Month: September 2013

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Uncategorized

Celebrating Teamwork

By Patti Brooks
Lower School Coordinator, Lakehill Preparatory School

In my 31 years as part of the faculty at Lakehill, I have come to appreciate the value of teamwork in our school. “Teamwork” is defined as: “work done by several associates with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole.”

One of the great strengths of our school is the spirit of camaraderie that prevails within our faculty. For example, a teacher might ask, “Does anyone have any cotton balls?” and before you know it, she is inundated with several bags of cotton balls! No matter what the request, so many staff members want to help each other…..(no rewards are given, no recognition is expected).

This spirit of helpfulness and teamwork spills over onto the students. We have a new Lower School positive incentive program this year called, “Get Caught.” In this program, we are trying to “catch” the class being mannerly, good citizens as a group – or team – during the day. The faculty or staff member noticing the good behavior gives the group a red ticket and compliments their behavior. There is a drawing each week at our Wonderful Wednesday Lower School assembly where the red tickets are drawn from a hat. The class chosen gets special recognition during the next assembly.

We have seen very positive results from the “Get Caught” program and hope the students realize that striving for goals as a group is very rewarding. ( I am proud to be on a faculty where setting examples for students comes effortlessly from the heart!)

Ms. Brooks draws a red ticket out of the hat.
Ms. Brooks draws a red ticket out of the hat.
Categories
Back-to-School Technology

Touching The Future

By Kaye Hauschild
Middle School Coordinator, Lakehill Preparatory School

I went back to school this summer. In the way of current times, I never actually went anywhere.  I sat at the computer in my house and spent hours trying to become a modern student.  From webinars (easy!) to participating in assigned group activities with students in different time zones (complicated!), I did my student thing.

And, while this was far from my more traditional classroom, I had an advantage over many of those in the course.  I have benefited from Lakehill’s consistent giving of encouragement to our faculty to attend technology-based training showcasing the best technology for use in education. And, with the efforts of Mr. Cummings, Mr. Dent, and our parents, we have amazing, level-appropriate software and updated hardware.  We also have a new iPad program that allows entire classrooms to literally put hands on and make use of applications intended to inspire and encourage our students to be seekers of knowledge and authors of independent thought.

As I learned this summer, these new tools offer new experiences that entice the student to reach further.  It also reinforced that I am lucky to get to teach in a traditional school with an eye to the future. Or maybe it is just a touch!

Categories
Upper School Traditions

A Growing Community

By Bob Yttredahl
Upper School Coordinator, Lakehill Preparatory School

The 2013-14 school year is one of tremendous growth and prosperity in Lakehill’s Upper School. We began the new year with a 30% increase in enrollment over the previous year. We have many new international students, representing countries around the world, who have chosen Lakehill for their high school education. Not surprisingly, this tremendous growth and increased diversity brought with it some unique challenges. However, with a proactive approach, we were able to address those challenges before the school year even started.

One change in our programming was to move beyond our traditional two-hour New Student Orientation and hold a day-long event. We had close to 40 new students involved in the orientation and an additional 15 returning students who helped with the event. By the end of the day, the new students were able to meet all of their teachers, take a tour of the building, meet some returning students, and have an in-depth conversation regarding the policies and procedures. The event helped ease some of the first-day anxieties and made for a smoother transition.

At our Opening Assembly on the first day of school, I shared with the entire Upper School what took place during the orientation. We discussed what we know to be the foundation of our Lakehill experience: “Community.” We agreed that this year offers all of us in our community the opportunity to grow and learn from these real-world experiences. We have created an environment where each member must respect each other and work side-by-side with people from all over the country and the world. In doing so, our community is not only growing, but growing stronger, with students who will develop the skills to succeed in college and beyond.

Categories
Back-to-School

Reflections on a “Big Chief Tablet”

By Ray Dent
Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Lakehill Preparatory School

To me, as a kid, there was just something about the first, clean, new page on the tablet or in the notebook whenever a new school year started. It was special, pristine, like your front yard after a fresh snowfall before it had tracks and footprints across it. Along with the new sharp pointed pencils, fresh never-used markers and a brand-new freshly opened box of Crayola’s, that first page was the signpost marking my entry into a new grade about which I had been both anxious and anxiously waiting.

I always sensed that if I could manipulate those new writing instruments with skill in order to use that first new page wisely, it would somehow set the right tone, or magic, to make the upcoming year fantastic.

As I stood on the north door steps on Monday and received all the happy first-day-of-school handshakes, smiles and high fives from our Lakehill students, parents and faculty, I realized that we were all at that clean, first new-page signpost. This year does not yet have a track, footprint, mark or squiggle across it.

To the adult me, as an administrator, I’ve seen our faculty in meetings and training sessions preparing themselves and their classes. I’ve watched the Parent Faculty Club organize and work to get ready for the upcoming year. (The efficient class registrations and an awesome Back to School Picnic were just the pregame warm-ups for what the PFC will do this year.) I’ve spoken with parents and grandparents proud of supporting Lakehill in efforts like the iPad Initiative last year, who are anxious to do even more this year.

I believe in my heart that we have… “somehow set the right tone, or magic, to make the upcoming year fantastic.”

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