SCHOOL BOARD SPOTLIGHT:::
With the upcoming election, Lakin Broncs will be posting spotlights on the school board members and school board elects. Our spotlight is Sheila Hendershot. Please read the document to learn a little about Sheila!
Dear friends of Lakin USD 215,
It is with great pleasure that I have the opportunity to talk to each of you concerning the upcoming election of school board members. I wish I had the opportunity to speak to you in person and get to know each of you better. But this way, I get to do all the talking! I will get long winded, so please don't give up reading this.
1. What do you believe are the major issues facing our district? How do you plan to tackle these concerns?
There are several issues that I feel we are facing in our district today. One concern is communication. Communication on all levels; community, administration, faculty, staff and the school board members. Talking openly without fear of retaliation. Better communication will build trust between us.
A second issue of concern would be the success of our students in todays world. This is a shared responsibility between the schools, parents and the community. We must work together to do the best we can for all students attending USD 215. If you have not read the vision statement for USD 215 I highly recommend you look it up. It melts together as the “personalized learning” and the "development of self-thinkers” for “positive interactions at school and in the community”. Students of all ages continually watch how school personnel interact with each other, the students families and the community. We must teach them that accountability is on everyones agenda. Respectful interactions to work together to solve issues that may arise between them. The education process begins at birth. The first five years of a child's life is one of the most critical time periods in their life. The child's early experiences and their relationships are critical to their health, wellbeing and the over all success of their future achievements. After they master the first five years, the child will be placed in an appropriate school to prepare him/her for those achievements. Whether it be continuation in an academic college, a trade school or the work force, USD 215 is accountable for their success.
2. Why should I be elected the school board?
Education has always been part of my life. As a little girl, I remember lining up my dolls so I could teach them everything I knew. After graduation from Garden City High School and Emporia State University, majoring in Education K-12 with an emphasis in early childhood, I was the director of a child development center in Kansas City for four years. We were licensed for 72 children. Moving to Lakin to raise my girls, I opened my own center, Bullfrogs and Butterflies. I received my Masters in Education from Fort Hays State University in 1987 and
began work as Director of the Campus Child Care Center at Garden City Community College. Here I also started teaching college courses in the Social Science Division. I retired from GCCC in 2001. Eventually I moved back to Lakin and continued working with children; I was a para professional at Lakin Middle School for a year and later I was a substitute teacher for three or more years. As you can see I take education very seriously. My current philosophy for education is: "Teaching is a continuous learning experience for students, teachers, parents and the Community. Lifelong learning that incorporates each unique child in developing their own potential and learning styles."
3. If you have a stakeholder come to you with a problem, how are you going to address it?
When a stakeholder comes to me with a problem, my first response is to listen to what they have to share. I do not claim to have answers on the spot, but I promise to respectfully listen and assure them that I will look into their problem and research as to the truth of the problem or a misunderstanding in communication. Throughout my life I have served on many boards; locally, state and nationally. I have a wide variety of experience working with many people.
4. What is your vision for education in this community?
Vision within a school board may vary from year-to-year. These changes come from growth of a school or perhaps with the policy and mandates changes from the Kansas Department of Education. Working within the these guidelines a board member must first and foremost focus on the teaching and learning improvements of their district. A board must work together on setting and holding people to high standards and instructional improvements, just as a teacher should do in his/her classroom. As a USD 215 board member it is not my job to interfere with the teachers or administration on how to do their job, but to listen and support them so they can do their job. This is not a place for personal agendas, but rather a place to lead, serve and advocate for our students, faculty and adminis
Great day for State CC in Wamego. Congrats to Lawson, Alex and Austin on representing Lakin well today. Lawson led the way with a 9th place finish.
Lakin boys competed well at State, highlighted with a top-10 finish by Lawson.
#getBETTER
5th grade math tested their math skills in a Hogwarts “Escape Room” on Friday. They had one hour to complete six different math tasks in order to escape!
Big s/o to Mike Coyne for being one of our biggest fans over the last several years. Regardless of the sport or distance, he is always there! We appreciate you Mike!
