow procedures as established by South Bend
City officials and Pacific County Emergency Management.  Student safety is our primary concern, and we will do what it takes to ensure each and every one of our students are accounted for and safe.

Parents should be sure to talk with their children about safety procedures during and after an earthquake, and should have an emergency plan in place at home.  This is good reinforcement of emergency procedures learned at school, and will help ensure families are safe in the event an emergency occurs while at home.   Further information can be found at the Pacific County Emergency Management website.

Teacher-Librarian Lori Dearmore Brings Wealth of Experience to SB

Mrs. Dearmore is South Bend's new teacher-librarian

South Bend Public Schools has many new faces this school year and several new programs for students.

One program in particular is making increased services available to all students and teachers in the district, and that is our new school library program under the direction of new teacher-librarian Lori Dearmore and her para-professional Karen Clements.

Love for Reading

Mrs. Dearmore is a skilled teacher who had spent the last 25 years working for the Naselle School District, before coming to South Bend this school year.  We are very fortunate to have been able to hire her, and we have already seen a significant impact on our school.

"One of my roles is getting the right book into the hands of the student," says Mrs. Dearmore.  "My goal is to know both the library collection and the individual students well enough in order to match them together," she continues.

It is fun to watch as students of all ages get to know Mrs. Dearmore in the library.  It is clear that she loves kids and cares about their learning.  "I love working with students and seeing our new books fly off the shelf," she says.  "It is fulfilling to see students who love to read, and I enjoy being able to teach a love for reading."   "We are growing a student request list for additional books, we want the library to be functional for all student groups."

Enhancing Student Learning & Teaching

As superintendent, I believe the library should be a central, main feature of the school.  More than teaching students to read, we need to teach students how to be effective consumers and producers of information.  A quality library augments the teaching and learning happening in the classroom, and the teacher-librarian leads this effort.

This is where Mrs. Dearmore is invaluable.  Being a certified teacher, with teaching experience K-12 in a variety of teaching assignments, she knows how to enhance both the teaching and learning experience using library resources.  "I love working individually with teachers or co-teaching to enhance the curriculum," Lori explains.  "For example, the high school AP English class is just beginning a 7 month research project.  I have been working with Mrs. Haugan [AP teacher] to teach the kids about website bias, learning how to conduct scholarly research, and how to use library resources to create content," she continues.  "Information literacy is crucial for today's students---we are teaching kids to be both users and producers of information."

To be an effective instructional space and resource to learning, the library also needs to be setup and organized efficiently, and Mrs. Dearmore and Ms. Clements have been hard at work since before school started this September.  "We are just this week converting to an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) that will bring a lot of efficiency to both organizing our collection and getting it into the hands of teachers and students," says Mrs. Dearmore.  "Teachers and students will now be able to search and place holds through the Internet, and we will be more effective in providing our users with the resources they need."  Beyond this, the library houses two mobile learning labs, where students and classes use Chromebooks and Apple laptops to engage in library learning activities and research, all of which Mrs. Dearmore has ample experience.

First a Teacher

Not only does Mrs. Dearmore provide South Bend with significant technical expertise in library and information services, she also is a naturally gifted teacher who cares for all students.  "I enjoy working with and teaching all age groups, one of the things I have always loved about K-12 schools," she says.  "I really enjoy getting to know all of the kids and learning about their interests."  Fluent in Spanish, Mrs. Dearmore gets to utilize her language skills on a regular basis as well--another asset to the district, and something that allows us to better serve all kids.

Moving Forward

In my opinion, a functional library is much more than a collection of books.  Libraries serve as a gateway to the world---a vehicle for the discovery of knowledge, and a platform for students to have voice.  You will see our library develop over time as we add more and more opportunities for learning.

We are privileged to have Mrs. Dearmore working with our staff and students, and I am thankful for the educational service she and Ms. Clements provide---our library is a big part of the educational future here in South Bend.

If you are interested in learning more about our school library at South Bend Public Schools, please feel free to contact us.

Ryan Miskell: "More than enforcing the law"

Officer Miskell during SBHS lunch

As a school administrator we often have the need or responsibility to interact and work with law enforcement.   As you can imagine, this can be a positive or challenging experience; especially when kids are involved.

South Bend Public Schools is fortunate to have the City of South Bend Police Department as a community partner and resource.  A big part of this partnership comes from Officer Ryan Miskell, and the daily interactions he has with our students.

Made possible through a grant from the Pacific County Teen Advocacy Coalition, Officer Miskell is available to students most days of the week during student lunch times---not to enforce the law, but to build relationships with kids.  "Students don't always have someone safe to talk to," says Miskell, who came to South Bend in 2013.  "They come to me for help, whether it is for them or a friend, and they know I'm here to offer that help."

Of course, students will only come to an adult, especially a uniformed police officer, if they trust that individual.  This is where Officer Miskell shines.  "I think the kids here know that I'm someone they can come to for support, I spend a lot of time talking with the kids and building positive relationships--they are comfortable coming to me for help, " he continues.  By having trusting relationships with kids, Officer Miskell hopes to prevent difficult situations from getting worse.  He is often called upon at all hours of the night when students are in need.  "I find situations at least weekly, where my relationships with students come into play during a time of hardship," says Officer Miskell.  "When I respond to an incident at a student home, a car accident, or other situation, I can often see the relief in the student's eyes seeing me show up to help."  "It definitely makes a difference in the whole situation," he continues.

When students feel safe at school, safe at home, and safe in their community, they are better able to learn.  Officer Miskell is a solid role model and I am thankful to have him in our community and helping at our schools.  In addition to his school role, he also helps kids with reading at our summer school, volunteers with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and can be relied upon to help out with most any school or community function.   Having two children of his own (5th grade student and preschool student), Ryan Miskell has a passion for kids, and wants to help create good opportunities for their future.  All of these things add to the positive educational environment we offer our kids in South Bend.  Another example of great people doing things to support students.

The staff and students of South Bend Public Schools are fortunate to have Officer Miskell in our buildings.  Please take time to thank him for his efforts, he brings a lot of good things to the table.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn Addresses Students

 The 2015-16 school year is officially open at South Bend Public Schools!  With 550+ K-12 students on the rolls we are excited to get school back up and running.

We were honored to have a special visitor kick off the Jr. Sr. High opening assembly this morning!

Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn delivered a positive presentation to students and staff in the newly remodeled Koplitz Field House.  Supt. Dorn's message to South Bend students centered not on the importance of test scores, but pursuing personal interests, creativity, good decisions, and positive personal traits of how to be successful in life (click here to see his list).  Supt. Dorn engaged our students and interacted with them in a motivating and entertaining way.

Supt. Randy Dorn speaks to SB Jr. Sr. High Students

I thought it refreshing to have our State Superintendent focus on positive life attributes, and not test scores.   Don't get me wrong, students should strive to do their best on our state tests and it is important to measure student learning.  However, it is my belief we need to also focus on the tenets of success as described by Supt. Dorn.  I would like to thank Supt. Dorn for his encouraging message to our students.

School Pics

As superintendent, I consider it both a privilege and a duty to frequent our classrooms, and I enjoy being able to visit with students and staff on a daily basis.  Below are some pics of my first day walk-through.  Welcome back!

Mrs. DeLap's 6th grade class

Ms. Verdun's Computer Applications Class

Mr. Huber setting the expectations for the year

What a great saying...  Found in Ms. Johnson's HS English class

Ms. Druzianich reading to her 3rd grade class

Mrs. Sanchez's math class

Encouraging quote found in our school library