HS FB falls to Beloit 53-6. The Broncs end their season 5-4.
Lawson, Alex, and Austin getting in a pre-race-day run at Warner Park in Manhattan. They run at State tomorrow at 10:40AM at Wamego Country Club.
Adulting….
Great adulting today in consumer math. Some cooked and some cleaned. They all ate some breakfast burritos.
Great adulting today in consumer math. Some cooked and some cleaned. They all ate some breakfast burritos.
Fun Food Friday
Fun Food Friday
It’s a beautiful day outside so the parade is a “go” for outside! See you soon!
It is the time of year for “Spooky Science” All things dry ice and a trick to earn a treat. Happy Halloween from Mrs. Thompson CrAzY Science lab!
SCHOOL BOARD SPOTLIGHT:::
With the upcoming election, Lakin Broncs will be posting spotlights on the school board members and school board elects. Our spotlight is Sara Veesart. Please read the document to learn a little about Sara!
QUESTIONS:
1. What do you believe are the major issues facing our district? How do you plan to tackle these concerns?
My main concern currently is dealing with the pandemic. If we don’t keep our schools safe, we won’t be able to have kids in school to learn and grow.
Aside from that, we are in the process of addressing the drug use among some students by implementing a testing program. Getting these kids help early in the addiction process will benefit them well into the future.
I believe we will see our test scores improve as we implement new curriculums and teaching strategies throughout the district that build on each other through all three buildings. These things take time to see results, unfortunately our older children will not be able to have as large of a benefit from a new curriculum and teaching strategies as our younger children.
We have wonderful administrators in place at all levels and they are working very hard to make up for some past missteps. It will just take time to see the fruits of their labors.
2. Why should you be elected to the school board?
I first ran for school board because my son started school. He’s now in third grade, and looking out for his education is my number one priority. In doing so, I am also looking out for the education of all the students at USD 215. Being a 4th generation graduate of Lakin schools, I am very proud of my hometown and look forward to doing my part to move it into the future by giving all students the benefit of a solid education. My hope is these students will raise their families here someday and be knowledgeable citizens, able to make informed choices about their future of our community.
3. If you have a stakeholder come to you with a problem, how are you going to address it?
As a Social Worker by profession, I work daily with people to listen to their problems and work with them to find a possible solution. After listening to the problem, I would ask about who they’ve already spoken with about their concern. I would encourage the patron to follow the chain of command, speaking first with the teacher, then the principal, and finally the superintendent. If I am able to speak to the situation, I would let the patron know if there are any plans in place to address this issue. If I am unable to speak to the issue, I would inform the superintendent of the problem and give him the patron’s contact information. If the superintendent can’t resolve the issue, it may be something for the board to discuss.
4. What is your vision for education in this community?
I’m very excited to see how the redesign project works out. My hope is that students will be able to learn in an environment that is safe, exciting and engaging. I want all kids, pre-K through high school to be excited about what the next day will bring. I want kids to be able to learn at their own pace, extra help for kids that struggle and opportunities to expand their knowledge for kids that have already mastered the material. We are making good progress, but the pandemic has slowed things down a bit. I want Lakin to be a model of what school can be.
5. What would you change, if anything, about decisions regarding the budget in our district?
While the high school campus is the face of the district as far as where we host most events, I’ve been concerned about the grade school playground for years. I know there are plans in the works to make improvements at the grade school and I’m excited to see the results. I’m glad we have a forward looking administration that is able to work to balance the needs of the district with our somewhat uncertain future as a county.
First Grade Finished their Yayoi Kusama Pumpkins in Art today! They are displayed proudly in the grade school!
Kindergarten finished their line monster lanterns in art this week, right in time for Halloween!
STATE CC Send Off!!! Big thanks to the police, fire dept and EMS for the escort. S/o to all three buildings for the spirit lines and thank you to all the businesses and community members who came out to wish them luck! Good luck tomorrow boys!
#getBETTER
